Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
12/9/09 Szechuan Gourmet, with Gene Vilensky and Salil Benegal
Tasty food: the famous lamb with cumin, pork belly with chili, chicken with chili, whole fish with chili. Despite those names the preparations are different; some hot, some not, but none are out of balance.
And wine:
Gonon 2007 St-Joseph - Salil has been drinking a lot of this lately; sound acidity; as it airs, it starts to show blood and lavender, then starts shutting down; good, if a bit enigmatic tonight
A.J. Adam 2007 Dhron Hofberg Riesling - 2 594 581 03 08; a trocken with 12 g/l rs, Gene thinks this will be GG someday; minerally, acidity adequate, slightly drying, intriguing lactic note
Nigl 1997 Rieling Senftenberger Piri "Privat" - cooked
Karthauserhof 2003 Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofburg Riesling Spatlese - 3 561 303 33 04; corked
Karthauserhof 2006 Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofburg Riesling Kabinett - 3 561 303 10 07; crisp entry, very tight in the middle, going flowery (almost peachy) towards the finish; certainly sweeter than it should be but you can't fight it
Hexamer 2008 Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Riesling Spatlese** - 7 745 028 013 09; opened three hours ago; once we get it re-chilled it gives good snap on entry, still goes soft (sweet limes) in the middle, but finishes well
.
.
2/12/10 I stop by Convivio and Levi starts pouring:
Marie Noelle LeDru NV Champage Extra Brut - probably based on 2002 wines; 85% pinot noir; taut balance, not leesy at all, crisp pinot fruit
Dettori 2006? Bianco Nigolosu Vermentino - orange wine; vermentino fermented in cement and raised in acacia; wow; orange peel, cinnamon, clay; great with umami foods (e.g., shiitake, guanciale)
Castell'in Villa 1996 Chianti Classico - at first I thought the acidity was soft, but it rebounds and is just enough to hold things together; very minerally for chianti; not fruity or ripe but delightful at the table
Vestini Campagnano 2004 Pellagrella Nero - too much school paste on the nose, even though it's better with food
Occhipinti 2006 "SP68" - nero d'avola and frappato; lively, racy VA, filled out a lot since last April, still not the easiest pairing at the table (the quail works)
De Bartoli NV Vecchio Samperi Riserva "Ventennale" - dry marsala; so strange -how can it seem so sweet yet be so absolutely dry? fascinating
.
.
Recent drinking at home:
La Grand'Cave NV Bugey Cerdon, Demi-Sec - $13, bought in Cerdon, the label had a million designations and other info on it; pink, fine bubbles, puckery, maybe not as sweet as it says, reminiscent of a Normandy cider (though not bouchee at all), worked really well at the table
Grosjean 2008 Gamay - $22, crisp and clean, tastes like red candy (but not its evil twin sister, "candied"), becomes more attractive with a few hours in the decanter, it seems to lose some of the sweet stink and gain some depth, the alcohol seems manageable (although the label says 13%)
Occhipinti 2007 IGT "Il Frappato" - $31, what is there left to say... we've all had this wine by now... it was refreshing and charming, and it was better on Day 2
Dom. Mugneret 2006 Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits - $29, berry flavors with a bit of earth and a bit of violets and maybe a bit of cinnamon, what more can you want from a bourgogne?
Joseph Swan 2002 Zinfandel "Zeigler" - $25; restrained, as CA zin goes; pleasant blackberry-brambly sort of thing; not a fruit bomb but not compelling
.
.
2/27/10 When I arrived at Chelsea I was informed that I had just missed Jay Miller. He had blown in and blown out but he had left behind him a spread of five rieslings -- in ascending order of sweetness -- for all to share:
Kunstler 2008 Stielweg, Old Vines, Riesling - pretty and minerally, good zip, there is a little pencil sketch of this wine in the dictionary next to the entry for "Riesling, German, young"
Clemens-Busch 2002 Riesling Auslese Trocken - weirdly viscous and dry; also aging a big strangely; lacks delicacy or charm, really; why bother raising grapes up to auslese ripeness then ferment them back to trocken if the terroir doesn't speak up for itself?
Koeler-Ruprecht 2007 Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Spatlese Halbtrocken - 5 123 147 03 08, all zing and then nothing... no middle, no finish; disappointing
J. Christoffel Jr. 1990 Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese*** - purr; golden raisins (not quite as sweet-ripe as apricots); not cloying at all; this is a wine that can transport you to other places; balm for Life's ills
J. J. Christoffel 2002 Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese - 2 602 041 008 03, really really sweet but nothing else
Tasty food: the famous lamb with cumin, pork belly with chili, chicken with chili, whole fish with chili. Despite those names the preparations are different; some hot, some not, but none are out of balance.
And wine:
Gonon 2007 St-Joseph - Salil has been drinking a lot of this lately; sound acidity; as it airs, it starts to show blood and lavender, then starts shutting down; good, if a bit enigmatic tonight
A.J. Adam 2007 Dhron Hofberg Riesling - 2 594 581 03 08; a trocken with 12 g/l rs, Gene thinks this will be GG someday; minerally, acidity adequate, slightly drying, intriguing lactic note
Nigl 1997 Rieling Senftenberger Piri "Privat" - cooked
Karthauserhof 2003 Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofburg Riesling Spatlese - 3 561 303 33 04; corked
Karthauserhof 2006 Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofburg Riesling Kabinett - 3 561 303 10 07; crisp entry, very tight in the middle, going flowery (almost peachy) towards the finish; certainly sweeter than it should be but you can't fight it
Hexamer 2008 Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Riesling Spatlese** - 7 745 028 013 09; opened three hours ago; once we get it re-chilled it gives good snap on entry, still goes soft (sweet limes) in the middle, but finishes well
.
.
2/12/10 I stop by Convivio and Levi starts pouring:
Marie Noelle LeDru NV Champage Extra Brut - probably based on 2002 wines; 85% pinot noir; taut balance, not leesy at all, crisp pinot fruit
Dettori 2006? Bianco Nigolosu Vermentino - orange wine; vermentino fermented in cement and raised in acacia; wow; orange peel, cinnamon, clay; great with umami foods (e.g., shiitake, guanciale)
Castell'in Villa 1996 Chianti Classico - at first I thought the acidity was soft, but it rebounds and is just enough to hold things together; very minerally for chianti; not fruity or ripe but delightful at the table
Vestini Campagnano 2004 Pellagrella Nero - too much school paste on the nose, even though it's better with food
Occhipinti 2006 "SP68" - nero d'avola and frappato; lively, racy VA, filled out a lot since last April, still not the easiest pairing at the table (the quail works)
De Bartoli NV Vecchio Samperi Riserva "Ventennale" - dry marsala; so strange -how can it seem so sweet yet be so absolutely dry? fascinating
.
.
Recent drinking at home:
La Grand'Cave NV Bugey Cerdon, Demi-Sec - $13, bought in Cerdon, the label had a million designations and other info on it; pink, fine bubbles, puckery, maybe not as sweet as it says, reminiscent of a Normandy cider (though not bouchee at all), worked really well at the table
Grosjean 2008 Gamay - $22, crisp and clean, tastes like red candy (but not its evil twin sister, "candied"), becomes more attractive with a few hours in the decanter, it seems to lose some of the sweet stink and gain some depth, the alcohol seems manageable (although the label says 13%)
Occhipinti 2007 IGT "Il Frappato" - $31, what is there left to say... we've all had this wine by now... it was refreshing and charming, and it was better on Day 2
Dom. Mugneret 2006 Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits - $29, berry flavors with a bit of earth and a bit of violets and maybe a bit of cinnamon, what more can you want from a bourgogne?
Joseph Swan 2002 Zinfandel "Zeigler" - $25; restrained, as CA zin goes; pleasant blackberry-brambly sort of thing; not a fruit bomb but not compelling
.
.
2/27/10 When I arrived at Chelsea I was informed that I had just missed Jay Miller. He had blown in and blown out but he had left behind him a spread of five rieslings -- in ascending order of sweetness -- for all to share:
Kunstler 2008 Stielweg, Old Vines, Riesling - pretty and minerally, good zip, there is a little pencil sketch of this wine in the dictionary next to the entry for "Riesling, German, young"
Clemens-Busch 2002 Riesling Auslese Trocken - weirdly viscous and dry; also aging a big strangely; lacks delicacy or charm, really; why bother raising grapes up to auslese ripeness then ferment them back to trocken if the terroir doesn't speak up for itself?
Koeler-Ruprecht 2007 Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Spatlese Halbtrocken - 5 123 147 03 08, all zing and then nothing... no middle, no finish; disappointing
J. Christoffel Jr. 1990 Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese*** - purr; golden raisins (not quite as sweet-ripe as apricots); not cloying at all; this is a wine that can transport you to other places; balm for Life's ills
J. J. Christoffel 2002 Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese - 2 602 041 008 03, really really sweet but nothing else