Kabinett night- Roast salmon with miso rice, broccoli
2009 AJ Adam Hofberg Kabinett
Apple and peach, sweet for Kabinett (well maybe not in 21st century), a little petrol, plenty of life left. B+/B
2012 Donnhoff Oberhauser Leistenberg Kabinett
Lighter, lithe, lime and crisp pear, a little touch of pineapple sweetness. B+
Mustard chicken with potatoes and salad
2008 Chevillon Nuits St George VV
Red fruited, spicy, filigreed - fairly light bodied but balanced and with good persistence. I don’t think if had been blind I would have gone to NSG- more Volnay or Chambolle. Nice. B+
Up to Croton last night for a birthday dinner. Some charcuterie on the table as we settled in, and couple of nice Champagnes.
2009 Dehours Genevraux
All Meunier (I wouldn’t have guessed). Crisp and dry, white nectarine & Granny Smith with a little nutty note, long and minerally.. Delicious. Never had this producer to my memory. A-
2012 Rare Wine Company Sublime (mag)
I think this is from Mesnil co-op. . Oystershell, pear, a bit of obvious dosage compared to the Dehours, but fun bottle. B+/B.
Birthday boy had been busy, he started the sitdown courses with great gravlax with a creamy citrus sauce and avocado salad
2009 Keller Abtserde Riesling GG
Ripe but balanced, grapefruit and blood orange with petrol and spice. Long and lovely, delicious and no hurry here. A-
1989 Trimbach Clos Ste Hune VT
dark color but wine seems sound. Citrus, apricot, beeswax, good length. B+
Host said the reds would all be blind, we were supposed to get first one before he served next course. Red fruited, a bit spicy, couple thoughts it was Burg but most of us voted for Rhone. Got a bit more smoke and pepper with air, Dan guessed 1988 and then Chave (with a lot of confidence).Bravo. 1988 Chave Hermitage B+
One more blind red while John was plating. Again a couple of Burg guesses (and one Portugese), but we got to Rioja. Vintage took a while. Red cherries, citrus zest, spice, fallen autumn leaves, slightly lifted nose. I was guessing 50s or 60s Vina Real 1954 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia Rioja Gran Reserva A-
Smoked duck risotto was fantastic.
Blind red #3- Immediately in Burgundy, someone quickly said Morey . Red cherries, venison, smoke. Spicy. Lots of discussion of Morey GCs. But Corton with sufficient age - 1970s?- was my guess. Took a while to get to Beaune. I think we were all surprised it was a Hospices wine. 1985 Hospices de Beaune Cuvee Maurice Drouhin Beaune. A-
Blind red #4- Group got PN, got CdN, got vintage, flailed at vineyard. Black cherry, earth, mushroom, good length 1978 Trapet Corbeaux Gevrey-Chambertin. Apparently the family who owned the Rotisserie du Chambertin restaurant owned the plot, had Trapet make the wine, and only sold through restaurant. This was stock that was sold when restaurant was sold. B+
Blind Red #5 - pretty volatile, stinky, but solid core of fruit underneath, but didn’t linger with this one. Apparently fairly low fill. 1964 Thomas Bossot Chambertin C+
More food- short ribs accented with orange rind on polenta
Blind red #6 - seems like Bordeaux, Victor gets :L’Evangile on first guess! Deep black plum fruit, anise, and mint . Long, complex and refined. Guesses of 1985 and 1981 are nixed, I guess 1975 but others say not powerful enough. But it is (experienced people say unusual bottle) Great in any case. 1975 L’Evangile. A-/A
Blind red #7 - mature refined claret, Victor says RB, we discuss St Em vs Pomerol before finding St Emilion. Complex nose of tobacco, nutskin, and coffee, on the palate light (but not dilute) with dark fruit and cedar. I guessed 64 Canon, I think Victor got Belair. 1961 Ch. Belair A-/B+ (couple people thought WOTN)
Blind red #8 - wow, love this. Someone quickly calls Cali Cab, but it takes a long time to get wine and vintage. Cassis and cranberry, crunchy, bright, lots of mint and tobacco leaf, a touch of green pepper. Clearly plenty of age but still going strong.. Turns out one the blends Joe Heitz made when he needed cash, blend of regular Napa and Marthas. 1969 Heitz C-91 Cabernet Sauvignon. A-/A
What a fun and generous night! As I was packing up, a 1912 d’Oliveira Madeira (I think Verdelho but can’t swear) was making the rounds, I took a small sip, tasted like Madeira to me! I don’t drink enough Madeira to have a quality opinion, but others seemed to love.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C drinkable. 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.