Since I joined Wine Therapy in November of 2000, I'll start reposting various tasting note posts from that period.
Originally posted 11/18/00.
A small group of wine lovers gathered at Chez SFJoes two weeks ago for a special evening of fine food and wines in a celebration of Lou Kesslers trip to NY. Joe really spoiled us that night with his unbelievable hospitality and his usual astounding cooking. Perhaps the only real disappointment I had was finding out that our mushroomer extraordinaire did not, in fact, find the white truffle he served us. Shocked and horrified, I was.
We started the wines off with a Terry Theise Champagne. Unfortunately, I have forgotten the producer as I generally dont pay too much attention to Champagnes since theyre made with two of my least favorite grapes and have bubbles. However, whatever this one was, it was quite nice and crisp and the essence of green apples.
We then moved on to a series of white wines, some of which were paired with a tuna fish puree of some kind with capers and red bell peppers, a sauted wild mushroom dish that included cream and pomegranate molasses and then a truly outstanding dish of minced tuna tartar topped with slices of white truffle and a healthy dose of Ossetra caviar.
1999 Huet- Vouvray, Clos du Bourg- Sec
Light yellow in color with a fairly dilute nose of chalk, lemon and apples. Quite lean and dilute on the palate with no real depth. Like flavors as aromas with a short, tart finish. Well, it was reported that 99 was quite difficult in the Loire and this wine showed it. Low B-.
1998 Domaine Schoffit- Pinot Blanc
Pale color. Aromatic nose full of flowers, light stone fruits, citrus/lime and mineral. Big and robust on the palate for a Pinot Blanc, with excellent depth. Slight sweetness is balanced by acidity. Mineral, stone fruits, melon and nicely tart citrus flavors. Good length. A delicious Pinot Blanc. B+/A-.
1999 Domaine de Roally- Mcon-Village
Pale in color. Leesy on the nose with apple aromas. Fairly rich on the palate with some residual sugar. Pleasant apple, melon and lime flavors with no oak to be found. A nice, everyday white for food or sipping. B+/B.
The esteemed Joe Dressner explained to us that this wine is actually a Mcon-Vir, but that it was excluded from the appellation in 99 as the wine was considered too rich and not dry enough. This may help explain why I liked this Chardonnay.
1993 J.F. Coche-Dury- Bourgogne
Light straw color. Nose was dominated by charred oak. On the palate, dry and fairly lean with charred oak, butterscotch and melon flavors. The acidity became quite tart with air. B-.
1990 Nikolaihof- Gruner Veltliner, Smaragd
This is actually the only Gruner Ive ever purchased (it was a gift for Joe) as many of you already know how I feel about Gruners. I did, however, like this wine a lot when I first tried it 3-4 years ago.
Pale yellow with a distinct waxy aroma with mineral, lemon and star fruit. Big, dry and sleek on the palate where lemon, wax and mineral flavors dominate. Kind of reminds me of a Trimbach FE with the leanness, focus and wax quality, but it doesnt show the same minerality. B+/B.
1998 FX Pichler- Riesling, Drnsteiner Kellerberg- Smaragd
Wow! What a nose! Intense mango, guava, stone fruits and spice aromas roar out of the glass and slap you silly as you enjoy every minute of the beating. Seriously, I could smell this wine all day. Massive and expansive on the palate with excellent balance. Tropical fruit and gingery spice abound, though in a fairly dry format. A bit tight on the finish and it should be noted that the wine did close up pretty quickly. Excellent wine that needs to slumber a bit. My only complaint, which is pretty uniform for most Austrian wines that I try, is that its got massive structure which I generally prefer with a touch more residual sugar than most of these wines offer. Solid A-.
1998 Dr. Brklin-Wolf- Riesling- Sptlese, Wachenheimer, Pfalz
Ive always enjoyed the wines of Brklin-Wolf and consider them to be excellent values. This wine was no exception. Pale in color with a tight nose of mostly mineral with some light peach. Rich and fairly full with medium sweetness thats balanced perfectly by juicy acidity. Stone fruits, mineral with underlying red fruit flavors. Drinks well now but will also cellar well. Low A-.
1959 Jon. Jos. Prm- Riesling- Sptlese, Zeltinger Schlossberg, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
A youngish looking pale gold/ deep yellow color given its 41 year old age. Complex nose of shoe polish, light, musty honey and old fruit. Elegant and subtle on the palate with similar flavors as aromas. Finish was a bit short and dry. Clearly showing its age palate wise, but still an enjoyable wine. I should point out that it showed better with the risotto than on its own. B+/B.
Oh, a word about the marvelous risotto Iron Chef Joe created. No joke, the risotto was really something that couldve come out of Iron Chef. It was uni (sea urchin gonads) risotto with Nantucket bay scallops, Matsutaki mushrooms and white truffle shavings.
It was during this excruciatingly good dish that Dougherty (SFJoe) explained to us that in Japan, Matsutaki mushrooms with closed caps are often given as gifts to bosses as they are considered phallic symbols. However, one must take great care to select one that is neither too big, nor too small. What was not discussed, perhaps thankfully, is why one would want to send ones boss a phallic symbol and what would happen if ones boss was female. I can smell harassment suit already.
Before we moved on to the reds, we had the 1989 Egon Muller- Riesling- Sptlese, Scharzhofberger that unfortunately showed signs of cookage.
1981 Via Tondonia- Rioja, Gran Reserva
Light garnet color. Elegant and perfumed nose of cherry, game, old wood and earth. Unfortunately, the wine is not as enjoyable on the palate as it is on the nose. Similar flavors as on the nose, but the wine is fairly light bodied, lean and overwhelmingly acidic with a very tart finish. This estate, with one exception, continually leaves me unimpressed. C+.
1997 Clos Rougeard- Saumar Champigny, Les Poyeaux
Its been said that this is one of Joe Dressners true Cult wines. Well, we all know what an odd sort Loire Cab Franc fans are. Deep garnet in color with coffee, herb and dark fruit aromas. Young, tight and tannic on the palate with pretty good fruit, coffeed oak and the tell-tale Cab Franc herbalness. Needs time, but not bad. The Cab Franc lovers of the group liked it more than I did. B+.
1982 La Conseillante- Pomerol
Garnet colored with a deliciously perfumed nose of rich red fruit, faint herb, cedar and wet earth. Still fairly young on the palate with firm tannins, though it is a most enjoyable drink now. Complex, multi-layered and perfectly balanced in the mouth with like flavors as the nose with the addition of tobacco. It should be noted that a second bottle of this wine opened showed deeper, richer and younger fruit with a younger slightly more vibrant structure. The first bottle merited a Solid A, while the second bottle merited an A+/A.
1986 LArrose- St. Emilion
Garnet colored with a perfumed nose of cherry, menthol, slight eucalyptus, chocolate and earth. Shows extremely young on the palate with firm tannins, though several people felt the wine was ready to go. I feel it still needs a little bottle time to fully show its stuff. Rich and voluptuous cherry, chocolate, tobacco, light tar and eucalyptus flavors. With a few hours of air the wine really shined. It lost much of the eucalyptus and menthol flavors and aromas, characteristics I generally dont love, and became well integrated and full of lush fruit and chocolate. Solid A-.
1998 Kazmer Blaise- Pinot Noir, Carneros, Primos Hill
We were told that there were only 200 cases of this wine and that it was available only through winebid.com, though it was apparently seen on the shelf in one store in CA. In any case, I think the generally consensus of the group was that these folks made 200 cases too much. The wine was a deep garnet/ruby with lots of charred oak, spice, alcohol and stemmy red fruit. On the palate, surprise! Yet another over-oaked CA wine. What fruit is present is green and, perhaps this is a good thing, the wine lacked a middle and a finish. C.
Dessert consisted of the finest assortment of cheeses Ive ever seen on a dinner table and for those that hung around late, Monte Cristo cigars, a 1928 Armagnac (can you say smooooooooooth?!!) and other assorted fine brown liquids with high alcohol contents and made with grains.
Thank you, Lou, for providing the excuse to party!
Brad
Originally posted 11/18/00.
A small group of wine lovers gathered at Chez SFJoes two weeks ago for a special evening of fine food and wines in a celebration of Lou Kesslers trip to NY. Joe really spoiled us that night with his unbelievable hospitality and his usual astounding cooking. Perhaps the only real disappointment I had was finding out that our mushroomer extraordinaire did not, in fact, find the white truffle he served us. Shocked and horrified, I was.
We started the wines off with a Terry Theise Champagne. Unfortunately, I have forgotten the producer as I generally dont pay too much attention to Champagnes since theyre made with two of my least favorite grapes and have bubbles. However, whatever this one was, it was quite nice and crisp and the essence of green apples.
We then moved on to a series of white wines, some of which were paired with a tuna fish puree of some kind with capers and red bell peppers, a sauted wild mushroom dish that included cream and pomegranate molasses and then a truly outstanding dish of minced tuna tartar topped with slices of white truffle and a healthy dose of Ossetra caviar.
1999 Huet- Vouvray, Clos du Bourg- Sec
Light yellow in color with a fairly dilute nose of chalk, lemon and apples. Quite lean and dilute on the palate with no real depth. Like flavors as aromas with a short, tart finish. Well, it was reported that 99 was quite difficult in the Loire and this wine showed it. Low B-.
1998 Domaine Schoffit- Pinot Blanc
Pale color. Aromatic nose full of flowers, light stone fruits, citrus/lime and mineral. Big and robust on the palate for a Pinot Blanc, with excellent depth. Slight sweetness is balanced by acidity. Mineral, stone fruits, melon and nicely tart citrus flavors. Good length. A delicious Pinot Blanc. B+/A-.
1999 Domaine de Roally- Mcon-Village
Pale in color. Leesy on the nose with apple aromas. Fairly rich on the palate with some residual sugar. Pleasant apple, melon and lime flavors with no oak to be found. A nice, everyday white for food or sipping. B+/B.
The esteemed Joe Dressner explained to us that this wine is actually a Mcon-Vir, but that it was excluded from the appellation in 99 as the wine was considered too rich and not dry enough. This may help explain why I liked this Chardonnay.
1993 J.F. Coche-Dury- Bourgogne
Light straw color. Nose was dominated by charred oak. On the palate, dry and fairly lean with charred oak, butterscotch and melon flavors. The acidity became quite tart with air. B-.
1990 Nikolaihof- Gruner Veltliner, Smaragd
This is actually the only Gruner Ive ever purchased (it was a gift for Joe) as many of you already know how I feel about Gruners. I did, however, like this wine a lot when I first tried it 3-4 years ago.
Pale yellow with a distinct waxy aroma with mineral, lemon and star fruit. Big, dry and sleek on the palate where lemon, wax and mineral flavors dominate. Kind of reminds me of a Trimbach FE with the leanness, focus and wax quality, but it doesnt show the same minerality. B+/B.
1998 FX Pichler- Riesling, Drnsteiner Kellerberg- Smaragd
Wow! What a nose! Intense mango, guava, stone fruits and spice aromas roar out of the glass and slap you silly as you enjoy every minute of the beating. Seriously, I could smell this wine all day. Massive and expansive on the palate with excellent balance. Tropical fruit and gingery spice abound, though in a fairly dry format. A bit tight on the finish and it should be noted that the wine did close up pretty quickly. Excellent wine that needs to slumber a bit. My only complaint, which is pretty uniform for most Austrian wines that I try, is that its got massive structure which I generally prefer with a touch more residual sugar than most of these wines offer. Solid A-.
1998 Dr. Brklin-Wolf- Riesling- Sptlese, Wachenheimer, Pfalz
Ive always enjoyed the wines of Brklin-Wolf and consider them to be excellent values. This wine was no exception. Pale in color with a tight nose of mostly mineral with some light peach. Rich and fairly full with medium sweetness thats balanced perfectly by juicy acidity. Stone fruits, mineral with underlying red fruit flavors. Drinks well now but will also cellar well. Low A-.
1959 Jon. Jos. Prm- Riesling- Sptlese, Zeltinger Schlossberg, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer
A youngish looking pale gold/ deep yellow color given its 41 year old age. Complex nose of shoe polish, light, musty honey and old fruit. Elegant and subtle on the palate with similar flavors as aromas. Finish was a bit short and dry. Clearly showing its age palate wise, but still an enjoyable wine. I should point out that it showed better with the risotto than on its own. B+/B.
Oh, a word about the marvelous risotto Iron Chef Joe created. No joke, the risotto was really something that couldve come out of Iron Chef. It was uni (sea urchin gonads) risotto with Nantucket bay scallops, Matsutaki mushrooms and white truffle shavings.
It was during this excruciatingly good dish that Dougherty (SFJoe) explained to us that in Japan, Matsutaki mushrooms with closed caps are often given as gifts to bosses as they are considered phallic symbols. However, one must take great care to select one that is neither too big, nor too small. What was not discussed, perhaps thankfully, is why one would want to send ones boss a phallic symbol and what would happen if ones boss was female. I can smell harassment suit already.
Before we moved on to the reds, we had the 1989 Egon Muller- Riesling- Sptlese, Scharzhofberger that unfortunately showed signs of cookage.
1981 Via Tondonia- Rioja, Gran Reserva
Light garnet color. Elegant and perfumed nose of cherry, game, old wood and earth. Unfortunately, the wine is not as enjoyable on the palate as it is on the nose. Similar flavors as on the nose, but the wine is fairly light bodied, lean and overwhelmingly acidic with a very tart finish. This estate, with one exception, continually leaves me unimpressed. C+.
1997 Clos Rougeard- Saumar Champigny, Les Poyeaux
Its been said that this is one of Joe Dressners true Cult wines. Well, we all know what an odd sort Loire Cab Franc fans are. Deep garnet in color with coffee, herb and dark fruit aromas. Young, tight and tannic on the palate with pretty good fruit, coffeed oak and the tell-tale Cab Franc herbalness. Needs time, but not bad. The Cab Franc lovers of the group liked it more than I did. B+.
1982 La Conseillante- Pomerol
Garnet colored with a deliciously perfumed nose of rich red fruit, faint herb, cedar and wet earth. Still fairly young on the palate with firm tannins, though it is a most enjoyable drink now. Complex, multi-layered and perfectly balanced in the mouth with like flavors as the nose with the addition of tobacco. It should be noted that a second bottle of this wine opened showed deeper, richer and younger fruit with a younger slightly more vibrant structure. The first bottle merited a Solid A, while the second bottle merited an A+/A.
1986 LArrose- St. Emilion
Garnet colored with a perfumed nose of cherry, menthol, slight eucalyptus, chocolate and earth. Shows extremely young on the palate with firm tannins, though several people felt the wine was ready to go. I feel it still needs a little bottle time to fully show its stuff. Rich and voluptuous cherry, chocolate, tobacco, light tar and eucalyptus flavors. With a few hours of air the wine really shined. It lost much of the eucalyptus and menthol flavors and aromas, characteristics I generally dont love, and became well integrated and full of lush fruit and chocolate. Solid A-.
1998 Kazmer Blaise- Pinot Noir, Carneros, Primos Hill
We were told that there were only 200 cases of this wine and that it was available only through winebid.com, though it was apparently seen on the shelf in one store in CA. In any case, I think the generally consensus of the group was that these folks made 200 cases too much. The wine was a deep garnet/ruby with lots of charred oak, spice, alcohol and stemmy red fruit. On the palate, surprise! Yet another over-oaked CA wine. What fruit is present is green and, perhaps this is a good thing, the wine lacked a middle and a finish. C.
Dessert consisted of the finest assortment of cheeses Ive ever seen on a dinner table and for those that hung around late, Monte Cristo cigars, a 1928 Armagnac (can you say smooooooooooth?!!) and other assorted fine brown liquids with high alcohol contents and made with grains.
Thank you, Lou, for providing the excuse to party!
Brad