Through a Glass Darkly
We had some extra-curricular activity in one group this week.

There was some rumblings about the intentions of one member of the group whose several last-minute cancellations led to a contentious email exchange. This member is known for bringing older vintages, and another member wrote that: wines have not been up to the level that we have all raised the bar to....

I countered:
We seem to be in agreement that his wines are of a different character than some of the things most of the rest of us bring. Let me use an analogy from the Pleasure Chest on Santa Monica Blvd. They have a lot of funny looking things in there, but I can figure out what most of them are or where they go. Then there's a glass case with what look like some kind of weights in different sizes, like they might be used in fishing or something. Hmmmm? I asked the guy with six nipple rings what you use these for. He explained that you attach these weights to a ring around your cock or around your balls. I said, "Doesn't that hurt?" And that's when I got my life lesson. He said, "Preference."

It is the same with wine. He likes more mature wines. Really mature, tug on your balls with a metal weight kinds of wnes. He is not alone in his criticism of "Parkerized fruit monsters". The entire United Kingdom agrees with him. Futher, I think his entrees have often served as interesting and instructive counterpoint to the hype-driven juiced-up 21st century wine machine. Certainly the Guernica-era Rioja he brought downtown was incredible, and very valuable (try to replace that bottle on winesearcher!). His emphasis on older wines is reflective of his collection and his taste, not on trying to appeal to the mass hysteria that inevitably follows this one guy's blessing of 95-points. I think it's admirable that he sticks to his guns even as the catcalls get louder.

In other action, Steve Elzer, the host of our dinner this week, put together a fairly astounding group of "cult" wines, with almost every major name included: Harlan, Colgin, Bryant, Araujo, Scarecrow, and on and on. He suggested that we all chip in about $100 apiece and get a bottle of Screaming Eagle.

I objected on principle. I said, I thought the deal was "BYOBB," we all bring the best bottle we can and leave it at that. "We have had stellar lineups of all kinds of wine, but there was always a bigger, better name that didn't make the list because either no one had it or no one offered. We didn't go out and buy DRC or Latour or Guigal or Sassicaia to augment what was already a substantial group of wines. Much as I appreciate your largesse, or excess, with the wines for this dinner, and the thought behind it, I vote no on Screaming Eagle." I added that I would, of course, go with the majority, but the motion was shot down in committee.

In closing, I took the bus to the dinner.
- posted by Jeff Smith @ 8:45 AM