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Riesling SGN..... Meursault - Genevrieres..... Gevrey - Cazetiers..... Grands Echezeaux

31-May-96

Tonight, a Friday dinner for six to cheer ourselves up a bit following the sad outcome of the general elections...
Chef Dorit Shaya provided the nourishments, while your humble sommelier was responsible for the wines.

Foie d'Oie au sauce d'Esspresso
1989 Riesling (Selection des Grains Nobles), Trimbach
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Bisque de Crevettes
1988 Meursault - Genevrieres, Comtes Lafon
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Canard au Shiraz
1989 Gevrey-Chambertin "Les Cazetiers", B. Clair
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Assiette des Fromages
1983 Grands Echezeaux, Mongeard-Mugneret
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Parfait Citron
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Cafe et Digestif


Riesling, Frederic Emile (SGN) 1989 Trimbach

Bought in auction Dec-95 for $50 (for half bottle), (imported for $61 net).
This rare wine accompanied the foie d'oie. 1989 was probably the best vintage of the 80s in Alsace. SGN (Selection des Grains Nobles), the rarely produces 'Sauternes' of Alsace, are always extraordinary wines.
COLOR: Medium deep straw color. Unlike Chateau d'Yquem, does not 'look' particularly concentrated.
NOSE: Immense! Unbelievable grandiose bouquet. Complex, multi-layered nose that combines concentration with freshness. The grape is unmistakable, though the nose is three times as profound as the best 'ordinary' Riesling. Honey, apples, citrus, petrol - all larger than life...
TASTE: Sweet and concentrated, yet focused and refreshing. Superb acidity and 'wininess' makes this nectar instantly recognizable from a syrupy artificially sweetened wine. Still a bit closed, but so rich and tasty that one can hardly imagine a better wine. The contrast with the Foie d'Oie made the pairing a perfect match.
LENGTH: Long aftertaste that lingers for ages. The smaller sip one took - the more the aftertaste was felt!
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied wine. Quite 'fat' but not as viscous as one might expect. Perfect balance between fresh fruit, great sweetness and concentration, and excellent acidity that gives this wine the appearance of a very focused wine.
OVERALL: An extraordinary wine and a great and rare treat! In 3-5 years this wine will surely become a divine example of the wonderful Alsace SGN.
MARK: 19/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.


Meursault - Genevrieres 1988 Comtes Lafon

Acquired from London Feb-96 for $91 (imported for $116 net).
This famous 1er Cru from the best possible source for Meursault and a very good year should provide the ultimate example of the terroir.
COLOR: Pale yellow, quite viscous looking.
NOSE: Superb aroma of butter, toasted almonds and apples, with more than a hint of vanilla and wood. Very 'clean' yet complex nose.
TASTE: Excellent. Rich, creamy yet completely dry on the palate. Still a bit tight, in spite of the eight years since the vintage. Very luscious, multilayered flavors. As serious and as complex as a white wine can get.
LENGTH: Extremely long aftertaste that stood up to the flavorful shrimps soup it accompanied.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: A very well structured full bodied Meursault. A 'fat' wine with plenty of zest. A bit too much oak and a bit lacking in acidity.
OVERALL: Superb wine though, amazingly enough, still far from open. I had another Lafon 1988 Meursault about a month ago - "Les Perrieres". That wine was much more forward than the present Genevrieres, which certainly needs at least another 3-5 years in the bottle.
MARK: 18/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? No.


Gevrey - Les Cazetiers 1989 B. Clair

Bought from Bruno Clair at the winery in the Cote d'Or, Apr-96 for $39.
Cazetiers, my favorite Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru, is usually on a Grand Cru level.
COLOR: Medium brick red. Some clearing towards the rim.
NOSE: Fine though a bit rustic 'Bourgogne Nose' masking almost any other element. Some discernable red-fruit bouquet, but admittedly less than I expected. The nose (as the rest of this wine's aspects) developed and changed significantly in the glass.
TASTE: Very tasty wine. Perhaps not as concentrated as Jadot's Cazetiers, but an excellent 'food wine'. Still a bit tannic and coarse, with some fruit and plenty of acidity on the palate. A perfect match for the Duck in Shiraz.
LENGTH: Nothing to write home about.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: My experience with 1989 1er Cru red (B)s lately suggests that these wines generally entered their don't-touch-me-now period. They have lost much of their initial fruitiness, but have not yet gained the complexity and silky smoothness of a mature (B). Hence the hollow and lack of 'wininess' feeling. Good acidity and healthy amount of tannins hold promise for the future.
OVERALL: An excellent wine that was caught in its dormant phase. I wish I had another bottle to try in a few years.
MARK: 17+/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Maybe.


Grands Echezeaux 1983 Mongeard-Mugneret

Bought in auction Aug-95 for $70 (imported for $82 net).
My last bottle of this fantastic Grand Cru. Always counted with the best wines I ever experienced.
COLOR: Light red with beautiful brownish hues. Not a pale wine by any means and neither suffers from serious loss of pigments towards the rim.
NOSE: The most beautiful and complex 'Bourgogne Nose' imaginable. Mature red-fruit, sweetish plums, mushrooms, and dump forest-floor. All mingle into a powerful, harmonious, extremely enticing nose that one is hard pressed to let go.
TASTE: Mouthfilling. A big wine on the palate, fully mature with plenty of grip. A myriad of layers and flavors attack the taste buds with harmonious and delicate concoction before, during, and after every sip. Fantastic!...
The wine is too good and subtle to be dominated by real food. It was perfect with the cheese plate.
LENGTH: Extremely long and complex aftertaste. Keeps developing in the mouth long after the last drop of every sip is gulped down.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied though not heavy in any sense. Fully mature and well integrated, though superb 'flesh', good acidity and some tannins are still discernible separately. Harmonious, silky, 'big', authoritative - are some of the adjectives that come to mind.
OVERALL: Extraordinary! A truly great wine in every respect. A rare example of what a mature Grand Cru from the right source can be like. I am pretty sure this wine still has a few years of top life ahead, though why wait?
MARK: 19/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.


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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.