So I made my first and last visit to Porter House last night (restaurant is closing, this was last BYOB night). Nice setting with views of the city and Central Park.
We started with bacon, salads (Caesar and green), hamachi crudo, shrimp cocktail
2020 Georges Laval Les Chenes Champagne
Crisp pear, apple, macadamia nut. Snappy acids, bright and dry, nice mousse. I enjoy though I realize it’s very young. A-
Blind white: We all thought white Burg (from a producer with a reductive style), I guessed Meursault (maybe even Coche). When Michael said not Burgundy Jayson went Oregon which seemed right, I guessed Goodfellow just from the reductive nose (and hearing it had 3 hr decant). Pear, hazelnut, matchstick, good acids, excellent length. 2016 Walter Scott X-Novo Chardonnay. B+
NV (I think) Oudiette Filles Composition Champagne
Red fruits, I’m thinking strawberry sweet tarts, a slight musky note, different. B/B+
2022 Extradimensional Yeah! M-CF Mariana's Vineyard
Funnily I almost served this Friday, now I get to try without opening my lone bottle. Different and fun wine- crunchy red berry fruit, spicy, light and easy without giving up complexity. Yeah! B++
Blind red- Peppery spice, a bit mint, redder. I think most of us settled on Northern Rhone syrah, though my age guess was 12-20 years. Nice wine, ready to go. 1997 Chave St Joseph B+
Several of us split a porterhouse and a cowboy ribeye, one person got lamb and another a filet. Sides included onion rings, hash browns, and creamed spinach.
2004 Lopez de Heredia Bosconia Rioja Gran Reserva
Really young, lovely raspberry and red cherry, clove and pepper spices, a touch of coconut and dill. Give it time, but already pretty fun to drink. A-
2000 Ch. Latour
Big, cassis and cedar, walnuts, big but supple tannins. Lots of potential, B+ for now
2003 Ch. Latour
Ripe and lush, but only a hint of heat. Not my ideal style of claret but better than I expected from 2003. B
1996 Ch. Grand Puy Lacoste
Black plum and cassis, cigarbox, saddle leather, on young side but developing complexity, really quite fun. A-/B+
2012 B. Giacosa Asili Barbaresco
Young but I’m surprised at how approachable it is- I usually figure 20 years before even thinking of drinking Giacosa! Red and black cherry, tar, spice, the tannins are surprisingly supple, tasty. B+/A-
1999 Molettieri Cinque Querce Taurasi Riserva
Well we were on a streak till here. This wine has it all- VA, heat, and oxidation! C
They brought out some huge desserts (something flambeed, cheesecake, coconut cake) but as I don’t eat I fled early to make my train. Good people, good wine. Hello/Goodbye Porter House!
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.