Took the train in on a hot night and headed down to Chelsea where Franco wa s hosting SOBER He welcomed us with cheese, caprese, and couple of bubblie s (insert obligatory sekts joke here):
1990 Lauer Riesling Sekt Brut Reserve Moderate fizz, crisp acids, full with a cool French toast flavor profile. I quite liked, though reported $60 tag makes it middling value. B+The 1994 Schloss Schonborn Sekt was corked
To the table for the blind wines. First up, a white flight
#1 Clearly white Burgundy, good acids, nutty with white pit fruits, long, I liked a lot. 1996 Leflaive “Clavoillon” Puligny-Montrachet 1er A-/B+
#2 undrinkably oxidized, some much for no PremOx in Leflaive! 1996 Leflaive Folatieres Puligny-Montrachet 1er
As we went to reds, Franco put out the Momofuko spread- bo ssam with all th e fixings, bok choy, pork buns, etc.
Red Flight #1 Andy got Barbaresco quickly, took a while to get producer (think Tim got vi ntage on #2 quickly)
Wine #1 - just a hint of VA, seemed old at first but then perked up - some obvious age, but plenty lively with good fruit. Rose petals, a meaty note, 1958 Gaja Barbaresco A-/B+
Wine #2 = just drop dead gorgeous from first sniff. Elegant, balanced, lo ng, with fresh acidity, just slightly lifted, long finish. Red fruits, flor al, tar, sandalwood. My WOTN (and possibly WOTY!) 1971 Gaja Barbaresco A
Red Flight #2 I believe it was Andy again getting all Barolo, and Tim getting producer. Wine #1 -big, full, sturdy, with smoky aromas. 1968 F. Rinaldi Barolo B+/B Wine #2 - firm, meaty, good fruit, my favorite of the flight. 1967 F. Rinal di Barolo B+ Wine #3 - a bit volatile, cherries and tar, hint of prunes, not as long as others. Good but to me a tad tired. Think I was in minority as others liked more. 1964 F. Rinaldi Barolo B-
Red Flight #3 - I got Rhone, but it took awhile for someone to get vintage, then Andy (he was hot this night) nailed both wines. Wine #1 spicy, a bit of obvious wood remaining, medium bodied, good. 1980 G uigal “La Landonne “ Cote-Rotie Wine #2 - fuller, spice and black olives over pretty fruit, long, floral. 1
980 Guigal “La Mouline “ Cote-Rotie. A-Red Flight #4 someone else got to Cal Cab (I thought Bdx at first), after a few guesses I got producer (by elimination)
Wine #1 - midbodied, elegant, cassis with a cigarbox edge. Lots of life lef t. 1997 Corison “Kronos” Cabernet Sauvignon B+
Wine #2 - well balanced, a bit more red fruit in profile, tobacco, mineral. 1998 Corison “Kronos” Cabernet Sauvignon B+
I had to leave and missed the blind dessert, two version of zabaglione, one made with PX sherry and other with sparkling wine.Great night, with the 7
1 Gaja on top, but several others that excelled. I think some in group were especially happy to discover Corison.Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a pa rty where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivi ty, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.