Well another Thanksgiving has come and gone. It was wonderful as usual, but different in that dating back to the 1950’s it was the first Thanksgiving I can remember that was not a warm sunny day. But the rains we are having now are most welcomed to offset our recent droughts.
As it turns out we had some friends who could come on Thanksgiving Day and others who could not be with us on Thanksgiving. At first we invited those who could not be here Thanksgiving Day to join our family for “leftovers” on Friday. But, on reflection, Laurie and I decided we would just cook 2 dinners instead. That was easy since we had 2 turkeys to cook and all we had to do was to divide the rest of the food we prepared in half and prepare or cook it separately.  So we had two Thanksgiving meals and then the “leftovers” which lasted over four nights with just the two of us and some family members.
With Thanksgiving Dinner and “leftovers” I served Rosés, Ridge Geyserville, and Cru Beaujolais. They are as follows: 2018 Schäfer Frölich Spatburgunder Weissherbst trocken, 2008 Domaine Savoye Morgon sur Côte du Py Cuvée Vieilles Vignes, 1995 Ridge Geyserville,  2001 Jean Foillard Morgon “Côte du Py”, 2018 Weingut Schmitt’s Kinder Rosé.  The rosés were elegant, fruity, balanced and delicious, the Ridge Geyserville was rich, flavorful, complex, balanced and at a peak of perfection, and the 2 Morgons were both delicious with the Domaine Savoye very flavorful, rich, and beautifully balanced while the Foillard was lush, supple and redolent with cherry tinged fruit.

 

All in all it was a great selection of wines that provided a wonderful complement to our Thanksgiving meal. Also, old Ridge wines such as Geyserville, old Cru Beaujolais, and old rosés are wines that we enjoy this time of year (to read an article on lots of wines and food served during on our post Thanksgiving festivities from a few years ago which we mostly follow each year as well as a link to an article on Cru Beaujolais click here).

And with leftovers over a few days this year I served more old Cru Beaujolais and older Rosés (especially Bandol Rosés including 2014 Chateau de Pibarnon and 2016 Domaine Tempier). These wines are amazingly good with some years of bottle age and I encourage all of you to buy a few extra bottles to lay away on your next Cru Beaujolais and Rosé purchases.

And after Thanksgiving leftovers we still had some roast turkey which we used this year to make a pasta dish with fresh wild Chanterelle mushrooms, egg noodles, turkey stock and cream with a sprinkle of fresh chopped green onion tops and Parmegian0-Reggiano cheese (in prior years we have also made Turkey Tetrazzini). I served White Burgundy, a stunning bottle of 2016 Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Mouchere, with the pasta.

Clos de la Mouchere is a monopole vineyard (one owner) and one of my very favorite White Burgundies that I buy every year. And, in this case, you are getting a Premier Cru that is better than many Grand Crus. This was the first bottle from my case of 2016 that I have opened. It is absolutely delicious and drinking beautifully now with years of life ahead. Again, this wine is as good as many Grand Crus at a Premier Cru price. That is  a win/win! And, yes, the wine and food combination pairing a really nice wine with a dish using leftovers was marvelous! So never let it be said that anything goes to waste here at Chez Tilson AKA Bacchus!

Now our Bacchus interior has been transformed from a fall décor to Christmas. And it will not be too long before Santa arrives.

Part of our celebration will include our traditional Christmas ham dinner. This features a fresh Swedish ham which we boil and then bake in the oven. It is sliced and served with scalloped potatoes and freshly prepared vegetables. This is another one of my favorite annual meals. The ham is also my very favorite ham and is unique and only available at this time of year (it can be purchased at  Alpine Village in Torrance, CA http://alpinevillagecenter.com/).  Rosés and White Burgundy will be served with the Christmas dinner and we will also enjoy a lot of Champagne up to and including New Year ’s Eve.
So it is time to get in the spirit. Here’s wishing all the best to you and yours as we wind down 2019 with our Christmas festivities. Then we will be looking forward to 2020 with another New Year’s celebration looming just ahead!

In Vino Veritas,

John Tilson