Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis
Seven adults and one toddler got together Saturday evening at the toddler's Tribeca apartment for a home-cooked meal and a generous helping of wine. The toddler was not permitted to drink, but nonetheless showcased her ability to identify wine by sight alone, as she demonstrated by pointing at the 750ml bottles while enthusiastically exclaiming "That's wine!"
By the end of the evening, my mental state was roughly equivalent, but I left happy.
2010 Alice et Olivier De Moor Chablis Rosette - France, Burgundy, Chablis (7/7/2012)
This seems richer than the other 2010 De Moor wines I have tasted, but with crisp lemony fruit that finishes fresh and savory. No trace of the lactic note I detected on a recent 2010 Bel Air et Clardy. Balanced. I would love to put a few of these away for a few years, but the potential is quite evident even now.
2010 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Großes Gewächs - Germany, Nahe (7/7/2012)
Gorgeous nose, and a layered, complex palate. Lemons. Minerals. Very precise. I think there is a very small bit of residual sugar despite the GG designation, which gives this a nice roundness. One of the better wines of the evening. This went fast.
2010 Weingut Clemens Busch Riesling Vom Roten Schiefer - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (7/7/2012)
This was served blind, but I knew what it was. Guesses were all over the map at first, and it took awhile before people even got the variety correct. Slightly off-dry, very high acid, the group thinks this is currently tight. Having had the wine before, I felt like something was stripping the flavors and aromas a bit, and for a moment I guessed that it might be mildly corked. Not enough to ruin the wine, but I couldn't get past it. Others did not agree, but in any event no one was that thrilled with this.
2010 A.J. Adam Hofberg Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (7/7/2012)
Very nice ripeness for a Kabinett. More weight than the Clemens Busch, but in need of more acid to balance the residual sugar. That shouldn't have been a problem in 2010. Was this de-acidified? Still, the flavors are mouthwatering and this is good for its level. Tough matchup against tonight's competition.
2009 Domaine Ganevat Côtes du Jura Les Chalasses Marnes Bleues - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura (7/7/2012)
If this was in an opaque glass and poured blind, I am not sure I would know from the nose alone whether this was white or red. It smelled musky, almost meaty. Good, but I am more impressed by the palate. Rocky, Savagnin goodness. The acidity just etches the flavors onto your tongue. Detailed, layered. Sturdy, confident. This is perhaps the wine of the night.
2009 Domaine Ganevat Côtes du Jura Plein Sud - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura (7/7/2012)
Double decanted to get rid of a little dissolved CO2. Beautiful black cherry nose, ripe, the warm vintage showing itself just a little. On the fuller side in the mouth, but offset by some real texture, as if there were particles in suspension in the wine (perhaps there are). Ripeness on the palate is balanced by a savory, almost bitter note on the finish, which is masterful, if you ask me. People say Ganevat's whites are at another level than the reds. While that may be true, it should be considered no knock on the reds. I think they are fantastic too.
2010 Michel Gahier Trousseau Arbois Grands Vergers - France, Jura, Arbois (7/7/2012)
Much less fleshy than the 2009 Ganevat Trousseau that preceded this. And a more restrained nose. Some nice leafy elements, complex. One can see the potential, and I quite like this, but now is perhaps not the best time to be popping this bottle. I need to find out how this is made because it reminded me quite a lot of a partial whole-cluster, semi-carbonic style that you sometimes see in certain cru Beaujolais. Just a guess.
2006 Domaine Dujac Morey St. Denis - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis (7/7/2012)
Started out on the red fruit side of the spectrum, trended darker with air. Very earthy. Shows its Morey character. Nothing stood out about this, and perhaps that is a good thing. I thought a previous bottle about a year ago was in a better place, but this was just fine with roast chicken and potatoes and will last quite awhile. Nice for a village wine.
1996 Domaine l'Aiguelière Coteaux du Languedoc Montpeyroux - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Coteaux du Languedoc Montpeyroux (7/7/2012)
Served blind. Some brick color around the edges. Very ripe, dark fruited nose. Licorice. Developed. Most of us are certain it is from the south of France, or nearby. I guess older Chateauneuf from a producer that is more modern in style. Not quite right, but no matter, this is not my kind of thing anyway. It does have some nice tertiary aromatics, and I think we were all more or less able to narrow down its origin enough that we ought to give credit for being true to its character.
1992 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/7/2012)
Served blind. Very ripe, dark fruited again. Hotter, higher octane. One person says mint, but I am not getting it. I have no idea about this one. Others are guessing Cabernet, and I adamantly register my opinion that this is not Bordeaux. But my guesses are terrible - like older, very ripe Australian Shiraz terrible - so I suppose I am just not very good at this blind tasting business. Either that, or the wine has just been ripened to a point that the pyrazines I am used to smelling in Cab aren't there. I don't pretend to understand the biology or chemistry of it. I am grateful for the opportunity to try the wine, but this does nothing for me.
1996 Huët Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Le Mont - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (7/7/2012)
Nose of wool, apple and almond. This was more off-dry than sweet, but it was a fine line. More developed than I expected. What was that about Huet not aging in a linear fashion? Real class and breed here, regardless. One of the better wines on the (coffee) table.
By the end of the evening, my mental state was roughly equivalent, but I left happy.
2010 Alice et Olivier De Moor Chablis Rosette - France, Burgundy, Chablis (7/7/2012)
This seems richer than the other 2010 De Moor wines I have tasted, but with crisp lemony fruit that finishes fresh and savory. No trace of the lactic note I detected on a recent 2010 Bel Air et Clardy. Balanced. I would love to put a few of these away for a few years, but the potential is quite evident even now.
2010 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Großes Gewächs - Germany, Nahe (7/7/2012)
Gorgeous nose, and a layered, complex palate. Lemons. Minerals. Very precise. I think there is a very small bit of residual sugar despite the GG designation, which gives this a nice roundness. One of the better wines of the evening. This went fast.
2010 Weingut Clemens Busch Riesling Vom Roten Schiefer - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (7/7/2012)
This was served blind, but I knew what it was. Guesses were all over the map at first, and it took awhile before people even got the variety correct. Slightly off-dry, very high acid, the group thinks this is currently tight. Having had the wine before, I felt like something was stripping the flavors and aromas a bit, and for a moment I guessed that it might be mildly corked. Not enough to ruin the wine, but I couldn't get past it. Others did not agree, but in any event no one was that thrilled with this.
2010 A.J. Adam Hofberg Riesling Kabinett - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer (7/7/2012)
Very nice ripeness for a Kabinett. More weight than the Clemens Busch, but in need of more acid to balance the residual sugar. That shouldn't have been a problem in 2010. Was this de-acidified? Still, the flavors are mouthwatering and this is good for its level. Tough matchup against tonight's competition.
2009 Domaine Ganevat Côtes du Jura Les Chalasses Marnes Bleues - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura (7/7/2012)
If this was in an opaque glass and poured blind, I am not sure I would know from the nose alone whether this was white or red. It smelled musky, almost meaty. Good, but I am more impressed by the palate. Rocky, Savagnin goodness. The acidity just etches the flavors onto your tongue. Detailed, layered. Sturdy, confident. This is perhaps the wine of the night.
2009 Domaine Ganevat Côtes du Jura Plein Sud - France, Jura, Côtes du Jura (7/7/2012)
Double decanted to get rid of a little dissolved CO2. Beautiful black cherry nose, ripe, the warm vintage showing itself just a little. On the fuller side in the mouth, but offset by some real texture, as if there were particles in suspension in the wine (perhaps there are). Ripeness on the palate is balanced by a savory, almost bitter note on the finish, which is masterful, if you ask me. People say Ganevat's whites are at another level than the reds. While that may be true, it should be considered no knock on the reds. I think they are fantastic too.
2010 Michel Gahier Trousseau Arbois Grands Vergers - France, Jura, Arbois (7/7/2012)
Much less fleshy than the 2009 Ganevat Trousseau that preceded this. And a more restrained nose. Some nice leafy elements, complex. One can see the potential, and I quite like this, but now is perhaps not the best time to be popping this bottle. I need to find out how this is made because it reminded me quite a lot of a partial whole-cluster, semi-carbonic style that you sometimes see in certain cru Beaujolais. Just a guess.
2006 Domaine Dujac Morey St. Denis - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis (7/7/2012)
Started out on the red fruit side of the spectrum, trended darker with air. Very earthy. Shows its Morey character. Nothing stood out about this, and perhaps that is a good thing. I thought a previous bottle about a year ago was in a better place, but this was just fine with roast chicken and potatoes and will last quite awhile. Nice for a village wine.
1996 Domaine l'Aiguelière Coteaux du Languedoc Montpeyroux - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Coteaux du Languedoc Montpeyroux (7/7/2012)
Served blind. Some brick color around the edges. Very ripe, dark fruited nose. Licorice. Developed. Most of us are certain it is from the south of France, or nearby. I guess older Chateauneuf from a producer that is more modern in style. Not quite right, but no matter, this is not my kind of thing anyway. It does have some nice tertiary aromatics, and I think we were all more or less able to narrow down its origin enough that we ought to give credit for being true to its character.
1992 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection - USA, California, Napa Valley (7/7/2012)
Served blind. Very ripe, dark fruited again. Hotter, higher octane. One person says mint, but I am not getting it. I have no idea about this one. Others are guessing Cabernet, and I adamantly register my opinion that this is not Bordeaux. But my guesses are terrible - like older, very ripe Australian Shiraz terrible - so I suppose I am just not very good at this blind tasting business. Either that, or the wine has just been ripened to a point that the pyrazines I am used to smelling in Cab aren't there. I don't pretend to understand the biology or chemistry of it. I am grateful for the opportunity to try the wine, but this does nothing for me.
1996 Huët Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Le Mont - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray (7/7/2012)
Nose of wool, apple and almond. This was more off-dry than sweet, but it was a fine line. More developed than I expected. What was that about Huet not aging in a linear fashion? Real class and breed here, regardless. One of the better wines on the (coffee) table.