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Meursault 'Genevrieres'..... Mazis Chambertin..... Hermitage..... Gewurztraminer SGN.....


3-May-2002

Friday night dinner at home with our friends Nitza & Oded and Migry & Pietro.
As usual - a fantastic evening of excellent food, great wines, cosy atmosphere and wonderful company.


Shrimps Cocktail 'a la Dorit'
1994 Meursault 'Genevrieres'
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Mushrooms in cream sauce
1990 Mazis Chambertin, J. Faiveley
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Duck in Shiraz, small potatoes, turkish beans
1989 Hermitage, J-L Chave
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Three different Cheddar cheese
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Ice-creamed Espresso
1989 Gewurztraminer SGN, Hugel


Meursault 'Genevrieres' 1994 F. Jobard

5/2002. Brought in auction Jan-2000 for $60 (Current market price ~$85).
One of the best Meursault 1er Cru vineyard by my favorite Meursault producer from a good (but not great) white (B) vintage.
COLOR: Medium gold color.
NOSE: Excellent powerful nose of deep minerally aromas. Lemony tones add freshness to the clean and complex nose.
TASTE: Complex minerally flavors. Focused taste with good grip. Fatter and more chewy than two years ago. Impressive wine!
LENGTH: Long aftertaste with a touch of (dry) honey.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied wine with excellent structure and balance. Around its peak now.
OVERALL: Very Fine. A prime example of an affordable Meursault.
MARK: 18/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.


Mazis Chambertin 1990 J. Faiveley

5/2002. Brought in auction May-96 for $75 (Current market price $150).
I still remember the fabulous 1983 Faiveley Mazis Chambertin. No later vintage of this wine (and I have tasted many) ever came close to that 1983. Still, it is always a good wine with fine expression of the Mazis terroir.
COLOR: Medium ruby color. Some clearing around the rim.
NOSE: Amazingly rich and complex nose! Deep and powerful. Ripe black fruit engulfed by the most expressive 'Bourgogne Nose'. From sweetish barnyardy tones to damp forest floor, leather, mushrooms and raw meat. Absolutely captivating.
TASTE: Concentrated and winey, but a bit disappointing after the nose. Fruit has somewhat dried out, and the harmonized mature flavors have not yet set in. On the palate the wine appears a bit coarse though not lacking in substance and depth.
LENGTH: Long with just a touch of soft tannins.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium-full bodied wine with good texture. Expressive and deep winey. Good acidity and soft tannins but the weak fruit detracts from its balance. I think this wine will re-emerge as a wonderfully mature (B) in 3-5 years.
OVERALL: Superb. Fantastic nose but the taste is in between stages: neither really fruity anymore nor yet fully integrated and harmonious.
MARK: 18.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.


Hermitage 1989 JL Chave

5/2002. Bought at auction Feb-2000 for $150. (Currant market price $190)
I have always had a soft spot for Chave as the 1978 Chave Hermitage was the first great Rhone wine I ever tasted.
COLOR: Dark violet. Noticeable clearing towards the rim. Plenty of sediment in the bottle.
NOSE: Somewhat subdued (especially when compared to the Mazis Chambertin) nose, but delicate and flowery with clean red fruit and spice.
TASTE: Plenty of semi-ripe fruit, mixed with deep stylish spicy flavors. Elegant, poised, focused and extremely tasty. Round tannins and good acidity add dimensions to the beautifully crafted wine. Simply delicious!
LENGTH: Very long and fruity aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied wine that doesn't feel like one. Delicate yet focused expression of the Syrah grapes. Excellent backbone and winyness with superb balance between all that is there.
OVERALL:Outstanding! A refined example of a purely hedonistic Hermitage. Close to its peak now but will last for years..
MARK: 19/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? I wish I could...


Gewurztraminer SGN 1989 Hugel

5/2002. Brought by Pietro.
"Selection de Grains Nobles", SGN for short, is the rare super-concentrated botrytis-infected style originated in Alsace by Jean Hugel some decades ago. SGN is only made in extremely ripe years. The 1989 SGN had 17% potential alcohol and residual sugar of 67 gram/liter. It ended up with about 14.5% alcohol.
A couple of months ago I had the extremely rare "S" version of this wine from the same extraordinary vintage. This here is the "regular" SGN cuvee.
COLOR: Rich looking deep golden color.
NOSE: A whole vineyard coming out of the glass here. Sublime nose of fathomless fresh seductive fruit aromas with citrus honeyed overtones. A nectar one could spend hours just sniffing at...
TASTE: Concentrated and sweet of course, but well balanced by the excellent acidity. Perhaps not as intense as the "S" rendition and a tiny bit hollow on the mid-palate. Still, beautifully focused with very good fruit and wonderful depth of flavors. A rare celebration on the palate.
LENGTH: Long long and reverberating aftertaste that sings in the mouth for many minutes.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied very rich sweet wine. Richly textured with honeyed grapy flavors. Superbly balanced too. Very enjoyable now but will hold forever.
OVERALL: Outstanding! Some people find great Sauternes to be too heavy. Some people find the best of the German wines to be lacking in body. But I find it hard to believe there's a wine lover in the world who would not fall for a top Alsatian SGN.
MARK: 19/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.


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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.