I’ve long been with Pinot Noir for Thanksgiving, but lately have switched. I want a relatively light-weight red, from the U.S., both savory and subtle. My answer is well-aged California Cabernet.
1974 Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon - level bottom neck, cork a little short and compressed but came out cleanly and easily, decanted and served - healthy medium red, with some bricking at the rim. Ripe, fragrant Cabernet aromas feature red currant and a hint of graphite. There is only a tiny hint of eucalyptus to tell me I’m not drinking Bordeaux. The aromas are ripe and balanced, secondary not tertiary.
Light to medium bodied on the palate, beautifully smooth texture with satisfying solidity. The fruit is there, mostly red currant but hints of red cherry and some subtle savory spice. This is all about finesse of flavor and beautiful texture. Fully mature, it is not in danger of going over hill (assuming good provenance and taking into account bottle variation). This lacks the intensity of really great wine, but it’s a beauty nonetheless. Rated 93.05.
This was a beautiful foil to a turkey from The Turkey Farm in New Sharon, Maine. I had to stand out in a monsoon rain to pick up my turkey, so I’m glad it was really really good. Sally’s stuffing and local broccoli accompanied (potatos, peas and mushrooms with tomorrow’s dinner), and now that I’ve had my break, it’s time for pie.
Sounds delicious, Dan. Again, more evidence that it doesn’t matter what is “supposed” to pair well with a dish, but rather what you want to have that works best. Sounds like a well thought out match and a great bottle of wine.
To me, 1974 was a watershed year. I think that vintage for the first time a lot of the CA Cab producers went the ‘extra mile’ for more extract, more oak, more more. Call it the Dawn of Spoofilation. As a result, IMO, a lot of top bottlings were not as good as regular ones. I’ve been aware of this for a long time. To the point, I opened my last bottle of 1974 Vintage Selection Cab from Charles Krug (I don’t remember the designation) at least five years ago and it was over the hill. The regular bottling last night was better than fine.
Back in '84, I bought a lot of the Special Selection of this for $9.99 per. In hindsight, though, I should have bought a lot of the '82 Lynch Bages for $12.50 per.
Opened a 1969 Charles Krug Cabernet this Thanksgiving (among others). A lovely, delicate, well balanced wine that showed no signs of oxidation. Thought it better than a 1968 previously opened.