Lunch with Dr. Vino, Max Marinucci and Mark Franks!

So, Tyler (Dr. Vino) and I put this on the calendar about a month ago. We added Max to the party, since while I had come up to see his beautiful store, he had not yet checked out my more beautiful store. Since Mark Franks does nothing all day, I invited him to tag along. I had never met Dr. Vino before and since we are forever tied together for attempting to overhaul the Monkton Mafia, it was only fitting that we broke bread. And, of course, we had an agenda.

Nola Palomar, frequent poster here, and owner of Veleta, a Bodega in Spain, had sent me some samples of her wines to taste. Tyler had received some samples of Viu Manent Viu 1 (a vertical of 2004-2006). The Veleta was of keen interest to myself as Nola has been very vocal about her inability to get Jay Miller to take note of her wines, since she does not go through a major importer of Spanish wines (which puts her a disadvantage according to Miller). Viu 1 is of interest because, while I have never even heard of these wines, Jay Miller scored the 2004 a 92+, the 2005 a 92 and the 2006 a 62!!!! This is a $60 Chilean wine and we were curious to see if the 2006 sucked as much as DrJ thought.

I invited Max, because, well, I like Max and while his palate sucks, it would be interesting to see what he thought. Mark Franks tagged along to show that we were not cheating to write this report. And I like Mark, so what the heck.

We went to Milonga, a Mediterranean Tapas place that recently opened in North White Plains, not far from Grapes The Wine Co, the greatest wine store on earth. We popped 10 btls of wine for lunch and they charged us $30 to do it. The food is basic, inexpensive but pretty good. I have been 3 times in the past 6 weeks (since theyopened) and have no complaints, although they just raised their food prices, which I find odd.

First flight: Veleta whites and Rose
1) 2008 Veleta Vijirieja: A fun wine for me. Inexpensive and a good summer sipper. Nothing exciting about it, but knowing the pricepoint, a perfectly good value.
2) 2008 Veleta Chardonnay: No one particularly enjoyed this one. I think Max mentioned KJ Chard look alike. Max sells a lot of KJ, so he would know. It was okay, but not for me.
3) 2008 Veleta Rose (Tempranillo): This was 13.5% alcohol, and you could feel like it was a bit more. The alcohol overwhelmed any potential good fruit for me.
4) 2006 Veleta Tempranillo: Mark and I thought that this was slightly corked. I will reserve judgement, as I felt like it could be better
5) 2006 Veleta Noladas: Now we are talking...a blend of Cab, Cab Franc and Tempranillo, this was a wine that I would happily enjoy many times over. Rich and concentrated, this had layers of fruit and a nice finish. A pretty serious wine for the money. Good match for the foods we were enjoying.
6) 2006 Veleta Cabernet Sauvignon: This was a good wine, albeit uninspiring. I kept going back to the Noladas, and considering that they are probably around the same price, this one suffered for me, because of the Noladas.

It should be noted that Josh Raynolds has reviewed these wines and given them all about 87-88 points consistently. They are worth seeking out, considering the low prices, in particular #1 and #5.

Ok, onto Chile...Viu Manent...Tyler poured these vintages blind for us (good idea),
As a whole, these wines were not enjoyed by the group. They were inky, dark, and brooding...
First wine...This was the best of the bunch for me, showed a lot complexity, good fruit, good balance and a wine I would drink again (although not at the price)...it was the 2005 (which was my guess)

Second wine...very similar to the first wine, similar nose but a little more tobacco there. In the mid palate is where I saw a flas as compared to wine#1...there was no fruit there...maybe suffering from age, but not likely. I had a feeling it was 2004, but I saw the quality as a whole suffer here, so I was hoping it was 2006...alas it was 2004

Third wine...the oddball, which made it easy to see the difference when compared to the the other wines, so it has to be 2006, right? Well, it was, but there was no way this was a Jay Miller 62 pointer. In fact, I think we all agreed that it was right up his alley. This was straight out of Barossa style. Clearly, something has changed in the winemaking, but I would have thought, interms of WA review, for the better. I hated this wine. It showed no nuances that the first wine showed, it was way more spoofilated than the others.

Ok, now onto the "extras"

Max brought a delicious btl of 1976 Lopez y Heredia Gran Riserva Bosconia. After a few minutes of funk, this blossomed into a beautiful wine. Showed no oxidated qualities that I have not liked in other Lopez wines. Very fresh, very light in color and very good.

I brought a 1996 Ponsot Clos de la Roche. I know Mark never drinks Burgundy, so I put in a ringer. Mark said it was his favorite wine of lunch. Not sure if, in context, that says much, but the wine was tasty. Not a great wine for me, but very good. It was just missing that next dimension, that I would expect from a 1996 Red Burgundy.

Overall, a great 3 hour meal, with good people, on a Friday. Love this Job!

Wine with Lawyers!

Last night, I conducted a "seminar" for the summer associates at a major Manhattan Law Firm. The theme was comparing the same grape varietal from different wine regions of the world.

3 Chards, 2 Syrah and a 1989 Suduiraut just for fun.

1998 Billecart Brut Blanc de Blancs: Our first Chardonnay...most of the grapes for this one come from Le Mesnil. This was big hit and why not? It was not as bone dry as I like many of my 100% Chard Bubblys to be, but this was pretty spot on for quality. Definitely more fuller bodied and meaty that I expected, great pairing for some food.

2004 Billaud Simon Chablis Blanchots: This is what I am talking about. I love 2004 Chablis and this showed why. Double decanted it and let it sit for an hour more, which seemed to do the trick. This was flinty and fresh. Very popular popular amongst the future lawyers. I believe this had a touch of oak on it, but I have not verified that yet.

2005 Ramey Chardonnay Ritchie Vyd: For me, this is Ramey's best wine. Amongst the lawyers, they were split between this and the Chablis. but those that liked the Ramey, kept coming back for more. For me, it is a great wine, but I still prefer Peay, Eric Kent, and Dutton Goldfield in a similar price range. Nevertheless, excellent juice, not to be confused with a white Burgundy, though.

2004 Chave Hermitage: Dbl decanted and left to sit for about 2 hours. This was the most consumed wine of the night. I guess lawyers have good taste. About 80% preferred this to the Shiraz. I loved it as well, and the only wine I had two glasses of. This was rich dense and pure. The finish, while not overwhelmingly big (a la 2003 Chave) still carried in my mouth for a nearly a minute. I would love to see how this would develop over a day as it kept getting better.

2005 Greenock Creek Shiraz Apricot Block; Sadly, this wine receives a better rating in the Wine Advocate than the 2004 Chave. About 20% of the audience enjoyed this over the Chave. Those that loved it, enjoyed the jamminess of the wine. It was rich, saturated and completely over the top. Listed at 16.5% alcohol, it had to be closer to 18.5% and for me, it showed. I do not enjoy these types of wines, and it appeared that the lawyers did not either. Except for one lawyer in Monkton. The first few btls were dbl decanted and poured about 2.5 hours later. I had to open another one (along with more Chave). When I poured one female a glass from the new btl, she asked if the wine would benefit from more air time. I gave her a glass from the older btls and she said, "nope, same crap."

1989 Ch Suduiraut: Good way to finish. 20 year old Semillon from Sauternes. Served slightly chilled and opened one hour in advance of pouring. No decanting. The funk blew off almost immediately and this was a very pleasant glass of dessert. Not overpaying in any way and I would have loved some chocolate cake with it (although the chocolate dipped strawberries were adequate). I managed to polish this one off before I left. As usually is the case these days, many shied away from this one, calling it too sweet. And we wonder why Riesling is such a hard sell?

Lunch at the Kittle House yesterday!

Went up to the Kittle House for lunch yesterday...if you have never been or not recently, you are missing out. The new chef is very good. Lunch is $22 for a 3 course prix fixe, which had a choice of salmon or short ribs yesterday as the main. A bargain...anyways, we drank a 2003 Tardieu Laurent hermitage Blanc that was good, not great, for me. I had ordered the 2000, which they were out of, so we had the 2003. If you see any 2001 of this wine, for cheap, BUY IT.

The wine list at KH is still a treasure trove of bargains. Not be missed. Rhone and Burgundy still contain many RIDICULOUS deals that merit some serious attention. I love being so close to something this special.

For dessert, I noticed a half btl of 1993 Chappellet LH Chenin Blanc for $45 on the list. The first one was corked (RATS) but the second one was pretty spectacular stuff. 16 year old btl that did not reveal its true age. It was rich and sweet, but def not overpowering. I enjoyed it immensely. Never had even seen a btl.

Do they still make this stuff?

I have had longer meals at In n Out Burger!

Last night, I went to Tarry Lodge with Wifee. First time at Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich's new place in Port Chester NY. We had a 9:15 res, got there at 9 pm, and got seated immediately, which was great. We shared an appetizer (pizza) that arrived at about 9:20, 2 entrees shortly thereafter and a btl of 2005 Moccagatta Barbaresco Bric Balin ($110) throughout the meal and we had our check at 10 pm, no exaggeration. When we got the check, they said, "take your time."

Food was good, they DO NOT ALLOW CORKAGE, but the service is VERY VERY VERY rushed. About 2 minutes after the appetizer plates were cleared, I was staring at my entree.

Back home at about 10:20.

I was $230 poorer.

Dinner with Santiago Achaval (4 June 2009)

Last night, a few of us got together with Santiago Achaval, one of the men behind Achaval Ferrer, probably the best wine producer in Mendoza.

Dinner was at Triomphe and organized by Fernando Losada. The food was excellent, as usual there. We paid the restaurant $90 for 3 courses (I added a salad for a 4th course), which included, tax and about a 35% tip for the staff.

Forgive me, as I am going off of memory, as those that know me, much like Jay Miller, I do ot take notes, just put it into the memory bank...

First wine was a 2005 Domaine Weinbach Riesling Clos St Catherine. A very nice wine, needed some more time, I wish I went back to it at the end of the night, but instead I revisited my WOTN...1992 Raveneau Chablis Butteaux. Full disclosure, I brought this wine and I am glad I did. It just got better and better as the night went on, showing no sign of being 17 years old!

On to the reds...first up 2001 Mordoree Reine des Bois (Fernando brought). This was a pretty tasty wine, but I suspect this will only get better over time. The next wine to compare to was blind (brought by Jose). I guess a 10 year old California Cabernet. It was soft and juicy and a little chocatey. For me, it was Napa, but the btl revealed a 2001 Clos Erasmus. A very nice wine, but nowhere near the price of admission.

Then we jumped back to CDP. I supplied a very tasty btl of 1999 Bonneau CDP Cuvee Celestins. Pey-Wen really enjoyed this one as did others. I think two people would have said WOTN had there been a vote. I enjoyed it immensely. It was popped and poured. I think I would have liked it more if the btl temp were a little cooler, but that was my fault.

Moving onto Spain...2004 Terreus from Mauro (Pey-Wen brought this). I hated this one out of the btl. I defer to Jose, who tells me that 1996 Terreus is one of the all time great wines of Spain (he compared it to 1970 Unico...he must have been drunk ;)). This clearly got better over time in the glass, so I wlil be patient and maybe go back in 5 years. 2001 Alion was AWESOME. Bang for your buck, my WOTN. I love Alion and this one was absolutely delicious.

Santiago brought a terrible btl of Paso Robles Cabernet. $30 retail. Angwin or something like that, but it should have been called ALCOHOL. The heat was tremendous. Not a fan...back to the woodshed.

He also brought a 2004 Achaval Ferrer Bellavista. Wow! This was good. For anyone unfamiliar, Santiago Achaval produces 3 single vineyard Malbecs...Mirador, Altamira and Bellavista...Bellavista is the estate property. Due to hail, none produced in 2005 or 2006, but there is 2007 and 2008. Most consider this their best wine, although I tend to gravitate towards Altamira. Nevertheless, this 2004 was rockin.

Pey-Wen through a blind curveball at us. No hints...Fernando thought Syrah from Rhone, I said New world...specifically California and Syrah...2004 vintage...It turned out to be Ch St Jean Reserve Malbec from Sonoma. A very good wine. Not sure of cost, but only sold at the winery.

All in all, a great night, with great food and great people. Santiago listened as we all took shots at bashing certain wine critics and publications, and he remained very silent, and professional throughout.