Bob Ross Jeebus Extraordinaire

OK, so just let me start that probably from now on all NYC area WLDG offlines will be held in restaurants. No one would risk hosting and being Bentsened ("I'm been to a Bob Ross jeebus, Bob Ross is a friend of mine, and host, you're no Bob Ross"). Bob's hospitality and generosity were amazing. He offered up his incredible house (guest bedrooms, couches, and floors were all utilized), provided transport from airports and NYC, provided the majority of the wines (including at a dinner Fri for those that arrived early), gave away wines as the ultimate party favors, and was just a warm and genial host.

I'm not sure where to start. Jeff G came up by train to Dobbs Saturday, I picked him up and we headed over Tappan Zee to NJ. We arrived by 2, got the amazing house tour from Julia B, and then headed to the kitchen /deck area, where the festivities centered (though there was some treks to the cellar!). Great setting.

OK, food. We arrived to find nice spread of hummus, tapenade and the like (Howie?). Salil had 2 huge bowls of chicken marinading, plus I think four large sides (red bean curry, rice dishes, etc). I had pickled shrimp as well as hanger steak in a bulgogi marinade , squid , and Japanese eggplant to grill (plus a peanut sauce).Tom V brought some skewers with shrimp wrapped in sage and proscuitto, enough garlic bread for 100, Italian pastries. Eden brought baklava, Mark and Dianne great cheeses, Jeannette had made a cake. Oh and there were sauasage rolls, - I should just stop, I could go on all day, there was tons more

Wines- I'm sure there were a dozen I tried and never noted, and another dozen I never got to. I wasn't taking notes, just occasionally writing down wines, and even more occasionally a few words. But here are my first thoughts:

My candidates for WOTN:
1997 Max. Grunhauser Abtsberg Auslese- wonderfully balanced, light but with power, drinking very very well
1989 La Conseillante- elegant, powerful, about perfection for my tastes in Pomerol, still young but oh so tasty
1947 Huet "Le Haut Lieu" Vouvray- typical darkl color, but fresh and lively, complex and deep, even if I thought it a quarter step behind the one other time I've tasted this wine.

Wines that did well in primaries, but didn't get WOTN nomination
1990 Pommery Cuvee Louise (mag)- full, bready, long, nutty edge to finsh.
2008 Chidaine "Bouchet" Vouvray- zippy, well balanced, good match with the pickled shrimp
2009 P. Cotat "Les Monts Damnes" Sancerre- ripe forward version, tensile and minerally under the fruit, doesn't convince the SB haters
1986 Gruaud-Larose- full, friendly, tannins there but not obtrusive, where's that platter of beef?

Wines I really enjoyed
2010 Comm. de Bargemone Rose- light, flavorful, fun.
2007 Hexamer Spatlese- a bit broad, but delicious
1978 Burgess Cabernet Sauvignon- one of mine. I thought this a little less fresh than a bottle a couple years ago, with a little ashtray on finish, but still a nice bottle.
1998 Brovia Barolo
1973 Ch. Montelena (Sonoma-yes, Sonoma)- still holding well

Wines with some interest
1995 Dal Forno Amarone- some loved, I found a bit overpowering, but certainly an experience
1990 Eberle Cabernet Sauvignon (Paso Robles)- still holding on
1996 Hargrave Chardonnay Reserve (North Fork)- actually surprisingly lively, but I don't think my style young or old
1999 Guigal Hermitage
2007 Redde Sancerre
2008 Le Sartre (Pessac-L) -grassy, grassy, grassy. Divisive wine I'd say. '
1994 Rosenblum "Robert Story" Zinfandel
1995 Geantet-Pansiot Chambolle-Musigny 1er - very ripe, extracted, a bit of oak still out there, others liked more

Wines with little interest
2000 Despres "Cuvee Speciale" Fleurie- hard to recognize as Gamay, very ripe, I thought it was like a ripe CA PN, complete with a cherry coke edge, though others disagreed
Barboursville Nebbiolo (everyone else seemed to like)
1993 Cline Zinfandel- I've liked a lot of Cline Zins before, but this is now a goopy mess

Get this out of my glass, please
1985 Inglenook Charbono
1986 Ducru-Beaucaillou- helllllllooooooo, TCA

As good as the wine and food were, people were better. As memorable a wine event as I've ever attended. I went with 4 bottles, came home this AM with 5 (thanks Bob, Howie, David). I'll have more comments later, this is just first thoughts

I hope someone posts some pix of both the group and the house.

Thanks Bob, and everyone else!

Oops, didn't mean to leave off 3 different Hart Cellars wines, all in the "I enjoyed a lot" category- a semi-dry Cayuga (by someone who understands term semi-dry), an interesting barrel sample of CF/Merlot blend, with a nice leafy quality, and a Pinot Gris that was rather Alsatian in style.

I also left off a very good bottle of 1982 Cos d'Estournal, which I was planning on putting in the "really enjoyed" category

[David M. Bueker]

Just got home a little while ago, and for now I am just going to give a huge should of thanks to Bob Ross for his incredible (and that's too mild a word) generosity, as well as big thanks to the two primary (AFAIK) cooks for the day, Dale & Salil and to everyone for all the fun, food and wine.

Comments on the wines (thanks for listing most of them Dale) after I get some lunch and a nap. It was a late night.

Maybe I will dream about '47 Huet.

OK, so as I came in from mowing Lucy the Basset questioned why I left Clive the Adorable Spaniel out- indeed, he was also an excellent host.

And I realized I left out one of my wines- the 2001JJ Prum Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese. Still young, but very very good, I'd not put at level of the 97 Grunhauser (yet)

Plus there was a Brunello that others liked much more than I did, a 1990 Salice Salentino that surprised me a bit as it was actually alive, a 2000 Fonsalette (Rayas) CdR blanc that I liked (despite not being a white Rhone guy), etc. There was a 1985 something that I can't read name on (but comment is "eh"). an Oregon PN I neglected to write down.

David, glad you and Laura made it home

Back home as well, having taken a nice break for a quick hike in the Delaware Water Gap before reaching cruising altitude for the drive home. Dale, I can't believe you posted already on these (man, you are quick!). Not to nitpick, but wasn't the Dal Forno his Valpolicella, not the Amarone (that's what I have down)? There were wines I missed as well, including 2 of your WOTN's

Good seeing you all and being there!

Mark

[David M. Bueker]

So still no nap, but back to the thread. Honestly my wine of the night might have been Jeannette's chocolate cake with salted caramel icing. That was delicious.

Anyway, both of the Riesling Auslesen were true stars for me. Laura preferred the Prum over the Grunhaus. We both loved the 1990 Pommery Cuvee Louise. The Hexamer was young, but thankfully not closed down, and definitely not reduced (screwcap).

Both bottles of 2000 Fonsalette (Rayas) CdRhone (blanc et rouge) were stunning. The '86 Gruaud Larose was very fine, as was the '89 La Conseillante. The '78 Burgess was excellent as well.

The Huet...oh the Huet. Amazing wine. WOTN. Can anybody say what that started life as? Demi-Sec? Moulleux?

Howie's Pinot Gris, and his barrel sample of Cab Franc/Merlot were both way more than tasty. I loved the spicy finish on the Pinot Gris. The Cayuga was also quite good, though not in the league of the Pinot Gris.

Somewhere in there was a Freedom Run Vin Gris (Cab Franc/Merlot) that was fresh, full of berries, and delightful on a sunny spring day.

I liked the 2008 Chidaine, but it was too warm by the time I got any.

Dale nailed the 2000 Fleurie. Weird wine.

And then there was the steak. Awesome!

Oh, and the baklava, and the '73 Montelena, and the, and the, and the...

Dale, was the '85 you could not decipher the Lynch Bages? We had a less than inspiring bottle of that shortly before I headed off to dreamland.

And how do you beat fresh coffee and cookies for breakfast?

[James Roscoe]

Who doesn't LOVE Bob Ross?!?!?!?!!? THANK YOU BOB!!!!!! (Again, and it is not enough)

Let me also thank Julia B. who took care of early arrivals and along with Jeff Grossman were the initial conspiritors for this wonderful event!

It was so great to meet so many people, especially Dale and David B. (who is much nicer in person than he is online! )

Thanks to Salil and Dale for so much of the cooking. I know there were other chefs as well.

I cannot disagree with Dale's dissertations. I would say my top white wine was the '47 Huet! WOW!!!! The '89 Consieliente would probably win my red wine of the night over the barolo Jeff Grossman brought which I can't remember. Like David I am a sucker for the Louise Pommery and that always gets a place in my top wines. It was drinking well. When I make my first million I am buying a couple of cases of that.

In all it was a grand night. There a rumours of very odd things that went on in the dead of the night, but I will let others confirm or deny the truth of other amazing bottles coming out while most of us were in bed.

In all, it was truly a Jeebus Extraordinaire that will live on in memory and that may be its finest and final gift.

I just got home a short while ago. Alan Kerr came in for coffee and I let him read the above posts and loved it. For now, all I can say is thanks to everyone for a great weekend. I will post more later, but right now, I'm too pooped to post.

Mark, I'm sure you are right it was the Valpo, someone just offered me a decanter and said "want some Amarone?" and I saw DF label and extrapolated without looking closely.

Oh, the 85 Lynch Bages, I actually thought that pretty good. It looks like the '85 I said "eh" to starts with a P (food stain). Wait, maybe it's an 89? I remember not liking an 89 Pradeaux Bandol as much as others.

There was a Chateauneuf from a well known producer (Bonneau?), but a cuvee name that I had never heard of-jog any memories?
I think I did like the Freedom Run rose.
The Oregon PN was something like Machado?
A Paumanok (North Fork) Petit Verdot was rather stern, but I liked.

[David M. Bueker]

Paolo has posted video on Facebook.

Dale - you are so right....no one can come close to hosting like Bob Ross. Let's see....he invites people that he doesn't know to his home, and welcomes them to sleep over, and then offers incredible wines from his cellar. Amazing.

The food was delicious, and the cooks worked hard. I didn't take notes on the wines, but there were some real standouts. Dale, I really enjoyed the Burgess, and I was sipping it while eating the hanger steak. They were great together. I'm bummed I missed the Rayas Blanc since I suggested we bring it up from the cellar. Maybe if I spent less time down there I would have known it was opened. The Dal Forno was the Valpolicella. Jeff and I spent a long time scrutinizing the label to be sure. I seemed to have liked it more than you. The 1989 La Conseillante, 1947 Huet Le Haut Lieu, 1990 Cuvee Louise, and 1986 Gruaud Larose and Howie's wines were my favorites. No one mentioned the 1993 Sassicaia? It was very good, and a better finish would have put it in the excellent category.

We'll be talking about this one for a long time. A big, big thank you Bob for opening your home to us.

Splendid, delightful, charming, marvelous, I'm going to run the dictionary out of words.

So, here are some photos: http://public.fotki.com/jeffg165/wine/fldg-grand-jeebus/

I'll work on the full wine list (probably post tomorrow). It was a _lot_ of wine.

(Oh! I missed the chocolate cake!)

That was quite the weekend. Came down on Friday evening for a pre-jeeb jeeb with Bob, Clive, Howie, Alan and JuliaB (notes on that separately/later), and the main jeebus on Saturday was really something. Wonderful company with some old friends who I hadn't seen in a while, and many folks who I had never met before; a ton of food and some really fantastic wines. And I can't begin to adequately describe Bob's hospitality and generosity - from giving away and opening some incredible wines to preparing all the little details with jeebus signs and name tags. Thank you Bob, David and Clive for hosting us, and to everyone who attended for making it such a terrific event.

The big standouts for me (will fill in detailed notes later):
1982 Cos d'Estournel - the complete package; powerful, full of rich Bordeaux fruit framed by cedar, tobacco and savoury earth, amazing depth and balance.
2000 Rayas CdP - so pure, elegant and downright amazing. One of the greatest CdPs I've had
1989 Conseillante - Dale nailed it
1997 Grunhaus Abtsberg Auslese - see above

Others that I feel like commenting on various reasons
All the Hart Cellars wines - all beautifully balanced, really enjoyable and refreshing - bravo Howie! Particularly loved the barrel sample of the Cab Franc.
2008 Chidaine Vouvray Le Bouchet - delicious, pure Chenin fruit with moderate sweetness, lovely acids and balance - I have a few more of this, and I expect I'll drink through the rest quite quickly.
1947 Huet Vouvray Le Haut Lieu - liked this a lot with time (once the initial mustiness blew off); amazing finesse with a glossy, polished mouthfeel, restrained power and amazing persistence - what a treat.
2001 JJ Prum Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese - for an 01 Prum it's amazingly approachable; incredibly pure Mosel fruit and slate, a really drinkable Auslese that's very refreshing, balanced and thankfully doesn't veer towards heavy dessert wine territory like so many other Auslese
2008 Le Sartre Pessac Leognan Blanc - hell is super-grassy Sauvignon Blanc.
2009 Pascal Cotat Les Monts Damnes - fresh, mineral and herb-tinged grapefruits - enjoyed this much more than a bottle of the 07 a couple of weeks ago
1985 Lynch Bages - disappointly boring and one-note
1989 Pradeaux Bandol - really liked this; sauvage meaty and gamey flavours over red fruits in a finessed, nicely mature package - really nice
1993 Sassicaia - beautiful, polished, mature and savoury
2007 Hexamer Schlossbockelheimer In Den Felsen Riesling Spatlese - quite pleasant, though not particularly exciting and a little on the soft/broad side for my liking
1995 Geantet-Pansiot Chambolle Musigny 1er - liked this a lot more than Dale did apparently; beautiful spicy and leathery aromatics on top of fresh red fruits, and a palate presence that was all silk and polish
1998 Musar Blanc - very unusual, unique wine - savoury, nutty and floral with dried apricot and pear fruit, nicely balanced with a nice sense of freshness despite the oxidative style

Jeff - how could you miss that cake?!!

Oh yes, the 93 Sassacaia - I think I liked a tad less than Diane or Salil, but it was good.
I enjoyed the Musar blanc.
Of the "bulk giveaway" wines, I missed noting the '94 Havens Merlot, which probably edged the Eberle as my fave of group (I didn't try the SA "port"). I would have signed up for some except I am facing cellar pressures.
David wins the resiliency award if he was pulling bottles after I went to bed- when I started packing up stemware etc at 7 AM or so he was returning from walking Clive, and looked fresh as a daisy.

2008 Le Sartre Pessac Leognan Blanc - hell is super-grassy Sauvignon Blanc.

I believe the shot of D. Bueker (#8 in Jeff's slideshow) is of this wine.
Great photos, but where is Pierce? He was adorable.

[David M. Bueker]

Yes, that is my staged but still genuine reaction to that wine.

Hell is dry Sauvignon Blanc.

Sounds like a great get-together. Good group of people, good group of wines, and a great host.

Having had a mere brief sample of Bob Ross's hospitable nature, I can only imagine how generous a host he would be. He is The Man.

Sounds so great and it's fantastic to see what you guys look like!

Truly a pleasure to meet everyone at the ultimate Jeebus! The people, the vino, the food, the place, really couldn't have been better! Thanks Everyone!

Bob, Claudia and I enjoyed and appreciate your hospitality, generosity and beautiful home so much! Thanks For Allowing Us To Be A Part Of It All !! Tom & Claudia

Kind of misposted these notes on the orginal thread, so just wanted to repost them here where they belong. The notes & pics are great! Again, Thanks to All!!

Absolutely, this was an extraordinary event, surpassed only by Bob's incredible graciousness as a host! Thanks to all!

Knowing Bob Ross for many years no accolade bestowed on him would surprise me. His wife was cut from the same cloth and so is his son.

Okay, time to add my 2-cents here as well. Note-taking was rather a pointless (pun intended) exercise with so many worthies. So just some thoughts and impressions. I missed some important wines, so that being taken into consideration, ...

my WOTN was the 1947 Huet Le Haut Lieu Moelleux
the amber color here did not hide the beauty of this wine, that came alive with marzipan, orange water flavored with a light honey wash. Honeycomb (the kind including the wax), a 1920's frame-house attic, autumn-fallen apples. Absolutely lovely...dare I say, ethereal?

Nothing to me really came close to this, but there were some standouts that seemed to keep getting 'out-standed' as one bottle after another was pulled from it's resting place. I really enjoyed the Gruauad Larose 1986. Nearly all the wines I purchased from that vintage when I was just bitten by the wine bug became hard, tight masses of tannins. This almost felt like it could have been an '89 to me: youthful, fruity nose...voluptuous, something I seldom say of any 1986 Bordeaux.

The Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2000 had a most wonderful nose, perfumey in the way that some northern Italians can be, and while to me it didn't scream CdP, was a very complete wine, elegant, loamy, and full of spring flowers, befitting the fine spring day we had.

It's stablemate, the Chateau le Fonsallete, Cotes-du-Rhone blanc 2000 was delicious, with an almost muscat-type aroma. Rich, but medium bodies in the mouth. I enjoyed it, being the sucker for white Rhones that I am.

The Brovia Barolo Rocche 1998 was in a good place. Despite a color that looked advanced it performed to it's pedigree, and in the palate still showed young with grippy tannins, but having the floral orange-rind quality it should.

Chateau Musar 1998 blanc also was an interesting wine, like a Tondonia blanc. An orange-wine before there was a word for it.

I liked the Burgess 1978 better than Dale did, finding it a fine example of cabernet before it became Californicated. Slightly balsamic, with some slight euculyptus-seed, this had only a whisper of a nose on it, but I quite enjoyed it.

Oh yes, how can one forget a 22-year old Bandol?? The Chateau Pradeaux 1989 was an amazing wine that really required meat to go with it, preferable spit-roasted something. The color looked a full 10 years younger than its age. This is still a baby, full of black cherry -licorice goodness.

Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County 1973. Eh? Not much to say here. This almost tasted like an old zin to me.

Hargrave Chardonnay North Fork of Long Island, 1996 reserve "Ittt's A-L-I-V-E! Really. Or, as Monty Python would have said, "I'm not dead yet." 11.9% alcohol, how quaint.

Chateau Lynch Bages, 1985 Came across better aromatically than on the palate. That lovely blackcurrant nose brought me back to the first wine I ever bought 3 bottles of. Unfortunately fading.

Henri Bonneau, Chat-du-Pape, cuvee Marie Beurrier, 1995 I never heard of this cuvee before, but I liked it enough to write it down. Cherry-pie spice, very smooth, showing well.

Cos d'Estournel 1982 was opened way too late for me to enjoy properly, but was an excellent wine. A beautiful wine that I wish I coulf have enjoyed with a meal, instead of merely sampling.

Geantet-Pansiot Chambolle Musigny 1995 How can anyone not like Musigny? Yeah, it was sweet, but not cloying. Another wine I would love to have at dinner.

Oh yes, that Champagne was r-real nice too

All in all, a great time: the people, the food, the host...everything, just perfect.

Lost and perhaps taken home by mistake:

One Schott-Zweisel glass.

I've done a thorough search of the house, including the shards of the broken glass in the kitchen, with no sign of this glass. Please respond to me privately if you find it.

Many thanks, Bob

I'm going to let other folks describe the wines and the incredible food that we all enjoyed over last weekend: it was an extraordinary experience and I was filled with joy that so many people had such a wonderful time.

Instead, I'm considering writing a draft chapter of my book describing the event and how it fits into Janet's incredible journey. The house was a very significant part of how she survived so long, and seeing and experiencing through the eyes of so many other people was very revealing to me.

It will take a week or more to do the story justice. In the meantime, thank you all who attended. I was deeply moved by your words and deeply honored by your presence in our home.

Regards, Bob