Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Luis, William, Stephan, Monica, Jayson, Ira, Suzanne, Sasha+Delia, Greg K, Brad, Jeff
Jayson organized a Grand Cru jeebus at Racines with extra-special guests, WA writers Luis Gutierrez, William Kelley, Monica Larner, and Stephan Reinhardt. Bombast and snark were playfully deployed and everyone enjoyed the evening, including Arnaud and the Racines staff (who I think stayed open an hour longer for us).
The food was served family style, shared plates for each four-top. I think we had one of everything the kitchen makes. Many of them were excellent, I especially remember the appetizers Lentils with Trout Roe and the Steak Tartare. Among the mains, even the somewhat inappropriate BoBo Chicken was delicious.
Our tables were arranged linearly so, alas, no one could sit next to everyone. Yours truly grabbed a seat in the middle and hoped for the best.
The wines:
Gosset 1996 Champagne Brut "Grand Millesime" - magnum; classic, creamy and full and vinous, a hint of hazelnuts is its only admission of its age; shapely acidity (like most 1996s), great way to start
William's chenin - a glass being passed around; from 25 year old vines near Clarksburg, made in a longish fermentation in old barrels/demi-muids; texture seems a little thin, I think I can taste the neutral wood undergirding the wine; the general shape of the wine is like a Bourgogne Blanc, no surprise given its papa
Robert Denis 1989 Touraine-Azay-Le-Rideau Sec "Vignes de la Gaillarderie" - unicorn wine that has had it's 30 years so let's see... nose is kinda skimpy of Pez and old lady's pocketbook but the palate is rich and full, a flicker of butter dashes through, the finish is long and slightly grippy, ending with a discordant note of tin cup
Marc Colin 1988 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er "Les Caillerets" - "A stinker" -William; immediately, coffee grounds; then a ne plus ultra wine of sultanas and fresh apricots and orange blossom, vivid and round, and I don't like Chardonnay generally
R. et V. Dauvissat 2007 Chablis 1er "La Forest" - OTH, though William tries to revive it in a decanter
Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay 1986 Rioja Blanco Gran Reserva Especial - thanks to Luis; smooth texture and golden tones, white flowers and sweet pineapple but savory (not like a Sauternes), definitely old wine: it spent 252 months in barrel, 67 months in tank, and 36+ months in bottle; given the price this will become a modern unicorn
Weiser-Künstler 2018 Enkircher Steffensberg Riesling Trocken - 2 601 562 08 19; beautiful and complex nose full of peach and a touch of cinnamon, arresting; the palate is similar but surprisingly fainter
Trimbach 2002 Riesling "Cuvee Frederic Emile" - magnum; "The color is a little advanced" -Suzanne, everyone agrees on that; assertive palate of pleather gets in the way of some green grape/golden raisin riesling fruit; does not suit me
Ch. Gruaud-Larose 1978 Saint-Julien - magnum; very tobacco nose, delicate and transparent, it's too fragile to have with food (for example, a crusty piece of wheat bread overwhelmed it, for example) but it's gorgeous up on a pedestal by itself
Ch. Calon-Segur 1970 Saint-Estephe - immediately, graham crackers; then just gorgeous, the real deal Bordeaux blend of tobacco and leather and plum and black currant with one shovelful of wet earth somewhere in the back; one of the best wines of the night
Hofgut Falkenstein 2017 Niedermenniger Herrenberg Red Wine Trocken - 3 525 672 10 19; taut and snappy and light, I like the style of this (later I read there is no malo-lactic), "Not enough there there" -Suzanne
Ch. de Beaucastel 1989 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge - palate is better than the nose but fugly and weird; as you might imagine, others liked it better than I did
Kalin Cellars 1980 Pinot Noir - pretty mostly via its age, I think; not floral but there is a loamy, in-a-backyard-garden feel to it
Monterosso 2016 Etna Rosso "Sisma 16" - nerello mascalese, lightweight, lots of red berries and minerals, those volcanic soils show through, I like this
Clos du Mont-Olivet 1998 Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Cuvée du Papet" - magnum; immedately, black tea; made from very old granache vines (mostly) this has style and grace that is unusual for Ch9, especially in a solar year; delicious
Ch. Montrose 1975 Saint-Estephe - it's good but it's plain, perhaps just too old
Michel Grisard Dom. Prieure Saint Christophe, Lot M14 "Tradition" - mondeuse; very lean and dry, kinda hard to like; the 2014 vintage was the last made by Grisard so perhaps that explains the shorthand labelling
A. Pelizzatti 1974 Valtellina Superiore "Inferno" - OTH
Jos. Drouhin 1999 Bonnes-Mares GC - beautiful, echt Burgundy, stuffed with potential, hold another 20 years, this was infanticide
Pierre Gonon 2006 Saint-Joseph VV - a singing bottle, we're all enthralled by the unicorn wine; cassis, blackberry, graphite, hints of tarragon(?) and smoke; great syrah
Frat. Minuto 1964 Barolo Riserva Speciale - OTH
Olga Raffault 2014 Chinon "Les Picasses" - sorry, no note!
La Visciola 2015 Cesanese del Piglio "Priore Vignali" - nice to see the autochthonous grape, I had several varietals when I was in Lazio last year; this is very representative of the type: blue-fruited, savory, modestly tannic, just enough acidity to keep it interesting; mild wine that is tasty but getting shouted-down at this busy table
Huet 1976 Vouvray Moelleux "Clos du Bourg" - "about a B+" -Brad; good and typique, the sweetness is fading back a bit (which is good), palate is not showing much complexity though (which is bad)
Skerk 2017 IGT "Ograde" - a skin-contact white but you'd never pick it up, muscatty florals run roughshod over a tight palate, might be better when it opens up
Fräulein Brösels Vogelbeeregeist - strong enough to run a diesel engine but flavors so pure, bright cherry and cranberry, amazing
F. Bedel 2011 Champagne Brut "Entre Ciel et Terre" - from a pinot meunier specialist, just so ripe, this is pretty but not especially distinguished
Dom. Le Briseau 2016 Jasnieres "Kharakter" - it's much too late in the evening for temperamental chenin; typique Loire chenin, a bit warm/waxy/almondy but nothing exciting here
sake - medium-weight, dry but fragrant and rich, alas no English on the bottle:
A group photo, courtesy of Brad:
Jayson organized a Grand Cru jeebus at Racines with extra-special guests, WA writers Luis Gutierrez, William Kelley, Monica Larner, and Stephan Reinhardt. Bombast and snark were playfully deployed and everyone enjoyed the evening, including Arnaud and the Racines staff (who I think stayed open an hour longer for us).
The food was served family style, shared plates for each four-top. I think we had one of everything the kitchen makes. Many of them were excellent, I especially remember the appetizers Lentils with Trout Roe and the Steak Tartare. Among the mains, even the somewhat inappropriate BoBo Chicken was delicious.
Our tables were arranged linearly so, alas, no one could sit next to everyone. Yours truly grabbed a seat in the middle and hoped for the best.
The wines:
Gosset 1996 Champagne Brut "Grand Millesime" - magnum; classic, creamy and full and vinous, a hint of hazelnuts is its only admission of its age; shapely acidity (like most 1996s), great way to start
William's chenin - a glass being passed around; from 25 year old vines near Clarksburg, made in a longish fermentation in old barrels/demi-muids; texture seems a little thin, I think I can taste the neutral wood undergirding the wine; the general shape of the wine is like a Bourgogne Blanc, no surprise given its papa
Robert Denis 1989 Touraine-Azay-Le-Rideau Sec "Vignes de la Gaillarderie" - unicorn wine that has had it's 30 years so let's see... nose is kinda skimpy of Pez and old lady's pocketbook but the palate is rich and full, a flicker of butter dashes through, the finish is long and slightly grippy, ending with a discordant note of tin cup
Marc Colin 1988 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er "Les Caillerets" - "A stinker" -William; immediately, coffee grounds; then a ne plus ultra wine of sultanas and fresh apricots and orange blossom, vivid and round, and I don't like Chardonnay generally
R. et V. Dauvissat 2007 Chablis 1er "La Forest" - OTH, though William tries to revive it in a decanter
Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay 1986 Rioja Blanco Gran Reserva Especial - thanks to Luis; smooth texture and golden tones, white flowers and sweet pineapple but savory (not like a Sauternes), definitely old wine: it spent 252 months in barrel, 67 months in tank, and 36+ months in bottle; given the price this will become a modern unicorn
Weiser-Künstler 2018 Enkircher Steffensberg Riesling Trocken - 2 601 562 08 19; beautiful and complex nose full of peach and a touch of cinnamon, arresting; the palate is similar but surprisingly fainter
Trimbach 2002 Riesling "Cuvee Frederic Emile" - magnum; "The color is a little advanced" -Suzanne, everyone agrees on that; assertive palate of pleather gets in the way of some green grape/golden raisin riesling fruit; does not suit me
Ch. Gruaud-Larose 1978 Saint-Julien - magnum; very tobacco nose, delicate and transparent, it's too fragile to have with food (for example, a crusty piece of wheat bread overwhelmed it, for example) but it's gorgeous up on a pedestal by itself
Ch. Calon-Segur 1970 Saint-Estephe - immediately, graham crackers; then just gorgeous, the real deal Bordeaux blend of tobacco and leather and plum and black currant with one shovelful of wet earth somewhere in the back; one of the best wines of the night
Hofgut Falkenstein 2017 Niedermenniger Herrenberg Red Wine Trocken - 3 525 672 10 19; taut and snappy and light, I like the style of this (later I read there is no malo-lactic), "Not enough there there" -Suzanne
Ch. de Beaucastel 1989 Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge - palate is better than the nose but fugly and weird; as you might imagine, others liked it better than I did
Kalin Cellars 1980 Pinot Noir - pretty mostly via its age, I think; not floral but there is a loamy, in-a-backyard-garden feel to it
Monterosso 2016 Etna Rosso "Sisma 16" - nerello mascalese, lightweight, lots of red berries and minerals, those volcanic soils show through, I like this
Clos du Mont-Olivet 1998 Chateauneuf-du-Pape "Cuvée du Papet" - magnum; immedately, black tea; made from very old granache vines (mostly) this has style and grace that is unusual for Ch9, especially in a solar year; delicious
Ch. Montrose 1975 Saint-Estephe - it's good but it's plain, perhaps just too old
Michel Grisard Dom. Prieure Saint Christophe, Lot M14 "Tradition" - mondeuse; very lean and dry, kinda hard to like; the 2014 vintage was the last made by Grisard so perhaps that explains the shorthand labelling
A. Pelizzatti 1974 Valtellina Superiore "Inferno" - OTH
Jos. Drouhin 1999 Bonnes-Mares GC - beautiful, echt Burgundy, stuffed with potential, hold another 20 years, this was infanticide
Pierre Gonon 2006 Saint-Joseph VV - a singing bottle, we're all enthralled by the unicorn wine; cassis, blackberry, graphite, hints of tarragon(?) and smoke; great syrah
Frat. Minuto 1964 Barolo Riserva Speciale - OTH
Olga Raffault 2014 Chinon "Les Picasses" - sorry, no note!
La Visciola 2015 Cesanese del Piglio "Priore Vignali" - nice to see the autochthonous grape, I had several varietals when I was in Lazio last year; this is very representative of the type: blue-fruited, savory, modestly tannic, just enough acidity to keep it interesting; mild wine that is tasty but getting shouted-down at this busy table
Huet 1976 Vouvray Moelleux "Clos du Bourg" - "about a B+" -Brad; good and typique, the sweetness is fading back a bit (which is good), palate is not showing much complexity though (which is bad)
Skerk 2017 IGT "Ograde" - a skin-contact white but you'd never pick it up, muscatty florals run roughshod over a tight palate, might be better when it opens up
Fräulein Brösels Vogelbeeregeist - strong enough to run a diesel engine but flavors so pure, bright cherry and cranberry, amazing
F. Bedel 2011 Champagne Brut "Entre Ciel et Terre" - from a pinot meunier specialist, just so ripe, this is pretty but not especially distinguished
Dom. Le Briseau 2016 Jasnieres "Kharakter" - it's much too late in the evening for temperamental chenin; typique Loire chenin, a bit warm/waxy/almondy but nothing exciting here
sake - medium-weight, dry but fragrant and rich, alas no English on the bottle:
