Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Dale + Betsy + Ruby, locals, wineaux (Sasha, Rahsaan, Salil, Jay + Arnold, Jeff, JC, Mike, Craig, Mark, and others)
Dale always hosts a Labor Day Weekend party in his backyard. Most years it is on the Monday, so most years I cannot attend. But this year, to accommodate Betsy's travel schedule, the party is on Sunday, and I am there. (Less than an hour on Metro-North so not much of a journey.)
I meet up with Craig and Rahsaan on the train; maybe because I emailed them which car I was sitting in? JC scoops us up from the station, and before he can spill his salad bowl twice we are there.
Dale is a little frantic because The Weather Mafia keep claiming that there's going to be rain any moment now... then they demur... then they warn... then they demur... and he's got things to do! But no worries, Dale is a consummate and well-practiced host, showing us where are the cutting boards and the grill and we pitch in as we can.
Dale's non-wino friends and neighbors are here, too, and I enjoy very much talking with normal people about things other than vine age and the weather in faraway places. Although, they do ask me about those things so perhaps The Disorder is at least somewhat transmissible?
Meanwhile, on the dining room table there are no fewer than three different servings of deviled eggs, various caprese-style apps with tomato and avocado, gougeres, tuna tartare, chevre, a Russian salad, macaroni salad and its kin, and more. The large gas grill churned out hot dogs, hamburgers, porterhouses, a side of salmon, several kinds of sausages (including morcilla!), ribs, shrimp, pork belly, and probably a half a dozen other things I never saw. There are a few pastries and some lovely orange-scented brownies.
I actually tasted the wines in helter-skelter order with the exception of the two Chateauneufs side by side. But I think I am going to violate my usual rules and roughly sort them by type to make the notes a little easier to consume.
Noel Bazin NV Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs "L'Etonnante" - vom Boden label on the back, which catches everyone by surprise; only 40 cases made so unobtainium; despite saying BdB on the label we are all sure we taste a little something else in here, maybe a splash of pinot meunier... but the label clearly says BdB; bright, light, zippy, lemony, and a hint of musk; excellent (and as it was my first glass, an excellent way to begin)
Eminence Road 2021 Pinot Noir Rose "Naturally Sparkling" - it's a pet nat, cidery and sour, not for me
Drappier NV Champagne Brut Nature Rose "Les Riceys" - saignee of pinot noir; sharp acids, very bright, but spirity and not enough palate presence to gainsay it; others like it more than I did, calling out watermelon and spice
Roederer NV Champagne Brut "Collection 244" - 54% 2019, 36% reserve, 10% young vines; aged 4 years; good balance, robust texture and ample flavor (tasted near the end of the event so not much note in this note)
Baudry 2023 Chinon Rose - leftover from two days ago; still great: red cherry and mint, refreshing
Dom. Colin 2023 Coteaux du Vendomois, Rose Gris "Bodin" - 100% pineau d'aunis; another assertive and vigorous pink palate, borderline excellent, Dale tasted geraniums but I'm pretty sensitive to that and didn't get it... meh, alleles
Dom. Pelle 2023 Sancerre "La Croix Au Garde" - textbook Loire sauv blanc, fresh and pleasant but lacks bite
Envinate 2022 Taganan Blanco - leftover from a day ago; good weight, fair ripeness, clean palate, of course it is a mix of white grapes that nobody but a Canary Islander has ever heard of but imagine a crisp chard with 15% sauvignon blanc added to give it some character
ColleStefano 2022 Verdicchio di Matelica - "the clam wine"; indeed, it is! briny, saline, acidic, a touch of green and a touch of smoke, good stuff
JN Gagnard 2010 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er "Clos de la Maltroie" - magnum; buttery bleh
Dubreuil-Fontaine 2013 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er "Clos Berthet" - try it not I! know self I! after the Gagnard reminder
Prager 2005 Weissenkirchen Achleiten Stockkultur Gruner Veltliner - 14%; lieblich, by the way; it's a tad long in the tooth but what a great wine: texture for days, the slightly oxidized 'golden oldie' scent is in front but there is also a hint of subdued vegetables (maybe the woody stems of too-big asparagus), beautiful wine
Clos de la Roilette 2019 Fleurie "Griffe du Marquis" - leftover from two days ago; lovely nose, rather ripe, moderated by some delicate wood scents; fairly fresh but the palate is not as focused as the nose
Pascal Henriot 2022 Pinot Noir Coteaux de Champlitte - lightweight, very dark pink, stylish acidity, gently grippy, red cherries, great summer red
Chandon de Briailles 2008 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er "Les Vergelesses" - as expected, suave and full of redfruit flavors, also somewhat tingly on my tongue and a little spirity
Barni 2016 Bramaterra - typical mountain nebbiolo, austere, savory, a little anonymous but good (maybe I don't know the Bramaterra signature)
Baudry 2006 Chinon "La Croix Boisee" - all the note says is "perfect"
Grimaldi Luigino 2004 Barbera d’Alba - 20 years old and still has cut and swash, nothing else jumped out at me
Ch. Beychevelle 1982 Saint-Julien - the nose has smoke, black cherries, paprika, and a good dose of alcohol; the palate is similar but the alcohol does not show (no burn, no bitterness); a treat to taste; I'm told Sasha nailed the terroir and the house with one guess each
Ch. Cabrieres 1988 Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Prestige" "Tete de Cru" - 14%; lots of yummy dark fruit here, maybe some garrigue and even clove, Dale thinks this was a bit overripe; anyway, the structure (tannins, acids) is fading so drink soon
Ch. de Beaucastel 1989 Chateauneuf-du-Pape - compared to the Cabrieres this is lifted, even tweaky, showing a lot redder compared to the Cabriere's black, really quite different, maybe in better shape, but I - like a number of folks - prefer the Cabrieres
Ch. Haut-Bailly 1978 Graves - wow nose, great Graves, minerally and balanced
Ch. La Conseillante 1971 Pomerol - corked, not served
Donnhoff 2021 Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spatlese - 13 22, vigorous lime-scented perfection
Bert Simon 2005 Serriger Herrenberg Riesling Auslese GK - 3 555 058 04 06, 8%, slate-y, golden, good typicity and good persistence but very sweet
Vollenweider 2005 Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling Auslese - 2 576 801 06 06, 8.5%, light color and good zing after 20 years, spicy, lighter weight than the Simon so more drinkable
Domaine des Aubuisieres 1990 Vouvray Moelleux "Grand Annee" - thin texture, tons of acid showing so maybe not really sweet enough to put it back into balance
half-bottle of something from Jerez - who can say?
Many thanks to JC for the lifts, to Mike for his Master of Ceremonies demeanor, and, of course, to Dale and Betsy and Ruby (their hound, whose backyard it really is).
Dale always hosts a Labor Day Weekend party in his backyard. Most years it is on the Monday, so most years I cannot attend. But this year, to accommodate Betsy's travel schedule, the party is on Sunday, and I am there. (Less than an hour on Metro-North so not much of a journey.)
I meet up with Craig and Rahsaan on the train; maybe because I emailed them which car I was sitting in? JC scoops us up from the station, and before he can spill his salad bowl twice we are there.
Dale is a little frantic because The Weather Mafia keep claiming that there's going to be rain any moment now... then they demur... then they warn... then they demur... and he's got things to do! But no worries, Dale is a consummate and well-practiced host, showing us where are the cutting boards and the grill and we pitch in as we can.
Dale's non-wino friends and neighbors are here, too, and I enjoy very much talking with normal people about things other than vine age and the weather in faraway places. Although, they do ask me about those things so perhaps The Disorder is at least somewhat transmissible?
Meanwhile, on the dining room table there are no fewer than three different servings of deviled eggs, various caprese-style apps with tomato and avocado, gougeres, tuna tartare, chevre, a Russian salad, macaroni salad and its kin, and more. The large gas grill churned out hot dogs, hamburgers, porterhouses, a side of salmon, several kinds of sausages (including morcilla!), ribs, shrimp, pork belly, and probably a half a dozen other things I never saw. There are a few pastries and some lovely orange-scented brownies.
I actually tasted the wines in helter-skelter order with the exception of the two Chateauneufs side by side. But I think I am going to violate my usual rules and roughly sort them by type to make the notes a little easier to consume.
Noel Bazin NV Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs "L'Etonnante" - vom Boden label on the back, which catches everyone by surprise; only 40 cases made so unobtainium; despite saying BdB on the label we are all sure we taste a little something else in here, maybe a splash of pinot meunier... but the label clearly says BdB; bright, light, zippy, lemony, and a hint of musk; excellent (and as it was my first glass, an excellent way to begin)
Eminence Road 2021 Pinot Noir Rose "Naturally Sparkling" - it's a pet nat, cidery and sour, not for me
Drappier NV Champagne Brut Nature Rose "Les Riceys" - saignee of pinot noir; sharp acids, very bright, but spirity and not enough palate presence to gainsay it; others like it more than I did, calling out watermelon and spice
Roederer NV Champagne Brut "Collection 244" - 54% 2019, 36% reserve, 10% young vines; aged 4 years; good balance, robust texture and ample flavor (tasted near the end of the event so not much note in this note)
Baudry 2023 Chinon Rose - leftover from two days ago; still great: red cherry and mint, refreshing
Dom. Colin 2023 Coteaux du Vendomois, Rose Gris "Bodin" - 100% pineau d'aunis; another assertive and vigorous pink palate, borderline excellent, Dale tasted geraniums but I'm pretty sensitive to that and didn't get it... meh, alleles
Dom. Pelle 2023 Sancerre "La Croix Au Garde" - textbook Loire sauv blanc, fresh and pleasant but lacks bite
Envinate 2022 Taganan Blanco - leftover from a day ago; good weight, fair ripeness, clean palate, of course it is a mix of white grapes that nobody but a Canary Islander has ever heard of but imagine a crisp chard with 15% sauvignon blanc added to give it some character
ColleStefano 2022 Verdicchio di Matelica - "the clam wine"; indeed, it is! briny, saline, acidic, a touch of green and a touch of smoke, good stuff
JN Gagnard 2010 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er "Clos de la Maltroie" - magnum; buttery bleh
Dubreuil-Fontaine 2013 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er "Clos Berthet" - try it not I! know self I! after the Gagnard reminder
Prager 2005 Weissenkirchen Achleiten Stockkultur Gruner Veltliner - 14%; lieblich, by the way; it's a tad long in the tooth but what a great wine: texture for days, the slightly oxidized 'golden oldie' scent is in front but there is also a hint of subdued vegetables (maybe the woody stems of too-big asparagus), beautiful wine
Clos de la Roilette 2019 Fleurie "Griffe du Marquis" - leftover from two days ago; lovely nose, rather ripe, moderated by some delicate wood scents; fairly fresh but the palate is not as focused as the nose
Pascal Henriot 2022 Pinot Noir Coteaux de Champlitte - lightweight, very dark pink, stylish acidity, gently grippy, red cherries, great summer red
Chandon de Briailles 2008 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er "Les Vergelesses" - as expected, suave and full of redfruit flavors, also somewhat tingly on my tongue and a little spirity
Barni 2016 Bramaterra - typical mountain nebbiolo, austere, savory, a little anonymous but good (maybe I don't know the Bramaterra signature)
Baudry 2006 Chinon "La Croix Boisee" - all the note says is "perfect"
Grimaldi Luigino 2004 Barbera d’Alba - 20 years old and still has cut and swash, nothing else jumped out at me
Ch. Beychevelle 1982 Saint-Julien - the nose has smoke, black cherries, paprika, and a good dose of alcohol; the palate is similar but the alcohol does not show (no burn, no bitterness); a treat to taste; I'm told Sasha nailed the terroir and the house with one guess each
Ch. Cabrieres 1988 Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Prestige" "Tete de Cru" - 14%; lots of yummy dark fruit here, maybe some garrigue and even clove, Dale thinks this was a bit overripe; anyway, the structure (tannins, acids) is fading so drink soon
Ch. de Beaucastel 1989 Chateauneuf-du-Pape - compared to the Cabrieres this is lifted, even tweaky, showing a lot redder compared to the Cabriere's black, really quite different, maybe in better shape, but I - like a number of folks - prefer the Cabrieres
Ch. Haut-Bailly 1978 Graves - wow nose, great Graves, minerally and balanced
Ch. La Conseillante 1971 Pomerol - corked, not served
Donnhoff 2021 Norheimer Kirschheck Riesling Spatlese - 13 22, vigorous lime-scented perfection
Bert Simon 2005 Serriger Herrenberg Riesling Auslese GK - 3 555 058 04 06, 8%, slate-y, golden, good typicity and good persistence but very sweet
Vollenweider 2005 Wolfer Goldgrube Riesling Auslese - 2 576 801 06 06, 8.5%, light color and good zing after 20 years, spicy, lighter weight than the Simon so more drinkable
Domaine des Aubuisieres 1990 Vouvray Moelleux "Grand Annee" - thin texture, tons of acid showing so maybe not really sweet enough to put it back into balance
half-bottle of something from Jerez - who can say?
Many thanks to JC for the lifts, to Mike for his Master of Ceremonies demeanor, and, of course, to Dale and Betsy and Ruby (their hound, whose backyard it really is).
