TN: Don Rice 60th (Jan 12, 2019)

J

Jeff Grossman

Jeff Grossman
attendees: Don+Melissa, .sasha+Delia, Jay+Arnold, Andrew+Jen, Eden+Scott, Victor+Elaine, Jayson, Lisa, Cliff, Brad, Jeff

The big 6-0. It isn't really possible, is it? I suppose he's waited a long time for those Robert Denis wines to come around so maybe....

The NY/NJ wine geeks sashay up to Don's northern clime and roll out the red carpet for A Big Jeeb.

Melissa stocked the table with a ham and wild rice salad, and everyone brought more food: Cliff made his excellent no-knead bread (and still talking about how not to scorch the bottom), Jay brought Chris Coad's green papaya salad (from the man's own recipe) and some fancy tinned sardines, Brad roasted a chicken, I brought oven-baked Cubano sandwich rolls, Eden brought butternut squash crostini, and naturally there were several plates of salume and cheeses. (And I'm sure I've missed a few more plates.)

Don chose to play music off these large, flat, black plastic things using a little pointy device attached to a rotating platform. We oohed. We aahed.

And then we got down to reading books about old Loire wine and talking about wine and even swapping bottles of wine... and, yes:

Huet 1995 Vouvray Petillant - The opening toast to our host! A beautiful bottle, crisp and clean, just-so ripeness on the usual yellow fruits but kissed with bergamot; one really could just drink this and be content.

Pinon 2017 Vouvray "Deronnieres" - Corked.

Cazin 1996 Cour-Cheverny "Cuvee Renaissance" - Conveniently, Jay has brought a bowl of Chris Coad's green papaya salad, the known perfect match for Loire romorantin. This bottle is a little less vivid than I remember it, perhaps the acidity is down a bit and there is a passing taste of sap (maple syrup?); probably getting to be time to drink up. So, this salad is a touch sharp and the wine is a touch soft but the pairing still works.

Ch. Pierre-Bise 1997 Anjou Blanc "Le Haut de la Garde" - Ugh, this is awful: viscous mouthfeel (as if sweetened) and acrid stinging hot (15%). DNPIM.

Dom. Chandon de Briaille 1993 Corton GC "Clos du Roi" - magnum; beautiful nose: an amalgam of Corton red-cherry with the vineyard's dark-earthy tone; in great shape, youthful and vivid; the palate begins a bit closed but opens up over the course of several hours.

Donnhoff 2006 Felsenturmchen Riesling Spatlese - 7 753010 12 07, pretty, pleasant acidity, the usual flavors of green table grapes and lime leaf; wretched label, though, because we all think it's '07 for the longest time

Eminence Road 2017 Pinot Gris "Cayuga Road" - 3 days on its skins (with no filtering and no sulfites) so a beautiful pale copper color; white fruits and Orangina, this is very nice

Ch. Gruaud-Larose 1966 St-Julien - magnum; controversial: several people think it's corked, a couple more are not sure, Brad and I say it's "Cordier funk"; I never did go back to it

Clos Roche Blanche 2008 Touraine "Cuvee Gamay" - under real cork; delicate texture, middling weight, echt gamay with an added floral topnote; will we ever see its like again?

Drouhin 1993 Bonnes-Mares - whoa! strong wine, red fruit and a bit of face-powder, a bit too bold to be 'haunting' but a beautiful bottle

Eric Texier 2001 Cote-Rotie VV - tasted blind: about half the room calls syrah but no one guesses the age correctly; a lovely middle-weight wine, seamless

Joel Taluau 1997 St-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil VV - classic cab franc, still quite fresh, maybe a little shoe-polish brett but I am enjoying this one a lot

Drouhin 2010 Chambolle-Musigny 1er - very pretty, a touch sweet and full (as the vintage might suggest) but still well-balanced; .sasha did not recall which vineyards provide the fruit but he did say that Veronique says the bottling has a following of its own so she keeps making it; Two Days Later: same

Ch. Margaux 1990 Margaux - perfect, there is nothing more to say

Ch. Latour 1990 Pauillac - this still needs 20 years to come around: take a sip and the structure jumps out in front of the fruit; amazing, anyway

OK, so there is one more thing to say: Don provided these two bottles, having bought them on release at Sherry-Lehman. He had just had his first big gig doing the music for a Broadway show and celebrated with these purchases.

Noel Bazin NV Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs "l'Unanime" - great nose of chalk and yellow fruit and a bit of lees but plummets in the mouth... where'd it go?

Clouet NV Champagne Brut Rose #3 - a Blanc de Noirs with 8-10% still pinot noir added and approx. 6g dosage; delightful, tingly acidity, with a giggly cherry nuance to the palate; I like this

G & M Angelliaume 1958 Chinon - The Birth Year Bottle. Not just alive, not just well, but a delicate cup of flowers and earth and OMG. Don brings out a book that suggests the Angelliaume property was taken over by his niece and nephew, Mr. & Mrs. Baudry! (...but it has its own website so ?)

Baudry 2004 Chinon "La Croix Boissee" - Speaking of which... beautiful, typique wine, a hint of sesame(?) in the nose; .sasha loves it.

Nigl 2004 Privat Riesling - stony, dry dry dry, fascinating wine though for a more meditative moment

La Rioja Alta 1973 Rioja "Reserva 904" - Corked.

Nikolaihof 1999 Steiner Hund Riesling Spatlese - Oxidized.

Foreau (Dom. du Clos Naudin) 1990 Vouvray Moelleux Reserve - rather brown (due to the botrytis, sez Brad) but gorgeous, sweet, a whiff of nut skins mingling with the yellow fruit; wonderful

Huet 1959 Vouvray Moelleux "Le Haut Lieu" - salty!, not very sweet at all, this particular bottle works better with food than by itself

Huet 1989 Vouvray Moelleux 1er Trie "Le Mont" - wow, so much wine here!: sweet, vinous, structure all harmonious

Huet 2009 Vouvray Demi-Sec "Le Haut Lieu" - yes, it's really sweet but it's also kinda simple

Wine of the night? Are you kidding? So many good ones.

Eventually, all good things come to an end. The last few of us tramp off to the subway and the ride home.
 
Happy birthday to Don, and it seems that he celebrated in style. Thanks for the notes. The 1990 Margaux has long been my favorite wine of the vintage and about as perfect as Bordeaux can get.

I had the 1997 Pierre-Bise about six years ago and was a little more charitable than you, but can see the resemblance: A happy, slobbering golden retreiver of a Chenin, there is nothing subtle or elegant about this wine. It seems off-dry, and I don't remember it showing this much apparent residual sugar. It starts out a little cloying and tiresome, until some soursop flavors come out with air to create a pleasant contrast to the honeyed lanoline and hints of chalk that first dominated it. I wouldn't want to drink this frequently, but it isn't a bad change of pace.

I apologize in advance for the pedantry, but I also have a question. You note that you brought “oven-baked Cubano sandwich rolls.” Are they customarily baked in some other vessel or device?
 
originally posted by Mike Evans:
Happy birthday to Don, and it seems that he celebrated in style. Thanks for the notes. The 1990 Margaux has long been my favorite wine of the vintage and about as perfect as Bordeaux can get.

I had the 1997 Pierre-Bise about six years ago and was a little more charitable than you, but can see the resemblance: A happy, slobbering golden retreiver of a Chenin, there is nothing subtle or elegant about this wine. It seems off-dry, and I don't remember it showing this much apparent residual sugar. It starts out a little cloying and tiresome, until some soursop flavors come out with air to create a pleasant contrast to the honeyed lanoline and hints of chalk that first dominated it. I wouldn't want to drink this frequently, but it isn't a bad change of pace.

I apologize in advance for the pedantry, but I also have a question. You note that you brought “oven-baked Cubano sandwich rolls.” Are they customarily baked in some other vessel or device?
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Happy birthday again, Don!! Jeff, thanks for the notes. My comments to come. For now:

Mike, Jeff is not exaggerating in the least about the Bise. It’s entirely possible we had a bad bottte because it was a completely disjointed, alcoholic, fully-in-pieces, undeniable, wished-I-did-NPIM wreck. There was nothing there to be charitable to.
 
Drouhin's Chambolle 1er actually comes from like a half dozen or more vineyards scattered across the appellation - old-school style. Count me in its following for that very reason. It's real essence of Chambolle.
 
originally posted by Jayson Cohen:

Mike, Jeff is not exaggerating in the least about the Bise. It’s entirely possible we had a bad bottte because it was a completely disjointed, alcoholic, fully-in-pieces, undeniable, wished-I-did-NPIM wreck. There was nothing there to be charitable to.
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The description did sound pretty horrible/bad/unsound/unfit to be drunk.
 
Happy Birthday, Don! Good to see the Huet pulled out for such an auspicious event. Yes, indeed, a panoply of riches.

Mark Lipton
 
Happy Birthday, Don!

Thanks for the notes, especially on the Cazin and the Baudry. I have been eyeing both and wondering about the timing of them.
 
Lyle's Golden Syrup cookies... Yes, missing from the OP but I remember eating one.

Cubano sandwiches... I think of it as a griddle-made sandwich, rather than a baked one. In any case, this was party-style finger food: Cubano ingredients rolled up in tortillas, seared in a pan, baked in the oven, then cut into 1" slices and plated.
 
Jeff, that makes perfect sense, I suffered from homonym-induced confusion. I interpreted the phrase “oven-baked Cubano sandwich rolls” as a reference to loaves of Cuban bread used to make the eponymous sandwiches, and while they aren’t what I normally think of as rolls, neither are hoagie rolls. I assumed that you had a good reason to bring just the bread, but couldn’t think of why you would emphasize that the bread you brought was oven-baked. The thought of a rolled item based on Cuban sandwich ingredients never even crossed my mind, but sounds tasty.
 
Happy Birthday to our village griot for Loire history; what a great lineup. For a fellow 58er, it's always exciting to hear about a decent bottle. Only good ones I've ever had in our vintage were a Spanna and an Armagnac.
 
I loved the Cazin. It was far less rich and more resolved than a bottle I mis-paired with some seafood a year ago.

Clos du Roi REALLY opened up hours later. One of those "this can't be anything but Corton, especially if you read the label" moments.

Gruaud controversial? Wonderful wine! I went back. Twice. And after the sweet wines again.

I just couldn't figure out the bonnes-mares, no matter how many times I went back throughout the evening. Jayson may have caught it at a great moment, whereas I couldn't shake off some reduction in the finish (I know that sounds weird).

Really disappointed in Taluau - not because it wasn't enjoyable, but because my expectations were through the roof after an amazing bottle of the 1996 last April. I don't expect the 97 to be as good, but still.

(a) this should in no way diminish appreciation for a very generous host who opened special bottles, (b) should in no way display lack of respect for opinions of fellow tasters, and (c) it's not advisable to speak ill of the deceased. With that out of the way, if I encountered Paul Pontallier at one of my favorite Irish bars in Hell's Kitchen, I'd ask him to step outside.

Clouet rose was superb indeed! As was the mysterious 1958 Chinon.

Fascinating bottle of the 1959. While not the greatest example of LHL M from that year, it was still outstanding (there is a range), and offered a different look at the wine with new and exciting savory elements. I loved it.
 
originally posted by VLM:
Thanks for the notes, especially on the Cazin and the Baudry. I have been eyeing both and wondering about the timing of them.
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I'd start on 04 CB very slowly, although not if I had a cellar full of 04 Grezeaux. But I think you will love it right now. You've gotta love the completeness of these 04s given nostalgic alcohol levels.
 
I've experienced a lot of reduction in early '90s Drouhins in recent years but none in this bottle. I was rather relieved by that actually.
 
originally posted by VLM:
Happy Birthday, Don!

Thanks for the notes, especially on the Cazin and the Baudry. I have been eyeing both and wondering about the timing of them.
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I know you probably like your wines younger than I do but a few more years of patience on the Baudry should be very amply rewarded. You won’t regret opening now (with plenty of air) but there’s more in store. That fruit is still coiled in structure. Great wine.
 
It was a wonderful evening. Most of us have been sharing wine together for over 20 years at this point.

So many great wines. Not much more to be said about the two '90 first growths. Both were stunning, with the Latour its typical intense and brooding self, with the Margaux having tremendous depth, yet showing a bit prettier at the moment than the Latour. Both are as good as wine gets.

I don't really get your take on the Cazin, Jeff. It was a typically gorgeous showing, revealing all the verve, fruit and taut structure that it normally shows. No rush at all with it.

Some really terrific Vouvray. The '95 Petillant has always been my favorite and this was a lovely showing, far better than a bottle showed at the '95-'97 Loire fest a few years ago. This had wonderful fruit, that earthy character I like so much, with terrific structure. Certainly less fizz than earlier in its life.

THe '89 Le Mont 1ere was wonderful and perfectly balanced, but I thought the '90 Foreau blew it away as a dessert wine. So much sweeter with a deceptive amount of acidity to it. At this point, you could have the '89 Huet with savory foods as its lost some sugar.

Speaking of lost sugar, the '59 Huet didn't live up to its Moelleux billing. Rather lean and seemingly sec to demi-sec sweet. However, pairing it with the ham brought the sweetness out of the wine and it really was a lovely match.

I got no tca from the '66 Gruaud Larose. Typical bretty Cordier funk. There was lovely fruit to the wine, along with tobacco, earth and herb. Nice old claret that was in good shape from magnum, though is certainly on the back slope of its life.

For the record, after jokingly guessing Juge on Jayson's mystery wine, as I know how much he has of it, I did in fact guess that it was a Texier Cote-Rotie and specifically said it was not the '99 because it didn't have the unbalanced, imo, acidity of that wine and suggested younger and riper, like the '04, so yeah me.
 
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