Awesome jeeb with Joel Stewart in Seattle

B

BJ

BJ
Brian C, Lee and Melissa Short, and L and I had a very fun jeeb with Joel, who was in town from Kyoto for a show of his art. We met at Azuma Gallery where a small show of his work was underway. I unfortunately forgot my camera, but perhaps Joel will post some photos. Great work man, you've got major chops!

The few bottles opened were all delicious. They were:

93 O Raffault Picasses. Classic aged Chinon, with everything you would want. Perfectly a point. I expected some fade but this went strong to the end.

96 O Raffault Picasses. Riper and fuller, at first seemed a little young and tight but by the time I really got to it it was lovely and juicy. Very nice Chinon.

99 Huet petillant. OK, now I get it - age these. This was my fave of the night, full of cheniny goodness, and ready to sidle up to any food you cared to throw its way. The ultimate all rounder, looks great in jeans or a little black dress.

00 Verset. I have granted a general dispensation for the rule of 15 for the 2000 vintage, and this fit that mold. Juicy, clean, classic Verset. VLM would approve.

I don't know what the Jura was, but it was damn good.

There was a Musar blanc and some Spanishy white, neither of which I tried. And an oaky mystery wine I refused to drink.

I guess that was it.

We unfortunately didn't spin vinyl but it might have been just too much.

Mega fun jeeb that wanted more time, Joel is a way cool guy. Come back to the motherland!
 
Ah fuck work, sorry to miss this.
I'm surprised you didn't try the Musar blanc, that is one I would love to taste.
Any brett on the Olgas?
 
We missed you for sure, sorry it didn't work out. Joel said he'd be back in town in a few months. We'll maybe do a vinyl jeeb at our place.

I didn't want to drink too much because we had a second thing to go to.

Zero brett on the Olgas. Those are fun wines. A touch rustic, in a good way (others didn't find that, but compared to Baudry I think they're a little more countrified).
 
originally posted by BJ:


96 O Raffault Picasses. Riper and fuller, at first seemed a little young and tight but by the time I really got to it it was lovely and juicy. Very nice Chinon.

00 Verset. I have granted a general dispensation for the rule of 15 for the 2000 vintage, and this fit that mold. Juicy, clean, classic Verset. VLM would approve.
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If you hadn't ticked him off with the note on the Raffault :).
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:
originally posted by BJ:


96 O Raffault Picasses. Riper and fuller, at first seemed a little young and tight but by the time I really got to it it was lovely and juicy. Very nice Chinon.

00 Verset. I have granted a general dispensation for the rule of 15 for the 2000 vintage, and this fit that mold. Juicy, clean, classic Verset. VLM would approve.
Click to expand...

If you hadn't ticked him off with the note on the Raffault :).
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Beat me too it. Raffaults are a bit rustic. 93 and 96 are getting OTH.

I definitely approve of the Verset. The bottle Jay opened last time I saw him was great.
 
originally posted by VLM:\
Beat me too it. Raffaults are a bit rustic. 93 and 96 are getting OTH.

I definitely approve of the Verset. The bottle Jay opened last time I saw him was great.
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Putting my cards on the table, I'd say that I've never had a bad bottle of Verset, and certainly never had a boring bottle of Verset. The worst that I could possibly say for him is that his wines can show the flaws of the vintage, but that's hardly a bad thing, is it? I guess that in my world Verset occupies the position that Baudry occupies in yours, VLM. I'm too damn young to have had many wines from Trollat, but I came of age when Verset was still in his prime, and for me his wines define Cornas, the N. Rhone, Syrah and wines of character in general.

Mark Lipton
Cornas Floozie
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Jay Miller:
originally posted by BJ:


96 O Raffault Picasses. Riper and fuller, at first seemed a little young and tight but by the time I really got to it it was lovely and juicy. Very nice Chinon.

00 Verset. I have granted a general dispensation for the rule of 15 for the 2000 vintage, and this fit that mold. Juicy, clean, classic Verset. VLM would approve.
Click to expand...

If you hadn't ticked him off with the note on the Raffault :).
Click to expand...

Beat me too it. Raffaults are a bit rustic. 93 and 96 are getting OTH.

I definitely approve of the Verset. The bottle Jay opened last time I saw him was great.
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We were talking about you specifically last night, laddie, and predicted you would pronounce them so. Ah, quite reassuring your post.
 
Great folks all around, and a really great time. We didn't leave until nearly 10. Linda was wonderful to put up with us overstaying our welcome like that.

The Jura was a Ganevat, but I don't recall more than that. Great stuff.

The white Rioja was the 2000 Vina Gravonia. It was very good yesterday and is absolutely fabulous right now with the focaccia that didn't rise in time for the jeeb.

I didn't love the Verset.

The oaky mystery red was the 2000 Bernard Moreau Chassagne 1er cru Les Cardeuse. This has shown much better previously, and I suspect it would show much better in another 5-10 years. Alas, it was my last bottle.
 
The Ganevat was the '02 Savignin. Just fantastic.
Surprised no comments on the 04 L d'or which was a pretty serious wow.
93 Raffault was in just a perfect place, and the 96 I though could go a while longer.
Though I didn't much care for the Musar or Burg, pretty much everything else showed brilliantly. Must have been a fruit day.

The real treat was Joel leading us through his work. Really compelling stuff that the thumbnails you can google to find don't really do any justice to. Sumptuous prints. Thanks again Joel and Linda for hosting.
 
Wow, I forgot that L d'Or...I knew there was something missing. Not for muscadet classicists, but continues to wow.
 
originally posted by Brian C:
The real treat was Joel leading us through his work. Really compelling stuff that the thumbnails you can google to find don't really do any justice to. Sumptuous prints.
Click to expand...

Green with envy.
 
originally posted by Brian C:

The real treat was Joel leading us through his work. Really compelling stuff that the thumbnails you can google to find don't really do any justice to. Sumptuous prints. Thanks again Joel and Linda for hosting.
Click to expand...

Pictures please.

Lee, what were your thoughts on the Verset? I feel the same as professor Mark.
I have never yet met a bottle I didn't love in some way.

The white wines sound fabulous, Ganevat, 04 L d'Or, and the white Gravonia.
Wow.
 
originally posted by BJ:
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
I am green with envy. Green.
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It's not easy to be green.

-Kermit
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You know, it took me two whole days to realize you were talking about the other Kermit. I kept trying to put this comment together with an obscure reference to 2004 red Burgundy, or something equally esoteric.

Truly, the depths of my n00biness have yet to be sounded.
 
originally posted by Marc D:

Lee, what were your thoughts on the Verset? I feel the same as professor Mark.
I have never yet met a bottle I didn't love in some way.
Click to expand...

The Verset was pretty darn volatile. And I'm generally pretty tolerant to that.

The L d'Or was indeed great stuff. How did we forget?
 
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
originally posted by BJ:
originally posted by Ian Fitzsimmons:
I am green with envy. Green.
Click to expand...

It's not easy to be green.

-Kermit
Click to expand...

You know, it took me two whole days to realize you were talking about the other Kermit. I kept trying to put this comment together with an obscure reference to 2004 red Burgundy, or something equally esoteric.

Truly, the depths of my n00biness have yet to be sounded.
Click to expand...

Throw off the shackles of tyranny, man.

There was a certain ambiguity in my comment.
 
Was really a great time...and good to put faces to names. Thanks everyone for coming out. The one day I left home without my iPhone (and it's camera) was our wine/art jeeb unfortunately, so I lost my Putnam opportunity, but I'll post more properly later...just checked in online and realized my flight is 7:30 am tomorrow, not Wednesday....
 
Back in the saddle in Kyoto...sunny and cold. Nice to get out of the daily rain fest we had for awhile there....

Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs...I remember this producer's name coming up in an earlier thread on domestic sparklers, so I picked up a bottle to try. I did not note the vintage (prob. 2007), but I did enjoy the wine. Nice bead, more minerally than anything else. A slight touch of nuttiness, as well as a hint of herby green-ness. Seemed more refined than most Ferrers or Roederers I've tried, but then again, more expensive too.

1999 Huet Petillant - Full and tasty, from bass to treble. My first HP, so would love to try this side by side with older and younger versions. Certainly developed and nutty, but still showing a bright crystalline side.

2000 RLdH Gravonia - I didn't get as much time with this, but had opened it and tasted it the day before, when it was pretty tight and surprisingly woody. One fleeting impression from the jeeb was that it had relaxed and balanced out a bit more, if lacking in the umami dept that, say, the Rosado delivers so nicely. Glad it worked for you on day 3, Lee.

2002 Ganevat, Sous la Roche, "Le Combe" - Really enjoyed this. Sherry-esque nose (at first, at least) which gave no indication of what showed on the palate. Deep, subtly ripe, very well balanced, long.....and indeed worked just fine with the Comte. I need more wines like this in my cellar.

2004 Luneau-Papin, L d'Or - Of all the whites, I think this had the quickest evaporation rate at the jeeb. Am so glad I did not pound all of these when I first bought them. Comes off surprisingly large at first, but never to the overblown point. Gets better, more elevated, and elegant, with air. Very clean and pure flavors. What this delivers for the price is ridiculous. Next windfall, I'm stocking up on more (any reccs for vintages on the market now?)

2001 Musar Blanc - I have less than 10 btls worth of experience with MB's, but this is by far the ripest I've ever had. Normally it takes a couple of days open to coax just a hint of fruit out of the wine, so this was an anomaly to me (Otto?)....nearly showing like an off-dry, funky Alsatian pg at times, even, but with the recognizable litany of Musar blanc shape shifting idiosyncracies. I think the rs was a bit much for many, but I enjoyed the ride on the palate that extended far beyond the initial fruit notes. Much larger body than the 12.5% suggests, deeper, savory notes in the middle and strikingly long. It was still kicking and developing when I had the last glass on day 6.

1993 Raffault, Picasses - Really, really enjoyed this. I need more Cab. F in my cellar too. The term rustic was/is being bandied about, and my experience with quality Chinons is limited, so I can't say much about that. To my palate, this was a pure and elegant wine, perfectly developed and in a beautiful spot. I could drink this all night.

1996 Raffault, Picasses - Marginally younger on the palate, a touch tighter, more structured, with snappier tannins. Very good, but the 93 was in the zone for me.

2000 Verset, Cornas - Not much time with this at all...maybe one small glass. Juicy, a touch sour and screaming for seared meat.

The burg (was that the mystery wine?) was a bit too ripe for me.

Again, thanks everyone for coming out and bringing such a great movable feast along with you. Great wines, fun conversations and look forward to another.
 
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