Wines dinners with Berserkers (with notes) from my trip to NYC, Boston and North Shore

So many people post about their trips to Napa Valley, where I reside, but I wanted to post on the most fabulous trip I just made out East. Not every wine or meal will be posted on, but certainly some highlights. This is not a tease: this is to ensure I make time to get this post together, because so many highlights were with people I have met through the wine boards.

So put the pressure on if you are interested…I will get it together. champagne.gif

EDIT:***I will post the list of all the wines consumed, and make comment on the standouts. Then perhaps Ms. Kessler, Mr. Kane, Mr. Trimpi, Mr. Kurek, Mr. Morris, Mr. Scott, Mr. Lenchner, Mr. Hammer, Mr. Weisser, Mr. Reis and Mr. Mankes will comment more fully. There were lots of great palates sitting around those tables, and hopefully they will have some comments.
They will not see it if it ends up in Travel.

Looking forward to it!

Let me just say for the record that, having attended one of the festivities, neither of the beings in the avatar in the original post is Merrill. We were all quite curious when we arrived to see if one of them was.

Thank goodness! Nice to hear people come East once in a while.

Hope you got to O Ya

No, but I did see a sign out on the street that perhaps that restaurant was next door.

That night was in Boston at the newly relocated and updated Troquet. The old one was great, but the new one is “greater,” in most senses.

Merrill - great seeing you and I agree - the new Troquet is fabulous. We are bringing Nola there in a couple of weeks…

Merrill.

It’s always fun seeing and hanging out with you. As a wine buyer, it’s always fun seeing ‘these people’ as they really are > normal.
ML is what we say in NY - down to earth. For rating purposes, she’s a 100 pointer. [cheers.gif]

Oh, and the '09 EMH Black cat was pretty good too.

Here’s an incentive list:

2005 Jacquesson & Fils Champagne Grand Cru Brut Avize Champ Cain
2007 Gosset Champagne Celebris Rosé
2004 Bollinger Champagne Grande Année Rosé (I believe it was Merrill’s favorite bubbly)
2014 E. Guigal Condrieu La Doriane
2009 EMH Cabernet Sauvignon
1987 Robert Mondavi Cab Reserve
1982 Calon Segur

BTW- I think it belongs in winetalk and not travel, but I have a palate of a yak neener

See revised thread title and edit. Hopefully this will get moved back to Wine Talk, I can get my notes together, and the people who attended will add their notes.

I loved the Jacquesson. Crisp and “neat,” it was a great start. The Gosset was delicious, I think the first time I have had that particular one, having had the Gosset Grand Rose Brut in the past. It was fun to move to that. But the Gosset faded when the Bollinger was poured - Erez, who is more experienced with these, can certainly add more detailed notes.

The Guigal Condrieu was far too sweet for my palate. I am not familiar with the Condrieu, but I do not care for Viongier nor Reisling, and this smacked of those flavors.

My 2009 showed well.

The 82 Calon Segur was, at best, at peak. And by the end of the dinner, declared dead I believe. An experience, but to me, not much there. Glove leather. The waiter had problems with the cork, so I took out my carefully packed Ah-So and successfully removed the cork of the 87 Mondavi in one piece. The wine was in better shape
than the 82, but left a similar impression on me. Drink up sooner than later.

As is often the case, I quickly moved on to the wines that please me, so that left 4 of the 7 that delivered pleasure.

Erez secured the restaurant and acted as host, so he can provide more on the restaurant, which I thought was very, very good.

Monday’s lunch was at Marea. A former favorite, but 2 lunches there last week indicated they need to up the quality of food.

Diane Kessler hosted me, lugging a gorgeous 2001 Antinori Solaia Toscana the 2 hour trip from her home on Long Island. I was on time, and Diane was already seated comfortably, with her wine already decanted. Of course. If you have not enjoyed wine with Diane, you should. She has a WAY broader knowledge and cellar than I do. We get geeky, but not TOO geeky. On to the wine. Dark fruit, spice, and herbal notes emerging (Cab Franc?) as we sipped through lunch. The fullness, yet softness, of the mouthfeel was rewarding. The finish? I think I joked to Diane that someone, somewhere, would measure it by the second. Let us just say that this wine was prime, not sliding downhill, and a pure pleasure.

Sidenote: Diane handed over a wine I won in a bet some months ago with her husband, Joel. I honestly don’t remember the occasion, but he is NY and I am Boston. Maybe we won a few [cheers.gif] . The wine, tucked now neatly in my cellar, is a 1996 Grand-Puy-Lacoste. Don’t worry, I have lost to him, too. But I think I am one up.

Went to Troquet a couple of times when I lived in Massachusetts. While it was good, for my more limit means at the time I did so much prefer his previous UVA location on Comm Ave. A reasonable Hanger Steak with an even more reasonable wine list was nirvana for me. Still fondly recall a birthday dinner with '70s Caymus and recent vintage Turley.

Surprised to read this. What dishes disappointed you?

sorry to have missed you. :frowning:

Lunch with Diane. Starter of white asparagus. No knife could cut it. They brought me their “steak knife,” but no go. Flavor was excellent. How do you think I cut the beef? Not well. Corkage was $85, but that is ok. Diane’s wine was well worth it, and we knew in advance.

Next day with my high school friend Linda at the bar. I typically see her in Boston, but she was doors away from me in NYC. Had pea coup and it was good. The mushroom risotto was good, but I did not finish. Just not Marea quality. No wine. We talked baseball, as she is part owner of my Red Sox!

Ah…Jay. Next time! I will be back!

Dinner at Bistro Les Amis in Soho, http://www.bistrolesamis.com/

We were very happy to host Merrill and some friends (who came in from Florida just for the dinner!), along with the local wine ‘crew’ for a ‘French Bistro away from France’ dinner. Very nice place, great glassware. Nice longstanding staff (our waiter has been working there for 20 years), and great specials changing every day. The lamb special of the day (slowly cooked for 6 hours) was stunning. I saw no steak was left on the table. The duck was excellent so the lady reported. Great wine and company. Fair disclosure- I was under the weather so I’ve been able to taste, and smell, only with half a nose. Hence, my notes are somewhat more limited (though few wines impressed me even with half a nose!). I wish I felt better so I could have enjoyed more.

2005 Jacquesson- I was thinking about the crispness as well when I first tasted it (first time I have this one, had different 2005 Jacquesson of their other vineyards before). Very big on the floral, needed time to open up (or my nose needed time to open up). Enjoyable. Great finish, medium plus. Can’t provide more detail notes this time. I would say- it impressed me with half a nose, and it impressed Greg who was in full mode and healthy. As he reported- he is not big on bubbles, and “this is damn good! can I have a bit more?”.

2007 Gosset Celebris Rosé- Great salmon/lighting color. Beautiful bubbles. More berries on the ‘half’ nose to open. Was very pleased that team Florida pulled that from the cellar. Problem was that they could not decided which rose to open for Merrill. We were all very happy with it. Young, can be enjoyed now but certainly would get better with age. That’s the limit of what I can say right now. Do plan to test it again in the very near future as I see great growth options to this.

Then, we opened ‘04 Bollinger Grande Année Rosé - It was an excellent decision to open after the celebris because it was truly a notch above, maybe two. A wow factor rose in any shape and form, even only on half nose. I did taste it (Actually twice) in the last 12 months. It was a pleasure to see the audience enjoying. It was clearly Merrill’s and probably six of the guests’ favorite bubbly of the night (iirc Merrill asked for and received two refills, maybe three) . For some, even the WOTN. Long lasting bubbles. Lots of floral on the half nose. A great company for the appetizers, as well as the meat dishes. All in (even on half nose, even the little I had).

2014 E. Guigal Condrieu La Doriane- Great treat by Dan. I agree with others on CT about the floral and minerality (sadly, as noted-- I was able to smell only with half ‘nose’ as I’ve been under the weather… still it stood out). Classic Condrieu, medium plus finish. Hopefully I’d be able to revisit in the future. Great treat :slight_smile: If you like Condrieu this is one you should taste. I was able to ‘sneak’ a small leftover and tasted it on Saturday when I felt better. It confirmed my initial ‘suspicion’ of that being an excellent wine.

'87 Mondavi Cab Reserve- Drink up don’t hold. I guess after 30 years bottle variations may occur, but others (including myself) simply concluded it is on a downwards slope. Cork on this one was slightly depressed but wine was good. Mostly earthy notes on PnP . Took few hours for the floral to open up (added some chocolate and ceder notes, and when I tasted it on Sat it was still drinking nice, just not as strong as other Mondavi 87’s I had before). Others agreed- it was okay, but not stunning anymore.
Memory item- actually the '87 mondavi (non reserve) drank better few months ago. Also, the '80 mondavi drank much better. c’est la vie

1982 Calon Segur- classic Bordeaux blend, but did not feel as an outstanding wine. It was drinking better than the Mondavi but not that memorable. Could be my cold that affected. Clearly had more fruit and floral on the nose than the Mondavi (somewhat felt younger than '82 wine). One day hopefully I’d taste it with full nose and maybe change my mind. Also, because I had a recent dinner with some outstanding old Bordeaux perhaps my reference point was in influence.

2009 EMH Black Cat- As adverstised and in line with my previous tastes. The one whose opinion counts claimed it is better than it was few months ago. I took sip twice and I can tell its not fading anytime soon. But, given the cold and the fact I tried being a good host, have no detailed notes aside from: Enjoyable, opening up (on half nose). Great treat.

All wines were revisited by guests throughout the evening. I naturally had little, and mostly bubbles and Condrieu. The guests enjoyed the desserts, and the food. I do think it is a great QPR bistro, and their specials are indeed special. Wish I was not under the weather to fully enjoy. Special thank you to Merrill for giving an excuse to host a lovely dinner.

Wait… Merrill isn’t a wine making kitten?

Merrill and Brad Kane mustered a crew at The Milling Room on Columbus Avenue on the Upper West Side on April 18. The restaurant has no corkage on Tuesdays, the menu is wine friendly and the food was terrific. (WBers take note.) The stemware is adequate and they have ample decanters.

Key things I learned that night:

  • Brad, Richard Trimpi and Merrill are all birdwatchers and met through the Berserkers birding thread in The Asylum. Who knew?
  • I have expensive taste in Champagne.
  •   Merrill is as pleasant in person as her on-line persona.
    

It was a very congenial crowd and the conversation was lively and not wine-focused, so my notes are a bit sketchy.

Champagnes:

2000 Henriot - Cuvée des Enchantaleurs

  • Showing a tad too much oxidation for my tastes (I doubt others were put off by that), but clearly a classy wine and lovely to drink.

2008 Marguet – Les Crayères

  • Lovely, quite yeasty

NV Jacques Selosses “Initial” Blanc de Blanc (disgorged Oct. 2015)

  • Fabulous, layers and layers of flavor and texture. Pity about the price ($175 or so). WOTN for me along with the Beaucastel.

Reds:

2006 Cameron – Abbey Ridge – Pinot Noir – Dundee Hills

  • Richard T. brought this for Merrill, who wasn’t buying it. I liked it quite a bit, notwithstanding a boatload of reduction on the nose. It took a long time for that to even partly blow off. Then some spice and smoky scents emerged. Lovely pinot flavor behind the reduction and quite softened tannins. Takes on a bit of candy cherry after an hour or so. I have a low tolerance for that but this was well short of being cloying. I’d like to try another vintage where there was less reduction. I have a high tolerance for reduction, but many people would find this far, far beyond their threshold.

1998 Ghislaine Barthod – Chambolle-Musigny – Les Cras

  • My contribution, and it seemed to be popular. Beets on the nose (I think Brad first pegged the descriptor). Maturing flavors but still quite youthful at the same time. Good acidity and a fair deal of tannin is intact. More beets in the mouth. Slightly rustic in a ’98-ish sort of way: No Chambolle strawberries here, or the finesse that I expect of a typical Barthod.

1988 Felsina – Chianti Riserva – Rancia

  • A trace of coffee on the nose; no surprise at nearly 30 years. At the same time, tannins were still pretty brutal. I bought some ’96 Rancia a couple of years ago and was greeted with mouth-grating tannins. Do these ever give pleasure? I’m still waiting to taste a Rancia that remotely lived up to the reputation.

1970 Olarra Cerro Anon – Rioja - Gran Reserva

  • Very sound and pleasing—elegant.

2005 Il Carbonaione – Alta Valle Delle Greve (Tuscan)

  • No notes on this one but it didn’t send me. 100% sangiovese.

1995 Ch. Beaucastel – Chateauneuf du Pape

  • WOTN for me along with the Selosses. Utterly clean on the nose and in the mouth (i.e., no brett). Fresh, bright red cherries, medium body. Proof that CdP can show finesse. Like an arrow through the middle of the bull’s eye – so precise and on the mark. Wowsers!

1997 Heitz – Martha’s Vineyard – Napa cab

  • Ripe, delicious across the palate, with alcohol popping out a bit, as it does for me on many ‘97s. Rich finish with flavors shading into caramel as it lingers on the tongue, but the wine is still fresh. I’m not a big fan of '97s and I’ve had mature Heitz cabs that I liked better, but still, a very nice wine.

2011 EMH – Black Cat – Napa cab

  • Merrill’s contribution, and showing well. The cool vintage is apparent, with unusually good acidity for a Calistoga cab, but the fruit is there. (I believe Merrill says that she picks before many vineyard owners, too.) In structure, it reminded me of Corison’s cabs; it doesn’t serve up fruit for you on a platter. Everything is in balance and, with that acid, I think this will age beautifully and unfold over time. They way it slowly unfolded in a pitcher over the course of the dinner reinforced my conviction.

At the end of the evening, Guy Jacobson at the adjoining table, came over to chat and offered us some pours, including:

1985 Ch. Larmande – St. Emilion

  • At a lovely, mellow, Right Bank merlot moment. Probably even better five years ago, but a great pleasure. Thanks, Guy!