TN: Slaton times on Roosevelt Island

Sharon Bowman

Sharon Bowman
The F train was skipping, the oven was out, but we all made it to Roosevelt Island to festivize with Chris and Lisa in honor of Slaton's bumming around NYC a bit. A visit to Roosevelt Island is a rare gem and something not many city natives have ever experienced, ever.

Those of us who have done do sometimes end up with a split lip, or wake up in Coney Island, or both. But this time, we just ate delicious fried chicken and sole with capers and capered about. There was a Riesling that is not included in my notes, which I hope some may fill in.

2005 Foreau Brut - I arrive from a dizzying way out the other side of Queens, since the F train is skipping R.I. in that direction. I arrive to cats! Friends! Fried chicken! Wines! And decisions: first this. Hey, that's a nice sparkler. I search nasally and palately in vain for some kind of 2005 overripeness; it's actually totally lovely, and Chris and I reminisce about my early dislike of Vouvray bubbles, from years prior. Oh, right, it was Pinon Rosé. My mistake at the time, 'cause I'm a convert.

2012 Ruppert-Leroy "Fosse-Grely" Autrement - This, from a producer I've only had a couple of times, was quite the friend of CC fried chicken. All unsulfured pinot noir, very pinot noir. But racy; lean, pinot-y with a fantastic backbone.

2002 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne - Fancy times are now clearly afoot, and this had breeding, but not obnoxious of same. Could be eaten standing with fried chicken, or milling about at a fancier juncture, at which ladies aren't wearing mushroom-emblazoned skirts mocked by the guest of honor.

2010 François Cotat Rosé - Hear me out. I double-decanted this, and it was still ultra-closed upon arrival. We swished and put it in the fridge (I believe it was Coad doing the swishing); a bit later, it was still g-d'd closed. But then after much time and air, and a bit of warmth, it began to morph into something savory and good. Hold, for the love of gad.

2010 Domaine de l'Arlot NSG Clos de L’Arlot (375ml) - Whee for half-bottles of tasty burgundy. A bit closed, but also with good stuffing.

1999 Château Musar (375ml) - Whee for delicious Musar with its attractive V.A. This was lovely, just a delight.

1993 Faiveley Corton (which climat?) - A roller-coaster of a wine. It was delicious old Burgundy, which whooooooooo went down a hill, but then came back up. Fantastic.

2007 Romeo del Castello Vigo - Our Musar's lean partner in crime. It had the V.A. relationship, but unfortunately was kind of short and uncompelling in the end. First vintage of this wine; I will be curious to check back in on later vintages, from a young vigneronne in Sicily.

2013 Eminence Road Farm Winery "Elizabeth's Vineyard" Pinot Noir - Now "Game of Thrones" began to loom, and I moored myself to this fantastic Eminence Road showing. Ripe year of lovely PN, what else can one say? Except I was holding one or two cats by this point.

2012 C&P Breton "Clos Sénéchal" - zzz, TV? Cats? Hullo?

I went home, and was sorry to have blasted our hosts with kitchen light as I scrubbed my dish of potato gratin before leaving. Was it just a Coad-style performance? There was no cauliflower; continuity had to be established.
 
Congrats on it being indeed a Coad-style performance, with the attendant manifold and pluriform pleasures to which we have grown accosted.
 
Nay, I only provide notes, not storytelling. I only dared post this because the Hello Kitty notebook was absent and there was no likely CC writeup. As a journalist I confirmed that he would not. But fudge that! Fudge it!
 
Coad has always told me I needed a special green card issued by the Donald to be allowed to visit his island. I will discuss this with the proper authorities when we make our annual journey to NY in October. I met Slaton in SF and didn't realize he was among West Coast royalty, although obviously a very decent sort.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:


2007 Romeo del Castello Vigo - Our Musar's lean partner in crime. It had the V.A. relationship, but unfortunately was kind of short and uncompelling in the end. First vintage of this wine; I will be curious to check back in on later vintages, from a young vigneronne in Sicily.

I am a fan of the Vigo, although I have not gone this far back in vintages. Chiara is just lovely and demure, as are her wines. They are in no way showy, instead tempting you to follow.
 
That was a lot of fun.

I can't take notes on wines when I'm cooking seafood cakes, fried chicken & pan-seared fish at the same time, so I appreciate the filling-in.

It was a night of stovetop things because, in the best dinner-party-disaster tradition, my oven stopped working the day before and we were caught in a jurisdiction issue with our new co-op status trying to get it repaired. Sigh.

I thought the Faively was really delish, and the Musar, Cotat, Foreau and Eminem Road not far behind. But I was distracted.

Nice to see everyone, nice to finally put a face to Slaton after all these years. WHY ARE THEY KEEPING US ON TENTERHOOKS WITH JON SNOW??
 
originally posted by Lou Kessler:
The truth will outCoad has always told me I needed a special green card issued by the Donald to be allowed to visit his island. I will discuss this with the proper authorities when we make our annual journey to NY in October. I met Slaton in SF and didn't realize he was among West Coast royalty, although obviously a very decent sort.

As long as you go through proper channels everything should be fine, Lou.

Probably.

Maybe.
 
originally posted by scottreiner:
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:


2007 Romeo del Castello Vigo - Our Musar's lean partner in crime. It had the V.A. relationship, but unfortunately was kind of short and uncompelling in the end. First vintage of this wine; I will be curious to check back in on later vintages, from a young vigneronne in Sicily.

I am a fan of the Vigo, although I have not gone this far back in vintages. Chiara is just lovely and demure, as are her wines. They are in no way showy, instead tempting you to follow.

I am also a fan, and had higher hopes for this bottling. You make a good point about their discretion, but they are usually lovelier.
 
Something really weird happened to the l'Arlot after it had been open for a few hours. It was good albeit stemmy for most of the evening but when I poured a glass towards the end it had taken on a disconcerting sewage note. No idea what's up with that.

Loved the Faiveley though it did shut down after a while. Glad to hear it woke back up.

The Champagnes and fried chicken were a match made in heaven. It was worth the effort to sabotage the oven the day before.
 
Hmph! Durn anti-Riesling fanatics...

there was also a 1997 von Schubert Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Spatlese which displayed an amazing nose but while delicious now will clearly benefit from a bit more time on the palate.
 
originally posted by Jay Miller:
Hmph! Durn anti-Riesling fanatics...

there was also a 1997 von Schubert Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Spatlese which displayed an amazing nose but while delicious now will clearly benefit from a bit more time on the palate.

How much longer would it have to spend on the palate before diminishing returns set in?
 
Great times. It was wonderful to see Jay and Sharon again, and it was just super to finally meet Chris and Lisa after all these years. I enjoyed meeting Arnold as well. And Roosevelt Island was indeed surreal and amazing, particularly when arriving by tram!

The Foreau was delicious and I would have been happy drinking it all night.

The Grunhauser was absolutely smashing, another wine I'd have been happy drinking all night.

The Ruppert-Leroy was creamy yet dry, savory and mineral (a combination I love in fizz), and was an intriguing first taste from this producer. I enjoyed, particularly with the sole.

The Comtes was a treat. I am divided on Comtes in general, finding some vintages blowsy and overly sweet, but this was one of the good ones.

I was initially concerned about the Faiveley Clos des Cortons as it showed some seepage, but it was delicious, even if it did go through a lull as Sharon describes. It is fully mature for my (non-necrophiliac) palate, although it has years left. Curiously there was no sediment. Thank you Chambers St Wines.

The Cotat was difficult as described, but did finally turn the corner and eventually showed a lean, mineral personality that I appreciated.

I found the Arlot too young and generally a bit fierce (as one might except for a 2010 Nuits), but I may have missed the early accessibility that Jay described.

The Musar was not for me. A little too much of everything (including VA). More for everyone else..

My palate was shot by the time the Eminence Road and Breton appeared, but that didn't stop me from sipping some of each while watching The Red Woman ("pasty white people trying to kill each other", as Chris explained to Sharon) with Lisa, Chris and the cats.

I look forward to the next time.

(+ and hope to meet Jeff, Zachary, Don, Cliff, Josh, et al.)
 
The cats, by the way, are strikingly unhappy that we're not doing this every night. They've never had such a willing, friendly audience to rub up against and to give them the tribute that is their natural birthright.

They're glaring at me accusingly right now.
 
originally posted by Chris Coad:
They've never had such a willing, friendly audience to rub up against and to give them the tribute that is their natural birthright.
I spent half an hour pulling cat hair out of my coat on Monday morning.
And I'd do it all over again, of course - lovely beasts.
 
originally posted by slaton:
originally posted by Chris Coad:
They've never had such a willing, friendly audience to rub up against and to give them the tribute that is their natural birthright.
I spent half an hour pulling cat hair out of my coat on Monday morning.
And I'd do it all over again, of course - lovely beasts.

I call this "every single day of my life."
 
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