Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
Attendees: Steve Anderson, Dale & Linh Conklin, Fred Corbalis, Mike Green, Jeff Grossman, Bob Henry, Bill Herdle, Gary Hogan, Julian & Terry Maine, Jay Miller, Kriss Reed, Bruce Schneier, Jenise Stone.
Reed's gave us an entire corner of the restaurant to ourselves. I must admit that I was somewhat concerned: I had sat in this corner with some friends just a few nights before, and the food did not impress (bland pastas, teeny crab-cakes, boring sauces).
But, the kitchen did an excellent job tonight: tender scallops, crisp duckling with a not-sweet-at-all orange sauce (the raspberry sauce was much sweeter), pink and flavorful pork loin.
We sat at three tables, and conversation flowed as freely as the wine.
And what wines!
My first time in a room with three Gruner Veltliners, never mind actually getting to taste them. (I know someone thought there were four, but that''s not what my notes say.)
And four wines from the 70's.
The theme was wines from German speaking lands, and this was mostly upheld by the local residents. I believe the four out-of-towners and two newbies managed two Germanic wines among them, the rest being Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, and Italian! (On the other hand, it was observed that Italy was an ally of Germany's in the past, and that various parts of France have been German at various points in their history, so.... :^)
Onward.
1996 Fouassier Pere & Fils, Sancerre "Les Chasseignes" - Jenise''s QPR winner of all time, for $2.99 you get a flowery wine with mild acidity and no horrendous flaws, wow! ...Good
1998 Flowers, Chardonnay, Porter-Bass Vineyard - good tropical fruits, a bit too oaky (but what isn''t in Cal Chard?) but with enough material to be a good drink ...Good
1999 J. L. Wolf, Forster Jesuitgarten Riesling Spatlese Trocken - 5 142 202 08 00, fruity with sharp acidity, slightly drying, slightly lemony, alas it has a short finish ...Good+
1976 G. H. von Mumm, Rudesheimer Bischofsberg Riesling Auslese - 2603201277 (hmm, I copied that directly, but it looks a digit short?), rich golden color, dessert-like (though not sweet), face powder, more viscous than its sibling, complex and occasionally discordant flavors ...Good+
1976 G. H. von Mumm, Johannisberger Schwartzenstein Riesling Auslese - 2603202677, clear bright gold, shows strong minerality in the mouth, but the finish is very mild, I preferred the Bischofsberg ...Good
1999 Knoll, Loibner Gruner Veltliner Federspiel - light body, many bitter notes, a clean finish, Jay suggested this would be excellent with vegetables ...Good
1999 Franz Hirtzberger, Spitzer Gruner Veltliner Rotes Tor Smaragd - medium body, flavors a bit grassy, well-balanced acidity made this my favorite of the G.V.s ...Good+
1998 Muller-Catoir, Haardter Burgergarten Spatlese - 5 174 079 20 99, juicy, zingy acidity keeps this drink lively in the mouth, and the long aromatic finish makes you want more! ...Good+/Excellent
1979 Brundlmayer, Kirchengarten Gruner Veltliner Kamptal - still drinkable, but seems decayed to me ...Fair
1994 Zind-Humbrecht, Gewurztraminer Goldert Gueberschwihr - acidity is way too low, the wine is oily and bitter and not particularly intense, there is much talk at the tables about why Z-H wines never seem to be as good as the Z-H reputation... ...Fair
1989 Peter Nicolay, Urziger Goldwingert Riesling Auslese - 2 576 185 040 90 (hmm, isn''t that one digit too many?), the fruit is disappearing, leaving some odd decayed flavors, still some petrol on the nose, but eh ...Fair/Good
1975 Zach. Bergweiler-Prum, Bernkasteler Schlossberg Riesling Spatlese Trocken - 2 576 185 12 76, nose of coffee cake, strong acidity still (are you sure this wine is that old?), a very slight mustiness, complex flavors (relish?), no fruit but this wine has everything else! ...Excellent
Onward to the reds:
1999 Meyer-Nakel, Dornfelder Erzeugerabfullung Antliche Prufungsnummer - 1 792 159 01 00, low acidity, flowery, watery (Bob: I''d drink this before the Oregons.) ...Fair
1999 Siduri, Pinot Noir, Van Dr Kamp Vineyard - strong acidity, nice oak, ho-hum I thought (Jenise almost leapt across the table at me when I said that -- she''s a killer, don''t let anybody tell you otherwise :^) ...Fair
1999 Autumn Wind, Pinot Noir, Estate Reserve - menthol and heavy extract, no way to know whether this will someday become wine or just solidify into a purple dye tablet ...Good?
1991 Ogier, Cote Rotie - mild menthol, rich, meaty, viscous, still vigorous but I don''t think I''d wait the five years that others suggested, better by itself than with any of the food ...Excellent
1999 Vincent Girardin, Bonnes Mares - noticeable oak, though not stifling, supple & rich, good fruit (Bob: The real deal.), this was perfect with the duck w/Chambord sauce ...Excellent
1996 Dom. Rapet, Pernand "Ile des Vergelesses" 1er - citrus notes, good color, robust without being rustic ...Good+
1993 Dom. Philippe Leclerc, Chambolle-Musigny "Les Babillaires" - nose is funky and very old, still tannic but this was deteriorating badly ...Fair
1997 Camillo Montori, Montepulciano d''Abruzzo "Fonte Gupa" - robust, tannic with a mouthful of sweet spices, this was discovered by Lydia Bastianich but it isn''t being imported currently ...Good+/Excellent
1978 Bruno Giacosa, Barbaresco, Santo Stefano - mushroomy, supple, this was perfect with the pork loin & mushrooms and also perfect with the mashed potatoes (Bob: The real deal.) ...Excellent
1998 Lynch Bages, Pauillac - lead pencil, cassis, wow! this was not infanticide: it is tannic (Newbie #1: It curled my tongue.) but has enough fruit and style to make it work, this was perfect with the duck w/Grand Marnier sauce ...Excellent
1998 Cantina Terlan, "Porphyr" Alto Adige Lagrein Riserva - robust, tannic, deep cab-like flavors, very shy nose, this too was perfect with the duck w/Grand Marnier sauce ...Excellent
And, our one dessert wine of the evening:
1999 Hessige Bergstrasse, Heppenheimer Stemmler Riesling Eiswein - some lychee but the acidity is way too low, flabby ...Fair
Jeff
Reed's gave us an entire corner of the restaurant to ourselves. I must admit that I was somewhat concerned: I had sat in this corner with some friends just a few nights before, and the food did not impress (bland pastas, teeny crab-cakes, boring sauces).
But, the kitchen did an excellent job tonight: tender scallops, crisp duckling with a not-sweet-at-all orange sauce (the raspberry sauce was much sweeter), pink and flavorful pork loin.
We sat at three tables, and conversation flowed as freely as the wine.
And what wines!
My first time in a room with three Gruner Veltliners, never mind actually getting to taste them. (I know someone thought there were four, but that''s not what my notes say.)
And four wines from the 70's.
The theme was wines from German speaking lands, and this was mostly upheld by the local residents. I believe the four out-of-towners and two newbies managed two Germanic wines among them, the rest being Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, and Italian! (On the other hand, it was observed that Italy was an ally of Germany's in the past, and that various parts of France have been German at various points in their history, so.... :^)
Onward.
1996 Fouassier Pere & Fils, Sancerre "Les Chasseignes" - Jenise''s QPR winner of all time, for $2.99 you get a flowery wine with mild acidity and no horrendous flaws, wow! ...Good
1998 Flowers, Chardonnay, Porter-Bass Vineyard - good tropical fruits, a bit too oaky (but what isn''t in Cal Chard?) but with enough material to be a good drink ...Good
1999 J. L. Wolf, Forster Jesuitgarten Riesling Spatlese Trocken - 5 142 202 08 00, fruity with sharp acidity, slightly drying, slightly lemony, alas it has a short finish ...Good+
1976 G. H. von Mumm, Rudesheimer Bischofsberg Riesling Auslese - 2603201277 (hmm, I copied that directly, but it looks a digit short?), rich golden color, dessert-like (though not sweet), face powder, more viscous than its sibling, complex and occasionally discordant flavors ...Good+
1976 G. H. von Mumm, Johannisberger Schwartzenstein Riesling Auslese - 2603202677, clear bright gold, shows strong minerality in the mouth, but the finish is very mild, I preferred the Bischofsberg ...Good
1999 Knoll, Loibner Gruner Veltliner Federspiel - light body, many bitter notes, a clean finish, Jay suggested this would be excellent with vegetables ...Good
1999 Franz Hirtzberger, Spitzer Gruner Veltliner Rotes Tor Smaragd - medium body, flavors a bit grassy, well-balanced acidity made this my favorite of the G.V.s ...Good+
1998 Muller-Catoir, Haardter Burgergarten Spatlese - 5 174 079 20 99, juicy, zingy acidity keeps this drink lively in the mouth, and the long aromatic finish makes you want more! ...Good+/Excellent
1979 Brundlmayer, Kirchengarten Gruner Veltliner Kamptal - still drinkable, but seems decayed to me ...Fair
1994 Zind-Humbrecht, Gewurztraminer Goldert Gueberschwihr - acidity is way too low, the wine is oily and bitter and not particularly intense, there is much talk at the tables about why Z-H wines never seem to be as good as the Z-H reputation... ...Fair
1989 Peter Nicolay, Urziger Goldwingert Riesling Auslese - 2 576 185 040 90 (hmm, isn''t that one digit too many?), the fruit is disappearing, leaving some odd decayed flavors, still some petrol on the nose, but eh ...Fair/Good
1975 Zach. Bergweiler-Prum, Bernkasteler Schlossberg Riesling Spatlese Trocken - 2 576 185 12 76, nose of coffee cake, strong acidity still (are you sure this wine is that old?), a very slight mustiness, complex flavors (relish?), no fruit but this wine has everything else! ...Excellent
Onward to the reds:
1999 Meyer-Nakel, Dornfelder Erzeugerabfullung Antliche Prufungsnummer - 1 792 159 01 00, low acidity, flowery, watery (Bob: I''d drink this before the Oregons.) ...Fair
1999 Siduri, Pinot Noir, Van Dr Kamp Vineyard - strong acidity, nice oak, ho-hum I thought (Jenise almost leapt across the table at me when I said that -- she''s a killer, don''t let anybody tell you otherwise :^) ...Fair
1999 Autumn Wind, Pinot Noir, Estate Reserve - menthol and heavy extract, no way to know whether this will someday become wine or just solidify into a purple dye tablet ...Good?
1991 Ogier, Cote Rotie - mild menthol, rich, meaty, viscous, still vigorous but I don''t think I''d wait the five years that others suggested, better by itself than with any of the food ...Excellent
1999 Vincent Girardin, Bonnes Mares - noticeable oak, though not stifling, supple & rich, good fruit (Bob: The real deal.), this was perfect with the duck w/Chambord sauce ...Excellent
1996 Dom. Rapet, Pernand "Ile des Vergelesses" 1er - citrus notes, good color, robust without being rustic ...Good+
1993 Dom. Philippe Leclerc, Chambolle-Musigny "Les Babillaires" - nose is funky and very old, still tannic but this was deteriorating badly ...Fair
1997 Camillo Montori, Montepulciano d''Abruzzo "Fonte Gupa" - robust, tannic with a mouthful of sweet spices, this was discovered by Lydia Bastianich but it isn''t being imported currently ...Good+/Excellent
1978 Bruno Giacosa, Barbaresco, Santo Stefano - mushroomy, supple, this was perfect with the pork loin & mushrooms and also perfect with the mashed potatoes (Bob: The real deal.) ...Excellent
1998 Lynch Bages, Pauillac - lead pencil, cassis, wow! this was not infanticide: it is tannic (Newbie #1: It curled my tongue.) but has enough fruit and style to make it work, this was perfect with the duck w/Grand Marnier sauce ...Excellent
1998 Cantina Terlan, "Porphyr" Alto Adige Lagrein Riserva - robust, tannic, deep cab-like flavors, very shy nose, this too was perfect with the duck w/Grand Marnier sauce ...Excellent
And, our one dessert wine of the evening:
1999 Hessige Bergstrasse, Heppenheimer Stemmler Riesling Eiswein - some lychee but the acidity is way too low, flabby ...Fair
Jeff