Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
Another afternoon at the MWC shop. With people we like, even.
After all, look how broadly they drink:
Philipponnat 2002 Champagne Brut "Clos des Goisses" - crisp and delicious, even if a bit maderized after 20+ years
Tarlant NV Champagne Brut Nature "Zero" - disg 2022, six grapes blend, classic profile in every way, more please
Recaredo 2018 Cava Brut Nature Gran Reserva "Terrers" - the label also prominently says "Corpinnat", which is a Catalonian sparkling wine quality assurance group; 11.5%, no body whatsoever but full of flavor, better with ice
Allimant-Laugener NV Cremant d'Alsace Brut Rose - eh
Lieux de Vie NV Champagne GC BdB "La Rogerie" "No.01" - base wine 2019, disg 2022, brut nature, this has a really busy palate, is it possible to have too much earth?, it's also really coarse, not for me
La Ferme de la Sansonnière (M.+M. Angeli) 2020 VdF "Les Sables" - yeah, that's grolleau blanc
Bucaco 2019 Branco Reservado - first of two Portuguese wines; juicy acids, rich palate, so long!, resinous and yellow-fruited, great (but expensive)
Vinhos Imperfeitos 2018 Vinho Verde - the second Portuguese wine; 11.5%, a lot like the first one but lighter, a little less wow factor
Colin-Deleger 2014 Puligny-Montrachet 1er "Les Demoiselles" - typical white burg on entry but then goes all flat and metallic, bleh
Dom. des Ardoisieres 2022 Vin d'Allobroges IGP "Schiste" - sturdy acids provide good shape for this wine, apricots both ripe and not quite
Weingut Josef Jamek 2001 Riesling Smaragd "Ried Klaus" - golden color, so long, savory and intimate, wow
Dom. Dujac 2018 Bourgogne Rouge - 13.5%, so pretty! this is amazingly good for a village wine
Franco Fiorina 1961 Barbaresco - in the decanter; pale, browning, very stinky nose... and a beautiful palate: flowers, strawberries, and those life-giving juicy acids, another wow wine
Dom. Clusel-Roch 2009 Cote-Rotie "Vialliere" - corked
Dirty & Rowdy Winery 2016 Merlot, Alder Springs - well-made, sound acids and red fruit, A for effort but it's a little square
Cathiard 2002 Vosne-Romanee 1er "Aux Malconsort" - serious, old-fashioned "sit at the banquette and taste me" wine, several other people say it's too ripe and too oaky but I don't agree: I get orange and pine mixed into the red fruit, it is a little sweet and it is a little tired but it shouts faded glory; someone adds "And powdered violets!"
Kayra Alpagut 2018 "Imperial" - Turkish wine, bottle 0979/3500, possibly varietal öküzgözü (cepage of this premium label changes from vintage to vintage); big and dark but somehow not really intense, don't know what to make of this wine, maybe it needed a few more years of sleep?
Bod. Pablo Fallabrino NV "Alcyone" - 500ml, lot 2020, Uruguayan wine; tannat in dessert style, really sweet and tastes convincingly like liquid dark chocolate!
Beta 20128 Chardonnay, Chuy Vineyard - white burg imitator, including too much oak
Ch. Lafaurie-Peyraguey 1990 Sauternes - gorgeous, long and tangy, great stuff
Bhakta 1973 Armagnac - 50.3% (so, not watered back), kinda rustic, good but doesn't grab me; Bhakta bought the venerable Ryst-Dupeyron estate in 2018 and is now selling from its huge cellar, btw this bottling has won all kinds of awards (but I think I've had Dupeyron before and it didn't grab me then, either)
As always, a treat to see everyone, and hats off to our host, Marc Hanes (and all the folks at MWC).
After all, look how broadly they drink:
Philipponnat 2002 Champagne Brut "Clos des Goisses" - crisp and delicious, even if a bit maderized after 20+ years
Tarlant NV Champagne Brut Nature "Zero" - disg 2022, six grapes blend, classic profile in every way, more please
Recaredo 2018 Cava Brut Nature Gran Reserva "Terrers" - the label also prominently says "Corpinnat", which is a Catalonian sparkling wine quality assurance group; 11.5%, no body whatsoever but full of flavor, better with ice
Allimant-Laugener NV Cremant d'Alsace Brut Rose - eh
Lieux de Vie NV Champagne GC BdB "La Rogerie" "No.01" - base wine 2019, disg 2022, brut nature, this has a really busy palate, is it possible to have too much earth?, it's also really coarse, not for me
La Ferme de la Sansonnière (M.+M. Angeli) 2020 VdF "Les Sables" - yeah, that's grolleau blanc
Bucaco 2019 Branco Reservado - first of two Portuguese wines; juicy acids, rich palate, so long!, resinous and yellow-fruited, great (but expensive)
Vinhos Imperfeitos 2018 Vinho Verde - the second Portuguese wine; 11.5%, a lot like the first one but lighter, a little less wow factor
Colin-Deleger 2014 Puligny-Montrachet 1er "Les Demoiselles" - typical white burg on entry but then goes all flat and metallic, bleh
Dom. des Ardoisieres 2022 Vin d'Allobroges IGP "Schiste" - sturdy acids provide good shape for this wine, apricots both ripe and not quite
Weingut Josef Jamek 2001 Riesling Smaragd "Ried Klaus" - golden color, so long, savory and intimate, wow
Dom. Dujac 2018 Bourgogne Rouge - 13.5%, so pretty! this is amazingly good for a village wine
Franco Fiorina 1961 Barbaresco - in the decanter; pale, browning, very stinky nose... and a beautiful palate: flowers, strawberries, and those life-giving juicy acids, another wow wine
Dom. Clusel-Roch 2009 Cote-Rotie "Vialliere" - corked
Dirty & Rowdy Winery 2016 Merlot, Alder Springs - well-made, sound acids and red fruit, A for effort but it's a little square
Cathiard 2002 Vosne-Romanee 1er "Aux Malconsort" - serious, old-fashioned "sit at the banquette and taste me" wine, several other people say it's too ripe and too oaky but I don't agree: I get orange and pine mixed into the red fruit, it is a little sweet and it is a little tired but it shouts faded glory; someone adds "And powdered violets!"
Kayra Alpagut 2018 "Imperial" - Turkish wine, bottle 0979/3500, possibly varietal öküzgözü (cepage of this premium label changes from vintage to vintage); big and dark but somehow not really intense, don't know what to make of this wine, maybe it needed a few more years of sleep?
Bod. Pablo Fallabrino NV "Alcyone" - 500ml, lot 2020, Uruguayan wine; tannat in dessert style, really sweet and tastes convincingly like liquid dark chocolate!
Beta 20128 Chardonnay, Chuy Vineyard - white burg imitator, including too much oak
Ch. Lafaurie-Peyraguey 1990 Sauternes - gorgeous, long and tangy, great stuff
Bhakta 1973 Armagnac - 50.3% (so, not watered back), kinda rustic, good but doesn't grab me; Bhakta bought the venerable Ryst-Dupeyron estate in 2018 and is now selling from its huge cellar, btw this bottling has won all kinds of awards (but I think I've had Dupeyron before and it didn't grab me then, either)
As always, a treat to see everyone, and hats off to our host, Marc Hanes (and all the folks at MWC).