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Meursault 'Perrieres'..... Mondavi, Cabernet..... Tokaji.....


16-Oct-98

Friday night dinner for six people at our home.

Shrimps Fondue
1992 Meursault 'Perrieres, Michelot-Buisson
______
Beef Stroganoff
1990 Cabernet Sauvignon 'Special Reserve', R. Mondavi
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Cheese and fruit
______
Mango and egg-white cookies in whipped cream
1993 Tokaji Aszu '5 Puttonyos', U. Borok

Our guests were two very-old-friends couples. None of them are very keen or knowlegeable about wine, but they seemed to have enjoyed the wines too. We all of course enjoyed Dorit's superb cooking.


Meursault 'Perrieres' 1992 Michelot-Buisson

10/98. Acquired in London Feb-96 for $44 (imported for $59 net)
Arguably the best 1er Cru vineyard in Meursault, many think 'Les Perrieres' should be promoted to Grand Cru level.
In the past I've had both excellent and disappointing wines from Michelot-Buisson. Let's see how this one fares.
COLOR: Deep straw color, looks viscous.
NOSE: Medium-strong nose of butter, minerals and noticeable wood. Rich and yeasty but overpowered by wood.
TASTE: Mouthfilling and reasonably complex. Quite fat like a good Meursault should be. Again, wood flavors mask much of the unique terroir. A bit heavy and lacking in refreshing acidity. However, it perfectly accompanied the extraordinary fluffy shrimp fondue made with fresh Swiss Gruyere.
LENGTH: Good length, pretty pleasant finish.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied, not lacking in stuffing. Quite chewy and fat. Heavy use of oak and short on acidity, this is not a particularly well balanced Meursault.
OVERALL: Very-good-plus. Somewhat better than its twin brother 'Genevrieres' I had not long ago, but a far cry from the extraordinary 1990 'Les Charmes' from the same producer.
MARK: 16.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? No.


Cabernet Sauvignon 'SR' 1990 R. Mondavi

10/98. Acquired in auction Apr-98 for $90 (imported for $110 net).
It is not often that I get to drink American wines. I have had a couple of bottles of this famous wine from earlier vintages and was duly impressed.
Upon cutting the capsule we noticed some wine stains on the cork. Though the ullage was high in the neck. the cork itself came out very easily.
COLOR: Dark red with very thin clearing around the rim.
NOSE: Very nice and warm aromas of cassis and blackcurrents, accentuated by modest amount of vanilla and licorice. Well developed but a little low-keyed. A pleasure to sniff at.
TASTE: I was expecting an oaky monster youngish fruit-bomb, but surprise surprise! Soft, sweetish and velvety mature, not unlike an oldish St. Emilion Grand Cru... Forwardly mouth-filling and very tasty. Plenty of round tannins are felt towards the end of each sip.
LENGTH: Tannins are felt in the finish, but not in the reasonably long aftertaste..
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium-full bodied, much more forward and mature than I expected. Plenty of good fruit and lots of winyness, could have a little more acidity for perfect balance.
OVERALL: Excellent-plus! I suspect that due to what seemed to be a less-than-airtight cork, the bottle we had was in a much more forward state than usual.
MARK: 17.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Maybe.


Tokaji Aszu '5 Puttonyos' 1993 Uri Borok

10/98. Bought in Budapest Oct-98 for $10.
Last week we returned from six days in Budapest. What does one bring back from Hungary? Salami and Tokay (Tokaji in Hungarian) of course... We brought with us four bottles of this famous dessert wine. The sweetness of Tokay is measured in 'Puttonyos'. I think they range from 3 Puttonyos to 6 Puttonyos, with the 'Eszencia' - the pure nectar - at the top of the ladder.
COLOR: Very deep orange-red. Looks and feels very viscous.
NOSE: Powerful nose of pure honey, softened by scents of grass and open meadows.
TASTE: Very sweet and concentrated, yet completely uncloying with strong citrus and mandarin flavors to counter the heavy honeyed essence. Went marvelously with the Mango dessert.
LENGTH: Infinitely long and persistent aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied and somewhat aggressive. Superb balance between sweetness and acidity.
OVERALL: Excellent! Perhaps not the most subtle and elegant of Tokay, but very tasty and a pleasure to sip.
MARK: 17/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.


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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.