WTN: Shheee-rrryyy, can you come out tonight?

Lill and I joined a small gathering at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Offline to welcome YiXin during his weeklong visit to New England from Singapore, along with Julianne (YiXin's significant other), Amy, and Joe.

a couple to warm up with...
2000 Weinbach Schlossberg Riesling L’Inédit (Alsace) Surprisingly fat. Heavy apple, pear and botrytis, some residual sugar, and acidity that is buried by the weight. Mike said it best “Not enough sugar for dessert and too much sugar for anything else”

2000 André & Rémy Gresser Wiebelsberg Grand Cru Riesling (Alsace) Dry, crisp and good definition. Not overwhelming depth but clean and concise.

and some sherry and sherry-like...
1994 Domaine de la Pinte Château-Chalon (Jura) A vin jaune made from savagnin. Caramel, hazel nut, coffee, with no fruit to be found. Super dry, fairly acidic, and lots of depth in the finish. Very complex and technically interesting wine but I can’t say that I really like the style.

Sandeman Royal Corregidor Rich Old Oloroso (Jerez) Nutty, slightly off-dry, pretty big. I’m not that enamoured.

Valdespino Solera 1842 Oloroso (Jerez) Now this I like. Rich and caramelly, with some residual sugar, and a long drying finish. I think I need sugar in my sherry.

Emilio Lustau Almacenista Oloroso Añada 1918 de Pilar Aranda y Latorre (Jerez) Very full, very rich, powerful aromas and flavors. Roasted nuts, burnt toffee, and a long, super dry, somewhat bitter acidic finish. I can appreciate the complexity here but I really don’t think I could drink it very often.

And on to the baroli....
1990 Giacomo Borgogno Barolo Riserva Much more in the nose than the mouth. Great classic style, rich deep dried herb, anise nose but the palate is comparably thin. It’s certainly good but not overly complex.

1994 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia Very dense and fragrant with long chalky tannins. This wine took a while to really open up but when it did it showed very well. I really like the full mouthfeel of this wine. Lots of body.

1978 Ceretto (Azienda Bricco Rocche) Barolo Prapò Old and disjointed at first but after a good 4 hours it really started to round out and blossom. The nose is complex and powerful, the balance is quite good, and the tannins are not quite perfectly seemless but very well rounded.

and dessert....
1995 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese (Mosel) 016 96. Flat and dull. Something's wrong with this bottle.

1985 MönchHof Ürziger Würzgarten Beerenauslese (Mosel) Super wine. Lots of botrytis, very sweet, extremely powerful flavors and very good acidity leading to a long finish.

[Jenise]

Fun notes, thanks. Did Yixin bring the Jura? That sounds like his style of wine.

If you see him again during his visit tell him Jenise says hello.

He most certainly did bring that, Jenise.
I think he's already on his way back home by now but I'll email him your greetings.

You put Joe Perry and YiXin in the same room?

Where did the grownups taste?

Everyone got to sit at the grown-up table, Hoke. We've got an 18yr old, the OffLine's have a 2yr old, so we were battle tested for anything.

What food did you pair with the sherries and the Chateau-Chalon? Were you forewarned of the impending wine?

Best dry sherry I have ever had was out of York Mountain Winery on the Central Coast.

Sadly, the new owners don't choose to vint it anymore.



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Thanks for the notes, Bill.

Sherry enjoyment is a natural progression. At first, I only liked PX and sweeter Oloroso, but now the drier the better for me.

Best,
Joe

What food did you pair with the sherries and the Chateau-Chalon? Were you forewarned of the impending wine?

The Chateau-Chalon was a contender for my WOTN. We had it with cheeses and some odd appetizers, but it was certainly not for the faint of heart...

You put Joe Perry and YiXin in the same room?

Where did the grownups taste?

We don't need you adults telling us our business all the time!

"Turn down that rock & roll!"

"Stop jumping on the bed!"

"Don't drink Pinot Gris with Foie Gras!"

[James Roscoe]

You put Joe Perry and YiXin in the same room?

Where did the grownups taste?

We don't need you adults telling us our business all the time!

"Turn down that rock & roll!"

"Stop jumping on the bed!"

"Don't drink Pinot Gris with Foie Gras!"

"Don't put the whoopie cushion on Hoke's chair."

"Don't put vegetables on Hoke's head and take pictures when he falls asleep in his chair."

(I realize Hoke wasn't there, but it makes a great visual.)

Lill and I joined a small gathering at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Offline to welcome YiXin during his weeklong visit to New England from Singapore, along with Julianne (YiXin's significant other), Amy, and Joe.

a couple to warm up with...
2000 Weinbach Schlossberg Riesling L’Inédit (Alsace) Surprisingly fat. Heavy apple, pear and botrytis, some residual sugar, and acidity that is buried by the weight. Mike said it best “Not enough sugar for dessert and too much sugar for anything else”

2000 André & Rémy Gresser Wiebelsberg Grand Cru Riesling (Alsace) Dry, crisp and good definition. Not overwhelming depth but clean and concise.

and some sherry and sherry-like...
1994 Domaine de la Pinte Château-Chalon (Jura) A vin jaune made from savagnin. Caramel, hazel nut, coffee, with no fruit to be found. Super dry, fairly acidic, and lots of depth in the finish. Very complex and technically interesting wine but I can’t say that I really like the style.

Sandeman Royal Corregidor Rich Old Oloroso (Jerez) Nutty, slightly off-dry, pretty big. I’m not that enamoured.

Valdespino Solera 1842 Oloroso (Jerez) Now this I like. Rich and caramelly, with some residual sugar, and a long drying finish. I think I need sugar in my sherry.

Emilio Lustau Almacenista Oloroso Añada 1918 de Pilar Aranda y Latorre (Jerez) Very full, very rich, powerful aromas and flavors. Roasted nuts, burnt toffee, and a long, super dry, somewhat bitter acidic finish. I can appreciate the complexity here but I really don’t think I could drink it very often.

And on to the baroli....
1990 Giacomo Borgogno Barolo Riserva Much more in the nose than the mouth. Great classic style, rich deep dried herb, anise nose but the palate is comparably thin. It’s certainly good but not overly complex.

1994 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia Very dense and fragrant with long chalky tannins. This wine took a while to really open up but when it did it showed very well. I really like the full mouthfeel of this wine. Lots of body.

1978 Ceretto (Azienda Bricco Rocche) Barolo Prapò Old and disjointed at first but after a good 4 hours it really started to round out and blossom. The nose is complex and powerful, the balance is quite good, and the tannins are not quite perfectly seemless but very well rounded.

and dessert....
1995 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese (Mosel) 016 96. Flat and dull. Something's wrong with this bottle.

1985 MönchHof Ürziger Würzgarten Beerenauslese (Mosel) Super wine. Lots of botrytis, very sweet, extremely powerful flavors and very good acidity leading to a long finish.

Hello Bill, I've yet to discover the Sherry arena, except I think I tried a Fino once and didn't care too much for it except the bouquet was great. Any 1st-timer recommendations for me?

Any 1st-timer recommendations for me?

Aaron, I'm not sure I'm the best person to ask as I havent really wrapped my head around these dry oloroso (or fino) sherry yet. As Joe mentioned, he started with sweeter varieties and moved to drier. I do like straight Pedro Ximenez (PX) which is very sweet and some cream sherries (which can be pretty sweet). The Valdespino was a good hybrid type with a sweeter front end a very dry finish.
Maybe more seasoned sherry drinkers can chime in here.

Were you forewarned of the impending wine?

Yup. I had warning that this would be a night of 1000 sherry. Joe knows of YiXin's enjoyment of it, and YiXin had to take bottles that would travel well. Overall, I'm glad I got to try these wines with people that truly enjoy them. Hey, my likes have shifted from Barossa shiraz to ruche so who knows, some day I might be stocking up on dry sherry too. :p

Well, unfortunately there aren't a lot of options at most shops.

The Lustau line is very solid and so is the Alvear.

I like the Sandeman Royal Corregidor as a less expensive Oloroso ($20) with a touch of sweetness.

Bill's suggestion of PX is good, as it is certainly an easier-to-like example. After you've had a few of those, start on the Oloroso and then Palo Cortado and Amontillado... only when you can snatch the pebble from my hand should you try Fino.

Best,
Joe