TN: Giving Thanks for/with 49 Cantemerle, 79 du Tertre, Suenen, etc

Betsy needed a white for cooking. The new vintage of a standby 2021 Collestefano Verdichio de Metalica was firmly in lineage of its predecessors. Crisp citrus, a saline mineral note, light but with great depth for a $15 wine. B+/B

The Thanksgiving day menu Prelude: Paddlefish and Hackleback caviar(with blinis, egg, creme fraiche) Mark's famous shrimp At table: Heritage Bronze Turkey, herb dry brine Additional turkey breast, with fennel seed/fennel pollen/coriander rub Biscuits Southern dressing, oyster dressing, Gluten Free dressing butternut squash cranberry-orange relish cranberry sauce that slides out of the can roasted brussels sprouts with garlic special secret relish (aka chili crisp) green bean and maitake casserole (non-cream of mushroom soup version) then: Philip's favorite Apple Pie, vanilla ice cream Gluten free pumpkin and pecan pies, whipped cream Prairie Ridge and Womanchego cheeses

As everyone arrived we started with the Suenen Blanc de Blancs Champagne (2017 base, 6/20 disgorgement) Pear, citrus, fresh baked bread. Good zip, fine mousse, bright chalky finish. B+

1949 Cantemerle (Haut Medoc) A Mahler-Besse bottle, with great fill. Great dark fruit for 73, but really about the leather and feral notes. Concise, complex,.holds up well over entire dinner. Thanks Mark! A-

1979 Vieux Chateau Certan(Pomerol) Nice nose of flowers over black plums, those ‘79 acids are a bit dominant on palate, with crushed berries and earth. Short finish compared to the Cantermerle or du Tertre. B

1979 du Tertre (Margaux) An old favorite still going strong, and keeps improving through the night. Black cherry, cassis, a slight ferric note, cigarbox. Fresh, resolved tannin, good length. A-

2011 Rhys Bearwallow Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley) Jammy red fruit, a touch of sweet cola, not my style- Mark and I agree the Rhys Santa Cruz bottlings tend to show better. B-/C+

2014 Fichet Les Gruyaches Meursault I had this out for someone who loves white Burgundy, but Mark seduced her with 49 Cantemerle so almost all of this was left at end of dinner. Chalk, lemon, damp earth, great ‘14 acids, young but drinking well. Sadly my only bottle. A-/B+

I had a ‘94 Auslese in queue, and Mark had brought a Sauternes, but we all decided we’d had enough. Wonderful holiday dinner, with friends to treasure, nice wines, and food worthy of a feast.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

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