TN: Thanksgiving Round II

[jrufusj]

THANKSGIVING ROUND II - Home (11/26/2005)

Since I had to work on Thursday, we had our home cooked Thanksgiving meal on Saturday. Jonathan, Samantha and the kids joined us for:

-- Hors d'oeuvres of (1) smoked duck breast with sour plum sauce and green tea sembei and (2) napoleans of momen-tofu and black sesame paste with a sauce of dengaku-style white miso and green onion with water crackers.

-- A spinach, onion and cream cheese soup.

-- Roast turkey with lemons and a cinnamon/cumin/pepper spice rub, green beans with almonds and basil, and cornbread stuffing (plus gravy, sauces, etc.).

-- Banana caramel cake and pumpkin pie.

• N.V. Philippe Gonet Roy Soleil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru - France, Champagne, Le Mesnil Sur Oger
  Vigorous tight mousse charging through a very bright, light colored and young looking wine. Tight lemon spritz nose backed up by chalky mineral and nuts. Absolutely dancing on the palate with lemon-soaked apple fruit and a palate-scrubbingly pervasive effervescence. Great zippy texture and tight fruit, but very austere. Must be very low dosage. With food, this rounds out a bit and provides a lovely lift and cleanse against rich and smoky hors d’oeuvres. Despite the delightfully pure flavors, I don’t think I’d want this as a cocktail wine without food. But oh what a great match!
  
• 2002 Egon Müller Schärzhofberger Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer, Saar
  Glistening but extremely pale color of white straw. Still in its primary youthful vigor, the nose shows lovely ripe peach and bright kaffir lime powder, with essence of powdered stone and cold springwater. This is a very intense nose. Immediate impression on the palate is of supreme balance among sweetness, acid, and fruit intensity. Only after it has passed through the mouth and the finish is lingering does one realize just how much heft the palate has. Don’t know what the Oechsle actually was, but this certainly feels like it has Spätlese strength. Given the relatively low alcohol level, it is carrying a lot of sugar very gracefully. Served in a very difficult match with a cream cheese/spinach soup, the slight oiliness of the riesling comes out beautifully to help it hold its own. As an indication of how seamlessly this worked with the soup, one of our guests asked what the lime flavor in the soup was! This just did an amazing job of carrying sweetness, intense fruit, and bracing acid with a feeling of weightlessness – kind of like a linebacker playing around with antigravity. The next day, a half glass that had been sitting on the counter overnight was still fresh and clean, but had picked up an intriguing smoky element on the palate and a bit of flower on the nose. I’m locking a bunch of these away for ten years.
  
• 2002 Domaine des Souzons (Famille Jambon) Régnié Cuvée Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Régnié
  Slightly darkish cherry red. Nose of dark sour cherries and a little raspberry. With a little time, a bit of warm granite and the tiniest pretty floral element comes out. On the palate, an upfront shot of cherry and berry fruit that dies away a little in the mid-palate, where the acid takes over and a bit of tannin scrapes the cheeks as well. Brief finish has a nice touch of earth and a hint of bitter chocolate along with more of the sour cherry fruit. Lightly textured throughout, it still managed somehow to be a tad clumsy. This was a fair match with the turkey and fixin’s, but I would have been happier to keep drinking the riesling. I like cru Beaujolais; I like acid; I like rustic; and I like 2002. But this lacked the gentle prettiness that I look for from the lighter crus like Régnié.
  
• 2000 Domaine de Coyeaux Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise
  Bright orange and visibly syrupy. Nose is immediate and obvious, but no less delicious for that with candied orange zest, a mixed bouquet of floral scents, some baking spice, and a slightly spirity grapiness. On the palate, this is rich and sweet, with a dominant impression of orange liqueur. Additionally, there is a little honey but it’s really just a pretty simple and sweet mouthful. Finish is of medium length, but eventually just blends into the sweetness of the next sip. A small glass is a nice sweet finish to the meal. Anything more becomes cloying.
  

Thanks to Sam for the green beans and the desserts. She really is the best baker I know in Tokyo. Thanks to all for great company during this holiday far from home.

In keeping with the try something new theme for Thanksgiving, the Beaujo and Muscat were both from producers that were new to me.

Jim