Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
A white and a red for the libations table (which was otherwise offering liquor, Lillet, and soft drinks). I opened both of them 2 hours ahead of the guests' appointed arrival hour.
Huet 1990 Vouvray "Le Haut Lieu" Sec - If you just swigged it you'd get the honey and cream and silky texture and the whole 'bottled sunshine' aspect. But the wine has more to share, if you spend a little time to consider how unsweet that honeycomb taste really is; if you smell the gravel driveway and rainwater mixed into the cream; if you wait for the finish but find you're unusually still in a room full of party commotion. The last glass, the next day, retained all the same charm.
Verset 1999 Cornas - Enticing blue-fruited scents waft out of the decanter but basically a straight-up N. Rhone syrah in the glass. The last glass, the next day, stank of old ashtrays when cold and only got a little better when it warmed up to drinking temperature.
Back to the party, the non-Disordered in the room liked the wines. SIL demanded to know what the white was and how to get it. Turns out she's ABC but has not drunk much chenin blanc. FIL, whose usual tipple is "Hearty Burgundy" (really), didn't find the Cornas funky at all and said he liked the fruitiness. Go, Dad.
We convened dinner at a nearby French bistro, where they sell wine by region, not by the label. For 19 people I ordered 6 bottles: Provence rose, Sancerre, Muscadet, Saumur, Vacqueyras, and a pinot noir from the Rheinghau ("Vins du Monde"). The Vacqueyras was supposed to have been a Brouilly but they didn't have it. The pinot was supposed to have been a Cahors but they were sold out of that, too, and the Argentinian malbec they offered in its place was revoltingly candied.
The Sancerre was the big hit, maybe because I started it near the SIL. The Saumur was chilled and delightful. The pinot was a Lyle Fass wine- all minerals and structure, no fruit in sight. The Vacqueyras and the Muscadet were recognizable and serviceable. The rose drinker at the table said the rose was a dud. (Oh, well.)
Looking back on all this, I note that the Loire wines seem to have done very well. My prejudice, or it just runs in the family?
Huet 1990 Vouvray "Le Haut Lieu" Sec - If you just swigged it you'd get the honey and cream and silky texture and the whole 'bottled sunshine' aspect. But the wine has more to share, if you spend a little time to consider how unsweet that honeycomb taste really is; if you smell the gravel driveway and rainwater mixed into the cream; if you wait for the finish but find you're unusually still in a room full of party commotion. The last glass, the next day, retained all the same charm.
Verset 1999 Cornas - Enticing blue-fruited scents waft out of the decanter but basically a straight-up N. Rhone syrah in the glass. The last glass, the next day, stank of old ashtrays when cold and only got a little better when it warmed up to drinking temperature.
Back to the party, the non-Disordered in the room liked the wines. SIL demanded to know what the white was and how to get it. Turns out she's ABC but has not drunk much chenin blanc. FIL, whose usual tipple is "Hearty Burgundy" (really), didn't find the Cornas funky at all and said he liked the fruitiness. Go, Dad.
We convened dinner at a nearby French bistro, where they sell wine by region, not by the label. For 19 people I ordered 6 bottles: Provence rose, Sancerre, Muscadet, Saumur, Vacqueyras, and a pinot noir from the Rheinghau ("Vins du Monde"). The Vacqueyras was supposed to have been a Brouilly but they didn't have it. The pinot was supposed to have been a Cahors but they were sold out of that, too, and the Argentinian malbec they offered in its place was revoltingly candied.
The Sancerre was the big hit, maybe because I started it near the SIL. The Saumur was chilled and delightful. The pinot was a Lyle Fass wine- all minerals and structure, no fruit in sight. The Vacqueyras and the Muscadet were recognizable and serviceable. The rose drinker at the table said the rose was a dud. (Oh, well.)
Looking back on all this, I note that the Loire wines seem to have done very well. My prejudice, or it just runs in the family?