Monday night "MEATLOAF" (Musigny, Montrachet and Petrus)

Dinner with a client last night took me to La Panetiere in Rye. La Panetiere is one of my favorite restaurants in the area. The mansion is beautiful. The service is impeccable and the food is terrific. Last night was no exception. I was glad to see some other diners on a Monday evening, as well. Good sign for the economy. It should be noted that La Panetiere no longer requires men to wear jackets, as it used to.

Food wise, we both started with the escargot, which was topped with some toasted crushed nuts. Previous to that, the amuse was fish soup. Not a favorite for me A method I had never seen before, but it was delicious. After the snails, the restaurant brought us a terrine of Foie Gras (made up for the fish soup, for me). I never turn down Foie Gras. one of the things that makes La Panetiere's Foie Gras so tasty is the toasted brioche bread served with it.

For an entree, I did the veal cheeks and sweetbread. Yes, heading for the heart attack (I had no idea we were getting foie gras). The mushrooms that accompanied my entree were delightful.

We finished with cheese (with the Petrus) and the equivalent of a baked apple for dessert. I think they gave us a pound of cheese per person...

Onto the wines...

2006 Domaine Baron Thenard Montrachet: I double decanted this about 90 minutes before the meal. Should have done it earlier. Thenard is an estate in Givry that has been around for a couple hundred years, typically selling off their fruit annually. The Montrachet goes to Remoissenet, historically. 2006 is the first vintage that they have produced enough, on their own, to be imported into the United States. This wine was really singing, after about 30 minutes in the glass. The acidity mellowed out, and honey/fruit flavors exploded. My client commented how easy to drink it was, and meant it as a positive. We had no problem polishing off the bottle.

1964 Faiveley Musigny: This is a bottle of wine that I have been eyeing for quite a bit on La Panetiere's wine list. And when you are having dinner with a great client, it seems like as good a time as any, to pop one. The first btl brought over had a slightly lower fill than I would have liked, so they ended up bringing up another btl that looked much better. The btl was opened and sat, recorked, as we finished off the Montrachet. Then, the first glasses were poured and the aromas poured out of the glass. Wow, you knew this going to be good. We actually took the cork out of the btl for a bit, to let the wine breathe a little more, as we both agreed, the wine could open up even more. This wine was a pleasure to drink. Soft and silky, this wine danced around your mouth. Fairly rich, and intense (considering the vintage). Truth be told, I let the last glass of this sit in my glass and did fade and become austere as the fruit dried out. The bottle had been open for an hour at that point. If we had dinner for 4, we would have never seen the wine fizzle out, as it all would have been consumed quicker. Nevertheless, an outstanding effort, and happy to have had the opportunity to drink it.

1990 Ch Petrus: My client was insistent on ordering something after the Faiveley. I said it was very unnecessary. He looked over the list and talked about 1926 Ausone or 1929 Cos. I excused myself to the bathroom, for a brief moment. Upon my return, he had opted for 1990 Petrus. He said he could not resist. Who was I to argue? This wine was a baby. My client mentioned that it was almost California Cabernet like in style. That could be, but for 20 year old wine, the youthfulness really shocked me. 1992 Grange last week was youthful but very drinkable. 1990 Petrus, in my opinion, needs to sit down for another decade. We decanted the btl and sat with it for an hour. It just never really opened up. You could tell that the fruit was there and the nose was getting more enjoyable, but this was like killing a baby, only the baby was 19 years old. Who would have thought?

Your Wine Spectator Wine Experience Cheat Sheet

I went to the zoo, also known at the Wine Spectator Wine Experience last night. Truthfully, it was not too bad. I recommend going to the 5th floor first, followed by the 6th floor. The 5th floor got much warmer later in the evening as it got more crowded, so do the opposite of the herd. I started on the 6th floor, and ended up missing a few gems on the 5th Floor, like 2003 Lafite (which I heard did not show well), and 2006 Sassicaia. I think Opus went quickly as well.

I skipped most of the white wines, all of Champagne and all dessert wines. It is just too much to do in one night. I did get a nasty look from a woman as I spit some wine into a spit bucket. Then she turned to her husband, or pimp, or her "Steve Phillips" (not sure who he was) and said, "Look, that man just spit his wine!"

For ease, I will tell you that, as usual, the lineup was star studded. I tried to talk very little to people, in order to cover as much ground as possible. Since I hate most people, it worked pretty well.

3 categories for you...1) Must tastes (wines I loved) 2) Indifferent (wines that did not suck) 3) Avoids (wines that sucked)...obviously my opinions only, and if you would like more in depth analysis, I can try to provide it, if you contact me...

Must Tastes
2007 Achaval Ferrer Bella Vista
2007 Alto Moncayo
2007 Vieux Telegraphe
2006 Bouchard Beaune Greves Vigne l'Enfant
2006 Canon la Gaffeliere
2005 Carter Merlot Truchard Vyd
2004 Casanova di Neri Brunello Cerretalto
2006 Chryseia
2005 Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia
2005 DeLille Cabernet Grand Ciel
2006 Dominus
2006 Felsina Fontalloro
2005 Ch LaFleur Petrus
2006 Fontodi Flaccianello
2006 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Beckstoffer To Kalon
2005 Cliff Lede Poetry
2006 Merry Edwards Pinot Noir Coopersmith
2006 Peter Michael Les Pavots
2000 Ch Montrose
2005 Torre Muga
2004 La Nerthe CDP Cuvee Cadettes
2006 Ornellaia
2004 Pacenti Brunello
2007 L'ermita
2006 Petrolo Galatrona
2003 Pride Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (book says 2005, but I think it was 2003)
2006 Quintessa
2004 Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne
2006 Schrader Cabernet Old Sparky (out of magnum)
2004 Sierra Cantabria El Bosque
2005 Torbreck Run Rig
2006 Two Hands Ares
2004 Vall Llach
2005 Vietti Barolo Lazzarito

Indifferent
2007 AP Vin Pinot Noir Rosellas
2006 Almaviva
2006 Castello di Ama Chianti Bellavista
2006 Angelus
2006 Guado al Tasso
2007 Beaucastel CDP
2005 Bond Vecina
2005 Pio Cesare Barolo
2005 Clarendon Hills Syrah Hickinbotham
2003 Ch Clerc Milon
2006 Craggy Range Sophia
2004 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill
2006 Drouhin Chassagne Marquis de Laguiche
2006 Ducru Beaucaillou
2005 Elderton Command
2007 Faiveley Latricieres Chambertin
2006 Foley Claret
2006 Fonterutoli Siepi
2006 Fournier Alfa Crux
2004 Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino
2006 Gagliole
2005 Harlan Estate
2004 Heitz Martha's
2006 Louis Jadot Chassagne Montrachet Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle
2005 Ch Lagrange
2000 Ch Leoville Barton
2007 Loring Pinot Noir Aubaine
2005 Ch Lynch Bages
2004 Masseto
2003 La Mission Haut Brion
2006 Mondavi Cab Reserve
2006 La Mondotte
2004 Ch Pontet Canet
2006 Saffredi
2006 Ramey Cabernet Annum
2005 Shafer Cabernet Hillside Select
2006 Snowden Cabernet Reserve
2006 Tardieu Laurent CDP Speciale
2007 Testamatta
2007 Vision Pinot Noir Coster Vyd

Avoids
2004 Altesino Brunello Montosoli
2006 David Arthur Elevation 1147
2005 Chapoutier Hermitage Sizeranne
2003 Ch Mouton Rothschild
1995 Ch Latour
2006 Dominio del Plata Nosotros
2005 Etude Cabernet Sauvignon
2003 Ch Haut Brion
2006 Mugnier NSG Clos de la Marechale (book says 2007, but I know I tasted 2006)
2004 Gaja Sperss
2006 Termanthia
2006 Penfolds RWT
2006 Ch Pichon Lalande
1989 Ridge Monte Bello
2004 Rosemount Balmoral Syrah
2006 Staglin Cabernet
2006 Tua Rita Guisto di Notri
2004 Valdicava Brunello
2006 Ch Vieux Ch Certan
2004 Yalumba Signature Cab Shiraz

94 wines on the list, by my count, so have a ball!

Some producers had their wine on ice, which turned out to be a very good idea!

Eating and Drinking in Miami!

I always say, "It is a tough job, but somebody has to do with it." It is with that credo, that I embarked on my trip to Miami, last week. I enjoy planning trips around New York Jets away games, and nothing beats a Monday night Jets/Dolphins game, except when the Jets lose, which they did, in thrilling, last second fashion. But, as a Jet fan, we have come to expect such devastation!

Onto the meals...

First lunch was Monday...went to a local Italian trattoria that my client frequents. I brought just one wine to this one.

2006 Domaine Barroche Chateauneuf du Pape Pure: One of the new stars emerging in CDP, this old vine, 100% Grenache is made by Julien Barroche, a truly gifted young man. This wine was a baby, but absolutely stunning. Big, bruising and powerful, I may not touch another bottle for a few years. Nevertheless, I did enjoy it.

For Tuesday's lunch, I was at the Ritz in Coconut Grove. This time, the client was insistent on bringing the juice, and how could I argue. The guys loves old Alsatian stuff.

1989 Trimbach Riesling Cuvee Emile VT: 20 years old and you would have never guessed. Cuvee Emile is a bargain in the marketplace. Still a little acid to maintain the freshness and balance out the sweetness, but I could drink this everyday of my life.

Tuesday's dinner was at Chop's Lobster Bar in Boca Raton. Your kinda typical BIG steakhouse, the food was excellent. Seafood was fresh, steaks were very good and their 'signature' side was mashed corn. Never had it before, but it was delicious. I would love to get the recipe.

1998 Schramsberg J Schram Rose: This was really good. Close your eyes, and this is a delicious food pairing wine, beyond your typical bubbly pairings. This was soft and full bodied. The richness is what I really enjoyed. Not sure about aging potential, but very tasty now.

1996 Zind Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Hengst: I was supposed to bring this to lunch, but my wine case had not arrived at the hotel yet, so I pushed it back for dinner. A fun wine. Olivier is a great winemaker. The table seemed to enjoy this more than me, which always makes me happy, as customers will buy it. Nevertheless, I did like it. Not something I would hold pass another 18 months, but a great pair for the oysters, clams and shrimp we enjoyed.

1996 Chave Hermitage: I was not sure what to expect of this wine, but, as usual Jean Louis delivered. Good QPR? Maybe not. But for an "off"vintage, this wine showed very well. Still lots of fruit, cherry flavors, and probably good for another few years.

2005 Roy Estate Red: I hate to say it, but this wine put the Chave to shame, for me. Shirley and Charles Roy hired Philippe Melka to make their wine, and they picked a winner. These wines get better and better every year. It has no yet achieved cult status to many (although they have a huge fan in Robert Parker), and that is a shame, as these wines are absolutely stunning Cabernet blends from Napa. I would put it up against others two and three times the price. Go out and get some of this stuff!

Lunch on Wednesday was in Downtown Miami at Fratelli Lyon. While the food was pretty good, the service was absolutely atrocious. I felt like they were understaffed. In addition, the A/C was barely on. Nothing worse than seeing your waiter sweating up a storm over your food.

2007 Forman Chardonnay: I prefer Rick's Chardonnay over his Cabernet, in recent releases. This wine was absolutely delicious. A touch oak and acid leads me to believe this one is good for a few years, but I popped and poured, and it was that good. Rich, ripe, Chardonnay grape. This btl was finished off in a hurry.

1995 Petrolo Galatrona: I though this was an off btl, so I corked it. One of my clients thought it was okay, so she took it home with her.

1998 Fontodi Flaccianello: Fratelli Lyon had a pretty cool wine list and this looked very appealing (@ $120) so I ordered it. Decanted and stunning. Fontodi makes very long lived wines. This will go another 10 years, I suspect. Rich, deep, sweet fruit, this seemed to be in a perfect drinking window. While I think it will hold for another decade, with a quick decant, no reason to.

Dinner on Wednesday night was back in Miami, at Michael's Genuine. A funky menu that has 4 levels of food sizes...small, medium, large and xl. 5 of us for dinner, we all order 2 things on our own (I did 2 mediums) and we were told to get one XL, a whole roasted chicken that takes an hour to cook. My prawns were excellent, as was my pork belly. Chicken was good, although you had to make sure to get a little au jus with it, as it was a little dry for me. Not too dry, but just a little. The brussel sprouts and potato sides were great as well. Service was excellent. I highly recommend this joint.

And the wines...

1996 Henriot: The irony is that I am pretty sure that I enjoyed the Schramsberg more the previous evening. This was good, and painfully young to be consumed. Very crisp and clean, I would like to revisit this in 5 years.

2004 Christian Moreau Chablis Vaudesir: This showed very well. Not my favorite vineyard from Moreau (Clos des Hospices and Valmur are generally off the hook), this wine was still pretty darn tasty.

2003 Vatican Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Sixtine: Upon release, this was my favorite 2003 CDP, and I was curious to revisit it. The wine was good, still lots of fruit, I think it had lost a little of that stuffing that I remember it having.

2001 La Poderina Brunello di Montalcino Poggio Banale: This consumed the table for me. Tough to go back to the CDP, with this in my glass. Wow, what delicious aromas. Decanted for about an hour, and this wine was delicious.

2002 Donnhoff Riesling Auslese Neiderhauser Hermanshuhle: It is really hard to find flaws in wines such as this. No wonder the critics give them all great scores. This one was outstanding. The nice thing was that it really was not a dessert wine, per se, so it was a nice compliment to dessert. A half btl for 5 adults was just what the doctor ordered!

SLONYC 2-Aussie Shiraz

SLONYC 1 was California Syrah, SLONYC 2 featured Australian Shiraz...SLONYC 3....who knows...

Dinner at Zoe last night featuring 8 wine enthusiasts (Brent had to bail).

Zoe provides great service for wine dinners. The steak I ordered was excellent and very flavorful. The scallops were like jelly, and needed to be seared more to enjoy. A shame. Cheryl, sitting next to me felt the same way. My vanilla panna cotta for dessert happened to be excellent.

Pobega did a great job driving the bus on this one, as usual. We were just missing a white wine starter and/or dessert wine. I should have contributed. Oh well...onto the wines that we did taste...

#1 1992 Penfold's Grange...Mike donated well. This garnered 5 first place votes and appeared on everyone's ballot. I am not sure how much, if any Cabernet, was in 1992 Grange, but it tasted a lot like one. This smooth, clean, and very youthful, given its age. Penfold's seems to have mastered the recipe on this one, and I loved it!

#2 2003 Mitolo Shiraz G.A.M...This was sweet and jammy. More than a mouthfeel, and not really for me.

#3 2000 Elderton Command...I think I was the dissenter on this wine, as I did enjoy it, at least more than the Mitolo. Even going to back to it at the end of the night, I liked it. Very minty nose, but the finish had a slight metallic edge initially. It did eventually blow off.

Blind wine: 2003 Cayuse Syrah en Cerise...I guessed 2003 Sonoma Syrah, so I was not too far off, I think. Like most Cayuse that I try, I did not care for this wine. Cherry syrup on the nose, a little lean on the finish...I do not think anyone really enjoyed this. Even Pobega poo pooed it.

#4 2002 Shirvington Shiraz...In a word...AWFUL...completely undrinkable crap...I cannot wait to see Parker retry this 99 pointer at the 10 year mark. What a joke!

#5 2002 De Lille Syrah Doyenne...wrong btl pulled from a cellar resulted in this wine at the tasting. Not nearly as good as 2001 Doyenne at SLONYC 1. A bit too much alcohol and quite uninteresting.

#6 2003 Ox Shiraz...my contribution...what an awesome wine. Dbl decanted 3 hours before serving, should have done it for 6 hours. A baby at the table, this wine had everything going for it. A touch of alcohol initially, that blows off with time. Definitely competed with the Grange, for me, for first place.

#7 2004 Dead Arm Shiraz...3 of us enjoyed this wine, the rest of thr group, not so much, it would appear. Jay Miller says to cellar this for 20 years. This wine tasted very good last night. 20 years will not do it any favors. It was very big and structured, but with gobs of fruit. Good pairing for my steak.

#8 2004 Amon Ra Shiraz...Initially I hated this wine, but over time, it got much better. Once the alcohol calmed, it became a decent wine. Miller says this will hold for 10 more years, but the 2006 should be held for 30 more years...interesting.

#9 2006 Mollydooker Velvet Glove...clearly the worst QPR in the group. I found this wine all over the place and completely out of balance. Lots of cough syrup in my mouth. Miller says hold it for 30 moe years. Maybe it will come together at that time, but at $200/btl, I am not finding out on my dime.

There seemed to be some divide in the group. Those that really enjoyed the Grange/Ox and those that enjoyed some other wines.

The Shirvington and Mollydooker, two Sparky Marquis wines, showed a particular style that is very polarizing. While I did not really enjoy the MD 20/20, if it becomes anything like the Shirvington 2002 in 5 years, I will not be surprised. These wines are not for the shy folk.

Interestingly enough, when I got home, my wife said I wreaked of alcohol and noted that it was the first time in 9 years, that she had every thought I wreaked of alcohol after going to a wine dinner. I told her that these were Aussie Shiraz, high octane stuff, and that explained it...maybe...

The voting was pretty straight forward, we awarded 4 points for first place, 2 points for second place, 1 point for third place. Number of first place votes in parentheses...

#1 1992 Grange 25 points (5)
#2 2003 Mitolo GAM 3 points
#3 2000 Elderton Command 0 points
#4 2002 Shirvington Shiraz 2 points
#5 2002 De Lille Doyenne 0 points
#6 2003 Ox Shiraz 10 points
#7 2004 Dead Arm 7 points (1)
#8 2004 Amon Ra 5 points (1)
#9 2006 Mollydooker Velvet Glove 4 points (1)

Partnership with Children Charity Event!

On Wednesday evening, for the third consecutive year, Grapes coordinated all of the wines for Partnership with Children's annual "Taste of the Good Life" gala!

Here is a video of the event...

http://www.stylemusictv.com/video/video.html?data=xml/data_1.xml&flvID=145

We encourage all of you to think about attending this event next fall!

Dinner at Anthos last night!

I have been to Anthos about 4 times now. Very consistent. Steep $35 corkage per btl, but service is excellent and food is very good. Oysters tonight were off the hook, and I am not an oyster kinda guy. Onto the wines...all were served BLIND...except the 2002 Taittinger Comte de Champagne Rose, that was absolutely beautiful...

1) Very Austrian Gruner like qualities. A very tasty wine. Lost a little flavor but beautiful bouquet...2000 Prager Riesling Klaus.

2) This wine screamed SB. Most kept thinking NZ. I picked up a little more body and some oak, so I guessed California SB...a nice wine. Many loved it. 2007 Jonata SB.

3) 99 Chave Hermitage Blanc...maderized.

4) Howard thought Chardonnay. Almost got me thinking that, but this wine had an oily texture and a rich acid that screamed Northern Rhone Roussanne. I stuck with that guess. At first, I was not in the love with the finish on this. Had some bite, but that quickly blew off. Over the course of the evening, this wine grew and grew and grew. WOW! 2001 SQN Rien Va Plus Roussanne.

5) Howard was having a tough night and said CDP. I put my nose in the glass, and said Burgundy. I had a feeling this was a wine I brought, so I stopped guessing. Absolutely delicious. 2002 Lucien LeMoine Clos de la Roche.

6) This was a little shutdown, or so I thought. I pegged it as Grenache. I kept expecting more. In the end, I guessed 2000 CDP...turned out to be 2000 Clos du Caillou CDP Cuvee Quartz. Very disappointing!

7) Possibly corked, but clearly not correct. I was guessing a decent amount of Cab Franc from Bordeaux. Hard to guess as wine was flawed...1985 Lafite

8) Another wine I was not in love with. A few dissenters, but most agreed something was a miss here. I thought old Napa Cabernet (guessed 20 years old) . Turned out to be a magnum of 1989 Aldo Conterno Barolo Granbussia Riserva.

9) Unintersting dessert wine. I guessed 1998 or 99 Climens, turned out to be 2002.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

SQN, and Lemoine were delicious. Prager was interesting. Jonata was a nice wine.

Tasting corked wine with suppliers!

A few weeks ago, there were many wholesale/trade tastings in NY. I try to taste as much as I can, but I cannot help but get frustrated when they pour me a flawed wine. Usually, they are just corked. I try to point them out, but often times the person pouring is a volunteer. It is more embarassing when it is an actual winemaker or importer.

Then, this week, I had an appt with a well known Napa winery at the store. They brought in 4 wines. Each was about 60% full, as they had been to appts throughout the day.

Wine #4 was corked. They tasted it in the morning (they claimed) to make sure it was correct. Then they visited other retailers, who did not say a word.

Our industry is a joke.

Any thoughts?