TN: The Good Fork (Aug 16, 2011)

J

Jeff Grossman

Jeff Grossman
attendees: Jeff Grossman, Robert Dentice, Zachary Ross, Kirk Wallace, Michael Lewis, Don Rice

First-timers, triumphant returners, and regulars we be. We take a big table in the backyard garden, among the patchwork of fences, strings of Christmas tree lights, and stone Buddhas. There is a tinge of burning incense in the air. pix

And DEET. We're advised that it can get buggy back here so we smear and spritz ourselves with bug spray. (If it gets bad they've got an extra large table on the porch for us.)

Robert suggests that we each do two appetizers plus a main. This extends the amount of time with savory foods on the table, which is good because we've got a bunch of bottles.

Fizz and Whites and Citronella

Cyril Zangs 2009 Cider "14 Glos" - What other way is there to start the evening other than with hipster cider? This is a big ol' brett bomb so its hipster cred is safe, but it isn't much fun to drink. Robert asks whether it could be mistaken for natural wine. Kirk suggests that it really does resemble one of Donati's malvasias but I think it's really too fizzy-foamy to pass for wine.

Huet 2002 Vouvray Brut Petillant "Reserve" - So much better! This is leesy, waxy, peachy, intensely flavorful. It does not have the cut that the first release showed but it's still pretty wowsy.

Ganevat 2005 Cotes du Jura - The bottle says this is ouille, Robert says this is savagnin vert (who knew it comes in four kinds?). Everyone tastes and says the same thing: salty. There is also ginger and maybe something like shells (or am I just smelling the neighboring table's squid?). The wine has a rich texture but the finish is all bright acidity that keeps it refreshing. Love it.

Clemens-Busch 2008 Marienburg Fahrlay Trocken, Erste Lage - Seems kinda sweet for a trocken, and Michael confirms that it just squeaked under the titre. Potent lychee nose with a lurking hint of licorice root that's very appealing.

I drank this first bunch of wines with tempura-fried squash blossoms that had been stuffed with lump crabmeat and a bit of lemon zest. I enjoyed these a lot.

Transitional Wines

Knoll 2005 Ried Schut Durnsteiner Riesling Smaragd - rather lemony and puckery, some minerality shows up later but this is not showing everything it's got

Prager 1999 Weissenkirchen Smaragd Klaus Riesling - another backward, closed-up wine

Robinot 2009 L'Opera des Vins "Les Annees Folles" - I'm going to wear out my fingers typing up all this identifying info: declassified Jasnieres, Coteaux du Loir, Vin de Table, Petillant Natural. Sheesh. It's pineau d'aunis and a dollop of chenin blanc. Great p d'a nose of green apple and white pepper; much duller on the palate. Oh well.

Dom. de l'Octavin 2009 "Dora Bella" Arbois Poulsard "La Mailloche" - This tastes like dirt, pith, and rinds. A veritable semi-carbonic(?) compost heap. Great stuff, mountain wine, though it gets a bit bretty-tasting later.

Ganevat 2009 Trousseau "Plein Sud" - Good zip, earthy, and something like cranberries (or maybe the least sweet raspberries ever). Moreish.

I "transitioned" with the English Pea Croquette, which was nicely done and very green-herby, though not good enough to order again.

Really Red Wines

Potel 1999 Chambolle-Musigny 1er "Les Charmes" - This is all cherries and dark cherries and a muted earthiness that holds it all together. One of the best wines on the table.

Baudry 1995 Chinon "Signature" - Don says this bottling was rechristened "Croix Boisee" the next year. A great cab nose with just a little green pepper to tell you which one. But the great thing is the texture, lightweight, silky, airy but so much flavor. This wine, like the Potel, reminded me how easy it is to let little prejudices and fallacies get in the way of buying things that will make us happy. Another of the best wines on the table.

Pecina 1998 Rioja GR - Oh, my, this is so so so dilly. It wouldn't be so bad by itself but it's really bleh in this lineup.

Texier 2009 Cotes du Rhone, St Julien en St Alban, Vieille Serine - This is 1st release (which had a teeny bit of added sulfur). Sour cherries and violets in the bouquet, very pretty, very young (by which I mean that the acidity overwhelms the depth, but not complexity, of flavor), a little rough. More Cote-Rotie than Cornas, if that helps. How long to wait?

Verset 1997 Cornas - Yes, here's the third of the best wines on the table. This was ready as soon as the cork came out: strong and sturdy, it has all the Rhone and Verset hallmarks (olives, bacon, shoe polish). Wow.

Clos du Bois 1978 Cabernet Sauvignon, "Woodleaf", Dry Creek Valley - Alas, too far gone. It's all structure and maybe wood but no fruit or secondary flavors to hold our interest.

I ordered a plate full of medium rare duck breast, duck confit, and lentils, which provided enough substance to drink all this magnificent wine.

I had Steve's key lime pie for dessert. No wine for that.

We were having such a good time that we lost track of time. The staff were patiently waiting in the front room, chairs up on tables, as we filed out. We hadn't meant to keep them there we were just enjoying the place -- maybe it's far from Manhattan but there was a gentle quiet in the air, no sirens or honking, no rumble of the subway below. Reminded me a bit of eating in the backyard at Joe Beef (in Montreal).

A big thank you to Ben and Cecilia for making us so welcome and so happy.
 
This really was an excellent time, with great food and so many good wines!

The Huet! Magnificent. Not as much cut, yes, but so deep and rich.

I didn't care for the cider or the Pineau d'Aunis all that much.

The Ganevats were both superb, especially the Savagnin, which was among my favorite things on the table. I took home the leavings and it was nearly as good the following day.

The l'Octavin showed very nicely, I'd buy that again. It smoothed out over the course of the evening to show more red fruit (and that bit of brett).

I liked the two Austrians better than Jeff did; the Knoll was very appealing, and some people felt the Prager was shut down but it was gorgeous to me, super precise and minerally. The Clemens-Busch was perfectly nice but I preferred the Knoll and Prager.

And yeah, those three reds. The Potel went beautifully with the ribs I ordered. The Baudry was all class and sophistication, in a very good place right now. And the Verset was a real treat too, olives and ashes, a kaleidoscope of savory impressions.
 
Thanks for the great notes. It was a wonderful evening.
As we discussed at the table there is something calming about The Good Fork perhaps it is the quietness/remoteness of the neighborhood, the patient staff, the buddha - most likely a combination of all.

The wines showed tremendously well.

The Huet was by far the best showing of that wine for me. Simply stunning.

The Ganevat was amazing and kept getting better and better. Extremely complex and just fun to drink.

I love Clemens-Busch and this was a great bottle. I think the sweetness helps tone down his style.

I also liked the Austrians much better than Jeff. The Knoll was great and the Prager eventually opened up (1999 seems to be a year where the wines have gone into an extended sleep)

The Robinot was just ok in this lineup. Did not really get much of the Pineau D' Aunis character which was disappointing.

The Octavin and Ganevat were both very nice with the Octavin showing a bit more funk.

The Reds (except the 1978) were all superb but the Verset was hauntingly good. I could taste it for hours. I wish I could drink more wines like that on a regular basis.

Overall a truly wonderful night.
 
their web site mentions that they have a wine list. are they amenable to byob parties, or is this a friends and family thing?
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Potel 1999 Chambolle-Musigny 1er "Les Charmes" - This is all cherries and dark cherries and a muted earthiness that holds it all together. One of the best wines on the table.

Baudry 1995 Chinon "Signature" - This wine, like the Potel, reminded me how easy it is to let little prejudices and fallacies get in the way of buying things that will make us happy..
Click to expand...

I assume the prejudice against Potel would be not buying negociant wine? But what prejudice would possibly restrain you from buying Baudry?

And glad to hear this 95 Signature is still showing well. I drank a bunch in the mid to late 2000s and it showed a fair amount of variability, sometimes thinner and more leathery than others. But it was very delicious and I was always happy to have it. Alas, I have no more.
 
Nice lineup guys, sorry I couldn't join you.

Timely notes on the 99 Prager - was eyeballing a bottle, but will keep my hands off my (few) '99 Austrians for some more time.

Agree with the praise for the 08 Clemens Busch Fahrlay - that's one of the best wines I've had from that estate.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:

I assume the prejudice against Potel would be not buying negociant wine?
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I had a running (and increasingly unfunny) joke about the Potel being crappy negociant bullshit throughout the evening. Very nice wine, though.
 
A fantastic time, for sure. Thanks for posting, Jeff. You must have some excellent shorthand, because your involvement in the conversation seems incompatible with the extent of your notes. I certainly would not have been able to do both so effectively at the same time.

The Huet Petillant Reserve was delightful and led to some reminiscing about the '64 Petillant (which, if memory serves, Sharon had brought) from the last time I had been at the Good Fork. Both are wines I will remember.

The Ganevat Savagnin really stood out for me. It is not often that I taste a wine with such an abundance of character that I keep trying and failing to recall a wine that tasted even remotely close to it.

We each had two wine glasses in front of us. In light of how many wines there were, I almost felt like we could have used three. But Kirk nonetheless managed (intentionally) to let most of a glass of the Prager sit there for what seemed like hours, and just from the whiff of it I got when I stuck my nose in the glass, that turned out to be a sage-like decision. That wine is going to last a long time. I also enjoyed the Knoll quite a bit.

The Potel showed very well and I do not harbor the same biases that others may have expressed, but might it have been the 1998 rather than the 1999 or is my recollection off? It didn't seem like a 1999 to me. Perhaps I am wrong.

I liked the Baudry quite a bit. Very balanced and elegant at this age, with clear Chinon character and the limestone shining through.

The Verset was amazing and (note: I am about to reveal my newb status) is the only Verset I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. It was very ready to go right away, in fact so much so that when Robert pulled the cork and took a sniff, he immediately put the cork nearly all the way back in. I thought we were going to need the corkscrew again to get it out. A real treat.

Thanks to all for a fantastic lineup and a generally fun evening.
 
originally posted by Robert Dentice:

Thanks for the great notes. It was a wonderful evening.
As we discussed there is something calming about The Good Fork perhaps it is the quietness/remoteness of the neighborhood, the patient staff, the buddha - most likely a combination of all.

The wines showed tremendously well.

I also liked the Austrians much better that Jeff. The Knoll was great and the Prager eventually opened up (1999 seems to be year where the wines have gone into and extended sleep)

Overall a truly wonderful night.
Click to expand...

Jeff, after about an hour in the glass, the Prager opened up beautifully. All the typical Prager precision, cut and lift.
 
Very glad to hear of the good showing of the '95 Signature. I have had bottles in recent years that were pretty closed.

OTOH, a recent '99 Prager Klaus was very satisfactory.
 
originally posted by Michael Lewis:
A fantastic time, for sure. Thanks for posting, Jeff.

The Potel showed very well and I do not harbor the same biases that others may have expressed, but might it have been the 1998 rather than the 1999 or is my recollection off? It didn't seem like a 1999 to me. Perhaps I am wrong.
Click to expand...

Definitely the '99. It was lovely from the minute the bottle was opened and continued to improve all night.
 
originally posted by scottreiner:
their web site mentions that they have a wine list. are they amenable to byob parties, or is this a friends and family thing?
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They allow corkage. I think it is $15 but once they know you they are very flexible in regards to wine especially if you buy something from the list which is very reasonable.
 
Clearly, the weight of evidence is that I was not sufficiently patient with the Prager.

I'm sure the Potel was the 1999.

My little prejudices were: (a) I had tried a few bottles of Potel immediately after the separation from Pousse d'Or and I did not like them; I had not retried in all these years. (b) I forget that even the weightiest of Chinon cuvees is never thick and heavy but supple and refreshing. Not even sure how I came to that one.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Clemens-Busch 2008 Marienburg Fahrlay Trocken, Erste Lage - Seems kinda sweet for a trocken, and Michael confirms that it just squeaked under the titre. Potent lychee nose with a lurking hint of licorice root that's very appealing.
Click to expand...

Sounds v Clemens-Busch style. Well.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
My little prejudices were: (a) I had tried a few bottles of Potel immediately after the separation from Pousse d'Or and I did not like them; I had not retried in all these years.
Click to expand...

I'm no expert but my understanding is that Potel was not as 'consistent' as Jadot or Drouhin across the dizzying array of cuvees. People speak highly of very specific bottlings/years.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
My little prejudices were: (a) I had tried a few bottles of Potel immediately after the separation from Pousse d'Or and I did not like them; I had not retried in all these years.
Click to expand...

I'm no expert but my understanding is that Potel was not as 'consistent' as Jadot or Drouhin across the dizzying array of cuvees. People speak highly of very specific bottlings/years.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much been my impression, too. Very nice lineup of wines, you Brooklyn Disorderlies, and nice writeup and pix, Jeff. I was extremely taken with the setting: what a gorgeous place for a dinner. And many thanks for the note on the '09 St. Julien etc. as I just picked some up from CSW recently. However, shame on you all consuming that Verset without me in town. I'll not forget that slight.

Mark Lipton
 
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