A '60's theme for a birthday boy.
Apiary.
Tasted Thursday, August 6, 2009 by BradKNYC with 715 views
Introduction
As many of you know, I like putting themed dinners together. With Manuel Camblor back in town and Sasha Katsman celebrating his 45th birthday, it was clear we needed a '60's theme, with somewhat of a focus on 1964. With that set, seven of us gathered at Apiary last Thursday for a fun-filled night completed by Scott Bryan's terrific cooking. As with any wines of that age, there were some misses, but there were also some pretty spectacular wines as well.
1971 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Auslese Nr. 49
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
We let this wine slide because, well, it's a '71 Grunhauser. From a low-fill bottle and pretty dark in color, this was a slightly controversial wine. Four out of the seven us thought it was a fairly dead bottle, but the three necrophiliacs to my right disagreed and seemed to find just wrongful pleasure here. If it ain't fully dead, it's pretty close. It's very autumnal, with rotting leaves, some dried fruit and brown sugar. It's still has acidity, but more so on the finish. Across the palate I find the wine lifeless, though it has retained some sweetness. I think even Jay Miller started to agree with the rest of us after a while. C-/D+, though maybe not so fair due to the low fill.
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1966 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Gran Reserva Flawed
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Corked. NR.
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1964 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Gran Reserva
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Double decanted before the dinner. Beautiful, rich and rustic nose full of animal funkiness, red plums, cherries, leather, cinnamon and brown spices. It was even better on the palate. It had that old Rioja elegance, almost Burgundian, but with a bit more backing and fruit. Sasha says the wine has energy and it absolutely does. There's a wonderful balance between fruit and earthiness. Similar flavors as aromas, the wine continued to grow with air, though was a touch drying on the finish, so I'd start to drink these up. Just gorgeous. A.
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1964 Bodegas Riojanas Rioja Monte Real Gran Reserva
Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
Wow! This was equally as stunning as the Viña Real, though quite different in character. It was more youthful and vibrant with much more of red fruit-driven personality. Just oodles of cherry fruit that Sasha likened to that of a Nuits-Saint-Georges, with a strong bloody note. Powerful and muscular, but the fruit is just so pure and beguiling. Manuel calls it slutty, but it's most definitely a high priced escort as there's a lot of class to this wine. Only knock on this is the finish is a touch hard and just starting to show signs of drying. This wasn't my bottle, but one I opened several months ago showed similarly. Thrilled I have two left. A.
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1964 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
This was no slouch either and finished up what was a fantastic trio of red '64 Rioja. Though lighter in color than the Viña Real and Monte real, it was more muscular than both of them. There are cherries here, but earth, beefiness and cedar are more dominant. The structure is a bit stouter and more in the forefront, but despite that, it still shows a certain elegance. With air the wine took on some really intense orange juice flavors and aromas, but not in an overly acidic way as sometimes LdH wines can do. Lovely. A-.
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1968 Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva Flawed
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja
I think I need to talk to Brad Coelho to get enough adjectives to describe just how horrible this wine was. This wine was so overrun by volatile acidity that all I can say is I'm glad I survived the event. It was painful to smell from even a foot away. Seriously. The smell alone caused physical pain. Without a doubt the most VA afflicted wine I've ever been exposed to by an exponential factor. I'd say this was the worst wine I'd ever tasted, but like most of the folks at the table, I was smart enough not to brave a taste. Jay and Sasha were not so smart. Maybe they can describe it, if they're able to talk yet. Not really sure if this bottle qualifies as a DNPIM (Do Not Put In Mouth) wine as it was clearly a flawed bottle and not just a matter of bad wine making, though I heard someone say that another '68 showed similarly, so I wonder. That said, until I try another one it gets a NR for now.
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1966 Château Gruaud Larose
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
A new glass for a new old wine. Much better. Classic old school Bordeaux, yet without the Cordier funk. Just everything that I like about old Bordeaux is present. Sweet, yet complex and perfectly proportioned. There's your typical cherry fruit, herb, earth and lead pencil complementing each other wonderfully. It's focused and fresh, showing both richness and elegance. Beautiful and long cherry finish. I could drink this all night. A-.
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1966 Château Lascombes
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
In pretty good shape for a half bottle. There's a surprising amount of red/brown earth on the nose. It really reminded me of the earth in Lancaster County, Pa (I went to college there) after a rain. There's some nice earth, cherry and herb flavors, but the wine was a bit angular and drying and got a little worse, rather than better, with air. Drink up. Low B-.
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1961 Château Branaire (Duluc-Ducru)
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Another controversial wine, again, with those that prefer ephemeral fruit with more earth and lightness of being thoroughly enjoying this wine, whilst those like me, who prefer some substance, finding it a bit disappointing. On first pour there's quite a bit of VA on the nose and palate. Too much so, in fact. It does diminish some to reveal light red fruit, earth and herb, but to my tastes there's no real life or length to the wine. Some at the table called it an intellectual wine, but I didn't find it offered enough to think about and philosophy makes my head hurt. B/B-.
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1970 Château Cheval Blanc
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Another one that wasn't part of the theme, but Jayson thought he grabbed the '62. I know a lot of folks crow over this wine, but this is the third time I've had it and it's never done much for me. I find it fairly devoid of character and easily lost in a crowd. Perhaps it's just a Burgundy fiend's Bordeaux? It's light weight, high acid, pretty light in the fruit department, but has earthy and herb/sous bois flavors and aromas in spades. I will say that this bottle grew with air more than the previous two bottles, but not enough to really impress. B.
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1964 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Let me just state for the record that bitching and bellyaching works. Joe sent out an e-mail asking whether he should bring the red or white '64 Tondonia. I immediately reply red! For those that don't know, I'm not a fan of oxidative whites. However, our birthday boy, Sasha, replied that if Joe brings the red, he'll be a friend for life, but if he brings the white he'll receive the Order of Lenin, something about acceptance to all the inner circles of all the major administrations in the Politburo and be elevated to "Uncle Joe." Well, I knew I was doomed with that response, so off went a bellyaching e-mail and lo and behold, swell guy that he is, he brought both! Anyhoo, as I said, normally I'm not a fan of these Blancos. However, for the second time in a row, the last time being a '70 Tondonia Blanco, I liked one. Yeah, it's oxidative to be sure, but the wood is pretty well-integrated and there's a racy freshness to go along with the aged elegance. Lemon custard, nuts, vanilla and baked apple, but my problem with these wines are that there's usually too much nuts and wood, but that's not the case here. While I liked it, I have to add that everyone else around me was enthralled by it, so if you're a fan of these types of wines, this just may be a benchmark Blanco. A-/B+.
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