Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Don & Melissa, Eden & Scott, Jay, Jayson, Jeff
After a summer hiatus we have returned to our little blind bottle Zoomy ways.
Alas, Victor and Lisa are busy tonight so we must soldier on without them.
Don announces that he has chosen wines 'against type' this time. Ho ho!
I announce that I have served two bonnie wines. Scots terroir, perhaps?
Despite shenanigans, the group is in a rather studious mood:
Wine R1 -
blind
We quickly narrow down the possibilities: it's New World!
Reminds of SweeTarts but it has plenty of acidity.
Some guesses later, we've got it identified as California Chardonnay. You may ask how it took so long to get there but you'll see.
Anyway, this is an easy drinker, not a lot going on, nice enough.
reveal
Wilde Farm 2016 Chardonnay, Alder Springs, Mendocino
Owned by a pal of Don's, Loren Grossman (no relation), and made by Pax Mahle, the wine is from a cold spot and they pick really early; that keeps the palate bright, not at all tropical, and the alky is only 11.2%.
One more winemaking note: they apply new oak to the wine "to preserve it"; I find this odd but what do I know?; there definitely was a teeny bit of oak to taste but it's not prominent; the overall effect is sharp and crisp
Day 2: now it has a very slight nose of popcorn and a skoosh more 'buttery' richness on the palate, still very restrained
Wine Blue seal -
blind
"Marzipan!", kinda silky, a great mouthful of finely-textured wine, "Watery at first, then a gingery sizzle" -Melissa, very long, provokes much contemplation, is the faint sweet note caramel or honey?
I show them the grape but that didn't help much.
reveal
Dom. de Beudon 2010 Valais Fendant
11.6%.
Fendant, I am told, is the Swiss #1 choice for wine with fondue; I can see it.
A Pascaline selection, kinda. When the pandemic first hit, Racines raised money by selling a few bottles from its cellar; I bought this then, with her guidance.
The vineyards are 870m above sea level. You either hike there or take a gondola.
The fine print on the bottle says "a burns, greene & mestre selection".
For more: click
Day 2: even more honeyed, creamy and just vaguely caramelly, kinda like Swiss cheese
Wine Red seal -
blind
On to the reds.
This has a light-bright-floral-scratchy-pinky-red bouquet, which veritably screams old California field blend. But there is some weight in the midpalate, too, moreso than the recent Birichino bottlings. Jay isn't too happy with it, kinda rustic and clunky.
I show them a picture of the wine's namesake ("1I/2017 U1") and that helps them plenty because Don & Melissa recognize the interstellar visitor and quickly google up the wine!
reveal
Bonny Doon Vineyard 2018 Le Cigare Volant "Cuvee Oumuamua"
13.5%.
Another step along the rising path of cinsault in our new global climat: Randall Grahm has dropped mourvedre from Le Cigare Volant and shifted the recipe to include about half of co-fermented cinsault and syrah.
Indeed, too much grenache for Jay.
For more: click (pdf)
Day 2: the cinsault smellies are still there but now the candied grenache sweetness is asserting itself really noticeably, bleh.
Wine R2 -
blind
corked
several of us jump out of our chairs to get it out of the glassware quickly before it "stains"
reveal
Jamet 2001 Cote-Rotie
What a pity.
But if you swig it from the little bottle (=> having had no air) the TCA is not yet volatilized and you can taste the wine more clearly... a robust syrah, lots of earth, nice sunshine but not jam-makin' hot.
Wine R3 -
blind
"Old lady handkerchief in the nose" -Jeff, "hint of volatile" -Jayson, "pine needles" -Melissa, the wine is starting to brown so definitely 20+ years, also a bit of oxidation, a hearty richness here, not quite tobacco but very full and round, we're thinking Hermitage because it smells syrah-ish
Jayson suggests old-school Gallet, but then Jay catches the golden ring and nails it.
reveal
Ogier 1995 Cote-Rotie
The last of a half-case, Don says the others were terribly oaky but this is a changeling.
Day 2: still smoky and plummy but also starting to go sour
Wine Yellow seal -
blind
Oh, it has that chenin-am-I-corked thing, or maybe it's just wet wool, who can tell with this damnable grape?
It's chenin on schist so not like Vouvray, and it's old enough to be losing its sugar (though not its acids).
"Good fruit-to-finish but kinda generic" -Jayson, "Grand Marnier!" -Melissa
Others, but not me, also get some kind of industrial glue smell
Finish is not long
We go through many Loire guesses and I inadvertantly gave a slippery answer to one question that sent Jayson off in the wrong direction ("Are we in Anjou?" to which I said no because the wine is not AOC Anjou)
reveal
La Croix des Loges 1977 Bonnezeaux "Les 3 Failles"
So, the first thing you have to ask yourself is why my local shop has a 45-year-old wine on the shelf? The story I was told: The importer was visiting the domaine, tasting through the new releases to decide what to bring in. The current winemaker's father shows up at the table and says something on the order of "You, know, I also made wine here." Having thrown the gauntlet down, they trooped off to the cellar, opened a few bottles of the father's wine, and decided to bring this one in.
The next question - unanswered - is why this vineyard is called The Three Faults? Maybe that's a reference to the geography of Bonnezeaux (it's three shallow plateaus overlooking the Layon River) but, still, not an encouraging name.
The cork is old, the label is new (and says 14% but that's probably not reliable).
For more: click
Day 2: I think this is corked, I can't get past the wonky nose anymore
Maybe not the best-drinking evening of wine ever but we still had a good time visitin' and we did learn a little something.
After a summer hiatus we have returned to our little blind bottle Zoomy ways.
Alas, Victor and Lisa are busy tonight so we must soldier on without them.
Don announces that he has chosen wines 'against type' this time. Ho ho!
I announce that I have served two bonnie wines. Scots terroir, perhaps?
Despite shenanigans, the group is in a rather studious mood:
Wine R1 -
blind
We quickly narrow down the possibilities: it's New World!
Reminds of SweeTarts but it has plenty of acidity.
Some guesses later, we've got it identified as California Chardonnay. You may ask how it took so long to get there but you'll see.
Anyway, this is an easy drinker, not a lot going on, nice enough.
reveal
Wilde Farm 2016 Chardonnay, Alder Springs, Mendocino
Owned by a pal of Don's, Loren Grossman (no relation), and made by Pax Mahle, the wine is from a cold spot and they pick really early; that keeps the palate bright, not at all tropical, and the alky is only 11.2%.
One more winemaking note: they apply new oak to the wine "to preserve it"; I find this odd but what do I know?; there definitely was a teeny bit of oak to taste but it's not prominent; the overall effect is sharp and crisp
Day 2: now it has a very slight nose of popcorn and a skoosh more 'buttery' richness on the palate, still very restrained
Wine Blue seal -
blind
"Marzipan!", kinda silky, a great mouthful of finely-textured wine, "Watery at first, then a gingery sizzle" -Melissa, very long, provokes much contemplation, is the faint sweet note caramel or honey?
I show them the grape but that didn't help much.
reveal
Dom. de Beudon 2010 Valais Fendant
11.6%.
Fendant, I am told, is the Swiss #1 choice for wine with fondue; I can see it.
A Pascaline selection, kinda. When the pandemic first hit, Racines raised money by selling a few bottles from its cellar; I bought this then, with her guidance.
The vineyards are 870m above sea level. You either hike there or take a gondola.
The fine print on the bottle says "a burns, greene & mestre selection".
For more: click
Day 2: even more honeyed, creamy and just vaguely caramelly, kinda like Swiss cheese
Wine Red seal -
blind
On to the reds.
This has a light-bright-floral-scratchy-pinky-red bouquet, which veritably screams old California field blend. But there is some weight in the midpalate, too, moreso than the recent Birichino bottlings. Jay isn't too happy with it, kinda rustic and clunky.
I show them a picture of the wine's namesake ("1I/2017 U1") and that helps them plenty because Don & Melissa recognize the interstellar visitor and quickly google up the wine!
reveal
Bonny Doon Vineyard 2018 Le Cigare Volant "Cuvee Oumuamua"
13.5%.
Another step along the rising path of cinsault in our new global climat: Randall Grahm has dropped mourvedre from Le Cigare Volant and shifted the recipe to include about half of co-fermented cinsault and syrah.
Indeed, too much grenache for Jay.
For more: click (pdf)
Day 2: the cinsault smellies are still there but now the candied grenache sweetness is asserting itself really noticeably, bleh.
Wine R2 -
blind
corked
several of us jump out of our chairs to get it out of the glassware quickly before it "stains"
reveal
Jamet 2001 Cote-Rotie
What a pity.
But if you swig it from the little bottle (=> having had no air) the TCA is not yet volatilized and you can taste the wine more clearly... a robust syrah, lots of earth, nice sunshine but not jam-makin' hot.
Wine R3 -
blind
"Old lady handkerchief in the nose" -Jeff, "hint of volatile" -Jayson, "pine needles" -Melissa, the wine is starting to brown so definitely 20+ years, also a bit of oxidation, a hearty richness here, not quite tobacco but very full and round, we're thinking Hermitage because it smells syrah-ish
Jayson suggests old-school Gallet, but then Jay catches the golden ring and nails it.
reveal
Ogier 1995 Cote-Rotie
The last of a half-case, Don says the others were terribly oaky but this is a changeling.
Day 2: still smoky and plummy but also starting to go sour
Wine Yellow seal -
blind
Oh, it has that chenin-am-I-corked thing, or maybe it's just wet wool, who can tell with this damnable grape?
It's chenin on schist so not like Vouvray, and it's old enough to be losing its sugar (though not its acids).
"Good fruit-to-finish but kinda generic" -Jayson, "Grand Marnier!" -Melissa
Others, but not me, also get some kind of industrial glue smell
Finish is not long
We go through many Loire guesses and I inadvertantly gave a slippery answer to one question that sent Jayson off in the wrong direction ("Are we in Anjou?" to which I said no because the wine is not AOC Anjou)
reveal
La Croix des Loges 1977 Bonnezeaux "Les 3 Failles"
So, the first thing you have to ask yourself is why my local shop has a 45-year-old wine on the shelf? The story I was told: The importer was visiting the domaine, tasting through the new releases to decide what to bring in. The current winemaker's father shows up at the table and says something on the order of "You, know, I also made wine here." Having thrown the gauntlet down, they trooped off to the cellar, opened a few bottles of the father's wine, and decided to bring this one in.
The next question - unanswered - is why this vineyard is called The Three Faults? Maybe that's a reference to the geography of Bonnezeaux (it's three shallow plateaus overlooking the Layon River) but, still, not an encouraging name.
The cork is old, the label is new (and says 14% but that's probably not reliable).
For more: click
Day 2: I think this is corked, I can't get past the wonky nose anymore
Maybe not the best-drinking evening of wine ever but we still had a good time visitin' and we did learn a little something.