TN: Jeebus for Jack (Apr 6, 2017)

Jeff Grossman

Jeff Grossman
attendees: Brad, Jeff, Jay, Jayson, Chris, Lisa, Jack Weissberg

Jack, the man who did not give his name to all that German pinot blanc, is visiting our fair city. He's a longtime pal of Chris & Lisa so we do a little jeeby thing.

The Maison Kayser bakery, around the corner from Brad's place, must be getting used to us by now. So, with the usual assortment of rilettes and boeuf and oeuf and many other foods with too many vowels, we pour:

Luneau-Papin 2005 Muscadet "Le L d'Or" - slightly soft on entry but gorgeous wine anyway, yellow fruit very prominent (so finally showing a bit of age)

Foreau 2010 Vouvray Brut - nose is not very forthcoming but the palate has big chenin fruit, white peaches and honeycomb and river stones, nice bottle

Foillard 2015 Cote du Py - bright sugary fruit, Choo-Choo Cherry comes to mind, fun and good

Ch. Beychevelle 1978 St-Julien - spearmint, mashed red berries and wet earth, great bottle

Bea 2010 Sagrantino di Montefalco Secco "Vigna Pagliaro" - grippy, either devoid of fruit or the fruit is cowering somewhere the tannins won't find it, an intellectually wow bottle, I like this a lot

ESJ 2003 Syrah "Bassetti Vineyard" - it's echt California syrah, red-fruited, some underbrush, some iodine, some violets, lots of life yet

Arnot-Roberts 2013 Cabernet "Fellom Ranch" - oh, so young and assertive (and a little viscous) but this is good old-fashioned herby cab and pretty delish

Ch. Lafaurie-Peyraguey 1988 Sauternes - corked (with so many other good bottles on the table, you just knew this was going to be the finale)
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Foreau 2010 Vouvray Brut - nose is not very forthcoming but the palate has big chenin fruit, white peaches and honeycomb and river stones, nice bottle

Last weekend I had the 2010 Huet Pétillant Brut and thought it was showing absolutely fabulously, fruit, focus, friendly, everything.

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Foillard 2015 Cote du Py - bright sugary fruit, Choo-Choo Cherry comes to mind, fun and good

Had a bottle last night and found it fun enough, but very sugary indeed and too primary for me to really get into it right now. I plan to wait on the other bottles.
 
A lovely evening all around; Maison Kayser does only a few dishes, but they do them capably and they always seem happy to have us hang out for three hours or so. Shame the coq au vin was cleared out at breakfast. Or something.

I find the description of the Bea as "devoid of fruit" to be a bit puzzling. To me, it seemed quite well-fruited, dark and red-berried, with Doric-column levels of structure. But I'm partial; my history of Bea fanfic leaves me a little open to accusations of partisanship.

The Foreau I found effusively yeasty-smelling, bakery odors mixed with lemon-stoniness. I didn't find it terribly complex but thought it very pleasant.

Anyway, those two quibbles aside the rest pretty much matches my impressions. The Beychevelle had so much going on, it was indeed a great bottle, one that lasted and didn't change much over the three hours it was open.

Also, for the record, while Brad seemed utterly intent on insisting that I was four minutes late, CCTV records will show that I was really only three minutes late.
 
originally posted by Chris Coad:
A lovely evening all around; Maison Kayser does only a few dishes, but they do them capably and they always seem happy to have us hang out for three hours or so. Shame the coq au vin was cleared out at breakfast. Or something.

I find the description of the Bea as "devoid of fruit" to be a bit puzzling. To me, it seemed quite well-fruited, dark and red-berried, with Doric-column levels of structure. But I'm partial; my history of Bea fanfic leaves me a little open to accusations of partisanship.

The Foreau I found effusively yeasty-smelling, bakery odors mixed with lemon-stoniness. I didn't find it terribly complex but thought it very pleasant.

Anyway, those two quibbles aside the rest pretty much matches my impressions. The Beychevelle had so much going on, it was indeed a great bottle, one that lasted and didn't change much over the three hours it was open.

Also, for the record, while Brad seemed utterly intent on insisting that I was four minutes late, CCTV records will show that I was really only three minutes late.

It is such a delight to read you, and I agree with the sentiments on Bea, as well as on the small chainlet of Maison Keyser USA. There's one adjacent to my work, and its quiche fulfills a strangely missing need.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
originally posted by Chris Coad:
A lovely evening all around; Maison Kayser does only a few dishes, but they do them capably and they always seem happy to have us hang out for three hours or so. Shame the coq au vin was cleared out at breakfast. Or something.

I find the description of the Bea as "devoid of fruit" to be a bit puzzling. To me, it seemed quite well-fruited, dark and red-berried, with Doric-column levels of structure. But I'm partial; my history of Bea fanfic leaves me a little open to accusations of partisanship.

The Foreau I found effusively yeasty-smelling, bakery odors mixed with lemon-stoniness. I didn't find it terribly complex but thought it very pleasant.

Anyway, those two quibbles aside the rest pretty much matches my impressions. The Beychevelle had so much going on, it was indeed a great bottle, one that lasted and didn't change much over the three hours it was open.

Also, for the record, while Brad seemed utterly intent on insisting that I was four minutes late, CCTV records will show that I was really only three minutes late.

It is such a delight to read you, and I agree with the sentiments on Bea, as well as on the small chainlet of Maison Keyser USA. There's one adjacent to my work, and its quiche fulfills a strangely missing need.

The lonely waiter was so overly attentive that it was quite sweet. We were close to the only table he had by the time we left, and he kept bringing us baguettes and whatever else he could. I almost always get either the coq au vin or the boeuf Bourguignon, both of which hit nice scratchy-places in my cold-weather-food lizard-brain. Nothing quite as dazzling as La Sirene's cassoulet, but good solid well-made comfort food.

On the Bea, I can only assume Jeff had some kind of a mini-stroke. Shit happens.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Foreau 2010 Vouvray Brut - nose is not very forthcoming but the palate has big chenin fruit, white peaches and honeycomb and river stones, nice bottle

Last weekend I had the 2010 Huet Pétillant Brut and thought it was showing absolutely fabulously, fruit, focus, friendly, everything.

originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
Foillard 2015 Cote du Py - bright sugary fruit, Choo-Choo Cherry comes to mind, fun and good

Had a bottle last night and found it fun enough, but very sugary indeed and too primary for me to really get into it right now. I plan to wait on the other bottles.

Agree. Huet Pet 10 has been fab since release. This bottle of Foreau was better than the last, and more floral and nutty than described by Jeff and Chris in my view, but it is not the Huet.

Agree. I found the Foillard tasty but a bit facile (if not quite fat) and lacking in the textural qualities in the structure I'm looking for.
 
originally posted by Jayson Cohen:

Agree. I found the Foillard tasty but a bit facile (if not quite fat) and lacking in the textural qualities in the structure I'm looking for.

Yes, texture is the right word. I've enjoyed primary Foillards before, including the '09 that tilted towards rich syrup, but still had some of that Foillard lace to the texture. This '15 on the other hand required a lot of imagination to pick out the lacy ethereal textures that I love in Foillard CdP.
 
originally posted by Chris Coad:
On the Bea, I can only assume Jeff had some kind of a mini-stroke.
Or perhaps I tasted it right after opening and did not make another note later.

Only my circulatory system knows for sure. (And I sat next to the doctor!)
 
Bea 2010 Sagrantino di Montefalco Secco "Vigna Pagliaro" - grippy, either devoid of fruit or the fruit is cowering somewhere the tannins won't find it, an intellectually wow bottle, I like this a lot

I'm surprised a man of (wine) sensitivities would like such strong brew.
 
originally posted by MarkS:
Bea 2010 Sagrantino di Montefalco Secco "Vigna Pagliaro" - grippy, either devoid of fruit or the fruit is cowering somewhere the tannins won't find it, an intellectually wow bottle, I like this a lot

I'm surprised a man of (wine) sensitivities would like such strong brew.

I like sagrantino just fine. Tannins R Us. Join me for a bottle of The Madiran?
 
It falls to me to keep people honest. Maison Kayser no longer serves coq au vin. It was replaced by a chicken with morels dish which is what the breakfast crew seems to have chowed down on.
 
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