Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
Cellar
When I arrive, Ira has laid out bread and cheese, and Gary is poring over maps of southern France, guiding his nephew, Kyle, and his fiancée (Emily?) on honeymoon destinations near Avignon, Luberon, etc. A bit later, SFJoe and Winegrrl show up, too.
Prince Ludovisi 1986 Fiorano - semillon, opened by Ira who says the ones from the 1990s are better than this: oxidized beyond redemption, which is a shame because the texture of the wine is quite nice
Jadot 2005 Pernand-Vergelesses Rouge "Clos de la Croix de Pierre" - here's a nice surprise: a 2005 that is not angry to be opened, nor over-stuffed, this is also quite nice, very red-fruit and deft
Pelissero 2007 Barbaresco Nubiola® - marca registrada? that's unpromising... and, indeed, it tastes like Nestle's Quik (Google reports that this is a blend of six vineyard lots and sees about 40% new oak; tastes much worse than it sounds.)
Vieux Donjon 2003 Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Gary looks dubious that I would open this so young but in honor of the upcoming nuptials (and thinking about the recent thread concerning possible Cambie destruction at this address)... amazingly good: indeed roasty, deepest blue-black fruit, and so much garrigue!, is this the mourvedre talking?, not the least grenache-y, good texture, no need to wait though you certainly could; wish I had a few more bottles of this than I do
Thomas-Labaille 2002 Sancerre "Les Monts Damnés" - as reported elsewhere, this is alive and well, maybe a late note of caramel indicates that it has gone over the hump and started its decline (but seems like years of life ahead)
Thomas-Labaille 2002 Sancerre "Les Monts Damnés" "Cuvee Buster" - more complexity (lemons and tangerines), more acidity, a bit of honey but definitely not caramel, doing fine
Dinner
We went to Amali, a spinoff of partners from Il Cantinori, Periyali, and Bar Six. Good parentage.
And an interesting wine policy: "We do not charge corkage so long as you volunteer to share a glass of a wine that is unique or of exceptional quality. Please email james@amalinyc.com in advance with any questions about this policy."
I spoke to James. His position is that he wishes to encourage wine aficionados because he believes that they are good for the development of the restaurant. As for the wine itself, he would disallow both Yellowtail and Opus One because they are easy to obtain (within a few blocks of the restaurant, too!) whereas an obscure premier cru from an older vintage is something he would encourage.
The menu is half Greek and half Mediterranean. We ordered octopus, pasta with crab, and chicken agrodolce, and later chocolate and coconut desserts. I brought:
Foreau 1996 Vouvray Moelleux - from Winebid; after a few minutes breathing this opens up nicely: golden, pretty chenin fruit, wax and orange and still a bit sweet, not jump up and down good because the acidity was a little mild but satisfactory
Delas Freres 1997 Cote Rotie "La Landonne" - double-decanted for an hour or two; as expected this is nice enough but has no special charm; Jim: "Well, that smells like a barnyard"; there is a bit of shoe polish-y brett, too
James did stop by the table and he was all smiles and good cheer and liked the wines. The other staff, though, need to take their cues from him a bit better: the hostess sat us in the wrong room and the sommelier was stiff and stingy with his conversation (he called the Foreau "medium dry" and spent the rest of the time criticizing our food choices). When we left, we sent the bottles back to the kitchen and, lo, the chef (Nilton) came out to thank us. Perhaps not many people take James up on his offer? Perhaps I was the first person that night to praise the coconut dessert, a cake his mother taught him?
FWIW, Amali has a private room, but the menu is spendy for everyday jeebusing.
Show
A two-person show, "Working on a Special Day" is derived from the 1977 movie "Una Giornata Particolare" starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. The play is 70 minutes long and performed without intermission. The actors were very good, the direction was good, but I think they could have trimmed a few minutes here and there.
Sundry Other Drinking
Descombes 2006 Regnie VV - haven't touched these since 2009, when I thought they were gorgeous; now, this has become dark and sullen and a bit shoe polish-y, too; this is my third vaguely unpleasant experience with Descombes' dirty barrels and I think I may be done aging these
Edmunds St. John 2009 Syrah "Wylie Vineyard" - I really should keep my hands off these for a while; nice young syrah but I'm not letting it reach its potential
Willi Schaefer 2011 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spatlese #10 - pure and lively and just great
When I arrive, Ira has laid out bread and cheese, and Gary is poring over maps of southern France, guiding his nephew, Kyle, and his fiancée (Emily?) on honeymoon destinations near Avignon, Luberon, etc. A bit later, SFJoe and Winegrrl show up, too.
Prince Ludovisi 1986 Fiorano - semillon, opened by Ira who says the ones from the 1990s are better than this: oxidized beyond redemption, which is a shame because the texture of the wine is quite nice
Jadot 2005 Pernand-Vergelesses Rouge "Clos de la Croix de Pierre" - here's a nice surprise: a 2005 that is not angry to be opened, nor over-stuffed, this is also quite nice, very red-fruit and deft
Pelissero 2007 Barbaresco Nubiola® - marca registrada? that's unpromising... and, indeed, it tastes like Nestle's Quik (Google reports that this is a blend of six vineyard lots and sees about 40% new oak; tastes much worse than it sounds.)
Vieux Donjon 2003 Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Gary looks dubious that I would open this so young but in honor of the upcoming nuptials (and thinking about the recent thread concerning possible Cambie destruction at this address)... amazingly good: indeed roasty, deepest blue-black fruit, and so much garrigue!, is this the mourvedre talking?, not the least grenache-y, good texture, no need to wait though you certainly could; wish I had a few more bottles of this than I do
Thomas-Labaille 2002 Sancerre "Les Monts Damnés" - as reported elsewhere, this is alive and well, maybe a late note of caramel indicates that it has gone over the hump and started its decline (but seems like years of life ahead)
Thomas-Labaille 2002 Sancerre "Les Monts Damnés" "Cuvee Buster" - more complexity (lemons and tangerines), more acidity, a bit of honey but definitely not caramel, doing fine
Dinner
We went to Amali, a spinoff of partners from Il Cantinori, Periyali, and Bar Six. Good parentage.
And an interesting wine policy: "We do not charge corkage so long as you volunteer to share a glass of a wine that is unique or of exceptional quality. Please email james@amalinyc.com in advance with any questions about this policy."
I spoke to James. His position is that he wishes to encourage wine aficionados because he believes that they are good for the development of the restaurant. As for the wine itself, he would disallow both Yellowtail and Opus One because they are easy to obtain (within a few blocks of the restaurant, too!) whereas an obscure premier cru from an older vintage is something he would encourage.
The menu is half Greek and half Mediterranean. We ordered octopus, pasta with crab, and chicken agrodolce, and later chocolate and coconut desserts. I brought:
Foreau 1996 Vouvray Moelleux - from Winebid; after a few minutes breathing this opens up nicely: golden, pretty chenin fruit, wax and orange and still a bit sweet, not jump up and down good because the acidity was a little mild but satisfactory
Delas Freres 1997 Cote Rotie "La Landonne" - double-decanted for an hour or two; as expected this is nice enough but has no special charm; Jim: "Well, that smells like a barnyard"; there is a bit of shoe polish-y brett, too
James did stop by the table and he was all smiles and good cheer and liked the wines. The other staff, though, need to take their cues from him a bit better: the hostess sat us in the wrong room and the sommelier was stiff and stingy with his conversation (he called the Foreau "medium dry" and spent the rest of the time criticizing our food choices). When we left, we sent the bottles back to the kitchen and, lo, the chef (Nilton) came out to thank us. Perhaps not many people take James up on his offer? Perhaps I was the first person that night to praise the coconut dessert, a cake his mother taught him?
FWIW, Amali has a private room, but the menu is spendy for everyday jeebusing.
Show
A two-person show, "Working on a Special Day" is derived from the 1977 movie "Una Giornata Particolare" starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. The play is 70 minutes long and performed without intermission. The actors were very good, the direction was good, but I think they could have trimmed a few minutes here and there.
Sundry Other Drinking
Descombes 2006 Regnie VV - haven't touched these since 2009, when I thought they were gorgeous; now, this has become dark and sullen and a bit shoe polish-y, too; this is my third vaguely unpleasant experience with Descombes' dirty barrels and I think I may be done aging these
Edmunds St. John 2009 Syrah "Wylie Vineyard" - I really should keep my hands off these for a while; nice young syrah but I'm not letting it reach its potential
Willi Schaefer 2011 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spatlese #10 - pure and lively and just great