Ben and Wendy host an annual pre-holiday dinner, usually themed around olde r Piedmont and fresh white truffles. As 2017 wasn’t a good truffle season, leading to high prices for not so great truffles, we decided to cha nge menu and format. So dinner was truffle-less, and wines were a free for all, with theme being “bring something good, blind.” As we entered their lovely GV loft we each got identical bags. Reds were mixed up , so no one knew which was theirs.
As we waiting (one person got dates mixed up), Suzanne shared 2 bottles fro m her wine lunch (!!!!) earlier.
2006 Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Spatlese feinherb Lovely, orange blossom and ginger, peachy fruit, nice balance. B+1994 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Josephshofer Riesling Spatlese A little odd and waxy, a bit heavy. Didn’t enjoy but had been open for hours.
Blind wines at table
With potato chips, Champagne Champagne A - table consensus favorite, bright and fresh, easy for me to gu ess BdB, 2008 Pierre Peters “Chetillons” Blanc de Blancs Ch ampagne A- Champagne B = seemed a little older, slight oxidative note, bready/toasty , good length. 2009 Ledru “ Goulte” Blanc de Noirs. B/B+
With the blind whites, Ben and Wendy’s homemade buckwheat blini wit h Scottish smoked salmon from Russ & Daughters, crème fraiche, and eit her Hackleback caviar or dill. White “Pi” - slightly cloudy, lighter, great acidic backbon e, herby. 2014 Raveneau Chablis. B+/B White “ Gamma” - a little reductive matchstick blows off, r ipe but good acids, some vanillin oak, easy to guess Burg, mineral and whit e fruit. Good length. 2006 Bouchard Chevalier-Montrachet B+/A-
Homemade pappardelle with long-cooked duck sugo (recipe from Lidia Bastiani ch) served w/ homemade baguettes Red Wine #1 Cherry and sandalwood, latter made me guess Dujac though not no ticably stemmy. Lovely balance, excellent length. 1989 Meo-Camuzet Clos Vou geot A-
Red Wine #2 Lots of consensus on Italian, but hard to peg as Nebbiolo or Sa ngiovese. Black fruited, some oak, noticable acids. Nebbiolo/Barbera. 1997 Gaja Conteisa B/B+
Red Wine #3 Young, tighter, a little cough drop, needs time. 2008 Cathiard “Les Murgers” Nuits-st-Georges 1er B for now
Rib roast, both 21-day and 45-day, with a red-wine jus made from oxtail and beef soup bones.
Red Wine #4 Someone guessed Barolo right away. Young, structured, tight. 19
99 Conterno Monfortino. B for now, A potentialRed Wine #5 - Mature, clear rim, red fruit and mushrooms. 1950 Mascarello B arolo B+
Red Wine #6 I loved even though I thought it was also Piedmont. Red fruit, spice, herbs, truffles. Mature and balanced. 1964 CVNE Vina Real Rioja Gran Reserva A-/A
Red Wine #7 - funky, lifted, a little green, but with nice structure and go od finish. I originally was thinking Loire, but doubtful anyone would bring , so Northern Rhone made sense. Got better. 1983 Pierre Barge Cote Rotie B+
Red Wine #8 As we were down to 2 and I knew mine was #7 easy to know. Drink ing well (forward year), red cherry and dried cherry, some rose petal and l eather. Someone said “polished (in a good way)”. 2000 Solde ra Brunello di Montalcino Riserva A-
Homemade apple and oatmeal crumble, with vanilla ice cream. There was also a 2003 Coutet and a 2005 de Fargues, but I didn’t note anything (th ough both were fine).
Group voting
1989 Meo 22 pts 1964 CVNE 16 pts 2000 Soldera 13 pts 2008 Peters 5 pts 2014 Raveneau 1 ptGreat night, thanks “Bendy”
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a p arty where it was only choice.Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivi ty, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.