After 10 years away, I returned to (the new location of) Lotus of Siam. With me were my dad, BBer Jay Shampur, our friend Bernie Schwartz (well known to FallTacular attendees) and Jay’s sister and brother-in-law who I was meeting for the first time. The new-ish digs are almost swank. The high quality of service has stayed constant. And the food? Still very good quality, fine freshness of the ingredients. But sensationally distinctive? No, I can’t say that. I’d have to think about coming back. We pretty much ordered off the list except for the champagne, but the list, too, has faded just slightly with respect to older bottles (which is, perhaps, fair—the restaurant doesn’t want to keep an inventory going and going).
Taittinger NV Brut Champagne
I love the Comtes bottling. This has the building blocks of that wine without the extra prestige and class, but it has plenty of verve and drive, with good toasty and light ginger notes. Not a lot of fruit, more about the structure. Much thanks to Bernie for bringing this starter.
2010 Emrich-Schonleber Halenberg Grosse Lage Ries
I was put in charge of list ordering and this, which Count Lipyanskiy had mentioned to me as a house, caught my eye immediately. Boy, am I glad he weighed in. The bouquet has more than its share of mystery, some steel weaving through light apple and ginger whisks. This wine makes it on the palate, where it is exquisite, sublime and profound all at the same time. It’s been difficult at times for me to connote Riesling with “the noble grape”, but that descriptor fits here. Silky and steely at the same time, with yellow and white fruit notes, it’s a revelation, and stays the course a day or two later. 93 and definitely in the WOTY conversation. I do love this more structured and linear vintage, both here and in Austria and Alsace
2004 Hexamer Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Ries Spat
Knew I wanted contrast, and this was totally it. I seem to be getting better at this—amazing when you think that Ries was a no-go area for me about 6 or 7 years ago. A terrific change of pace from the Emrich-Schonleber and a picture-perfect spat, aroma is redolent with apple strudel and some melon sidebar. It has a fine buttery feel and buttercream apple tart flavours. Probably not getting better, but plenty of time left, and predictably went well with many of the Thai dishes, the concentration of the wine being formidable.
The after-dinner fascination came with Bernie and I stopping in at Ferraro’s. On their list was the 2012 Emidio Pepe Colli Aprutini Pecorino. I’d never had his Pecorino before and it was flat-out amazing juice. Creamy with some lanolin feel and also hints of buttered greens, pear paste, unripe banana and some marzipan, it also reflected some freshness and minerality at the same time when it was on my tongue. Descriptors are hard, but here’s one. It reminded me truly of a non-flawed right-place bottle of Chateau Simone. Pepe is a wine-whisperer of the first order.
A bientot, reports on the other 2 days are forthcoming.
Mike