Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Jayson, Jay, John, Josh, Jeff, Ira, Victor
It's been twenty years since this great vintage. Time to check in.
After much fuss, we arrange dinner at Cata, a tapas-slinging gin-joint in the Bowery. This is one of my favorite low-key eateries now: a spacious room, a good menu, a fairly-priced list, and pretty quiet (if you get out by 9pm).
It's steamy-hot outside, thunder is booming and rain is falling as we arrive. Alicia, our hard-working waitperson, greets everyone with a tall glass of ice water. (Go, Alicia!)
Andrew, the manager, has set up a large brass tub full of ice for us to chill the bottles and he makes additional room behind the bar. Jay handles the menu, mostly from the "Sea" list, then starts arranging for a wine glass taste-off: typical white wine glasses versus the Zalto Champagne.
Pretty soon the kitchen starts sending out plate after plate of delicious, well-made food... two kinds of croquettes, two kinds of prawns, razor clams, oysters, two kinds of paella, lamb meatballs, and a few more.
While waiting for all this to happen, Victor opens a starter red:
Ch. Magdelaine 1978 Saint-Emilion - magnum; beautiful wine, fine furry tannins, and holding forth with cherries, plums, and a note of tarragon; great
And the pop-pop-fizz-fizz train pulls out of the station:
P. Gimmonnet, Brut BdB 1er "Cuvée Gastronome" - lively fizz, beautifully mellow, a bit tight yet but it blossoms on the finish, ever longer and reminding us that these yellow fruits grew not too far from Chablis; some call it slutty but I think it sets a high standard for the rest
P. Moncuit, Brut BdB GC "Cuvée Millésimée" - bland, perhaps locked-up by the vintage's famous acidity but, in any case, everybody dumps it pretty quickly
P. Peters, Brut BdB GC "Cuvée Speciale" - akin to the Gimmonnet but brighter, more assertive nose and forthright palate, still tight so safe to hold
Aubry, Brut Rosé 1er "Sablé" - exotic gold-pink color, this is oxidized out of the bottle; with air, this improves a bit and using a Zalto Champagne glass helps to focus it some more; the clear glass bottle indicates to John that this was not really meant to be kept long
Jacquesson, Extra Brut GC "Avize" - disg. 12/04; very full and rich, this is really in-your-face with fruit and ferment; it's a boxer or wrestler compared to the regular joes served before; "Powerful" -Jason
Lanson, Brut - magnum; disg. 6/13; another potent nose, lots of citrus and sulfur; John says Lanson blocks the malo so the wines are tart young but have a long life; I like the extra acidity and the tangerine hint it gives
Bollinger, Brut "Grande Année" - quite yeasty, but dull; nothing wrong with it but nothing right with it, either; another one that got dumped pretty quickly
Taittinger, Brut BdB "Comtes de Champagne" - high drama here: pure yellow fruit and lemony acidity vying for dominance; annoying bottle but great wine
Drappier, "Grande Sendrée" - it's wine
Salon, Brut BdB - very youthful, gorgeous wine, "Steely and brilliant" -Jay, "By far the tightest wine" -Victor, full of life, WOTN for several folks
Dom Perignon, Brut "Oenotheque" - by definition: 12 years on the lees; this bottling is nowadays called "P2"; this is elegant, chalky, suave; very enjoyable and rather feminine compared to the bruisers we drank before it
Dom Perignon, Brut - it's wine; can't compete with its older sib
Pretty impressive group, all in all. My favorites are the Salon, Gimmonnet, and Taittinger, in no particular order. I wouldn't spill out two or three of the others, either.
Oh, and to wrap it up, Jayson opens one more red:
López de Heredia 1976 Rioja GR "Viña Bosconia" - OMG, "I don't think I've ever had a better bottle" -Victor
It's been twenty years since this great vintage. Time to check in.
After much fuss, we arrange dinner at Cata, a tapas-slinging gin-joint in the Bowery. This is one of my favorite low-key eateries now: a spacious room, a good menu, a fairly-priced list, and pretty quiet (if you get out by 9pm).
It's steamy-hot outside, thunder is booming and rain is falling as we arrive. Alicia, our hard-working waitperson, greets everyone with a tall glass of ice water. (Go, Alicia!)
Andrew, the manager, has set up a large brass tub full of ice for us to chill the bottles and he makes additional room behind the bar. Jay handles the menu, mostly from the "Sea" list, then starts arranging for a wine glass taste-off: typical white wine glasses versus the Zalto Champagne.
Pretty soon the kitchen starts sending out plate after plate of delicious, well-made food... two kinds of croquettes, two kinds of prawns, razor clams, oysters, two kinds of paella, lamb meatballs, and a few more.
While waiting for all this to happen, Victor opens a starter red:
Ch. Magdelaine 1978 Saint-Emilion - magnum; beautiful wine, fine furry tannins, and holding forth with cherries, plums, and a note of tarragon; great
And the pop-pop-fizz-fizz train pulls out of the station:
P. Gimmonnet, Brut BdB 1er "Cuvée Gastronome" - lively fizz, beautifully mellow, a bit tight yet but it blossoms on the finish, ever longer and reminding us that these yellow fruits grew not too far from Chablis; some call it slutty but I think it sets a high standard for the rest
P. Moncuit, Brut BdB GC "Cuvée Millésimée" - bland, perhaps locked-up by the vintage's famous acidity but, in any case, everybody dumps it pretty quickly
P. Peters, Brut BdB GC "Cuvée Speciale" - akin to the Gimmonnet but brighter, more assertive nose and forthright palate, still tight so safe to hold
Aubry, Brut Rosé 1er "Sablé" - exotic gold-pink color, this is oxidized out of the bottle; with air, this improves a bit and using a Zalto Champagne glass helps to focus it some more; the clear glass bottle indicates to John that this was not really meant to be kept long
Jacquesson, Extra Brut GC "Avize" - disg. 12/04; very full and rich, this is really in-your-face with fruit and ferment; it's a boxer or wrestler compared to the regular joes served before; "Powerful" -Jason
Lanson, Brut - magnum; disg. 6/13; another potent nose, lots of citrus and sulfur; John says Lanson blocks the malo so the wines are tart young but have a long life; I like the extra acidity and the tangerine hint it gives
Bollinger, Brut "Grande Année" - quite yeasty, but dull; nothing wrong with it but nothing right with it, either; another one that got dumped pretty quickly
Taittinger, Brut BdB "Comtes de Champagne" - high drama here: pure yellow fruit and lemony acidity vying for dominance; annoying bottle but great wine
Drappier, "Grande Sendrée" - it's wine
Salon, Brut BdB - very youthful, gorgeous wine, "Steely and brilliant" -Jay, "By far the tightest wine" -Victor, full of life, WOTN for several folks
Dom Perignon, Brut "Oenotheque" - by definition: 12 years on the lees; this bottling is nowadays called "P2"; this is elegant, chalky, suave; very enjoyable and rather feminine compared to the bruisers we drank before it
Dom Perignon, Brut - it's wine; can't compete with its older sib
Pretty impressive group, all in all. My favorites are the Salon, Gimmonnet, and Taittinger, in no particular order. I wouldn't spill out two or three of the others, either.
Oh, and to wrap it up, Jayson opens one more red:
López de Heredia 1976 Rioja GR "Viña Bosconia" - OMG, "I don't think I've ever had a better bottle" -Victor