Thanksgiving Champagne!
When I think of being thankful this time of year, one of the first things that pops into my mind is my gratitude to the farmers who feed us and grow the grapes for the wines that make our lives so much better. The first person who comes to mind is Paul-Vincent Ariston, the boss at Champagne Aspasie in the tiny village of Brouillet. He is one of the hardest working men I know, and one of the most patient. At home this year we will be starting off our Thanksgiving festivities with his excellent Ariston Aspasie "Réserve" Brut Champagne $34.99. Because of his fairness, we have had the same price on this wine for many years—it has not gone up like nearly everything else. This wine, which is composed of 40% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, and 30% Meunier from his own estate has an incredible feature—five years of ageing on the lees, twice what Veuve Clicquot and so many other big names get. While this time has given the wine lovely brioche notes, it remains super vibrant and dry on the back end. This is the perfect apertif for your crowd!
My family will also be drinking the Ariston Aspasie Brut Rosé Champagne $39.99 with our meal. This half-Pinot Noir, half-Meunier rosé is a great partner for the turkey, the stuffing, they yams and all the fixings. Paul is the only producer I know who not only does a short maceration on half of the juice with half of the skins, but also adds some very old-vine Meunier to this wine. This allows him to get the flavor and aroma of a saignée Champagne, but also gives him the control of a rosé made by an addition of red wine. Don’t let the low price fool you, this is one of the very best rosé Champagnes in the store!
I am also very thankful this year to our friends at Billecart-Salmon, who have made us such a fair deal on the Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé Champagne that we were able to take $10 off the price and get it back to $84.99. This is the Champagne that defines the rosé category, for good reason. It is composed of 40% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir, and 30% Meunier, and the production is limited by the amount of massal-selected, old-vine Pinot Noir that they can grow and source from one village, Mareuil-sur-Aÿ. It is these 50-year-old and older vines that make this wine so special, yet they also limit the quantity available of this great wine. The Billecart rosé is an elegant and dry, yet expressive wine and always delivers with a fine bead, perfect red fruit character and a super-long finish. Not only will this make a great aperitif, but the hidden concentration in this wine will pair perfectly with the diversity of the Thanksgiving spread.
A special, big Thanksgiving toast to you and yours,