Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
Vajra, G D 2020 Langhe Nebbiolo "Clare JC" - Day1 and Day3: incredibly fragrant from a big balloon glass, nearly candy-sweet but not quite there, beautiful color too; Day4: bouquet is starting to fade
Dirty and Rowdy Family Wines 2017 Mourvedre, Enz Vineyard - same origin as the Birichino so I had to try it, Day1 and Day2 this is rather in-your-face and fruit-driven, rather disappointing given all the shouting about this (now-defunct) estate; Day9: well, after lingering in the fridge while drinking the Vajra, this is a different wine, the fruit has stepped back just a bit and a mineral core is showing, much more to my liking
Paolo Bea 2012 IGT Umbria Rosso "Rosso de Veo" - this is a Musar moment: starts with volatile acidity in the forefront, but that mostly subsides after 2 hrs; there is a hint of corkiness or is it just old wood?; the nasal smellies are all fragrant, attractive blue fruit; the palate is similarly jumbled - not scalped, surely, but alternating pretty and peculiar from moment to moment; on Day 3, there is a very late note of bitterness that seems earthy at first but I later recognize as OTH; an engaging and tumultuous bottle but not particularly enjoyable
Dom. Jolivet 2018 St.-Joseph VV "1907" - no note(?)
Arterberry Maresh 2014 Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills - first half hour or so it is all over the place... fruity one moment, oaky another moment, then mute, then stemmy... it finally settles down: plum and strawberry, sorta fruit leather but with acidity and something volatile (not nail polish, kinda like Band-Aid but not really, could just be alcohol but it doesn't clock in very high - 13%); Day 3: has settled down into recognizable Oregon pinot noir... strawberry but somehow dry, texturally smooth yet a slight mineral scratch; Day 5: losing its distinctive voice, heading towards Pinot From Anywhere; overall, a very satisfactory 'starter' cru from AM
Louis-Claude Desvignes 2020 Morgon "La Voute Saint-Vincent" - 13%, tangy gamay bouquet up the nozzle, good sniffing in a big glass; tasting it: nicely judged ripeness, a good first foray into 2020 Beaujolais, has the stuffing of its famous origins though no mineral interest; good to put on the table now and in the next 5 years; Day2: shut down hard
Hild 2020 Elbling Trocken - persistent, delicate, herbal, pleasant; Day3: about the same, maybe less herbal
Gaudry, Vincent 2019 Sancerre Rouge "Vincengetorix" - no note(?) but I recall it was about as yum as the 2016 was
COS 2012 Cerasuolo di Vittoria "delle Fontane" - ready, good, perhaps a bit extra something in the finish but not too different from the regular cerasuolo
Kelley Fox Wines 2013 Pinot Noir, Maresh Vineyard - pale pinky-red, aromatically enticing, strawberry-plus fragrance and pale minerally dirt, more restrained on the palate, juicy acidity, salivary glands running, high-toned (but not VA), fresh, long; Day 2: some of that high-toned stuff has blown off, the wine is now very fruity, a shade darker-fruited than strawberry (but no sweeter)
Vietti 2016 Barolo "Castiglione" - a little sleepy so maybe wait a couple years now
Dom. Pignier 2014 Trousseau "Les Gauthieres" - light to mid weight, acidity is just starting to subside, twang too, but there is more here: delicate mineral flavors in the mid-palate, as they subside there is some extra richness in the finish that isn't in the attack; Day 2: approaching OTH
Belliviere, Dom de 2005 Coteaux du Loir "Hommage a Louis Derre" - funky on opening (did I wait too long?) but a couple hours later there is a deep black cherry-flavored wine; I've come to think this particular funk is something that comes from hot vintage wine (when I bought this wine David Lillie apologized to me and said I was going to have to wait a long time)
Vallana 2018 Spanna - this is great, crisp and pure, mountain nebbiolo, umami and lip-smacking, a 750ml is a single-person portion, under Diam 5 which is emblazoned with a portrait of a man in an oval frame dated 1787 and inscribed "Canonico Gaetano Perrucconi Di Montalbano"; second bottle same
Foillard 2019 Morgon "Cuvee Classique" - this is so good: blue-fruited but not heavy, young (of course), lively acidity, middle-weight, silken, glad I bought a few of these (and at a decent price); Day 2 shows a little funky but I don't plan to keep these long, anyway
Falkenstein Rose - just like the first one
Francois Cazin 2019 Cour-Cheverny "Vendanges Manuelles" - fragrant and full, flowery and fruity, not as acid as one might expect, really pleasant now
Vincent 2019 Gamay Noir, Bjornson Vyd - pinot noir ish nose with maybe three molecules of iris/gentian, very fruity (even grapey) and full in the mouth but tart acidity makes it fresh, flavor intensity makes it seem like it should be heavy but instead the mid-palate gently subsides, reminded me of a good bottle of valdiguie from some years ago
Dirty and Rowdy Family Wines 2017 Mourvedre, Enz Vineyard - same origin as the Birichino so I had to try it, Day1 and Day2 this is rather in-your-face and fruit-driven, rather disappointing given all the shouting about this (now-defunct) estate; Day9: well, after lingering in the fridge while drinking the Vajra, this is a different wine, the fruit has stepped back just a bit and a mineral core is showing, much more to my liking
Paolo Bea 2012 IGT Umbria Rosso "Rosso de Veo" - this is a Musar moment: starts with volatile acidity in the forefront, but that mostly subsides after 2 hrs; there is a hint of corkiness or is it just old wood?; the nasal smellies are all fragrant, attractive blue fruit; the palate is similarly jumbled - not scalped, surely, but alternating pretty and peculiar from moment to moment; on Day 3, there is a very late note of bitterness that seems earthy at first but I later recognize as OTH; an engaging and tumultuous bottle but not particularly enjoyable
Dom. Jolivet 2018 St.-Joseph VV "1907" - no note(?)
Arterberry Maresh 2014 Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills - first half hour or so it is all over the place... fruity one moment, oaky another moment, then mute, then stemmy... it finally settles down: plum and strawberry, sorta fruit leather but with acidity and something volatile (not nail polish, kinda like Band-Aid but not really, could just be alcohol but it doesn't clock in very high - 13%); Day 3: has settled down into recognizable Oregon pinot noir... strawberry but somehow dry, texturally smooth yet a slight mineral scratch; Day 5: losing its distinctive voice, heading towards Pinot From Anywhere; overall, a very satisfactory 'starter' cru from AM
Louis-Claude Desvignes 2020 Morgon "La Voute Saint-Vincent" - 13%, tangy gamay bouquet up the nozzle, good sniffing in a big glass; tasting it: nicely judged ripeness, a good first foray into 2020 Beaujolais, has the stuffing of its famous origins though no mineral interest; good to put on the table now and in the next 5 years; Day2: shut down hard
Hild 2020 Elbling Trocken - persistent, delicate, herbal, pleasant; Day3: about the same, maybe less herbal
Gaudry, Vincent 2019 Sancerre Rouge "Vincengetorix" - no note(?) but I recall it was about as yum as the 2016 was
COS 2012 Cerasuolo di Vittoria "delle Fontane" - ready, good, perhaps a bit extra something in the finish but not too different from the regular cerasuolo
Kelley Fox Wines 2013 Pinot Noir, Maresh Vineyard - pale pinky-red, aromatically enticing, strawberry-plus fragrance and pale minerally dirt, more restrained on the palate, juicy acidity, salivary glands running, high-toned (but not VA), fresh, long; Day 2: some of that high-toned stuff has blown off, the wine is now very fruity, a shade darker-fruited than strawberry (but no sweeter)
Vietti 2016 Barolo "Castiglione" - a little sleepy so maybe wait a couple years now
Dom. Pignier 2014 Trousseau "Les Gauthieres" - light to mid weight, acidity is just starting to subside, twang too, but there is more here: delicate mineral flavors in the mid-palate, as they subside there is some extra richness in the finish that isn't in the attack; Day 2: approaching OTH
Belliviere, Dom de 2005 Coteaux du Loir "Hommage a Louis Derre" - funky on opening (did I wait too long?) but a couple hours later there is a deep black cherry-flavored wine; I've come to think this particular funk is something that comes from hot vintage wine (when I bought this wine David Lillie apologized to me and said I was going to have to wait a long time)
Vallana 2018 Spanna - this is great, crisp and pure, mountain nebbiolo, umami and lip-smacking, a 750ml is a single-person portion, under Diam 5 which is emblazoned with a portrait of a man in an oval frame dated 1787 and inscribed "Canonico Gaetano Perrucconi Di Montalbano"; second bottle same
Foillard 2019 Morgon "Cuvee Classique" - this is so good: blue-fruited but not heavy, young (of course), lively acidity, middle-weight, silken, glad I bought a few of these (and at a decent price); Day 2 shows a little funky but I don't plan to keep these long, anyway
Falkenstein Rose - just like the first one
Francois Cazin 2019 Cour-Cheverny "Vendanges Manuelles" - fragrant and full, flowery and fruity, not as acid as one might expect, really pleasant now
Vincent 2019 Gamay Noir, Bjornson Vyd - pinot noir ish nose with maybe three molecules of iris/gentian, very fruity (even grapey) and full in the mouth but tart acidity makes it fresh, flavor intensity makes it seem like it should be heavy but instead the mid-palate gently subsides, reminded me of a good bottle of valdiguie from some years ago