Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
It's the second summer holiday and I am again in Dale's backyard, taking occasional treats off the grill, glad-handing the neighbors, and chatting with the wineaux. This time, in addition to the previous crew, we also have Don and Melissa and Mark Golodetz.
Everyone is out to enjoy the day and drink a little something with brats and dogs (no, not the neighbors' kids and pets!). There were also deviled eggs, and morcilla, and yummy very rare steak, and spiced clams, and fritters twice-fried, and watermelon-feta bites, amd chocolate babka, and a dozen more things I can't recall now.
And wine:
Dom. Huet 1969 Vouvray Perlant Demi-Sec - vivid gold-yellow color, still a little fizz (though it lost it quickly), orange peels over apricots, or just orange marmalade, who knew 1969 was drinking so well?
Dom. de la Pepiere 2006 Muscadet "Clos des Briords", Cuvee VV - magnum (I think), very long, slightly resinous, in better shape than the 2014 a few weeks ago, a little funky
Carl Loewen 2022 Longuicher Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett - gotta wait for the matchsticks to blow off, maybe a tad ripe (which is proper for the vintage) so a little less lime and more apricot, but perfect acids make this excellent
Day 3... holding up well, even my picky partner likes it!
Goodfellow 2022 Chardonnay, Temperance Hill "Berserker Cuvee" - 13% alcohol, the rest is sulfur?
Tiberio 2024 Trebbiano d"Abruzzo - 12.5%, vibrant acids (as we've come to expect), yum, especially at a warm picnic
Gilbert Picq 2004 Chablis 1er "Vosgros" - a little cheesey on entry but the finish is long and typique
Mystery-1 (Dom. Drouhin 2008 Pinot Noir) - an older wine, drinking well, not French, but we didn't struggle too much more
La Bastide Blanche 2023 Bandol Rose - yup, that's a dry rose
Matanzas Creek 1994 Merlot - plummy, viscous, alive and well, terrific with the grilled steak
Day 3... funky old flavors are starting to appear, held up pretty well!
Matanzas Creek 1995 ? - I forget what wine exactly because this was maderized... but a noble attempt by Jay to serve a horizontal of a house that everybody has heard of but hardly anybody remembers drinking
Extradimensional Wine Company Yeah! 2022 "Figure-Ground" - wacky blend of mourvedre, zin, carignane, chardonnay, and who knows what else; fresh and bright and interesting on entry but kinda weak on the finish
Ch. de la Tour 2013 Clos Vougeot GC - very dark color and a very dark palate of black fruits, suave and seductive, great bottle
Mystery-2 (Prieure Lichine 2019 Margaux) - Bordeaux for sure, I guess teens... young but not vicious (or viscous)
Day 3... opens up a bit more, a classy match with some roasted beef short ribs
Ch. La Louviere 2005 Pessac-Leognan Rouge - well-manicured and well-behaved, the palate is gentle but firm with noticeable thrust, leads to a discussion whether 2005 Bordeaux are starting to come around?
Raul Perez 2020 Bierzo "Ultreia Saint-Jacques" - 13.5%, mencia, crisp and bold, just slightly sour for my tastes but Raul Perez makes interesting wines
Texier, Eric 2010 Cotes-du-Rhone "Brezeme" VV (Dom Pergaud) - OMG bottle, CdR that wants to be Hermitage, amazing with the boudin noir (or anything but that's what I was having), even registered Bordeaux-o-philes were admiring it
Day 3... the last couple of ounces were still on fire
Mystery-3 (Branaire-Ducru 2005 Saint-Julien) - another 2005 open for business, I guessed Pomerol
Zilliken 1989 Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese - 3 551 083-8-90, 9%, paint thinner... in a good way (I swear I am not alone in this assessment), still rather sweet, prompted a discussion of what to sell to a customer who wants an 8% wine...
Dom de la Mabilliere 1989 Vouvray Demi-Sec - 12%, not great but not terrible, is it being hindered by excessive sulfuring (like the Robert Denis wines?), Don says he will follow-up (...I did not take note but this is likely the Cuvee Louis Philippe, as that was the sweet cuvee at the domaine)
Mystery-4 (Forman 1985 Cabernet Sauvignon) - the note says "delish" and nothing more
I think the drinks were catching up to me on this warm day so the notes are pretty skimpy from here down.
Tiberio 2024 Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo - no note
Day 3... its usual cheerful self: light, bright, officially a rose, also officialy "Colline Pescaresi Superiore", but it's better served at a picnic blanket than at the dining table
Mystery-5 (Dom. Drouhin 2010 Pinot Noir) - no note
Kalin 1987 Cabernet Sauvignon - no note
Vieux Ch. Certan 2014 Pomerol - no note, but I was asked to open the bottle (which I did), and I recall that it was drinking very nicely right from the first pour
...and there may have been more bottles, yet. Sorry about the nearly-useless notes but I had a good time!
Thanks, especially, to Kris and Eric for the pickups, to Jayson and Laura for the dropoffs, and to Ruby, who was in full throat when we arrived, for allowing us onto the grounds of her domain.
Everyone is out to enjoy the day and drink a little something with brats and dogs (no, not the neighbors' kids and pets!). There were also deviled eggs, and morcilla, and yummy very rare steak, and spiced clams, and fritters twice-fried, and watermelon-feta bites, amd chocolate babka, and a dozen more things I can't recall now.
And wine:
Dom. Huet 1969 Vouvray Perlant Demi-Sec - vivid gold-yellow color, still a little fizz (though it lost it quickly), orange peels over apricots, or just orange marmalade, who knew 1969 was drinking so well?
Dom. de la Pepiere 2006 Muscadet "Clos des Briords", Cuvee VV - magnum (I think), very long, slightly resinous, in better shape than the 2014 a few weeks ago, a little funky
Carl Loewen 2022 Longuicher Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett - gotta wait for the matchsticks to blow off, maybe a tad ripe (which is proper for the vintage) so a little less lime and more apricot, but perfect acids make this excellent
Day 3... holding up well, even my picky partner likes it!
Goodfellow 2022 Chardonnay, Temperance Hill "Berserker Cuvee" - 13% alcohol, the rest is sulfur?
Tiberio 2024 Trebbiano d"Abruzzo - 12.5%, vibrant acids (as we've come to expect), yum, especially at a warm picnic
Gilbert Picq 2004 Chablis 1er "Vosgros" - a little cheesey on entry but the finish is long and typique
Mystery-1 (Dom. Drouhin 2008 Pinot Noir) - an older wine, drinking well, not French, but we didn't struggle too much more
La Bastide Blanche 2023 Bandol Rose - yup, that's a dry rose
Matanzas Creek 1994 Merlot - plummy, viscous, alive and well, terrific with the grilled steak
Day 3... funky old flavors are starting to appear, held up pretty well!
Matanzas Creek 1995 ? - I forget what wine exactly because this was maderized... but a noble attempt by Jay to serve a horizontal of a house that everybody has heard of but hardly anybody remembers drinking
Extradimensional Wine Company Yeah! 2022 "Figure-Ground" - wacky blend of mourvedre, zin, carignane, chardonnay, and who knows what else; fresh and bright and interesting on entry but kinda weak on the finish
Ch. de la Tour 2013 Clos Vougeot GC - very dark color and a very dark palate of black fruits, suave and seductive, great bottle
Mystery-2 (Prieure Lichine 2019 Margaux) - Bordeaux for sure, I guess teens... young but not vicious (or viscous)
Day 3... opens up a bit more, a classy match with some roasted beef short ribs
Ch. La Louviere 2005 Pessac-Leognan Rouge - well-manicured and well-behaved, the palate is gentle but firm with noticeable thrust, leads to a discussion whether 2005 Bordeaux are starting to come around?
Raul Perez 2020 Bierzo "Ultreia Saint-Jacques" - 13.5%, mencia, crisp and bold, just slightly sour for my tastes but Raul Perez makes interesting wines
Texier, Eric 2010 Cotes-du-Rhone "Brezeme" VV (Dom Pergaud) - OMG bottle, CdR that wants to be Hermitage, amazing with the boudin noir (or anything but that's what I was having), even registered Bordeaux-o-philes were admiring it
Day 3... the last couple of ounces were still on fire
Mystery-3 (Branaire-Ducru 2005 Saint-Julien) - another 2005 open for business, I guessed Pomerol
Zilliken 1989 Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese - 3 551 083-8-90, 9%, paint thinner... in a good way (I swear I am not alone in this assessment), still rather sweet, prompted a discussion of what to sell to a customer who wants an 8% wine...
Dom de la Mabilliere 1989 Vouvray Demi-Sec - 12%, not great but not terrible, is it being hindered by excessive sulfuring (like the Robert Denis wines?), Don says he will follow-up (...I did not take note but this is likely the Cuvee Louis Philippe, as that was the sweet cuvee at the domaine)
Mystery-4 (Forman 1985 Cabernet Sauvignon) - the note says "delish" and nothing more
I think the drinks were catching up to me on this warm day so the notes are pretty skimpy from here down.
Tiberio 2024 Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo - no note
Day 3... its usual cheerful self: light, bright, officially a rose, also officialy "Colline Pescaresi Superiore", but it's better served at a picnic blanket than at the dining table
Mystery-5 (Dom. Drouhin 2010 Pinot Noir) - no note
Kalin 1987 Cabernet Sauvignon - no note
Vieux Ch. Certan 2014 Pomerol - no note, but I was asked to open the bottle (which I did), and I recall that it was drinking very nicely right from the first pour
...and there may have been more bottles, yet. Sorry about the nearly-useless notes but I had a good time!
Thanks, especially, to Kris and Eric for the pickups, to Jayson and Laura for the dropoffs, and to Ruby, who was in full throat when we arrived, for allowing us onto the grounds of her domain.