16-October-2001
A few friends gathered at an excellent restaurant in Herzelyia [Ha'Tzela Ha'Shminit ("The Eighth Rib")] for an evening of wonderful food, fine wine and very enjoyable company. An endless procession of really delectable dishes kept coming to the table. Some five different types of exquisitely prepared seafood dishes followed by a similar number of goose-liver and meat portions, and finished off with array of tasty desserts.
Every one brought a bottle. My contribution was the Groffier 1993 Bonnes Mares.
1994 E. Sauzet, Montrachet - Impressive rich golden color. Nose is deep but still somewhat mute. Mouthfilling 'thick' wine on the palate, but far from ready. Immensely structured, this wine needs many more years to open up and reveal all that it has. Superb now but will no doubt improve further with time.
MARK 18.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.
1993 D. Mortet, Clos de Vougeot - Deep color for a (B) wine. Good - though definitely too young - nose of black forest fruit, clean 'Bourgogne Nose' and plenty of wood. On the palate a well structured wine that is still very much closed. Lots of wood (too much?), firm tannins and good acidity. Nicely balanced though far too young to be thoroughly enjoyed. Very Fine now but with good chances of improving with a few more years.
MARK 18/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Maybe.
1993 R. Groffier, Bonnes Mares - Contrary to the same-vintage Clos Vougeot, this wine is a bit beyond its peak. Complex nose though somewhat lacking in fruit. Loosely knit structure with softer-than-expected grip on the palate. Good aftertaste, though a bit dominated by acidity. Still a good wine, but less good than it was three years ago. Very Good but not more.
MARK 17/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? No.
1983 E. Guigal, Cote Rotie 'La Mouline' - The least good bottle I have had from this terrific wine [which I have tasted on three different occasions in the past]. Perhaps it was slightly corked or just badly kept somewhere along its history. This wine still gave a fruity concentrated nose, though not as impressive as it should have been. On the palate there was the grip and the winyness one could expect, but there was a definite unsavory element in the finish. Fine as wines go, but any mark below 19 for such a wine is a real shame...
MARK 17.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? No [based on this specific bottle].
1998 Kracher, Chardonnay "No. 13" TBA - Top of the line dessert wine from the celebrated Austrian winemaker. Orange-red viscous color. Deep nose of boiled pears and honey. Extremely concentrated and extremely sweet. Heavy and charmless. I know this is sacrilege, but as far as I am concerned, this cloying syrup cannot stand side by side with the better dessert wines of France or Germany.
MARK 16/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? No.
Reach Me? 
yak@yakshaya.com
Copyright 1996-2003.
Jacob "Yak" Shaya.