Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Salil B, Michael L, Gene V, Jeff
Since my last visit -- which must be a really long time ago -- La Sirene has taken over the shop next door, painted, got some new tables and chairs, and generally scrubbed up. Nice job. Fortunately, the menu is the same so there was cassoulet for half the table, though I plunked for the tartiflette.
Salil is having a last slurp in the city before heading home to Singapore and, later, an African safari. So, we make it an interesting evening:
Octavin 2010 "Corvee de Trousseau" - the color and clarity of strawberry lemonade, also tastes kinda like strawberries (and a little like nail polish remover); Mike and Gene call a slight spritz which makes me think it rather like a Bugey-Cerdon with insufficient fizz; but Gene really dislikes the 'lab experiment' taste of this no-sulfur wine
Muller-Catoir 1990 Haardter Burgergarten Riesling Kabinett Trocken - 13 91, tastes of strangely acidic apricots, definitely dry, mid-weight texture, certainly good but I find it not very appealing
Leclerc 1985 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er "Combes Aux Moines" - "Two years older than I am!" says the waitress; this is all tertiary flavors and very lean, maybe there is a brief moment of some pommy-plummy fruit but it's pretty far gone
Ch. Mouton 1970 Pauillac "Reserve du Chateau" - at first, just some lead pencil and a generic 'old red wine' smell; an hour later, the fruit is trying to rally and gives us a little show
Levet 2004 Cote-Rotie "La Chavaroche" - also lean but there is a vigorous current of tapenade and dark blue-black fruit to carry it along; yum
Verset 1998 Cornas - Gene bought a bottle of 1998 Clape but this is what was delivered instead... um, sure, OK! a gorgeous bottle, flavor profile rather like the Levet but with better acidity and a slightly broader (sweeter?) palate
Huet 2004 Vouvray Sec "Clos de Bourg" - quite dry, a whiff of new car seat, but I'm quibbling: this is another golden honeyed Huet wine
Muller-Catoir 1990 Mussbacher Eselshaut Rieslaner Auslese - 98 91, all I have written is "omg" (ETA: I tasted it two mornings after and it is still bright and nicely sweet with a long finish.)
Ch. Climens 1959 Barsac - here I have written "omg" and more: there is a tiny bit of volatility in the nose but never mind that, the wine is so so so long, and clean and pure through every moment of it, wow
Since my last visit -- which must be a really long time ago -- La Sirene has taken over the shop next door, painted, got some new tables and chairs, and generally scrubbed up. Nice job. Fortunately, the menu is the same so there was cassoulet for half the table, though I plunked for the tartiflette.
Salil is having a last slurp in the city before heading home to Singapore and, later, an African safari. So, we make it an interesting evening:
Octavin 2010 "Corvee de Trousseau" - the color and clarity of strawberry lemonade, also tastes kinda like strawberries (and a little like nail polish remover); Mike and Gene call a slight spritz which makes me think it rather like a Bugey-Cerdon with insufficient fizz; but Gene really dislikes the 'lab experiment' taste of this no-sulfur wine
Muller-Catoir 1990 Haardter Burgergarten Riesling Kabinett Trocken - 13 91, tastes of strangely acidic apricots, definitely dry, mid-weight texture, certainly good but I find it not very appealing
Leclerc 1985 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er "Combes Aux Moines" - "Two years older than I am!" says the waitress; this is all tertiary flavors and very lean, maybe there is a brief moment of some pommy-plummy fruit but it's pretty far gone
Ch. Mouton 1970 Pauillac "Reserve du Chateau" - at first, just some lead pencil and a generic 'old red wine' smell; an hour later, the fruit is trying to rally and gives us a little show
Levet 2004 Cote-Rotie "La Chavaroche" - also lean but there is a vigorous current of tapenade and dark blue-black fruit to carry it along; yum
Verset 1998 Cornas - Gene bought a bottle of 1998 Clape but this is what was delivered instead... um, sure, OK! a gorgeous bottle, flavor profile rather like the Levet but with better acidity and a slightly broader (sweeter?) palate
Huet 2004 Vouvray Sec "Clos de Bourg" - quite dry, a whiff of new car seat, but I'm quibbling: this is another golden honeyed Huet wine
Muller-Catoir 1990 Mussbacher Eselshaut Rieslaner Auslese - 98 91, all I have written is "omg" (ETA: I tasted it two mornings after and it is still bright and nicely sweet with a long finish.)
Ch. Climens 1959 Barsac - here I have written "omg" and more: there is a tiny bit of volatility in the nose but never mind that, the wine is so so so long, and clean and pure through every moment of it, wow