WTN: Dinner w/Oswaldo (Chave, Moulin Touchais, Ostertag, LdH, etc)

Betsy had a long day in the city, rehearsal for a chamber orchestra concert in AM, then rehearsal for a couple of Andrea Bocelli concerts. I picked her up, then went to see our good friend Oswaldo and meet his lovely Marcia at Trestle on Tenth, a restaurant in Chelsea.

We were quite early, and ordered wine by the glass:

2004 Neumayer "Vom Stein" Grüner Veltliner
Lighter styled GV, delicate apple fruit with just a hint of spice/pepper. Good for an apertif, I think I would have found it a little thin as a dinner wine. B/B-

1997 Lopez de Heredia "Tondonia" Rioja Rosado
Beautiful light salmon color, nose of flowers, onion skins, and red fruit. Some oxidative notes on palate, but so integrated they don't bother me at all. Raspberry fruit with a strong dose of lemon, tangy acidity, good length. As always one of the most idiosyncratic roses I have run across. A-/B+

Oswaldo and Marcia arrived, a fun evening ensued. Oswaldo has now joined me in the Club of Men Who Are With Women Much Better Than They Deserve.

Menu had all sorts of fun stuff on it, Betsy started with crispy duck necks with garlic and anchovy aioli, I had the steak tartare with a quail egg. Betsy had lamb saddle for a main, I went to beef overload with a short ribs special (this wasn't the way I'm used to getting short ribs, one intact bone about a foot long) Everything was quite tasty.

Wine was the 2005 JL Chave "Silene" Crozes-Hermitage. We debated whether there was a green note, settled on stemmy. Good black cherry and blackberry fruit, a bit of pepper and tobacco. Showing a bit young and tannic. Nice enough wine, though Oswaldo has a 375 of Graillot in his bag that I'd bet on being more exciting. Still, any Chave on a list for $50 isn't bad, and it is a good if not great wine. B/B+

Betsy and Marcia split a chocolate dessert, Oswaldo and I split some cheeses (which I neglected to note). I had a glass of 2004 Ostertag Gewürztraminer Vendanges Tardives , which was quite floral and lovely. Canned peaches (in a good way) and lychees, good length, finish. I enjoy. B+/A-

I had a sniff and a sip of Oswaldo's dessert wine, the 1985 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon. Brandy-ish nose (someone says it reminds them of scotch), but not at all hot on palate. Apple cider and caramel, lively acidity, slight sherryish notes come and go. B+

I quite enjoyed the restaurant - nice geeky wine list, food was well-done if not cutting edge (but with nice quirky options). But highlight was the company, I would have had a good time at McDonalds.

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 party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency

Dale,
Always wondered where Dobbs Ferry is located. You are north, north, north of Manhattan. My daughter lives in Astoria, just over the Whitestone Bridge. Maybe next time up we can share a bottle of wine.
Walt

Walt, would love to share a bottle. Would even refrain from trying to convert you to Loire CF.

We're a 30-40 minute train ride from GC, would love to arrange a Manhattan jeebus next time you came. Or maybe you know an Astoria Greek place with good corkage (I can always spit'n'drive, but would try to get Betsy to come as designated driver). If you make a visit and see you have a free evening, drop a note.

A lovely evening indeed and, yes, it does seem like Dale and I have taken advantage of the (alleged) male/female imbalance and overachieved.

The Chave was clearly a well-made wine, but not giving much in the way of pleasure at this point. Perhaps I should have voted for Dale's alternative, a good beaujolais, which is often a better restaurant choice than a "better" wine drunk too young.

It's interesting to note how dessert wines by the glass are often the best experiences at restaurants, as they tend to be less appreciated by the average diner, and good choices made by sommeliers don't sell out as quickly.

Thanks Dale and Betsy, look forward to seeing you again soon!

1985 Moulin Touchais Coteaux du Layon. Brandy-ish nose (someone says it reminds them of scotch), but not at all hot on palate. Apple cider and caramel, lively acidity, slight sherryish notes come and go. B+

Sounds like some harsh/unpleasant notes, and quite a high grade?

Perhaps I'm misinterpreting..

Hi, Rahsaan, when the wine arrived, for a second I had the extremely odd sensation (a sort of nasal double take) that the waiter had poured scotch into a wine glass... A first, for sure. When I passed it to Dale, he said that this winemaker induces some oxidation before bottling. While it didn't correspond to my experience of either oxidized or madeirized wines, the truth is that the scoth smell dissipated soon, and the taste was lovely from the first sip, hence (I believe) Dale's score.

Rahsaan,
this is one reason why I use grades, despite all the cogent arguments against them. Because sometimes my lame descriptors (these were from notes I scribbled on an envelope in car on WSHighway) don't accurately peg what I feel about the wines. There were some oxidative notes (as I often get in Chenin) that kept it from being outstanding, but I quite liked the wine.

Oswaldo,
if I said the producer induced oxidative notes, then its a good think Betsy drove home! I thought what I said was I often get these on and off oxidative notes from older Chenin, and especially Moulin Touchais. I'd add I also get more false on-and-off positives for TCA with Chenin. I love the grape, but it is a chameleon.

As to the overachievement, in this case it's definitely a testament to Marcia's specialness, Betsy said "he's SUCH a good guy" on way home.

Thanks for setting the record straight, Dale, I tilt corrected.

Betsy is too kind, also a very easy grader!

BTW, Marcia had a lovely Finger Lakes riesling by the glass at Zoe a few days ago, called Soho Cellars 2006, available for $16.99 at Vintage on Wooster St. Like a spatlese, floral, peachy, great deal for the price.

this winemaker induces some oxidation before bottling.

Interesting. Underripe grapes I can believe..

But, your point about the overall impression being better than the descriptors is interesting. Apppreciated..