TN: Birthday Jeebus II (July 8, 2017)

J

Jeff Grossman

Jeff Grossman
attendees: Brad, Paul J, Jay, Sasha+Delia, Victor, Sarah K, Joe Cz, Chris W+Meredith, Michael E, Jeff

Part 2 of Brad's birthday celebrations. We have the back room at Peking Duck House all to ourselves. The kitchen is on a hot streak tonight, with meaty riblets and good ducks.

We commence with a toast to our absent friend, Chris Coad.

And now let the lazy susans spin!:

Dom. de la Pepiere 2004 Muscadet "Clos des Briords" - magnum, beautifully aged, very mineral, the acidity is still solid and reminds me of the fruit but the palate is more resinous than peachy

F. Pinon 2015 Vouvray "Les Deronnieres" - citrussy, clean, the table is pretty sure there's 15-20g RS here, gently tangy, long finish, right off the boat and universally acclaimed

Francoli 1967 Vino Spanna Riserva - rather brown but alive and well, very faint sour mash, pretty red fruits that hint at VA (but don't go there), lovely

J.J. Prum 2001 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese - 2 576 511 15 02, crystalline, gorgeous, bright, green grapes and green apple

Dom. de la Grange des Peres 1999 Vin de Pays de l’Hérault - actually, this strongly resembles the Spanna but with more fruit, how'd they do that?

Gonon 2007 St. Joseph - tannins are present but delicate, providing shape to the rather red-fruity wine, another really good bottle

Thierry Allemand 2004 Cornas "Chaillot" - complex nose with slight funk, slight thyme herbiness, slight shoe polish; in the mouth, red fruits galore with a hint of bergamot, tannins are very fine and furry, great bottle

Robert Michel 2001 Cornas "La Geynale" - similar to the Allemand but slightly softer and slightly more raspberry

Ch. Beychevelle 1982 St. Julien - magnum, gorgeous, fully mature cab, dark mellow fruit and tobacco playing nicely together

Dom. Savoye 2001 Morgon - magnum, light on its feet, suave, gamay as it ought to be

Ygay 1987 Rioja Gran Reserva Especial - nose is OK but the palate is wan

La Rioja Alta 2007 Rioja Gran Reserva "904" - oh, dear God, this is awful: coconut and popcorn, first last and always; I know it's supposed to get better but sheesh come back in 2057

Foreau 1997 Vouvray Demisec - corked

F. Pinon 1996 Vouvray Moelleux 1er Trie - a delicate wine, gently honeyed, diaphanous, pure flavor, more lingering than intense, meditative

Huet 1989 Vouvray Moelleux "1er Trie" "Clos du Bourg" - rather high-toned for Vouvray, I'm accustomed to this wine singing in the alto register, not up with the sopranos; of course, sweet and pure for all that

Huet 1989 Vouvray "Cuvee Constance" - very sweet but still in balance, lots of botrytis as well, very full and minerally, "Seamless and perfect" -Brad

Bodegas Hidalgo PX Viejo - Yeah, there was a PX on the table. Someone shamed me into tasting it. As these things go, it was a stylish one, not seizure-inducingly sweet.

Another night of Bacchus treating birthday boys well.

I know it can be hard to sort out which wines were really stellar so I'll offer it up for my palate: Gonon, Michel, and Allemand were swoon-worthy, perhaps helped along by lots of duck on the table (syrah seems to work with duck, don't you think?); followed closely by the Deronnieres and the Constance.

Thank you, Brad, for organizing the dinner, and thank you, one and all, for bringing so many delicious wines.
 
Ygay 1987 Rioja Gran Reserva Especial - nose is OK but the palate is wan

La Rioja Alta 2007 Rioja Gran Reserva "904" - oh, dear God, this is awful: coconut and popcorn, first last and always; I know it's supposed to get better but sheesh come back in 2057
Click to expand...

Perhaps you ought to stay away from Rioja if coconut is not your thing.

PX - Yeah, there was a PX on the table. Someone shamed me into tasting it. As these things go, it was a stylish one, not seizure-inducingly sweet. Maybe someone can tell me what it is so I'll know it when I pass it by.
Click to expand...

People bring these because, like the Tin Man, our parts need lubrication once in a while.
 
originally posted by MarkS:
Ygay 1987 Rioja Gran Reserva Especial - nose is OK but the palate is wan

La Rioja Alta 2007 Rioja Gran Reserva "904" - oh, dear God, this is awful: coconut and popcorn, first last and always; I know it's supposed to get better but sheesh come back in 2057
Click to expand...

Perhaps you ought to stay away from Rioja if coconut is not your thing.
Click to expand...
I like Rioja well enough but not young, it seems.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
originally posted by MarkS:
Ygay 1987 Rioja Gran Reserva Especial - nose is OK but the palate is wan

La Rioja Alta 2007 Rioja Gran Reserva "904" - oh, dear God, this is awful: coconut and popcorn, first last and always; I know it's supposed to get better but sheesh come back in 2057
Click to expand...

Perhaps you ought to stay away from Rioja if coconut is not your thing.
Click to expand...
I like Rioja well enough but not young, it seems.
Click to expand...

Who does?
I think it takes a long siesta to put it at bay, or become better integrated into the wine. A reason I feel like aged ones are worth the tariff.
 
A fun night with some great people and delicious wine! Thanks for the notes, Jeff! Btw, it's Michael E, never Mike.

It turns out, the '15 Pinon Déronnières has 24 g/l rs, with 5.5 g/l acidity. Ripe year, so all his demi-sec cuvees are a bit riper, though the acidity keeps things nicely in balance. I actually prefer the '15 slightly over the stellar '14, as there's just a bit more roundness and fruit to it without any loss in balance. Absolutely wonderful wine.

The other Vouvray, aside from the corked '97 Foreau, were also sensational. I have a different take on the '96 Pinon. I didn't find it delicate at all. It's an intense wine with plenty of sweetness from passilerage grapes with riveting acidity keeping the wine focused and incredibly vibrant.

The '89 Huet, I believe was a Moelleux, not the 1ere Trie. It showed as beautifully as a bottle of '89 Moelleux at the birthday jeeb last month, though I'm blanking on if that was a LHL, or a CDB. However, so nice to see a few '89s recently that have not been corked! Along those lines, the '89 Constance was just stunning. Lots of sweetness and a rich, marrowy mouthfeel, but with impeccable balance from the acidity. While the wine has many decades of life ahead of it, at almost 30 years of age, I don't think it's fair to call it a young wine anymore as we often have. It's definitely transitioned into the early stages of peak and the fruit has lost that youthful profile and it's taken on some of that marmalade character that comes with some maturity.

That '01 Prum was also outstanding. Still youthful in profile with zippy acids, I didn't find the fruit more in the green realm that you did, but yellower and riper, full of passion and stone fruit. Wish I had these in the cellar.

My favorite reds were the '82 Beycheville, the '04 Allemand and the '07 Gonon. The Beycheville was exactly what you want from a Bordeaux with some age on it, but along with the secondary development, there's still some fresh fruit there. The Allemand was, well, Allemand, just as lovely as Cornas can be and the Gonon was quite lovely, though perhaps showing a bit more ripeness than usual.

As for the Rioja, well, those really need at least another 25-30 years for the wine to absorb all the oak. Good materials there, though. The other Spanish Selection, Jay's PX, was wonderful.
 
Brad,
Your final comment about those Rioja needing 25+ years to absorb the oak made me smile. That may be true but there is no way I will find out. Nor do I buy Rioja for that, among other, reasons.
My experience with overtly oaky wines from anywhere is that they tend to dry out over the years and I put that down to a wine that is unbalanced by its barrel regimen.
You are a fan of fruit, I believe, as am I, and I like it juicy. Once it becomes dried or attenuated, I have no patience to see it through several decades. Usually, I try to take those wines to events where folks who like those smells and flavors can enjoy them - and sooner, rather than later.
Of course, there are always exceptions. But my rule of thumb is if it smells or tastes overoaked it isn't going to deliver the fruit I'm looking for with extended aging.
Best, jim
 
"But my rule of thumb is if it smells or tastes overoaked it isn't going to deliver the fruit I'm looking for with extended aging"
can one extend that concept and say if a wine isn't balanced when young, it won't be balanced old?

and speaking of aging...
1 July 2008
lunch with Brad and Walter
boxler tokay and nigl riesling privat and gentaz and huet cdb 1er trie and lions and tigers and bears and swordfish
when men were men and cote rotie was cote rotie.... bygone days
 
I opened my first 2014 Pinon Déronnières last night and it really needed a couple of hours of air. The first pours were nice, but a little musky, but the last of the bottle after about three hours was lovely. I think the 2014 Trois Argiles is more pleasant now, though showing a little sweeter.
 
originally posted by Mark Anisman:
"But my rule of thumb is if it smells or tastes overoaked it isn't going to deliver the fruit I'm looking for with extended aging"
can one extend that concept and say if a wine isn't balanced when young, it won't be balanced old?

and speaking of aging...
1 July 2008
lunch with Brad and Walter
boxler tokay and nigl riesling privat and gentaz and huet cdb 1er trie and lions and tigers and bears and swordfish
when men were men and cote rotie was cote rotie.... bygone days
Click to expand...

I remember that lunch well, Mark. We had that king salmon you caught with your hands in the Russian River and gutted with your index finger and served with vegetables from your garden. I also remember that you have one more Gentaz with my and Bruce Neyers name on it.

Jim, as for your statement, ordinarily that's true, but Rioja is the exception to the rule. Lots of experience with old ones where they've absorbed the oak, but I generally do not like the heavy hitters young.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top