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August 15, 2005
Dear Fellow Essex County Wine
Society Members:
Our Fall Dinner will take place
on Sunday September 18 at the home of Mark and Mary Beth Chase in Montclair
New Jersey.
As we said in our Summer 2004
letter, the Society has had a history of running Fall picnic/dinners at the
homes of our members. These events were very successful and many members
have suggested that we try such an event again.
We could not think of a more
interesting location where we could have this event than Mark and Mary
Beth’s home in Montclair. Their home has a vintage that dates back to the
eighteenth century and in fact, one can see the original foundation of the
family home from such time in their backyard. Mark and Mary Beth’s primary
residence was built in the nineteenth century and there is also a terrific
barn on the property that we can use if the weather is not cooperative.
We will have an outdoor buffet
dinner catered by one of the better catering organizations in the Montclair
vicinity. The Cooking Company of Verona will prepare such dishes for us such
as Sliced Fillet of Beef with Horseradish Cream and Salsa and Poached Salmon
with Cucumber Dill Sauce.
The wines for the Fall dinner
were chosen in the usual categories: Champagne; a white wine; two red wines;
and a dessert wine. We attempted to match the wines to the food. On this
occasion we have some unusual and, we hope, very enjoyable choices. The
Champagne is one of the Society’s favorites – Deutz classic brut N.V. –
described by Decanter magazine (August 2005) as having a “high proportion of
reserve wine and with extra ageing this gives increased depth, richness, and
complexity”. The wine received Decanter’s highest rating of five stars.
The white wine is a Loire Valley Savennieres, 2002 Domaine du Closel Clos du
Papillon. We had a Nicolas Joly Savennieres at the Spring dinner and it was
very well received. We will see how they compare. Savennieres is “not a
lush, oaky wine, but rather austere, steely, crisp . . . and long lived.
They have delicious fruit four years after release”. [They then shut down
for 5-6 years after release]. “Ten years after cellaring reveals wines pf
considerable complexity and magnificent minerality” (R.M. Parker, Wine
Buyer’s Guide 6th ed. 2002).
The Marquis d’Angerville 1996
Champans (Volnay) is one of our choices for a red wine, in this case,
burgundy. The Marquis rates the 1996 vintage second best of the 1990s,
behind the 1990 and tied with the 1999. The wine is described by Pierre
Rovani in the Wine Advocate (April 1998) as having a “creamy cherry-scented
nose and outstanding, sweet, medium-bodied and supple character packed with
ripe black cherries and minerals”. The other red wine is the 1998 San Roman
from the Toro region of Spain. “In strength and body its [Toro’s wines] are
rivaled only by those from Priorato, Jumilla, and Yecla” (Jan Read, SPAIN
1992). “Toro was once noted for overwhelming alcoholic, heavy wines. Toro
has adopted modern technology, and the results have been some rich,
full-bodied, southern Rhone-like wines” (Parker). This wine was purchased
for our cellar after the Society tasted it in the Spring of 2002.
The dessert wine will be from the
great vintage of 2003 in the Mosel from the outstanding producer, J.J.
Christofel. We will be having the Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese (one
star). Pierre Rovani (Wine Advocate December 2004) says “ with time [after
allowing the SO2 to clear] the powerful aromas of slate come to fore,
followed by a softly textured, light to medium body flavor profile of
blueberries, pears, blackberries and apples”.
If you wish to sit with
particular members at the dinner, please indicate the names on the attached
response form and we will do our best to accommodate you. Please respond by
Friday September 9, 2005.
Please also get your 2005/2006
dues checks ($75.00) in the mail, even if you cannot join us at the Fall
Dinner. We would like to get an indication as early as possible as to how
many openings we will have for new members for the coming year.
We look forward to seeing all of
you on September 18. Let us see if you can go back to the old days of the
Society.
Details of the Fall Dinner are as
follows:
Date:
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Reception: 6:00
p.m.
Dinner: 7:00
p.m.
Attire:
Smart casual
Location: Chase
residence
Address: 108
Bellevue Avenue
Montclair NJ 07042
Telephone:
1-973-509 0356
Cost: $
95 members
$110.00 non-members &
guests
In vino veritas and a votre sante,
Bob & Howard
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