Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Brad, Victor, Jay, Arnold, Jeff
It's Tuesday and just a few of us attend a little dinner at Brad's. He makes his excellent 'Spring' starter plate -- roasted asparagus, poached shrimp, and sous-vide egg on a bed of miso butter -- and a schissel of a 'Winter' favorite, hearty beef stew.
Everyone's in a different mood tonight... Victor is playful (new granddaughter), Brad and Arnold are subdued (parental woes), though Jay and I offer the usual sparkling, um, er, kvetching.
But the food is yummy and conversation is real. For example, when Brad offered only still water but no sparkling, Victor chided him, and then:
Brad: "This is not a classy place."
Victor: "I never thought it was."
Beverage call!:
Henriot 1995 Champagne Brut "Cuvee des Chanteleurs" - 55% chardonnay / 45% pinot noir, minerally, scratchy, yet rather ripe for all that, good fizz, modest lees, gorgeous really; provocative in this house, however, because Brad is not a champers fan; as we're gulping it down we also start to wonder whether we should keep some Henriot for a dessert of "Oh Henry!" bars... "That would be a surprise ending!" -Jay
Muga 2001 Rioja Reserva - dark earth, red berry (but not at all sweet), a haunting note of roses, a tad of stinging wood yet but rather beautiful
Ch. La Tour Haut Brion 1989 Graves - potent tobacco nose but, behind that, there is a suave cran-raspberry jam palate, textbook Bordeaux and lovely; Victor says this is no longer made (I confirmed afterward that 2005 was the last vintage and the fruit now goes into the second wine at La Mission Haut Brion)
Trimbach 2001 Riesling "Cuvée Frederic Emile" - musty, flawed; a while later, it shows corked
Balthazar 2005 Cornas "Chaillot" - blackberries tinged with mineral dust, very sturdy and potent, a long future for this one
Huet 1996 Vouvray Moelleux "1ere Trie" "Clos de Bourg" - very pretty, lanolin and other indications of rich texture, no wax or wool; as Brad says, there have been better bottles but this was no slouch
--
Two days later: the Balthazar has eased-up a bit but also now has a medicinal edge to it, while the La Tour Haut Brion is subsiding into sour mash and other old/out-of-balance flavors.
It's Tuesday and just a few of us attend a little dinner at Brad's. He makes his excellent 'Spring' starter plate -- roasted asparagus, poached shrimp, and sous-vide egg on a bed of miso butter -- and a schissel of a 'Winter' favorite, hearty beef stew.
Everyone's in a different mood tonight... Victor is playful (new granddaughter), Brad and Arnold are subdued (parental woes), though Jay and I offer the usual sparkling, um, er, kvetching.
But the food is yummy and conversation is real. For example, when Brad offered only still water but no sparkling, Victor chided him, and then:
Brad: "This is not a classy place."
Victor: "I never thought it was."
Beverage call!:
Henriot 1995 Champagne Brut "Cuvee des Chanteleurs" - 55% chardonnay / 45% pinot noir, minerally, scratchy, yet rather ripe for all that, good fizz, modest lees, gorgeous really; provocative in this house, however, because Brad is not a champers fan; as we're gulping it down we also start to wonder whether we should keep some Henriot for a dessert of "Oh Henry!" bars... "That would be a surprise ending!" -Jay
Muga 2001 Rioja Reserva - dark earth, red berry (but not at all sweet), a haunting note of roses, a tad of stinging wood yet but rather beautiful
Ch. La Tour Haut Brion 1989 Graves - potent tobacco nose but, behind that, there is a suave cran-raspberry jam palate, textbook Bordeaux and lovely; Victor says this is no longer made (I confirmed afterward that 2005 was the last vintage and the fruit now goes into the second wine at La Mission Haut Brion)
Trimbach 2001 Riesling "Cuvée Frederic Emile" - musty, flawed; a while later, it shows corked
Balthazar 2005 Cornas "Chaillot" - blackberries tinged with mineral dust, very sturdy and potent, a long future for this one
Huet 1996 Vouvray Moelleux "1ere Trie" "Clos de Bourg" - very pretty, lanolin and other indications of rich texture, no wax or wool; as Brad says, there have been better bottles but this was no slouch
--
Two days later: the Balthazar has eased-up a bit but also now has a medicinal edge to it, while the La Tour Haut Brion is subsiding into sour mash and other old/out-of-balance flavors.
