Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Maureen, Suzanne, Bob S, Keith, Zach B, Jeff
It is a picture-perfect day in DC. The sun is shining. It's not too hot, it's not too humid. A good ceiling fan is really enough (well, we needed a bit more in the kitchen with all the burners going).
Maureen scoops me up from my Airbnb room in her convertible. We go cruising along, top down, tunes playing, the dalmatian's tongue waving in the breeze....
Before the other guests arrive Maureen and I indulge in a little Xtreme Wine Selection: the centerpiece wines were decided in advance but there are two add'l courses at dinner plus we need something while people arrive and get comfortable. Maureen has an extensive cellar, largely Burgundy and riesling, so we peruse the lists, discuss vintages and makers, and choose 5 wines for each of the moments. Suzanne will later cull the sets of 5 down to sets of 3, and Bob will pick the one we open (reserving the other two in case a wine is corked, of course).
Suzanne arrives next, still fairly early, but now with six hands we resume the food prep that Maureen started in the morning. We shuck the corn then cut the kernels off, chiffonade the basil, sweat the shallots, pan-fry the peppers, milk the fennel fronds for their pollen (and amazingly sweet immature seeds), and many more steps. I have never seen so much copper cookware in one place. And, boy, is that stuff heavy!
We set the table with four Burgundy stems each.
When everyone has gathered, we take our first glass on the front porch, then move inside for the others.
Welcomes and Nibbles
Blini with caviar, but of course.
Kabinett, for sure. So many good choices but Maureen has recently rediscovered Richter so we pop the new vintage:
Max Ferd Richter 2019 Braunenberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett, Fass 4 - 2593049, 7.5%, the fruit for this fass is picked extra-early in an effort to produce a kabinett "of the olden times"; minerally, light and bright, juicy without a lot of zap!, starts rather slight but the fruit eventually fills in, even heading towards apricot (so, still some summer heat shows), a great toss-back wine
First Course
Crab and corn salad, the heart of summer. The kernels are incredibly sweet, there was no need to cook them. The crabmeat was picked fresh today. There are also tiny, sweet cherry tomatoes, a sprinkle of other seasonings and a mild vinaigrette.
Fritz Haag 2002 Braunenberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese #06 - 2 577 050 6 03, 8%, satiny, weighty without being glyceral or syrupy, OMG pairing with the crab and corn, the wine and the food reinforce each other's flavors, the sweetness of the wine is reduced from what it once was but it picks up the inherent sweetness in the salad, the vinaigrette aligns your mouth for the wine's acidity, the vegetable flavors balance the slight oxy edge and slight botrytis flavors, I cannot say enough
Second Course
Rack of pork (bone-in pork loin) brined, smeared with herbs, and roasted. Served with piperade, haricots verts in shallots and broth, oven-roasted fennel, and pan-fried fingerlings. Elegant and wine-friendly.
The theme is Chambolle-Musigny, 1er Cru, of 2001 or 2002. The wines were all opened a few hours ahead of time and poured side-by-side.
Drouhin 2001 Chambolle-Musigny 1er "Les Amoureuses" - I came prepared to like this, and I did: sound acidity, very red cherry fruit and a dash of brown earth; with air it changed frequently, alas often at the expense of its complexity, and Maureen called a late note of caramel; at any other table you'd be blown away but here it has to fight for your affections
Roumier 2001 Chambolle-Musigny 1er "Les Cras" - Maureen said this stank when she opened it but it's better now(!). This has a better acid structure than the 02s but the wines are *very* similar, red-fruited and floral and delicately jazzy. Keith says he tastes brett, Bob calls it 'old penny'; there definitely is some extrinsic flavor layered on top of this wine but I can't put a name to it; it's not enough to spoil the glass but it is a handicap; yes, I know there is a species of brett that has a metallic taste but this reminds me more of certain flowers or women's perfumes that seem stony-bitter-flat instead of pleasing
Hudelot-Noellat 2002 Chambolle-Musigny 1er "Les Charmes" - complex nose of cranberry and unsweetened raspberry, a shade or two blacker-fruited than the Truchot; with air there are hints of frangipane and violets; I think this wine most-clearly shows the basic profile that the others take riffs on
Truchot 2002 Chambolle-Musigny 1er "Les Sentiers" - like the Hudelot-Noellat but add iodine and a touch of extra acidity that shows up in the finish; with air this gets richer and deeper; the fond in the glass is also deeper and richer than the others; first in my affections
Did the 01s stand out from the 02s? A little, but not strikingly so. If you swapped the glasses around, it would require your best attention to put them back.
Salad and Cheese Course
Simple greens with a slightly stronger vinaigrette than that on the crab/corn salad. Also, three cheeses (La Tur, taleggio, Pleasant Ridge reserve) with various crackers.
Marc Morey 2004 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er "Les Vergers" - nice chardonnay: simmered pit fruit, green grapes, old lady's handkerchief, a little marzipan; neither Bob nor I are big fans of White Burgundy but we'll admit this is an excellent wine
La Maison Carre 2017 VdP Savagnin Blanc - "Produit Suisse", 13%, "an uber grape" -Bob, bright and fresh and citrusy, maybe a hint of green (grassy lawn?) in there
Dessert Course
Homemade tart with lemon curd and blueberries (some wild-picked), served with creme Chantilly.
Schmitts Kinder 1998 Randersackerer Sonnenstuhl Silvaner Eiswein - 3149 009 99, in the 500 ml bocksbeutel (so cute!), sweet but not OTT, acidity is still firm but not monolithic, nice enough fruit and florals in a narrow range and not particularly vivid, Bob says that eiswein is usually drunk within 15 years of harvest so this is a little on the decline
And then the evening is done. No lingering over another dessert wine or even helping with the dishes. Keith drops me off at my Airbnb, Suzanne finds an Uber driver who actually knows where her hotel is, and the locals do whatever locals do when they skedaddle.
A splendid evening all around: good conversation, a classic menu, and what wines! The Haag and the crab salad flew towards each other like they had magnets attached. The Chambolles counted as another course with rich and vivid flavors, arresting presence, and most definitely more-ish.
It is a picture-perfect day in DC. The sun is shining. It's not too hot, it's not too humid. A good ceiling fan is really enough (well, we needed a bit more in the kitchen with all the burners going).
Maureen scoops me up from my Airbnb room in her convertible. We go cruising along, top down, tunes playing, the dalmatian's tongue waving in the breeze....
Before the other guests arrive Maureen and I indulge in a little Xtreme Wine Selection: the centerpiece wines were decided in advance but there are two add'l courses at dinner plus we need something while people arrive and get comfortable. Maureen has an extensive cellar, largely Burgundy and riesling, so we peruse the lists, discuss vintages and makers, and choose 5 wines for each of the moments. Suzanne will later cull the sets of 5 down to sets of 3, and Bob will pick the one we open (reserving the other two in case a wine is corked, of course).
Suzanne arrives next, still fairly early, but now with six hands we resume the food prep that Maureen started in the morning. We shuck the corn then cut the kernels off, chiffonade the basil, sweat the shallots, pan-fry the peppers, milk the fennel fronds for their pollen (and amazingly sweet immature seeds), and many more steps. I have never seen so much copper cookware in one place. And, boy, is that stuff heavy!
We set the table with four Burgundy stems each.
When everyone has gathered, we take our first glass on the front porch, then move inside for the others.
Welcomes and Nibbles
Blini with caviar, but of course.
Kabinett, for sure. So many good choices but Maureen has recently rediscovered Richter so we pop the new vintage:
Max Ferd Richter 2019 Braunenberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett, Fass 4 - 2593049, 7.5%, the fruit for this fass is picked extra-early in an effort to produce a kabinett "of the olden times"; minerally, light and bright, juicy without a lot of zap!, starts rather slight but the fruit eventually fills in, even heading towards apricot (so, still some summer heat shows), a great toss-back wine
First Course
Crab and corn salad, the heart of summer. The kernels are incredibly sweet, there was no need to cook them. The crabmeat was picked fresh today. There are also tiny, sweet cherry tomatoes, a sprinkle of other seasonings and a mild vinaigrette.
Fritz Haag 2002 Braunenberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese #06 - 2 577 050 6 03, 8%, satiny, weighty without being glyceral or syrupy, OMG pairing with the crab and corn, the wine and the food reinforce each other's flavors, the sweetness of the wine is reduced from what it once was but it picks up the inherent sweetness in the salad, the vinaigrette aligns your mouth for the wine's acidity, the vegetable flavors balance the slight oxy edge and slight botrytis flavors, I cannot say enough
Second Course
Rack of pork (bone-in pork loin) brined, smeared with herbs, and roasted. Served with piperade, haricots verts in shallots and broth, oven-roasted fennel, and pan-fried fingerlings. Elegant and wine-friendly.
The theme is Chambolle-Musigny, 1er Cru, of 2001 or 2002. The wines were all opened a few hours ahead of time and poured side-by-side.
Drouhin 2001 Chambolle-Musigny 1er "Les Amoureuses" - I came prepared to like this, and I did: sound acidity, very red cherry fruit and a dash of brown earth; with air it changed frequently, alas often at the expense of its complexity, and Maureen called a late note of caramel; at any other table you'd be blown away but here it has to fight for your affections
Roumier 2001 Chambolle-Musigny 1er "Les Cras" - Maureen said this stank when she opened it but it's better now(!). This has a better acid structure than the 02s but the wines are *very* similar, red-fruited and floral and delicately jazzy. Keith says he tastes brett, Bob calls it 'old penny'; there definitely is some extrinsic flavor layered on top of this wine but I can't put a name to it; it's not enough to spoil the glass but it is a handicap; yes, I know there is a species of brett that has a metallic taste but this reminds me more of certain flowers or women's perfumes that seem stony-bitter-flat instead of pleasing
Hudelot-Noellat 2002 Chambolle-Musigny 1er "Les Charmes" - complex nose of cranberry and unsweetened raspberry, a shade or two blacker-fruited than the Truchot; with air there are hints of frangipane and violets; I think this wine most-clearly shows the basic profile that the others take riffs on
Truchot 2002 Chambolle-Musigny 1er "Les Sentiers" - like the Hudelot-Noellat but add iodine and a touch of extra acidity that shows up in the finish; with air this gets richer and deeper; the fond in the glass is also deeper and richer than the others; first in my affections
Did the 01s stand out from the 02s? A little, but not strikingly so. If you swapped the glasses around, it would require your best attention to put them back.
Salad and Cheese Course
Simple greens with a slightly stronger vinaigrette than that on the crab/corn salad. Also, three cheeses (La Tur, taleggio, Pleasant Ridge reserve) with various crackers.
Marc Morey 2004 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er "Les Vergers" - nice chardonnay: simmered pit fruit, green grapes, old lady's handkerchief, a little marzipan; neither Bob nor I are big fans of White Burgundy but we'll admit this is an excellent wine
La Maison Carre 2017 VdP Savagnin Blanc - "Produit Suisse", 13%, "an uber grape" -Bob, bright and fresh and citrusy, maybe a hint of green (grassy lawn?) in there
Dessert Course
Homemade tart with lemon curd and blueberries (some wild-picked), served with creme Chantilly.
Schmitts Kinder 1998 Randersackerer Sonnenstuhl Silvaner Eiswein - 3149 009 99, in the 500 ml bocksbeutel (so cute!), sweet but not OTT, acidity is still firm but not monolithic, nice enough fruit and florals in a narrow range and not particularly vivid, Bob says that eiswein is usually drunk within 15 years of harvest so this is a little on the decline
And then the evening is done. No lingering over another dessert wine or even helping with the dishes. Keith drops me off at my Airbnb, Suzanne finds an Uber driver who actually knows where her hotel is, and the locals do whatever locals do when they skedaddle.
A splendid evening all around: good conversation, a classic menu, and what wines! The Haag and the crab salad flew towards each other like they had magnets attached. The Chambolles counted as another course with rich and vivid flavors, arresting presence, and most definitely more-ish.
. But we gave it a chance and I don't think anyone dumped any. Truchot was the standout for me. No big surprise. Well, maybe a little surprise when there is an Amoureuses on the table. This one was surprisingly deep and dark for an Amoureuses. My first reaction on tasting each wine was that there was no way I'd have been able to pick out the '01s vs. the '02s. Chassagne was in perfect shape, but def wouldn't call it out of the ballpark. Maybe in another 10 years (if you're feelin' lucky)