Leo's blind tasting group got together again yesterday - this time at Jay Miller's home in Jersey City, where he opened a lovely lineup of wines and prepared a fantastic meal (gougeres; scallops and morels; sous-vide duck breast and asparagus; prime rib and mashed potatoes; raspberry cream with some cheeses, bread and truffle sausage on the side). A wonderful time as always with great friends, and many thanks again to Jay for his generosity and hospitality.
Sparkling starters with gougeres and truffle sausage
N.V. Vouette et Sorbée Champagne blanc d'argile
Disgorged 9/12/09, bottling R-07. Starts out dominated by autolytic bready notes at first, but with air the yeasty elements move to the background as fresh pear and green apple fruit emerge with a flinty, chalky mineral base beneath. Pure, precise and refreshing - very glad I have a bottle of this.
2008 Jérôme Prévost La Closerie Les Beguines
Not quite as oxidative, savoury and nutty as I remember from my previous experience with this - this is all about fresh pear and red berried fruit with a gentle yeasty overlay, and very vibrant and nicely balanced.
Blind whites 1, with the morels and scallops
1983 Joseph Drouhin Bâtard-Montrachet
Deep gold colour, tasting like stale, oxidized apple juice. Gets a little better with air, but not much. Shame.
1993 Louis Jadot Bâtard-Montrachet
Great stuff. Layers of ripe white fruits, vanilla cream, truffles and savoury earth combining seamlessly into a polished, glossy-textured whole. There's a sense of restrained power here, fantastic balance and length - wonderful wine.
Blind whites 2, with duck breast and asparagus
1997 Alzinger Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Loibner Weingarten
Really lovely; pears, citrus fruits and green beans with a mature creaminess. This is in a great place right now with all the flavour and structural components integrated into a single whole, and it's drinking beautifully.
2005 Franz Künstler Hochheimer Hölle Riesling Erstes Gewächs
Starts out with a lovely floral and peachy scent that leads into a palate full of pale, fresh Riesling fruit and a vivid stony minerality. Superb focus, clarity and freshness; lovely.
Blind reds 1, with more of the duck
1998 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Freedom Hill Vineyard
Quite strange, showing a strong banana note on top of fresh strawberries and cherries that had quite a few of us guessing it was Gamay. There's bright acidity beneath the fruit, but not much development to the flavours and it's not particularly interesting.
1998 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Seven Springs Vineyard
More enjoyable than the '98 Freedom Hill, full of ripe Pinot fruit with a faint smoky overlay. It's nicely balanced and easy to drink, though not particularly complex.
Blind reds 2, with prime rib and incredibly good mashed potatoes
1990 Joseph Drouhin Bonnes Mares
Superb. Incredibly fragrant with a beautiful scent combining red fruits, savoury earth, leather and exotic sandalwood, cardamom and other spicy elements; there's amazing depth and nuance on the palate and a mouthfeel that's pure silk, conveying power with finesse and a real lightness of touch. My favourite of the reds.
2000 Louis Jadot Bonnes Mares
Comes across very restrained, tannic and perhaps a little closed poured alongside the '90 Drouhin Bonnes Mares. There's tightly coiled dark fruit and a powerful minerality underneath, but it's not giving up much right now and there's a wall of tannin that screams for more time.
Blind reds 3, with more prime rib and potatoes
1984 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
Corked.
1984 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
A rare and mythical creature indeed that nobody could come close to guessing (as some of us didn't know such a thing even existed) - the Dunn Cabernet that's actually ready to drink with tannins resolved! There's elegant red fruit tinged with savoury earth and some leathery funk, but I'm more awed by the fact that it's a Dunn wine where the tannins have completely integrated, and it's perfectly ready to drink.
1974 Charles Krug Winery (Peter Mondavi Family) Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage Selection Lot F1
Jay brought this out to replace the corked Mondavi. Starts out with a beautiful, old Pauillac-like scent of cassis, leather, cigar smoke and graphite; gentle and fully mature in the mouth with structure fully integrated, lovely to sit down and explore with some air.
Dessert wine to finish with cheese
1989 Huët Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Clos du Bourg
This is amazing. Fresh quince, pear, baked apples, honey and straw woven together in a seamless, incredibly complex whole conveying flavour with an incredible sense of lightness and finesse. This practically floats over the tongue, almost weightless but with such presence and persistence. Wow!
A wonderful afternoon/evening, good seeing everyone once more and thanks again Jay!
