Chevalier Montrachet..... Grands Echezeaux.....

28-Mar-97

Another 'Grand Dinner' at our wine partners Amihai and Dafna.

Chevalier-Montrachet "Les Demoiselles"	1990	L. Jadot

3/97. Acquired from France Sep-93 for $78 (Imported from Beaune for $104 net).
One of the greatest dry whites of this world, from Jadot's famous 'Les Demoiselles' sub-plot in the Chevalier Montrachet vineyard.
COLOR: Medium golden yellow. Viscous and fat looking. Marked 'legs' on the glass (a rarity for white wine).
NOSE: Super elegant! Deep yet fragrant. Maturish-young rather than youngish-mature. Complex apples-pears fruit, a touch of honey - very creamy nose. Hardly any wood felt. Pure Chardonnay at it utmost best.
TASTE: Mouth-filling, rich and reverberating. Unbelievably tasty. Although meant to accompany all dishes till the main course - the bottle was finished very quickly.
LENGTH: Long and enticing aftertaste, though not as long as I expected it.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Surprisingly only 'Mid weight' wine. Extremely elegant in all respects though not as blockbusterly concentrated as the 1988 I had a couple of years ago.
OVERALL: Extraordinary experience from an extraordinary wine. Ready to drink now though will keep and develop for some years.
MARK: 19/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.

Grands Echezeaux		1985	R. Sirugue

3/97. Acquired at auction Dec-93 for $100 (Imported from Chicago for $112 net).
Robert Sirugue - a small but quality-minded grower - has a tiny holding in this famous Grand Cru vineyard.
COLOR: Typical garnet red. Not much clearing towards the rim. Looks healthier than what might be expected from a 12-years (B).
NOSE: Minor-keyed though fully developed 'Bourgogne Nose' acts as perfect backdrop to mature red fruits. Some tone reminded me of certain Praline though I can't remember which... Grand Cru nose par excellance!
TASTE: Ripe, rich, multi-layered. Sweetish dried plums on the palate. Very concentrated and 'winy' wine. Extremely tasty and still as charming as the vintage.
LENGTH: Medium length of good though slightly acidic aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium-full body. Excellent concentration, a lot of 'winyness', ripe and soft tannins, good acidity. Great balance.
OVERALL: Superb! Where the wines were concentrated to start with - the '85s are still wonderful. Drink now if you have a bottle.
MARK: 18/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Maybe.

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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.