Final Roll Call for monday!
2 Likes
Still in
1 Like
Can we get a final final roll call?
1 Like
Still in
1 Like
Final final still in +1
Brian
1 Like
One more for folks in the back
1 Like
Still in… heat index is supposed to hit 105 today… perfect conditions for drinking champagne 
2 Likes
Still in. See everyone soon!
1 Like
Looking forward to the notes
Apologies, running late. I’ll be there at 6:20pm. Bringing some special blinds that will hopefully make up for it 
Great evening, wondering sparkling wines all around. Impeccable service, great vibe.
Thanks to @Venkat_K for bringing the Selosse, my first one. Was it my favorite of the night? No, it was quite funky, but so glad to have tried it.
@NMalhotra might be the Champagne expert in the crowd, hope she comes back! I enjoyed the Cristal immensely.
I didn’t take any photos, but hopefully someone posts some. Lots of wonderful wines…
Hot takes? The Trump Wine that I did NOT bring, I thought was a $28 cremant, and actually was paired vs a very nice Champange (easy to pull that one out of the lineup) and an actual cremant, and the Trump blanc de blanc was better than the cremant. Grand Marques are Great–especially with 15-20 years of age. I threw in a cider as my third–some people called Cantillon. Still was traditional method! Sparkling Nebbiolo doesn’t smell or taste like Nebbiolo. Kirkland Champagne is not horrible. Sparkling Riesling from California should not be made. The Cava in the torpedo bottle is one of the best cavas I’ve ever had (thank you @AMeehan). So i’ve never liked Ultramarine, and when we first poured it last night (thanks @TGigante ), I didn’t it either–HOWEVEVER, I went back to it 2 hours later and it was open and beautiful. So maybe I need to rethink my thoughts on Ultramarine and give it several hours or even a decant?
Was great having Laura there last night, and everything went perfectly smooth with 12 people, so we will do this again at the same location with 12 again. Stay tuned for date and theme.
6 Likes
It was a fun night. And great to meet you all! The Krug 167 @PeterB was a no brainer, it showed incredibly well. And I was happy there was a sparkling Shiraz at the table. Eva Fricke’s sparkling Pinot from the Rheingau was also one that I thought showed well.
1 Like
How could I forget the Rockford Black Shiraz! That was definitely the most fun bottle of the night.
I had to bring Krug… its my fav.
Was a pleasure meeting the new (to me) folks. And was a ton of fun hearing Laura’s impressions on some of the wines. In addition to what’s been said, the 1522 from phillipponat was a standout I felt. I’ve never seen what looked like a ‘mother’ in a bottle of wine that wasn’t vinegar (that Cali sparkling Riesling). Plenty of other very good or interesting wines as well. Thanks as always to Peter for organizing and hosting. It worked out well at the new spot!
Best regards,
Brian
2 Likes
1522 was awesome, thanks for being our photographer Bryan!
1 Like
Such a great time! The food and wines were outstanding, and to have Laura there pouring and discussing with us all night was an honor. Some wines that really outperformed were:
'06 Philipponnat 1522 Rose: textbook aged champagne that tasted 3x its price.
'18 Eva Fricke Extra Brut Rose: the freshest, most vibrant wine of the night. Electric, and so crushable.
'16 Kripta Cava Torello Mata: Opposite in style of Eva Fricke, and quite obviously not from Champagne. It’s voluptuous with ripe tropical fruit and pastry aromatics turned up to eleven. A fascinating wine and for sure the most memorable Cava I’ve had.
NV Domaine Belluard Ayse Les Perles du Mont Blanc: My first time with gringet, and likely my last given the unfortunate rarity. Excellent geeky wine with an interesting story.
'09 J Schram Rose: I’ve had this a lot, and I’ve found that they have a pretty narrow drinking window. Upon release they’re not very interesting, and after 20 years they’re usually dead. This one was in a perfect spot and showed very well.
Of course '15 Cristal, Selosse Initial, and the Krug 167 were all outstanding, as one would expect.
The sparkling shiraz was fun for a couple sips but not something I’d seek out. The Trump sparkler was mediocre at best, and Peter seemed to be the only one at the table who liked it, but that checks out 
3 Likes
I’m pretty sure I said it was like a $28 cremant… everyone actually preferred it to the actual cremant which was shocking… now… i didn’t go back to it, but I would assume it would have been flat and smelled like tanning lotion by the end.
2 Likes