Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Maureen, Nathan, Mark, Abraham, Jay, Jayson, Jeff, Rahsaan
It is not often that Maureen visits New York City. She asked her friend, Mark, to arrange a dinner at Cookshop and notified the local wineaux. We all came a-running and ready to cater to the GoH's tastes for fine German riesling and red burgundy. And, as luck would have it, Nathan is also in town and is able to join us at the table. Abraham is a friend of Mark's and later his fiance and her childhood chum also join us.
Nathan and I arrive a bit early and set the tone with two very nice Negroni. I took mine with Hendricks, I don't recall what Nathan chose.
When enough of us had arrived, the hostess took us to a table outside. Al fresco dining, in New York City, has its hazards. We did have a lovely evening for it - no rain, not too warm, not buggy - but there are the inevitable fire engines, honking taxis, and loud trucks. A fun town but a noisy one.
The schmoozing was going fast and thick so it took a while to get the food rolling. We ordered a bunch of apps for the table: fancy deviled eggs, falafel-ball-size crab cakes deeply fried, some weird pink-purple chicken liver spread that sent my ancestors running for cover, a couple plates of fried squash blossoms, etc. The usual mish-mash that passes for Modern American. Everyone had their own main course, pretty much either the duck leg confit or the roast chicken (...we know what goes with wine).
The restaurant provided some decent stems and most of us brought more. And we poured:
Müller-Catoir 1990 Mussbaucher Eselshaut Riesling Auslese - 5 174 079 2191, vivid gold/turmeric yellow, tangy acids, still sweet, incredibly yummy elixir, why exactly Maureen wants us to taste this first of all I cannot say but I won't say no
Dom. Huet 2014 Vouvray Sec "Le Mont" - 13%, the nose is good but it's way too sour on the palate for me; I got to this early so maybe it opened up (other people seem to have liked it better)
Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) 2007 Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spätlese - 3 551 083-7-08, the sweetness level is dialed-in beautifully but I think the acidity is starting to fail, nice ripeness too: mostly green grape but a little apricot to warm it up, good bottle
Wittmann 2021 Westhofen Brunnenhäuschen Riesling Trocken GG - 4 327 231 018 22, 12.5%, I am not a trocken guy so this is nice enough but not exciting, it's just out of balance (though I'm hard-pressed to say exactly what is wrong but it is)
Chandon de Briailles 2007 Volnay "Les Caillerets" - delicate, silky, a bit of tangerine peel over the bright cherry fruit, light and bright, still slightly grippy (which is a nice surprise) ...later... this just keeps getting prettier and prettier
Authentique Wine Cellars 2011 Pinot Noir, Keeler Estate Vineyard - 12%, nose is stinky, the palate is all boysenberry (think: zin) but kinda restrained, nice enough for a big Oregon wine, not sure why it's at this table tonight though
Emil & Ken Tavcar 2013 Kras Vitovska - 12.5%, savory, herby, dried peels, surely some skin contact or maybe an amphora, very full and I like it
Jean Grivot 2008 Vosne-Romanée 1er "Les Beaux Monts" - tangy, somewhat liqueur-ish (just a bit more sweet and viscous than I imagine it), with air this develops a hint of mocha or cocoa powder that gives nice contrast to the red plum flavors
de Montille 2008 Vosne-Romanée 1er "Les Malconsorts" "Christiane" - I think it was Jayson who noticed that this is a special bottling and commented that it's really too good for the likes of us... Jay, who brought it, responded that who better to drink it than people who can appreciate it?; very pretty but also structured, there is a lovely herbal fragrance (oregano?) just accenting all the red fruit, less liqueur-ish than the Grivot, really excellent
Mugneret-Gibourg 2002 Vosne-Romanée - like the '08s but with better makeup and wardrobe, so elegant, this is just about perfect
Robert Chevillon 2008 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er "Les Perrieres" - here are some sharper, zingy acids that help pick up the rather heavy cherry pie (incl. a dash of vanilla) flavors; good cup but not a suave act
Roagna 1999 Barbaresco "Pajé" - 13.5%, hard to tell that this is nebbiolo, it drinks like a rough-and-ready Burgundy that's going to poke you in the ribs occasionally, puzzling showing
Louis Boillot 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er "Cherbaudes" - I'm not part of Rahsaan/Nathan's Boillot Brawl; this is very Gevrey to me: meaty, funky, maybe some slightly-fermented berries, it's all rather yum and enjoyable
Müller-Catoir 1998 Haardter Mandelring Scheurebe Auslese - 9%, 51740791699, this is amazingly wonderful; full-bodied, sweet enough, tongue-tingly acids, amazing bottle
We closed the place down. And then stayed some more. But we poured wine for the staff and tipped well so I hope we aren't too awful.
Abraham had parting gifts for everyone: kesar mangoes, one of two Indian mangoes with an IGP. He said they have outstanding flavor and very small seeds. But this box of fruit is not quite ripe yet. (But I'm no mango guy so how long to wait? It's approaching full yellow-orange with just a hint of red blush at one end; and it's getting soft.)
Thanks to everyone for your wonderful company, your wonderful wines, and whatever obeisances to Bacchus you performed.
It is not often that Maureen visits New York City. She asked her friend, Mark, to arrange a dinner at Cookshop and notified the local wineaux. We all came a-running and ready to cater to the GoH's tastes for fine German riesling and red burgundy. And, as luck would have it, Nathan is also in town and is able to join us at the table. Abraham is a friend of Mark's and later his fiance and her childhood chum also join us.
Nathan and I arrive a bit early and set the tone with two very nice Negroni. I took mine with Hendricks, I don't recall what Nathan chose.
When enough of us had arrived, the hostess took us to a table outside. Al fresco dining, in New York City, has its hazards. We did have a lovely evening for it - no rain, not too warm, not buggy - but there are the inevitable fire engines, honking taxis, and loud trucks. A fun town but a noisy one.
The schmoozing was going fast and thick so it took a while to get the food rolling. We ordered a bunch of apps for the table: fancy deviled eggs, falafel-ball-size crab cakes deeply fried, some weird pink-purple chicken liver spread that sent my ancestors running for cover, a couple plates of fried squash blossoms, etc. The usual mish-mash that passes for Modern American. Everyone had their own main course, pretty much either the duck leg confit or the roast chicken (...we know what goes with wine).
The restaurant provided some decent stems and most of us brought more. And we poured:
Müller-Catoir 1990 Mussbaucher Eselshaut Riesling Auslese - 5 174 079 2191, vivid gold/turmeric yellow, tangy acids, still sweet, incredibly yummy elixir, why exactly Maureen wants us to taste this first of all I cannot say but I won't say no
Dom. Huet 2014 Vouvray Sec "Le Mont" - 13%, the nose is good but it's way too sour on the palate for me; I got to this early so maybe it opened up (other people seem to have liked it better)
Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) 2007 Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spätlese - 3 551 083-7-08, the sweetness level is dialed-in beautifully but I think the acidity is starting to fail, nice ripeness too: mostly green grape but a little apricot to warm it up, good bottle
Wittmann 2021 Westhofen Brunnenhäuschen Riesling Trocken GG - 4 327 231 018 22, 12.5%, I am not a trocken guy so this is nice enough but not exciting, it's just out of balance (though I'm hard-pressed to say exactly what is wrong but it is)
Chandon de Briailles 2007 Volnay "Les Caillerets" - delicate, silky, a bit of tangerine peel over the bright cherry fruit, light and bright, still slightly grippy (which is a nice surprise) ...later... this just keeps getting prettier and prettier
Authentique Wine Cellars 2011 Pinot Noir, Keeler Estate Vineyard - 12%, nose is stinky, the palate is all boysenberry (think: zin) but kinda restrained, nice enough for a big Oregon wine, not sure why it's at this table tonight though
Emil & Ken Tavcar 2013 Kras Vitovska - 12.5%, savory, herby, dried peels, surely some skin contact or maybe an amphora, very full and I like it
Jean Grivot 2008 Vosne-Romanée 1er "Les Beaux Monts" - tangy, somewhat liqueur-ish (just a bit more sweet and viscous than I imagine it), with air this develops a hint of mocha or cocoa powder that gives nice contrast to the red plum flavors
de Montille 2008 Vosne-Romanée 1er "Les Malconsorts" "Christiane" - I think it was Jayson who noticed that this is a special bottling and commented that it's really too good for the likes of us... Jay, who brought it, responded that who better to drink it than people who can appreciate it?; very pretty but also structured, there is a lovely herbal fragrance (oregano?) just accenting all the red fruit, less liqueur-ish than the Grivot, really excellent
Mugneret-Gibourg 2002 Vosne-Romanée - like the '08s but with better makeup and wardrobe, so elegant, this is just about perfect
Robert Chevillon 2008 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er "Les Perrieres" - here are some sharper, zingy acids that help pick up the rather heavy cherry pie (incl. a dash of vanilla) flavors; good cup but not a suave act
Roagna 1999 Barbaresco "Pajé" - 13.5%, hard to tell that this is nebbiolo, it drinks like a rough-and-ready Burgundy that's going to poke you in the ribs occasionally, puzzling showing
Louis Boillot 2005 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er "Cherbaudes" - I'm not part of Rahsaan/Nathan's Boillot Brawl; this is very Gevrey to me: meaty, funky, maybe some slightly-fermented berries, it's all rather yum and enjoyable
Müller-Catoir 1998 Haardter Mandelring Scheurebe Auslese - 9%, 51740791699, this is amazingly wonderful; full-bodied, sweet enough, tongue-tingly acids, amazing bottle
We closed the place down. And then stayed some more. But we poured wine for the staff and tipped well so I hope we aren't too awful.
Abraham had parting gifts for everyone: kesar mangoes, one of two Indian mangoes with an IGP. He said they have outstanding flavor and very small seeds. But this box of fruit is not quite ripe yet. (But I'm no mango guy so how long to wait? It's approaching full yellow-orange with just a hint of red blush at one end; and it's getting soft.)
Thanks to everyone for your wonderful company, your wonderful wines, and whatever obeisances to Bacchus you performed.