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Insignia..... Meursault 'Perrieres'..... Corton 'Clos du Roi'..... Ruchottes Chambertin..... Yair Margalit.....


10-12 Sep 1999

They say that during Rosh Ha'Shana - the Jewish New Year festivities - every man woman and child in Israel gain 2 kilos (about 4 pounds). Imagine, three days of non-stop feasting on delicious but cholesterol-rich traditional Jewish food, none of which has anything to do with low calories of course.
Typical meal would have gefilte fish, chopped liver, chicken soup with knoedles or noodles, two kinds of meat, rich dessert etc.
We were invited to three such dinners...
It was hard enough to get off the table after each of these, let alone take full-fledged tasting notes.
These are the wines brought to accompany these three meals:

Cabernet "Insignia" 1991 J. Phelps

9/99. Bought at auction, Jan-97 for $60.
Nice medium-dark color. Very pleasant and pretty forward fruity nose with some acetone notes. Savory, reasonably concentrated and extremely well balanced. Superb!
MARK: 18/20.BUY MORE? Yes.


Meursault 'Les Perrieres' 1992 Michelot-Buisson

9/99. Acquired from London, Feb-96 for $44.
Very deep golden color. Rich buttery nose, so characteristic of Meursault. Overpowered however by an excessive use of oak. Wood flavors dominate the palate too. Unbalanced. Very-good-plus (only...!)
MARK: 16.5/20.BUY MORE? No.


Corton 'Clos du Roi' 1993 Thomas-Moillard

9/99. Bought at the winery (in Nuits-St. Georges), Apr-96 for $25.
Nice, relatively dark color. Deep and pleasant though not particularly broad-spectrum nose. Still somewhat closed on the palate but tasty and well balanced. Not really the constitution of a Grand Cru. Excellent-plus.
MARK: 17.5/20.BUY MORE? Yes.


Ruchottes Chambertin 1988 G. Mugneret

9/99. Bought at auction, Jul-97 for $100.
Weak lightish color. Good, broad, ripe, if a bit rustic 'Bourgogne Nose'. Nice grip and good flavors though a bit too acidic and not particularly elegant. Excellent-plus.
MARK: 17.5/20.BUY MORE? Maybe.


Cabernet 'Special Reserve' 1993 Yair Margalit

9/99. Bought at the winery, Mar-95 for $28.
Impressively dark color. Both the nose and the taste are super concentrated. Sweet and jammy almost to the point of being unnaturally so. Unique, very special and impossible to dismiss. Superb!
MARK: 18/20.BUY MORE? Yes.


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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.