Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Brad, Don, Chris, Greg, Jeff, JoeCz, Suzanne+Kenny, John, Jay, Jayson
John Tomasso visits the nabe.
My first visit to Wu's Wonton, another Chinatown desto for wine-drinkers. The kitchen can serve a lot of special plates -- Peking duck, suckling pig, live King Crab, etc. -- but you need to order a day ahead. The group settled on several ducks and half a pig.
As soon as we are seated, the pig hits the table. Um, guys, we were planning on having some appetizers first and maybe a few seafood plates before this. They take it away. Indeed, we order some excellent seafood dishes: the house special clams, the little silver fish, the anchovies and chives. The ducks are also very good; we took them in buns instead of pancakes and had a plate of legs to gnaw later.
But not everything was satisfactory. The table for 8 was kinda cramped for 11. The restaurant wants to spend at the bar so they basically won't bring water to the table. And by the time the pig comes back the skin has lost some of its crunch. Have I mentioned the police line-up overhead lights?
So, like most of these places, I'll eat here but I'm not a fanboy.
Cheerful wine, though:
De Moor 2014 Saint-Bris "Sans Bruit" - sauvignon blanc and sauvignon gris, the vanity name is occasionally needed when the wine does not meet AOC regs (4g rs), lemony and bright, good summer drink
Dom. de Vodanis NV Vouvray Petillant Brut - disg 5/16/17, the domaine was founded in 2007 by two friend who took over a long-term lease (for the Vodanis vineyard) that had recently been let lapse by Dom. Huet, beautiful chenin, chalky, slightly apricotty but not overripe, yum
Clos Roche Blanche 2004 Touraine Cot Malbec - too much shoe-polish for me
Peter Lauer 2016 VDP Ortswein "Senior" Ayler Riesling Fass 6 - 3 501 074 06 17, the story goes that grandpa used to choose one barrel of Ayler Kupp for serving to house guests, this is an homage bottling; in 2015 this was labelled "Trocken bis feinherb" at 14g rs; very beautiful, delicately sweet, crisp
Franco-Espaniola 1975 Rioja Bordoni GR - OMG nose of old dill, faded roses, and orange peel; the palate is much the same but more delicate; nice old bottle
X. Monnot 2014 Meursault "Les Chevalieres" - pale, a whiff of diesel (this is the right note but I'm sure confused about this wine), not typique chardonnay
Willi Haag 2015 Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett - 2 577 049 16 16, tight at first, this improved with a lot of air, becoming rather full and floral with lots of old lady's handkerchief, yum
Ch. Beychevelle 1978 St-Julien - medium-weight, cranberry and citrus, somewhat sweet, an early soldier down
Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt 2009 Scharzhofberger Riesling Spatlese - 356 1077 2410, low acid, too ripe, meh
Dom. Savoye 2007 Morgon - magnum; someone said it was corked but must have been mild; I liked it
Texier 2013 Brezeme "Dom. Pergaud" Vieille Serine - deep and dark and definitely in need of more time
Foillard 2013 Morgon "3.14" - Strawberry Fields Forever, bright and juicy, thank you Suzanne
Texier 1999 Hermitage - the famous negociant bottling, unmistakably old Northern Rhone syrah, tasty and foursquare
Breton 1996 Bourgueil "Grand Mont" - another brett bomb
Ochota Barrels 2016 "The Fugazi Vineyard" - bottle 0599, 80% whole cluster, 80 days on the skins, an assault of old grenache, not really very ripe (which is good) and a suave texture, still a bit sugary and dense (and $60)
Thanks to Bradley for the photo:
John Tomasso visits the nabe.
My first visit to Wu's Wonton, another Chinatown desto for wine-drinkers. The kitchen can serve a lot of special plates -- Peking duck, suckling pig, live King Crab, etc. -- but you need to order a day ahead. The group settled on several ducks and half a pig.
As soon as we are seated, the pig hits the table. Um, guys, we were planning on having some appetizers first and maybe a few seafood plates before this. They take it away. Indeed, we order some excellent seafood dishes: the house special clams, the little silver fish, the anchovies and chives. The ducks are also very good; we took them in buns instead of pancakes and had a plate of legs to gnaw later.
But not everything was satisfactory. The table for 8 was kinda cramped for 11. The restaurant wants to spend at the bar so they basically won't bring water to the table. And by the time the pig comes back the skin has lost some of its crunch. Have I mentioned the police line-up overhead lights?
So, like most of these places, I'll eat here but I'm not a fanboy.
Cheerful wine, though:
De Moor 2014 Saint-Bris "Sans Bruit" - sauvignon blanc and sauvignon gris, the vanity name is occasionally needed when the wine does not meet AOC regs (4g rs), lemony and bright, good summer drink
Dom. de Vodanis NV Vouvray Petillant Brut - disg 5/16/17, the domaine was founded in 2007 by two friend who took over a long-term lease (for the Vodanis vineyard) that had recently been let lapse by Dom. Huet, beautiful chenin, chalky, slightly apricotty but not overripe, yum
Clos Roche Blanche 2004 Touraine Cot Malbec - too much shoe-polish for me
Peter Lauer 2016 VDP Ortswein "Senior" Ayler Riesling Fass 6 - 3 501 074 06 17, the story goes that grandpa used to choose one barrel of Ayler Kupp for serving to house guests, this is an homage bottling; in 2015 this was labelled "Trocken bis feinherb" at 14g rs; very beautiful, delicately sweet, crisp
Franco-Espaniola 1975 Rioja Bordoni GR - OMG nose of old dill, faded roses, and orange peel; the palate is much the same but more delicate; nice old bottle
X. Monnot 2014 Meursault "Les Chevalieres" - pale, a whiff of diesel (this is the right note but I'm sure confused about this wine), not typique chardonnay
Willi Haag 2015 Brauneberger Juffer Riesling Kabinett - 2 577 049 16 16, tight at first, this improved with a lot of air, becoming rather full and floral with lots of old lady's handkerchief, yum
Ch. Beychevelle 1978 St-Julien - medium-weight, cranberry and citrus, somewhat sweet, an early soldier down
Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt 2009 Scharzhofberger Riesling Spatlese - 356 1077 2410, low acid, too ripe, meh
Dom. Savoye 2007 Morgon - magnum; someone said it was corked but must have been mild; I liked it
Texier 2013 Brezeme "Dom. Pergaud" Vieille Serine - deep and dark and definitely in need of more time
Foillard 2013 Morgon "3.14" - Strawberry Fields Forever, bright and juicy, thank you Suzanne
Texier 1999 Hermitage - the famous negociant bottling, unmistakably old Northern Rhone syrah, tasty and foursquare
Breton 1996 Bourgueil "Grand Mont" - another brett bomb
Ochota Barrels 2016 "The Fugazi Vineyard" - bottle 0599, 80% whole cluster, 80 days on the skins, an assault of old grenache, not really very ripe (which is good) and a suave texture, still a bit sugary and dense (and $60)
Thanks to Bradley for the photo:
