Bordeaux Wine Enthusiasts

Thanksgiving 2015, Day 4: Thanksgiving Day

For breakfast we ate bagels, lox, and cream cheese while sipping on

NV Pol Roger Brut. Pol Roger changed its style more than a decade ago. For some time I did not like the NV, but in the last few years I think it has been very good. But stefanJr says, “Too grape-y,” while Lucie thinks that it is not sufficiently toasty and yeasty. stefan 89. Lucie 90. stefanJr “I don’t rate NV Champagne”.

2002 Pol Roger Brut. Also in the “new” style PR, the ’02 has good depth, balance, and a long finish. It is a good Champagne to lay down. s 91+. sJr 91.

With minestrone we drank

NV Deschutes Chasin’ Freshies Fresh Hop IPA. stefanJr has claimed for years that the best beer in the world is brewed in Oregon. At first I laughed, but after drinking those he selected, I agree. This IPA is really, really good. It is made from lemon drop hops, which stefanJr says is a new breed.

During football we drank

2002 Belles Soeurs (Beaux Freres) Shea Block 29 Pinot Noir. This good Shea is from the great ’02 OR vintage. It is concentrated and has sweet fruit. The dry finish (probably from too much oak) detracts from the good qualities. stefan 89. stefanJr 90. Lucie 91.

2001 Chehalem Rion Reserve. Another good dusty Oregon ’01 Pinot Noir, the Rion has pure fruit and the finish is clean. It is just a bit passed its peak drinking window. s 89.

Turkey dinner started while we were drinking

1999 Chehalem Ridgecrest Pinot Noir. Dusty nose and pure taste.. It is very similar to the ’01 Chehalem Rion, but the Ridgecrest is more vibrant. s 90.

After sitting at the table we drank

2002 St. Innocent Anden Pinot Noir. This is an outstanding Oregon PN. It has good concentration and a long finish. It has room for improvement. While not the best ’02 from SI, it is one not to be missed. s 92. sJr 93. I 93.

2004 St. Innocent Shea Pinot Noir. This is another good pure pinot. It is well balance and has good staying power. It is more powerful than the ’02 SI Anden even if I have a slight preference for the Anden. s 91. sJr 92.

With pies:

1988 Rayne Vigneau. The R-V has a ton of mineral laced botrytis. It is medium sweet and has a strong finish. Maybe the fact that I have not had a comparable Sauternes recently affects my judgment, but I must give this wine: stefan 94. stefanJr 91.

stefan wrote:
NV Deschutes Chasin’ Freshies Fresh Hop IPA. stefanJr has claimed for years that the best beer in the world is brewed in Oregon. At first I laughed, but after drinking those he selected, I agree. This IPA is really, really good. It is made from lemon drop hops, which stefanJr says is a new breed.

If interested in beer, one should try 'three floyds' beer out of Munster, Indiana. I did not pay attention to it early when people said it's one of the best microbreweries in the world, but when I tried, I am really impressed. It's hard to get your hands on as it flies off shelves of limited places they sell. But I usually used to buy the beer at the brewery itself when I lived near Chicago. And FWIW, their beer is consistently rated among top 10 beers in the world...

They have yearly beer festival which attracts people all over the world, and they sell their most sought after beer (not made commercially but only made for this festival) only to people who purchased tickets for the festival, that too limiting two bottles per ticket holder. I fail to grasp why people are so much crazy after that beer, which I was told that it's as thick as motor oil...

Nice. We never got around to drinking yesterdays Sauternes.

We did the NV Veuve Clicquot Rose yesterday to start = it's been a while since I've had one. Full bodied, and maybe a hint of sweetness.

Time to make some pot pies while we wait for the furnace repairman to show up!

stefan wrote:NV Pol Roger Brut. Pol Roger changed its style more than a decade ago. For some time I did not like the NV, but in the last few years I think it has been very good. But stefanJr says, “Too grape-y,” while Lucie thinks that it is not sufficiently toasty and yeasty. stefan 89. Lucie 90. stefanJr “I don’t rate NV Champagne”.

2002 Pol Roger Brut. Also in the “new” style PR, the ’02 has good depth, balance, and a long finish. It is a good Champagne to lay down. s 91+. sJr 91.

Hmmm, these notes are worrisome. I went pretty deep on 2002 Pol Roger Brut and 2002 Pol Roger BdB, all sourced (and delivered) from PC. I admit, I was highly enabled by your many favorable notes on this house, Bill. I tried a 2002 BdB shortly after delivery, and I was underwhelmed mostly as it was pretty mute. I assumed/hoped it was just closed and needed more time.

So Bill, where has the house style headed? Are you still a big fan?

When do you think the 02's will be fully ready?

Your Thanksgiving holidays are always a great read.

Wish I would have that type of family. Of course, We drink interesting interesting wines in family gathering, but i would like it you be a family effort instead of my effort.

Did not bought Champagne in a while... Maybe it is time to change that? MC gave me some hints that I should decode as she's thirsty for some rosé Champagne...

Chelahem, available here. I'll Check to buy some and give a try.

Nic

Patrick, I think '02 Pol Rogers are all really good, but the style is different now. Right now the Brut is very good, but it will get a lot better, I think. The Blanc de Blanc always takes more time than the brut to show its stuff. Incidentally, the P-R style now seems more in line with the Winston Churchill style. Winston young shows quality but is nothing like a mature Winston, which is one of world class Champagnes.

Today we drank a NV Charles Heidsieck. All of us prefer it to the current NV P-R. I like it more than the '02 P-R for drinking now.

I finished off my 04 Shea a few years ago. I still have a few 02 Anden which was made from the older vines on the bottom of the Seven Springs hill.

Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA is delish. They take their beer seriously in OR.

Should probably start a dedicated Champagne thread in the vein of the Deals thread. It's that time of year.

Don't get me started on Oregon and/versus Colorado beers. Things are a far cry now from the Bud or Miller days when I came of age.

Regarding the former topic, having finally got my wine back in one place and having knocked off the last bottle of Champagne I had cellared, I bought a mixed case of lower-end stuff from K&L recently. It included a couple of bottles of Mumm "Formula 1" for $19.

Mumm is not a name one sees on this board much. I wonder why (although can guess). The Cordon Rouge label is certainly iconic. I can remember when my sister brought back a couple of splits from Belgium in 1968!

Anyway I take it the Formula 1 is just the Cordon Rouge in a special/commemorative bottle. Not expecting anything remarkable I popped one the other night to celebrate a contract to sell Shangri-La with some friends. I was quite impressed. Light colored but sort of firmly lush with a remarkably persistent and fine bead and mouse--nearly malty in texture. Red apples mainly for flavor. Will see if the other bottle makes the same impression but at that price I wish I'd bought more.

Having drunk a few Grand Cru Chablis and some quality white burgs lately showing advanced or incipient oxidation at ages 8-12 Champagne provides an interesting alternative. I wonder that I don't read much about premox in Champagne. Is it because of the CO2 in the bottle?

Mumm is the official Champer of F1 podium celebrations. Lewis Hamilton knows the taste well.

I like Domaine Mumm Rose from California, good quality and on sale this time of year.

Good question about pre-mox. Like you, Art, I haven't seen it in Champagnes. The acidity from the CO2 and the general less-ripeness of the grapes might have something to do with it. Champagne corks are also different from those used for still wines, and some theories about premox include corks as a contributing factor.

I had a bottle of 2002 Pol Roger last week in NYC, we thought it was splendid. I'm not an expert on champagnes but that seems to hit a sweet spot for me.

JimHow wrote:I had a bottle of 2002 Pol Roger last week in NYC, we thought it was splendid. I'm not an expert on champagnes but that seems to hit a sweet spot for me.

Ok, I'm chilling one of my 02 Brut to try soon!