Thanksgiving Week 2023

These wines were consumed over the week of Thanksgiving, 2023. Thanksgiving was spent with our small family and prior to gathering we collectively purchased 12 wines to share. My wife and I selected six bottles, my parents selected four, and my sister selected two. All five of us kept tasting notes and scored each wine.

• 2020 Alphonse Mellot Côtes de la Charité Les Pénitents 82 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Côtes de la Charité

  (11/19/2023)

  Mom and dad's selection. Clear ruby. P Funk, mushroom, and a little alcoholic heat on the nose (15%). More funk on the palate with damp soil and ripe cherries and plums. Fine tannins, medium body and acidity. First time trying a Pinot from the Loire. Other than having a higher alcohol content, this was mostly indistinct from other Pinot experiences. I've never been a fan of this grape and I think this bottle confirms why. I just can't get past the barnyard. Maybe I’ll change my mind when I try my first 1er Cru on Thursday. Served with wild rice and mushroom soup which was a good pairing.

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• 2020 Château Lespault Martillac Blanc 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  (11/20/2023)

  Sister's selection. Decanted one hour. Pale-medium straw. Big whiff of petrol on the nose. My dad said carburetor cleaner. Everyone picked this up as well. After that, I got white flowers and some heat. On the palate it is certainly full bodied, creamy, acidic, with lime and tropical fruits. The second glass was served more chilled than the first and turned toward baked orchard fruits, especially apple. Long finish. In my brain the finish lasted for ages. I feel like I still "tasted" this wine 30 minutes after we finished the bottle. As another reviewer mentioned in a TN, this should be served chilled. Served before dinner. Average score of 87 from the fam.

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• 2016 La Spinona (Pietro Berutti) Barbaresco Secondine 89 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  (11/20/2023)

  Our selection. Decanted one hour, no sediment. Pale-to-medium garnet. Jammy nose of red fruit: raspberry, strawberry, cherry. Very primary. On the palate you get those same fruits with some herbal qualities too. Tannins are definitely present, medium body and acidity. Kind of feels off-dry as others have mentioned. Nice wine, easy to drink and a general crowd pleaser. But nothing stands out compared to bottles at half the price. Served with spinach lasagna for dinner. Average score of 89 from the fam.

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• 2018 De Martino Carménère Single Vineyard Alto de Piedras 90 Points

  Chile, Maipo Valley

  (11/21/2023)

  Our selection. Decanted one hour. Medium purple. Recognizable dark fruited on the nose with plums, blackberries. Medium body, medium acidity, medium-plus tannins that are perhaps underripe. Quite grippy and surprising. On the plate you've got those fruits again but a nice subtle oak treatment the offers a hint of vanilla, dried leaves, and some pyrazine. The finish is pleasant with cocoa and espresso. You can tell there was thought and effort into this wine. This will be better in 3-5 years if those tannins soften, although if they're underripe they can only develop so far. Either way, this is quite lovely stuff that everyone enjoyed. Served before dinner.

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• 2015 Bodegas Breca Calatayud Brega

  Spain, Aragón, Calatayud

  (11/21/2023)

  Our selection. Decanted for sediment (there was a fair amount). Universally disliked by everyone, this was like Robitussin. Either this was a bad bottle (but what flaw? maybe cooked?) or this 16% syrup is just not my thing. Nobody could finish their glass. I do not understand the previous scores and tasting notes on this one. No rating because this might've been cooked. If I did give a score I'd probably say 60. It was that bad. Served with Swedish meatballs.

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• 2020 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

  (11/22/2023)

  Our selection. Decanted one hour, served chilled before dinner. Pale straw color. Amazing nose that kept giving off different aromas with every sniff. Lemon curd, florals, baked pears, wet rocks, fresh cut grass, sea breeze. On the palate it has medium body and plenty of acidity. Saline and slightly bitter. A wonderfully complex, ageable, and delicious wine. Fantastic value at around $45. Would love to try this in 5-10 years.

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• 2021 Albamar Rías Baixas Pepe Luis 91 Points

  Spain, Galicia, Rías Baixas

  (11/22/2023)

  Mom and dad's selection. Decanted one hour, served chilled with shrimp quesadillas for dinner. Golden yellow. Lime, grapefruit, mineral nose. Very acidic and tart on the palate - green apple Jolly Rancher. Medium plus body. Overall a delicious wine that should age nicely, for a decade or more, with all that acidity. Paired perfectly with the shrimp. This stood up in quality to the Chablis that preceded it and with a cheaper price, it offers excellent QPR.

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• 2018 Voskevaz Karasi collection Areni Noir Vieilles Vignes 93 Points

  Armenia, Vayots Dzor

  (11/23/2023)

  Our selection. Decanted one hour and served before Thanksgiving dinner. 12.5% alcohol from mile high 100+ year old vines. Pale ruby in the glass. Transparent. Spectacular bouquet. Ripe concentrated cherry and raspberry. Some oak and smoke/tobacco. Forest floor. You get all that on the palate too. Medium minus body, medium acidity. The tannins are luscious, velvety, and just grippy enough to provide a gentle astringency. Beautiful. Soft finish that lasts 20-30 seconds. This was universally enjoyed by everyone. Overall this was an excellent, complex, and elegant wine that is ready to drink now. As for aging? I’m not quite sure but I’m going to find out.
  
  I wanted to try this because I visited Georgia and Armenia nearly twenty years ago and while I sampled the Armenian efforts, I found them far less enjoyable than the Georgian village wine to the north. I will also admit to purchasing this bottle after listening to the SOMM Podcast and hearing all the work that team did to bring their fourth film to completion. The history of this grape and Armenian wine culture is incredibly compelling. And if you're reading this, you probably agree that part of what makes wine enjoyable are the stories and narratives around what goes into and what comes out of a bottle. Well, this wine has a story to tell and everyone should listen intently.
  
  A final note: In our effort to communicate unknown and indigenous varieties to the uninitiated, we tend to compare them to better known grapes like Pinot, Gamay, Nebiollo, etc. I want to avoid that tendency because I think the best compliment is to say that Areni is like Areni and if you're curious about what kind of juice it can produce, buy a bottle of this and experience it for yourself.

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• 2019 Domaine Capuano-Ferreri Santenay 1er Cru La Comme 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Santenay 1er Cru

  (11/23/2023)

  Mom and dad's selection. Decanted 30 minutes then back in the bottle to serve with Thanksgiving dinner. Medium ruby color. The bouquet is earthy, compost, red fruited. More earth and compost on the palate, soft tannins, medium body and acidity. Good balance. This was an elegant Pinot that I actually enjoyed despite my aversion to the variety.

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• 1997 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon 91 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Coteaux du Layon

  (11/23/2023)

  Our selection. PnPed and served slightly chilled with Thanksgiving desert (pumpkin pie and apple pie). 14%. Beautiful deep golden yellow in the glass. The nose and palate was pure Loire Chenin bliss with an explosion of honey. Some subtle hints of pear and apple too. But mostly honey, honey, and more honey. Dense, heavy, viscous body. Quite sweet and let down slightly by low acid level that would've provided some welcomed freshness if it was just dialed up a notch. Everyone liked it, but at the end of a Thanksgiving meal with bellies full and trying to shovel down pie, we all found it a bit too much. 1/3 of a bottle left in the fridge overnight, it showed no improvement or decline the next day but paired excellently with a cheese plate. This will age forever but I wonder what the upside would be.

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• 2019 Dr. Pauly-Bergweiler Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 88 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  (11/24/2023)

  Sister's selection. 10% alcohol. PnPed and served slightly chilled with a brunch of scrambled eggs and cudighi and Trenary Toast. Pale yellow. Nose of petrol, pears, apples. Some light citrus notes too. Ever so slightly effervescent on the palate, medium body, high acid, medium minus sweetness. Tart orchard fruits and minerality on the palate, lifting freshness, decent finish. This seemed to be a crowd pleaser and had enough acid to cut through the greasy brunch plate. Yum

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• 2019 Domaine Guillot-Broux Mâcon-Cruzille Beaumont 85 Points

  France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Cruzille

  (11/24/2023)

  Mom and dad's selection. Decanted one hour, some very fine sediment in the bottle. Pale-to-medium purple. On the first whiff you recognize this is not necessarily a fruit forward Gamay. Pencil shavings, cedar, autumn leaves, grandfather's closet. Fruits tilt red: bing cherry, cranberry. If I was going to rate this on nose alone I'd give it 93-94. It's fantastic. On the palate is where you get let down. Medium body, and velvety tannins that outstay their welcome. There's little freshness from the acid so it does present itself as rather flabby. Too bad because this has so much promise since those earthy aromas show nicely from the attack to the finish. A disappointment.

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It was a fun week with the family and we all had a great time drinking and ruminating over these bottles. Some real duds like the Grenache and the Loire Pinot (for my tastes). I'd certainly give WOTW to the Areni and chances are I'm going to reorder a half case.