Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Don, Jay, Jeff, Lisa, Scott & Anne-Marie, Seth, Victor
We done it again.
Specialty Bottle tried to put a stop to it -- "NO NEW CUSTOMERS" the banner read -- ha! Little bottles flowed like, well, wine.
This time, instead of coin flips, we spun The Big Wheel.
And it came up...
Don's "White Label" - Pepiere 2012 Muscadet "Clos des Briords", Cuvee VV - I immediately call the nose as muscadet but Jay argues that it has the texture of savennieres; hm, that might be persuasive; but it seems too youthful (and not oxidized enough) to me to support Jay's assertion of vintage 1996
Don's "Orange Label" - Ridge 1995 Montebello - Loire cab franc, gotta be; long, even, mentholated finish, maybe '96 breton? kinda stern so Grand Mont?, Seth is not persuaded by me and says it might be a CA blend: bravo Seth; for the record, the cepage is 69% cab, 18% merlot, 10% pet verd, 3% cab franc (...my pyrazine filters are way off-kilter)
Victor's #1 - Ch. Magdelaine 2000 St-Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classee - people are guessing all over the world but I guess Pomerol ("Getting closer!" -Victor); Seth describes it as old style wine-making, a touch of VA but beautifully integrated, from a warm vintage, aging faster than it should (no hurry but not a 40-yr wine, either)
Don's "Blue Label" - Clos Rougeard 2005 Saumur-Champigny "Le Bourg" - this is quite sweet, it should have more tannins but this does not, Jay soon enough nails it; beautiful, brett spice is perfect; 30 months in French oak(!) has apparently not harmed it
Victor's #2 - Ch. Latour a Pomerol 1982 Pomerol - no cab sauv in here and for the third time I smell cab franc! but this is really sexy, "No cab sauv in here" -Victor confirms; I guess Vieux Chateau Certan but Victor, formulary in hand, says no; Cheval Blanc? No. Why doesn't merlot come to mind? On to the next... What vintage? Well, it's dark and youthful, good acidity, no one guessed a warm vintage but it is actually the very famous 1982. A treat.
We done it again.
Specialty Bottle tried to put a stop to it -- "NO NEW CUSTOMERS" the banner read -- ha! Little bottles flowed like, well, wine.
This time, instead of coin flips, we spun The Big Wheel.
And it came up...
Don's "White Label" - Pepiere 2012 Muscadet "Clos des Briords", Cuvee VV - I immediately call the nose as muscadet but Jay argues that it has the texture of savennieres; hm, that might be persuasive; but it seems too youthful (and not oxidized enough) to me to support Jay's assertion of vintage 1996
Don's "Orange Label" - Ridge 1995 Montebello - Loire cab franc, gotta be; long, even, mentholated finish, maybe '96 breton? kinda stern so Grand Mont?, Seth is not persuaded by me and says it might be a CA blend: bravo Seth; for the record, the cepage is 69% cab, 18% merlot, 10% pet verd, 3% cab franc (...my pyrazine filters are way off-kilter)
Victor's #1 - Ch. Magdelaine 2000 St-Emilion 1er Grand Cru Classee - people are guessing all over the world but I guess Pomerol ("Getting closer!" -Victor); Seth describes it as old style wine-making, a touch of VA but beautifully integrated, from a warm vintage, aging faster than it should (no hurry but not a 40-yr wine, either)
Don's "Blue Label" - Clos Rougeard 2005 Saumur-Champigny "Le Bourg" - this is quite sweet, it should have more tannins but this does not, Jay soon enough nails it; beautiful, brett spice is perfect; 30 months in French oak(!) has apparently not harmed it
Victor's #2 - Ch. Latour a Pomerol 1982 Pomerol - no cab sauv in here and for the third time I smell cab franc! but this is really sexy, "No cab sauv in here" -Victor confirms; I guess Vieux Chateau Certan but Victor, formulary in hand, says no; Cheval Blanc? No. Why doesn't merlot come to mind? On to the next... What vintage? Well, it's dark and youthful, good acidity, no one guessed a warm vintage but it is actually the very famous 1982. A treat.