Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
At home. Mostly.
Enologica Valtellinese (Veronelli Collection) 1978 Valtellina Superiore Riserva "Vigna Paradiso" - color as if it were 10 years old, immediately pulling the cork there is a blast of red fruit, then the bottle stink of having been "in" too long, juicy acidity, roses, new sneakers, very beautiful; 1 hr: the roses are coming on; 2 hr: even stronger and purer, the roses are now floating over a teeny little base of black dirt or road tar but not really; 3 hr: the last sip is still full-flavored though the acidity is getting slowly lost in silk, a dream
Clos de la Bonnette 2018 VDP Collines Rhodaniennes VV Syrah - textbook but well-done textbook, juicy young fruity syrah, there is some N Rhone spice here, a good glug and works with my steak and peppers
Jadot 2010 Pernand-Vergelesses "Clos de la Croix de Pierre" - I just noticed that this wine is a 1er Cru (En Caradeux); still a vivid red, fruity but more currants than strawberries, excellent perfume and purity, tannins are fine, acidity is a tad soft, perfect with a very rare tenderloin and potatoes gratin
Texier, Martin 2018 Brezeme "Vigne de la Carriere" - slow-o for two hours... first whiff... yes, Rhone syrah... first taste... Brezeme!, has the distinctive midpalate, this is young and juicy and a shows a little umami, Papa may have kept the old vines but it's still all I can do to save some for tomorrow; day 2: shutting down, nowhere near as vivid or floral as yesterday, pout
Gouges 2014 Nuits-St-Georges "Clos des Porrets" - Day 1 (Sun): tight and not forthcoming on opening but, with air, the pinosity returns; it's quite pure and austere; and it only gives so much... the mid-palate hits a wall, it just goes all flat and unaromatic and vegetal (not green, but like a popsicle stick), really weird; Day 4 (Wed): in a thermos at a picnic, still pure and austere but a little more glyceral and a teeny tad fruitier, still not at all sweet or frooty, rather nice in the 'tall dark stranger' kind of way
Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo 2006 Ghemme "Breclemae" - world's tightest cork but the wine is perfect: earthy, cranberry with a whiff of raspberry florality, still some good grip
Brovia 2006 Barolo "Garblet Sue" - decanted 3 hrs before dinner, beautiful, tar and roses, still a bit grippy, and it acts like it would like someday to develop VA (but it hasn't yet); darkfruit and cranberry redness, very yum; day 3: even more gorgeous, full-throttle tease... the tannins have relented just a bit and all the fruit and fruit-related flavors are flashing through my mouth (camphor, plum tomatoes, saline, raspberries), a great show
Quinta do Vesuvio 1994 Vintage Port - bought on release, this is outstanding: not too sweet but hints at brown sugar and caramel, still plenty plummy, tannins are gone or hiding, the wine is still fresh and even has some thrust; many years to go before this reaches any kind of nuts-and-cedar stage
Le Rocher des Violettes 2019 VdF Chenin Blanc - gulpable, clean, well-chosen ripeness, unmistakeable
Croft 1960 Vintage Port - lavender (and quite a bit of it), not perky but some acidity still there, this wine is old but not maderized, sweet and viscous of course, but not figgy-plummy, rather more tawny (it is the color of a medium cup of tea, maybe mixed with a little rooibos), a whiff of sesame, perhaps the best 1960 port I've ever had, thank you to Dale for the gracious share; followed over 4 days: the lavender fades after a day and a slight bitter note of brown sugar appears on the last day but the wine remains sound throughout
La Cantina di Cuneaz Nadir 2016 Rosso Vallee d'Aoste "Badebec" - upon opening, Windex... but, praise Bacchus, that dissipates in about 3 minutes; mountain wine: lightweight, raspberry fading into cranberry, with rocks, a whiff of dark chocolate comes and goes, drunk over 5 days and remains pretty the whole time, great QPR too
Eminence Road 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon "Elizabeth's Vineyard" - 11.6%, day 1: lean, fresh, nice; day 3: losing freshness, maybe it needs a drop more sulfur?, rather more bronze than bright now, slightly stinky
Travaglini 2012 Gattinara - 500 ml; yer basic alto piemonte: cran-cherry, whet your appetite acidity, a whiff of pine and roses, good wine but colors within the lines
Ch. Yvonne 2014 Saumur-Champigny - 12.5%, clean, crisp, noticeable citrussy twang (maybe like a Meyer lemon or a puckery tangerine), not the mineral depth of a Baudry wine but plenty gluggable; Day 3: losing body, becoming too acidic
Ch. Simone 2012 Palette Rose - lost my TN but I recall being disappointed
Dr. Konstantin Frank 2019 Rkatsiteli - citrussy and clean and bright, there are some light florals and/or face powder, you wouldn't confuse it for riesling but it sure tastes like some kind of kin
Glug Wines:
La Antigua Clasico 2012 Rioja Crianza - glug rioja
Pagliarese 2016 Chianti Classico - glug chianti
Van Volxem 2017 Rotschiefer Riesling Kabinett - glug riesling
Lagar de Costa 2019 Albarino - 13%, glug albarino
ETA: The bottle of Ch.Yvonne was also a gift from Dale. Thanks again!
Enologica Valtellinese (Veronelli Collection) 1978 Valtellina Superiore Riserva "Vigna Paradiso" - color as if it were 10 years old, immediately pulling the cork there is a blast of red fruit, then the bottle stink of having been "in" too long, juicy acidity, roses, new sneakers, very beautiful; 1 hr: the roses are coming on; 2 hr: even stronger and purer, the roses are now floating over a teeny little base of black dirt or road tar but not really; 3 hr: the last sip is still full-flavored though the acidity is getting slowly lost in silk, a dream
Clos de la Bonnette 2018 VDP Collines Rhodaniennes VV Syrah - textbook but well-done textbook, juicy young fruity syrah, there is some N Rhone spice here, a good glug and works with my steak and peppers
Jadot 2010 Pernand-Vergelesses "Clos de la Croix de Pierre" - I just noticed that this wine is a 1er Cru (En Caradeux); still a vivid red, fruity but more currants than strawberries, excellent perfume and purity, tannins are fine, acidity is a tad soft, perfect with a very rare tenderloin and potatoes gratin
Texier, Martin 2018 Brezeme "Vigne de la Carriere" - slow-o for two hours... first whiff... yes, Rhone syrah... first taste... Brezeme!, has the distinctive midpalate, this is young and juicy and a shows a little umami, Papa may have kept the old vines but it's still all I can do to save some for tomorrow; day 2: shutting down, nowhere near as vivid or floral as yesterday, pout
Gouges 2014 Nuits-St-Georges "Clos des Porrets" - Day 1 (Sun): tight and not forthcoming on opening but, with air, the pinosity returns; it's quite pure and austere; and it only gives so much... the mid-palate hits a wall, it just goes all flat and unaromatic and vegetal (not green, but like a popsicle stick), really weird; Day 4 (Wed): in a thermos at a picnic, still pure and austere but a little more glyceral and a teeny tad fruitier, still not at all sweet or frooty, rather nice in the 'tall dark stranger' kind of way
Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo 2006 Ghemme "Breclemae" - world's tightest cork but the wine is perfect: earthy, cranberry with a whiff of raspberry florality, still some good grip
Brovia 2006 Barolo "Garblet Sue" - decanted 3 hrs before dinner, beautiful, tar and roses, still a bit grippy, and it acts like it would like someday to develop VA (but it hasn't yet); darkfruit and cranberry redness, very yum; day 3: even more gorgeous, full-throttle tease... the tannins have relented just a bit and all the fruit and fruit-related flavors are flashing through my mouth (camphor, plum tomatoes, saline, raspberries), a great show
Quinta do Vesuvio 1994 Vintage Port - bought on release, this is outstanding: not too sweet but hints at brown sugar and caramel, still plenty plummy, tannins are gone or hiding, the wine is still fresh and even has some thrust; many years to go before this reaches any kind of nuts-and-cedar stage
Le Rocher des Violettes 2019 VdF Chenin Blanc - gulpable, clean, well-chosen ripeness, unmistakeable
Croft 1960 Vintage Port - lavender (and quite a bit of it), not perky but some acidity still there, this wine is old but not maderized, sweet and viscous of course, but not figgy-plummy, rather more tawny (it is the color of a medium cup of tea, maybe mixed with a little rooibos), a whiff of sesame, perhaps the best 1960 port I've ever had, thank you to Dale for the gracious share; followed over 4 days: the lavender fades after a day and a slight bitter note of brown sugar appears on the last day but the wine remains sound throughout
La Cantina di Cuneaz Nadir 2016 Rosso Vallee d'Aoste "Badebec" - upon opening, Windex... but, praise Bacchus, that dissipates in about 3 minutes; mountain wine: lightweight, raspberry fading into cranberry, with rocks, a whiff of dark chocolate comes and goes, drunk over 5 days and remains pretty the whole time, great QPR too
Eminence Road 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon "Elizabeth's Vineyard" - 11.6%, day 1: lean, fresh, nice; day 3: losing freshness, maybe it needs a drop more sulfur?, rather more bronze than bright now, slightly stinky
Travaglini 2012 Gattinara - 500 ml; yer basic alto piemonte: cran-cherry, whet your appetite acidity, a whiff of pine and roses, good wine but colors within the lines
Ch. Yvonne 2014 Saumur-Champigny - 12.5%, clean, crisp, noticeable citrussy twang (maybe like a Meyer lemon or a puckery tangerine), not the mineral depth of a Baudry wine but plenty gluggable; Day 3: losing body, becoming too acidic
Ch. Simone 2012 Palette Rose - lost my TN but I recall being disappointed
Dr. Konstantin Frank 2019 Rkatsiteli - citrussy and clean and bright, there are some light florals and/or face powder, you wouldn't confuse it for riesling but it sure tastes like some kind of kin
Glug Wines:
La Antigua Clasico 2012 Rioja Crianza - glug rioja
Pagliarese 2016 Chianti Classico - glug chianti
Van Volxem 2017 Rotschiefer Riesling Kabinett - glug riesling
Lagar de Costa 2019 Albarino - 13%, glug albarino
ETA: The bottle of Ch.Yvonne was also a gift from Dale. Thanks again!