Leftover Saturday Wine Review…

The great thing about Thanksgiving is that the meal isn’t over when desert is served.  My mom always sends me packing with some turkey in a disposable tupperware dish (this year she finally stopped asking me to save the dishes and bring them back to her).  There’s nothing better than a leftover turkey leg in the comfort of my own home, without all the kids running around and the impromptu Christmas carol sessions (don’t get me wrong, I like Christmas carols, just not sung by my extended family).

And even though the meal is deemed a leftover, I wouldn’t even think about opening up a 2nd class wine for this once-a-year ritual.  Now mind you, the leftover session that I’m writing of was at my friend Doug’s house, and he doesn’t play around in the kitchen, even with leftovers.  His leftover session consisted of his previously brined turkey, served in open-faced sandwiches with gravy and fresh sourdough bread, brussel sprouts with bacon, corn bread stuffing/dressing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.  It might as well have been a first-run Thanksgiving dinner.

Knowing this was going to be the case, I came armed with a fine bottle o’ vino; a 2004 Barham Mendelsohn Pinot Noir.   This wine comes from the Au Bon Climat family of wines, and winemaker Jim Clendenen.  While the grapes for his endeavors under the Au Bon Climat label are sourced from Santa Barbera County, this pinot is all Russian River Valley.  Cooler climate pinots are my favorite, and this one is a light, bright, balanced glass of raspberry goodness, and it washed down my turkey sandwich gracefully.

It was another year of fantastic leftovers, and once the second bottle was opened, it ensured that I would not be driving myself home…

The holiday season is a good one for wine.   And Christmas/Hanukkah are right around the corner.  And then there’s New Years Eve…