Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
Our own Morgan Harris is the somm at Tangled Vine, an upscale bar a vini in the Upper West Side. He had reserved a table for fellow Brooklynites Suzanne Camhi, Jason Adams, Zach Ross, Jersey City Jay Miller, and yours truly.
The joint was jumping. Several marketing initiatives, not to mention the pleasantly warm weather, had conspired to fill the tables with a happy, after-work crowd. Morgan introduced us to some of the wandering staff and management, and generally played Master of Ceremonies for the evening.
The kitchen produced some marvelous plates, which we all just passed, shared, and nibbled. I recall some tiny crisp crab cakes, pork belly "sliders" (how can you go wrong with these?), two beautiful plates with the full range of affettati (jamon, speck, chorizo, finocchiona, soppressata) and cheese (bucheron, gouda, gorgonzola, 4 or 5 more), crostini topped with tuna confit or jamon + quail egg, veal meatballs, and on and on.
Our theme for the night was Italian wines but not from the big DOCGs (Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello). And we drank very well:
Tenuta Grillo 2004 Barbera d'Asti "Igiea" - a pour from the bar; open a day already; bretty and funky, lots of teriyaki and mirin, eh
Bisson 2009 Golfo del Tigullio Vermentino - a pour from the bar so not sure whether this is the Vigna Erta or the Vigna Intrigoso; this stuff is excellent: lemon creme and black licorice, crisp and refreshing
Movia 2003 "Puro" Rose - Morgan decanted this downstairs so we don't know whether he did it like this; wow: roses and chalk and earth and minerals and a little petillance, did I say wow yet?
Costadilla NV IGT Bianco Dei Colli Trevigiani (450 SLM) - I am having trouble getting past all the match-stick and rotten egg; finish is short; feh
Voyat 2005 VdT Bianco Secco "La Gazzella" - I smell orange blossom but Suzanne smells camphor; later it trends towards the fragrance of hand sanitizer; ah the risks of aging moscato; it has gained some weight and texture but definitely time to drink up
Cornelissen 2007 "Munjebel 4" Bianco - nose is a bit cidery, mouth is more interesting: face-powder, oranges, pink and white peppercorns; mid-weight; a long finish that hints towards beer/cider (oh, well)
Danilo Thomain 2009 Valle d'Aoste "Enfer d'Arvier" - 100% petit rouge, seems very big, tannic, and rough to me, and no mid-palate presence
Palari 2001 IGT "Rossa del Soprano" - magnum; light, buoyant, spicy, red licorice, just a touch sweet, a balancing act reminiscent of Tondonia
Mayr (Nusserhof) 2006 VdT "Tyroldego" - good acid, brambly fruit, crisp and clean, I like this
Bea 2006 IGT "San Valentino" - the declassified wonder is still drinking well, wow
Cantina Ar Pe Pe 1996 Valtellina Superiore Sassella Riserva "Rocce Rosso" - lots of warm red fruit, good shape
Fritz Haag 2009 Riesling Estate Qba - served with the pork belly this was amazing
Molettieri 2004 Taurasi "Vigna Cinque Querce" - very secondary, hearty, perhaps requires more attention than it's going to get tonight
Voyat 2005 Chambave Rosso "Le Muraglie" - buttery (though not so bad as those Juge Cornas); "The evils of malo-lactic fermentation" -Morgan; kinda limp
50-50 blend of Ar Pe Pe/Voyat Rosso - I don't know who was responsible for this but this works! the acidity in the Ar Pe Pe picks up the lazy Chambave for a twirl around your tongue
Contini "Antico Gregori" NV Vernaccia di Oristano Semi-Sweet Tawny - 18% alc, like maple syrup only worse; but you really shouldn't ask for my opinion of spoiledsherry-style wines
Maculan 2007 "Torcolato" - no note?
On the way home, Suzanne comments to me that this was an under-fruited jeebus - lots of wine showing secondary and tertiary flavors, and lots of earthy/rooty flavors even in the younger wines. Very true.
The joint was jumping. Several marketing initiatives, not to mention the pleasantly warm weather, had conspired to fill the tables with a happy, after-work crowd. Morgan introduced us to some of the wandering staff and management, and generally played Master of Ceremonies for the evening.
The kitchen produced some marvelous plates, which we all just passed, shared, and nibbled. I recall some tiny crisp crab cakes, pork belly "sliders" (how can you go wrong with these?), two beautiful plates with the full range of affettati (jamon, speck, chorizo, finocchiona, soppressata) and cheese (bucheron, gouda, gorgonzola, 4 or 5 more), crostini topped with tuna confit or jamon + quail egg, veal meatballs, and on and on.
Our theme for the night was Italian wines but not from the big DOCGs (Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello). And we drank very well:
Tenuta Grillo 2004 Barbera d'Asti "Igiea" - a pour from the bar; open a day already; bretty and funky, lots of teriyaki and mirin, eh
Bisson 2009 Golfo del Tigullio Vermentino - a pour from the bar so not sure whether this is the Vigna Erta or the Vigna Intrigoso; this stuff is excellent: lemon creme and black licorice, crisp and refreshing
Movia 2003 "Puro" Rose - Morgan decanted this downstairs so we don't know whether he did it like this; wow: roses and chalk and earth and minerals and a little petillance, did I say wow yet?
Costadilla NV IGT Bianco Dei Colli Trevigiani (450 SLM) - I am having trouble getting past all the match-stick and rotten egg; finish is short; feh
Voyat 2005 VdT Bianco Secco "La Gazzella" - I smell orange blossom but Suzanne smells camphor; later it trends towards the fragrance of hand sanitizer; ah the risks of aging moscato; it has gained some weight and texture but definitely time to drink up
Cornelissen 2007 "Munjebel 4" Bianco - nose is a bit cidery, mouth is more interesting: face-powder, oranges, pink and white peppercorns; mid-weight; a long finish that hints towards beer/cider (oh, well)
Danilo Thomain 2009 Valle d'Aoste "Enfer d'Arvier" - 100% petit rouge, seems very big, tannic, and rough to me, and no mid-palate presence
Palari 2001 IGT "Rossa del Soprano" - magnum; light, buoyant, spicy, red licorice, just a touch sweet, a balancing act reminiscent of Tondonia
Mayr (Nusserhof) 2006 VdT "Tyroldego" - good acid, brambly fruit, crisp and clean, I like this
Bea 2006 IGT "San Valentino" - the declassified wonder is still drinking well, wow
Cantina Ar Pe Pe 1996 Valtellina Superiore Sassella Riserva "Rocce Rosso" - lots of warm red fruit, good shape
Fritz Haag 2009 Riesling Estate Qba - served with the pork belly this was amazing
Molettieri 2004 Taurasi "Vigna Cinque Querce" - very secondary, hearty, perhaps requires more attention than it's going to get tonight
Voyat 2005 Chambave Rosso "Le Muraglie" - buttery (though not so bad as those Juge Cornas); "The evils of malo-lactic fermentation" -Morgan; kinda limp
50-50 blend of Ar Pe Pe/Voyat Rosso - I don't know who was responsible for this but this works! the acidity in the Ar Pe Pe picks up the lazy Chambave for a twirl around your tongue
Contini "Antico Gregori" NV Vernaccia di Oristano Semi-Sweet Tawny - 18% alc, like maple syrup only worse; but you really shouldn't ask for my opinion of spoiledsherry-style wines
Maculan 2007 "Torcolato" - no note?
On the way home, Suzanne comments to me that this was an under-fruited jeebus - lots of wine showing secondary and tertiary flavors, and lots of earthy/rooty flavors even in the younger wines. Very true.
