WTN: Burgs, Riesling, Gewurz, and Port with cheese

Mark organized a cheese/wine matching event to say goodbye to Ivy, who is selling Second Mouse and moving to PA. I’ll list the cheeses later after I get a full list

We started with an ash covered Spanish goat cheese, reminded me a bit of Garrotxa.

2021 Samuel Billaud Montee de Tonerre Chablis 1er
Lemony citrus and a little pear, chalk and seashell, excellent acids. B+/A-

2021 Joseph Colin La Garenne Puligny-Montrachet 1er .
A little matchstickish reduction, but blows off to show a ripe but balanced wines. Pear and white pear, hint of hazelnut, good acidity propping up the ripe fruit, nice stony finish. Very young. B+

One of my favorite cheeses came about here, the Firefly Farms Cabra Lamancha

2021 Schafer Frohlich Felseneck Grosse Gewachs
Tangy and bright, grapefruit and wet rocks, lovely long wine. A-

1998 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre
Lychee, honey, and honeysuckle, moderate acids (in other words great acids for a Gewurz!), gets more floral and honied. I was in minority in preferring to the ZH. B+/B

1989 Zind Humbrecht Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Urbain Riesling
Ginger, cidery apple, a bit weedy, it’s holding on but not thrilling me. But not overblown like many 90s ZHs (this was I think Olivier’s first year in charge).,

2001 JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese (regular whitecap)
This is so 2001, vibrant fruit but even more vibrant acids. Tangy, minerally, long. Not as sweet as some modern Auslese, this is a lovely balanced wine that would be really versatile with food. A-
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1999 JJ Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spatlese
Softer, with apple and peach, honied, fleshy, seems sweeter than the 01 Auslese due to softer acids. B/B+

2012 Roty Gevrey Chambertin
Pretty open, earthy, black cherry and raspberry, light mocha notes. Tannins are in background and this is easy to drink. B+/B

1999 Jadot Clos des Ursules Beaune 1er
This is pretty classic Ursules with dark fruit, coffee, and smoke, but there’s a hint of oxidation here and I don’t think a perfect bottle. I have others from different source and will try soon. Still I found it palatable. B anyway

1994 Fonseca Port
Quite young, toffee, fruitcake, and dark berries, some cocoa and fig with time. I’m not a good judge of Port but liked a lot. B+/A-

Fun night, will append cheeses when I get full list.

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.

[David M. Bueker]

I would have really liked that tasting.

Glad to know the Fonseca is still so young. I have a mag and might just let them serve it at my wake.

Mark Golodetz organizing? Nice lineup of wines. At the risk of going full Iverson on you here, how did the wines do with the cheeses?

Yes, Mark G organized.
As one might expect, overall better results with whites than reds. I was holding off till I got names of cheeses, but a few thoughts:
the best wine with the red Burgs was a cheese that was supposed to be a hommage to Ossau-Iraty (I'd prefer just to have O-I, but the match went well).
A particularly great Colston Basset Stilton went well with the port
A washed rind cheese did well with both Alsaces.
Those were my favorites. I'm not as all in on wine and cheese as some, I love both, but think magical pairings are rare.
But a very fun night with nice people.

As usual, we are pretty much in sync with the notes, although I preferred the Zind to the Trimbach. For me, the 2001 Prum was gorgeous, but the highlight for me were those cheeses and the butter, which is clearly going to become an addiction.

The Rodolphe Le Meunier butter is addictive, they had been out last time I was in Second Mouse, planning on picking up now I know it's back in stock.

Thanks, Dale and Mark. No shock about the pairings with washed-rind cheese. I'm a bit surprised that any cheese pairs well with Burgundy, but I haven't done a thorough study by any means. That Firefly Farms Cabra Lamancha does sound delicious.

Got the cheese list

Monte Enebro, Queserias Tietar, Castilla y Leon
Good, and went better than expected with white Burgs

Red Casanova, Bio-Käserei Wiggensbach, Bavaria
washed rind, better with Alsace than with white Burg

Firefly Farms Cabra la Mancha
Very good, surprisingly good with the dry Riesling

Reo Camembert, Normandy
A little short of perfectly ripe

Alp Blossom, Baden-Württemberg
flower covered, I think others liked more than me.

Vermont Shepherd Verano Putney, VT
This and the Stilton were my 2 favorite cheeses

Rodolphe Le Meunier Beaufort d'Ete, Savoie
Very good (but his butter is even better). This and the Verano did ok with red burgs

Sequatchie Cove Creamery Shakerag Blue, Tennesee
Wrapped in bourbon soaked fig leaves Paired with the Alsaces, but they did better with the washed rind

Colsten Bassett Stilton
Yum. And Port and Stilton still work

Thanks, Dale!

Nice evening. Too bad 2001 JJ Prum is so pricey these days, or I’d hunt more down. That said, I still have 5 bottles of the 01 Prum Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Auslese from that case of so we split over a decade ago.

Mine (4) from that buy (14 total, 6 to Patrick, 2 to Mark, 2 to Ian) all gone. I remember you searching for bottles after we tasted by Jacques' pool.

[David M. Bueker]

Made me look…still have 15 bottles of 2001 Prüm Auslese (8 WS, 2 WSGK, 3 GH, and 2 ZS). Will have most of those for a long time, as they are buried so deeply that even a deep water mining rig can’t get to them.

I am down to a few scattered bottles of 2001 Germany, I think the only Prum is a regular WS Auslese. Certainly wines with decades in front of them, but they always seemed to drink well, I won't regret opening them.

[David M. Bueker]

2001 Germany=190 bottles.

I think I bought enough!