Trying to finish my Thanksgiving pairings (poll)

Main Course Thanksgiving Wine

Trying to pick the last wine & I’ve been waffling.

Amuse
caviar service
burnt shallot dip, sourdough toast
-Guillaume Selosse NV Au Dessues du Gros Mont Champagne-
First
French green lentils & sweet potato soup
caesar salad, preserved lemon, anchovy dressing
-Antica Terra 2018 Aurata Chardonnay-
Main Course
seared duck breast, cherry Banyuls gastrique
leek brioche bread pudding
charred romanesco, lemon, chili, garlic
-THIS IS WHERE I’M WAFFLIN-
Dessert
pumpkin pie
English lemon posset
-Peter Lauer 1987 Sparkling Brut Reserve-

Mostly this is just an excuse for me to drink some of these wines - maybe not the perfect pairings (doesn’t haven’t to make perfect sense, but not a total misfire). Originally for the main I was thinking 2017 Kinsman Eades Rhadamanthus - I have 5 bottles and thought it was a good excuse. But, as I was putting bottles away that I picked up last week I kept seeing other things thinking “what about this??”.

So I’ll let the poll decide. Some I have a few of, some it’s a random bottle looking for an excuse to drink.
2017 Kinsman Eades Rhadamanthus
2014 Horsepower Sur Echalas Syrah
2015 Mascot
2011 Nine Suns
2017 M. Etain
2013 Insignia
2016 Maiden
2011 Next of Kyn No. 5 Cumulus Syrah
2015 Ponsot MsD Cuvee de Alouettes

Duck = Burgundy

I can’t answer to the specific wines listed, but would go with an older Pinot Noir.

I know, I know and I have more Pinot than anything in my cellar which is why I was trying to do something else.

Sorry, another vote for Pinot, here.

I think this is actually a bit of a challenge in terms of pairing mostly because of the cherry gastrique and chili/garlic. The amount of heat and sweetness is likely dependent on your cooking here - but basically this is sweet/sour/spicy combination of flavors which can be a challenge for dry red wines. Burgundy is likely your best bet given that list - but something like Cru Beaujolais comes to mind for me for a red wine. I think you’d want something with a good deal of primary fruit character, good acidity, low tannin and lower alcohols.

Also - how sweet is the bread pudding? I’m guessing you’re not omitting sugar entirely from the recipe. Obviously there’s protein on the menu but a lot of these food components are pointing towards a white wine (Riesling, Gewurtz, Chenin) or even something esoteric like a skin contact white wine to me.

Truth be told, a lot of those wines seem like great steak and potato pairings (omitting the Ponsot here), or best enjoyed on their own. You’ve got an outside the box menu (which I think is fantastic) but requires some outside the box wine pairing.

I would agree, except it sounds like that sauce would destroy a red burgundy.

I think is where I’m at too. Based on most of the flavors, I honestly think the right Gewurztraminer could be the outside the box play here. An aromatic white would hold up to sweetness and heat - and show more of the spicier/phenolic elements of Gewurtz (which might then be a great pairing with the duck). Mostly the leek, brioche, bread pudding could be a pretty phenomenal pairing with the right Gewurtz.

Thanks for the other recommendations & I am appreciative of the other comments.

It’s pretty much just an excuse for me to pull some of the more higher price point/special/etc wines. Primarily me drinking them & then maybe a small class for my parents & step-dad. I’ll probably end up taking half of each bottle over to a friend’s later in the evening.
So maybe the poll should have been: Which of my more expensive reds should I drink with my parents this week?

The cherry gastrique is essentially just a less than syrupy reduction of half honey & half Banyuls vinegar with cherries in it and citrus/chili (not very spicy) with the romanesco means there’s plenty of acid and the bread budding is totally savory (leeks, butter, cream, ementaller, milk, chives - Keller’s Ad Hoc recipe) so that’s why I was thinking things with more tannin/body.

In that case- 2011 Next of Kyn No. 5 Cumulus Syrah

If you don’t wanna go Pinot, go old Barolo?

Please don’t point out the flaws in my cellar. Every time I have good Italian wine, I remark how I need to buy more good Italian wine & I never end up buying any Italian wine. The only Barolo I have, happen to all be 2013s - must have been some promo email a few years ago. Vietti, GD Varja, Pira, Manzone oh and a random magnum of Mauro Veglio Castelletto.

I don’t want to go Pinot because I drink a lot of Pinot & I can’t go Barolo because I don’t buy Barolo.

The Mascot is a touchstone I had a few years back. It’s a pretty hefty and classic Napa Cab. Oaky. Don’t think it would be subtle enough for a turkey dinner. But then again, I’m useless at pairings.

With that in mind, my evaluation would be, what do they enjoy drinking, and what’s likely going to show best? I’d take food pairing less into the consideration.

In this case, I’d just drink a Cru Bojo or New World Pinot with the duck and enjoy the 2017 Kinsman Rhad around the fire after dinner (open/decant when you start cooking).

+1

Another vote for Pinot or red Burgundy for the duck.

Okay I’ll open the Ponsot Pinot & it’ll just be 3 of us now so this is way more wine than I need to open. I’m going to play Catan later that evening with friends and will take the left-overs and probably the Mascot and another bottle to open there.
Most of the others will probably be in the running for Christmas week meals.

Let’s not be boring and say duck equals pinto noir. I have a friend that does that and he ends up having the same pairings every dish.
Something outside-the-box might be a rich late harvest Alsatian pinot gris.