As is our usual tradition, we barbacued a turkey with wet wood chips smoking in the fire. Also on the menu was roasted asparagus, yams, a medium Lundberg rice mix, salad with balsamic vinigarette dressing, and cranberry mold for those who partake of that. We had shrimp, cheese, vegetables, and hummus as finger food while people were gathering. In prior years, the fave was a zinfandel (the
1999 Ravenswood old vine zinfandel was a standout); we also served a white for those who wanted it, and opened with a Frexinet brut just so we could have some bubbles to celebrate with.This time we started the finger food with a Zardetto Procecco Brut from Italy, figuring it would be a step up from the black bottle we often have. I'm not much of a champaigne expert, partly because I'm the only one that drinks in our family, and an entire bottle of bubbly is a hair too much at one sitting (or even two). I was hoping however for an nice change.
Well, it was a change.
Upon pouring, the bubbles were very aggressive in the glass, though they were somewhat less so once we got to drinking it. As I wasn't concentrating on rating the wines, I can't supply very detailled notes, but I found it to be merely passable; the flavors seemed unbalanced to me. And if it's only passable, why not just open the black bottle?
For the white wine at the meal I opened a 2006 Bodegas Valdesil Montenovo Godello which was featured in this month's wine club. My notes at the tasting were: Bright fruity nose, crisp and spicey in back (sharp and fast attack) with a soft finish. I tasted it again at the wine store and tried to imagine it with the turkey and decided to give it a shot. I suppose I should have noted that it had a similarity to pinot grigio, which I am not all that fond of, but at the time I found it interesting enough to buy. It did not go all that well with the food; upon reflection it wanted a softer wine, if we were to go with a white. Which I don't usually.
The wine club also featured a Cabernet Franc this month and I tried it again. I like Cabernet Franc, and this one (Cosentino's "The Franc") is a nice one, though it's still a bit tannic. A few years may soften it. I thought it might go nicely, but when I tasted it again before Christmas at the wine store, I decided instead to open last month's Cotes du Rhone. It's a 2006 Moillard "Les Violettes", and although it sounds like infanticide, my notes at the store were: dark round fruit on the nose, soft, light on the palate, almost thin, dry finish. It did not seem to me something that time would do much with. On the bottle it said "Negociant-Eleveur a Nuits-St-George (Cote d'Or) France", which near as I can make out, means "the bloke that made this wine is a big wheel in Cote d'Or". Or something. My French isn't all that good.
Anyway, the wine was too thin for the meal. I really thought this one would work out, so it's especially disappointing. I guess smoked barbacued turkey really needs a more hefty wine, and my original tradition of a Zinfandel is a better match (and maybe the Cab Franc would have worked well).
But that's the world of wine. If everything works out well, you aren't trying enough different things. :)
Jose