Thanksgiving wines 2010
We started with 2009 Ponzi Pinot Gris. A true crowd pleaser which everybody enjoyed. The nose offered melon and honey scents. The flavors of rich melon, crisp apple and pear shared the stage with the earthy notes. The finish was crisp and long yet surprisingly rich. The balance was very good and drinks well with or without food. Excellent QPR.
The 2001 Von Kesselstatt Josephshofer Riesling Spatlese nose was composed of red cherry fruits with a hint of sage. Red cherry fruit flavors predominated in this medium acid, medium bodied beauty. Showing some earth and still young and primary this wine has a good future ahead of it. This is one of my favorite German wineries and for some reason it tends to get overlooked by others.
2002 Clos De La Tech Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains had red fruits along with some earth and minerality, with a touch of cola that I am not a fan of in general. There was also a little bit of mint, not sure if this was a positive or not. Resolved tannins and decent acidity. This bottle showed better the next day.
2003 Fort Ross Pinot Noir, Fort Ross Vineyard, Sonoma Coast. Red plum and currants on the nose with emerging spice. The plate had more red cherry and earth with resolved tannins and good acidity. This also showed better the next day.
I went and back and forth on which of these 2 Pinots I liked better and I had a preference for the Fort Ross as it had more depth with less Cola. My favorite Pinot of the day was…
2006 Le Cadeau, Rocheux, Willamette Valley. First of all, this is probably the best 2006 WV PN that I have tasted. It was very well balanced with decent acidity and structure. It was clearly not Californian in origin, especially when compared to the 2 former wines. It was way more complex and deep in ripples of flavor. Red plum, wonderful spices and earth were the main players on the long balanced finish. This bottle was fully consumed on day 1 and I am glad to have 2 more bottle as this wine appears to be near peak.
All of the wines were a good match with the Kosher turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted root veggies with fresh herbs, and cornbread, sage, sausage and chanterelle stuffing with Madeira gravey.