Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Don+Melissa, Eden+Scott, Jay, Jeff, Lisa, Seth, Victor
Jay and Eden pouring. All wines served blind, of course.
J1. Ch. La Louviere 1982 Graves Blanc - golden yellow, slightly waxy and funky in a way that suggests old Alsace riesling (no), Chenin? (no), Chard? (no), any Loire? (no), Muscadet? (no), France? (yes), grapes? (yes)... we were getting pretty desperate; then Don guessed White Bordeaux! sound acids ("still kinda steely") and he names the vintage correctly. We talk for a while how this is a really interesting path for sauvignon blanc to take, as none of us thinks semillon ages like this.
Day 2: more oxidized... I'm reaching my limit... so much palate presence, textured and glyceral, I can admire it even if I might put my hand over my glass
E1. Dom. Tempier 2021 Bandol Blanc - Pezzy, face-powder, "reminds me of a baked pie" -Melissa, "orange creamsicle" -Jeff, then we make the usual raft of incorrect guesses - Chard, France, Loire, Bordeaux - but Jay eventually places it in Southern France and that keys Victor, who names Bandol.
Day 2: strong resemblance to white burgundy, not quite so rich in the mid-palate but plenty of yellow slightly-tropical fruit
nota bene: Victor also speaks very highly of "Lulu's Provencal Table", a 1994 cookbook comprised of recipes from Lulu Peyraud, the second-generation owner of Dom. Tempier
J2. Trimbach 2016 Riesling "390eme Anniversaire" - Eden:"Lychee! So, gewurz?" (no), it is fragrant and acidic so we next guess scheurebe? (no), then a whole bunch of other things till we finally reach Alsace and riesling... and therefore Trimbach; the wine is really rich so we guess one of the special anniversary bottlings
Day 2: still going strong, green grapes and flowers and mossy river stones, juicy, light texture but long finish, drink and hold
E2. Dom. Comte Abbatucci 2023 VdF Rose "Faustine" - incredibly pale pink, like water just barely bronzed; some bite but also delicate; Jay is moved to ask whether this is vinifera? (no), this sets us off on the trail of obscure grapes, obscure European grapes, obscure south-of-European grapes, and then Corsica with its famous sciaccarellu (yes); from there it is easy to finish guessing
Day 2: nicely made but not too exciting and not a great QPR wine, Eden admits that she chose it to broaden the selection of grapes in these Zoom calls
nota bene: actually, it is vitis vinifera
E3. Dom. du Castel 2023 "Rose du Castel", Judean Hills - another rose, this one is not delicate, tons of flavor, berries and wax and resin; "lower acid" -Don; after the wine fails to come from France or Italy someone guesses "Iraq?" (close!) so then we guess it is Israeli; but none of us really knows those regions or what grows there so we ask Eden for the reveal (merlot, cab franc, and malbec)
Day 2: the color is definitely rose, rather rich and full, even some tannins grab my throat, this needs a sunny patio, pronto!
E4. Dom. Gonon 2013 St-Joseph - this is young syrah, "lactic in the nose, probably N Rhone" -Jay, we guess a few appellations (I was sure it was Cornas!) but eventually we get around to St-Joseph (yes), "such big tannins!" -Melissa; "deep blue nose but corn kernels in the finish" -Seth; and then we name the maker.
Day 2: the nose is full of blackberries and green olives, kinda like a red zinfandel, but something is wrong on the palate, some kind of spoilage, bleh
E5. Dom. Gonon 2009 St-Joseph - Jay correctly asserts that this is much the same wine as E4, just newer (yes); Seth had the '05 last week so was able to name the producer here, too
Day 2: similar, indeed, but sweeter and with a hint of cinnamon (and no spoilage); very dark red, maroon even, with no evidence of browning; pair this with hearty foods but not too acidic foods; the finish is surprisingly light after that big plush middle
J3. Rhys 2006 Pinot Noir, Home Vineyard, San Mateo County - "medicinal cherry quality, like Sucrets" -Melissa; then she continues, "pinot noir from Oregon?" (no, but close by); there is a little bit of pine in the nose that says CA to me, rather than OR; Don places it in Santa Cruz (yes), and from there it is easy to name Rhys.
Day 2: a bit of tea now, the finish is not long or complex though it is very pure and the acidity is sound; still a little high-toned and piney; but others like it more now than I do: "The Rhys opened up nicely tonight" -Eden
J4. Ch. de la Tour 2006 Clos-Vougeot GC - "Burgundy" -Don, "smoky" -Melissa; I don't have any notes about how we revealed the wine but I do recall that we had placed it into Clos Vougeot and Jay teased us that there are only three makers of Clos Vougeot that he buys and we had already tried two of them...
Day 2: wow, what a pretty nose on this now! it's the iron fist in the velvet glove: silky texture but lots of phenolics, a long and even finish, just juicy enough to make me ask for more, thank you, Jay
J5. Dom. Gouges 1985 Nuits-Saint-Georges "Les Saint Georges" 1er - "pinot noir again?" -Eden (yes), "bottle sweetness so definitely some age here" -Don (yes), we spend some time picking Don's brains about what exactly is bottle sweetness; we guess 90's (no, older), 1er cru (yes), Cotes de Nuits (yes); eventually we get the year but not the village
Day 2: another pretty nose but not so vivid nor so red-fruited as the de la Tour, maybe a little horsey, darker red flavors (think: pomegranate or cranberry), has aged very nicely even if it is finally fading after 48 hours open
nota bene: actually, opened for Victor's benefit but, due to a mix-up, he was the only person who did not get a sample of J5
E6. Ch. Lapuyade 2010 Jurancon "Confidence" - Chenin? (no), Hungarian? (no), Riesling? (no); so much for shooting from the hip... the attack is sweet, the mid-palate is sweet, the finish is kinda brown bread but very persistent; we like it but we're pretty much stumped; "loving it!" -Victor; Seth guesses Jurancon? (yes).
Day 2: about the same, maybe a little silkier; 100% petit manseng
J6. Fonseca 1992 Vintage Port - Don is right there: "tastes like port" (yes), I think it's a little spirity, we have some trouble guessing which house
Once again, big props to the providers for a wonderful tasting.
And, indeed, the Virtual Cellar 100 spreadsheet has already acquired new grapes and new regions over the VC50 spreadsheet!
Jay and Eden pouring. All wines served blind, of course.
J1. Ch. La Louviere 1982 Graves Blanc - golden yellow, slightly waxy and funky in a way that suggests old Alsace riesling (no), Chenin? (no), Chard? (no), any Loire? (no), Muscadet? (no), France? (yes), grapes? (yes)... we were getting pretty desperate; then Don guessed White Bordeaux! sound acids ("still kinda steely") and he names the vintage correctly. We talk for a while how this is a really interesting path for sauvignon blanc to take, as none of us thinks semillon ages like this.
Day 2: more oxidized... I'm reaching my limit... so much palate presence, textured and glyceral, I can admire it even if I might put my hand over my glass
E1. Dom. Tempier 2021 Bandol Blanc - Pezzy, face-powder, "reminds me of a baked pie" -Melissa, "orange creamsicle" -Jeff, then we make the usual raft of incorrect guesses - Chard, France, Loire, Bordeaux - but Jay eventually places it in Southern France and that keys Victor, who names Bandol.
Day 2: strong resemblance to white burgundy, not quite so rich in the mid-palate but plenty of yellow slightly-tropical fruit
nota bene: Victor also speaks very highly of "Lulu's Provencal Table", a 1994 cookbook comprised of recipes from Lulu Peyraud, the second-generation owner of Dom. Tempier
J2. Trimbach 2016 Riesling "390eme Anniversaire" - Eden:"Lychee! So, gewurz?" (no), it is fragrant and acidic so we next guess scheurebe? (no), then a whole bunch of other things till we finally reach Alsace and riesling... and therefore Trimbach; the wine is really rich so we guess one of the special anniversary bottlings
Day 2: still going strong, green grapes and flowers and mossy river stones, juicy, light texture but long finish, drink and hold
E2. Dom. Comte Abbatucci 2023 VdF Rose "Faustine" - incredibly pale pink, like water just barely bronzed; some bite but also delicate; Jay is moved to ask whether this is vinifera? (no), this sets us off on the trail of obscure grapes, obscure European grapes, obscure south-of-European grapes, and then Corsica with its famous sciaccarellu (yes); from there it is easy to finish guessing
Day 2: nicely made but not too exciting and not a great QPR wine, Eden admits that she chose it to broaden the selection of grapes in these Zoom calls
nota bene: actually, it is vitis vinifera
E3. Dom. du Castel 2023 "Rose du Castel", Judean Hills - another rose, this one is not delicate, tons of flavor, berries and wax and resin; "lower acid" -Don; after the wine fails to come from France or Italy someone guesses "Iraq?" (close!) so then we guess it is Israeli; but none of us really knows those regions or what grows there so we ask Eden for the reveal (merlot, cab franc, and malbec)
Day 2: the color is definitely rose, rather rich and full, even some tannins grab my throat, this needs a sunny patio, pronto!
E4. Dom. Gonon 2013 St-Joseph - this is young syrah, "lactic in the nose, probably N Rhone" -Jay, we guess a few appellations (I was sure it was Cornas!) but eventually we get around to St-Joseph (yes), "such big tannins!" -Melissa; "deep blue nose but corn kernels in the finish" -Seth; and then we name the maker.
Day 2: the nose is full of blackberries and green olives, kinda like a red zinfandel, but something is wrong on the palate, some kind of spoilage, bleh
E5. Dom. Gonon 2009 St-Joseph - Jay correctly asserts that this is much the same wine as E4, just newer (yes); Seth had the '05 last week so was able to name the producer here, too
Day 2: similar, indeed, but sweeter and with a hint of cinnamon (and no spoilage); very dark red, maroon even, with no evidence of browning; pair this with hearty foods but not too acidic foods; the finish is surprisingly light after that big plush middle
J3. Rhys 2006 Pinot Noir, Home Vineyard, San Mateo County - "medicinal cherry quality, like Sucrets" -Melissa; then she continues, "pinot noir from Oregon?" (no, but close by); there is a little bit of pine in the nose that says CA to me, rather than OR; Don places it in Santa Cruz (yes), and from there it is easy to name Rhys.
Day 2: a bit of tea now, the finish is not long or complex though it is very pure and the acidity is sound; still a little high-toned and piney; but others like it more now than I do: "The Rhys opened up nicely tonight" -Eden
J4. Ch. de la Tour 2006 Clos-Vougeot GC - "Burgundy" -Don, "smoky" -Melissa; I don't have any notes about how we revealed the wine but I do recall that we had placed it into Clos Vougeot and Jay teased us that there are only three makers of Clos Vougeot that he buys and we had already tried two of them...
Day 2: wow, what a pretty nose on this now! it's the iron fist in the velvet glove: silky texture but lots of phenolics, a long and even finish, just juicy enough to make me ask for more, thank you, Jay
J5. Dom. Gouges 1985 Nuits-Saint-Georges "Les Saint Georges" 1er - "pinot noir again?" -Eden (yes), "bottle sweetness so definitely some age here" -Don (yes), we spend some time picking Don's brains about what exactly is bottle sweetness; we guess 90's (no, older), 1er cru (yes), Cotes de Nuits (yes); eventually we get the year but not the village
Day 2: another pretty nose but not so vivid nor so red-fruited as the de la Tour, maybe a little horsey, darker red flavors (think: pomegranate or cranberry), has aged very nicely even if it is finally fading after 48 hours open
nota bene: actually, opened for Victor's benefit but, due to a mix-up, he was the only person who did not get a sample of J5
E6. Ch. Lapuyade 2010 Jurancon "Confidence" - Chenin? (no), Hungarian? (no), Riesling? (no); so much for shooting from the hip... the attack is sweet, the mid-palate is sweet, the finish is kinda brown bread but very persistent; we like it but we're pretty much stumped; "loving it!" -Victor; Seth guesses Jurancon? (yes).
Day 2: about the same, maybe a little silkier; 100% petit manseng
J6. Fonseca 1992 Vintage Port - Don is right there: "tastes like port" (yes), I think it's a little spirity, we have some trouble guessing which house
Once again, big props to the providers for a wonderful tasting.
And, indeed, the Virtual Cellar 100 spreadsheet has already acquired new grapes and new regions over the VC50 spreadsheet!