Terrific night of tasting wine with Michael Gorton Jr Lenn Thompson and Nena Helene Thompson!!! Great food. Great friends. Super interesting nouveau wines. I always love tasting with Lenn of course, but tasting with Michael is only a treat. He has one of the best palates I have exver tasted with. He can identify aromas and flavors and ennunciate them like few other people I have ever met. And he's funny as hell. My only regret is that I don't get to taste enough with him.
Of course, hanging out with Lenn and Nena is always fantastic. Nena is an exceptional hostess, and very down to earth. She's super cool. The star of the night was, without question, her Thanksgiving Leftover Pie, which is spectacular. Usually, one day of turkey and a sandwich later, and I've had my year's worth of turkey. But that damn pie was so good! I had two-and-a-half helpings. OMG!
Nena's Famous Leftovers Pie - to die for!
The goal of the evening was to taste a bunch of Nouveau wines, both French and East Coast and see what we thought of the current crop. Focus, of course, was on the east coast, but the idea was to have several French wines as control wines or benchmarks, whichever proved to be true. Nouveau at one time was a brilliant idea - and captured November for decades with the release of the most recent Gamay vintage from the French region. But the market got flooded, as often is the case, with some very inferior product. And in recent decades the Nouveau trend seemed to almost have vanished. Many people, also, wrongfully, assumed if the wine was nto drank immediately, then it would be no good. Good nouveau, and good Beaujolais can last years in the cellar. Certainly, Gamay Noir is one of my favorite grapes, and makes for a lovely, drinkable wine, like a slightly lighter Pinot Noir. I love it. Gamay makes for a versatile wine, that's drinkable all year long. I easpecially like it in summer, when lighter reds prove themselves beautifully. Of course, Gamay also is an excellent accompiment for Turkey, poultry and other fowl.
We started off the night with the refreshing Nostrano Vineyards Riesling Pet Nat Arae from Nic Bozzo and Kayleigh Marquis Bozzo. Some of my favorites included Daniel Heavens and Jacqui Quartz Rock line of three nouveau wines - Quartz Rock Vineyard estate Nebbiolo, Baco Noir, and my shocking favorite Chambourcin. All three were different but among the best of the night. Same went for Rachel Lipman’s super seductive Loew Vineyards Nouveau! Rachel is fast becoming one of the most exciting winemakers in Maryland, and her reputation is growing beyond that. A deft touch. Excellent.
These awere also very, very good!
Heron Hill Winery Cabernet Franc Ingle Vinyard 2021 that was super drinkable and impressive. Really enjoyed this wine. Poured it formyself twice! And a lovely Heart and Hands Pinot Noir 2021 were also among the assorted bottles for tasting - it was absolutely stunning!
A great night of eating, tasting, and spending time with friends.
