Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Brad, Don+Melissa, Jay, Jayson, JeffC, JeffG, Jonathan, Lisa
A fabulous vintage from 35 years ago. Time for a round-number retrospective!
As usual for a big-do event Brad rounds up the wines and the troops, we gather Chez Rice, load up the dining room table -- current hot pick is Jonathan's gluten-free breads -- and take a good close look at the guests of honor:
Actually, I meant the wines:
Let's see those sweeties close up:
An extra!
The vintage happened right around the time this crowd started collecting wines so a few of us have to go shopping for suitable bottles.
(Note: No Robert Denis wines tonight as they are likely only 1/3 of the way to maturity.)
RED
#1 Lena Filliatreau 1990 Saumur-Champigny "La Grande Vignolle" – 12.5%, "candy apple" -Mel, "old pipe smoke" -Jayson, there is a little VA here but in a lifting role, wonderful nose and a gentle palate, a faint whiff of citrus peel, the finish holds steady, elderly but wow
#2 Couly-Dutheil 1990 Chinon "Clos de l'Olive" – 12.5%, more youthful than the F, more primary fruit and power on the nose, yet the palate is a little milder
#. Dom. de la Noblaie 1990 Chinon - corked
#3 Château de la Grille 1990 Chinon – 12%, pretty nose!, maybe there is a little schoolpaste funk but this is a straight up, textbook Chinon, palate is bright and full of red cherry fruit
#4 Olga Raffault 1990 Chinon "Les Picasses" – 12.5%, stronger wine yet, a little brett (as I often find in Olga), medium-weight despite the fragrant red-fruited onslaught, wow
#5 Joguet 1990 Chinon "Clos de la Dioterie" – 12.5%, not just textbook... this wine wrote the textbook, "polished and elegant" -Mel, more than any other red the nose and the palate align, poised and delicious, WOTF
WHITE
#. Joly 1990 Savennieres "Clos de la Coulée de Serrant" - corked
#6 Marc Brédif 1990 Vouvray "Grande Année" – 12.5%, just so ripeness, vivid acids, and, alas, very slightly corked: runs like a tin can from the attack to the finish; so much for dry whites
Just a note about how these events really proceed.
We start with a brief examination of the dining table, unless you're a cook, in which case it takes longer. Possibly there is a visit to the pantry closet or the kitchen or the separate desserts table.
Then we stand around and talk to each other, or marvel at various interesting things in Don & Melissa's living roo m. Suddenly, someone is thirsty. Or curious. Or senses their sanity slipping away as they only hover nearby a dozen+ elixir bottles... and then, everyone jumps in where they wish.
Now, some clever person, even perhaps Sasha, tries to arrange the bottles in some kind of order, perhaps by intensity or sweetness or quality (though past performance is no guarantee of future returns). Some people follow this plan. Some argue with this plan. Some go more slowly, admiring or gawking, as the case may be, while others dispense with gawking and move on right away. The net effect is that exclamations about this or that perception are inevitably followed with "Is that the Pinon?" (or whatever is color-appropriate for the exclaimer's glass).
But of course meditative moments do happen:
Meditation with Lamp
Continuing with the tasting:
SWEET
#7 Dom. Pichot 1990 Vouvray Moelleux "Dom. Le Peu de Moriette" - DOA
#8 Dom. Deletang 1990 Grande Reserve Tris Moelleux "Les Petits Boulay" – delicately sweet, simmered apricot flavor (but not that intensity), long finish, this wine is just amazing eaten with pecans!
#9 Dom. des Baumards 1990 Coteaux du Layon (Paon) – also delicate, vanilla, clean (no rot, no VA) but a little dull
#10 Dom. de la Charriere 1990 Jasnieres, Selection de Raisins Nobles – the style suggests a dessert and there is some sweetness here but it is dry-ish on entry and noticeably less sweet than the past two wines, a pleasant surprise but I think Jeff plans to bring a different Jasnieres next time
#11 Dom. des Baumards 1990 Coteaux du Layon "Clos de St.-Catherine" – broadly similar to the Paon but sweeter, pear flavors mingle with the golden fruit, a bit delicate but my mouth waters for minutes afterward (that's a good thing)
#12 Dom. Pinon 1990 Vouvray "Cuvée Botrytis" – rather clear and pale color which is a surprise among all these golden oldies; and let's start with wow: so much fruit and silk and a bitter note that screams 'marmalade', the noble rot is not as heavy-handed as the name might suggest, one of everyone's favorites
#13 Dom. Pinon 1990 Vouvray "La Goutte d'Or" - ...and this one is rather a dark gold, nearly mahogany, like its sibling but here the botrytis is smoky and pronounced, toast?, unlike its sibling, this wine shows the characteristic Pinon honey
#14 Dom. Huet 1990 Vouvray Moelleux "Le Mont" "1ere Trie" – dark as coffee (OK, with a little translucency), this is much sweeter than the Pinons and the acidity is full and forward and tingly; that's three wow in a row
#15 Dom. Huet 1990 Vouvray Moelleux "Clos du Bourg" "1ere Trie" – dark as tea, more effusive nose than the Le Mont, also incredibly rich and full and sweet squared; I like the Le Mont better because in this wine the sweetness overwhelms the terroir signature
#16 Dom. Foreau 1990 Vouvray Moelleux Reserve – corked in the same way as the Bredif, a flat metallic note piercing it from front to back; FWIW, we did taste it... so, so, so sweet, this must be 200g rs with an old moccasin in it: worn leather and forest debris; caramelly finish
EXTRA
#17 Dom. Huet 1959 Vouvray Demi-Sec Perlant – Don is constitutionally incapable of letting things end like that so he brings out a unicorn... "flan" -Brad, there is a bit of vanilla and caramel, still a faint prickle of fizz, 11.5%; someone jested that, at the end of the season, Gaston simply took everything that wouldn't ferment properly, dosed it, and bottled it :^)
--
Speaking for myself, the Joguet swept the Reds category, trichloranisole swept the Whites category, and it was a three-way win for Pinon and Le Mont in the Sweets category.
Thanks to Brad, as always, for his impromptu photo shoots (most of the pictures here).
A fabulous vintage from 35 years ago. Time for a round-number retrospective!
As usual for a big-do event Brad rounds up the wines and the troops, we gather Chez Rice, load up the dining room table -- current hot pick is Jonathan's gluten-free breads -- and take a good close look at the guests of honor:
Actually, I meant the wines:
Let's see those sweeties close up:
An extra!
The vintage happened right around the time this crowd started collecting wines so a few of us have to go shopping for suitable bottles.
(Note: No Robert Denis wines tonight as they are likely only 1/3 of the way to maturity.)
RED
#1 Lena Filliatreau 1990 Saumur-Champigny "La Grande Vignolle" – 12.5%, "candy apple" -Mel, "old pipe smoke" -Jayson, there is a little VA here but in a lifting role, wonderful nose and a gentle palate, a faint whiff of citrus peel, the finish holds steady, elderly but wow
#2 Couly-Dutheil 1990 Chinon "Clos de l'Olive" – 12.5%, more youthful than the F, more primary fruit and power on the nose, yet the palate is a little milder
#. Dom. de la Noblaie 1990 Chinon - corked
#3 Château de la Grille 1990 Chinon – 12%, pretty nose!, maybe there is a little schoolpaste funk but this is a straight up, textbook Chinon, palate is bright and full of red cherry fruit
#4 Olga Raffault 1990 Chinon "Les Picasses" – 12.5%, stronger wine yet, a little brett (as I often find in Olga), medium-weight despite the fragrant red-fruited onslaught, wow
#5 Joguet 1990 Chinon "Clos de la Dioterie" – 12.5%, not just textbook... this wine wrote the textbook, "polished and elegant" -Mel, more than any other red the nose and the palate align, poised and delicious, WOTF
WHITE
#. Joly 1990 Savennieres "Clos de la Coulée de Serrant" - corked
#6 Marc Brédif 1990 Vouvray "Grande Année" – 12.5%, just so ripeness, vivid acids, and, alas, very slightly corked: runs like a tin can from the attack to the finish; so much for dry whites
Just a note about how these events really proceed.
We start with a brief examination of the dining table, unless you're a cook, in which case it takes longer. Possibly there is a visit to the pantry closet or the kitchen or the separate desserts table.
Then we stand around and talk to each other, or marvel at various interesting things in Don & Melissa's living roo m. Suddenly, someone is thirsty. Or curious. Or senses their sanity slipping away as they only hover nearby a dozen+ elixir bottles... and then, everyone jumps in where they wish.
Now, some clever person, even perhaps Sasha, tries to arrange the bottles in some kind of order, perhaps by intensity or sweetness or quality (though past performance is no guarantee of future returns). Some people follow this plan. Some argue with this plan. Some go more slowly, admiring or gawking, as the case may be, while others dispense with gawking and move on right away. The net effect is that exclamations about this or that perception are inevitably followed with "Is that the Pinon?" (or whatever is color-appropriate for the exclaimer's glass).
But of course meditative moments do happen:
Meditation with Lamp
Continuing with the tasting:
SWEET
#7 Dom. Pichot 1990 Vouvray Moelleux "Dom. Le Peu de Moriette" - DOA
#8 Dom. Deletang 1990 Grande Reserve Tris Moelleux "Les Petits Boulay" – delicately sweet, simmered apricot flavor (but not that intensity), long finish, this wine is just amazing eaten with pecans!
#9 Dom. des Baumards 1990 Coteaux du Layon (Paon) – also delicate, vanilla, clean (no rot, no VA) but a little dull
#10 Dom. de la Charriere 1990 Jasnieres, Selection de Raisins Nobles – the style suggests a dessert and there is some sweetness here but it is dry-ish on entry and noticeably less sweet than the past two wines, a pleasant surprise but I think Jeff plans to bring a different Jasnieres next time
#11 Dom. des Baumards 1990 Coteaux du Layon "Clos de St.-Catherine" – broadly similar to the Paon but sweeter, pear flavors mingle with the golden fruit, a bit delicate but my mouth waters for minutes afterward (that's a good thing)
#12 Dom. Pinon 1990 Vouvray "Cuvée Botrytis" – rather clear and pale color which is a surprise among all these golden oldies; and let's start with wow: so much fruit and silk and a bitter note that screams 'marmalade', the noble rot is not as heavy-handed as the name might suggest, one of everyone's favorites
#13 Dom. Pinon 1990 Vouvray "La Goutte d'Or" - ...and this one is rather a dark gold, nearly mahogany, like its sibling but here the botrytis is smoky and pronounced, toast?, unlike its sibling, this wine shows the characteristic Pinon honey
#14 Dom. Huet 1990 Vouvray Moelleux "Le Mont" "1ere Trie" – dark as coffee (OK, with a little translucency), this is much sweeter than the Pinons and the acidity is full and forward and tingly; that's three wow in a row
#15 Dom. Huet 1990 Vouvray Moelleux "Clos du Bourg" "1ere Trie" – dark as tea, more effusive nose than the Le Mont, also incredibly rich and full and sweet squared; I like the Le Mont better because in this wine the sweetness overwhelms the terroir signature
#16 Dom. Foreau 1990 Vouvray Moelleux Reserve – corked in the same way as the Bredif, a flat metallic note piercing it from front to back; FWIW, we did taste it... so, so, so sweet, this must be 200g rs with an old moccasin in it: worn leather and forest debris; caramelly finish
EXTRA
#17 Dom. Huet 1959 Vouvray Demi-Sec Perlant – Don is constitutionally incapable of letting things end like that so he brings out a unicorn... "flan" -Brad, there is a bit of vanilla and caramel, still a faint prickle of fizz, 11.5%; someone jested that, at the end of the season, Gaston simply took everything that wouldn't ferment properly, dosed it, and bottled it :^)
--
Speaking for myself, the Joguet swept the Reds category, trichloranisole swept the Whites category, and it was a three-way win for Pinon and Le Mont in the Sweets category.
Thanks to Brad, as always, for his impromptu photo shoots (most of the pictures here).
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