Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Brad(+Dad+Ellie), Chris, Don+Melissa(+Don'sBrother+Melissa'sMom), Jay, Jayson+Laura+Sammy, Jeff+Jim, Sasha
"Tell the doorman you’re visiting Sandy Roche in the North Penthouse." -- This is the kind of instruction you really want to hear when someone has planned a jeebus for you. Indeed, Melissa's Mom has a fabulous venue on Central Park West and we have a perfect day to jeeb there (as we have once before).
This is the first time since COVID that we've held the Birthday Jeebus so some of us have two years' experience with our round-number day. So it goes.
We all take a home COVID test before arriving.
Not so many of us attend as last time but, still, the dining room table is loaded with food: heaps of roast chicken, black bean and corn salsa, a huge Greek salad, crispy roast pork belly, fennel and butternut gratin, numerous breads and cheeses and sliced pork products, wonderful almond cake, a delicate strawberry-rhubarb tart, and more.
We take our wines outside, and you can see why:
Fairly fast notes, taken while walking around, scribbling on a couple sheets of looseleaf:
Louis Roederer 2008 Champagne Brut "Cristal" - good acidity, bright, cheerful, maybe slightly underripe?, despite its reputation not a socks-knocking-off wine
Marc Hebrart NV Champagne Brut Rose 1er - disg. 16-Mar-2021, but this is beautiful, zingy with lots of those little wild strawberries, a hint of sweetness, great cup
Lapierre 2009 Morgon - "S", beautiful, slowly easing into its tertiary phase of flavors, waxy, just starting to thin on the mid-palate which enhances its charm, reminds Jay of the bottle I served earlier this year
Texier 2010 Cotes-du-Rhone "Brezeme" VV (Dom Pergaud) - immediately: rather quiet, did I do a bad thing by disturbing it?; later: bottle is just fine, it has come out to play and it is Northern Rhone syrah in fine form, blue fruit, unobtrusive acids, gentle tannins, terrific bottle; (Next day: sailing along, same, good with my Swiss steaks and fennel gratin)
Mugneret-Gibourg 2018 Vosne-Romanee - terrific nose, smells like Vosne, but overwhelming on the palate, so intense and heavy, reminds me of a cola-fied Sonoma pinot noir, this might settle down with a few years but, for now, approach with caution
Mugneret-Gibourg 2019 Vosne-Romanee - another enticing bouquet, but this is more friendly to drink: juicy, face-powder, a bit of old lady's handkerchief
Clos Roche Blanche 2012 Touraine "L'Arpent Rouge" - tarragon, licorice, "a wine that makes me smile uncontrollably" -Jay, I don't sense the usual pink peppercorn/cement dust thing but instead there is a bare hint of strawberries and balsamic; (Next day: mostly the same but the nose is more floral and the mouth is more grippy, what great wine!)
O. Raffault 1983 Chinon "Les Picasses" - fennel seed tints the edges of this elegant red-fruited wine, a real pleasure to drink
Ch. Magdelaine 1970 St.-Emilion GC - softly simmered cherries, long, warm, fully resolved, entrancing
Dom. des Douveliers 1983 Vouvray Demi-Sec - "staves", the sulfur reported earlier has disappeared, the acidity is no longer spiky but pleasantly prominent, and the body is very light, as is the sweetness, to judge by this bottle it's day is done
Huet 1995 Vouvray Demi-Sec "Clos du Bourg" - golden, gorgeous, the palate is youthful and full of green grapes and a gentle sweetness, there is a streak of bitterness that offsets it all and keeps it interesting; (Next day: orange blossom and saffron, sufficient acidity to hold it all together)
Huet 1967 Vouvray Demi-Sec "Le Haut Lieu" - Brad's birth-year wine; deeper than the 1995, a little more acidity, a little longer on the finish
Huet 2020 Vouvray Demi-Sec "Clos du Bourg" - for a young wine this is quite rich and suave (and rather sweet), nice
Huet 1953 Vouvray Demi-Sec "Le Mont" - rich and full, strong saffron nose, still nearly Sauternes-intensity sweetness but tingly and mesmerizing
Ch. Guiraud 1962 Sauternes - classic: oaky, sweet, time has tucked its corners gently under, a pleasure with the almond cake
Pinon 1996 Vouvray Moelleux "1er Trie" - compared to the last two heavyweights this is rather easy to drink, rather sweet still, very pretty, has the Pinon taste of honey that is somehow always there for me
Happy Birthday to all the late Spring/early Summer boys and girls!
"Tell the doorman you’re visiting Sandy Roche in the North Penthouse." -- This is the kind of instruction you really want to hear when someone has planned a jeebus for you. Indeed, Melissa's Mom has a fabulous venue on Central Park West and we have a perfect day to jeeb there (as we have once before).
This is the first time since COVID that we've held the Birthday Jeebus so some of us have two years' experience with our round-number day. So it goes.
We all take a home COVID test before arriving.
Not so many of us attend as last time but, still, the dining room table is loaded with food: heaps of roast chicken, black bean and corn salsa, a huge Greek salad, crispy roast pork belly, fennel and butternut gratin, numerous breads and cheeses and sliced pork products, wonderful almond cake, a delicate strawberry-rhubarb tart, and more.
We take our wines outside, and you can see why:
Fairly fast notes, taken while walking around, scribbling on a couple sheets of looseleaf:
Louis Roederer 2008 Champagne Brut "Cristal" - good acidity, bright, cheerful, maybe slightly underripe?, despite its reputation not a socks-knocking-off wine
Marc Hebrart NV Champagne Brut Rose 1er - disg. 16-Mar-2021, but this is beautiful, zingy with lots of those little wild strawberries, a hint of sweetness, great cup
Lapierre 2009 Morgon - "S", beautiful, slowly easing into its tertiary phase of flavors, waxy, just starting to thin on the mid-palate which enhances its charm, reminds Jay of the bottle I served earlier this year
Texier 2010 Cotes-du-Rhone "Brezeme" VV (Dom Pergaud) - immediately: rather quiet, did I do a bad thing by disturbing it?; later: bottle is just fine, it has come out to play and it is Northern Rhone syrah in fine form, blue fruit, unobtrusive acids, gentle tannins, terrific bottle; (Next day: sailing along, same, good with my Swiss steaks and fennel gratin)
Mugneret-Gibourg 2018 Vosne-Romanee - terrific nose, smells like Vosne, but overwhelming on the palate, so intense and heavy, reminds me of a cola-fied Sonoma pinot noir, this might settle down with a few years but, for now, approach with caution
Mugneret-Gibourg 2019 Vosne-Romanee - another enticing bouquet, but this is more friendly to drink: juicy, face-powder, a bit of old lady's handkerchief
Clos Roche Blanche 2012 Touraine "L'Arpent Rouge" - tarragon, licorice, "a wine that makes me smile uncontrollably" -Jay, I don't sense the usual pink peppercorn/cement dust thing but instead there is a bare hint of strawberries and balsamic; (Next day: mostly the same but the nose is more floral and the mouth is more grippy, what great wine!)
O. Raffault 1983 Chinon "Les Picasses" - fennel seed tints the edges of this elegant red-fruited wine, a real pleasure to drink
Ch. Magdelaine 1970 St.-Emilion GC - softly simmered cherries, long, warm, fully resolved, entrancing
Dom. des Douveliers 1983 Vouvray Demi-Sec - "staves", the sulfur reported earlier has disappeared, the acidity is no longer spiky but pleasantly prominent, and the body is very light, as is the sweetness, to judge by this bottle it's day is done
Huet 1995 Vouvray Demi-Sec "Clos du Bourg" - golden, gorgeous, the palate is youthful and full of green grapes and a gentle sweetness, there is a streak of bitterness that offsets it all and keeps it interesting; (Next day: orange blossom and saffron, sufficient acidity to hold it all together)
Huet 1967 Vouvray Demi-Sec "Le Haut Lieu" - Brad's birth-year wine; deeper than the 1995, a little more acidity, a little longer on the finish
Huet 2020 Vouvray Demi-Sec "Clos du Bourg" - for a young wine this is quite rich and suave (and rather sweet), nice
Huet 1953 Vouvray Demi-Sec "Le Mont" - rich and full, strong saffron nose, still nearly Sauternes-intensity sweetness but tingly and mesmerizing
Ch. Guiraud 1962 Sauternes - classic: oaky, sweet, time has tucked its corners gently under, a pleasure with the almond cake
Pinon 1996 Vouvray Moelleux "1er Trie" - compared to the last two heavyweights this is rather easy to drink, rather sweet still, very pretty, has the Pinon taste of honey that is somehow always there for me
Happy Birthday to all the late Spring/early Summer boys and girls!