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Subject: Bottle of Pain

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ChangeMe

Grape Puncher
Posts:986

06/14/2004 5:13 PM
*Note: This narrative is provided in the best of humor with no intent to permanently damage the psyche of any portrayed or imitated. If political incorrectness offends you change the channel now. Here follows a hopefully witty account of a great evening, along with an homage to a few writers of note to wine geeks. The announcement was for a dinner of epic proportions. “Bottle of Pain” was set as the theme, and with a suitable three-letter acronym (BOP) what could ever go wrong. Eleven geeks-a-geeking gathered at Union League Café in New Haven, along with one theoretical person and one member of the witness protection program. Oh yes, and there was that 7/9 of a person riding along with the designated driver. The actual line up of personalities consisted of: David “Wait a minute! We’re drinking red wine?” Bueker Spencer “Yes honey.” Thrall Sarah “Can we get something to eat?” Thrall Scott “Oh thank God I’m at this end of the table” Gorry Doug “I need a miracle” Levens Liz “I can’t believe he sat me here.” Levens Matt “I’m not pouring these out.” Meister Jeff “I have a relationship with every wine shop in North America” Hellman Matt “Really, I’ll take the Da Capo home.” Raney Cynthia “Why don’t people believe I exist?” Raney Jonathon “How many points did the Amuse Bouche get?” Sirot Jay “Parker would have given this a 95 if he had rated it.” Presbie And the lovely and talented (if invisible) Denise who did not show. To describe the opening of the event as “participants slowly gathering” would be a drastic understatement, but at least there was some good bread, wonderful olives, and oh yes a wine. 2000 Leitz Rüdesheimer Berg Schlossberg Riesling Spatlese Halbtrocken Ap#569034789034567903479023579034590345790234790235789045, 11.5% alc/vol, 14 g/l r.s., 9.8 g/l acidity, 2.3459678 pounds (gross), 1.34021 pounds (net), $16.99 (without applicable discounts), 900 liters made, aged for 6.01958375 months in a used (5 times) barrique stored 3.94 meters below grade, and bottled on March 14, 2001 at a flow rate of .734 liters/sec on a bottling line produced in Frankfurt by immigrant labor from Slovenia. I took no note. Tick, tick, tick, tick…Jonathon! Yes you Jonathon. Is Denise coming to the dinner? “I have brought her wine” says Jonathon, to the relief of everyone in the room. Denise, Denise, where are you Denise!?!?! But Denise does not answer, and the staff begins to cry. Well it’s 7:45, and the reservation was for 7:00, so perhaps we should start. “Let’s give her a few more minutes” say Jonathon. Argh. More bread! More wine! 1994 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Clos Windsbuhl Blurry. It tastes like Gewurztraminer, but it’s blurry. Still I am compelled to taste it again. Like a moth to a flame, drawn back to the tall, slender bottle. Nope, still blurry. Damned undrinkable swill. Tick, tick, tick…Denise? Denise? Buhler? Buhler? Anyone? Anyone? Ok let’s get this show on the road. Union League prepared a delicious menu for the event, although their insistence on a fish course borders on the absurd. Good fish. Tough match. (More later…) After viewing the menu, much discussion ensues about the correct wine to pair with the melon carpaccio (Is there a trend towards cooking melon that I am unaware of? Why then does this item need to be described as carpaccio? Oh yes, so as to adequately price it. Ah, how silly of me.) and foie gras. We have two choices. One is ’90 D’Yquem, and the other a 2001 German Eiswein. The ’90 D’Yquem seems the obvious selection, yet Jay is concerned “that it will have too many tannins.” Excuse me? When did Alexandre Lur Saluces begin planting Cabernet? Perhaps that’s why he was ousted. Throwing caution to the wind, the wine is opened. 1990 Chateau D’Yquem Golden/color/brilliant/sunrise/slightly/viscous/vanilla/toast/cream/spicy/botrytis/nose/ fat/thick/but/not/overdone/vanilla/golden/raisin/great/match/with/the/foie/gras/a/fine/sweet wine/needs/tons/of/time/to/be/perfectly/honest/it/wasn’t/mind-blowing /still/a/wonderful/contribution/to/the/dinner Is there red wine? Excuse me, but Matt needs red wine. He’s looking a little pale. He says he needs red wine. Thankfully there is a duck course on the way. In fact it is a skillfully prepared and presented duck course. Confit de canard aux cepes (duck leg confit with a porcini and walnut compote, topped with a potato galette) is the course, and it is truly fabulous. We could not have found three more different wines to be paired with the course. 1989 Guigal Cote Rotie La Landonne Smoke and meaty notes immediately obvious on the nose. Fantastic acidic balance and a wonderful match with the duck. Really stands up, as there’s a full ration of classic Syrah mat and tar on the palate, while still retaining dark fruit tones. Excellent wine and one of my candidates for WOTN. 1996 Clarendon Hills Astralis Lots of big black cherries and a viscous, penetrating mouthfeel. A hedonistic tour de force that will set the standard for this type of winemaking. Best from 2341-2982. (I poured mine out.) 1989 Penfolds Grange Opens with a resinous note, joined by a distinct aroma of tomato and then red cherries. Mintiness and leather come out with time. It’s a singular wine, with that Grange-typical overdone woodiness, but not an oaky sensation. It’s almost as if they aged it in pine barrels. I’ve always found Grange to be an odd duck & this changes nothing. Two courses down, and there’s a fascinating situation. Jonathon has never stopped talking, but is always the first one done eating and drinking. Spencer and I try to study this phenomenon, but are unable to determine how it works. Perhaps Jay is eating Jonathon’s meal. Please keep hands and feet inside the bus. Sugar magnolia, blossoms blooming… Spencer has threatened to burn down the restaurant if we start a conversation about the Grateful Dead. Doug is crushed until I suggest discussing Phish. ;^) Red wine with fish. That should have told me something. The next course was apparently stolen from a James Bond movie. Seared black sea bass with swiss chard, chanterelles, shallots and red wine reduction From Spain, with love… 1970 Muga Gran Reserva Hello, what’s this? It’s a red wine about the color of slightly reduced white zin. Ah, but the mysterious waves of iron, dust, spices, cherries and iodine carry with them the suggestion of an exotic Moroccan head shop. It’s actually quite delicious with the fish, but a melee ensues when several Stooges start beating each other over the heads with prongs. Whatever. I give it 94.295478346781237890 points. 1990 Chateau Meyney Green tobacco, flowers, minerals and cassis on the nose, with the organic elements turning more to the fruity in the mouth. Not at all light. A total mismatch with the fish, but a very enjoyable wine on its own between courses. About $11 delivered. (back in 1992!) The next course was just slightly more suited to red wine, although I cannot for the life of me understand sweet pea gnocchi. Veal cheeks, wild mushrooms, sweet pea gnocchi and spring vegetables This was a good course, with the only quibble being that it was a touch too salty. Anyway, the trick was how to fit four wines into three glasses. 1994 Phelps Insignia I’m here to put you back on schedule. This is Darth Vader in a glass. Still all powerful, but underneath lurks a tortured soul trying to escape & say “I’m really made of grapes.” This wine is finally settling down into something that goes well with food, though it’s not quite there yet. Loads of cassis, cherries and a touch of soy on the nose, and the palate is less sweet than it used to be. I’m starting to like it, in much the way I rooted for Vader. ;^) 1991 Chateau Montelena “Estate” Cabernet Sauvignon Much more in an elegant stle than the Phelps, and better with the veal. Minerals, dark fruit, acidity(!) and rich, moist earth are all in there. Excellent with upside potential. 1990 Dominus Even more elegant than the Montelena. I really liked this from the standpoint that it did not in any way scream Cabernet, but rather whispered earth, stone, water, wind from the glass. I have not had much Dominus in the last 3 or 4 vintages (price and quality going the wrong directions), but every time I have an older version I’m happy because I’m drinking wine that tells me what can be done with a particular piece of earth. So three glasses are full, each of them with a darned interesting wine. Umm, umm, should we pour the ’90 Montrose? Spencer did double decant it this afternoon, so it’s not like we can just leave it. Suddenly 12 people are furiously trying to decide which wine to chug/pour out. It’s times like these that it’s great to have someone as the designated driver (thanks Sarah). My Phelps disappears in the digestive abyss. And so we pour the Montrose. Should not have kept the other two wines. 1990 Chateau Montrose Deep ruby color. Good fruit. Strong tannins. Excellent fruit. Needs lots of time. Very fine indeed. And the kicker is that the ’91 Montelena and ’90 Dominus tasted like garbage next to the Montrose. I had kept those two believing that their more “Bordeaux-esque” styles would stand up to the Montrose. Wrong. They both tasted harsh and disjointed in the presence of the St. Estephe. A telling comparison. One of the things that Union League does really well is provide courses that are substantial enough to accompany a number of wines, while keeping them to a size that makes it possible to get through the meal without feeling stuffed. So after four courses we’re perfectly able to handle the cheeses (and the upcoming dessert). Cheeses: Aisy Cendré, Jeremy Blue and Weston Wheel All three cheeses were very fine, but the Aisy turned out to make the greatest match of the evening with one of the following. 1979 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Essence This came from declassified Monte Bello fruit. Somewhat cloudy appearance, but lots of black cherry, cassis & leather aromas. Displays a touch of volatility, but not to distraction. Interesting wine. Not great with the cheeses. 2000 Pegau Cuvee da Capo Likely my one and only time tasting this wine. Now that I’ve had 5 or 6 of the CNdP pesitge bottlings I can safely say that I find them delicious, but not nearly as over the top as I thought they would be. As for this bottle, I think it was closed down pretty hard, and while it certainly had ripe fruit, some CNdP garrigue and leather scents/flavors, it was not giving up much at all. Forget bottle fo pain. This was bottle of waste. It never should have been opened. Judgement reserved, but all the parts are there. And then it came. This bottle with no label, and no labeling of the cork. I got to do heavy duty cork surgery, nearly successfully extracting a crumbling mass of cork. The last 1/8 of the cork collapsed into the bottle, but there was a handy filter/funnel available, so we got to drink an elixir in a clean state. Port of unknown origin from the 1860s The provider of this bottle (a person who should know what he’s talking about) said this was likely a Warre’s from the 1860s. Both producer and date were in some question, but who the heck cares. This stuff was magical. It was a color somewhere between orange and light brown, and totally translucent. But one sniff and it was obviously Port. There was still just a patina of fruit left (dried orange with those cloves) and leather, cinnamon, cedar, wood smoke, and a whole host of scents I know but can’t place. Then it was paired with the cheese. Holy cow. The cheese (soft with a salty rind) accentuated the Port and the Port accentuated the cheese. It was one of those +2 matches that wine/food geeks dream about. I nursed my pour of this for a good 30 minutes, and it held together wonderfully. I don’t really care if it was from the 1860s (it was delicious-that’s what counts), but what if Lincoln was still alive when it was made???? A trip down memory lane that predates my memories. Well after that there wasn’t much point. Oh wait…did I bring an Eiswein? Oh and there’s still dessert. Crepes with fresh cherry and pistachio compote This was paired with: 2001 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Eiswein ‘Junior’ I will say right here and now that I prefer my Eiswein young. I’m not a fan of what happens to that blazing acidity with age. This wine was just perfect for me, and as a total contrast to the Port it did not suffer. In fact, it provided the 3rd best match of the night, with the Eiswein meshing just perfectly with the cherry compote. Want to prove that there are red berry components in Mosel Riesling? Drink this wine with cherries. Amazing stuff that is so much fun to drink now that I see no reason to age it. Or as Terry Theise might say…oh just go and blow the doors off your horse and buggy why don’t ya, get with it and enjoy life at 10,000,000,000 miles per hour. And that was bottle of pain. Was it a waste of a number of incredible bottles? Yes. Was it incredibly fun? Yes. Would I do it again? I’m not sure. I for one like the intimacy of a smaller group & a chance to create a fabulous dish to match one (yes one) great wine. To do this dinner with 6 courses and 6 wines would have been justice properly served. As it was done it was, well…hedonism. There are no redeeming qualities in that. ;^)

Corkage

Grape Puncher
Posts:975

06/14/2004 9:17 PM
RF, that was a funny write up. How do you know these characters? Matt Meister, is that a real name? Excellent notes.

ChangeMe

Grape Puncher
Posts:986

06/16/2004 12:32 PM
Quote: RF, that was a funny write up. How do you know these characters? Matt Meister, is that a real name? Excellent notes. Thanks. They are real people. I know most of them through other sites.

juggernt

Tampa, FL, USA

Wine Bottler
Posts:3407

06/16/2004 2:45 PM
Quote: Quote: RF, that was a funny write up. How do you know these characters? Matt Meister, is that a real name? Excellent notes. Thanks. They are real people. I know most of them through other sites. There are other sites?

Visit The Butcher Block at http://www.butcherblocktampa.com/

stemor

Collierville, TN

Wine Thief
Posts:2817

06/16/2004 5:11 PM
RF, I was sort of surprised by the cast of characters, but the wine lineup sounds fantastic and worth the pain of dealing with at least one whacko.

Cheers, y'all

ChangeMe

Grape Puncher
Posts:986

06/16/2004 7:16 PM
Quote: RF, I was sort of surprised by the cast of characters, but the wine lineup sounds fantastic and worth the pain of dealing with at least one whacko. One????

Leonard Maran User is Offline

Grape Fermenter
Posts:415

06/27/2004 9:51 PM
I am a little confused; the 91 Montelana is rated excellent but referred to as "garbage" next to Montrose. Is this a subjective call based on what you like most or is there some objectivity in this call. Perplexing.........

ChangeMe

Grape Puncher
Posts:986

06/28/2004 2:01 PM
Quote: I am a little confused; the 91 Montelana is rated excellent but referred to as "garbage" next to Montrose. Is this a subjective call based on what you like most or is there some objectivity in this call. Perplexing......... Both. I preferred the Montrose. What happened is that when served with other California wines the Montelena showed very well. When I went back to the Montelena after tasting the Montrose the Monetelena did not show well at all. It's all about peer groups I guess.

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