Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Don+Melissa, Eden, Jay, Jayson, Jeff, Lisa, Seth
Jay and Don provide the wines.
Jay's white - firm, piercing acidity; ripeness just a little shy, nicely done; chablis? (no); but chardonnay? (yes)
Jayson... has some oak, maybe Cotes de Beaune?
Jeff... so, it is a white burg? (no)
Someone asks "Oregon?" (no, but thereabouts)
Eden... whatever it is it's very impressive
We eventually place it into Santa Cruz Mountains and from there to the maker.
Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah! 2023 Chardonnay "Mariana's Vineyard" - 13.2%, Day 3: still pretty chardonnay, has that musky apricotty scent that is natural to the grape, no mango or sweetness at all, medium-weight, really quite good
Don's white - this has an expressive, penetrating bouquet!; "rounder than the chardonnay" -Don; "maybe not rounder, just lower acidity" -Jayson;
Jay... chardonnay? (no) chenin? (no)
Eden... sauvignon blanc? (no)
Jayson... muscadet! (yes)
We guess Luneau-Papin but who can keep track of all their bottlings.
Anyway, Jay is over the moon, Jayson thinks its a baby yet
Dom. Luneau-Papin 2020 Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine Goulaine "Semper Excelsior" - 12%, Day 3: the nose has receded a lot, the wine is still tangy, rocks and river stones, light-to-medium weight, wispy yellow fruit, probably better with food
Jay's flight of two reds -
Eden jumps right in... new world? (yes) California? (yes)
We settle that they are the same producer and the same vintage but different vineyards.
Pinot? (no) Cab? (yes)
Wine #2 is a spicy cab, rather than a fruity cab. I also get a note of rubber in the bouquet. "An old-school, rustic kind of wine" -Jayson.
Wine #3, by comparison, is fine, velvety, dense but still silky. Several people get a lactic note, which I don't get. Very fruity and some lightness compared to #2, lots of potential here I think.
Jay throws us a clue and I catch it.
Having successfully caught the clue, Eden announces that we have won... the rest of the wine in the glass. Which seems like a good deal to me, esp. for Wine #3.
Fritzsche 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon "Family Reunion" - Day 3: yeah, that's cab; old school perhaps
Fritzsche 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, Bengier Vineyard - Day 3: more blue-black, hints of charcoal and blackberry, subtantial, excellent
Don's flight of three reds -
"I would not tire of this flight." -Eden
Don announces that one of these things is not like the others.
Well, we're pretty clearly in Cab Franc Land, but our guesses are all over the place.
Wine #2 has a silky texture and pretty strong tobacco/chocolate-inflected cab flavors.
Wine #3 offers more "sauvage notes" -Jay
Wine #4 similar but maybe higher alcohol, lusher fruit so maybe a warmer year?
We ask a bunch more questions and eventually determine that Wine #4 is Angevin rather than Touraine!
Ch. du Hureau 2017 Saumur-Champigny "Lisagathe" - 13.5%, Day 3: so dark! a hint of iron and blood; still silky
Dom. Baudry 2010 Chinon "Le Clos Guillot" - 13%, this is unmistakeable chinon, from a good year
Dom. Baudry 2009 Chinon "Le Clos Guillot" - 13%, this is unmistakeable chinon, from a warm year, there are more violets and ripe fruit but less structure
Jay's flight of three reds -
All very beautiful wines.
Don immediately asks, "Pinot?" (yes)
And then Jay announces the three wines have nothing else in common.
Immediately, we ask which two are not made of atoms.
Very well, they share only being pinot noir and made of atoms.
And they're red. (yes)
And Burgundy. (yes, yes already)
Smugly cocooned in our tautologies, we continue the tasting.
Wine #4 shows very red-fruity. Jayson identifies this wine as Chevillon.
Wine #5 is another wine with a penetrating bouquet.
Wine #6 does not taste like Gevrey to me; of course, it is. Jay says this is Grand Cru so we guess all the Grand Crus we know, eventually ending up with Ruchottes. But who makes Ruchottes? Or, rather, who other than Mugneret makes Ruchottes? Eventually, we speculate that Eric Texier bought a barrel of declassified Ruchottes from someone, but Jay denies this rumor.
Don: Wine #6 is the oldest? (yes) and Wine #4 is the youngest? (yes) and Wine #5 is in the middle? (yes, yes already).
Chevillon 2006 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er "Les Saint-Georges" - Day 3: bright cherry fruit and old lady's handkerchief, acidic, mouth-watering, yum
Drouhin 1999 Chambolle-Musigny 1er "Baudes" - Day 3: definitely an older nose, pine or rosemary, more violets, somewhat delicate, but I like the Chevillon better
Esmonin, F. 1993 Gevrey-Chambertin GC "Ruchottes-Chambertin" - Day 3: beautifully resolved, tannins are mild and veering towards citrus, strawberry fruit still there, medium weight, acidity perfect, wow
Don's sweet -
"Lovely riesling!" -Seth (no)
"Chenin." (yes; Don can't help himself)
We sniff about and we don't think this is Pinon or Huet.
Don says, "A lot of acid; it's quite tart." We try to identify the vintage... "85 or 93?" -Jay (no)
Grasping for any kind of toe-hold, we spin the globe... "Touraine?" (no), "South Africa?" (no), "Savenniere?" (no), "Anjou?" (yes)
OK, well, we know a lot of sweet wine regions in Anjou, and we eventually name Coteaux du Layon.
Don gives it up; "I've never had a Coteaux de Layon with such acidity in it!"
Moulin Touchais is known to pick 10%-20% of their grapes underripe exactly so they can keep a vivid acidity in the wine. Apparently, 1968 was a cold, crappy year and they exceeded their intentions by a lot. Their website spins it this way. The technique reminds me of Selbach's block-pick (en-bloc) vineyards... a "field blend" of ripeness rather than cepage.
Moulin Touchais 1968 Coteaux du Layon - 12.5%, Day 3: Pezzy nose, maybe orange creamsicle; slightly oxidized on the palate, mellowed quite a bit, again apricots and cream, unusual but yummy and very serviceable at the table
Jay and Don provide the wines.
Jay's white - firm, piercing acidity; ripeness just a little shy, nicely done; chablis? (no); but chardonnay? (yes)
Jayson... has some oak, maybe Cotes de Beaune?
Jeff... so, it is a white burg? (no)
Someone asks "Oregon?" (no, but thereabouts)
Eden... whatever it is it's very impressive
We eventually place it into Santa Cruz Mountains and from there to the maker.
Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah! 2023 Chardonnay "Mariana's Vineyard" - 13.2%, Day 3: still pretty chardonnay, has that musky apricotty scent that is natural to the grape, no mango or sweetness at all, medium-weight, really quite good
Don's white - this has an expressive, penetrating bouquet!; "rounder than the chardonnay" -Don; "maybe not rounder, just lower acidity" -Jayson;
Jay... chardonnay? (no) chenin? (no)
Eden... sauvignon blanc? (no)
Jayson... muscadet! (yes)
We guess Luneau-Papin but who can keep track of all their bottlings.
Anyway, Jay is over the moon, Jayson thinks its a baby yet
Dom. Luneau-Papin 2020 Muscadet Sevre-et-Maine Goulaine "Semper Excelsior" - 12%, Day 3: the nose has receded a lot, the wine is still tangy, rocks and river stones, light-to-medium weight, wispy yellow fruit, probably better with food
Jay's flight of two reds -
Eden jumps right in... new world? (yes) California? (yes)
We settle that they are the same producer and the same vintage but different vineyards.
Pinot? (no) Cab? (yes)
Wine #2 is a spicy cab, rather than a fruity cab. I also get a note of rubber in the bouquet. "An old-school, rustic kind of wine" -Jayson.
Wine #3, by comparison, is fine, velvety, dense but still silky. Several people get a lactic note, which I don't get. Very fruity and some lightness compared to #2, lots of potential here I think.
Jay throws us a clue and I catch it.
Having successfully caught the clue, Eden announces that we have won... the rest of the wine in the glass. Which seems like a good deal to me, esp. for Wine #3.
Fritzsche 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon "Family Reunion" - Day 3: yeah, that's cab; old school perhaps
Fritzsche 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, Bengier Vineyard - Day 3: more blue-black, hints of charcoal and blackberry, subtantial, excellent
Don's flight of three reds -
"I would not tire of this flight." -Eden
Don announces that one of these things is not like the others.
Well, we're pretty clearly in Cab Franc Land, but our guesses are all over the place.
Wine #2 has a silky texture and pretty strong tobacco/chocolate-inflected cab flavors.
Wine #3 offers more "sauvage notes" -Jay
Wine #4 similar but maybe higher alcohol, lusher fruit so maybe a warmer year?
We ask a bunch more questions and eventually determine that Wine #4 is Angevin rather than Touraine!
Ch. du Hureau 2017 Saumur-Champigny "Lisagathe" - 13.5%, Day 3: so dark! a hint of iron and blood; still silky
Dom. Baudry 2010 Chinon "Le Clos Guillot" - 13%, this is unmistakeable chinon, from a good year
Dom. Baudry 2009 Chinon "Le Clos Guillot" - 13%, this is unmistakeable chinon, from a warm year, there are more violets and ripe fruit but less structure
Jay's flight of three reds -
All very beautiful wines.
Don immediately asks, "Pinot?" (yes)
And then Jay announces the three wines have nothing else in common.
Immediately, we ask which two are not made of atoms.
Very well, they share only being pinot noir and made of atoms.
And they're red. (yes)
And Burgundy. (yes, yes already)
Smugly cocooned in our tautologies, we continue the tasting.
Wine #4 shows very red-fruity. Jayson identifies this wine as Chevillon.
Wine #5 is another wine with a penetrating bouquet.
Wine #6 does not taste like Gevrey to me; of course, it is. Jay says this is Grand Cru so we guess all the Grand Crus we know, eventually ending up with Ruchottes. But who makes Ruchottes? Or, rather, who other than Mugneret makes Ruchottes? Eventually, we speculate that Eric Texier bought a barrel of declassified Ruchottes from someone, but Jay denies this rumor.
Don: Wine #6 is the oldest? (yes) and Wine #4 is the youngest? (yes) and Wine #5 is in the middle? (yes, yes already).
Chevillon 2006 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er "Les Saint-Georges" - Day 3: bright cherry fruit and old lady's handkerchief, acidic, mouth-watering, yum
Drouhin 1999 Chambolle-Musigny 1er "Baudes" - Day 3: definitely an older nose, pine or rosemary, more violets, somewhat delicate, but I like the Chevillon better
Esmonin, F. 1993 Gevrey-Chambertin GC "Ruchottes-Chambertin" - Day 3: beautifully resolved, tannins are mild and veering towards citrus, strawberry fruit still there, medium weight, acidity perfect, wow
Don's sweet -
"Lovely riesling!" -Seth (no)
"Chenin." (yes; Don can't help himself)
We sniff about and we don't think this is Pinon or Huet.
Don says, "A lot of acid; it's quite tart." We try to identify the vintage... "85 or 93?" -Jay (no)
Grasping for any kind of toe-hold, we spin the globe... "Touraine?" (no), "South Africa?" (no), "Savenniere?" (no), "Anjou?" (yes)
OK, well, we know a lot of sweet wine regions in Anjou, and we eventually name Coteaux du Layon.
Don gives it up; "I've never had a Coteaux de Layon with such acidity in it!"
Moulin Touchais is known to pick 10%-20% of their grapes underripe exactly so they can keep a vivid acidity in the wine. Apparently, 1968 was a cold, crappy year and they exceeded their intentions by a lot. Their website spins it this way. The technique reminds me of Selbach's block-pick (en-bloc) vineyards... a "field blend" of ripeness rather than cepage.
Moulin Touchais 1968 Coteaux du Layon - 12.5%, Day 3: Pezzy nose, maybe orange creamsicle; slightly oxidized on the palate, mellowed quite a bit, again apricots and cream, unusual but yummy and very serviceable at the table
