Berserkerfest in NY wrapped up with dinner at Garden Sushi in Tuckahoe and lots of Rieslings and Champagnes. Seriously good food (though I went for cooked non-seafood items), lots of wine and a great crowd once again. Post dinner we returned to Leo’s for more of the Frokic hospitality (which words can’t really convey accurately) - thanks so much Leo & Connie for all your generosity and accommodating all of us!
2004 Louis Jadot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières
Leo opened before dinner at his place, because what would a night of wine be without at least one Jadot? ![[wink.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/04707e6a7bbb03e0153e349d8a9270d30e1e9525.gif "wink"){kind=small}
Really delicious with (thankfully) no signs of premox - a really complex, seamless combination of ripe fruit, chalky minerality, fresh herbs and savoury hazelnut and roasted almond flavours on a medium weight frame kept very fresh and lively by bright acidity. This is a lovely wine to sit down with and enjoy on its own, perfectly balanced with impressive length.
N.V. Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Rosé de Saignée Premier Cru
A very frothy mousse with aromas of yeast and doughy notes leading into flavours of red fruits and biscuit on the palate, but it feels pretty soft, flabby and dull with not much acidity or back end presence. Eh.
1994 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles
Jay Hack brought leftovers of this from PDH (which I didn’t attend, but I’m stunned that a 750 of this went unfinished). This is spectacular and I’m glad I was able to still try this. Trust Trimbach to produce a SGN with this level of balance and purity, despite its richness and sweetness. Very intense with layers of tropical fruits, honey, Gewurz florality and spice and surprising precision and focus on the palate, with really good acidity balancing the concentration and sweetness perfectly.
2008 Carl Schmitt-Wagner Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese
Really disappointing given past experiences with this: starts out like a classic Mosel Riesling, full of apple and pear fruit and herbal notes over a bed of slate and gentle, understated sweetness, but with time the sulfur takes over completely and makes this a challenge to smell, let alone taste. Shame.
1999 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne
From magnum and corked - goddamnit.
1995 Taittinger Champagne Brut Blanc de Blancs Comtes de Champagne
Makes a nice impression up front with bright citrus and pear fruit accented by yeasty and bready flavours, but it turns a little dull and oxidative on the back end, feeling a little tired and soft without the precision and freshness that I’d like. Not sure if this is a slightly off/damaged bottle or something more representative, but I didn’t enjoy it much.
2001 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile
From magnum. This one’s all about precision. Very primary right now with steely and stony mineral notes wrapped around a core of pear and white fruited flavours, but there’s tremendous acidity and focus to the flavours and it feels incredibly young and precise. Certainly very enjoyable right now, but it gives the sense that there’s so much in reserve and my impression is that it’ll be a lot more fun to open in the future.
2001 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese trocken (AP #003-02)
Tastes like nothing that could have come from fruit. There’s just a faint hint of something citrussy that develops with time, otherwise it’s full of metallic and stony mineral notes with a touch of vinyl on the aromatics; certainly fascinating to explore but more interesting than enjoyable. While it’s not bad, it’s just frustrating to think of what could have been with a little more residual sugar, given how great the 01 Christoffel sweet wines are.
2009 Kruger-Rumpf Münsterer Rheinberg Riesling Kabinett
Thrilling; a combination of bright apple and citrus fruit over a base of slate and saline minerality with fantastic acidity cutting through the sweetness and keeping it very light and precise. Comes across more like a Spätlese in terms of richness and depth, but the overall package is stunning and hard to resist.
2009 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Kabinett (AP #7-10)
Pretty much everything I’d expect from a Saar Riesling; slightly tart pear and green apple fruit accented by fresh herbal and aloe notes and lifted by really bright, racy acidity that makes the richness and residual sugar here barely noticeable. Lovely stuff, incredibly refreshing and precise and a wine I really should acquire.
2003 Dönnhoff Norheimer Dellchen Riesling Spätlese
From magnum. Powerful; packed with rich peachy and tropical fruits with petrol, smoky and floral accents. Very rich, Auslese-like in its sweetness but with nice acidity keeping it from feeling too heavy and impressive length. This is really enjoyable initially, but with time the petrol and smoke elements start to really dominate the aromatics and become a bit overwhelming.
2009 Weingut Spreitzer Winkeler Jesuitengarten Riesling Spätlese
A powerhouse again, packed with ripe peaches, apples and yellow plums with gentle floral and violet aromatic elements emerging with air. It’s very primary right now, really in need of time to develop but the balance and depth are really impressive and this is a wine I’d love to revisit in several years.
2002 Jose Dhondt Champagne Blanc de Blancs Vieilles Vignes
From magnum, and Wow! Explosive with powerful citrus, green apple and white fruited flavours framed by bright yeasty and freshly-baked bread notes, with time this really evolves as savoury truffle-like notes and a chalky minerality emerge beneath the fruit. There’s tremendous balance and a sense of seamlessness and fantastic precision to the flavours with bright effervescence and intense acidity underneath, stunning wine (and I definitely need to look for more Champagne from this producer).
N.V. Heidsieck & Co. Monopole Champagne Blue Top Brut
Struggles to make an impact following the 2002 Dhondt; this is very pleasant with bright red and green apple fruit and yeasty, biscuity flavours - nicely balanced, but it’s not particularly interesting.
2009 Dönnhoff Schloßböckelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Felsentürmchen Spätlese
Very primary initially; full of white cherries, peaches and other ripe white fruited flavours conveyed on an elegant, medium weight frame with bright acids keeping it very refreshing and precise. This is all about its fruit initially but with an hour or so of air it really expands aromatically, developing a lovely scent of flowers, hay and gentle spicy notes. Lovely wine and I’m glad I have a few of this.
1989 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume
Very nice; a core of honey-drenched quince and apricot fruit with more savoury earthy and wooly notes around the fruit. It’s very rich and sweet with a round, slightly creamy mouthfeel, finishing with good length but coming across a little too soft.
Back to Leo’s place for more…
2004 Louis Jadot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Baudes
No sign of '04 greens here; just fresh red fruits and gentle herbal and damp earth notes conveyed with barely any sense of weight and that typical Chambolle finesse. The silky, lacy texture here is as striking as the combination of flavours, and the whole package is delicious and all too easy to drink.
1997 Albino Rocca Barbaresco Vigneto Loreto
Much too ripe for my liking; the fruit feels jammy and slightly confected and there’s a sense of immense extract with the tannins very heavy and overbearing on the back end.
1994 Mount Eden Vineyards Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains
Gorgeous aromatics; this starts out with a lovely scent combining sappy red fruits and berries with spicy clove and cardamom notes and sweeter cookie dough-like elements. Rich but very elegant in the mouth, full of bright youthful fruit balanced by sweeter baking spices and more savoury earthy flavours with the whole package very finessed and elegant. Lovely wine, and I wish a lot more Cali Pinot tasted like this.
1995 Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri Sassicaia Sassicaia
Gorgeous aromatics; very Bordeaux like with a perfume of cigar smoke, leather, graphite and earth around rich dark fruited flavours. There’s tremendous depth, richness and power here, at the same time there’s a sense of incredible elegance and finesse with all the flavour and structural components in perfect balance as a seamless whole. Stunning.
2006 Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri Sassicaia Sassicaia
Decanted an hour before being poured and it’s fascinating to sit down with this right after the '95 - the aromatics are very similar with the same Bordeaux-like cigar smoke and leathery perfume, but on the palate it’s much more about its fruit. Packed with cassis, plums and black cherries, with more savoury elements emerging as this breathes and impeccably balanced with plenty of tannin and acid structure, but enough richness to keep the tannins from being punishing now. Like the '95, stunning.
1999 Château Lafleur
Wow. Yeah, it’s ridiculously young - but - wow! A stunning perfume straight away, combining red and dark fruits, tobacco leaf, cedar and leather with more exotic spicy and sandalwood elements. It’s very tightly wound on the palate initially; not as expressive as it is aromatically with the tannic structure dominating, but with time it softens and becomes more accessible. A real treat right now, but the balance, richness and structure here suggest this is going to be an incredible wine over the long haul.
An incredibly fun evening - thanks again Leo & Connie for organizing this and for all your hospitality.
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