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

[john_stimson]

@John Morris

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!

Wait–there’s a BIRDING THREAD?

[Brad_Kane]

@john stimson

@John Morris

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!

Wait–there’s a BIRDING THREAD?

Yep. Right here, though it’s slowed down since the Spring migration ended: Birding Thread