A Thanksgiving Feast So Nice He Does It Twice
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. I like it so much that it is worth doing twice—the first time to “test out my recommendations for the year”… or at least that is my excuse to get a preview of the main event. Everything about Thanksgiving is perfect for me: I love the sentiment of gratefulness; the opportunity to gather friends and family; the traditional spread of roast turkey, gravy, stuffing, and mashed potatoes; and double fisting with rosé Champagne and Burgundy at the table. This weekend we did just that, and I am happy to report that I have two great Champagnes and one great bottle of Burgundy that have been thoroughly tested and vetted chez Westby by me and my wife Cinnamon!
For the aperitif, we went for a splurge with one of the best tête de cuvée releases of the year, the 2012 Billecart-Salmon "Cuvée Louis" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne $199.99 99JS 97VN, and did it ever deliver. We paired it with saumon fumé en croute, which brought the freshness, clean style, and chalky drive out in the wine. This all Grand-Cru Chardonnay masterpiece comes from 60% Mesnil, 23% Cramant, with the remaining 17% a combination of Chouilly and Oiry. It is made primarily in stainless steel, with 25% of the wine being fermented in oak of all sizes. The dosage is extremely low at 3.9 grams per liter, but the wine comes across as dry, though not at all austere because of the over 10 years of aging on the lees. This wine has the cream, the nougat, the baguette toast on the decadent nose, but then focusses perfectly to show citric drive and precision in the mouth. The finish is a glorious, expansive display of white flowers and chalk, carried by a fabulous bright line of acidity. If you feel like a treat this holiday season, look no further.
When we sat down, the first thing I poured was the Pierre Paillard "Les Terres Roses" Grand Cru Extra Brut Rosé Champagne $64.99. This all-Grand Cru, all estate-grown Champagne hails from Bouzy, the most famed village in the region for growing the red wine for rosé. It is composed of 64% Chardonnay, 36% Pinot Noir, and 5% of that Pinot is old-vine wine that is vinified red. The entire estate has only massal-selected vines—there is not a single cloned plant on the property. It is barrel fermented in old oak, aged for 30 months on the lees and based on the extremely good 2019 harvest. It was magic, generous, Champagne that paired perfectly with the food, especially the stuffing, having plenty of richness to stand up even to my double-stock, sherry-deglazed gravy. I love the combination of great dark cherry Pinot Noir fruit, fresh baguette-bread quality, and dry refreshment… the Thanksgiving feast has plenty of fat to cut through, and this zero-dosage, Brut Nature Champagne is like a second knife. The finish is super long, with nice Maraschino notes even though there is not a touch of sweetness in the wine.
In my other hand, I was washing down turkey with the 2022 Domaine Jean-Michel Giboulot Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru "Aux Serpentières" $44.99. This has to be one of the best deals in Burgundy in the store, and comes from what most believe to be the best site in Savigny-lès-Beaune, the south facing Serpentières. Mr. Giboulot has an over 80-year-old plot of Pinot Noir here, and, in 2022, he has made a full-bodied, Bing cherry masterpiece from it. The wine sees 30% new oak, but all of it is completely integrated in this purple yet clear wine. The magic of the Côte d’Or is here in spades, with both powerful concentration of dark fruit and elegant grace notes that make space for the food in every sip. The long finish has structure from the tiny berries of the over 80 year old plants, but that structure is carried perfectly by the fresh zip of the northern climate. Don’t miss this one if you love Pinot, it is truly special.
A toast to you!