Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
The place: Racines.
The tool: a wine glass.
The cause: PIH.
The spoof: them's fightin' words, mister.
Time for the annual visit of the LDM vigneron/nes and a great tasting event for everyone in their path.
Here's what I saw:
Dom. de la Pépière, Muscadet - Gwenaelle is here this year.
2017 Muscadet Sevre et Maine "Les Gras Moutons" - 0; I am never partial to this cuvee
2017 Muscadet Sevre et Maine "Clos des Briords" - 2.5; from magnum; wonderful, might take several years to really sing with all its voice
2015 Muscadet Sevre et Maine "Chateau Thebaud" - 2; a solar year and this place somehow converts the extra warmth into extra complexity (I don't always like this cuvee)
2014 Muscadet Sevre et Maine "Gorges" - 3; first release, grown on gabbro, 3.5 years on the lees; this is full-full-full for muscadet, a lot of oomph
Dom. Closel, Savennières - Evelyne de Pontbriand is here and in fine form, our conversation drifts well away from wine
2017 Chenin Blanc "Belle Dame" - 1; the vineyards were a total loss due to frost; Evelyne rented a vineyard just across the river for the season (hence, not the usual appellation); Belle Dame is French for the Painted Lady butterfly
2016 Savennieres "La Jalousie" - 1.5; another vineyard that handled the warmer year very well showing add'l waxiness and acidity
2016 Savennieres "Clos du Papillon" - 2; yum
Les Vins Contes, Touraine
2018 Vin de France "Le P'tit Roquin" - 1; all gamay, textbook
2018 Vin de France "R 18" - 0; grolleau/cot/franc but a bit musky
2018 Vin de France "Poivre et Sel" - 0.5; 90% pineau d'aunis, reticent showing
Dom. Filliatreau, Saumur-Champigny - all cuvees made in steel, they are Demeter approved for the first time in 2017
2017 Saumur-Champigny - 1; quaff
2017 Saumur Rouge "Chateau Fouquet" - 1.5; a good step up in interest
2017 Saumur-Champigny "La Grande Vignolle" - 1.5; I liked last year's better, this is too fruity for me
Dom. Baudry, Chinon - nice to see Matthieu
2017 Chinon "Les Granges" - 1; big and fruity and happy to be poured
2017 Chinon "Les Grezeaux" - 2; similar flavors but more minerality and more structure here, bigger but quieter
2016 Chinon "Le Clos Guillot" - 2; shows the cooler year: less stuffing but better balance
Dom des Terres Dorees, Beaujolais
2017 Beaujolais Blanc - 1; light and good, a reliable cuvee
2017 Beaujolais "l'Ancien" VV - 1; some sulfur (gas?) to blow off but pretty wine underneath
2017 Cote de Brouilly - 1.5; very different: this is all tannic grip everywhere in my mouth, not viciously so but persistent; wait for it
Clos de la Roilette, Fleurie - Alain Coudert pours
2017 Fleurie "Cuvee Christie" - 1; bright and kinda lightweight
2018 Fleurie "Clos de la Roilette" - 1.5; this is a barrel sample because the '18s are not bottled yet; these are the 45-year vines, bright and rich, I'm going to guess that 2018 gave good results at many domaines
2014 Fleurie "Clos de la Roilette" "Cuvee Tardive" - 1.5; these are the 80-year vines; again, a slight muskiness makes me hesitate (closed?)
Dom Jean Manciat, Maconnais - not sure whether this was Jean but, whoever it was, he was bound and determined to talk about the most very basic things
2017 Macon-Charnay "Franclieu" - 2; raised in steel, this could almost get me to like chardonnay!
2016 Macon-Charnay "Les Crays" - 1; raised in well-used barrels with only 10-15% new, only the wine's high acidity makes this palatable
2017 Saint-Veran - -1; same barrel regimen, not enough wine in this wine
Franck Peillot, Bugey - it is a pleasure to chat with Franck
NV Bugey Montagnieu Brut - -1; I am never partial to this cuvee
2016 Roussette du Bugey-Montagnieu "Altesse" - 0; OK but not showing much character today, Franck says he thinks the '18 is really gorgeous
2016 Bugey Mondeuse - 3; AFWE wine par excellence, the least-sweet-but-not-underripe berries, a teeny scratch of acidity, floral and light
Clemens-Busch, Mosel - no GG wines today because they did not come (someone else poured for them)
2016 Mosel Riesling Trocken "(alter) Native" - 0; less sulfur but a considerable bump in price
2017 Mosel Riesling Trocken - 0; yup
2016 Mosel Riesling "Vom Grauen Schiefer" - 1; much better
2016 Mosel Pundericher Marienburg Riesling Spatlese - 1.5; electric
Immich-Batterieberg, Mosel - all vineyards are blue slate; I have great conversation here, too, with Gernot Kollman
2016 Mosel Riesling Kabinett Trocken "C.A.I." - 0; I have liked this better in other years, great value wine
2015 Mosel Riesling Trocken "Detonation" - 0.5; a barrel selection
2016 Mosel Riesling Ellergrub - 3; grand cru and it shows, this wine just has more of everything
Koehler-Ruprecht, Pfalz
2016 Pfalz Weisser Burgunder Kabinett Trocken - 0.5; quaff
2016 Pfalz Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Kabinett Trocken - 1.5; mineral, light, good length, good quality here
2016 Pfalz Kallstadter Steinacker Riesling Kabinett - 0; much fruitier, of course, but this kab lacks the zip to make it twirl on the high-wire
Casa Coste Piane, Valdobbiadene
2017 Prosecco di Valdobbiadene - 0.5; wants to be champagne but lacks body
Massimilano Croci, Emilia-Romagna - mostly local grapes but all made in a fizzy style, a little odd overall
2017 Colli Piacentini Campedello Frizzante Bianco - 1; Malvasia di Candia Aromatica/Trebbiano/Ortrugo/Sauvignon Blanc/Marsanne; this is really young so the true aromas are not easy to find... but nose it a while and a pretty citrus note appears
2017 VDT Lubigo Frizzante Bianco - 2; 100% Ortrugo, a week on the skins; the pourer advises me that she thinks it smells like cereal and I should "have it with your breakfast!"; not sure I smell that but I can tell that this has only the very faintest fizz over a Chablis-like base, yum
2015 Gutturnio Frizzante Rosso - -2; barbera and bonarda, and sponti, and you can have it
Montesecondo, Toscana - Silvio Messana is here, always smiling but a little less lively than usual
2017 IGT Toscana Sangiovese - 1; a hot and dry year in Tuscany so the tannins are a bit big for an otherwise lighter wine
2016 Chianti Classico - 2.5; a favorite of mine, so interesting but so easy to drink...
2016 IGT Sangiovese Anfora "Tin" - 1; 8 months in amphora, not very visible to me today (and I'm not really sold on the idea, anyway)
Foradori, Alto Adige - Kevin McKenna is pouring here
2017 Vigneti delle Dolomiti "Fontanasanta Nosiola Bianco" - 0; others like this more than me
2017 Vigneti delle Dolomiti Teroldego "Sgarzon" - 2.5; the grapes spend 8 months in amphora then are pressed and bottled with no add'l interventions; this is great: clear as crystal, bright and pure, imagine Kelley Fox working with teroldego
2016 Vigneti delle Dolomiti Teroldego - 0.5; regular wine-making style here and a more difficult vintage
Q. do Infantado, Porto - Joao Roseira pours and holds forth on what he does in the cellar
2012 Douro Tinto - 1; this is a hearty, medium-to-medium-heavy table wine, mouth-filling (think: local version of Cal Cab)
NV Ruby Porto - 1.5; this is a really good Ruby
2013 Late Bottled Vintage Porto - 2; definitely a step up from the Ruby
2007 Colheita Tawny Port - 3; I liked it last year and I like it this year, too; I think Joao said that tawny does not have to be bottled all at once so perhaps this is a separate release; anyway, not so dense or so sweet as many tawnies so a more delectable drink
skipped:
Dom. Mosse, Anjou
Renardat-Fache, Bugey
Fonterenza, Toscana
De Bartoli, Sicilia
---
As always, I am glad-handing with everybody I know... makers, drinkers, staff. Mostly, of course, it is earnest talk about vines and cellars. There is some amusing talk about erroneous paperwork regarding rootstock (so that's how own-rooted vines get planted!), whether a place named for a famous historical person really was associated with that person, and one person's regular vacation rental apartment in Luxor. From Val de Loire to Valley of the Kings!
The tool: a wine glass.
The cause: PIH.
The spoof: them's fightin' words, mister.
Time for the annual visit of the LDM vigneron/nes and a great tasting event for everyone in their path.
Here's what I saw:
Dom. de la Pépière, Muscadet - Gwenaelle is here this year.
2017 Muscadet Sevre et Maine "Les Gras Moutons" - 0; I am never partial to this cuvee
2017 Muscadet Sevre et Maine "Clos des Briords" - 2.5; from magnum; wonderful, might take several years to really sing with all its voice
2015 Muscadet Sevre et Maine "Chateau Thebaud" - 2; a solar year and this place somehow converts the extra warmth into extra complexity (I don't always like this cuvee)
2014 Muscadet Sevre et Maine "Gorges" - 3; first release, grown on gabbro, 3.5 years on the lees; this is full-full-full for muscadet, a lot of oomph
Dom. Closel, Savennières - Evelyne de Pontbriand is here and in fine form, our conversation drifts well away from wine
2017 Chenin Blanc "Belle Dame" - 1; the vineyards were a total loss due to frost; Evelyne rented a vineyard just across the river for the season (hence, not the usual appellation); Belle Dame is French for the Painted Lady butterfly
2016 Savennieres "La Jalousie" - 1.5; another vineyard that handled the warmer year very well showing add'l waxiness and acidity
2016 Savennieres "Clos du Papillon" - 2; yum
Les Vins Contes, Touraine
2018 Vin de France "Le P'tit Roquin" - 1; all gamay, textbook
2018 Vin de France "R 18" - 0; grolleau/cot/franc but a bit musky
2018 Vin de France "Poivre et Sel" - 0.5; 90% pineau d'aunis, reticent showing
Dom. Filliatreau, Saumur-Champigny - all cuvees made in steel, they are Demeter approved for the first time in 2017
2017 Saumur-Champigny - 1; quaff
2017 Saumur Rouge "Chateau Fouquet" - 1.5; a good step up in interest
2017 Saumur-Champigny "La Grande Vignolle" - 1.5; I liked last year's better, this is too fruity for me
Dom. Baudry, Chinon - nice to see Matthieu
2017 Chinon "Les Granges" - 1; big and fruity and happy to be poured
2017 Chinon "Les Grezeaux" - 2; similar flavors but more minerality and more structure here, bigger but quieter
2016 Chinon "Le Clos Guillot" - 2; shows the cooler year: less stuffing but better balance
Dom des Terres Dorees, Beaujolais
2017 Beaujolais Blanc - 1; light and good, a reliable cuvee
2017 Beaujolais "l'Ancien" VV - 1; some sulfur (gas?) to blow off but pretty wine underneath
2017 Cote de Brouilly - 1.5; very different: this is all tannic grip everywhere in my mouth, not viciously so but persistent; wait for it
Clos de la Roilette, Fleurie - Alain Coudert pours
2017 Fleurie "Cuvee Christie" - 1; bright and kinda lightweight
2018 Fleurie "Clos de la Roilette" - 1.5; this is a barrel sample because the '18s are not bottled yet; these are the 45-year vines, bright and rich, I'm going to guess that 2018 gave good results at many domaines
2014 Fleurie "Clos de la Roilette" "Cuvee Tardive" - 1.5; these are the 80-year vines; again, a slight muskiness makes me hesitate (closed?)
Dom Jean Manciat, Maconnais - not sure whether this was Jean but, whoever it was, he was bound and determined to talk about the most very basic things
2017 Macon-Charnay "Franclieu" - 2; raised in steel, this could almost get me to like chardonnay!
2016 Macon-Charnay "Les Crays" - 1; raised in well-used barrels with only 10-15% new, only the wine's high acidity makes this palatable
2017 Saint-Veran - -1; same barrel regimen, not enough wine in this wine
Franck Peillot, Bugey - it is a pleasure to chat with Franck
NV Bugey Montagnieu Brut - -1; I am never partial to this cuvee
2016 Roussette du Bugey-Montagnieu "Altesse" - 0; OK but not showing much character today, Franck says he thinks the '18 is really gorgeous
2016 Bugey Mondeuse - 3; AFWE wine par excellence, the least-sweet-but-not-underripe berries, a teeny scratch of acidity, floral and light
Clemens-Busch, Mosel - no GG wines today because they did not come (someone else poured for them)
2016 Mosel Riesling Trocken "(alter) Native" - 0; less sulfur but a considerable bump in price
2017 Mosel Riesling Trocken - 0; yup
2016 Mosel Riesling "Vom Grauen Schiefer" - 1; much better
2016 Mosel Pundericher Marienburg Riesling Spatlese - 1.5; electric
Immich-Batterieberg, Mosel - all vineyards are blue slate; I have great conversation here, too, with Gernot Kollman
2016 Mosel Riesling Kabinett Trocken "C.A.I." - 0; I have liked this better in other years, great value wine
2015 Mosel Riesling Trocken "Detonation" - 0.5; a barrel selection
2016 Mosel Riesling Ellergrub - 3; grand cru and it shows, this wine just has more of everything
Koehler-Ruprecht, Pfalz
2016 Pfalz Weisser Burgunder Kabinett Trocken - 0.5; quaff
2016 Pfalz Kallstadter Saumagen Riesling Kabinett Trocken - 1.5; mineral, light, good length, good quality here
2016 Pfalz Kallstadter Steinacker Riesling Kabinett - 0; much fruitier, of course, but this kab lacks the zip to make it twirl on the high-wire
Casa Coste Piane, Valdobbiadene
2017 Prosecco di Valdobbiadene - 0.5; wants to be champagne but lacks body
Massimilano Croci, Emilia-Romagna - mostly local grapes but all made in a fizzy style, a little odd overall
2017 Colli Piacentini Campedello Frizzante Bianco - 1; Malvasia di Candia Aromatica/Trebbiano/Ortrugo/Sauvignon Blanc/Marsanne; this is really young so the true aromas are not easy to find... but nose it a while and a pretty citrus note appears
2017 VDT Lubigo Frizzante Bianco - 2; 100% Ortrugo, a week on the skins; the pourer advises me that she thinks it smells like cereal and I should "have it with your breakfast!"; not sure I smell that but I can tell that this has only the very faintest fizz over a Chablis-like base, yum
2015 Gutturnio Frizzante Rosso - -2; barbera and bonarda, and sponti, and you can have it
Montesecondo, Toscana - Silvio Messana is here, always smiling but a little less lively than usual
2017 IGT Toscana Sangiovese - 1; a hot and dry year in Tuscany so the tannins are a bit big for an otherwise lighter wine
2016 Chianti Classico - 2.5; a favorite of mine, so interesting but so easy to drink...
2016 IGT Sangiovese Anfora "Tin" - 1; 8 months in amphora, not very visible to me today (and I'm not really sold on the idea, anyway)
Foradori, Alto Adige - Kevin McKenna is pouring here
2017 Vigneti delle Dolomiti "Fontanasanta Nosiola Bianco" - 0; others like this more than me
2017 Vigneti delle Dolomiti Teroldego "Sgarzon" - 2.5; the grapes spend 8 months in amphora then are pressed and bottled with no add'l interventions; this is great: clear as crystal, bright and pure, imagine Kelley Fox working with teroldego
2016 Vigneti delle Dolomiti Teroldego - 0.5; regular wine-making style here and a more difficult vintage
Q. do Infantado, Porto - Joao Roseira pours and holds forth on what he does in the cellar
2012 Douro Tinto - 1; this is a hearty, medium-to-medium-heavy table wine, mouth-filling (think: local version of Cal Cab)
NV Ruby Porto - 1.5; this is a really good Ruby
2013 Late Bottled Vintage Porto - 2; definitely a step up from the Ruby
2007 Colheita Tawny Port - 3; I liked it last year and I like it this year, too; I think Joao said that tawny does not have to be bottled all at once so perhaps this is a separate release; anyway, not so dense or so sweet as many tawnies so a more delectable drink
skipped:
Dom. Mosse, Anjou
Renardat-Fache, Bugey
Fonterenza, Toscana
De Bartoli, Sicilia
---
As always, I am glad-handing with everybody I know... makers, drinkers, staff. Mostly, of course, it is earnest talk about vines and cellars. There is some amusing talk about erroneous paperwork regarding rootstock (so that's how own-rooted vines get planted!), whether a place named for a famous historical person really was associated with that person, and one person's regular vacation rental apartment in Luxor. From Val de Loire to Valley of the Kings!