NYE 2022 Thread

Looks like nobody has started a thread about that festive evening.

We started with caviar and 2008 Pierre Moncuit Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut, which was fine and elegant. Perhaps a touch lean, but that was not the time to quibble, it was a wonderful way to end any afternoon!

With dinner the 2016 Fontodi Chianti Classico was nicely balanced and good with food, but it was tough next to the 2015 Col D'Orcia Brunello Vigna Nastagio, which was so showy and so delicious.

Later there was a somewhat disappointing bottle of 2019 Domaine des Croix Beaune Les Cents Vignes. It had plenty of fruit and was easy to drink, which was appropriate for the lateness and the occasion. But it didn't show the nuances and precision that a recent bottle did. Perhaps the occasion was not ideal for finding those nuances!

The only special thing I did wine-wise for New Year's Eve was to open a bottle of Krug Grande Cuvee at midnight.

-Paul W.

Just starting to write up notes, but the 3 standouts were NV Georges Laval Cumieres Brut Nature, 2009 Piuze Bougros Cote de Bouquereaux Chablis GC, and 1989 Ch. La Fleur de Gay

[Jenise]

We didn't do very well this year, I'm afraid. A series of flubs, to some extent.

Started out well though with a 'practice' bottle on the 30th:

NV Gosset Champagne Grand Rosé Brut
Coppery orange-pink color. Dry/toasty/creamy flavors like an unsweetened baked apple with pie crust. Fabulous texture. Did not taste brand-new but flavors were not oxidative. Killer pairing for a plate of fried shrimp. Bought one of six on the shelf at a local retailer last week and immediately went back for the rest (at $50 ea, considerably below the going rate of $70-80).

On New Years Eve, we went to a party where no one would be bringing anything special and the hostess would be serving severely overbaked ham and chili. We took a decent Sonoma cab that's a side hustle of a well-known lady winemaker whose name escapes me at the moment, and a deliciously spicy sparkling pinot meunier from Nichol Winery in the Okanagan Valley (our hosts are Canadian, so this was in their honor). The cab went on the wine table and we saved the bubble for later. Turns out most of the guests left earlier than expected, so Bob and I stuck around to keep the hosts company and at 11:00 we pretended it was midnight and drank the Nichol.

On New Years Day, we went over to another friend's home to celebrate New Years. They would have been at the party the night before but she's scheduled for surgery on Feb 20th and is now in quarantine until after the procedure--if she contracts Covid or any flu within 60 days of the procedure, it will be cancelled. We're among the trusted few they'll socialize with. Also, they have a brand new Shih Tzu puppy (12 weeks old, arrived on Thursday last week) that I absolutely HAD to meet. She served:

2014 Woodward Canyon Charbonneau Walla Walla Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
Drank my three bottles too soon. This one was not only great (I thought the others were too, but), it was the best red wine of any stripe I've had in a long, long time. Absolute perfection. What a loss that this is the last vintage of this iconoclast of Washington fruit and winemaking. Though WC has been the only winemaker with access to this field-blend since forever ago, he doesn't own the vineyard and the economics of really old low-yield vines has convinced the owner to replant. Sad day, there's nothing else like it. For us with classic tastes, it's the best red in this state. Or, was.

Afterward Bob and I came home to celebrate a little more on our own. I had planned to open a 2007 Taittinger Comtes but forgot to chill one. So for expediency sake I went with what was already cold and ready to go:

NV Jose Dhondt Champagne Blanc de Blancs
It was Corked. We drank a glass each anyway with seared foie gras on toast and called it a night.

And today I'm having a gout flare-up.

sorry about the corked Dhondt, and really sorry about the gout, but rest of weekend doesn't sound like flubs at all. I've enjoyed the both of the Gosset Grand Reserves recently, especially the rose, it's a house I don't think of enough.

Quiet night here. The customary dinner is Rack of Lamb with Potatoes Au Gratin. I roasted some yellow and orange carrots. For wine, I had a bottle of Rene Rostaing Cote Rotie (2005). I liked the wine but wi9sh I had opened it earlier.

Tonight will be the leftovers (including the other half of the wine) with a salad replacing the carrots.

This Saturday I will be hosting a small holiday get-together with some family (I mentioned this in another post). I'll be serving a rib roast, mashed potatoes, more carrots (unless I can think of something else). Guests will bring desert and a salad. I haven't picked out the wines yet, but I'm leaning towards a Bordeaux or California cab, a Sauternes.

2009 Piuze Bougros Cote de Bouquereaux Chablis GC

Standout 2009 Chablis/White Burgundy does sound like something to be thankful for!

I don't track all the premox waves, but I also don't age the stuff.

...Bob and I stuck around to keep the hosts company and at 11:00 we pretended it was midnight and drank the Nichol...

Why wait! I went to a small party and they were supposed to do a 'ball drop' at 10pm, but couldn't be bothered to wait and did it at 9:50pm instead!

[David M. Bueker]

We spent the evening (until 9:30) with dear friends that we hadn’t seen since October. Had a very nice 2015 Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru with dinner, and a Prosecco with non-wine friendly snacks.

Lights out and asleep at home before 11.

[Jenise]

Why wait! I went to a small party and they were supposed to do a 'ball drop' at 10pm, but couldn't be bothered to wait and did it at 9:50pm instead!

I'm amused that almost everyone in this thread did likewise. Most of my life I've been the midnight type--when we were kids we'd have spent the entire day listening to the top 100 of the year on KRLA radio and nothing could have torn us away from the announcement of the #1 song at midnight.

Things have sure changed.

[Jenise]

I've enjoyed the both of the Gosset Grand Reserves recently, especially the rose, it's a house I don't think of enough.

Me neither, but then mostly because I hardly ever see it around. Finding these was a surprise--the retailer grabbed the last two six packs a distributor had and put one each in his two stores for New Years. I generally always prefer blancs to roses, but this rose really won my heart.

Its interesting to read about forumites celebrations. I have already posted on a lovely Trousseau.....Lovely NYE chinese meal. One guest brought a Trousseau from Combe winery in Santa Barbera, Calif. The evening opened with the Philipponnat Royale Reserve Rose Brut disgorged Jan `22. Very nice deep salmon, small bubbles, strawberries on the finish, medium acidity. Quite creamy thought some, Ed bottle wine store owner. First white was a 2014 Hain Piesporter Riesling Feinherb (mine). Really past its peak but seemed to attract attention with the delicious food. Should have done better in my choice eh? The 2017 Tahbilk Viognier Central Victoria was a gem on its own but did not feel out of place with the food. Pale straw, honeysuckle apricots and lemon. Still fresh with cruncy apple and nectarine (mine). Wish this was a regular on the shelves here in town.
Finally a no-name Greek red, 2019 Voltes Tsimbidi. Host opened at the end of the meal, did not excite me at all. By 10.30 I was done and headed home, blurred vison from meds no fum.

[Robin Garr]

Sorry, I'm a little late getting this posted. I wanted to take not of it, though, as it was one of the better Napa French bubbles I've had. I actually popped the cork a couple of days before New Year's Eve so I could feature it in a Wine Advisor article for New Year's, but hey, close enough.

Mumm Napa NV Brut Prestige ($19.99)

Labeled "methode traditionnelle," Mumm Napa Brut Prestige is made with a typical French Champagne blend of 45% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir, plus smaller amounts of Pinot Gris and Pinot Meunier. Clear, light gold color, it pours out with a mound of white foam that falls back quickly to reveal small, lasting bubbles. Given a little time to warm in the glass, it unveils delicious, subtle scents of pears and peaches. Carbonation yields a creamy, nearly dry mouthfeel, with white fruit consistent with the nose and good, crisp acidity for balance. 12.5% alcohol. (Dec. 28, 2022)

FOOD MATCH: Assuming you aren't drinking it on its own in a celebration or as an aperitif, the producer suggests pairing it with hors d'oeuvres like crab cakes or smoked salmon; fresh green salads, or grilled chicken
and vegetables. We tried it with an Italian pasta dish, spaghetti cacio e pepe, and found the wine's acidity and carbonation did a good job of cutting through the cheesy pasta dish.

WHEN TO DRINK: Drink up, the producer says. It's not a wine meant for aging.

VALUE:
Wine-Searcher.com's $20 average U.S. retail matches my local price, which seems fair for this quality California sparkler from a French maker, although Wine-Searcher.com finds some shops offering it for $15 or less. It sells for $24 plus shipping at the winery.

WEB LINK:
For extensive information about Mumm Napa Brut Prestige, follow this winery link.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Mumm Napa Brut Prestige on Wine-Searcher.com.

Read more about Mumm Napa at this Wine-Searcher link and view listings for other wines from this producer.