Pommard - Les Epenots		1988	O. Leflaive

12/95. Bought in Paris April-95 for $36.
Tonight we took this bottle to the best Japanese restaurant in Israel. If Manabu-san can regularly drink the best wines in the world with Japanese food, I can also try it once (though this bottle is far from being "one of the best wines in the world").
I usually don't think much of Pommard and even less so of Olivier Leflaive's wines. But I had this bottle and thought what the heck...
We had a sumptuous and superb meal that consisted of assorted sashimi, Japanese meat dumplings, Ramen noodle soup, and a huge sukiyaki for two!
COLOR: Pretty dark and dense red for (B), sudden clearing around the rim.
NOSE: For the first hour and a half, a strong bouquet of 'Bourgogne nose' intermixed with some dark forest fruit. Not the refreshingly sour cherries one finds in the more delicate (B) wines, but a more developed, a little bit rotten, fruit. The problem was that the 'Bourgogne nose' was too strong and overpowering. Still, a pleasant dominant nose. In about two hours the aroma dried out and the nose became more alcoholic.
TASTE: Surprisingly good and smooth! Nothing too complex or subtle, yet very tasty and enjoyable. The wine went magnificently with all the different dishes we had, including the sashimi! The sturdy wine with the good fruit and the noticeable soft tannins turned out to be excellent accompaniment to the various and pungent food.
LENGTH: Nothing to write home about.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Really good balance between fruit, tannins and acidity. Medium body and excellent structure. Lacks a bit in 'flesh' and complexity.
OVERALL: A very good wine. Much better than I had expected. I don't think I would enjoy this wine very much on its own. But it was probably the best possible (B) to go well with the Japanese dinner.
MARK: 16/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? No.

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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.