Thanksgiving Champagne, Grüner and Pinot Noir plus Delice de Pommard!

Not shocking, I know, but we’ll be featuring wines for Thanksgiving and the holiday season on the tasting table this Friday (3-7pm) and Saturday (noon-4pm).  You’ll be tasting:

Charles Clement Champagne Brut NV – Champagne is a terrific treat before, during and after Thanksgiving dinner and this is our favorite “real” Champagne priced to share with a crowd.

Proidl Gruner Veltliner Kremstal Rameln 2023 – Grüner at the intersection of steely Chablis and salty Albarino, but also with Grüner’s distinctive white pepper spice. Yum.

Proidl Gruner Veltliner Kremstal Dac Ried Hausberg 2023 – The best sub-$50 Grüner we’ve tasted in years, melding mountain wine vivacity and purity with a gloriously creamy texture and dry, mouthwatering, finish.

Flaneur Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2022 – Just about the perfect Thanksgiving Pinot Noir, this has the kind of velvet texture needed to hold up to bold turkey day flavors with a bit of earthiness (for stuffing and sweet potatoes) and a bite of cranberry (for cranberry sauce and refreshment) on the easy finish.

Flaneur Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Cuvee Constantin 2021 – From the estate’s vines in Ribbon Ridge and Yamhill Carleton, this amps up the richness and intensity a bit without losing the highly drinkable freshness we love in Oregon Pinots.

And for pre-turkey day appetizers, you’ve just got to try Delice de Pommard, a cheese we see all too rarely because Europeans gobble it up before it can get to an export warehouse.  It was created by fromager Alain Hess about 30 years ago and is made by hand in his facility in the Burgundian village of Pommard.  It starts with a ball of very fresh triple-crème cow’s milk cheese – chalky in texture and mildly sweet in flavor.  Then, a band of brown mustard seeds are worked into and coated on the outer surface.  The mustard seed gives a savory tang and accentuates the base cheese’s richness.  It’s a bit decadent, very refreshing, and utterly irresistible.  Don’t miss it while it lasts!