Life as a Harvest Cellar Intern: To Shower or Not to Shower?
5th Annual December must! Month at Tablas Creek

Thanksgiving wine pairings from the Tablas Creek team

I am a sucker for Thanksgiving. Between the excuse to get together with friends and family, the delicious food, and the fact that the whole event centers around being thankful for the opportunity to get together with friends and family and eat delicious food, it's pretty much right up my alley.  The fact that it is still our least commercialized holiday only makes it better.

Turkey Day 2017What's more, it's always fun for me to see which of our wines will get recommended for Thanksgiving in the press.  There are plenty of options.  With a traditional turkey dinner, I tend to steer people toward richer whites and rosés, and fruitier reds relatively light in oak and tannin.  There are a lot of the wines that we make that fit this broad criteria, from Roussanne and Esprit Blanc to Dianthus Rosé to Counoise, Grenache, or Cotes de Tablas.  Richer preparations open up a world of Mourvedre-based reds, from Esprit de Tablas to Mourvedre to our Panoplie.  This year, we've seen Cotes de Tablas recommended in Sunset, Esprit de Tablas Blanc recommended on Alcohol Professor, and Patelin de Tablas Rosé recommended on Maker's Table.  And that's normal. I remember one year a while back where we were lucky enough to have the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle and Chicago Tribune each recommend Tablas Creek with their Thanksgiving article... and each picked a different wine.

So, this is a long way of saying that if you're planning to stay in the Tablas Creek ecosystem, you've got options.  But of course, there's a world of wines out there, and it seems a shame to limit yourself.  So, I thought it would be fun to see what a broad cross-section of our team were looking forward to drinking this year.  Their responses are below.

Dani Archambeault, Wine Club Assistant
This year my husband and I have decided to have an ‘Old Fashioned’ kind of Thanksgiving!  So High West Double Rye Whiskey it is!  We enjoy this Rye because of its spicy-woody richness with tastes of cinnamon & roasted sugars.  I am sure it will pair perfectly with my mom’s sweet potato casserole & soften the impact of the Fox News blaring in the background ;)

Janelle Bartholomew, Wine Club Assistant
For Thanksgiving this year we will be enjoying a Domaine Weinbach Riesling, and the 2015 TCV Counoise. The peach and apple that resonate with Riesling along with the bright acidity are perfection with Turkey. The cranberry and clove stand out for me in the Counoise which makes such a harmonious balance with all the yummy baking spices in both the main dishes and desserts.

Leslie Castillo, Tasting Room Team Lead
We are going to enjoy a couple of wines I discovered while I worked harvest in the Southern Rhône Valley a few weeks ago.

I am specially excited about my favorite Tavel, Domaine de la Mordorée's 2016 "La Reine des Bois". This wine has beautiful and complex aromatics, bright acidity, spice, textural minerality and captivating depth. It is wild yet elegant and powerful, I think it will bring a nice contrast to the traditional thanksgiving meal components like; sage, turkey, mashed potatoes, etc. The wine I chose is all that while still respecting the environment as it is organic.

Neil Collins, Executive Winemaker
Thanksgiving again! as I think about just which beverages to enjoy with this annual feast I realize how many wonderful options there are in the Tablas Creek stable, Terret Noir, Pinot Noir, En Gobelet, Clairette Blanche, Picardan, Roussanne, referencing just a smattering. This is not even thinking of non-Tablas, non-California wines. I will have quite a table of folks this year so there will doubtless be plenty enjoyed. As always as we cook and prepare, as people start to arrive we will have a growler or two of Bristols Cider open for all. When we come to the vino I have chosen three main players, 2016 Grosset Polish Hill Clare Valley Riesling this seems the perfect match for the day, second La Ronze 2015 this Gamay from Beaujolais was produced in the Regnie appellation, the newest of the crus, and should be fruity and delicate for the food at hand. As that big bird lands upon our table I will break out a Magnum of 2012 Esprit de Tablas Blanc, a big bottle for a laden table and the wine the perfect pairing. Bon Appetit to you all!! 

Darren Delmore, National Sales Manager
I’ve reserved a hyper local wine duo of 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc - to be drunk out of massive Pinot Noir goblet stems (which I’ve found shows off its wild, evolved pedigree) - as well as a mystery magnum of 2002 Talley Estate Pinot Noir that turned up at my family’s pizzeria fully sealed at some point in the year. At the most, both bottles will please any wine sipping palates at my brother’s table, and at the very least, using the same stems will slightly cut down on dishwashing duties. 

Brad Ely, Cellar Master
This Thanksgiving I will be opening a Felton Road Block 3 Pinot Noir from Central Otago, New Zealand. It is light on its feet, very textural, and won't over power any of the various flavors on the dinner table. I tend to stick with lighter wines made in a fresh style for Thanksgiving, and this fits the docket quite well. I am sure there will be a few bottles of Gamay making an appearance as well!

Chelsea Franchi, Senior Assistant Winemaker
For me, bubbles are an absolute must for any celebration – or, if I’m being completely honest – a must for any gathering.  This means that the availability of something sparkling over the holidays is non-negotiable.  My husband and I had the great honor to meet up with the members of the Tablas Creek riverboat cruise this summer, where one of the pre-cruise excursion destinations was the Champagne cellars of Roger Coulon.  We brought a few bottles back home with us and I think this weekend would be the perfect time to examine the difference between tasting Champagne IN Champagne and tasting Champagne in California.  All in the name of science, naturally.

For the dinner portion of the evening, the two bottles I’m most excited to crack into are my Smith-Madrone (dry) Riesling from the Napa Valley and one of the bottles from my Cru Beaujolais stash; probably the Jean-Michel Dupre Vieilles Vignes from Morgon.  Both of these have enough structure, beautiful roundness of body, as well as infinitely enticing aromas, to support the wide array of diverse dishes we’re going to be enjoying.  With these three lovely wines, I’ll have to add three more spaces to my long list of things I’m thankful for!

Robert Haas, Founder
This year my cellar choice will be a 1985 Trapet Chambertin. The Trapet family was the largest single proprietor in Chambertin.  He mostly sold his wines to negociants in barrel. Raymond Beaudouin convinced him to bottle some and I later represented him personally and through Vineyard Brands.  The domaine has subsequently split up in the family.  1985 was a great vintage, and it should be fully mature.  

Craig Hamm, Assistant Winemaker
For my family dinners there is generally a good amount of open bottles on the table. A couple of the wines we will be choosing will be Tablas 2015 Counoise with plenty of cranberry and light fruits tones along with the baking spices that fills in, it should be a winner. Another wine we will be opening will be A 2014 Hilltop Syrah from Stolpman Vineyards. Cheers and happy holidays.

Eileen Harms, Accounting
We will be on the road so when we stop at our hotel for the evening we packed our  “Road Trip Wine” Meiomi Chardonnay and Duckhorn Migration Pinot Noir. We also added a backup plan; Gruet Blanc de Noir where we get a bit of Pinot Noir with a dash of Chardonnay, just in case. Happy Thanksgiving!

Jordan Lonborg, Viticulturist
Thanksgiving is without question my favorite holiday of the year. Family, friends, WINE and good food are all that is needed for a successful holiday. It’s a celebration of being thankful for all that we have. That said, my list is long!!! In the spirit of giving thanks, I will be drinking (and sharing) the 2015 Tannat.

As a grower, if I had to choose one varietal to work with for the rest of my career,  it would be Tannat. Hands down it is one of the toughest, most disease resistant, insect pest resistant, (most importantly) virus tolerant plants I have ever encountered. It is one, if not the only, variety I know on the the property that needs little assistance and ripens beautifully year in, year out! So in the spirit of paying homage, I raise my glass to you Tannat! Thank you for being the rock that you are! Also, you know what makes you a tad bit cooler than the rest? You are a palindrome! Happy thanksgiving to all of you! Love your families, love your friends, and think about those who are not as fortunate!!! Happy thanksgiving!!!!

John Morris, Tasting Room Manager
This year's pairing should be a cinch as we're serving lamb chops, a natural partner for many Tablas Creek wines.  Still there's some narrowing down to do.  Single-varietal Mourvedre or a blend?  A Côtes de Tablas to bridge some of the lighter food on the table?  Which vintage?  Something young and fresh, or maybe a bottle mellowed and deepened with time?  Hmm, maybe this isn't so easy after all.  We’ll open with some bubbles of course, but after that we’ll get straight to the reds.   After some thought I’ve decided on our 2015 En Gobelet, which is both fresh and vibrant, and deep and complex.  If I only had one bottle, I’d hang onto it for some years to let it develop and open something else, but I happen to know where to get more.  Cheers to you and your family!

Monica O'Connor, Direct Sales Manager
I’m having a sort of opposite-day Thanksgiving this year – half of my guests are off to other gatherings later in the afternoon, so my main dish is lobster ravioli (lobster: that other traditional Thanksgiving viand http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/how-and-why-you-should-eat-lobster-thanksgiving).

We’ll toast with a Gruet Blanc de Noirs, a pleasant and refreshing sparkling from New Mexico - certainly called for on such a warm autumn day. I have a bottle of 2013 Perrin & Fils Gigondas La Gille which I’ve been saving for the right occasion, and it will go beautifully with our paté, cheese and other savory starters. With our meal, I have finally decided on the 2012 Esprit Blanc, a perfect complement to the lobster and citrus beurre blanc sauce, with its Roussanne richness and gentle acidity to round out the meal.

I am so grateful to be able to share these beautiful wines with my friends and family who will soon be filling my home with warmth and laughter. Happy Thanksgiving!

And as for me...
My general rule is to open the biggest bottle that I have on Thanksgiving.  That automatically makes for a festive gathering.  As for wines, my personal favorite for the traditional turkey and fixings is Beaujolais.  So this year, although I'll be over at my parents' for the meal (and will therefore get to share some of that 85 Chambertin) my contribution will be procuring a magnum of 2016 Domaine Marcel Lapierre Julienas, which my dad tried and reported was terrific this summer.  Julienas is one of the lesser known "cru" appellations in Beaujolais, and typically produces wines that balance between classic Beaujolais juiciness and the more savory, serious aspect that comes from the cru terroirs.  Hopefully, it will hit the spot. If not, we might just have to open a third bottle of that Chambertin.

Wherever you are, we wish you a happy, healthy Thanksgiving, and that you be surrounded by good food and great company.

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