Corton Charlemagne..... Chateau Ausone.....

Tonight with delicious dinner for four to celebrate Dorit's birthday (tomorrow) and our 23rd wedding anniversary (yesterday) we opened two wines. A great Grand Cru white (B) and a great 1er Grand Cru St.-Emilion.

Corton Charlemagne			1989	Bonneau du Martray

11/95. Bought in auction Feb-95 for $55 (imported from Chicago for $65 net).
COLOR: Good golden-yellow color. Pretty viscous appearance.
NOSE: Excellent aroma of minerals and apples, with a touch of honey.
TASTE: Very rich taste. Hints of flint, spices, nuts, and butter. A 'broad', mouth-filling wine. A tinge of bitterness on the finish attests to the fact that this wine is still far from being mature.
LENGTH: Infinite long and complex, lingering in the mouth for ages.
BALANCE & TEXTURE: Very good acidity vs alcohol, though not particularly fruity. A viscous wine.
OVERALL: Superb! Much better than the bottle I had 7 months ago.
MARK: 18/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.

Chateau Ausone				1978	St. Emilion

11/95. Bought in auction Feb-95 for $90 (imported from Chicago for $100 net).
COLOR: Dark opaque red with some beautiful brownish hues. The very looks of this wine demand respect.
NOSE: Powerful and superbly elegant. Tobacco and leather with an underlying layer of red fruits. As time passed the fruit aroma became more and more demonstrated.
TASTE: Multiple-flavors with red fruits as a backbone. The maturity of this wine is evident by its smoothness on the palate. Every sip brings the sensation of a very concentrated wine that simultaneously engulfs every taste bud in the mouth with pleasurable flavors. Some tannins and a lot of acidity give the appearance of a younger wine.
LENGTH: Very very long complex aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Smooth and very elegant texture. A wine full of young vigor expressed by high level of acidity that is matched by the 'fleshy' winyness. Good balance between fruit and tannins.
OVERALL: An extraordinary wine. Maybe not as tasteful (in the simple straight forward sense of the word) as the '83 Margaux. But an incredible drinking experience. A tiny bit less wonderful than the bottle I had eight months ago.
MARK: 19/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.

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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.