Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Don & Melissa, Jay, Jayson, Jeff, Lisa, Seth, Victor
There were omens.
Murmured promises of clandestine rendezvous.
And of travel -- by foot -- to faraway lands like Uppah Esaid, a land of lawterers, and the alchemists' haven in Brew Clyn.
Rugose bottles were trafficked: dark glass and manuscript concealing all from prying eyes.
Yet, a turgid burbling could faintly be discerned even through several applications of Lock's Zip.
The digital winds blew messages into dark corners, furtive missives with glowing letters, glimmering writing in the air near my laptop:
Orange - dry red
Blue - dry white
Yellow - dry white
Green - off dry / sweet
Pink - sweet
And another:
lively young white
reds -- all 3 of similar origin and vintage
And a third:
Just FYI - I think my “yellow“ wine will show better with some air and warming up some.
It is madness, febrile madness and obviously so: who in his right mind claims that orange is red and blue is white, that pink is sweet and white is lively? And I fear most for the restlessness of my conscience, gnawing at the edges of my soul, were I to even consider consuming "the yellow wine" airlessly or with full breath! (or with split infinitive)
What can be done? Someone must stop it. Or start it. Or write the notes.
The lively young white - "I'm going to live forever, screw you kind of nose" -Jayson. "Fruit all over the place" -Don. "I could drink this all day" -Victor. Compact and youthful, slight hit of Pez, definitely riesling, so so good... Trimbach 2016 Riesling "Cuvee du Troiscentquatrevingdixieme Anniversaire"
The wine is a mixed sampler of grapes from all of their best properties, so an anti-terroir bottling, but some mighty purty grapes. "6 g/L residual sugar but actually sweeter-tasting than that number indicates" -Schildknecht. "I was going to guess 389" -Seth.
Blue label - I immediately note smoke or brimstone on the nose. Jayson picks it as riesling (yes) and Austrian (yes). There is a good amount of age here: there are scents of saffron and pear and resin. The wine is powerful and complex, juicy, "salty, earthy, has some pep and depth" -Don... Nigl 1997 Senftenberger Piri Riesling "Privat"
Yellow label - Horribly reduced. We guess Prum (no). We set it aside for later because it's undrinkable now.
Orange label - Cinnamon? Banana? A hint of lactic? We debate setting it aside for later, too, but instead chat a few minutes and try again. The palate is starting to open up. Hugely tannic, structured, grapey, punchy. We're all very impressed and very confused. Even after we learn this is Beaujolais we are still clueless about year, maker, village. It is... Coudert (Clos de la Roilette) 2009 Fleurie
Not the Tardive. Poured from magnum. Intended to extend the tasting of '09 Beaujolais started last time.
A Red of Similar Origin and Vintage #1 - This is some pretty, old, pretty old Bordeaux. There is great acidity, there is a ton of dark red and black fruit, some think there is a lot of tobacco (but I don't agree), "smelly Chinese tea" -Melissa. It's neither very cabby nor very merloty, and that should have been a hint but, instead, we guessed all over the Medoc until we finally came to Haut... Ch. La Lagune 1978 Haut-Medoc
A Red of Similar Origin and Vintage #2 - Musty. Maybe not corked. Bad old basement smell competes with the wine. It does, indeed, have a similar profile but I can't deal. Perhaps someone else can chime in with a better description... Ch. La Lagune 1979 Haut-Medoc
A Red of Similar Origin and Vintage #3 - Clean. Whew. Another lively older wine and also similar. Could this be the '80? Or, tricky dog, the '77? "There is great harmony here." -Don. I'm considering revisiting one of our first guesses- that it's Graves- but Victor cannot keep a straight face any longer... Ch. La Lagune 1978 Haut-Medoc
Poured from magnum, as was the first bottle! (I did say Victor was tricky.)
OK, after a good long visit to France, let's try the #&$!* yellow wine again.
Yellow label - We are still having a hard time guessing anything about this wine. Only with massive asisstance do we name grauburgunder and it doesn't taste like it... Ziereisen 2018 Grauburgunder "Jaspis"
A Lyle wine. Seth thinks it's a pretty good imitation of Coche. Bleh.
Green label - Riesling, clearly. There is a little spritz, and soaring acidity, substantial material, sweetness about spatlese level, from a big year (2015? yes) amazingly long, wow wine. Someone says there is a little Fritz ("spritz"). Someone else says, no, more like a little Hans (HGS and no). I say it's Willi (yes)... Willi Schaefer 2015 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spatlese Auction (AP 13 16)
Pink label - At first there is a whiff of nail polish remover but that blows off to reveal liquid marmalade finished in oak. A really good brand of marmalade, too. This is lively, tangy, very rich but remains fruity and is not overwhelmed by its extract or its botrytized flavors. We all know it's Sauternes but Jayson knows this wine... Ch. Suduiraut 2001 Sauternes
"Extraordinary" -Victor
---
Day 2 re-visits:
Trimbach - a little drier, long finish, some red fruit (little red berries), a bit of pineapple, better and better
Nigl - nose shows more petrol but still a core of grapey-tangeriney goodness, really good and interesting wine, more tangerine on the palate (fruit and pith), some resin late
Coudert - opening a bit more, nose nicer than the palate (dark red fruit, a bit of wormwood?), but palate is tired and there is a late unpleasnat biscuity note, no need to keep this for Day 3
Lagune78(prime) - gotten leaner, more pronounced tobacco and less like fine tea
Lagune79 - Musty Central
Lagune78(double prime) - still a little richer than the first bottle though darn if I can say why, more fruit and less tobacco, this is the one I want with my pot roast because it will sing harmony with cloves and bay leaf and shreddy beef, good tartness in the finish too
Graufarblunget - still reduced, sulfury, I'll wait for Day 3 (because it's basically still undrinkable)
Schaefer - about the same (which is sturdy, tangy, sexy goodness)
Suduiraut - about the same, maybe an extra tinge of allspice (which is potent, smoky marmalade; incredible)
There were omens.
Murmured promises of clandestine rendezvous.
And of travel -- by foot -- to faraway lands like Uppah Esaid, a land of lawterers, and the alchemists' haven in Brew Clyn.
Rugose bottles were trafficked: dark glass and manuscript concealing all from prying eyes.
Yet, a turgid burbling could faintly be discerned even through several applications of Lock's Zip.
The digital winds blew messages into dark corners, furtive missives with glowing letters, glimmering writing in the air near my laptop:
Orange - dry red
Blue - dry white
Yellow - dry white
Green - off dry / sweet
Pink - sweet
And another:
lively young white
reds -- all 3 of similar origin and vintage
And a third:
Just FYI - I think my “yellow“ wine will show better with some air and warming up some.
It is madness, febrile madness and obviously so: who in his right mind claims that orange is red and blue is white, that pink is sweet and white is lively? And I fear most for the restlessness of my conscience, gnawing at the edges of my soul, were I to even consider consuming "the yellow wine" airlessly or with full breath! (or with split infinitive)
What can be done? Someone must stop it. Or start it. Or write the notes.
The lively young white - "I'm going to live forever, screw you kind of nose" -Jayson. "Fruit all over the place" -Don. "I could drink this all day" -Victor. Compact and youthful, slight hit of Pez, definitely riesling, so so good... Trimbach 2016 Riesling "Cuvee du Troiscentquatrevingdixieme Anniversaire"
The wine is a mixed sampler of grapes from all of their best properties, so an anti-terroir bottling, but some mighty purty grapes. "6 g/L residual sugar but actually sweeter-tasting than that number indicates" -Schildknecht. "I was going to guess 389" -Seth.
Blue label - I immediately note smoke or brimstone on the nose. Jayson picks it as riesling (yes) and Austrian (yes). There is a good amount of age here: there are scents of saffron and pear and resin. The wine is powerful and complex, juicy, "salty, earthy, has some pep and depth" -Don... Nigl 1997 Senftenberger Piri Riesling "Privat"
Yellow label - Horribly reduced. We guess Prum (no). We set it aside for later because it's undrinkable now.
Orange label - Cinnamon? Banana? A hint of lactic? We debate setting it aside for later, too, but instead chat a few minutes and try again. The palate is starting to open up. Hugely tannic, structured, grapey, punchy. We're all very impressed and very confused. Even after we learn this is Beaujolais we are still clueless about year, maker, village. It is... Coudert (Clos de la Roilette) 2009 Fleurie
Not the Tardive. Poured from magnum. Intended to extend the tasting of '09 Beaujolais started last time.
A Red of Similar Origin and Vintage #1 - This is some pretty, old, pretty old Bordeaux. There is great acidity, there is a ton of dark red and black fruit, some think there is a lot of tobacco (but I don't agree), "smelly Chinese tea" -Melissa. It's neither very cabby nor very merloty, and that should have been a hint but, instead, we guessed all over the Medoc until we finally came to Haut... Ch. La Lagune 1978 Haut-Medoc
A Red of Similar Origin and Vintage #2 - Musty. Maybe not corked. Bad old basement smell competes with the wine. It does, indeed, have a similar profile but I can't deal. Perhaps someone else can chime in with a better description... Ch. La Lagune 1979 Haut-Medoc
A Red of Similar Origin and Vintage #3 - Clean. Whew. Another lively older wine and also similar. Could this be the '80? Or, tricky dog, the '77? "There is great harmony here." -Don. I'm considering revisiting one of our first guesses- that it's Graves- but Victor cannot keep a straight face any longer... Ch. La Lagune 1978 Haut-Medoc
Poured from magnum, as was the first bottle! (I did say Victor was tricky.)
OK, after a good long visit to France, let's try the #&$!* yellow wine again.
Yellow label - We are still having a hard time guessing anything about this wine. Only with massive asisstance do we name grauburgunder and it doesn't taste like it... Ziereisen 2018 Grauburgunder "Jaspis"
A Lyle wine. Seth thinks it's a pretty good imitation of Coche. Bleh.
Green label - Riesling, clearly. There is a little spritz, and soaring acidity, substantial material, sweetness about spatlese level, from a big year (2015? yes) amazingly long, wow wine. Someone says there is a little Fritz ("spritz"). Someone else says, no, more like a little Hans (HGS and no). I say it's Willi (yes)... Willi Schaefer 2015 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spatlese Auction (AP 13 16)
Pink label - At first there is a whiff of nail polish remover but that blows off to reveal liquid marmalade finished in oak. A really good brand of marmalade, too. This is lively, tangy, very rich but remains fruity and is not overwhelmed by its extract or its botrytized flavors. We all know it's Sauternes but Jayson knows this wine... Ch. Suduiraut 2001 Sauternes
"Extraordinary" -Victor
---
Day 2 re-visits:
Trimbach - a little drier, long finish, some red fruit (little red berries), a bit of pineapple, better and better
Nigl - nose shows more petrol but still a core of grapey-tangeriney goodness, really good and interesting wine, more tangerine on the palate (fruit and pith), some resin late
Coudert - opening a bit more, nose nicer than the palate (dark red fruit, a bit of wormwood?), but palate is tired and there is a late unpleasnat biscuity note, no need to keep this for Day 3
Lagune78(prime) - gotten leaner, more pronounced tobacco and less like fine tea
Lagune79 - Musty Central
Lagune78(double prime) - still a little richer than the first bottle though darn if I can say why, more fruit and less tobacco, this is the one I want with my pot roast because it will sing harmony with cloves and bay leaf and shreddy beef, good tartness in the finish too
Graufarblunget - still reduced, sulfury, I'll wait for Day 3 (because it's basically still undrinkable)
Schaefer - about the same (which is sturdy, tangy, sexy goodness)
Suduiraut - about the same, maybe an extra tinge of allspice (which is potent, smoky marmalade; incredible)