TN: A jeebus for Guthrie (May 25, 2009)

[Jeff Grossman]

Memorial Day. Peking Duck House. A fairly spontaneous event to welcome Wells Guthrie, the winemaker at Copain, to NYC.

With regard to the warmth of the welcome, the airlines made the first move and delayed Wells' luggage. So, we didn't have quite as many Copain wines at the table as we thought we might. The extra hassles also took another toll on Wells: he hadn't eaten all day, so he is one of the few people at the table to have seconds of the duck feet skin appetizer.

But we do manage to get three whole birds carved up for us, and, of course, our charming personalities and witty banter soon make the evening right.

Attendees: Wells Guthrie, Jay Miller, Jeff Grossman, Sharon Bowman, John Morris, Keith Levenberg

Wines were generally had in this order:

Frick 2006 Blanc de Noir - yes, pinot noir vinified white; at first it was served too warm and it showed honey and honeydew; after chilling, I thought it got bitter and showed its alcohol too much

Descombes 2005 Brouilly - pretty wine: some acidity, some berries, some funky gamay smells; wide open for business

Agrapart NV Blancs de Blancs "Les 7 Crus" - Sharon says this is based on 2004 wines; chalky, good balance, what a great find (and pricing isn't bad, either)

Remoriquet 1988 Nuits-St-Georges "Les Bousselots" - musty and approaching dead

Mondavi 1977 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - a bit soft, simple palate of berries and cheese, even so it was pretty

Dom. Engel 1998 Grands-Echezeaux GC - gorgeous wine

Dom. Engel 1998 Vosne-Romanee "Les Brulees" 1er - this, on the other hand, smells like baby diapers; it's different in the mouth but too stinky to drinky

Rostaing 2001 Cote-Rotie - there's really nothing wrong with this bottle but there really isn't anything great about it, either; if this were my introduction to Cote-Rotie I would be left wondering what all the excitement was about; this is almost always my experience with Rostaing

Copain 2006 Pinot Noir, Kiser "En Haut" - pretty, pebbly, good thrust (even, perhaps, too much not-quite-cola-not-quite-fruit-iness); worth trying again

Verset 1997 Cornas - this bottle is singing aloud: very little of the Verset shoe-polish (which troubles me) and lots of ready Cornas blue fruit and earth

Schaefer 2002 Graacher Himmelreich Riesling - "2 583 154 02 03, green apple, yum" -- that's all it says in my most-drunken handwriting

 

[VLM]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Descombes 2005 Brouilly - pretty wine: some acidity, some berries, some funky gamay smells; wide open for business

I sent my mother off to visit her sister with a few bottles of this and they both fell completely in love. I guess I know what to get her for her birthday now.

Lovely wine.

Rostaing 2001 Cote-Rotie - there's really nothing wrong with this bottle but there really isn't anything great about it, either; if this were my introduction to Cote-Rotie I would be left wondering what all the excitement was about; this is almost always my experience with Rostaing

My take on Rostaing exactly. Completely innocuous.

 

[Keith Levenberg]

Can't say the Rostaing was a textbook Cote-Rotie but I really enjoyed it as syrah. I loved its lean, peppery figure at 12.5% alc. Spoofalicious!

 

[Rahsaan]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman: some funky gamay smells

Since when is gamay funky?

Shouldn't that be "funk on top of the gamay smells"?

 

[Jeff Grossman]

Gamay is sometimes funky, hence the need for two adjectives on "smell".

I think young gamay sometimes - often - has a recognizable 'just took something out of its plastic wrap' or 'new car' smell. (Those descriptors are approximate. And, yes, I drink Musar.)

 

[Rahsaan]

originally posted by Jeff Grossman: I think young gamay sometimes - often - has a recognizable 'just took something out of its plastic wrap' or 'new car' smell. (Those descriptors are approximate...

Ok, if that is funk, perhaps.

Will think about it.