1960 seemed to be a birthyear for a disproportionate number of metro
area winegeeks, so the Real Jay Miller sent out an invite for a
communal birthday offline. So yesterday John and I headed down and
braved the Holland Tunnel to Jay's apartment in Jersey City. I believe
there were 5 1960s present, plus a congenial group of others. In honor
of the 60s food we grew up with, the menu was:

Cheesy Poofs and Sausages
Chicken Pot Pie
Cucumber Salad
Pork Roast
American cheese
Birthday Cake

Luckily, in consideration of his guests, this translated into
delicious gougeres, local charcuterie, cuke and jicama salad, pernil,
artisanal cheeses, etc. Jay did a fantastic job hosting.

A really nice assortment of wines, I took minimal notes but here's
some impressions:

Cedric Bouchard Roses de Jeanne Champagne
No actual notes, I wasn't thrilled, not even sure if NV or vintage.

I was really interested to taste the first and second releases of the
2002 Huet Vouvray Petillant Brut side by side, but while there were
distinct differences, both were fairly closed compared to bottles (I
believe from first release) I had a couple of years ago. I
liked,didn't love, think maybe time to let these sleep. Both B/B+ for
drinking now.

NV Clouet "1911" Champagne Brut
Jay was averaging a 1959 and 1961 to get 1960, so I cheated by
bringing this and a 2009 rose to get the same thing. My joke was
somewhat thwarted when I realized the 1911 doesn't actually appear on
the bottle.
I did quite like the wine, medium to full bodied, bread dough over
pear and citrus fruit, a leesy note, good length. A-/B+

1980 Knoll Loimer Schutt Gruner Veltliner
Not only did I like the wine, but I learned the K IS pronounced (I've
always wondered). Plums, pepper, mineral, smoke. Nice mouthfeel, maybe
a bit fragile with some air. Not everyone liked, but one of my faves
of the whites. B+/A-

1989 Baumard "Clos du Papillon" Savennieres
Wet wool, cidery apples, short. Not a fan of this bottle. C

2003 Coche-Dury Meursault
Not as flabby as some 03 white Burgs, but this could still use a jolt
of acid. Warm fruits verging on tropical, a heavy dose of that
distinctive "fish oil" thing I get from C-D (John tells me it's
iodine, hmmm). B-

2008 Eminence Road Farm Gewurztraminer (Finger Lakes)
The winemakers were present, and I was happy not to have to make any
evasions, as I quite liked this. Spicy, assertive, with good acidity
for Gewurz. I'd buy this. Winery is in Catskills. B+

2008 Selbach Oster Rotlay Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling (Mosel)
Not sure if this was a big Spatlese or a light Auslese, not that
divisions are so defined these days. Fruit, power, precision, I liked,
and didn't find mid-palate dilution that one person complained about.
A-

1977 Estrella River Cabernet Sauvignon (San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles)
I'd never heard of this winery, but I enjoyed wine. Herby, balanced,
with just a hint of pruniness, the pruniness was gone on a later
revisit. Very nice. B+

1978 Cheval Blanc (St Emilion)
I had been holding to pair with a 79 for SOBER, but decided we needed
to celebrate when Jay, John, Jeff, Jim, and I (lotta Js born in '60)
became legal to drink. Nice solid cork, some bottle funk that blew off
quickly. Lots of Gravesque tobacco, mature black fruits, a little
leafy/green note. Nice concentration though not a muscular wine,
classic for my tastes. In a good place. A-

1985 Chevillon "Les Cailles" Nuits St George 1er
A bit odd, some solid cherry fruit and coffee notes but with a whiff
of swimming pool. I didn't get it as clearly corked, but in latter
conversations it seems some others (probably more sensitive than me)
had thought so
NR

1975 CVNE "Vina Real" Rioja (was this a GR? didn't note)
Slightly lifted, red fruit and molasses, herbs, earth. Lots of love
for this in the room, I liked but maybe a bit less than others. B

1924 Huet Moelleux (pretty sure I heard this was LHL, but it was in a
decanter)
A bit out of order, but the decanter was emptying fast and I didn't
want to miss this. No signs of tiredness, vibrant acidity, fresh fruit
notes of peaches and oranges, turned soil, wax. Long, complete,
excellent. A

1961 Lascombes (Margaux)
I quite liked a 70 Lascombes last year and looked forward to this, but
found it boring and not very fresh. B-/C+

1975 Ridge Montebello
Somewhat muted, light cassis notes, mushrooms, I liked a pour later a
bit better. Some discussion over whether it was corked? If so below my
threshold. Not bad but least favorite of the CalCabs for me. B/B- if a
representative bottle

1964 Borgogno Barolo Riserva
Raspberries, cranberries, tart acidty, olives, mushrooms, tea. One
person thought it was dead, not to me. Maybe a tad past some ideal
peak, but interesting and lively. A-

2008 Thomas Labaille "Les Monts Damnes Cuvee Buster" Sancerre
No contemporous notes, but I liked this even between the reds. B+

1974 Ceretto Zonchera Barolo maderized/cooked

1974 Sterling Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
Really interesting, black currant fruit, notes of earth, cocoa, and
BenGay (strangely, that's a positive is small doses). Nice length,
balanced acidity, one of my favorites. A-

We went out on the patio for some lovely cheeses and enjoyed the view
of NY harbor, the Statue of Liberty,Ellis Island, and various ships
(including one tall 3 master). Some nice dessert wines

1945 Huet "Le Haut Lieu" Vouvray Moelleux
Peaches, canteloupe, orange rind, caramel, wax, wool. Beautiful
balance, color (gold/orange with a green edge), length. Maybe I'm just
a vintage/label whore (nothing was blind) but the older Huets were
everything I'd want in a wine. A

1959 Moulin Touchais Anjou
I was really happy to see this, as I had loved a bottle at Betsy's
50th in December. This bottle seemed a tad darker, but not extreme. On
pouring I thought this was corked, but then I get more "false
positives" with Chenin than any other wine. With some time I didn't
get the cardboard hints, what was there was a midbodied wine with
quince, citrus and peaches, good acidity. Not bad, but nowhere near
the bottle from 6 months ago. B/B+

1959 Ch. des Coulinais Ste. Croix du Mont
I found this a bit dull and dilute, though some liked it. I don't
think it was so much tired as just soft & light, 51 years is pushing
it for SCdM! The apple and apricot fruit is there, low acidity, not
very long after the Chenins. B-

2005 Pinon Moelleux
I liked more than some others. A bit out of context after the more
mature wines, but nice. B+

Really fun night. I was driving so spit a lot, but that saved my
palate (such as it is) for the later wines. Good group of people, nice
to see some I haven't seen in years and meet some new faces. Thansk to
all,but especially Jay.

Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. 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.

On 5/24/10 11:08 AM, DaleW wrote:
> 1960 seemed to be a birthyear for a disproportionate number of metro
> area winegeeks, so the Real Jay Miller sent out an invite for a
> communal birthday offline. So yesterday John and I headed down and
> braved the Holland Tunnel to Jay's apartment in Jersey City. I believe
> there were 5 1960s present, plus a congenial group of others. In honor
> of the 60s food we grew up with, the menu was:

Wow! What an event, Dale. And good company for such an event, too.

> 1980 Knoll Loimer Schutt Gruner Veltliner
> Not only did I like the wine, but I learned the K IS pronounced (I've
> always wondered). Plums, pepper, mineral, smoke. Nice mouthfeel, maybe
> a bit fragile with some air. Not everyone liked, but one of my faves
> of the whites. B+/A-

Standard Germanic pronunciation, Dale. Names like Knecht, Knebel, Knoll
and (my favorite) Knövenagel all get the distinct k-n pronunciation.


> 2008 Eminence Road Farm Gewurztraminer (Finger Lakes)
> The winemakers were present, and I was happy not to have to make any
> evasions, as I quite liked this. Spicy, assertive, with good acidity
> for Gewurz. I'd buy this. Winery is in Catskills. B+

Aha! You got to "jeeb" with the elusive and mysterious Kay Bixler
(Andrew), subject of many a Chris Coad jokey reference. It's good to
hear that Andrew and Jennifer's wine is tasty, as I know from his posts
that their tastes definitely run Old World-y.


> 1978 Cheval Blanc (St Emilion)
> I had been holding to pair with a 79 for SOBER, but decided we needed
> to celebrate when Jay, John, Jeff, Jim, and I (lotta Js born in '60)
> became legal to drink. Nice solid cork, some bottle funk that blew off
> quickly. Lots of Gravesque tobacco, mature black fruits, a little
> leafy/green note. Nice concentration though not a muscular wine,
> classic for my tastes. In a good place. A-

I have really enjoyed all the '78s I've had over the past few years.
This sounds like a fantastic wine (surprise, surprise!)

> 1924 Huet Moelleux (pretty sure I heard this was LHL, but it was in a
> decanter)
> A bit out of order, but the decanter was emptying fast and I didn't
> want to miss this. No signs of tiredness, vibrant acidity, fresh fruit
> notes of peaches and oranges, turned soil, wax. Long, complete,
> excellent. A

Wow. Just, wow. You're in SFJoe territory with this. As you likely
know, '24 precedes Gaston Huët's purchase of the property, so the wine
was actually vinified by the Masse-Violet family (and the stocks were
purchased by Huët).

> 1974 Sterling Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
> Really interesting, black currant fruit, notes of earth, cocoa, and
> BenGay (strangely, that's a positive is small doses). Nice length,
> balanced acidity, one of my favorites. A-

No surprise here. This wine was made by Ric Forman from good vineyard
sources. I wouldn't be surprised if erstwhile afw poster Bob Robertson
might not have had a hand in making that wine.

> 1945 Huet "Le Haut Lieu" Vouvray Moelleux
> Peaches, canteloupe, orange rind, caramel, wax, wool. Beautiful
> balance, color (gold/orange with a green edge), length. Maybe I'm just
> a vintage/label whore (nothing was blind) but the older Huets were
> everything I'd want in a wine. A

That's good to hear. Because of a misdirected email, I have more than a
sneaking suspicion that I'll see one of these come out of a CSW shipper
on my upcoming birthday

So, not a '60er in the lot, eh? Surely there are some '60 Ports
floating around that are quite drinkable still. BTW, HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
Dale!!!

Mark Lipton

--
alt.food.wine FAQ: http://winefaq.cwdjr.net

On May 24, 11:39*am, Mark Lipton > wrote:
> On 5/24/10 11:08 AM, DaleW wrote:
> Aha! *You got to "jeeb" with the elusive and mysterious Kay Bixler
> (Andrew), subject of many a Chris Coad jokey reference. *It's good to
> hear that Andrew and Jennifer's wine is tasty, as I know from his posts
> that their tastes definitely run Old World-y.

I remember the name in Chris's posts (he was there yesterday), but
didn't make an association

>
> Wow. *Just, wow. *You're in SFJoe territory with this. *As you likely
> know, '24 precedes Gaston Huët's purchase of the property, so the wine
> was actually vinified by the Masse-Violet family (and the stocks were
> purchased by Huët).

Didn't actually know that. I believe Joe brought that bottle.

>
> That's good to hear. *Because of a misdirected email, I have more than a
> sneaking suspicion that I'll see one of these come out of a CSW shipper
> on my upcoming birthday

Yippee!
>
> So, not a '60er in the lot, eh? *Surely there are some '60 Ports
> floating around that are quite drinkable still. *BTW, HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
> Dale!!!
>
My birthday isn't for months (no one had an actual 50th this month). I
actually own 2 1960s I'm holding for my actual day. The '60 BV GdlT
I've been holding for a while, and greedily saved. I also have a 60
Fonseca, which is a good not great wine, but I had shared a previous
bottle with Jeff and Jay (and know Gilman has tried). So decided to
also save that for October.

On May 24, 11:08*am, DaleW > wrote:
> 1960 seemed to be a birthyear for a disproportionate number of metro
> area winegeeks, so the Real Jay Miller sent out an invite for a
> communal birthday offline. So yesterday John and I headed down and
> braved the Holland Tunnel to Jay's apartment in Jersey City. I believe
> there were 5 1960s present, plus a congenial group of others. In honor
> of the 60s food we grew up with, the menu was:
>
> Cheesy Poofs and Sausages
> Chicken Pot Pie
> Cucumber Salad
> Pork Roast
> American cheese
> Birthday Cake
>
> Luckily, in consideration of his guests, this translated into
> delicious gougeres, local charcuterie, cuke and jicama salad, pernil,
> artisanal cheeses, etc. Jay did a fantastic job hosting.
>
> A really nice assortment of wines, I took minimal notes but here's
> some impressions:
>
> Cedric Bouchard Roses de Jeanne Champagne
> No actual notes, I wasn't thrilled, not even sure if NV or vintage.
>
> I was really interested to taste the first and second releases of the
> 2002 Huet Vouvray Petillant Brut side by side, but while there were
> distinct differences, both were fairly closed compared to bottles (I
> believe from first release) I had a couple of years ago. I
> liked,didn't love, think maybe time to let these sleep. Both B/B+ for
> drinking now.
>
> NV Clouet "1911" Champagne Brut
> Jay was averaging a 1959 and 1961 to get 1960, so I cheated by
> bringing this and a 2009 rose *to get the same thing. My joke was
> somewhat thwarted when I realized the 1911 doesn't actually appear on
> the bottle.
> I did quite like the wine, medium to full bodied, bread dough over
> pear and citrus fruit, a leesy note, good length. A-/B+
>
> 1980 Knoll Loimer Schutt Gruner Veltliner
> Not only did I like the wine, but I learned the K IS pronounced (I've
> always wondered). Plums, pepper, mineral, smoke. Nice mouthfeel, maybe
> a bit fragile with some air. Not everyone liked, but one of my faves
> of the whites. B+/A-
>
> 1989 Baumard "Clos du Papillon" Savennieres
> Wet wool, cidery apples, short. Not a fan of this bottle. C
>
> 2003 Coche-Dury Meursault
> Not as flabby as some 03 white Burgs, but this could still use a jolt
> of acid. Warm fruits verging on tropical, a heavy dose of that
> distinctive "fish oil" thing I get from C-D (John tells me it's
> iodine, hmmm). B-
>
> 2008 Eminence Road Farm Gewurztraminer (Finger Lakes)
> The winemakers were present, and I was happy not to have to make any
> evasions, as I quite liked this. *Spicy, assertive, with good acidity
> for Gewurz. I'd buy this. Winery is in Catskills. B+
>
> 2008 Selbach Oster Rotlay Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling (Mosel)
> Not sure if this was a big Spatlese or a light Auslese, not that
> divisions are so defined these days. Fruit, power, precision, I liked,
> and didn't find mid-palate dilution that one person complained about.
> A-
>
> 1977 Estrella River Cabernet Sauvignon (San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles)
> I'd never heard of this winery, but I enjoyed wine. Herby, balanced,
> with just a hint of pruniness, the pruniness was gone on a later
> revisit. Very nice. B+
>
> 1978 Cheval Blanc (St Emilion)
> I had been holding to pair with a 79 for SOBER, but decided we needed
> to celebrate when Jay, John, Jeff, Jim, and I (lotta Js born in '60)
> became legal to drink. Nice solid cork, some bottle funk that blew off
> quickly. Lots of Gravesque tobacco, mature black fruits, a little
> leafy/green note. Nice concentration though not a muscular wine,
> classic for my tastes. In a good place. A-
>
> 1985 Chevillon "Les Cailles" Nuits St George 1er
> A bit odd, some solid cherry fruit and coffee notes but with a whiff
> of swimming pool. I didn't get it as clearly corked, but in latter
> conversations it seems some others (probably more sensitive than me)
> had thought so
> NR
>
> 1975 CVNE "Vina Real" Rioja (was this a GR? didn't note)
> Slightly lifted, red fruit and molasses, herbs, earth. Lots of love
> for this in the room, I liked but maybe a bit less than others. B
>
> 1924 Huet Moelleux (pretty sure I heard this was LHL, but it was in a
> decanter)
> A bit out of order, but the decanter was emptying fast and I didn't
> want to miss this. No signs of tiredness, vibrant acidity, fresh fruit
> notes of peaches and oranges, turned soil, wax. Long, complete,
> excellent. A
>
> 1961 Lascombes (Margaux)
> I quite liked a 70 Lascombes last year and looked forward to this, but
> found it boring and not very fresh. B-/C+
>
> 1975 Ridge Montebello
> Somewhat muted, light cassis notes, mushrooms, I liked a pour later a
> bit better. Some discussion over whether it was corked? If so below my
> threshold. Not bad but least favorite of the CalCabs for me. B/B- if a
> representative bottle
>
> 1964 Borgogno Barolo Riserva
> Raspberries, cranberries, tart acidty, olives, mushrooms, tea. One
> person thought it was dead, not to me. Maybe a tad past some ideal
> peak, but interesting and lively. A-
>
> 2008 Thomas Labaille "Les Monts Damnes Cuvee Buster" Sancerre
> No contemporous notes, but I liked this even between the reds. B+
>
> 1974 Ceretto Zonchera Barolo maderized/cooked
>
> 1974 Sterling Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
> Really interesting, black currant fruit, notes of earth, cocoa, and
> BenGay (strangely, that's a positive is small doses). Nice length,
> balanced acidity, one of my favorites. A-
>
> We went out on the patio for some lovely cheeses and enjoyed the view
> of NY harbor, the Statue of Liberty,Ellis Island, and various ships
> (including one tall 3 master). Some nice dessert wines
>
> 1945 Huet "Le Haut Lieu" Vouvray Moelleux
> Peaches, canteloupe, orange rind, caramel, wax, wool. Beautiful
> balance, color (gold/orange with a green edge), length. Maybe I'm just
> a vintage/label whore (nothing was blind) but the older Huets were
> everything I'd want in a wine. A
>
> 1959 Moulin Touchais Anjou
> I was really happy to see this, as I had loved a bottle at Betsy's
> 50th in December. This bottle seemed a tad darker, but not extreme. On
> pouring I thought this was corked, but then I get more "false
> positives" with Chenin than any other wine. With some time I didn't
> get the cardboard hints, what was there was a midbodied wine with
> quince, citrus and peaches, good acidity. Not bad, but nowhere near
> the bottle from 6 months ago. B/B+
>
> 1959 Ch. des Coulinais Ste. Croix du Mont
> I found this a bit dull and dilute, though some liked it. I don't
> think it was so much tired as just soft & light, 51 years is pushing
> it for SCdM! The apple and apricot fruit is there, low acidity, not
> very long after the Chenins. B-
>
> 2005 Pinon Moelleux
> I liked more than some others. A bit out of context after the more
> mature wines, but nice. B+
>
> Really fun night. I was driving so spit a lot, but that saved my
> palate (such as it is) for the later wines. Good group of people, nice
> to see some I haven't seen in years and meet some new faces. Thansk to
> all,but especially Jay.
>
> Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
> wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. 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.

Designation corrections:
The Cedric Bouchard was the NV Roses de Jeanne Blanc de Noirs.
The Coche-Dury was the Meursault 'Les Rougeots'. Very generous for
John to bring, but even more disappointing knowing such an expensive
bottle. .

On May 24, 10:33*am, DaleW > wrote:
> On May 24, 11:39*am, Mark Lipton > wrote:
>
> > On 5/24/10 11:08 AM, DaleW wrote:
> > Aha! *You got to "jeeb" with the elusive and mysterious Kay Bixler
> > (Andrew), subject of many a Chris Coad jokey reference. *It's good to
> > hear that Andrew and Jennifer's wine is tasty, as I know from his posts
> > that their tastes definitely run Old World-y.
>
> I remember the name in Chris's posts (he was there yesterday), but
> didn't make an association
>
>
>
> > Wow. *Just, wow. *You're in SFJoe territory with this. *As you likely
> > know, '24 precedes Gaston Huët's purchase of the property, so the wine
> > was actually vinified by the Masse-Violet family (and the stocks were
> > purchased by Huët).
>
> Didn't actually know that. I believe Joe brought that bottle.
>
>
>
> > That's good to hear. *Because of a misdirected email, I have more than a
> > sneaking suspicion that I'll see one of these come out of a CSW shipper
> > on my upcoming birthday
>
> Yippee!
>
> > So, not a '60er in the lot, eh? *Surely there are some '60 Ports
> > floating around that are quite drinkable still. *BTW, HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
> > Dale!!!
>
> My birthday isn't for months (no one had an actual 50th this month). I
> actually own 2 1960s I'm holding for my actual day. The '60 BV GdlT
> I've been holding for a while, and greedily saved. I also have a 60
> Fonseca, which is a good not great wine, but I had shared a previous
> bottle with Jeff and Jay (and know Gilman has tried). So decided to
> also save that for October.

You must tell me how the BV comes out as I still have one I was saving
for my 65th.

On May 27, 2:22*pm, Lawrence Leichtman >
wrote:
> On May 24, 10:33*am, DaleW > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On May 24, 11:39*am, Mark Lipton > wrote:
>
> > > On 5/24/10 11:08 AM, DaleW wrote:
> > > Aha! *You got to "jeeb" with the elusive and mysterious Kay Bixler
> > > (Andrew), subject of many a Chris Coad jokey reference. *It's good to
> > > hear that Andrew and Jennifer's wine is tasty, as I know from his posts
> > > that their tastes definitely run Old World-y.
>
> > I remember the name in Chris's posts (he was there yesterday), but
> > didn't make an association
>
> > > Wow. *Just, wow. *You're in SFJoe territory with this. *As you likely
> > > know, '24 precedes Gaston Huët's purchase of the property, so the wine
> > > was actually vinified by the Masse-Violet family (and the stocks were
> > > purchased by Huët).
>
> > Didn't actually know that. I believe Joe brought that bottle.
>
> > > That's good to hear. *Because of a misdirected email, I have more than a
> > > sneaking suspicion that I'll see one of these come out of a CSW shipper
> > > on my upcoming birthday
>
> > Yippee!
>
> > > So, not a '60er in the lot, eh? *Surely there are some '60 Ports
> > > floating around that are quite drinkable still. *BTW, HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
> > > Dale!!!
>
> > My birthday isn't for months (no one had an actual 50th this month). I
> > actually own 2 1960s I'm holding for my actual day. The '60 BV GdlT
> > I've been holding for a while, and greedily saved. I also have a 60
> > Fonseca, which is a good not great wine, but I had shared a previous
> > bottle with Jeff and Jay (and know Gilman has tried). So decided to
> > also save that for October.
>
> You must tell me how the BV comes out as I still have one I was saving
> for my 65th.

no worries, you know I post on everything!