TN: Gathering at Jay's house (Feb 27, 2016)

J

Jeff Grossman

Jeff Grossman
attendees: Jay + Arnold, Suzanne + Kenny, Scott + Ann-Marie, Andrew + Jennifer, Jeff, Chris + Lisa, Paul + Sandy, Don + Melissa, Dale + Betsy, Brad

The annual do.

The usual great groaning board... lechon, sisig, two kinds of octopus, gougere, tapenade, saucisson, Arnold's special savory chicken hearts dish, and a few more.

Wines and some vague recollections through the alcohol and pork-fat induced haze:

F. Cotat 2007 Sancerre "Les Monts Damnes" - excellent and will probably continue to develop gracefully for many more years

Alzinger 2012 Loibenberg Smaragd
Josef Leitz 2001 Rudesheimer Berg Schlossberg Spatlese
J. J. Prum 2007 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese - the three rieslings were all showing beautifully

Dom. Huet 2014 Vouvray Demi-Sec "Le Mont"
Cazin 2004 Cour-Cheverny "Cuvee Renaissance"
Peillot 2005 Roussette du Bugey, Montagnieu Altesse - these were rather quiet; some claim the Huet opened up later

Tenuta Terre Nere 2014 Etna Bianco "Calderana Sottana" - a new cru-designated bottling, this was young and vivid and very glou

Pepiere 2009 Muscadet "Ch. Thebaud" (magnum) - I found this too soft, maybe the warm year?

Joly 2012 Savennieres "Coulee de Serrant"
Dom. Baumard 1993 Savennieres "Clos du Papillon" - both of these older wines were golden and rounded and delicious; I approached each one somewhat fearfully (given the uneven reputations involved (meaning, Joly and Savennieres (which I find I no longer like))) but such caution was totally swept away by graceful mature wines

Dom. Berthet-Bondet 2014 "Trio" - another glou wine in that tweaky Jura way

Eric Texier 2009 St-Joseph - so youthful and so unwilling to give much now

Clos Roche Blanche 2006 Touraine Cabernet - I found the shoe-polish scent a little too strong to be enjoyable

Clos de la Roilette 1995 Fleurie (aka, "A")
Dom. Savoye 1995 Morgon (aka "C")
Ch. Pierre-Bise 1995 Anjou Gamay (aka, "D") - another of Andrew's mystery flights; as with the previous one, we had a lot of trouble picking out what these wines were

ESJ 1990 Syrah, Durrell Vineyard (magnum) - a beauty, of course, and I believe the magnum was drained

Warre's 1966 Vintage Port - Jay was nervous about this bottle when he opened it because the wine was very pale and had no scent

Mount Mary 1995 "Quintet"
Marechal 2006 Savigny-les-Beaunes VV
Bea 2008 Sagrantino "Pagliaro"
Dom. Filiatreau ? Saumur-Champigny VV
Matanzas Creek 1990 Merlot, Sonoma Valley
La Pousse d'Or 2006 Volnay 1er "En Caillerets"
Dom. Gouges 1996 Nuits-St-Georges "Clos des Porrets"
G. Raphet 2005 Morey-St-Denis "Clos de la Roche" GC - I do not have clear memories of these wines though I'm pretty sure I tasted at least the Mount Mary and the Gouges; sigh

Many thanks to Jay and Arnold for their wonderful hosting.

Finally, note that Brad posted excellent pictures to an album on FaceBook, which you may see if you login there.
 
I recall the other two Rieslings were the 2001 Leitz Rudesheimer Berg Schlossberg Spatlese, and the 2012 Alzinger Loibenberg Smaragd. Both were lovely, and I was also surprised at how friendly the Prum was.

No mention of the whole pig? Or Jay's tiramisu?

Very, very fun time, and many thanks to Jay and Arnold for their hospitality, and to Dale and Betsy for letting me carpool with them.
 
The Coulee de Serrant was the 2012, I think. It was pretty ripe stuff. Loved the 2005 Altesse, so warm and happy, really surprised me. Time has been good to that one. Too many great wines, it was hard to keep track and I missed quite a few.

Huge thanks to Jay and Arnold for the always wonderful party in Jersey City. And thanks to all for the warm birthday wishes, I'm still blushing.
 
Sigh, I think I got to taste about half of those wines.

The 1966 Warres came around with air though it still required a quiet moment to appreciate its complexities. Lovely, though not as impressive as a magnum I opened about 5 years ago.

I think the Pousse d'Or was a 2006 though I never tried it.

The 2009 Chateau Thebaud seems to be shutting down a bit. Not nearly so expressive as the last one I opened at Brad's place.

Was ecstatic to see the 2006 CRB Cabernet but even for me it was a bit on the VA and brett side of things. Still enjoyed it though.

Whoever brought the corked bottle of 1988 Drouhin Clos Vougeot, thank you! It may have been undrinkable but it was a wonderful and gracious thought.
 
Also, what Arnold prepared was Arroz Caldo - it can be made with different meats, in this case it was chicken and chicken hearts. And yes, it's wonderful.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:
Also, what Arnold prepared was Arroz Caldo - it can be made with different meats, in this case it was chicken and chicken hearts. And yes, it's wonderful.
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Thank you. I don't think I caught the name right before.
 
Many thanks to Jay and Arnold, the hosts with the most! Another wonderful pig party!

I think the whites stole the show. The three Rieslings showed beautifully and I didn't find the Peillot, Cazin or Huet quiet at all. I was stunned to see half the bottle of the Cazin remaining at the end of the evening as I thought the wine was one of the best of the day. The Huet was soft, typically sweet, but rather dull as the structure didn't show much when it was first poured. However, four or five hours later, the acid came up big time and the wine filled in and it's easily the best demi-sec I've had since Pinguet left. It certainly helps with winemaking when Mother Nature cooperates with the weather.

I was pleasantly surprised by the '12 Coulee de Serrant. Ripe, but lacking the overwhelming oxidative character that Nicolas Joly made a Hallmark. I've enjoyed the wines much more since Virginie has been making them.

The '93 Baumard Clos Papillon was a beauty. Mature, but still showing freshness and no real nutty character that some of the later vintages have shown.

I think the lesson with Andrew's blind wines was don't get carried away with aging Gamay. While a fun exercise, as was his blind '99 Muscadet last week, honestly, they all tasted like generic old wine with the Bise showing the most remaining fruit and character.

I was happy with how the '90 Matanzas Creek Merlot showed and the reactions folks had to it when served double blind. A lot of older Bordeaux guesses as well as older Cal Cab. Seemed like everyone liked it, though. Majorly bummed that the '64 Riojanas- Monte Real Reserva was corked, though.

The '08 Paolo Bea Sagrantino Pagliaro was probably my favorite red of the night. Nice and rustic with a coarse texture, but nice lightly roasted cherry fruit, smoke, herbs and sun baked earth.

I enjoyed the '90 ESJ Syrah from magnum, but found it more in decline than others in the room did. Drink up.

Btw, Jeff, the Marechal was the 2006 VV. Too acidic and not enough fruit for me, but, so are most Burgs.
 
Wrong, wrong, wrong

The best red was easily the 1990 Edmunds St. John Syrah. A beauty drinking at peak currently.

Of the three mystery wines most people had A (the Roilette) as their favorite but while I enjoyed it I preferred wine C (the Savoye) - all earth and dirt. Lovely stuff and for me more interesting than the fruitier but delightful Roilette. The Pierre Bise was just meh. It was wine.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:


Of the three mystery wines most people had A (the Roilette) as their favorite but while I enjoyed it I preferred wine C (the Savoye) - all earth and dirt. Lovely stuff and for me more interesting than the fruitier but delightful Roilette. The Pierre Bise was just meh. It was wine.
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We must've spoken to different people as the one's I spoke to preferred the Bise.

"All earth and dirt." Yeah, that's exactly how a wine made from Gamay should show.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:

The best red was easily the 1990 Edmunds St. John Syrah. A beauty drinking at peak currently.
Click to expand...
I thought the bottle we had at Riverpark a couple of years ago with Leo's blind group (from the same batch) showed a touch better with a bit more intensity and freshness to the fruit, but I'm with you - the ESJ was my favorite red of the day.

Though I also really liked the 09 Texier and the 95 Mount Mary, despite how youthful both were.

Jeff: D'oh! Mea culpa.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:
originally posted by Brad Kane:

"All earth and dirt." Yeah, that's exactly how a wine made from Gamay should show.
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In a perfect world.
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Twenty years in the bottle seems to help tame the fruit a bit.

Also, for the record, Don Rice correctly pegged the wines as old gamay. And we both guessed Brad's blind wine as middle-aged California Bordeaux. The mintyness was the tip-off.

And yeah, the ESJ was stunning, even in a crowded field. What a treat!
 
originally posted by Kay Bixler:
originally posted by Jay Miller:
originally posted by Brad Kane:

"All earth and dirt." Yeah, that's exactly how a wine made from Gamay should show.
Click to expand...

In a perfect world.
Click to expand...

Twenty years in the bottle seems to help tame the fruit a bit.

Also, for the record, Don Rice correctly pegged the wines as old gamay. And we both guessed Brad's blind wine as middle-aged California Bordeaux. The mintyness was the tip-off.

And yeah, the ESJ was stunning, even in a crowded field. What a treat!
Click to expand...

Actually, Don guessed '66 Bordeaux on the Matanzas Creek. I didn't find it minty.
 
More corrections made above, thanks guys.

So, Brad, let me see if I have this right: the empty magnum indicates a wine that wasn't too good, while the half-filled 750 bottle indicates a lapse in judgment on the parts of 20 different party attendees. Does that about cover it?
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
More corrections made above, thanks guys.

So, Brad, let me see if I have this right: the empty magnum indicates a wine that wasn't too good, while the half-filled 750 bottle indicates a lapse in judgment on the parts of 20 different party attendees. Does that about cover it?
Click to expand...

Easily explained by the fact that there was a wealth of white wines to drink and relatively few good reds.
 
Jeff asked for the salad dressing recipe. In case anyone else wants it, here it is. I used jalapenos for the pepper.

For dressing and topping:
1/3 cup Asian fish sauce
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh red chiles (preferably Thai or cayenne)
2 teaspoon finely chopped peeled ginger
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
5 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Bring fish sauce and brown sugar to a simmer in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Blend mixture in a blender along with chiles, ginger, and garlic (use caution when blending hot liquids). Stir in lime juice.

These get tossed with the salad ingredients just before dressing:

2/3 cup coarsely chopped salted roasted peanuts
1/2 cup packed torn basil leaves
1/2 cup packed torn mint leaves'

For the salad I used some bagged mixes plus mixed peppers and cucumber.
 
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