Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
At home. Soon to change, I hope.
==> Fizz.
Raventos i Blanc 2017 Conca Del Riu Anoia "de Nit" - no, it's not cava, but it's not even a little interesting, either
Pinon 2015 Vouvray Brut Non-Dose - salty apricots, its middle-age is upon it with just a hint of overt sweetness and cooked-fruit flavors, fizz is still strong, great bottle
==> Sweet.
Huet 1996 Vouvray Moelleux "Le Mont" "1ere Trie" - just glorious... honey and apricots and tangy acidity, finish lasts forever, my salivary glands run with glee, bouquet not as forward but same aromas
Dow 1994 Vintage Port - smooth as silk, medium-sweet, a very good bottle
Warre 1994 Vintage Port - shows a bit more spirity and a little less sweet; it develops a bit with time open but remains rather foursquare and unexciting the whole way
Fonseca 2000 Vintage Port - musty for the first few minutes, even after decanting off the sediment, but wakes up cleanly; tense, dark fruit, moderately sweet, not showing its alcohol at all
Warre's 2008 Late Bottled Vintage - yup
Tinou (Serge Hondet) 2016 Jurancon Cuvee Speciale - I can see why people say pineapple as a descriptor but it isn't really right: there is a tangy but slightly musky taste; beautifully judged ripeness and sweetness... it's definitely dessert but there is no chance of a diabetic seizure; not quite all the way to meditation wine but way better than gulping wine; Day 6: still sound, nose is fuller and fruitier, lime and sweet lemon, still just-so sweet and pleasant
==> Italian.
Vajra, G D 2018 Langhe Nebbiolo "Clare JC" - oh wow, profusely aromatic cran-cherry but light and bright like Alto Piemonte; my partner, who is no fan of dry reds, says he can smell it across the room and declares it, "interesting"; not shy on alcohol but so much flavor I have no objection; Day 3: much the same but flavors have lost redness in favor of plummy blackness
=> second bottle about the same
Vietti 2016 Barolo "Castiglione" - known to drink well young and it does; not gonna change your life but a good glass of wine
La Cantina di Cuneaz Nadir 2016 Rosso Vallee d'Aoste "Badebec" - no windex this time, nice mountain wine with a dark-fruited profile, I may just need to keep buying this
Cincinnato 2015 Nero Buono "Ercole" - good dark color, clear and bright, tannic at first but then it relents to a midpalate of silk and a delicate suggestion of roses and resin
Montesecondo 2015 Chianti Classico - just like it should be, can I still get more?, cherries, a little early in the season so still a bit tart but recognizably the fruit of summer; the finish is a little darker and a little furry; can I still get more?
La Casaccia 2007 Grignolino del Monferratro Casalese "Poggeto" - cork snapped in half, first whiff is pure Robitussin... bleh, with air, however, this changes over to something bright, tangy, still kinda cooked strawberry (not quite to cranberry in grabby-dark-red-ness) with some wet earth showing, is this what happens to good grignolino after 13 years? it's a hella match with boeuf bourguignon, the acidity cuts the rich sauce while the late-arriving earthiness finds the Maillard-y beef; Oliver McCrum selection, 12.5%, I hope WineBid has some more of this!
Giovanni Rosso 2018 Langhe Nebbiolo - a little reticent at first, and not tasting much like itself, but after a half hour becomes recognizably nebbiolo, crisp and clear, good sub-$20 bottle
==> French.
Girardin 1999 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er "Les Cazetiers" - from my early vinous days, before I really knew what an Overripe-Overoaked Horror was (the domain changed styles in 2007 when they got a new winemaker; Giradin sold the domain itself to his business partner in 2012); I pulled this bottle out of storage because of an encouraging experience in 2019 with his Clos Saint-Denis; rather tertiary... sous-bois, dark red fruit, mild acidity, clearly weary from the oak treatment but works better with a pot roast than by itself
Desvignes 2019 Morgon "Corcelettes" - smoky, somewhat tannic, blue fruit (plums, blackberries), savory (almost salty), taut, kinda like a Northern Rhone syrah but with a tad sweeter undertow
Texier 2010 Cotes-du-Rhone "Brezeme" Vieille Serine (Dom Pergaud) - incredibly youthful, no strike that, immortal... recognizable Brezeme flavors of Juicy-Fruit gum over vivid syrah blue fruit; Day 3, another glass, I can smell it from 3 feet away, the aroma hints at sweetness while the palate is dry (and full)
Thierry Richoux 2014 Irancy "Les Cailles" - ethereal Burgundy nose of cherry-berry fruit graced with rose and bouquet garni; the palate, however, is a bit coarse on texture and light on flavor; with air, the nose remains typique and the palate moves in an Oregonian direction: bright, lifted, elegant, yet still kinda skimpy; Day 2: the palate has filled-in quite a lot, a classic Villages, well worth having on a weeknight
A La Tache 2010 St-Joseph "Cuvee Badel" - N. Rhone syrah, as clear as day, in a perfect state of tertiary decline... softly-simmered beef, strewn with violets, 10 years is the mark for these guys
==> American.
Scherrer 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Scherrer Vineyard - 375ml; pull the cork and get hit in the face with an incredibly powerful blast of tight, phenolic, pyrazinic cab aromas; five minutes later, the beast has left and there is a pure, sturdy, fruity cab; here and there it's translucent and offers some hillside earth tones; drinks very young even at 10 years of age; works with my winter dinner of lamb chops, roast squash, and pan-fried potatoes, though I'll admit I had expected to like it more
Arterberry Maresh 2014 Dundee Hills - not the marquee cuvee but a lesser one; shockingly rough and rustic, sweet but deeply-pitched 'blue' flavors, totally not what I was expecting! Day 5: this has changed for the better, more of the red-fruit Oregon profile but balanced with the earthy/blue thing
==> Misc.
Birgit Eichinger 2019 Ried Hasel, Gruner Veltliner - 12.5%, Day 1: vigorous and effusive, dry but fruity, an eager puppy; Day 4: a little more settled so now I can taste it better, varietally true, has the hint of bitterness that matches well with food, it's still a little simple but fine for a low-end white
Meinklang 2018 Burgenland Weisser "Mulatschak" - sweetly delicate Gewurzish nose, more assertive in the pie-hole with a slightly sour twang, works really well at the table but a bit lightweight on its own
==> Cheapies.
Quaderna Via 2019 Navarra Tinto - "Be Bike", "The Monovarietal Route", "Made with Organic Grapes", Graciano - young, fruity, it's wine
Asconi 2020 This is a "cheap dry white to cook with..." - "...it's also a sempervirent wine.", pinot gris from Moldova, 12.5%, $8, I've had worse wines for $12, gotta tell ya
Ch. Les Gravieres de la Brandille 2016 Bordeaux Supérieur - yes, a $13 bottle of wine from 4 vintages ago, bought for cooking, I'll admit, 65/20/15 merlot/cab/franc from 40-year-old vines outside St.-Emilion, 13.5%, a Willie Gluckstern selection(!), like the label sez
==> Fizz.
Raventos i Blanc 2017 Conca Del Riu Anoia "de Nit" - no, it's not cava, but it's not even a little interesting, either
Pinon 2015 Vouvray Brut Non-Dose - salty apricots, its middle-age is upon it with just a hint of overt sweetness and cooked-fruit flavors, fizz is still strong, great bottle
==> Sweet.
Huet 1996 Vouvray Moelleux "Le Mont" "1ere Trie" - just glorious... honey and apricots and tangy acidity, finish lasts forever, my salivary glands run with glee, bouquet not as forward but same aromas
Dow 1994 Vintage Port - smooth as silk, medium-sweet, a very good bottle
Warre 1994 Vintage Port - shows a bit more spirity and a little less sweet; it develops a bit with time open but remains rather foursquare and unexciting the whole way
Fonseca 2000 Vintage Port - musty for the first few minutes, even after decanting off the sediment, but wakes up cleanly; tense, dark fruit, moderately sweet, not showing its alcohol at all
Warre's 2008 Late Bottled Vintage - yup
Tinou (Serge Hondet) 2016 Jurancon Cuvee Speciale - I can see why people say pineapple as a descriptor but it isn't really right: there is a tangy but slightly musky taste; beautifully judged ripeness and sweetness... it's definitely dessert but there is no chance of a diabetic seizure; not quite all the way to meditation wine but way better than gulping wine; Day 6: still sound, nose is fuller and fruitier, lime and sweet lemon, still just-so sweet and pleasant
==> Italian.
Vajra, G D 2018 Langhe Nebbiolo "Clare JC" - oh wow, profusely aromatic cran-cherry but light and bright like Alto Piemonte; my partner, who is no fan of dry reds, says he can smell it across the room and declares it, "interesting"; not shy on alcohol but so much flavor I have no objection; Day 3: much the same but flavors have lost redness in favor of plummy blackness
=> second bottle about the same
Vietti 2016 Barolo "Castiglione" - known to drink well young and it does; not gonna change your life but a good glass of wine
La Cantina di Cuneaz Nadir 2016 Rosso Vallee d'Aoste "Badebec" - no windex this time, nice mountain wine with a dark-fruited profile, I may just need to keep buying this
Cincinnato 2015 Nero Buono "Ercole" - good dark color, clear and bright, tannic at first but then it relents to a midpalate of silk and a delicate suggestion of roses and resin
Montesecondo 2015 Chianti Classico - just like it should be, can I still get more?, cherries, a little early in the season so still a bit tart but recognizably the fruit of summer; the finish is a little darker and a little furry; can I still get more?
La Casaccia 2007 Grignolino del Monferratro Casalese "Poggeto" - cork snapped in half, first whiff is pure Robitussin... bleh, with air, however, this changes over to something bright, tangy, still kinda cooked strawberry (not quite to cranberry in grabby-dark-red-ness) with some wet earth showing, is this what happens to good grignolino after 13 years? it's a hella match with boeuf bourguignon, the acidity cuts the rich sauce while the late-arriving earthiness finds the Maillard-y beef; Oliver McCrum selection, 12.5%, I hope WineBid has some more of this!
Giovanni Rosso 2018 Langhe Nebbiolo - a little reticent at first, and not tasting much like itself, but after a half hour becomes recognizably nebbiolo, crisp and clear, good sub-$20 bottle
==> French.
Girardin 1999 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er "Les Cazetiers" - from my early vinous days, before I really knew what an Overripe-Overoaked Horror was (the domain changed styles in 2007 when they got a new winemaker; Giradin sold the domain itself to his business partner in 2012); I pulled this bottle out of storage because of an encouraging experience in 2019 with his Clos Saint-Denis; rather tertiary... sous-bois, dark red fruit, mild acidity, clearly weary from the oak treatment but works better with a pot roast than by itself
Desvignes 2019 Morgon "Corcelettes" - smoky, somewhat tannic, blue fruit (plums, blackberries), savory (almost salty), taut, kinda like a Northern Rhone syrah but with a tad sweeter undertow
Texier 2010 Cotes-du-Rhone "Brezeme" Vieille Serine (Dom Pergaud) - incredibly youthful, no strike that, immortal... recognizable Brezeme flavors of Juicy-Fruit gum over vivid syrah blue fruit; Day 3, another glass, I can smell it from 3 feet away, the aroma hints at sweetness while the palate is dry (and full)
Thierry Richoux 2014 Irancy "Les Cailles" - ethereal Burgundy nose of cherry-berry fruit graced with rose and bouquet garni; the palate, however, is a bit coarse on texture and light on flavor; with air, the nose remains typique and the palate moves in an Oregonian direction: bright, lifted, elegant, yet still kinda skimpy; Day 2: the palate has filled-in quite a lot, a classic Villages, well worth having on a weeknight
A La Tache 2010 St-Joseph "Cuvee Badel" - N. Rhone syrah, as clear as day, in a perfect state of tertiary decline... softly-simmered beef, strewn with violets, 10 years is the mark for these guys
==> American.
Scherrer 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon, Scherrer Vineyard - 375ml; pull the cork and get hit in the face with an incredibly powerful blast of tight, phenolic, pyrazinic cab aromas; five minutes later, the beast has left and there is a pure, sturdy, fruity cab; here and there it's translucent and offers some hillside earth tones; drinks very young even at 10 years of age; works with my winter dinner of lamb chops, roast squash, and pan-fried potatoes, though I'll admit I had expected to like it more
Arterberry Maresh 2014 Dundee Hills - not the marquee cuvee but a lesser one; shockingly rough and rustic, sweet but deeply-pitched 'blue' flavors, totally not what I was expecting! Day 5: this has changed for the better, more of the red-fruit Oregon profile but balanced with the earthy/blue thing
==> Misc.
Birgit Eichinger 2019 Ried Hasel, Gruner Veltliner - 12.5%, Day 1: vigorous and effusive, dry but fruity, an eager puppy; Day 4: a little more settled so now I can taste it better, varietally true, has the hint of bitterness that matches well with food, it's still a little simple but fine for a low-end white
Meinklang 2018 Burgenland Weisser "Mulatschak" - sweetly delicate Gewurzish nose, more assertive in the pie-hole with a slightly sour twang, works really well at the table but a bit lightweight on its own
==> Cheapies.
Quaderna Via 2019 Navarra Tinto - "Be Bike", "The Monovarietal Route", "Made with Organic Grapes", Graciano - young, fruity, it's wine
Asconi 2020 This is a "cheap dry white to cook with..." - "...it's also a sempervirent wine.", pinot gris from Moldova, 12.5%, $8, I've had worse wines for $12, gotta tell ya
Ch. Les Gravieres de la Brandille 2016 Bordeaux Supérieur - yes, a $13 bottle of wine from 4 vintages ago, bought for cooking, I'll admit, 65/20/15 merlot/cab/franc from 40-year-old vines outside St.-Emilion, 13.5%, a Willie Gluckstern selection(!), like the label sez