Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
Quazzolo 1975 Barbaresco - Ovello fruit at 43 years old, 0.720 litri, stand up at 5p, open at 6p, drink at 8p; OMG bottle... crisp, clean, pure, light pink-red (no orange), immediately very sweet nose, not at all tinny or stewy or fruit-cuppy, all the typical nebboiolo cranberry-ish (tart, dry) fruit and a little soil (not much) mixed with a whiff raspberry (that's the sweetness) and tinged with marzipan and hibiscus, thank you Chambers St
A.J. Adam 2017 Rose Spatburgunder - tart little red berries, an ultimate AFWE wine; works at the table but I'll fess up that I liked this wine better from a warmer year
Dolde 2016 Schwarz Birne - 9%, crisp, clean, dry, pure pears, great for Fall
Le Pianelle 2014 Bramaterra - day 1: young, vivid, needs an hour of air to start opening up; day 4: ah, that's the ticket, mountain wine made from nebbiolo!
Cantalupo 2007 Ghemme "Collis Breclamae" - dark red to the rim, nose and palate in sync: black raspberry, black cherry and leather, no hint of sweetness remains, fine and velvety tannins that are still enough to stop your tongue from sliding against the roof of your mouth, maybe somewhere in there is a whiff of orange peel and of camphor balls and of salty broth, the acids are taut as an espresso but speak in a vocabulary of fruit not torrefaction, arresting, insistent wine.
Oh, yes, and this bottle had the most stubborn cork I've contended with in years... the waiter's friend could not budge it so I superimposed an ah-so and, together, they made it move.
Radikon 2003 "Jakot" - great wine: with each food it shows a different facet... it tastes old against the herby hummus but shows nutty notes against the crackers, a citrus note against the roasted red peppers, a resinous note against the oil-cured black olives; texture is lightweight, color is cloudy dark gold trending slightly orange, palate is intense and precise (though perhaps, in a nod to its age, not quite as full-impact as it once was); happy dance; Day 2: much the same but a bit more faded, the last glass contains a teaspoon of dark red(?!) sediment
Dom. Jolly 2015 Petit Chablis - textbook chablis: seashells and yellow fruit, a whiff of green herbs and of perfume, unpretentious and good QPR
Prunotto 2016? Monferrato "Mompertone" - 60% barbera and 40% syrah, bright cherries on the palate over an indistinct wine-y background, gentle tannins and nice flavors but very spirity and unpleasant to drink
Salvalai 2013 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico - 15% alc, 8.5g RS, plush and velvet-textured (no surprise), more plummy than raisiny so seems lighter than usual for amarone, despite the proofage this does not show spirity at all, goes down easy and packs a punch
A.J. Adam 2017 Rose Spatburgunder - tart little red berries, an ultimate AFWE wine; works at the table but I'll fess up that I liked this wine better from a warmer year
Dolde 2016 Schwarz Birne - 9%, crisp, clean, dry, pure pears, great for Fall
Le Pianelle 2014 Bramaterra - day 1: young, vivid, needs an hour of air to start opening up; day 4: ah, that's the ticket, mountain wine made from nebbiolo!
Cantalupo 2007 Ghemme "Collis Breclamae" - dark red to the rim, nose and palate in sync: black raspberry, black cherry and leather, no hint of sweetness remains, fine and velvety tannins that are still enough to stop your tongue from sliding against the roof of your mouth, maybe somewhere in there is a whiff of orange peel and of camphor balls and of salty broth, the acids are taut as an espresso but speak in a vocabulary of fruit not torrefaction, arresting, insistent wine.
Oh, yes, and this bottle had the most stubborn cork I've contended with in years... the waiter's friend could not budge it so I superimposed an ah-so and, together, they made it move.
Radikon 2003 "Jakot" - great wine: with each food it shows a different facet... it tastes old against the herby hummus but shows nutty notes against the crackers, a citrus note against the roasted red peppers, a resinous note against the oil-cured black olives; texture is lightweight, color is cloudy dark gold trending slightly orange, palate is intense and precise (though perhaps, in a nod to its age, not quite as full-impact as it once was); happy dance; Day 2: much the same but a bit more faded, the last glass contains a teaspoon of dark red(?!) sediment
Dom. Jolly 2015 Petit Chablis - textbook chablis: seashells and yellow fruit, a whiff of green herbs and of perfume, unpretentious and good QPR
Prunotto 2016? Monferrato "Mompertone" - 60% barbera and 40% syrah, bright cherries on the palate over an indistinct wine-y background, gentle tannins and nice flavors but very spirity and unpleasant to drink
Salvalai 2013 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico - 15% alc, 8.5g RS, plush and velvet-textured (no surprise), more plummy than raisiny so seems lighter than usual for amarone, despite the proofage this does not show spirity at all, goes down easy and packs a punch