To toast yet another of my prolonged absences from the Bay Area (8 months in London) a few of us gathered for lunch at the Slanted Door, to eat, drink, and merrymake. Myself, Larry Stein, Jon Cook, Rob Adler and Stuart and Jimmy Yaniger comprised a more than sufficient crew for drawing widespread stares and gasps of envy in reference to the fun we seemed to be having and the number of wine bottles we had open. Although as everyone here will surely agree, with only 7 bottles for 5 adults, it was actually a light and very sensible lunch.
Before our bottoms fully hit the seats Stuart has the waiter bring over a 2001 Gysler Scheurebe Sekt Brut which is floral spicy and mineral, and a charming way to settle into the seats, although it tastes better to my palate when combined with food to smooth out its rough edges.
Moving along to the 2004 and 2002 Pichon Condrieu, which were both very very convincing arguments for Condrieu, and viognier in general. I commented that I rarely drink viognier, but if wines like this were readily available I would happily down such treats on a regular basis because the lacy elegant fine-threaded filigree running through both of these wines really touches my insides. The 2004 had more material and seemed very promising, but will probably show better with a bit more age, while the 2002 was in a happy slightly-matured place.
The 1992 Maximin Grunhauser Abtsberg Spatlese was a fun wine, drinking well, and with air it filled into a nice complex mature ball of Abtsberg Riesling spatlese, but the Overachiever Award of the day went to the 1998 Schloss Schonborn Hattenheimer Pfaffenberg Spatlese which started off nice and pleasant but really kicked into gear with air and had every head shaking, every palate wagging, matching left and right with all the dishes, and was such a lovely expressive mineral-singing piece of Riesling juice.
No surprises that the 2004 JP Brun Terres Dorées Beaujolais “L’Ancien” was earthy and direct pleasure, although the 2005 Grosjean Gamay Vallee D’Aoste was surprisingly good. Mainly surprising in the sense that none of us had tasted gamay from Italy before, although I must admit that while this was my choice from the menu, others liked it better than I did, as it was a bit on the tart high-toned side of ripe sweet and bright, and I might have liked more bass notes to really get excited. But, it did have good body, so...
After the lovely meal we all staggered this way and that through the Ferry Building, and I eventually ended up in the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant (surprise) where I found some truly surprisingly well-priced 01 ESJ Wylie-Fenaughty ($22), but as I purchased I still felt the need to give mouthfuls to the staff about how the rest of the store was overpriced.
Oh well, just wait until I arrive in London...