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Chateau Climens..... Pouilly-Fuisse..... Vosne - Beaux Monts.....

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.

Foie Gras d'Oie
1982 Chateau Climens
******
Crevettes a l'Ail sur lit de Pasta Noir
1993 Pouilly Fuisse - Hors Classe, Dom. Ferret
******
Boeuf Stroganoff
1988 Vosne - Les Beaux Monts, Dom. Leroy
******
Crepes Suzette
******
Cafe, Petitfours, Liqueurs

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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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.