Jeff Grossman
Jeff Grossman
attendees: Don & Melissa, Jay, Jayson, Jeff, Lisa, Scott & Anne-Marie, Victor
Jay Begins
Wine J1 - Decanted yesterday for an hour before re-bottling. Silky, honeyed. "I'm loving the balance of floral and acidity" -Scott, "Peach pit with a little almond" -Meliisa, "Good stuff" -Victor, "Is it Gallo?" -Anne-Marie (there's one in every crowd). Riesling for sure but German or Austrian? We take a vote, Austrian by 3-to-1, but you can fool most of the people some of the time. Reveal: Selbach Oster 2012 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese Feinherb "Ur-Alte Reben", 12%, the initial vintage of this bottling.
Wine J2 - Also double-decanted yesterday, this is candied, bubble-gum, someone says foie gras in the finish, "Soap" -Victor. Bleh. The nasal onslaught is easing up a bit as it sits in the glass. Don cleverly ventures that it's a sans-soufre Beaujolais... yes: Ducroux 2019 "Expectatia", 12.5%, I have no urge to buy this.
The Don Streak
Wine D1 - OK, that's Loire cab franc, "And quite aromatic!" -Jayson, "Like a walk in autumn woods" -Melissa, I know this wine and call it for Olga '89... and I'm close... it is Olga Raffault Chinon "Les Picasses" but not '89.
Wine DII - Tannins, lots of 'em. Wild dark black fruit. "Tomatoey in the nose" -Jayson. We like it. I wonder about a corky sort of whiff to it but Lisa says nix. We eventually stop guessing true-to-type (what would Don serve us?) and figure out that this is not a Loire wine. In fact, this is a merlot-heavy Bordeaux blend, with a touch of sweetness that leads us to the plateau of Pomerol but we don't guess the house: Chateau Le Gay Pomerol
Wine Dlll - We are not in France because this is obviously cal cab. It is noticeably plusher and riper than the preceding two wines with a bit of citrus and raspberry in there. Jay flips on his Don-Vision goggles and calls it for Laurel Glen... right-o: Laurel Glen Sonoma Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.
=> The three wines are united by vintage: 1990.
Jay Math
Wine J3 - Once again ready to guess the drunk and not the drink, we're set for a patented Miller Burgundy Treat but this ain't that! This is quite old, with considerable brown mixed in the red, apparently more Patrick Stewart than Patrick Campbell. "Strawberry jam" -Melissa. That, and a whiff of VA, suggests we are in Italy (yes) and even in Piedmont (yes) but we need the reveal because there are so many old properties: Pod. Tre Torri (Marchesi della Traversagna) 1954 Spanna di Traversagna, 13%, Jay was this the Vecchi Riserva?
Wine J4 - This is port. Old port, "grass and green", caramel in the finish, not a sweet style however (so not Graham's), it is nice and in a style that Jay likes well, but there is a bit more alcoholic heat than I'd expect. Reveal: Warre's 1966 Vintage Port
=> And: 1954 + 1966 / 2 = 1960 so Happy Birthday to all the 1960 babies out there!
--
I followed a few of the wines into the morrow:
J2 / Ducroux - nose continues to improve but the palate remains ghastly
D1 / Olga - classic Loire franc, leather and pomegranate and black plum (and teeny traces of Band-Aid and school paste faults)
DII / Pomerol - muscular still, old Tanzer TNs suggest this wine was always tough
Dlll / Laurel - Day 3: still some dark cran/pom fruit but a strong note of licorice has come up
J3 / Spanna - remains crisp, old but not oxidized, winey, scents of camphor, hazelnut, and leather, great bottle
Jay Begins
Wine J1 - Decanted yesterday for an hour before re-bottling. Silky, honeyed. "I'm loving the balance of floral and acidity" -Scott, "Peach pit with a little almond" -Meliisa, "Good stuff" -Victor, "Is it Gallo?" -Anne-Marie (there's one in every crowd). Riesling for sure but German or Austrian? We take a vote, Austrian by 3-to-1, but you can fool most of the people some of the time. Reveal: Selbach Oster 2012 Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spatlese Feinherb "Ur-Alte Reben", 12%, the initial vintage of this bottling.
Wine J2 - Also double-decanted yesterday, this is candied, bubble-gum, someone says foie gras in the finish, "Soap" -Victor. Bleh. The nasal onslaught is easing up a bit as it sits in the glass. Don cleverly ventures that it's a sans-soufre Beaujolais... yes: Ducroux 2019 "Expectatia", 12.5%, I have no urge to buy this.
The Don Streak
Wine D1 - OK, that's Loire cab franc, "And quite aromatic!" -Jayson, "Like a walk in autumn woods" -Melissa, I know this wine and call it for Olga '89... and I'm close... it is Olga Raffault Chinon "Les Picasses" but not '89.
Wine DII - Tannins, lots of 'em. Wild dark black fruit. "Tomatoey in the nose" -Jayson. We like it. I wonder about a corky sort of whiff to it but Lisa says nix. We eventually stop guessing true-to-type (what would Don serve us?) and figure out that this is not a Loire wine. In fact, this is a merlot-heavy Bordeaux blend, with a touch of sweetness that leads us to the plateau of Pomerol but we don't guess the house: Chateau Le Gay Pomerol
Wine Dlll - We are not in France because this is obviously cal cab. It is noticeably plusher and riper than the preceding two wines with a bit of citrus and raspberry in there. Jay flips on his Don-Vision goggles and calls it for Laurel Glen... right-o: Laurel Glen Sonoma Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.
=> The three wines are united by vintage: 1990.
Jay Math
Wine J3 - Once again ready to guess the drunk and not the drink, we're set for a patented Miller Burgundy Treat but this ain't that! This is quite old, with considerable brown mixed in the red, apparently more Patrick Stewart than Patrick Campbell. "Strawberry jam" -Melissa. That, and a whiff of VA, suggests we are in Italy (yes) and even in Piedmont (yes) but we need the reveal because there are so many old properties: Pod. Tre Torri (Marchesi della Traversagna) 1954 Spanna di Traversagna, 13%, Jay was this the Vecchi Riserva?
Wine J4 - This is port. Old port, "grass and green", caramel in the finish, not a sweet style however (so not Graham's), it is nice and in a style that Jay likes well, but there is a bit more alcoholic heat than I'd expect. Reveal: Warre's 1966 Vintage Port
=> And: 1954 + 1966 / 2 = 1960 so Happy Birthday to all the 1960 babies out there!
--
I followed a few of the wines into the morrow:
J2 / Ducroux - nose continues to improve but the palate remains ghastly
D1 / Olga - classic Loire franc, leather and pomegranate and black plum (and teeny traces of Band-Aid and school paste faults)
DII / Pomerol - muscular still, old Tanzer TNs suggest this wine was always tough
Dlll / Laurel - Day 3: still some dark cran/pom fruit but a strong note of licorice has come up
J3 / Spanna - remains crisp, old but not oxidized, winey, scents of camphor, hazelnut, and leather, great bottle