Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Tse Wei, Mike, Jay, Jeff
Ah, sitting at a four-top, out-numbered by the bottles, it feels almost like Soul Flavors again. But here, instead of fried chicken or beef short ribs, you want to order roast pork and Dungeness crab (...well, and King Crab, if you have enough people and money is no object).
Strangely, conversation is largely about work. Tse is having "a bad day at a good job" while Mike's current task has some overlap with my regular assignments. Jay has recently returned from Bangkok so we get some travel stories, too.
Back to the roast pork... it has an incredibly thick and crispy skin, not exactly like on a suckling pig but close. It is tender, of course, and there is the perfume of black pepper (and coriander?). The crab was alive just a few minutes ago so freshness is one thing it offers in spades. It is a big enough creature that the endless picking through cartilege provides some rewards.
Speaking of rewards:
Benoit Lahaye 2012 Champagne Brut Zero "Cuvee Violaine" - disg. 2017, half chard/half pinot, slightly funky on entry but the pinot depth of flavor is compelling, chalky, slightly leesy, complex, great wine, great bottle
Mugnier 2008 Nuits-St-Georges 1er "Clos de la Marechale" - bright, crisp, pure, open for business, sweet cherries and pale earth, wow
Dom. Collotte 2005 Marsannay "Cuvee Vieille Vignes" - also funky at first, then robust, not "fine" but flavorful and medium- to heavy- weight; later research shows this is a Weygandt import and includes several different parcels of 50+ year vines
Scherrer 2013 Zinfandel "Old & Mature Vines" - trite to say but this gives a hint of Burgundy... blackberry flavor but also earth and fine tannins, eventually this becomes really phenolic so give it 10 more years; Day 2: coming down off its phenolic high, there is sweet raspberry and face powder; just for the record, the Old vines are 108 years old now
Paolo Bea 2010 Sagrantino di Montefalco Secco "Pagliaro" - OMG, the deepest bluest fruit, fine tannins coat the razor-wire, a finish as tangy as any riesling (somewhat unexpected in a red wine), long and grippy, love it; Day 2: funky nose now (VA?), palate still rich and meaty
Ah, sitting at a four-top, out-numbered by the bottles, it feels almost like Soul Flavors again. But here, instead of fried chicken or beef short ribs, you want to order roast pork and Dungeness crab (...well, and King Crab, if you have enough people and money is no object).
Strangely, conversation is largely about work. Tse is having "a bad day at a good job" while Mike's current task has some overlap with my regular assignments. Jay has recently returned from Bangkok so we get some travel stories, too.
Back to the roast pork... it has an incredibly thick and crispy skin, not exactly like on a suckling pig but close. It is tender, of course, and there is the perfume of black pepper (and coriander?). The crab was alive just a few minutes ago so freshness is one thing it offers in spades. It is a big enough creature that the endless picking through cartilege provides some rewards.
Speaking of rewards:
Benoit Lahaye 2012 Champagne Brut Zero "Cuvee Violaine" - disg. 2017, half chard/half pinot, slightly funky on entry but the pinot depth of flavor is compelling, chalky, slightly leesy, complex, great wine, great bottle
Mugnier 2008 Nuits-St-Georges 1er "Clos de la Marechale" - bright, crisp, pure, open for business, sweet cherries and pale earth, wow
Dom. Collotte 2005 Marsannay "Cuvee Vieille Vignes" - also funky at first, then robust, not "fine" but flavorful and medium- to heavy- weight; later research shows this is a Weygandt import and includes several different parcels of 50+ year vines
Scherrer 2013 Zinfandel "Old & Mature Vines" - trite to say but this gives a hint of Burgundy... blackberry flavor but also earth and fine tannins, eventually this becomes really phenolic so give it 10 more years; Day 2: coming down off its phenolic high, there is sweet raspberry and face powder; just for the record, the Old vines are 108 years old now
Paolo Bea 2010 Sagrantino di Montefalco Secco "Pagliaro" - OMG, the deepest bluest fruit, fine tannins coat the razor-wire, a finish as tangy as any riesling (somewhat unexpected in a red wine), long and grippy, love it; Day 2: funky nose now (VA?), palate still rich and meaty