Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Erin + Jay, Sebastian + Anastasia, Amanda, Hart, Ira, Jayson, Jeff, John, Josh, Marc ...and a few more late-comers
The cellar on the island has moved. It has been rather far away, sitting just west of 11th Avenue, practically Ohio. And, in truth, it has only moved half a block closer to The Middle of Things but it feels much more accommodating. Perhaps it's the nicer showroom space, or not having to pick your way through the perpetual construction zone around the old address. Anyway, the new space has real chairs and a bit more room around the table. (As always, hats off to MWC for allowing us to pickle ourselves on prem.)
And Marc is putting that new space to good use right away: he has sniffed around in other internet nooks and crannies for new people to join us. There are quite a few! Some are experienced drunks aficionados, some are newbies, but all were cheerful and charming and brought so many new stories and ideas.
At least one of our old ideas, though, still works... put bread and cheese on the table, set your e-corkscrew to post on Insta when the cork comes out, and people will come running with bottles:
We begin very naturally at the beginning and, of course, that means canned Chablis: Ch. de Beru (Famille du Vin) NV Blanc "Special Cuvee" - it's not going to change your life but it's an honest little wine! We are all pleased that the pale, stony wine shows some fruit, some minerality, "a little coarse but OK" -Jayson. We are also very well pleased with the Marketing type who added a note on the side of the tin: "can be enjoyed in a glass."
Mystery Wine #1 - another OK wine, fizzy, not chalky so not Champagne (even though I guessed that just to make sure), can't pin it down... Red Tail Ridge NV Brut Nature "Perpetual Change" Solera Method
Mystery Wine #2 - not bad on entry but as it spends time in my mouth it grows more offensively sugary and candied, with flavor reminiscent of the candy cigarettes you used to see for kid's Halloween candy... Katsunuma Winery 2019 Koshu "Aruga Branca Pipa", a Japanese wine made from the koshu grape
Dupasquier 2010 Mondeuse - magnum, a Thor bottle, earlier I had checked with Wink Lorch and she said that this wine would not be for long keeping so now is actually a good time to open it; and it is beautiful: at first, it seems like it's going to give you the typical young mondeuse experience (essentially a syrah profile but with a little funk and a little in-your-face intensity) but it eases up very quickly and shows mixed syrah and blueberry flavors on a light- to mid-weight frame; there's a little bit of earth here but not much; it's really nice to taste some ready mondeuse!; I take some of this home but it fades pretty quickly
Mystery Wine #3 - well... um... it's red and mild, other folks guess pinot noir (which is correct), eh... Enderle & Moll 2013 Pinot Noir "Buntsandstein", that is some old German pinot, another of Ira's experiments
Szepsy 2018 Tokaij Furmint - 14%, full and rich, yellow fruit, quite tart, a hint of oak maybe, a really big wine that I always like
Nikolaihof 2002 Riesling "Steiner Hund Reserve" - "bug spray thing" -Jayson, I would have called it Lemon Pledge (furniture polish); despite these descriptions, it's better on the palate than in the nose: less of the chemical taste, more fruit and an amazingly long, golden finish; others like this less than I do
Vouette et Sorbee NV Champagne Brut Nature "Blanc d'Argile" - from 2012, disg 26/11/14, dead, DNPIM
Le Gallais (Egon Muller) 2014 Wiltinger Braune Kupp Spatlese - 9.5%, 3 567 142 0415, beautiful, lovely mix of florals and fruit, but the acidity is a little gentler than expected so drink soon
Jerome Bretaudeau 2018 Muscadet "Gabbro" "Clos des Bouquinardieres" - 12.5%, typique, a normal glass of muscadet
Maison Chantereves 2018 Bourgogne Aligote "Les Chagniots" - 13%, yup (aligote only rarely floats my boat)
Ch. d'Yquem 2017 "Y" Bordeaux Blanc - 14.5%, holy smokes! that is one mighty aggressive sauvignon blanc nose! jeez, is this made in NZ? lots of green plants, especially cilantro; "smells like the scallions in my scallion cream cheese" -Amanda; the mouth is a little more refined, some old lady's handkerchief, will age help this or should I just run away?
Perkins-Harter 2020 Pinot Noir, Blancs de Noir, Bracken Vyd, Eola-Amity - 11.5%, Berserker Day fizz bottling, smoky, sulfury, what a mess
Dom. Dureuil-Janthial 2021 Bourgogne Blanc - 13%, a little sulfur here too (yes, I rinsed my glass thoroughly), actually a nice wine showing a little citrus and a little vanilla, Skurnik says this is from the lieu-dit "La Combe" in Puligny-Montrachet
Lopez de Heredia 2009 "Vina Gravonia" Crianza Blanco - 12.5%, 100% viura, dishwater pink (made me wonder whether it was Rosado!), the nose is fruity-funky but the palate is way too oxidative for this LON-OG founding member, yuck
Dom. Hudelot-Noellat 2002 Vosne-Romanee - another tired bottle, nothing wrong just fading away, should have been drunk 5 years ago
Ch. de Saint Cosme 2007 Gigondas "Hominis Fides" - 14.5%, a Parker 100-point wine, and it's just exactly that: much too much wood, tired scents of sandalwood and Pez laid limply over some pretty red-fruited wine (yeah, grenache, but reasonably balanced grenache); a shame to take good juice and then make it struggle to be heard
Extra Dimensional etc 2023 Evangelho Mourvedre - the famed cultivar from 135-year-old vines in the famed forgotten vineyard, alas nose is kinda sweet and frooty but the palate is better: smoky, dark fruits, appealing flavors, a little too glyceral
Ch. Montrose 1996 St-Estephe - powerful, a hint of schoolpaste, very severe, not bad but not enjoyable
J-P Guyon 2019 Nuits-St-Georges "Aux Herbues" - 13.5%, yup
At this point I noticed that I had to book out of there right away as I had a dinner engagement to attend. So, I missed several more wines: at least, there was a Loire cab franc. I am confident that Marc will post his notes, too, and he'll have everything written down.
Overall, the wines were not in a happy place for my palate, just a couple winners and a lot of wines dithering between 'good' and 'eh'. (Maybe it was me? Nah.)
A great event and I hope to see everyone at the next one!
The cellar on the island has moved. It has been rather far away, sitting just west of 11th Avenue, practically Ohio. And, in truth, it has only moved half a block closer to The Middle of Things but it feels much more accommodating. Perhaps it's the nicer showroom space, or not having to pick your way through the perpetual construction zone around the old address. Anyway, the new space has real chairs and a bit more room around the table. (As always, hats off to MWC for allowing us to pickle ourselves on prem.)
And Marc is putting that new space to good use right away: he has sniffed around in other internet nooks and crannies for new people to join us. There are quite a few! Some are experienced drunks aficionados, some are newbies, but all were cheerful and charming and brought so many new stories and ideas.
At least one of our old ideas, though, still works... put bread and cheese on the table, set your e-corkscrew to post on Insta when the cork comes out, and people will come running with bottles:
We begin very naturally at the beginning and, of course, that means canned Chablis: Ch. de Beru (Famille du Vin) NV Blanc "Special Cuvee" - it's not going to change your life but it's an honest little wine! We are all pleased that the pale, stony wine shows some fruit, some minerality, "a little coarse but OK" -Jayson. We are also very well pleased with the Marketing type who added a note on the side of the tin: "can be enjoyed in a glass."
Mystery Wine #1 - another OK wine, fizzy, not chalky so not Champagne (even though I guessed that just to make sure), can't pin it down... Red Tail Ridge NV Brut Nature "Perpetual Change" Solera Method
Mystery Wine #2 - not bad on entry but as it spends time in my mouth it grows more offensively sugary and candied, with flavor reminiscent of the candy cigarettes you used to see for kid's Halloween candy... Katsunuma Winery 2019 Koshu "Aruga Branca Pipa", a Japanese wine made from the koshu grape
Dupasquier 2010 Mondeuse - magnum, a Thor bottle, earlier I had checked with Wink Lorch and she said that this wine would not be for long keeping so now is actually a good time to open it; and it is beautiful: at first, it seems like it's going to give you the typical young mondeuse experience (essentially a syrah profile but with a little funk and a little in-your-face intensity) but it eases up very quickly and shows mixed syrah and blueberry flavors on a light- to mid-weight frame; there's a little bit of earth here but not much; it's really nice to taste some ready mondeuse!; I take some of this home but it fades pretty quickly
Mystery Wine #3 - well... um... it's red and mild, other folks guess pinot noir (which is correct), eh... Enderle & Moll 2013 Pinot Noir "Buntsandstein", that is some old German pinot, another of Ira's experiments
Szepsy 2018 Tokaij Furmint - 14%, full and rich, yellow fruit, quite tart, a hint of oak maybe, a really big wine that I always like
Nikolaihof 2002 Riesling "Steiner Hund Reserve" - "bug spray thing" -Jayson, I would have called it Lemon Pledge (furniture polish); despite these descriptions, it's better on the palate than in the nose: less of the chemical taste, more fruit and an amazingly long, golden finish; others like this less than I do
Vouette et Sorbee NV Champagne Brut Nature "Blanc d'Argile" - from 2012, disg 26/11/14, dead, DNPIM
Le Gallais (Egon Muller) 2014 Wiltinger Braune Kupp Spatlese - 9.5%, 3 567 142 0415, beautiful, lovely mix of florals and fruit, but the acidity is a little gentler than expected so drink soon
Jerome Bretaudeau 2018 Muscadet "Gabbro" "Clos des Bouquinardieres" - 12.5%, typique, a normal glass of muscadet
Maison Chantereves 2018 Bourgogne Aligote "Les Chagniots" - 13%, yup (aligote only rarely floats my boat)
Ch. d'Yquem 2017 "Y" Bordeaux Blanc - 14.5%, holy smokes! that is one mighty aggressive sauvignon blanc nose! jeez, is this made in NZ? lots of green plants, especially cilantro; "smells like the scallions in my scallion cream cheese" -Amanda; the mouth is a little more refined, some old lady's handkerchief, will age help this or should I just run away?
Perkins-Harter 2020 Pinot Noir, Blancs de Noir, Bracken Vyd, Eola-Amity - 11.5%, Berserker Day fizz bottling, smoky, sulfury, what a mess
Dom. Dureuil-Janthial 2021 Bourgogne Blanc - 13%, a little sulfur here too (yes, I rinsed my glass thoroughly), actually a nice wine showing a little citrus and a little vanilla, Skurnik says this is from the lieu-dit "La Combe" in Puligny-Montrachet
Lopez de Heredia 2009 "Vina Gravonia" Crianza Blanco - 12.5%, 100% viura, dishwater pink (made me wonder whether it was Rosado!), the nose is fruity-funky but the palate is way too oxidative for this LON-OG founding member, yuck
Dom. Hudelot-Noellat 2002 Vosne-Romanee - another tired bottle, nothing wrong just fading away, should have been drunk 5 years ago
Ch. de Saint Cosme 2007 Gigondas "Hominis Fides" - 14.5%, a Parker 100-point wine, and it's just exactly that: much too much wood, tired scents of sandalwood and Pez laid limply over some pretty red-fruited wine (yeah, grenache, but reasonably balanced grenache); a shame to take good juice and then make it struggle to be heard
Extra Dimensional etc 2023 Evangelho Mourvedre - the famed cultivar from 135-year-old vines in the famed forgotten vineyard, alas nose is kinda sweet and frooty but the palate is better: smoky, dark fruits, appealing flavors, a little too glyceral
Ch. Montrose 1996 St-Estephe - powerful, a hint of schoolpaste, very severe, not bad but not enjoyable
J-P Guyon 2019 Nuits-St-Georges "Aux Herbues" - 13.5%, yup
At this point I noticed that I had to book out of there right away as I had a dinner engagement to attend. So, I missed several more wines: at least, there was a Loire cab franc. I am confident that Marc will post his notes, too, and he'll have everything written down.
Overall, the wines were not in a happy place for my palate, just a couple winners and a lot of wines dithering between 'good' and 'eh'. (Maybe it was me? Nah.)
A great event and I hope to see everyone at the next one!
