WTN: Salil Birthday Bash

Used mostly for cooking
2023 Markham Sauvignon Blanc (Napa)
This is probably the least flavorful/most innocuous SB I’ve ever had. Dilute lemon flavors, light body, moderate acids. C+

Pasta with a beef ragu, broccoli rabe
2006 Felsina Fontalloro
I’m a big Fontalloro fan, but this isn’t doing it for me. Big ripe fruit bordering on kirschy, vanilla, creamy texture, hint of heat. Needs to be dialed back a bit. B-

Chicken thighs with coriander/Aleppo and cauliflower (simple sheet pan dish), sweet potato, salad
2011 Knoll Riesling Smaragd Kellerberg
Peach and apple, honeycomb, orange zest, big with long mineral finish. B+/A-

Sunday down to Noreetuh for Salil’s birthday with a nice group.

2019 Marie Courtin Eloquence
Citrus (grapefruit), white flowers, bright crisp and very good A-/B+

Some musubi made the rounds (I had one piece of salmon and one scallop)

NV Calsac Clos des Maladries (2020 base)
good but less bright & crisp and more oxidative than I remember Calsac being. Someone says “whisky barrels” and I can relate. B

2008 Ployez-Jacquemart Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut
Still very young, delicious, lemony with pear notes and pastry cream. I really enjoyed, though prime time ahead of this one. A-

Fried chicken
Taiwanese fried cabbage

2011 Bernard-Bonin Les Genevrieres Meursault 1er
New producer to me, but I really enjoyed this. Some oak/butterscotch notes, but rich pear fruit, good acid backbone, long. I was thinking I should look for this producer but then was told recent vintages are $500+. I liked, but outside my range! A-/B+

2012 Richard Leroy Chenin Rouliers
Some real Loirehheads really enjoyed this, but I found while well made to me the style was a bit ponderous. Quince, honey (though dry), matchstick, good acids. B-/B

Calamansi duck with duck fat/confit fried rice

1985 Pothier-Rieusset Rugiens Pommard 1er
Another new producer to me (apparently stopped production in 90s) Mature but not tired, strong ferric notes, some leather and herbs, quiet but elegant red fruits. B+

2013 Colombera & Garella Pizzaguerra Lessona
At first others around me liked more,but with some air I thought this delightful. Nice texture, red fruits, spicy, saddle leather. B+

1990 Von Schubert Maximin Grunhauser Herrenberg Auslese
I liked this this more than some others did. Peach and tropical fruit, anise and green herbs, very good acids, nice citrus/mineral finish. B+/A-

Beef galbi with lettuce and accoutrements

2 blind reds
#1) after couple off guesses (PN and Barolo) Salil uses the minty/eucalyptus notes to guess Martha’s, Seth say no but good guess, Jayson immediately goes to Phelps. Really comes alive with air- cassis, cigarbox, the minty note. 1985 Phelps Backus A-

2) So my first guess was a whiff, mature Sangiovese! After we get #1 we get back to Phelps, but vintage is hard- I’ve never had before. Red fruits, herby but not as minty as 1985, leather. 1983 Phelps Backus B/B+

1985 La Rioja Alta Rioja 890 Gran Reserva
Wood is too prominent for some, but with some air I quite enjoyed, the wood became more sandalwood. Red fruits, clove, citrus zest. B+/B

1996 Baudry Grezeaux Chinon (mag)
Great from this format, black cherry and cassis, tree bark, green tobacco leaves. It’s herby without overt green pepper notes, I say this is a Chinon to serve to the Bdx guys who say they don’t like Loire reds. Very nice! A-/B+

1985 Jaboulet La Chapelle Hermitage
Black fruit, black pepper, black olive, smoke.. Resolved tannins, good acids. Some liked less than me, but birthday boy was happy and that’s what matters! B+/A-

OK, there’s a blind white from another table. White Burgundy, mature but still with a touch of matchstick, I guess PYCM. Occasionally even a blind squirrel….2006 Pierre Yves Colin Morey Perrieres Meursault 1er. B+/B

30 day aged porterhouse with more cabbage

1985 Domaine de Chevalier
Wow. I’ve had lots of 85 DDC, but this may be best bottle ever, Red fruits, tobacco, gravel, leather, resolved tannins and bright acids, very long and complex finish, classic Graves. A-/A

1990 Lynch-Bages
Maybe it was comparison to the elegant DDC, but side by side I found the Lynch a bit dull. Still, a good claret, with ripe cassis and some pencil lead and walnuts. Hey, I’ll drink, but think wistfully about the 85 DDC. B+/B

2004 Pira Cannubi Barolo
Last minute addition, decanted at Noreetuh, a bit shaken up. Despite some stiff tannin this was surprisingly open, with red fruit and big floral notes. A B for me tonight, but with time and proper treatment (not owner’s fault) this should be quite good in 10 years

2008 Roederer Brut
Big but elegant, fine mousse, pear and apple with a touch of brioche and hazelnut. A-/B+

A 1985 Huet Clos du Bourg Moelleux was served blind , but was identified before I got a pour. Not very sweet (initial guesses were sec and demisec), and a tad closed, but some nice underlying pear, quince, wax and wool. Huet can have ups and downs, this seems a bit down, a B but likely going to reopen. CT says I have the Le Mont, should try to find.

There was some wines I skipped - sherry and a Bea passito, plus stuff from other tables, but I had plenty!

Noreetuh on a Sunday is always a blast. Lots of visits with other tables, Jin and crew as always did a great job with food and service. Main thing was Salil was there with lots of people who care about him. Fun night!

No wines Monday with mushroom Bourguignon.

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 as only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.

2012 Richard Leroy Chenin Rouliers
Some real Loirehheads really enjoyed this, but I found while well made to me the style was a bit ponderous. Quince, honey (though dry), matchstick, good acids. B-/B

I'm sure you know that Leroy became a cult god and the wines are now essentially unobtainium, and then crazy priced if you can find them, especially in the US. I used to drink them a bit 10-15 years ago and my reaction was similar to yours. But I was neither interested nor able to keep following them and develop a very informed view!

[Jenise]

2008 Ployez-Jacquemart Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut

Yes! Thanks to my friend Warren, I've been introduced to this producer. Great stuff.

Really glad you could join for the Noreetuh dinner. That really was a blast - a really good group,and Jin/Tasha went out of their way (even by their usual standards - I cracked up at the menu). Thanks for taking notes so diligently - I don't have clear impressions on a few (there was a LOT of wine) but my thoughts, starting with the ones that were real standouts for me:

- 85 DDC, very much as you describe. Just spectacular, everything I want old Graves/DDC to be, so savoury and smoky and gravelly, and so fresh. That was probably my favorite of the night.
- 96 Grezeaux - always love this wine, probably my favorite of the Baudry bottlings, and the '96 is the best vintage I've tasted. This one lived up to my expectations. Really bright and fresh with a gravelly and light herbal character around the fruit, like you say it's the Chinon that could convert a lot of people (while still retaining a clear Chinon character and some of the characteristic greenness). Perhaps ran just behind the DDC among my personal favorites of the evening.
- 85 Jaboulet - love this, one of my favorite La Chapelles and I've had more consistently outstanding experiences with this than the 90 or 89 (where I've found quite a bit of bottle variation). Powerful, dark fruited, smoky, so classic.
- 85 Phelps Backus - both Mikhail and I were struck by how minty and eucalyptus-forward it was, we were discussing whether it was an older Aussie (something from Penfolds or Henschke) or Napa. Knowing Seth's cellar (more old CA Cab than Aussie), I guessed '85 Marthas because of that. But that was really lovely, really complex and layered.
- 90 Grunhaus - loved this, thought the aromatics were particularly amazing with that savoury pine cone/slightly herbal aspect I find in older Grunhaus along with the fruit and mature smokiness.
- the sherry was a La Bota de Amontillado "Navazos" No 1, Mikhail had been saving that for a dinner when Jay/I would both be at the same table. Thought it was excellent - dry, a surprising smoky topnote around all the salt and roasted almonds and lemon/orange peel notes, really well balanced and elegant. Certainly polarized a few people, but I was a huge fan.

Some other fun surprises/standouts:

- the 85 Pothier-Rieusset Rugiens was lovely! I posted on a bottle earlier this month that had been very good, though not at this level. That last one showed rather tertiary, the fruit came through brighter in this, though the savoury leather/iron notes still dominated.
- liked the Richard Leroy a lot. Normally I'm not the biggest fan of dry Chenin or Chenin in a more oxidative style, but I found myself really enjoying this. Had a slightly oxidative nutty/smoky aspect around the fruit/wooly notes that I thought added interest without overwhelming the fruit or making it feel too oxidative.
- the Marie Courtin was very good, more generous in terms of fruit/richness than I expected based on my past experience with the producer. Liked it much more than the Calsac, where like you I found a bit of oxidation that muddled the other flavours.
- I also really liked the Pira a lot, think more than many others at the table. Very young, but really bright fruit and florality, a producer I'll have to explore more (though Ken already has me exploring a lot more of Piedmont than I was a few years back).

Also, agree with your take on the Lynch-Bages - found it a bit dull, almost a slightly roasted aspect to the fruit on the nose that made it feel muddled. Suffered by comparison to both the DDC and the Baudry.