Some years back, DaleW and I went in on an auction lot that included
several different '66 Bordeaux, a few of which still linger in my
cellar. Tonight, with a Covid-19-compliant Thanksgiving dinner at home
with the another couple who are in our pod, we opened several wines.
With an amouse bouche of smoked salmon on creme fraiche atop a cucumber
slice we had the NV Vilmart Cuvee Rubis (6/19 disgorgement) which is a
bit more subdued and less exuberant than the previous edition but still
a most excellent NV rosé.

The centerpiece of the dinner was my first attempt at a turducken: 3 lb
free range chicken stuffed with a Mark Miller chorizo-corn bread
stuffing placed inside a 5 lb Maple Leaf Farms duck that was then placed
inside a 13 lb free range turkey we got from a local farm. The whole
thing hung together pretty well but wouldn't win any food photo
contests. With it, I opened our lone bottle of '66 Cheval Blanc. The
cork was a mess and splintered upon extraction, but the wine inside was
not only sound but remarkably youthful. Still showing just a hint of
bricking at the edges, it had a lovely bouquet of earth, coffee and,
yes, pencil lead overlaying dark, berryish fruit. Medium bodied with
smooth tannins, it still retained great balance and structure and went
marvelously with the turducken. As the saying goes, there are no great
older wines, only great bottles... and this bottle was marvelous.

We also had opened a bottle of 2014 Anne Sophie Dubois Fleurie
L'alchemiste. This was a new producer for me, and the wine didn't
really stand out in any way. It had clear Gamay fruit in a darker vein,
a hint of Brett growing in later and was heavier bodied than the '66
Cheval Blanc. In the company of the other wine, this was just overshadowed.

I hope that our US contingent had a happy and safe Thanksgiving,
Mark Lipton