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Meursault 'Genevrieres'..... Leoville Las Cases..... Vega Sicilia.....


15-Sep-2000

A wonderful Chez Nous evening with our dear friends Amihai, Dafna, Oded and Nitza.
It has been some time since Dorit last staged a full-fledged Friday night dinner. Tonight she outdid herself with an array of dishes that was beautifully presented, interesting and exquisitely delicious.

Seviche of shrimps with avocado, dried tomatoes & creme fraiche
1994 Meursault 'Genevrieres', F. Jobard
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Filo parcels filled with minced lamb, fresh figs & salty cheese
1990 Ch. Leoville Las Cases
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Rolls of beef filet with slices of goose chest in Amarone & herbs sauce
1962 Vega Sicilia 'Unico'
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Assortment of cheese
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Ice-cream Pavlova



Meursault 'Genevrieres' 1994 F. Jobard

9/2000. Bought at auction, Jan-00 for $60.
Francois Jobard is one of the best producers of Meursault. 1994, though not a great vintage, was a much better one for white Burgundies than for the reds. 'Les Genevrieres' is certainly among the very top Premiere Crus from this appellation.
the wine still tasted fresh and alive. Very minerally nose and flavor with startling concentration. Long and complex aftertaste. Not oaky or overblown. Perfection and very much my style of white Burgundy. COLOR: Medium golden yellow.
NOSE: Very nice nose. More minerally and lemony then fruity. Complex, clean, not much wood (if at all) and very elegant.
TASTE: Fresh flavors, again plenty of minerals. Not as fat and chewy as a Meursault can be, but impressively concentrated. Rather crisp, stylish and very elegant wine. More like a good Puligny-Montrachet than a typical Meursault.
LENGTH: Long lemony aftertaste with a touch of honey too.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium bodied wine. Very focused and stylish with an excellent backbone and grip. Lacks the 'buttery' fatness of Meursault, but beautifully poised and extremely well balanced.
OVERALL: Fine. Very well made wine from a less-than-great vintage.
MARK: 17.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.


Ch. Leoville Las Cases 1990 St. Julien

9/2000. Bought at auction Jul-97 for $150.
The first and foremost wine among the Bordeaux "Super-Seconds". The most prestigious of the three Leovilles, from one of the best vintages in recent history.
COLOR: Very dark and opaque ruby red. Hardly any clearing around the rim. Plenty of sediment.
NOSE: Simply grandiose! Extremely concentrated nose of red and black forest-fruit, spices, chocolate, complex earthy elements and what-not... Plenty of wood here, but this is one wine that can hold its wood without caving in. An amazing combination of aromas and bouquet that is a real pleasure to sniff at.
TASTE: Impressively winey, multi-dimensional, deep complex and highly concentrated. All that without losing one bit in the hedonistic department. Wonderful grip, brilliant and multi-flavored. Still very tannic and not completely open, but a truly great wine that will surly deserve a Grand Vin mark in a few years.
LENGTH: Infinitely long and powerful aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied wine with majestic proportions that never loses its elegance or style. Wonderfully balanced and harmonious nectar.
OVERALL: Outstanding!! My only reservation here is that we tasted this wine about five years too early.
MARK: 19/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.


Vega Sicilia 'Unico' 1962 Vega Sicilia

9/2000. The oldest vintage of Vega Sicilia I ever tasted. The '68, '70 and '81 versions of this fabled Spanish Ribera del Duro estate were all really great wines (and they all felt unbelievably young!).
COLOR: Pretty dark and homogeneous color. A good promise for a 38 years-old wine.
NOSE: Very very mature. As a matter of fact - too old. Sweetish 'portish' nose, not at all unpleasant, still complex and multidimensional. Alas, this wine has lost any typicity it had as a Vega Sicilia. By now it is an interesting old wine, well down on the convergence road...
TASTE: Rich and full of flavors for a while but became sourish in some 30 minutes. Again, very port-like in its feel, though not as sweet or as strong of course. Not spoilt in any way and obviously a fine wine in its prime time. I just wish I could have tasted it some five years ago.
LENGTH: Long and lingering aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: I find it difficult to assess these qualities here. Not as strong and sweet as a port (well, it ain't one), and neither as dry and balanced as a Vega Sicilia. Just an old complex wine.
OVERALL: Good-plus. Sic Transit Gloria Mundis...
MARK: 16.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? No.


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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.