TN: Frosty Sichuan (Jan 21, 2014)

Jeff Grossman

Jeff Grossman
attendees: Russell Faulkner, Jay, Josh, Marty, Jeff

It is the day of a big winter storm: temperatures in the teens, 6"-10" of snow falling, gusty winds creating near white-out conditions. But you can't stop the winos: We've got an honored visitor from Abu Dhabi (climate shock, anyone?) and we've got plenty of bottles of anti-freeze:

P. Amiot 1985 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er "Les Combottes" - an initial funky note blows off, leaving a beautiful, chewy cherry wine, shows younger than the other bottle of this wine, with air it develops citrussy notes and even a little minerality, really good

Roty 1993 Gevrey-Chambertin "Clos Prieur" - the flavors are youthful and the acidity is sound but this is not an assertive wine, more white cherries than red, lightweight, some grace

d'Ardhuy 2003 Corton GC "Pougets" - very rich and sweet, lots of fine tannins, lots of glycerine, the texture lightens a bit with some air but "textbook example of a shut-down Burgundy" -Marty; the rest of it, two days hence, are unchanged

Cecile Tremblay 2010 Echezeaux GC "du dessus" - bottle 558, very pretty wine, mid-weight, face-powder and old lady's handkerchief on top of red fruit, yum

l'Arlot 2005 Nuits-St-Georges 1er "Clos de l'Arlot" - kinda grippy, masculine, tannic, slightly too ripe, also halfway shut down

Arcadian 2005 Pinot Noir "Francesca" - rather like the d'Ardhuy though with a lighter texture

Muller-Catoir 2001 Haardter Mandelring Scheurebe Spatlese - 13 02, tangy, pretty, mild apricots and green grapes, tasty and not too intense

Muller-Catoir 2007 Haardter Burgergarten Riesling Spatlese - definitely more delicate than its older sibling, less oomph though still pleasant, a small notch down

Keller 2007 Westhofen Kirchspiel Riesling Trocken - 54 08, OK, I guess, but it seemed waxy and flabby to me

Willi Schaefer 2005 Graacher Domprobst Riesling Auslese - auction, 02 06, 8% alc, juicy, pretty, nicely-judged ripeness: "apricot plus" yet not at all stewy
 
Did you drink the whites after the reds?

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:

d'Ardhuy 2003 Corton GC "Pougets" - very rich and sweet ... "textbook example of a shut-down Burgundy"

Perhaps we've read different textbooks?
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
originally posted by SFJoe:
Which Sichuan?
74th and Amsterdam

Not my favorite location these days (though the Gui Zhou was very good). All the out of towners insisted on this one and then cancelled because of the snow.

It's Arcadian rather than Arcadia. IMO this will be really good in 10 years or so.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
originally posted by SFJoe:
Which Sichuan?
74th and Amsterdam

Not my favorite location these days (though the Gui Zhou was very good). All the out of towners insisted on this one and then cancelled because of the snow.

It's Arcadian rather than Arcadia. IMO this will be really good in 10 years or so.
 
originally posted by Arjun Mendiratta:
Did you drink the whites after the reds?
(Wines are reported in the order tasted.)

Yes. We order mild dishes first - cucumber with sesame sauce, red-cooked pork with chestnuts, etc. - and save the whites for the guizhou chicken.
 
The Roty experience doesn't add up, even though I am sure you called it exactly as it was.
But it obviously wasn't cooked, or over the hill.
Maybe it's in that weird state in which the wine is still young but should be treated like old wine.
 
originally posted by .sasha:
The Roty experience doesn't add up, even though I am sure you called it exactly as it was.
But it obviously wasn't cooked, or over the hill.
Maybe it's in that weird state in which the wine is still young but should be treated like old wine.

Do you sit around reading old Russian texts to come up with this cryptic shit?
 
originally posted by .sasha:
The Roty experience doesn't add up, even though I am sure you called it exactly as it was.
But it obviously wasn't cooked, or over the hill.
Maybe it's in that weird state in which the wine is still young but should be treated like old wine.

My conclusion after drinking that was to take my '93 Fontenys off the near term drinking queue.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:
originally posted by .sasha:
The Roty experience doesn't add up, even though I am sure you called it exactly as it was.
But it obviously wasn't cooked, or over the hill.
Maybe it's in that weird state in which the wine is still young but should be treated like old wine.

My conclusion after drinking that was to take my '93 Fontenys off the near term drinking queue.

Looks like we read the same Russian books.

As opposed to others who obviously don't read any Russian books (Kolmogorov doesn't count), otherwise they'd know the difference between verbose and cryptic.

Les Ouzeloy has been magnificent for a while, but that's Marsannay. Yeah, Fontenys is stubborn to unfold. I haven't had Prieur since the last time VLM picked up a fictional work that wasn't about baseball.

p.s. to VLM - just discovered a lost bottle of 08 Les Granges. Drink now, right?
 
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