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Zind-Humbrecht Riesling..... Brunello di Montalcino.....


19-October-99

Our friends from Switzerland, Bobby and Bea and their daughter Sarah are here for their annual visit to Israel. Together with their good friend Miriam, we all gathered for a wonderful dinner at Roshfeld, our favorite restaurant in Tel-Aviv.
As usual, the food service and atmosphere were all top-notch and we all enjoyed ourselves tremendously.
We always bring our own wine to Roshfeld and this time was no exception.

Riesling 'Clos Windsbuhl' 1995 Zind-Humbrecht

10/99. Acquired from New-York, June-99 for $51.
I have tasted a few Zind-Humbrecht wines from the famous 'Clos Windsbuhl' vineyard, but they always were Pinot Gris. From the regular dry version to the Vendange Tardive.
There, with the Pinot Gris, there is a natural alliance between the grape heavier texture and Zind-Humbrecht full-throttle, opulent style. It would be interesting to see how the purest and most elegant grape of Alsace, the Riesling, lends itself to the Zind-Humbrecht rendering.
COLOR: Medium-light straw color.
NOSE: Fat, round nose of white fruit and minerals. Not at all reminding of the super grapy (but dry!) Alsatian Rieslings. Instead of vineyard jumping out of the glass, what we have here are deep mellow and buttery aromas, not unlike a good Meursault...
TASTE: Mouthfilling and relatively big wine on the palate. Very concentrated and extremely tasty. Good fruit but a lot of other complex flavors too. Pretty dry, but not bone-dry.
LENGTH: Medium-long aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium-full bodied, opulent and fat like all Zind-Humbrecht wines are. Lots of stuffing in the bottle, though they are not always what I came to expect in Alsace.
OVERALL: Superb! A wonderful wine if you like Zind-Humbrecht style (and I do!).
MARK: 18/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.


Brunello di Montalcino 'La Casa' 1990 Caparzo

10/99. Bought in auction, Feb-99, for $110.
I have only had a score of Brunellos in my life and this one is my first from Caparzo. A single-vineyard Brunello by a super-star producer from a supposedly extraordinary vintage.
COLOR: Garnet red, intense and brilliant with light orange hints. Some clearing is evident around the rim
NOSE: Penetrating, full and varied aromas. From wild berries to creme brulee. From cinnamon and cardamon to black-pepper. Some smokey wood and vanilla tones are also there. A deep, complex and very enticing nose.
TASTE: Very 'Italian', very 'Sangiovese' on the palate. Warm, persistent and highly concentrated. A sweetish touch on the attack with smooth, dry, 'winey' feeling on the mid-palate. Ripe yet tannic with broad manly backbone. Fantastic!
LENGTH: Very long though a bit mono-syllable aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied and masculine. Very concentrated with gobs of red-fruits, smooth winyness, receding but ever-present tannins and measured acidity. Remarkable 'legs' attest to the fatness of the wine.
OVERALL: Superb-plus! Perhaps even better! The best Brunello di Montalcino I ever had. I plan to taste my other bottle in a few years time.
MARK: 18.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.


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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.