We went out for our Thanksgiving meal this afternoon (no sense doing the whole production for two people), so having some after dinner Pinot Noir.
The 2017 Rhys Vineyards Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard (Santa Cruz Mountains) is aromatically gorgeous with deep cherry fruit, warm spices (cinnamon, nutmeg), and a deep, dark earthiness. The palate isn’t quite as expressive, as the fruit turns tart, almost sour, which then carries on into the mid-palate. The finish is much better, so perhaps more air or bottle age will ameliorate the tart fruit. I hope so, as the wine smells great, and the structure is a well balanced tannin/acid combination.
Magnum of 2002 Beaux Freres, The Beaux Freres Vineyard. Opened around 3pm and have enjoyed over Thanksgiving dinner and into the evening with dessert. This is in a great place with still a lot of red fruit left but extremely well integrated. Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving and thanks to Frank for leading the charge on this and everyone else who has supported the cause!
Three shades of Pinot. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
2016 Laherte Frères Champagne Premier Cru Extra Brut Les Longues Voyes - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (11/28/2024)
Clean nose with apple and pear. Ooh, this interesting and hard to describe. Red berries, maybe some ginger and spice, tangerine? Some savory notes. This is tasty.
2023 Domaine Charles Audoin Marsannay Rosé - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Marsannay Rosé (11/28/2024)
I liked this more than previous bottles, maybe because I am going in with lower expectations. There is a little more body and texture than previous vintages. Pale red fruits, some melon, dry. Decent acidity. My daughter loved it.
2010 Domaine Roger Belland Santenay 1er Cru Gravières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Santenay 1er Cru (11/28/2024)
I liked this than more than others tonight. Very soft, some earthy, darker toned fruits. Light spice.
Just for Frank and Laura’s House…Found this rose of Pinot. Actually pretty good. Sta Rita Hills, full bodied, lots of watermelon, chalky notes. Some acidity, this would have been better with the food 8 hours ago but all in all pretty tasty.
The wife says… Rose? Really? Not what I wanted at this hour
What a great series of posts this late afternoon, guys. Meeting some of you for the first time, seeing some old friends and even their wives appear here, too. Really appreciate all of you posting on a day that is for family, but you making the needs of others, even for just a moment, making that important for you to post, take photos and help us raise money. I truly appreciate it.
@Margaret_Bayston Hey Margaret, we got some great action going in the thread, a lot of money is being raised for Laura’s House. We have through EOD tomorrow to capture more, with great work being done.
2005 Lucien Le Moine Chambolle-Musigny Lea Amoureuses. A difficult wine. Started dark and flat. It has opened and shows more lifted red fruits and a subtle fulfilling texture with lots of nice side palate tannins. At the core, even as it improves over a few hours, it seems ripe beyond its capacity to hold itself together. I would drink this sooner than later I think. It’s very nice in the end and a wine that has delicacy and finesse but also has an interior that drags it down rather than lifting it up. Happy to have had it but this won’t meet any lofty expectations. A good wine for sure.
Damn, you guys are killing it tonight! I opened a 2023 Vincent Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir tonight but forgot to take notes (other than just plain delicious) or a pic.
Just getting in on the last day to support this excellent cause again (I had to wait for some pure PN to be delivered!); yesterday evening I enjoyed my first Marie-Courtin fizz:
NV Marie-Courtin Champagne Résonance Extra Brut - France, Champagne (28/11/2024)
LR20 D1023ND etched on the bottle, from which I assume 2020 base, disgorged October 2023 and, perhaps, non-dosé.
A bit of reduction on opening, and it takes a few minutes to open out. Then what we have is a rather focused, crisp (but not tart) bottle of fizz. There's only a light mousse (and after 2-3 hours open very little remains). The wine is elegant (staying just on the right side of thin) rather than intense: saline minerality, citrus, unripe apple, a slight floral hint, and perhaps just a touch of brioche. Different notes emerge as it warms and with air.
Overall this is a rather nice wine, for me without the weight to stand up to much beyond light canapés, but working well as an aperitif. For the ~US$50 I paid it's decent QPR, and an occasional repeat buy for me. (90 points)
I waited until this (beautiful) morning for the pic so you get some of Hong Kong out of our window in the background!
I think this is the only bottling of the original Rhys Pinots that I’ve never had. I’m sure it would please the Burgheads. Happy Thanksgiving all.
2008 Rhys Pinot Noir Skyline Vineyard - USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains (11/27/2024)
Whiff of celery sort of stem inclusion right off the bat. That lingers but the slightly smokey, pretty and elegant berry perfume makes for a nice complication. Glassy acidity and long tannin yet. Just kind of a perfect, classic Pinot package.
2013 Longplay Pinot Noir Lucky 13 - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Chehalem Mountains (11/28/2024)
Started out with some strawberry & creme. I almost thought Russian River for a minute. But then it began to mellow out with some air and the more subtle Oregon fruit started to show with some soft strawberry and cherry. I appreciated the balance and the elegance on the finish. (92 points)
More new faces. @P_a_u_l_Christensen and @Jim_Anderson , great to meet you. I’ve seen you around many times but never had the pleasure to see you virtually. Thank you for your posts. Tom, Cris and Tony, thank you too for participating multiple times.
Some more good news. We have another matching anonymous donor who will match me after we’re all done today. This is wonderful help, in effect tripling the value of every posted note. To that person here, THANK YOU!
My week ends tonight so keep posting through midnight. Once we’re done I will count up the participation and let you know what we have raised for Laura’s House.
