What We Drank (November 30, 2009)

For this week's edition of What We Drank, our contributors share some of their favorite libations from the Thanksgiving weekend. As per usual, it's a diverse grouping of delicious sips.

From Julia Burke: Leonard Oakes Estate 2008 Frontenac and Heart & Hands Wine Company 2006 Pinot Noir

My actual Thanksgiving meal could be charitably described as "underwhelming". Grandma insisted on our first-ever restaurant Thanksgiving, and the place we chose lost points quickly in my book for having no New York wine (or any really interesting wine), mediocre food, and -- unforgivably -- no cranberry sauce.

My immediate family being one to make lemonade out of lemons, we had our own Thanksgiving as soon as we got home: I whipped out the local wine, my sister and I made some grilled cheese sandwiches, and we all proceeded to get drunk together and watch Home Alone.

The wines of the night were Leonard Oakes 2008 Frontenac, a deep, meaty, cherry-licious, badass version of a usually sub-par hybrid that was so primeval it could almost be described as bloody. The whiff of cherry candy gave it a weird and fun note; ultimately this deep, bold wine sold my uninitiated godparents on Niagara reds. 

Representing the Finger Lakes I chose a 2006 Heart & Hands Pinot Noir. Raspberry/cherry notes and incredibly subtle oak -- a rarity in FL pinot, in my experience -- made this a delightful lighter-bodied red for those intimidated by the Frontenac.

Watching my family sipping and enjoying the efforts of winemakers I've actually met, I was thankful to live in a state with a dynamic wine industry, and the lousy meal was long forgotten.

From Evan Dawson: Bois de Boursan 2003 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Cuvee des Felix

This wine immediately finds its place among my A-ha wines. It was nearly a religious experience.

My wife and I opened this bottle the night after Thanksgiving to enjoy with leftovers for a nice, slow evening. We enjoy CdP, and we expected to enjoy this one in particular because it's the high-end cuvee from one of our favorite producers. 

CdP tends to offer two styles. The first is a brambly wine, highly indicative of its sense of place, streaked with iron or graphite, olives and tar, along with subtle fruit. The second can be a monster, oaked and pumped up with rich fruits.

This wine reached in all directions and pulled in everything it could find, weaving it all together seamlessly. "Long" wouldn't begin to describe it; it's not quite the War and Peace of wine, but close. I have even discovered an online retailer offering bottles for half price as it tries to move inventory - ding a ling ding. Happy Thanksgiving indeed.

 

From Jason Feulner: Saranac 1888 Root Beer

Just a plain old root beer?!?! Not at all.

I live for this stuff. Every time my wife and I are at the grocery store, I beg for a six-pack like a little kid.

Saranac is a line of beer and soft drinks made by the Matt Brewing Company, located in Utica, NY. The company traces its history back to 1888 and was known for a long time as the maker of Utica Club beer. The Saranac line is appreciated among beer drinkers, and the various styles range from okay to pretty darn good.

I have tried all kinds of craft root beers from all over the place, and I have never found one that is as good as Saranac. It has a creamy resonance, a distinct root beer taste, and just a hint of cane sugar backed by vanilla. Some bars in Syracuse have this root beer on tap -- talk about responsible drinking!

Normally, give me wine or beer or just plain water. I don't love soda. This Saranac root beer is my exception.

 

From Lenn Thompson: Red Newt Wine Cellars 2006 Riesling Reserve

 There were a great many wines opened, tasted and consumed during the four days we spent in western PA visiting my family for the Thanksgiving holidays. We had everything from Hudson Valley Frontenac to Chilean Carmenere to Touraine Gamay to Long Island Gewurztraminer to several Finger Lakes rieslings -- this 2006 reserve from Red New Wine Cellars standing out from the crowd.

It didn't quite make it to the Thanksgiving table, though. We did a bulk of the wine drinking leading up to the meal, sitting in the living room, nibbling on cheese and bread, laughing as our two year-old entertained the family.

This one stood out because of the minerally vein of acidity that ran from start to finish. That acid cut through the richness of the cheese magically and refreshed the palate with each sip.

Plus, drinking a wine from Red Newt reminded my aunt and her husband of the trip they took to the Finger Lakes a few years ago after they got married -- because they went there and enjoyed it quite a bit. They also enjoyed telling me about a restaurant not far from there that they adored but couldn't remember the name of -- even though they ate there twice during their visit. "It was a woman's name I think," my aunt said.

"You mean Suzanne Fine Regional Cuisine?" I responded, followed by a broad smile crossing her face.

Yes, she meant Suzanne and I have to agree, it's a fine fine restaurant. I was thankful that something as simple as a wine I pulled from my cellar could conjure up great memories for my family.

From Tom Mansell: Mazza Vineyards NV Niagara

When you're traveling for Thanksgiving, sometimes you have to roll with whatever your host has on hand. 

In this case, I stayed at my cousin's house one night and was treated to some Thanksgiving leftovers: turkey and filling (which is distinct from stuffing and generally much more delicious). 

I was not equipped with any wine of my own at the moment, so I checked out the fridge. My cousin apologized for not having any "real" wine (speaking of the Arbor Mist), but I zeroed in on the screwcapped bottle on the door.

This bottle of Lake Erie Niagara from PA had been in the fridge for who-knows-how long, but I gave it a shot anyway. And you know what?  It was ice cold and really delicious. Yes, it was grapey, but also very fruity in general, with some mixed berries. Nice acidity and palpable sweetness was really refreshing after a long day of traveling.  Low alcohol helped that, as well.

But the coolest thing about this bottle was what came out as I poured the last glass (see picture).  A rock-candy-like formation that could only be some kind of super tartrate crystal. I guess all that time in the fridge was ideal for growing this huge crystal. It was like finding a worm at the bottom of a bottle of mezcal.  No, I didn't eat it, but I did take a picture of it. This was my most memorable thanksgiving wine experience. 

Some consumers might have been turned off by such a thing, but as you may know, I find these kinds of things incredibly cool.

 

From Bryan Calandrelli: Guba/Cal Selections Trockenbeerenauslese 2008

Dessert wines stole the show at my Thanksgiving dinner as I chose a local vidal ice wine and this TBA made by a friend of mine at a local winery.

The grapes for this botrytis-blessed wine were all hand sorted, grape by grape, from a late riesling harvest conducted by me and my friend.

This 187ml bottle was just one of four I took home from the whopping 2½-gallon carboy of TBA made. At least ten hours went into sorting the grapes and countless other hours went into fermenting and finishing this wine for bottling.

In the tiny glass, the wine showed an impressive gold color with concentrated aromas of apricot and peach. On the palate it had super rich body and balanced acidity.

Poured side by side with the ice wine, the TBA showed more complexity and sweetness. It didn’t need the raspberry tart I paired it with, as it was dessert enough by itself.

Comments

[Evan Dawson]

Tom - I not only find those things incredibly cool as well, but I invariably eat the crystals. How could you pass up the opportunity?

Lenn - Very cool story. The romantic in me just loves the connective power of wine.

[Evan Dawson]

Julia - What do you think gives the first wine its meaty, bloody character? It's hard to tell if you're talking about Brett (which, again, I don't find instantly objectionable unless in large doses). Any thoughts on what gives the wine that personality?

[Dan]

Evan,
If your a fan of Bois De Boursan than you should pick up some of their 2007's while they are still available. I have seen them at retail but they may not be around much longer. Mother nature was quite nice to the southern rhone in 2007. I have had a few 2007 CdP and they are surprisingly open right now but will obviously age. I found them already more open than 2006 and certainly the 2005's.

[Julia Burke]

Evan,

It's not a Brett thing - I've had more than my body weight in South African reds in the past year, so I can differentiate that aroma from this thicker, more dense one. I almost want to say it's a foxy/hybrid thing, since in this case it's accompanied by strong cherry-candy fruitiness. It really does smell like fresh, warm blood - not tin or iron, more earthy, meaty. Carnal, almost. (I sound like a cannibal right now...stay with me.) Think seared, rare venison, which is what I imagine to be a perfect food match. That's the best way I can describe it without sending you a bottle, which I'd be happy to do :)

As for what causes it, I've only experienced this characteristic with Leonard Oakes hybrid reds (their Chambourcin has it in spades) and a very good Noiret that I had in Chautauqua, so it must be a hybrid red thing. I'll ask the LO winemaker next time I see him.

[Tom Mansell]

If i may interject...

Some "cooked meat" aroma can come from 2-methyl-3-furanthiol, which is indeed found in cooked meat and has also been detected in wines.

This compound can come from wines with excessive H2S, so perhaps the grapes that came in were low in nitrogen, leading to H2S, which is a precursor for meat aroma.

Cherry is a very common descriptor for Frontenac, so in this case it appears the meatiness has added some nice complexity.

I am sure that the meat is not unique to Frontenac, though. There are lots of other meaty wines out there (Rhone/Midi Syrah, for example, which I often find I need to aerate a bit due to massive H2S...)

But enough about that. I'm curious why Frontenac is "usually sub-par".

[Julia Burke]

Tom,

The Frontenac I've had (wines from Ohio, Chautauqua/Lake Erie, and New York, besides the LO example) has usually had a stupidly fruity, overly sweet, Willy Wonka-in-a-Barbie-dollhouse quality to it. I'm simply not a fan of sweet, candy-fruity reds.

Also, Frontenac exploded on my face and clothes while I was punching it down during harvest, so I have a personal grudge. I'm sure that there are other fine examples of Frontenac out there. If you've had some stunning Frontenac recently, please recommend!

There are many different "meat" characteristics that I've experienced in wine; in French, Italian and Spanish wines I sometimes get a cured meat thing, like soppressata, capicola, salami or jamon. The Frontenac thing is less like cooked meat, more raw or bloody. Words are failing me - you'd have to try them side by side. Thinking a "meaty wines" tasting party would clear this up...or a well-researched post entitled "Where's the Beef?", "Meet Your Meat," or something equally corny.

[Evan Dawson]

Dan - Thanks for the heads up. I can't say I necessarily share Robert Parker's ga-ga views on 2007, but certainly they're going to be very good. Cheers!