Tuesday, November 17, 2009

I'm back

I’d like to apologize for being away for so long.

A combination of a lot of travel for work and some for pleasure which meant lots of work when I got back has kept me from updating.

I’ll be around for a while and will keep the blog updated regularly for the next couple of months.

So, I was in London, Paris and New York recently.

Met Peter Liem in London to go see the Arsenal sweep Birmingham aside 3 – 1 at the Emirites. It was a fantastically good time. We had a very mediocre dinner with some mediocre wines, but it was not enough to even put a dent in my pleasant mood. (If you haven’t already sign up for his excellent guide to Champagne at ChampagneGuide.net, worth every cent.)

I was in Paris for work, and managed to find a stomach bug which sidelined me for three eating days.

The best meal I had was a long lunch at Le Comptoir at the Relais St. Germain. Great food and a short but excellent wine list. The standout wine was 2008 Lapierre Morgon was fragrant, luscious yet focused and complex. Really stunningly delicious wine that I could drown in happily. We also had a great bottle of 2007 Descombes Brouilly Vieilles Vignes.

On the prodding of Peter and Sharon, I also picked up a bottle each of Vouette et Sorbée Saignée de Sorbée and Blanc d’Argile. They were € 54 and € 46. Those are fairly expensive wines when you are spending dollars. I was disappointed in the Saignée de Sorbée. I found the wine to be very lose, with a sort of muddled nose and unstructured palate. The Blanc d’Argile was better with sharper delineation and better structure. These are very expensive in my market (the Blanc d’Argile is ~$90). Peter thinks that I would like a different vintage (this was most likely the 2005), but at those prices, I doubt I’ll be trying them again unless at a tasting or if someone else is buying. I liked a Drappier Brut Nature Sans Soufre a lot more than either, however. It was bright and lively with plenty of focus and flavor. I’ve had the Brut Nature before, but never the Sans Soufre.

NY was a blast. 2 days of Louis-Dressner tasting with old friends and evenings at the Ten Bells.

Had the Platonic form of the chicken wing at Ippudo. Great Hakata style ramen as well, of course.

Also attended the Amphora dinner at Convivio, but I’ll save that for a separate post. It was nice to finally meet Mike Steinberger. I recently read his book Au Revoir to All That. I really enjoyed it and can highly recommend it.

New content coming soon.

6 comments:

Florida Jim said...

Welcome home.
Having never been to Paris, I envy you the trip. But then, I do find time to travel now and again - as for instance, starting the 29th of this month, I'll be driving from Sonoma, CA to St. Petersburg, FL. Better still, I'm looking forward to it - I love to drive.
Probably won't be back in NC until sometime in January of 2010 - I'll stay in touch.
Best, Jim

tin said...

Agreed about VetS (and have to say a bit puzzled by the hype they are getting). Had Blanc d'Argile earlier this year and found almost watery and bland compared to, say, Collin's BdB Extra Brut. Odd that you didn't go for Prevost which is pretty much in the same price range (40-50e), and I'd say far more complex and better structured than VetS (and Collin).

TWG said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
TWG said...

Glad you're back and ready to post. The euro is a killer. I just came back from an enjoyable trip to London and Paris. Didn't make it to any football games or pubs, but experienced good weather, food and wines. Sharon's blog influenced me to seek out Foillard's 3.14 to bring back.

the vlm said...

Jim-

I have 4 wheel drive now, so maybe visiting you in January is an option.

Blackwood and I might cook up another big Loire shindig at my brother's place, so stay in touch.

Tin-

The hype compared to my (albeit limited) experience leaves me a little confused. Maybe I'll go visit Peter in Chapmpagne one of these days and he can convince me on this and Prévost (which also leaves me underwhelmed).

Sorry I missed you in London. I had less than 36 hours so it was tough. Next time, or let me know if you come to the States.

TWG-

Had great weather in Paris, true Indian Summer stuff. Didn't try Pi, but did get to see Sharon. I shant be returning to Europe until the $ gets better, it just hurts too much.

tin said...

Fully understand, don't worry. Will try to swing to States one of these days, because if you think euro isn't kind to $, you should see what it did to £.

Btw. "mediocre food and wine in London" - please, do tell more...