The night before Thanksgiving, a hurried meal before I had to go speak at an
interfaith service in Scarsdale. Betsy made an actually delicious casserole
with leftover ham, brussels sprouts, pasta,and a bechamel sauce. A 2000
Lignier-Michelot Gevrey-Chambertin showed good raspberry fruit, lighter body
than I expected, with bright acidity and an earthy finish. I've been impressed
with the 2000s from this producer. B+

On Thanksgiving itself, Betsy spent the day cooking, I was merely in charge of
putting leaves in the table, watching the bassett hound, and assembling
appetizers. By the time guests arrived, I had made boiled shrimp with cocktail
sauce, smoked salmon canapes, and other assorted finger foods. First wine up
was a cheapie, the 2001 Ch. Lauretan Blanc (a Cordier property). A little
grassiness, good acidity with melon and citrus fruit, clipped finish.
Unexciting, but not bad QPR at $5! B-

The 2001 Kurt Darting Dürkheimer Hochbenn (Pfalz) Riesling Kabinett was floral,
sweet, and a bit softer than most 2001 kabs. But very tasty with loads of pit
fruit flavors. This was supposed to be a segue into a Christoffel kab, but as
we never finished this one (light drinking crowd) it was the last Riesling of
the night. B

For the main event, Betsy made a Madiera-braised turkey with fried sage
stuffing. But some of our guests eat fish but not poultry or red meat, so I
grilled a nice side of salmon which a teriyaki-ish marinade (soya, sherry,
ginger, & garlic). There was also another pan of stuffing/dressing with
shiitakes, leeks with chestnuts, green beans, mashed potates, sweet potatoes,
and more. The salmon gave me an excuse to open a Pinot Noir, the 1994 Michel
Lafarge "Clos des Chateau des Ducs" Volnay 1er Cru. Spice and cherry nose,
nice medium-bodied wine with rich red fruit, good acidity, and a very long
spicy finish. Showed best of several recent bottles (it had shown decently both
at offline at Triomphe and a duck dinner, poorly at a beef dinner, where it was
overwhelmed). A-

I gave the only guest who cared re wine the options of a Rhone, a Zinfandel, or
a mature Bordeaux, he chose the 1982 Ch. Potensac (Médoc). While the Lafarge
gave its best showing, the Potensac showed worse than other recent bottles.
Actually showed as reasonably young- good red fruit. But while smooth and
pleasant, lacking in secondary aromas and flavors. B

While the pumpkin and sweet-potato/pecan pies were being sliced, passed a
variety of cheeses. As there were several blues (St. Agur, Montbriac, and
Stilton), it seemed a good time to try the 1982 Martinez Vintage Porto. I was a
little worried re bottle shock, as this had only arrived a week before -but no
problems. Immediately after decanting I was concerned about high levels of VA,
but it seemed to blow off. Cinnamon-spicy with some chocolate notes in the
fruit, seemingly fully resolved tannins. Not at all hot, actually seemingly a
little light for VP, but very pleasant. This was from the lode that Jason
(Jaybert41) had uncovered at Trader Joes for$15, not an outstanding VP, but a
good deal at that price. B+

Grade disclaimer: I'm a pretty easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B
a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party
where it was only choice.
Dale

Dale Williams
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