Trashcan-gate
The following has nothing to do with wine.

I went to throw out the recycling the other day and found a large cardboard box in the recycling bin. Because of it, there was no more room in the bin, so I took it out. It was empty except for some of those air-pack things they use instead of the hated "peanuts." I took the air-packs out and pierced them, then found a receipt in the bottom of the box. It had our neighbor's name on it. They dumped their box in our trash. What makes it more insidious is that they went to the trouble of tearing off their name on the mailing label on the outside of the box. I went inside and told my wife.

Now what to do?
(a) Go for moral superiority and do nothing.
(b) Return the box to them with the invoice stuck to it.
(c) Talk to them either nicely or not nicely

I was going for plan (b), but the housekeeper broke down the box and threw it in the recycling before I got a chance. My wife saw the neighbor on the street and talked to them very nicely. The bat has been taken out of my hands, but did I do the right thing by turning them in to the fuzz in the first place?
- posted by Jeff Smith @ 11:55 AM

 
The Usual
I returned home from Mexico to receive an "Urgent (kind of)" message: I was invited to a tasting of Kosher wines!!! I couldn't make it but here's the email in response to "how was":

"You know, kosher wine tatsing at a hollywood writer's house, some merlot, rabbis, hookers, blow, the usual....."
- posted by Jeff Smith @ 3:30 PM

 
Veteran's Day
A little dinner with some old friends last night. That is to say the other fellows at the table were seasoned veterans of the wine game: Harold Applebaum, Jerry Magnin, Tom Rykoff, Joe Smith, Jim Craig...and me and Christian N. at Eric Greenspan's The Foundry on Melrose. Just another Wednesday night.

The Rundown:
1988 Salon Le Mesnil
1997 Bouchard Montrachet
1996 Marcassin Marcassin Vineyard Chardonnay
1976 Arnoux Romanee St. Vivant
1991 Jayer Vosne Romanee Cros Parantoux
1953 Cheval Blanc
1959 Latour
1975 Mouton Rothschild
and a Sauternes that had gone decidedly south.
- posted by Jeff Smith @ 9:25 AM

 
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

 
Drinking the Kool-Aid
The title of this blog refers to The Cult of Cults Dinner last night at the Campanile Clubhouse, not to the fairly astounding grouping of 23 red wines (and 7 more) that were poured. I am exhausted.

David Griffith says it's not the wine that kills you at these dinners, it's the food. He has an uncanny nose and correctly "guessed" most of the wines, which were served "Blind-ish:
Marc Abrams hair was there, having switched allegiance from the Mets to the Yankees to the Jets to the Giants to the Brooklyn Dodgers. (Why is it that the only people who read my too-infrequent blogs find something objectionable in them? I have been censored and censured, but I won't bore you with the details here.)
Jordan Posell and David Rauch were both savoring their last hurrah before new babies arrive, one scheduled for delivery on the night of the next meeting of this esteemed group.

There was so much wine it had to be broken up in to A and B flights. With the possible exception of the 02 Modicum, a wine made in partnership with the French Laundry's Thomas Keller, everything was of tip-top quality. These wines are so hard to get, come in such small quantities, and at such high prices, it's like they almost don't exist at all. It was quite a treat to see so many of them at one table. Bravo to Steve Elzer who put it all together and brought almost a case of these gems.

Assorted Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Tray Passed Hors d'Oeuvres
96 Dom Perignon

Leek and Bacon Tart served with crème fraiche and fine herbs
02 Marcassin Vineyard Chardonnay (RP 99)
02 Sine Qua Non Whisperin E (RP 95)
02 Scholium Sylphs (N/R)
03 Maldonado Reserve Chardonnay (N/R)

Sauteed Trenne, beef bolognese (not again!)
03 Scarecrow (RP 98) 04 Maybach Materium (N/R)
02 Modicum (N/R)
03 Vice Versa (RP 90)
02 Hundred Acre (RP 98)
03 Buccella (RP 95)
04 Keeber

Braised Beef Short Rib, blue foot mushrooms, peppercorn cream
00 Shafer Hillside (RP 99)
01 Foley Cabernet (RP 99)
01 Pride Reserve (RP 99)
01 Switchback Ridge (RP 98)
01 Araujo (RP 97)

Grilled Rack of Lamb with shell bean ragout, salsa rustica
82 Grace
00 Harlan Estate (RP 91)
00 Colgin Cariad (RP 94)
04 Bryant (RP 95-97)
92 Colgin Herb Lamb Vineyard (RP 96)
93 Harlan Estate (RP 95)
94 Diamond Creek Lake Vineyard
95 Shafer Hillside Select (RP 99)

Pear Tatin with Mascarpone Creme
Araujo Grappa (just gross, but you practically have to take it, and the soap, and the olive oil, if you want to keep your allocation up for the wine. The "Tyranny of the list.")
01 Sine Qua Non Straw Man
- posted by Jeff Smith @ 8:16 AM

 
Going to see the Pope

- posted by Jeff Smith @ 4:48 AM

 
Swimming with Dolphins
I went to a casual Monday night tasting last night in Malibu. I'll skip the table talk and get right to the wine:

Chapoutier L'Ermite '99
Niellon Chass. Maltroie '04
Smith Haut Lafitte '98

Gevrey Chambertin Les Varoilles '85
Chauvenet Echezeaux '85
Lopez de Herediz Rioja Vina Bosconia '76 (*wine of the flight and surprise of the night)
Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino '95
Rostaing Cote Rotie Les Terroirs '02

Conterno Barolo Monfortino Riserva '95
Haut Brion '95 (*wine of the night)
Latour '95
Mouton '95
Sloan '03
Galardi Terra di Lavoro '04

Caprai Sagrantino di Montefalco 25 Anni '95
Feudi di s. Gregorio '97
Pahlmeyer Merlot '96
Anne Gros Clos Vougeot '00
Sine Qua Non Into the Dark Grenache '04
Norton Malbec

Yquem '86
- posted by Jeff Smith @ 9:38 AM

 
Hate to See Her Go
I had a funny exchange with a client this morning. I'm trying to get him to buy a fairly substantial amount of wine from another guy. I sent him a list with pricing on it, totaling $15,000. He asked me to trim it down to $10K, which I did. Then he sent me a supplemental list of stuff to price out. That added up to another $5K. I suggested he take the whole lot, back at $15K.

He wrote back: "The continuation of my marriage requires that I keep this under 10 grand."
I said: "She had a really good run and I'm sure you'll be sorry to see her go, but...."
He: "That's true, great wines are hard to find."

Another guy complained that his wife likes only cheap wines. He's tried to get her to go along with the program, but she persists in her plonk. I told him he's got to get rid of her. Then he told her what I said!
A week later I saw them out at a restaurant together. I said, "You're still here?"
- posted by Jeff Smith @ 11:46 AM