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

On Friday, November 27, 2020 at 12:45:01 AM UTC-5, Mark Lipton wrote:
> 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

Wait, you got Chevsl Blanc, and I got Calon Segur?!?!?!?
Just kidding, sure we did "divide and choose", always fair.
Sounds great. So does Vilmart (and turducken)
Don't know Dubois.
Hope everyone in US had a happy thanksgiving!