Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
People up on shoulders.
Italians singing French children's songs.
Improbable things happen at Chateauneuf du Joe when you mingle great wine, great food, and great people.
Wines I tasted:
Larmandier-Bernier 2006(dis.) Champagne "Terre de Vertus" - magnum, blanc de blancs, brut nature, well-balanced and vivid
Pinon 04 Vouvray Petillant - magnum, fizz, still so young, not very chenin-like to me but what do I know
Renardet-Fache NV Bugey-Cerdon Rose, Demi-Sec - "FR-BIO-01", beautiful, a glass of roses and more roses, barely but delicately sweet
Luneau-Papin 1997 Muscadet "Le L d'Or" - corked
Dom. Pepiere 2007 Muscadet - it's usual zippy self
F. Cotat 2000 Chavignol Rose - still crisp, pale faded strawberries with a hint of white pepper in the finish
F. Cotat 2004 Chavignol Rose - a tad sweeter than it's sibling
Puffeney 2007 Arbois "Poulsard M" - refreshing acidity, olives, something grippy (but poulsard isn't a very tannic grape, is it?)
Foillard 2006 Morgon "Cuvee 3.14" - magnum, red-fruity, young and supple, it's a shame I can't hold onto this for a couple hours to watch it open
Ch. Pape-Clement 1966 Graves - magnum, satin, tannins perceptible only way at the end of the finish, no overt fruit or tobacco but melded together, gorgeous
Lapierre 2009 Morgon - very pretty, very fruity, a bit hot though
Estrella River Winery 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon (San Luis Obispo) - Brad + Winebid = old Cal Cab bonanza: warm-climate fruit (sweet, glyceral, raspberry syrup-y), a bit simple but the addition of tertiary scents makes me contemplative
Davero 2008 Sagrantino (Dry Creek Valley) - Alice's wine, in a most un-green-friendly bottle, gentle tannins but quite herby (specifically, oregano)
La Clarine Farm 2008 Mourvedre - natural wine from CA, soft and bland
La Clarine Farm 2009 Syrah "Sumu Kaw" - inky-black, generic wine
Ch. Margaux 1990 Pavillon Rouge - akin to the Estrella: red raspberries, gently fading, enough acidity to hold it together, a nice contrast to the younger wines
Ch. Musar 1991 Rouge - vigorous, beautiful, not very volatile but a bit high-toned
Antoine Arena NV VdT "Grotte di Sole" - Corsica, also high-toned, juicy, reminds me of carrots (in a good way)
Descombes 2007 Regnie - light, suave, delicate, very likable
Frog's Leap 1987 Cabernet Sauvignon - old Cal Cab #2: a little less moody than the Estrella and better zip
Robert Denis 1995 Azay-le-Rideau - "Last of the buffalo" says Joe; he also tells the story of buying this bottle from the 80-year-old winemaker, who told him that it is a 50-year wine and, if not, to bring it back...; a ton of sulfur in here, a whiff of swimming pool, too; does not encourage me to go further with it
Vose Vineyard 1977 Cabernet Sauvignon - old Cal Cab #3: a little less ripe than the others; I'm later told this was lightly corked
Clos Roche Blanche 2008 Gamay - strawberry heaven, crisp and crunchy and so pure
Descombes 2007 Morgon - zing! a much darker, earthier profile than the CRB
Bonnaventure 2008 Chinon "Les Picasses" - a whiff of butter, nice enough
Clos de la Roilette 2009 Fleurie - good but bubble-gummy to me, I'm not the best person to review this wine
Dom. de Moulin 2009 Cheverny Rouge "Desire" - magnum, 100% pinot noir, absolutely gulpable but there is brett lurking (so drink sooner rather than later)
La Pascole (Bruno Duchene) 2009 Collioure Rouge "l'Anodine" - magnum, OK
Les Champs Libre (Ribo) 2007 VdP de l'Ardeche "Lard, des Choix" - funky, a bit of school-paste, probably a little too "natural" for its own good
Thevenet 2009 Regnie "Grain et Granit" - gorgeous, old vines winey-ness
Luneau-Papin 2004 Muscadet "Le L d'Or" - good, a bit soft, "Too ripe" says Alice
Mosse NV VdT "La Lettre a Elise" - stylishly slightly ox, Savennieres-ish
Dom. Baudry 2007 Chinon - licoricey, robust open for business (maybe I will take Matthieu's advice to pop the cork on 07 Croix Boissee)
Golden 1954 Vino de Mesa "Vevi" - two 375 ml, coconut medicine, bleh (sherry isn't my beat, either)
Nusserhof 2009 Sudtirol Lagrein Kretzer - pink wine, sickly sweet raspberry soda, bleh
Rousseau 2008 Bourgogne Blanc - who knew? Eric brought this with him; .sasha claims to have lost one in Joe's cellar; in any case, crisp and light and not at all ripe, nice
Dom. de Belliviere 2002 Coteaux de Loir "Hommage a Louis Derre" - hearty, beefy, peppery, I like this a lot, provokes some discussion between Victor and Josh about the market value of traditionally marginal grapes
Lopez de Heredia 1991 Rioja GR "Vina Tondonia" - OMG, transparent, slinky, dancing, did I say OMG yet?
Prager 1999 Weissenkirchen Riesling Smaragd Klaus - "The big boy" says Josh; wow, so intense that it gives an oily, viscous impression
Dom. de Belliviere 2007 Jasnieres "Les Rosiers" - good
Ch. de Bellevue 1998 Lussac-St-Emilion - dull, many winemakers taste it and dump it right out; someone later suggests it's scalped
Saintsbury 2007 Pinot Noir - OK
Dom. Pepiere 1999 Muscadet VV "Clos des Briords" - softened but not soft, with age the flavors have moved towards peach-y; yum
Q. Infantado 1988 Port LBV - sweetly softly brown sugar
Huet 1971 Vouvray Demi-Sec "Le Haut Lieu" - so sharp, not sweet anymore (I guess the sweetness really does fade?), finish lasts forever, what is beyond OMG?
Dom. de l'Ecu (Guy Bossard) 2009 Muscadet "Expression de Granite" - um, can't taste it after the Huet... sorry
Merieau 2004 Vouvray "Fleuve Blanc" - cork comes out too easily; dead
Jones 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon - this sat unopened on the table for the longest time... no love for the Napa wine(!); Josh finally opens it: sweet, bourbon-ish, "Painful" someone says
Lopez de Heredia 2000 Rioja GR Rosato "Vina Tondonia" - so salty, so savory, so minerally, David Lillie thinks it very much needs food to play off of
Dom. Weinbach 1998 Riesling Schlossberg, Cuvee St-Catherine, "l'Inedit" - very apricot, intense, so much life
Brundlmayr 1997 Gruner Veltliner, Alte Reben - 180-degree turn: also intense but so dry! full lanolin feel
Nigl 1997 Gruner Veltliner "Privat" - easier to drink than the last two! less grippy, less assertive
Wines I did not get to taste:
the bottle of Renardet-Fache that exploded on Kevin
the bottle of 2003 Chavignol Rose in Joe's hands when I left
Metras 2008 Fleurie
De Moor 2008 Aligote
Les Cailloux du Paradis (Claude Courtois) 2005 VdP du Loir "Racines"
Clos de la Roilette 2009 Fleurie "Cuvee Tardive"
Dom. Baudry 2007 Chinon "Les Granges"
Dom. Matassa 2008 VdP du Cotes Catalanes "Cuvee Marguerite"
G. Mascarello 2001 Barbera d'Alba "Codana" - very young
Vatan 2002 Sancerre "Clos la Neore" - corked
Occhipinti 2010 Brut Sur Lie "Anteprima"
Dom. de Souch 2007 Jurancon Sec
Dom. de l'Ecu (Guy Bossard) 2009 Muscadet "Expression de Granite" - another
Knoll 1996 Ries Schutt Durnsteiner Riesling
Lopez de Heredia 1978 Rioja GR "Vina Tondonia"
Pichler 2001 Weissenkirchner Achleiten Riesling Smaragd
Dom. de Beliiviere 2009 Pineau d'Aunis Rose "Les Giroflees"
O. Raffault 2005 Chinon "Les Picasses"
Clos Roche Blanche 2005 Cabernet - I think
La Terre Dorees (JP Brun) ?? "Cuvee l'Ancien" - I think
Dashe Cellars 2009 Grenache "L'Enfant Terrible"
Food (there was more):
charcuterie: lamb pastrami, mortadella, salami, pate w/prunes, pate w/hazelnuts, a third pate
salsa: guacamole, red salsa, green salsa (cooked), pico de gallo, jicama & cucumber
artichoke frittata
Joao's bean salad
Brad's sliced pork
Josh's duck, smoked duck, and rabbit gumbo
Joe and Josefa's molé negro de Teotitlán, black beans (vegetarian), red beans, poblano rice (smokin' vid)
cheeses: three hard and three blue (incl. Stilton)
Guests:
SFJoe, the host
Josefa, the hostess
Mark, Josefa's husband, a.k.a. the masa mule
Brad Kane, and camera
Steve Edmund
Kevin McKenna
Jeff C, and his bread
Don Rice
David Lillie
Scott Reiner
Josh Raynolds
.sasha
Cesar
Victor
Levi
and more...
and just about every Dressner vigneron/ne: Joao, Arianna, Jean-Paul, Sasha, Michel, Matthieu, Nadia, Marc, Frank, and more...
Italians singing French children's songs.
Improbable things happen at Chateauneuf du Joe when you mingle great wine, great food, and great people.
Wines I tasted:
Larmandier-Bernier 2006(dis.) Champagne "Terre de Vertus" - magnum, blanc de blancs, brut nature, well-balanced and vivid
Pinon 04 Vouvray Petillant - magnum, fizz, still so young, not very chenin-like to me but what do I know
Renardet-Fache NV Bugey-Cerdon Rose, Demi-Sec - "FR-BIO-01", beautiful, a glass of roses and more roses, barely but delicately sweet
Luneau-Papin 1997 Muscadet "Le L d'Or" - corked
Dom. Pepiere 2007 Muscadet - it's usual zippy self
F. Cotat 2000 Chavignol Rose - still crisp, pale faded strawberries with a hint of white pepper in the finish
F. Cotat 2004 Chavignol Rose - a tad sweeter than it's sibling
Puffeney 2007 Arbois "Poulsard M" - refreshing acidity, olives, something grippy (but poulsard isn't a very tannic grape, is it?)
Foillard 2006 Morgon "Cuvee 3.14" - magnum, red-fruity, young and supple, it's a shame I can't hold onto this for a couple hours to watch it open
Ch. Pape-Clement 1966 Graves - magnum, satin, tannins perceptible only way at the end of the finish, no overt fruit or tobacco but melded together, gorgeous
Lapierre 2009 Morgon - very pretty, very fruity, a bit hot though
Estrella River Winery 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon (San Luis Obispo) - Brad + Winebid = old Cal Cab bonanza: warm-climate fruit (sweet, glyceral, raspberry syrup-y), a bit simple but the addition of tertiary scents makes me contemplative
Davero 2008 Sagrantino (Dry Creek Valley) - Alice's wine, in a most un-green-friendly bottle, gentle tannins but quite herby (specifically, oregano)
La Clarine Farm 2008 Mourvedre - natural wine from CA, soft and bland
La Clarine Farm 2009 Syrah "Sumu Kaw" - inky-black, generic wine
Ch. Margaux 1990 Pavillon Rouge - akin to the Estrella: red raspberries, gently fading, enough acidity to hold it together, a nice contrast to the younger wines
Ch. Musar 1991 Rouge - vigorous, beautiful, not very volatile but a bit high-toned
Antoine Arena NV VdT "Grotte di Sole" - Corsica, also high-toned, juicy, reminds me of carrots (in a good way)
Descombes 2007 Regnie - light, suave, delicate, very likable
Frog's Leap 1987 Cabernet Sauvignon - old Cal Cab #2: a little less moody than the Estrella and better zip
Robert Denis 1995 Azay-le-Rideau - "Last of the buffalo" says Joe; he also tells the story of buying this bottle from the 80-year-old winemaker, who told him that it is a 50-year wine and, if not, to bring it back...; a ton of sulfur in here, a whiff of swimming pool, too; does not encourage me to go further with it
Vose Vineyard 1977 Cabernet Sauvignon - old Cal Cab #3: a little less ripe than the others; I'm later told this was lightly corked
Clos Roche Blanche 2008 Gamay - strawberry heaven, crisp and crunchy and so pure
Descombes 2007 Morgon - zing! a much darker, earthier profile than the CRB
Bonnaventure 2008 Chinon "Les Picasses" - a whiff of butter, nice enough
Clos de la Roilette 2009 Fleurie - good but bubble-gummy to me, I'm not the best person to review this wine
Dom. de Moulin 2009 Cheverny Rouge "Desire" - magnum, 100% pinot noir, absolutely gulpable but there is brett lurking (so drink sooner rather than later)
La Pascole (Bruno Duchene) 2009 Collioure Rouge "l'Anodine" - magnum, OK
Les Champs Libre (Ribo) 2007 VdP de l'Ardeche "Lard, des Choix" - funky, a bit of school-paste, probably a little too "natural" for its own good
Thevenet 2009 Regnie "Grain et Granit" - gorgeous, old vines winey-ness
Luneau-Papin 2004 Muscadet "Le L d'Or" - good, a bit soft, "Too ripe" says Alice
Mosse NV VdT "La Lettre a Elise" - stylishly slightly ox, Savennieres-ish
Dom. Baudry 2007 Chinon - licoricey, robust open for business (maybe I will take Matthieu's advice to pop the cork on 07 Croix Boissee)
Golden 1954 Vino de Mesa "Vevi" - two 375 ml, coconut medicine, bleh (sherry isn't my beat, either)
Nusserhof 2009 Sudtirol Lagrein Kretzer - pink wine, sickly sweet raspberry soda, bleh
Rousseau 2008 Bourgogne Blanc - who knew? Eric brought this with him; .sasha claims to have lost one in Joe's cellar; in any case, crisp and light and not at all ripe, nice
Dom. de Belliviere 2002 Coteaux de Loir "Hommage a Louis Derre" - hearty, beefy, peppery, I like this a lot, provokes some discussion between Victor and Josh about the market value of traditionally marginal grapes
Lopez de Heredia 1991 Rioja GR "Vina Tondonia" - OMG, transparent, slinky, dancing, did I say OMG yet?
Prager 1999 Weissenkirchen Riesling Smaragd Klaus - "The big boy" says Josh; wow, so intense that it gives an oily, viscous impression
Dom. de Belliviere 2007 Jasnieres "Les Rosiers" - good
Ch. de Bellevue 1998 Lussac-St-Emilion - dull, many winemakers taste it and dump it right out; someone later suggests it's scalped
Saintsbury 2007 Pinot Noir - OK
Dom. Pepiere 1999 Muscadet VV "Clos des Briords" - softened but not soft, with age the flavors have moved towards peach-y; yum
Q. Infantado 1988 Port LBV - sweetly softly brown sugar
Huet 1971 Vouvray Demi-Sec "Le Haut Lieu" - so sharp, not sweet anymore (I guess the sweetness really does fade?), finish lasts forever, what is beyond OMG?
Dom. de l'Ecu (Guy Bossard) 2009 Muscadet "Expression de Granite" - um, can't taste it after the Huet... sorry
Merieau 2004 Vouvray "Fleuve Blanc" - cork comes out too easily; dead
Jones 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon - this sat unopened on the table for the longest time... no love for the Napa wine(!); Josh finally opens it: sweet, bourbon-ish, "Painful" someone says
Lopez de Heredia 2000 Rioja GR Rosato "Vina Tondonia" - so salty, so savory, so minerally, David Lillie thinks it very much needs food to play off of
Dom. Weinbach 1998 Riesling Schlossberg, Cuvee St-Catherine, "l'Inedit" - very apricot, intense, so much life
Brundlmayr 1997 Gruner Veltliner, Alte Reben - 180-degree turn: also intense but so dry! full lanolin feel
Nigl 1997 Gruner Veltliner "Privat" - easier to drink than the last two! less grippy, less assertive
Wines I did not get to taste:
the bottle of Renardet-Fache that exploded on Kevin
the bottle of 2003 Chavignol Rose in Joe's hands when I left
Metras 2008 Fleurie
De Moor 2008 Aligote
Les Cailloux du Paradis (Claude Courtois) 2005 VdP du Loir "Racines"
Clos de la Roilette 2009 Fleurie "Cuvee Tardive"
Dom. Baudry 2007 Chinon "Les Granges"
Dom. Matassa 2008 VdP du Cotes Catalanes "Cuvee Marguerite"
G. Mascarello 2001 Barbera d'Alba "Codana" - very young
Vatan 2002 Sancerre "Clos la Neore" - corked
Occhipinti 2010 Brut Sur Lie "Anteprima"
Dom. de Souch 2007 Jurancon Sec
Dom. de l'Ecu (Guy Bossard) 2009 Muscadet "Expression de Granite" - another
Knoll 1996 Ries Schutt Durnsteiner Riesling
Lopez de Heredia 1978 Rioja GR "Vina Tondonia"
Pichler 2001 Weissenkirchner Achleiten Riesling Smaragd
Dom. de Beliiviere 2009 Pineau d'Aunis Rose "Les Giroflees"
O. Raffault 2005 Chinon "Les Picasses"
Clos Roche Blanche 2005 Cabernet - I think
La Terre Dorees (JP Brun) ?? "Cuvee l'Ancien" - I think
Dashe Cellars 2009 Grenache "L'Enfant Terrible"
Food (there was more):
charcuterie: lamb pastrami, mortadella, salami, pate w/prunes, pate w/hazelnuts, a third pate
salsa: guacamole, red salsa, green salsa (cooked), pico de gallo, jicama & cucumber
artichoke frittata
Joao's bean salad
Brad's sliced pork
Josh's duck, smoked duck, and rabbit gumbo
Joe and Josefa's molé negro de Teotitlán, black beans (vegetarian), red beans, poblano rice (smokin' vid)
cheeses: three hard and three blue (incl. Stilton)
Guests:
SFJoe, the host
Josefa, the hostess
Mark, Josefa's husband, a.k.a. the masa mule
Brad Kane, and camera
Steve Edmund
Kevin McKenna
Jeff C, and his bread
Don Rice
David Lillie
Scott Reiner
Josh Raynolds
.sasha
Cesar
Victor
Levi
and more...
and just about every Dressner vigneron/ne: Joao, Arianna, Jean-Paul, Sasha, Michel, Matthieu, Nadia, Marc, Frank, and more...
