So, off I went to Indy this past weekend, to take in the beautiful sunshine that this small town had to offer. In addition, I went to see the Jets blow a golden opportunity to get Namath off of their back, but, alas, that did not happen.
On Saturday evening, we went over to 14 West. St. Elmo's is the popular tourist place in town, but 14 West is where the Colts fans dined.
The food at 14 West was very good. Some items (Fried Oysters, Lamb, Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles) were simply outstanding. I even told my buddy, Matt, that the truffles, at $4 for 3 of them, was probably the best value dessert I have ever had at a restaurant.
The food was so good and the service so delightful, that we decided to get our pregame tailgate in on Sunday at the very same place. Boring? Possibly, but the Burger was pretty killer. American Cheese, Bacon, Mushrooms, Lettuce Tomato, Mayo...on a bun soaked in clarified butter...what's not to love about that Burger?
If you are in Indy, I highly recommend a meal there.
Onto the wines...the theme of the weekend was Syrah from around the Globe...
1) 1993 Chapoutier Ermitage le Pavillon...This was the "Wild Card." Despite Robert Parker's drinking window on this of 1996-2046, I had my doubts. And for good reason. The wine, which was in pristine condition, was flat, and uninteresting. We barely touched it.
2) 2004 Kurtz Lunar Block Shiraz...Back in August 2009, I tasted this wine for the first time, and instantly fell in love. Well, on this night, we said our vows for each other all over again. A total production of like 60 cases, this is extremely rare...and extremely good. The same Eucalyptus notes that I picked up back in August were even more prevolent on this night. There has to be some Cabernet in there somewhere. This is just great food pairing wine, and very atypical for a struggling wine region. KUDOS!
3) 2005 Charles Smith Syrah Heart...I just do not get these wines. This wine was basically Port. We decanted it for over 2 hours...and it was still Port. Pours like Syrup, looks like Syrup, tastes lie Syrup...it must be Syrup. Totally overwhelming for the food, until dessert. It was a good match for the Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles.
For lunch the next day, just one btl (had to save room for beer at the stadium)
4) 2007 Gramercy Cellars Syrah Walla Walla...These wines have been picking up buzz for over a year now...I bought them after some people I really trust told me to, so on blind faith, I put them on the shelves. Well, I decided to see what all of the fuss was about. This wine is OUTSTANDING! We popped and poured at lunch, and just sucked it down. I could have put a straw in my wine glass, this was so silky smooth! Is this stuff for real at this price? I am going to need some more...going to pop a Cabernet this weekend, and press my luck. Well done, Greg Harrington!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Monday Night Meatloaf-Spanish Style!
This past Monday, in what is becoming a regular thing...10 of us got together at Mas, in downtown Manhattan, to taste very old Spanish Wines. How old is very old? The oldest was 1935 and the "newest" was 1989...pretty old for crappy Spanish wines that do not age, right?
First, a few comments on Mas. This was my third (or fourth?) time visiting. The food has never disappointed. The service on this night was awesome. 24 wines to be poured for 10 people is no easy task. These guys were great. We started with some Canapes, which included some delicious oysters and tuna tartare and ended with some awesome shrimp. 5 courses followed...sardine tart was not something that I would ever order, but was very flavorful. Sweetbreads were the highlight of the night for me. The cheese selection was great as well.
So, with people like KA and JK present, you need to have a Champagne flight, I guess. We started with an over the hill 1947 Charles Hiedsieck. 1990 Gosset Celebris was next. It was very good, but possibly a touch too sweet for me? 1990 DP was very uninspiring. Our lone white still wine was 1968 Lopez de Heridia Rioja Tondonia Blanco Gran Riserva. Wow, what an effort. It smelled like gerkins and green olives (take your pick, there are no wrong answers). Very oily in texture and not showing 40 years of age. Impressive.
Flight #1 (4 wines)
1) 1938 Marques de Riscal Rioja Reserva- I was not a fan of this one. In the end, it was flat and uninteresting.
2) 1942 Bodegas Riojanas Gran Reserva Rioja-Corked. Was not served.
3) Mystery #1-Slightly corked. A shame because it did not show its age. 1935 Riojanas Gran Reserva Rioja
4) Mystery #2-I mentioned Cabernet in the blend. Laurent mentioned that it was a lot of Cabernet. Based upon previous things I had read, I guessed 1950s Marques de Riscal. The wine was very lively, and sweet. Delicious stuff. 1945 Ch Cantemerle.
Flight #2 It can only get better...we hope
1) 1950 Cune Vina Real Gran Reserva-This was awesome. Very young nose with the hint of green olive again. Very youthful, my second favorite wine of the flight. 60 years old...very impressive
2) 1951 Cune Vina Real Gran Reserva-Maderized. Could not even taste it, as it smelled so bad to me. Others who did try it, said not to bother
3) 1952 Cune Vina Real Gran Reserva-Spicey and chocolatey. Pretty "dry" tannins. Reminded me of hot cocoa with marshmallows, served chilled. Good stuff.
4) 1954 Cune Imperial Gran Reserva-For me, this was a little closed up. Never really came out of its shell. Still a good wine. But I preferred the 1952.
5) 1962 Cune Vina Real Gran Reserva-WOTF...this was a GREAT wine. Rich and dense, this seems to have a lifetime ahead of it. I loved the 1950, but the 1962 was like the 1950 on steroids. Will it be like the 1950 in 12 years? It could be and that would be good, but it could be better!
Flight #3-Lopez de Heredia flight
How can you have an old Spanish wine tasting without a Lopez flight. Well, after the impressive Cune flight, we really got our hopes up...unfortunately for me.
1) 1961 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia Gran Reserva-A touch maderized on the nose, but that seemed like it was part of its charm. This was a pretty juicy wine, given its age. Excellent wine for food. It worked.
2) 1970 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia Gran Reserva-Lean and green would be my summarization. Not a fan.
3) 1976 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia Gran Reserva-DQ'ed...I cannot recall why, but it was not poured.
4) Mystery #3-Love tasting blind...this was again Cab based, in my opinion (Laurent and I fought over who said it first, so I punched him out...I win). This was a real wild card...I had no real guess for this, other than the fact that I was not a huge fan. Tasted old. 1952 Ch Cantemerle.
Flight #4-Unico flight
How can you have an old Spanish wine dinner without Unico?
1) 1960 Vega Sicilia Unico-One of the btls I brought. Interesting story, my last of a few great btls of this stuff. Purchased "to go" at a famous Baltimore restaurant on the cheap, about 6 years ago, after a btl I consumed there whooped up on 1982 Latour. This wine was awesome. Spice, coffee...it was hard for me to embellish on this one, but everyone else loved it more than me...so there you go...happy to share it with such a passionate group. Of course, KA joked that I took credit for the good btl from Grapes The Wine Company, while I let Yaacov out to dry with a bad 1970 Lopez. I had to explain that this Unico was actually from my "vast" collection. Just as a point of interest, after having this btl in Baltimore, I looked up Robert Parker's TN...he scored it a 78 and said how it was old, tired, and bad. I emailed him and urged him to skip Charleston for once and head over to the other place for this (at the time, they had cases). He said that he would...looks like that never happened...his loss.
2) 1968 Vega Sicilia Unico-I really wanted to like this. But in the end, this wine was sandwiched between my two favorite red wines of the evening. This may need more time. It just lacked the "oomph" of the other two wines. Too lean. But that is inthe context of what surrounded it. I may have liked it more on its own.
3) 1970 Vega Sicilia Unico-This was heavenly. Sweet, dense, cocoa. I was into this wine. I wish I had more of it to enjoy. I can see the fascination with this wine, in this vintage. Killer stuff.
4) 1981 Vega Sicilia Unico-This was just way too young. It never came out of its shell while it sat in the glass. I suppose it could turn out great, but on this night, following the 1970, it was mediocre.
Flight #5 The Flight that should have gone before the Unico, aka "The Letdown" flight...
1) 1989 Pesquera Rioja Gran Reserva. JJ commented that he had recently had a great btl of this. This was good stuff, but hardly inspiring.
2) 1982 Pesquers Rioja Gran Reserva-I did not like this at all. It had this "smokey" kind of smell.
3) 1978 La Rioja Alta Vina de Ardanza-Sweet pickles. This wine was pretty flat and a little over the hill.
4) Mystery #4-Really tough to put my finger on the pulse of this wine. After all of this Tempranillo, I found myself there again. Just not liking the wine. It was clearly over the hill. 1980 Cousino Macul Cabernet Sauvignon Antiguas Reserva from Chile. Fascinating.
Take my notes on the last flight for whatever they are worth...not much...Nothing inspired me there to pay close attention. I was sucking drops of 1970 Unico out of the btl!
First, a few comments on Mas. This was my third (or fourth?) time visiting. The food has never disappointed. The service on this night was awesome. 24 wines to be poured for 10 people is no easy task. These guys were great. We started with some Canapes, which included some delicious oysters and tuna tartare and ended with some awesome shrimp. 5 courses followed...sardine tart was not something that I would ever order, but was very flavorful. Sweetbreads were the highlight of the night for me. The cheese selection was great as well.
So, with people like KA and JK present, you need to have a Champagne flight, I guess. We started with an over the hill 1947 Charles Hiedsieck. 1990 Gosset Celebris was next. It was very good, but possibly a touch too sweet for me? 1990 DP was very uninspiring. Our lone white still wine was 1968 Lopez de Heridia Rioja Tondonia Blanco Gran Riserva. Wow, what an effort. It smelled like gerkins and green olives (take your pick, there are no wrong answers). Very oily in texture and not showing 40 years of age. Impressive.
Flight #1 (4 wines)
1) 1938 Marques de Riscal Rioja Reserva- I was not a fan of this one. In the end, it was flat and uninteresting.
2) 1942 Bodegas Riojanas Gran Reserva Rioja-Corked. Was not served.
3) Mystery #1-Slightly corked. A shame because it did not show its age. 1935 Riojanas Gran Reserva Rioja
4) Mystery #2-I mentioned Cabernet in the blend. Laurent mentioned that it was a lot of Cabernet. Based upon previous things I had read, I guessed 1950s Marques de Riscal. The wine was very lively, and sweet. Delicious stuff. 1945 Ch Cantemerle.
Flight #2 It can only get better...we hope
1) 1950 Cune Vina Real Gran Reserva-This was awesome. Very young nose with the hint of green olive again. Very youthful, my second favorite wine of the flight. 60 years old...very impressive
2) 1951 Cune Vina Real Gran Reserva-Maderized. Could not even taste it, as it smelled so bad to me. Others who did try it, said not to bother
3) 1952 Cune Vina Real Gran Reserva-Spicey and chocolatey. Pretty "dry" tannins. Reminded me of hot cocoa with marshmallows, served chilled. Good stuff.
4) 1954 Cune Imperial Gran Reserva-For me, this was a little closed up. Never really came out of its shell. Still a good wine. But I preferred the 1952.
5) 1962 Cune Vina Real Gran Reserva-WOTF...this was a GREAT wine. Rich and dense, this seems to have a lifetime ahead of it. I loved the 1950, but the 1962 was like the 1950 on steroids. Will it be like the 1950 in 12 years? It could be and that would be good, but it could be better!
Flight #3-Lopez de Heredia flight
How can you have an old Spanish wine tasting without a Lopez flight. Well, after the impressive Cune flight, we really got our hopes up...unfortunately for me.
1) 1961 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia Gran Reserva-A touch maderized on the nose, but that seemed like it was part of its charm. This was a pretty juicy wine, given its age. Excellent wine for food. It worked.
2) 1970 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia Gran Reserva-Lean and green would be my summarization. Not a fan.
3) 1976 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia Gran Reserva-DQ'ed...I cannot recall why, but it was not poured.
4) Mystery #3-Love tasting blind...this was again Cab based, in my opinion (Laurent and I fought over who said it first, so I punched him out...I win). This was a real wild card...I had no real guess for this, other than the fact that I was not a huge fan. Tasted old. 1952 Ch Cantemerle.
Flight #4-Unico flight
How can you have an old Spanish wine dinner without Unico?
1) 1960 Vega Sicilia Unico-One of the btls I brought. Interesting story, my last of a few great btls of this stuff. Purchased "to go" at a famous Baltimore restaurant on the cheap, about 6 years ago, after a btl I consumed there whooped up on 1982 Latour. This wine was awesome. Spice, coffee...it was hard for me to embellish on this one, but everyone else loved it more than me...so there you go...happy to share it with such a passionate group. Of course, KA joked that I took credit for the good btl from Grapes The Wine Company, while I let Yaacov out to dry with a bad 1970 Lopez. I had to explain that this Unico was actually from my "vast" collection. Just as a point of interest, after having this btl in Baltimore, I looked up Robert Parker's TN...he scored it a 78 and said how it was old, tired, and bad. I emailed him and urged him to skip Charleston for once and head over to the other place for this (at the time, they had cases). He said that he would...looks like that never happened...his loss.
2) 1968 Vega Sicilia Unico-I really wanted to like this. But in the end, this wine was sandwiched between my two favorite red wines of the evening. This may need more time. It just lacked the "oomph" of the other two wines. Too lean. But that is inthe context of what surrounded it. I may have liked it more on its own.
3) 1970 Vega Sicilia Unico-This was heavenly. Sweet, dense, cocoa. I was into this wine. I wish I had more of it to enjoy. I can see the fascination with this wine, in this vintage. Killer stuff.
4) 1981 Vega Sicilia Unico-This was just way too young. It never came out of its shell while it sat in the glass. I suppose it could turn out great, but on this night, following the 1970, it was mediocre.
Flight #5 The Flight that should have gone before the Unico, aka "The Letdown" flight...
1) 1989 Pesquera Rioja Gran Reserva. JJ commented that he had recently had a great btl of this. This was good stuff, but hardly inspiring.
2) 1982 Pesquers Rioja Gran Reserva-I did not like this at all. It had this "smokey" kind of smell.
3) 1978 La Rioja Alta Vina de Ardanza-Sweet pickles. This wine was pretty flat and a little over the hill.
4) Mystery #4-Really tough to put my finger on the pulse of this wine. After all of this Tempranillo, I found myself there again. Just not liking the wine. It was clearly over the hill. 1980 Cousino Macul Cabernet Sauvignon Antiguas Reserva from Chile. Fascinating.
Take my notes on the last flight for whatever they are worth...not much...Nothing inspired me there to pay close attention. I was sucking drops of 1970 Unico out of the btl!
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