Tonight accompanying a delicious dinner (compliments of Dorit) with our wine partners:

Bonnes Mares (magnum)	1969	Clair-Dau

3/96. Bought in England Nov-95 for $184.
The oldest (B) I ever had. And 'en magnum' too! This exalted vineyard from the famous Clair-Dau domaine at the height of its time. The bottle looked so good. Full up to the capsule, the label clean and fresh, almost too good to be true.
COLOR: Beautiful dark and deep brownish-red, very thin clear rim.
NOSE: Out of this world! Immense concentrated aroma. Full-fledged yet clean 'Bourgogne nose'. Leather, damp forest, deep and enticing. The kind of bouquet only great (B) can provide. No discernable fruit as such, yet the most harmonious aroma imaginable. Would convert any infidel to the (B) faith...
TASTE: Powerful on the palate as it is on the nose. Completely mature of course, yet full of flavors in great balance. Even a little cherry fruit still discernable. Vigorous and mouth-filling. Not a hint of dried-out alcohol. Very complex yet extremely tasteful. Hard to imagine a better tasting wine. Even the 'foie gras' dish, which usually ruins any wine, did nothing but accentuate its quality. Very little wine was left for the cheese...
LENGTH: Incredibly long aftertaste that reverberates in the mouth long after each sip is swallowed. A touch of tannins at the finish gives way to a myriad of after-shock sensations.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: As full bodied and smooth Grand Cru as can be imagined. The 27 years that passed since the vintage did nothing but melt this wine into the most harmonious nectar. Still vigorous and kicking this velvet-texture wine has perfect balance, excellent structure and plenty of 'meat'.
OVERALL: A divine example of what a great old (B) can really be like. A rare treat that is worth every penny. I guess the magnum bottle did add to the keeping qualities. If anyone is lucky enough to have this wine he should be in no hurry to drink it. This Bonnes Mares will hold its own for sometime to come (though why wait?).
MARK: 20/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.

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Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.