TN: Salil at Bite of Hong Kong (Oct. 8, 2017)

J

Jeff Grossman

Jeff Grossman
attendees: Salil, Jay+Arnold, Seth, Jayson, Don+Melissa, Cliff, Jeff

Salil has a weekend pass from his flyover-country exile Midwest professor gig and so we jeeb.

Bite of Hong Kong is the full-on Chinatown experience: big round tables with bottles of soda waiting on the lazy susans, lattice-work dividers that create semi-private booths and rooms, more lattice and the occasional chrysanthemum stencilled onto the walls, tanks full of live fish/crabs/lobsters, a huge menu, and waiters who don't speak much English. (To be fair, I don't speak much Cantonese.)

Seth took care of ordering the food, with help from a foodie friend of his (Neil?) who wrote-up some notes a couple weeks earlier.

The food is pretty good and arrives in quantity.

And so did the wine:

Under the Wire 2013 Sparkling Pinot Noir Rose, Alder Springs - chalky/earthy, fruity/tangy, a nice drop (except for the California-size pricing)

Labet 2013 Cotes du Jura Chardonnay "La Bardette" - rich, spicy, full-flavored, some old-lady handkerchief, suave and good

Clos Rougeard 1998 Saumur Blanc "Chace" - apparently, the labelling varies a lot on the white cuvee so I took a picture of this label; outstanding wine: a nose of honey and underripe apricots, getting fuller by the minute; ask Jay for the back story

Falkenstein 2016 Krettnacher Euchariusberg Riesling Kabinett - 3 525 672 12 17, colorless, bright and lemony, OK but I think it's simple

Yannick Amirault 1996 St.-Nicolas de Bourgueil "Les Malgagnes" - by the book Loire cab franc, tannins still a bit rough

Filliatreau 1997 Saumur-Champigny "La Grande Vignolle" - beautiful, silky, bright cherries, others preferred the Amirault but these are my notes

Falkenstein 2016 Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Spatlese feinherb - 3 525 672 3 17, this is great: full of flavor, rich texture, a touch of sweet and a snap of acid, a post-jeebus cabal goes in for two cases

C. von Schubert "Maximin Grunhauser" 1990 Herrenberg Riesling Spatlese - 3 536 014 20 11, good bottle of older wine: still tangy and rich, flavor profile heading away from green grapes and towards oranges

Dom. Bongran (Thevenet) 1997 Macon Clesse "Cuvee Tradition" - a little tired

Dom. Roally (Thevenet) 2002 Macon-Montbellet "Tradition" - vivid, grippy, very yum

Notes are starting to run out of steam from here down.

Dom. Baudry 2005 Chinon "Les Grezeaux" - I like this bottling and I like this bottle, minerally despite the warm year

Dom. Baudry 2014 Chinon "Le Clos Guillot" - I am lukewarm on this bottling and I am lukewarm on this bottle

J. J. Christoffel 1996 Erben Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese** - maybe (the front label fell off so we're going by memory), sweet and yummy, of course

Falkenstein 2016 Krettnacher Euchariusberg Riesling Auslese - 3 525 672 5 17, has its labels, ditto yummy

2017-10-08_chace.jpg
 
Yannick Amirault made incredible wines '95-'97 (as did so many others up and down the Loire), and the Malgagnes is not my favourite. The Les Quartiers - I could drink that every day.
 
Jeff, thanks for the notes. The 2016 Falkenstein reviews are very helpful, in particular.
I always enjoy Filliatreau Grand Vignole, but typically drink them young as they are delicious early on. Nice to hear good things about one with age. No surprise that Cab Franc from Saumur can age, my bottles just never last that long.

I wouldn’t mind hearing more about the ‘14 Baudry from you or others who have tried it. Do you think it will improve with time? Is the Clos Guilot just not your cup of tea?
 
originally posted by Marc D:
I wouldn’t mind hearing more about the ‘14 Baudry from you or others who have tried it. Do you think it will improve with time? Is the Clos Guilot just not your cup of tea?
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Just so; my least favorite bottling.
 
I think Jeff undersold the food. Delish.

Under the Wire 2013 Sparkling Pinot Noir Rose, Alder Springs - Agree and would add that it reminded me of Cerdon du Bugey with a diffferent flavor profile but Jeff apparently wasn't convinced by the comparison. (We were sitting next to each other.)

Labet 2013 Cotes du Jura Chardonnay "La Bardette" - rich and suave, yes, but I found it wonderfully energetic and was smitten.

Clos Rougeard 1998 Saumur Blanc "Chace" - really expands and morphs several times. Fascinating. May have evolved to a bit awkward on the finish after a couple hours but it was packed full of flavor and mineral.

Falkenstein 2016 Krettnacher Euchariusberg Riesling Kabinett - 3 525 672 12 17 - may have started simple and a little reticent but gained size and depth with air. Would be interesting to revisit in a few years.

Yannick Amirault 1996 St.-Nicolas de Bourgueil "Les Malgagnes" - Jeff missed this one as he forewarned. Gorgeous for me. But tight at first. Eventually very long, truffle-y, and perfectly ripe, with the sweetness and hints of bake shop in the long finish that come from bottle age.

Filliatreau 1997 Saumur-Champigny "La Grande Vignolle" - very good but simple and rustic by comparison. Not the depth of Filliatreau's 1997 VV, which has been singing the last couple times I had it (last summer and fall before).

Falkenstein 2016 Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Spatlese feinherb - 3 525 672 3 17 - I was among the buyers. Wowsa. Amazing QPR. Amazing clarity of fruit and mineral. Its reiative breadth doesn't suffer next to the auslese because it's so so packed with flavor.

C. von Schubert "Maximin Grunhauser" 1990 Herrenberg Riesling Spatlese - 3 536 014 20 11 - I have to admit I was expecting more, and I can't tell if it's this bottle or just the wine at this stage.

Dom. Bongran (Thevenet) 1997 Macon Clesse "Cuvee Tradition" - my bottle and more than a little tired. Has become that bottle of Macon Chard that should have been drink 5-10 years ago. I have one bottle left and expect the same.

Dom. Roally (Thevenet) 2002 Macon-Montbellet "Tradition" - my last bottle of this, and I think we were all surprised at how compelling it was. Dynamite freshness but also complexity. Maybe Mike Evans will come visit and bring more?

Dom. Baudry 2005 Chinon "Les Grezeaux" - great potential. Not ready yet.

Dom. Baudry 2014 Chinon "Le Clos Guillot" - I liked it. Beam of fruit.

J. J. Christoffel 1996 Erben Erdener Treppchen Riesling Auslese** - i missed this because I was drinking ....

Falkenstein 2016 Krettnacher Euchariusberg Riesling Auslese - 3 525 672 5 17 - brilliant clarity, both color and on the palate. Insane intensity in the acid structure right now, and coiled, and compelling, and impossible to resist. The acid instantly wipes away almost any sense of sweetness.
 
Everything was very fresh except overcooked lamb chops. Very very good classic HK style steamed crab, roasted squab (my favorite - best squab I've ever had), clams with classic spice/dice mix - what I call Chinese schmutzie, stir fry squid in very tasty sauce; good chicken. The lamb chops and special clams should be skipped next time. I didn't try the beef. There's one other dish that I'm blanking on that was very good.

Maybe others will fill in some preparation gaps in my weak descriptions.

But highly recommended and very reasonable.
 
I've had much better luck with 1997 Bongrans. I've had two in the last two years and they have been everything you could want from an aged white Burgundy, and have put my Ramonets, Sauzets, and even Dauvissats from the same era to shame.
 
originally posted by MarkS:
Franco-Germanic tasting. What are "special clams"?
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Sounded better as special clams but I should be more PC. Clam special. Mess-on-a-plate type dish, in a way that didn't work. Bland.
 
Jayson is right, the food at BOHK was really impressive. Re the 1990 von Schubert Auslese (not Spatlese as I mistakenly thought before pulling it for the dinner), the other bottle of this I opened was much better. I think I might have one more. This bottle was outclassed by any number of other rieslings on the table, notably the 2016 Falkenstein Auslese.
 
originally posted by Jayson Cohen:

Falkenstein 2016 Krettnacher Euchariusberg Riesling Auslese - 3 525 672 5 17 - brilliant clarity, both color and on the palate. Insane intensity in the acid structure right now, and coiled, and compelling, and impossible to resist. The acid instantly wipes away almost any sense of sweetness.
Click to expand...

How literally shall we take this last sentence? I hear that only here in the US, most notably Asimov always claiming that many off dry Kabinetts do not actually taste sweet. For me, (young) not trocken Kabinetts are decidedly sweet and a one year old Auslese is sweet, sweet, sweet, even when that sweetness is somewhat balanced by healthy acidity. Do people really not perceive these wines as very sweet?
 
originally posted by georg lauer:
Do people really not perceive these wines as very sweet?
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Hard to get too far with this line of questioning because it's all so subjective.

If placed side-by-side I'll definitely notice the difference between a young kabinett and a Muscadet with no rs. But I also understand the sentiment of not considering the kabinett to be 'sweet'. And if any kabinett is going to sneak through as not a sweet wine, it would be something in the vein of a Falkenstein.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
If placed side-by-side I'll definitely notice the difference between a young kabinett and a Muscadet with no rs. But I also understand the sentiment of not considering the kabinett to be 'sweet'. And if any kabinett is going to sneak through as not a sweet wine, it would be something in the vein of a Falkenstein.
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But that is my point. I have never had a Riesling that was not labeled trocken in any context where my first reaction was not "oh wow, sweet". And I have never ever heard anybody in Germany suggest this notion of "perceived dryness". And no, I do not think you guys are all used to Coca Cola level sweetness.
 
originally posted by georg lauer:
originally posted by Jayson Cohen:

Falkenstein 2016 Krettnacher Euchariusberg Riesling Auslese - 3 525 672 5 17 - brilliant clarity, both color and on the palate. Insane intensity in the acid structure right now, and coiled, and compelling, and impossible to resist. The acid instantly wipes away almost any sense of sweetness.
Click to expand...

How literally shall we take this last sentence? I hear that only here in the US, most notably Asimov always claiming that many off dry Kabinetts do not actually taste sweet. For me, (young) not trocken Kabinetts are decidedly sweet and a one year old Auslese is sweet, sweet, sweet, even when that sweetness is somewhat balanced by healthy acidity. Do people really not perceive these wines as very sweet?
Click to expand...

I certainly didn't mean literally it was dry. Or that you don't know there is significant residual sugar, which is in balance and present in the midpalate. But it's Saar auslese made in a style that you feel like the acidity (and probably dry extract is doing some work here as well) scrubs your tongue as you swallow. I had the sense this was whisking away the sense impression one normally has from residual sugar in the finish of an auslese, and the wine was certainly more austere in that sense (in a good way) than the spatlese feinherb. I found it to be a somewhat unique experience.

I think most people would call this an acid-freak wine but almost everybody at the table was an acid freak.
 
originally posted by georg lauer:
I have never had a Riesling that was not labeled trocken in any context where my first reaction was not "oh wow, sweet".
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Maybe it is a function of your baseline expectations/starting point.

Did you begin drinking riesling with dry or off-dry versions? I began seriously drinking riesling with the off-dry versions. So while I never confuse the off-dry wines for dry wines, the sweetness is not what jumps out at me.

(That said, since I've been drinking more GGs, the sweetness in the off-dry wines has become more noticeable)
 
originally posted by Jayson Cohen:
Clos Rougeard 1998 Saumur Blanc "Chace" - really expands and morphs several times. Fascinating. May have evolved to a bit awkward on the finish after a couple hours but it was packed full of flavor and mineral.
Click to expand...

At one time I knew the etiology of Chacé versus Brézé but it seems lost to the cobwebs.

Falkenstein
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I've been drinking a ton of the 2015s and expect to load up on 2016s when they arrive to my market. I really love these wines. Haven't figured out all the different cuvées yet.

Dom. Bongran (Thevenet) 1997 Macon Clesse "Cuvee Tradition" - my bottle and more than a little tired. Has become that bottle of Macon Chard that should have been drink 5-10 years ago. I have one bottle left and expect the same.
Click to expand...

I've had a couple of great bottles of the 2000 in the past year and also 2005s and maybe another year I'm forgetting. Loved them all. Sorry to hear that this is past its best. I've started to cellar these wines again and am expecting great things.

Dom. Roally (Thevenet) 2002 Macon-Montbellet "Tradition" - my last bottle of this, and I think we were all surprised at how compelling it was. Dynamite freshness but also complexity. Maybe Mike Evans will come visit and bring more?
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I wish I had thought to cellar these. For some reason, I have never cellared these. Maybe I just needed to buy too much so that some got lost in the shuffle. Every time I've had one with age, I've loved it, even the really rich versions. Like Bongran, I'm also trying to start cellaring this as well with high expectations.

Dom. Baudry 2005 Chinon "Les Grezeaux" - great potential. Not ready yet.
Dom. Baudry 2014 Chinon "Le Clos Guillot" - I liked it. Beam of fruit.
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The last 2005 Grézeaux I had I thought was already great. I still haven't tried a bottle of the 2014 Guillot yet, thanks for the reminder.

As an aside, it's been great to see you participating more in the wine interwebs. A bit inspiring. I might even follow your lead. Hope all is well.
 
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