Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Ira, Ed, David, Robert, Tom, Jeff
It's finally getting cold in New York City so it's finally time to put up the storm windows. A job for a Saturday. A job that should only take a couple of hours but I live in an old house so you never know. Thus, better get to the cellar on Friday, just in case.
I figure I'm just going to show up and move some boxes but instead I find Ira and Ed in mid-jeeb. I go take care of the boxes. Upon my return to the table, a few of the cellar folk have now also shown up and they have brought wine, too.
Aside from one bottle declared dead on arrival -- Guigal 2001 Hermitage Blanc "Ex Voto" -- all the rest are being served blind. Game on. In the order tasted:
Red in the decanter - I am the last to taste. The other folks are mystified, guesses all over the place. It smells pretty clearly Rhone to me, probably syrah, and kinda silky-lightweight. Drinks well. I exclude Hermitage and Cote Rotie from consideration because they are usually bigger and more tactile. I can't go any further. David tries several times to call it grenache. And we are all very surprised that it's Guigal 2001 Hermitage Rouge "Ex Voto". We all expected something grander and, frankly, spoofier.
Really dark and fruity red - Hot climate, spoof, or both? David and Robert are convinced it's Aussie, while I think it's a Californiated Bordeaux. Certainly there is a high proportion of cab, it's got the heavy texture and the black currants. It's nice, if a little self-important. We are all looking for any tell-tale sign of new oak barrels but we don't find it in Ridge 2001 "Monte Bello". David recalls that they started oaking the hell out of it with the 2004 vintage.
Really light-colored red - There is a lactic note on this that blows off, fortunately. It's gotta be some kind of Piedmont red: lots of acid, austere woodsy twang, my bet is on ruche. Other folks have no clue and resort to chicanery ("He collects everything dornfelder he can lay his hands on!"). It is really Prod. Carema 2012 Carema. Nice little mountain nebbiolo; for the right price, this can grace my table.
The obvious riesling - OK, no doubt this is German riesling, spatlese sweetness, does not scream with minerality so probably not grown on slate, acidity pretty tame so I'm going to guess vintage 2000. We are again surprised because we all think the Donnhoff 2002 Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Spatlese should not be this mild. (And I think Donnhoff is recognizable when young for it's lime-leaf flavor but I did not pick that up here.)
Rather dark white wine in the decanter - Hard to judge. It isn't chardonnay or pinot gris, if it's chenin it's weird, so I'm starting to riffle through minor Italian white grapes in my mind... vermentino? Something that gives medium-weight viscosity and a bit of old lady's handkerchief on the nose. David cuts short the speculation because it rings a bell with him... he's tasted this maker before: Joly 2010 Savennieres "Clos de la Bergerie".
Somebody said "Alsace" on this one - Alsace riesling, maybe? It's dry and it's got a freight train of extract. In fact, it's so weighty that it's kinda hard to figure it out. Robert got the cepage but nobody else did: Zind-Humbrecht 1994 Gewurztraminer "Clos Windsbuhl". Not a lychee in sight, really. Good job, Robert.
The sweetie - Riesling, maybe scheurebe? Probably auslese, not more. Definitely not Hungarian and while it is Sauternes-ish we can see the bottle is green.... In any case, it is really good but we all think we'd know if it was Muller-Catoir. As no one can go any further we ask Ed to reveal: Johannishof 2001 Johannisberger Klaus(?) Riesling Auslese Goldkap.
Thanks to everyone for a great way to kick out the week and kick off the weekend.
It's finally getting cold in New York City so it's finally time to put up the storm windows. A job for a Saturday. A job that should only take a couple of hours but I live in an old house so you never know. Thus, better get to the cellar on Friday, just in case.
I figure I'm just going to show up and move some boxes but instead I find Ira and Ed in mid-jeeb. I go take care of the boxes. Upon my return to the table, a few of the cellar folk have now also shown up and they have brought wine, too.
Aside from one bottle declared dead on arrival -- Guigal 2001 Hermitage Blanc "Ex Voto" -- all the rest are being served blind. Game on. In the order tasted:
Red in the decanter - I am the last to taste. The other folks are mystified, guesses all over the place. It smells pretty clearly Rhone to me, probably syrah, and kinda silky-lightweight. Drinks well. I exclude Hermitage and Cote Rotie from consideration because they are usually bigger and more tactile. I can't go any further. David tries several times to call it grenache. And we are all very surprised that it's Guigal 2001 Hermitage Rouge "Ex Voto". We all expected something grander and, frankly, spoofier.
Really dark and fruity red - Hot climate, spoof, or both? David and Robert are convinced it's Aussie, while I think it's a Californiated Bordeaux. Certainly there is a high proportion of cab, it's got the heavy texture and the black currants. It's nice, if a little self-important. We are all looking for any tell-tale sign of new oak barrels but we don't find it in Ridge 2001 "Monte Bello". David recalls that they started oaking the hell out of it with the 2004 vintage.
Really light-colored red - There is a lactic note on this that blows off, fortunately. It's gotta be some kind of Piedmont red: lots of acid, austere woodsy twang, my bet is on ruche. Other folks have no clue and resort to chicanery ("He collects everything dornfelder he can lay his hands on!"). It is really Prod. Carema 2012 Carema. Nice little mountain nebbiolo; for the right price, this can grace my table.
The obvious riesling - OK, no doubt this is German riesling, spatlese sweetness, does not scream with minerality so probably not grown on slate, acidity pretty tame so I'm going to guess vintage 2000. We are again surprised because we all think the Donnhoff 2002 Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Spatlese should not be this mild. (And I think Donnhoff is recognizable when young for it's lime-leaf flavor but I did not pick that up here.)
Rather dark white wine in the decanter - Hard to judge. It isn't chardonnay or pinot gris, if it's chenin it's weird, so I'm starting to riffle through minor Italian white grapes in my mind... vermentino? Something that gives medium-weight viscosity and a bit of old lady's handkerchief on the nose. David cuts short the speculation because it rings a bell with him... he's tasted this maker before: Joly 2010 Savennieres "Clos de la Bergerie".
Somebody said "Alsace" on this one - Alsace riesling, maybe? It's dry and it's got a freight train of extract. In fact, it's so weighty that it's kinda hard to figure it out. Robert got the cepage but nobody else did: Zind-Humbrecht 1994 Gewurztraminer "Clos Windsbuhl". Not a lychee in sight, really. Good job, Robert.
The sweetie - Riesling, maybe scheurebe? Probably auslese, not more. Definitely not Hungarian and while it is Sauternes-ish we can see the bottle is green.... In any case, it is really good but we all think we'd know if it was Muller-Catoir. As no one can go any further we ask Ed to reveal: Johannishof 2001 Johannisberger Klaus(?) Riesling Auslese Goldkap.
Thanks to everyone for a great way to kick out the week and kick off the weekend.