Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
It's a customer-only event at MWC's Manhattan shop. I was expecting something rather casual but, instead, I show up and it's a full-bore walkaround tasting: eight stations are setup with wine, bread, cheese; one has a leg of prosciutto for carving. And a ninth table for the customer brings.
The wine selection, as you'll see, is not just daily drinkers with a few obscure regional wines added. This is a really interesting mix of names, regions, and styles.
Alas, none of the regular inebriates was present but I am not shy and enjoyed chatting with those who were.
EIGHT MWC TABLES
JL Vergnon 2015 Champagne Brut Nature, Blanc de Blancs GC OG - five years in the cellar and it is indeed leesy, quite persistent, good cut, probably better at the table than by itself but I like it
Hubert Soreau 2012 Champagne Brut "Le Clos l'Abbe" - also BdB, this is fresher than the Vergnon but also thinner texture, not persuaded by this quick taste
Clos Venturi 2021 Vin de Corse Blanc "Le Clos" - people were playing this down as "ho hum, it's vermentino" but, y'know, this is really pretty good vermentino, there's not much going on in the glass but give me a warm porch and this is on
Dominio del Aguila 2019 Ribera del Duero "Picaro del Aguila Clarete" Vinas Viejas - this is the pinkish wine on the table but it's way out of whack: smoky, bland, stinging, almost reaches DNPIM
Daniel Gomez-Jimenez Landi 2020 Garnacha "Las Uvas de Ira" - more smoke but this time paired with candy and really low acidity, bleh
Envinate 2021 Ribeira Sacra "Lousas Vina de Aldea" - I respect the Envinate label so I came with high hopes but it's a little metallic, good flavors but the palate is like an engine with a knock
Forjas del Salnes 2021 Albarino "Leirana Finca Genoveva" - OMG this is magical: sea air and so much fruit and stuffing, candidate WOTN
Azores Wine Company 2021 DO Pico Acores "Centenaria" Criacao Velha - this was being talked-up and, indeed, it is satiny and meaty and full of umami, there are dark leafy greens somewhere in the back, it's really quite the package and yet I'm not moved by it
Pian dell'Orino 2018 Rosso di Montalcino - another slurpable wine, a little dirt but mostly just dash and zip and charm
Alessandro & Gian Natale Fantino 2015 Barolo Riserva, Bussia "Cascina Dardi" - intense and full-flavored, as I expect from this house, but the bottle is bretty (or flawed in some other way)
Roland Lavantureux 2021 1er Cru Vau De Vey - this is terrific stuff: a snout full of yellow fruit, great zing, sea shells and citrus, another WOTN candidate
Jean-Marc Vincent 2020 Santenay Rouge Vieilles Vignes - he's a high-density planting guy and it shows in the intensity of the wine, a big wine for Santenay but it lacks some strength through the middle
Georges Noellat 2020 Beaune 1er Cru "Clos de la Mignotte" - woof, another Californiated wine, big and boysenberry, powerful but not what I think of for pinot noir
Jerome Galeyrand 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin "En Billard" - here's a different one: gamey, spicy, not so thick on the palate, more better
Domaine de Vernus (Guillaume Rouget) 2020 Chiroubles - Burgundian fermentation (duh!), rich and phenolic, I'd never recognize this as gamay, are these wines made like this on purpose or is my palate just unhappy with global warming?
Domaine de Vernus (Guillaume Rouget) 2020 Moulin-A-Vent "Les Verillats" - better than the Chiroubles, still 14% and a bit out of balance, but I'd drink this one
Emmanual Rouget 2019 Vosne-Romanee - this is a lot of nice: cool, florality held in check by the slightly earthy fruit, price is scary
Chateau de Bonnezeaux 2021 VdF "La Montagne" - chenin on schist, good typicity, not much to say about it though
Domaine de Trevallon 2011 IGP Alpilles Rouge - this is a treat: if tomatoes really were a fruit this is what you'd get, tangy, mid-weight, aromatic, yum
THE CUSTOMER-BRING TABLE
Domaine Chandon de Briailles 2006 Volnay 1er Cru "Les Caillerets" - a pointe: nose of roses and cherries, richly glyceral and yet grippy, terrific when opened and remained good all evening
Hudelot-Noëllat 2012 Chambolle-Musigny - very redfruit, a little toast in the nose, persistent and intense, great showing for the year
Produttori del Barbaresco 1980 Barbaresco - stinky nose, we hurl this into a decanter and wait a few minutes... still kinda stinky nose but now we can access the palate: very good, delicate, lots of little forest fruits, quite dry and heading towards a really stern version of cranberry juice but a pretty last legs
Domaine Fourrier 2014 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru "Les Goulots" - fennel seed is prominent, there is also wet earth and some indistinct kind of fruit, maybe something is not quite right here
Massolino 2000 Barolo Riserva "Vigna Rionda" - bought at the auction of Del Posto's cellar, this has seen better days as there is sour mash in the nose, the acidity and the fruit are plentiful but tired, oh well
Chateau Musar 1998 Rouge - a pretty bottle of this, liqueur-ish, rather heavy texture, OK but I've had better ones
Cedric Bouchard (Roses de Jeanne) NV Champagne Brut "Cote de Val Vilaine V18" Blancs de Noirs - it's tastes like BdN but nothing else jumps out, the person who brought it says Cedric would prefer if people drink his wines still instead of with the bubbles (???)
Red Newt Cellars 2014 Riesling North Block - 7.1% abv, 7.4% rs, petrol-y and pretty, good riesling flavors, this could pass for German if Red Newt gets the acidity up a bit more, nice to see an older FLX wine
JANUARY SPIRITS
Amaro - a coffee and cardamom bomb, this is a little dull to drink neat but I think it could enhance a lot of recipes
Genepy - 5g/l of the namesake plant, this is 50% abv, only very slightly sweet, a dazzlement of green flavors (genepi, spearmint, verbena) but it reads to me like fennel fronds
---
The big winners in my book are the Albarino, the Chablis, and the first two customer brings. A number of the others were quite good and I would not put my hand over my glass when the pourer comes by.
A big thank-you to the nice people at MWC for a terrific evening!
The wine selection, as you'll see, is not just daily drinkers with a few obscure regional wines added. This is a really interesting mix of names, regions, and styles.
Alas, none of the regular inebriates was present but I am not shy and enjoyed chatting with those who were.
EIGHT MWC TABLES
JL Vergnon 2015 Champagne Brut Nature, Blanc de Blancs GC OG - five years in the cellar and it is indeed leesy, quite persistent, good cut, probably better at the table than by itself but I like it
Hubert Soreau 2012 Champagne Brut "Le Clos l'Abbe" - also BdB, this is fresher than the Vergnon but also thinner texture, not persuaded by this quick taste
Clos Venturi 2021 Vin de Corse Blanc "Le Clos" - people were playing this down as "ho hum, it's vermentino" but, y'know, this is really pretty good vermentino, there's not much going on in the glass but give me a warm porch and this is on
Dominio del Aguila 2019 Ribera del Duero "Picaro del Aguila Clarete" Vinas Viejas - this is the pinkish wine on the table but it's way out of whack: smoky, bland, stinging, almost reaches DNPIM
Daniel Gomez-Jimenez Landi 2020 Garnacha "Las Uvas de Ira" - more smoke but this time paired with candy and really low acidity, bleh
Envinate 2021 Ribeira Sacra "Lousas Vina de Aldea" - I respect the Envinate label so I came with high hopes but it's a little metallic, good flavors but the palate is like an engine with a knock
Forjas del Salnes 2021 Albarino "Leirana Finca Genoveva" - OMG this is magical: sea air and so much fruit and stuffing, candidate WOTN
Azores Wine Company 2021 DO Pico Acores "Centenaria" Criacao Velha - this was being talked-up and, indeed, it is satiny and meaty and full of umami, there are dark leafy greens somewhere in the back, it's really quite the package and yet I'm not moved by it
Pian dell'Orino 2018 Rosso di Montalcino - another slurpable wine, a little dirt but mostly just dash and zip and charm
Alessandro & Gian Natale Fantino 2015 Barolo Riserva, Bussia "Cascina Dardi" - intense and full-flavored, as I expect from this house, but the bottle is bretty (or flawed in some other way)
Roland Lavantureux 2021 1er Cru Vau De Vey - this is terrific stuff: a snout full of yellow fruit, great zing, sea shells and citrus, another WOTN candidate
Jean-Marc Vincent 2020 Santenay Rouge Vieilles Vignes - he's a high-density planting guy and it shows in the intensity of the wine, a big wine for Santenay but it lacks some strength through the middle
Georges Noellat 2020 Beaune 1er Cru "Clos de la Mignotte" - woof, another Californiated wine, big and boysenberry, powerful but not what I think of for pinot noir
Jerome Galeyrand 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin "En Billard" - here's a different one: gamey, spicy, not so thick on the palate, more better
Domaine de Vernus (Guillaume Rouget) 2020 Chiroubles - Burgundian fermentation (duh!), rich and phenolic, I'd never recognize this as gamay, are these wines made like this on purpose or is my palate just unhappy with global warming?
Domaine de Vernus (Guillaume Rouget) 2020 Moulin-A-Vent "Les Verillats" - better than the Chiroubles, still 14% and a bit out of balance, but I'd drink this one
Emmanual Rouget 2019 Vosne-Romanee - this is a lot of nice: cool, florality held in check by the slightly earthy fruit, price is scary
Chateau de Bonnezeaux 2021 VdF "La Montagne" - chenin on schist, good typicity, not much to say about it though
Domaine de Trevallon 2011 IGP Alpilles Rouge - this is a treat: if tomatoes really were a fruit this is what you'd get, tangy, mid-weight, aromatic, yum
THE CUSTOMER-BRING TABLE
Domaine Chandon de Briailles 2006 Volnay 1er Cru "Les Caillerets" - a pointe: nose of roses and cherries, richly glyceral and yet grippy, terrific when opened and remained good all evening
Hudelot-Noëllat 2012 Chambolle-Musigny - very redfruit, a little toast in the nose, persistent and intense, great showing for the year
Produttori del Barbaresco 1980 Barbaresco - stinky nose, we hurl this into a decanter and wait a few minutes... still kinda stinky nose but now we can access the palate: very good, delicate, lots of little forest fruits, quite dry and heading towards a really stern version of cranberry juice but a pretty last legs
Domaine Fourrier 2014 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru "Les Goulots" - fennel seed is prominent, there is also wet earth and some indistinct kind of fruit, maybe something is not quite right here
Massolino 2000 Barolo Riserva "Vigna Rionda" - bought at the auction of Del Posto's cellar, this has seen better days as there is sour mash in the nose, the acidity and the fruit are plentiful but tired, oh well
Chateau Musar 1998 Rouge - a pretty bottle of this, liqueur-ish, rather heavy texture, OK but I've had better ones
Cedric Bouchard (Roses de Jeanne) NV Champagne Brut "Cote de Val Vilaine V18" Blancs de Noirs - it's tastes like BdN but nothing else jumps out, the person who brought it says Cedric would prefer if people drink his wines still instead of with the bubbles (???)
Red Newt Cellars 2014 Riesling North Block - 7.1% abv, 7.4% rs, petrol-y and pretty, good riesling flavors, this could pass for German if Red Newt gets the acidity up a bit more, nice to see an older FLX wine
JANUARY SPIRITS
Amaro - a coffee and cardamom bomb, this is a little dull to drink neat but I think it could enhance a lot of recipes
Genepy - 5g/l of the namesake plant, this is 50% abv, only very slightly sweet, a dazzlement of green flavors (genepi, spearmint, verbena) but it reads to me like fennel fronds
---
The big winners in my book are the Albarino, the Chablis, and the first two customer brings. A number of the others were quite good and I would not put my hand over my glass when the pourer comes by.
A big thank-you to the nice people at MWC for a terrific evening!
