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23-June-97
Last Friday we hosted the sixth Ligature annual dinner at our home. For those
who don't know, Ligature is the software company yours truly is a slave-partner
of (we developed one of the best OCRs in the world...). Once a year Dorit
invites my four other partners and their wives to a Grand Dinner chez nous. This
year's feast seems to have surpassed them all.
Of the ten people around the table, only about three or four have any affinity
to wine, but even the rest seemed to have enjoyed the selection. A wonderful, enjoyable and fantastically tasty evening.
Zillion kudos to Dorit - The one and only when it comes to staging such great feasts (well, that, and many other thing of course...)
Chateau Climens 1982 Sauternes
6/97. Acquired at local auction Dec-95 for $60 net.
The classic match of a great Sauternes with fresh foie gras brings out the best
in both dish and wine...
COLOR: Deep golden yellow. After all, this is a 15 years old white wine. Some
crystal-like substance (sugar?) was floating around the bottom of the bottle.
NOSE: Extremely sensual and attractive. Abundant fruit and delicious honey and
flowery tones.
TASTE: Terrific! Mouth-fillingly rich yet not in a bit cloying. Sweet yet
refreshingly vibrant. Fantastic and harmonious contrast with the foie gras.
LENGTH: Medium long and very tasty aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Extremely rich with good fruit and acidity to counter the
sweetness. Not in a bit heavy.
OVERALL: Superb wine even though the vintage is not a top one for Sauternes.
Remarkably young too.
MARK: 18/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.
Pouilly-Fuisse 'Hors Classe' 1993 Dom. Ferret
6/97. Acquired at local auction Mar-97 for $31 net.
My second bottle of this famous Pouilly-Fuisse wine.
COLOR: Palish straw-yellow. Nothing to write home about.
NOSE: Surprisingly concentrated for the vintage. Plenty of northern tree-fruits
with a positive tone of lemon. A little too much wood does mask some of the
aromas. Still, very nice nose all in all.
TASTE: Quite rich on the palate, not unlike a good Meursault. Very dry with only
that touch of lemon to give it some character. Went beautifully with the shrimp
& pasta dish.
LENGTH: Short aftertaste dominated by some bitterish elements.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full-bodied and fairly viscous. A little bit overoaked but
well structured. Still needs some years to open up completely.
OVERALL: Excellent! A very nice wine for its price. Will surely improve in the
future.
MARK: 17/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Maybe.
Vosne - Les Beaux Monts 1988 Dom. Leroy
6/97. Acquired in auction Jul-95 for $80 (imported for $92 net).
This is the third time I have this superb wine. The famous Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru
from the superstar Domaine Leroy. Only 550 cases were made of this wine by
Leroy.
Tonight it perfectly accompanied the perfect main course of Beef Stroganoff.
COLOR: Extremely good color for red (B). Full vibrant red. Hardly any paling
around the rim.
NOSE: Enticing deep fruit, engulfed by the most delicate 'Bourgogne Nose'.
Complex yet very 'clean' earthy aromas with just a touch of wood that enriches
the bouquet.
TASTE: Fruity and full of winyness. Tannins are receding though still very much
discernible. Pure joy on the palate. Perhaps not the most complicated wine but
who cares...
LENGTH: Quite long and very pleasant aftertaste, accentuated by the fresh
acidity and a little tannic end.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium bodied, superb structure and plenty of 'flesh'. More
mature and better balanced now than it was a couple of years ago. Not anymore
the young fruit-buster that it was, yet enough tannins and acidity are there to
give it many more years in which to evolve.
OVERALL: Superb+!. A great "affordable" wine when it comes to Mme. Lalou's
price range.
MARK: 18+/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.
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