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Clos St. Urbain..... Hermitage 'Les Miaux'..... Bonnes Mares..... Josephshofer TBA.....


13-September-2002

Friday night dinner at home with our friends Amihai & Dafna and Eli & Gilly.
Delicious original dishes prepared by Dorit were all perfectly matched by wonderful wines.
As usual, wine food and company blended harmoniously to result in a delightful, perfectly balanced, evening :)

Seviche of Grouper in Mango and Passion fruit
1995 Pinot Gris - Rangen 'Clos St. Urbain', Zind-Humbrecht
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Piquant Watermelon Gazpacho
1990 Hermitage 'Les Miaux', M. Ferraton
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Medallions of Filet and Stilton in Madeira sauce
1990 Bonnes Mares, L. Jadot
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Baked Apple and vanilla Ice-cream
1989 Riesling 'Josephshofer' TBA, Reichsgraf von Kesselstat


Pinot Gris 'Clos St. Urbain' 1995 Zind-Humbrecht

9/2002. Acquired from France May-01 for $39 (Normal market price about $75).
The last of eight bottles I have had of this fantastic wines. Not that I bought eight bottles of it originally. For three years now I have been drinking this gem and looking for more.
COLOR: Deep golden yellow.
NOSE: At the age of seven, this wine still boasts of fresh vineyard aromas. Deep and layered nose of grapes and white fruits with a touch of honey. Marvelous!
TASTE: Rich, expressive yet not sweet. Multi-dimensional with deep winyness. Extremely tasty with good acidity to balance the richness.
LENGTH: Very very long and mouthfilling aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied demi-sec wine that is more rich than it is sweet. Wonderfully tasty with good structure and fine acidity.
OVERALL: Outstanding! As good example of the best of Alsace as can be found.
MARK: 19/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.


Hermitage 'Les Miaux' 1990 M. Ferraton

9/2002. Bought in auction Jan-2000 for $100.
My first bottle from Michel Ferraton whose top wine is the Hermitage 'Les Miaux'.
COLOR: Dark red-black color. Hardly any thinning around the rim. Noticeable sediment.
NOSE: Profound and complex nose of dark fruit, earthy tones, licorice and plenty of spices. An impressive array of aromas engulfed by slightly smoked wood tones.
TASTE: Deep flavors of fruit spice and smoke. Quite rugged at first but softened up and really harmonized with the delicious watermelon gazpacho. Unusual and expressive on the palate though still somewhat unyielding.
LENGTH: Extremely long and aftertaste that points to the wine's future.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Full bodied old-fashioned wine with an individual style that is not as brilliant as some modern wines are. Needs a few more years to fully blossom.
OVERALL: Superb. An unusual Hermitage that will reach even higher spheres in years to come.
MARK: 18.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.


Bonnes Mares 1990 L. Jadot

9/2002. Bought at auction May-96 for $67. (Currant market price about $180)
My last bottle of this excellent wine which I have been drinking for the last three years. The parcel in Bonnes Mares from which this wine is made is in Moray-St. Denis, and is owned by Jadot since 1985, when they bought it from the old Clair-Dau Domaine.
COLOR: Medium ruby with slight clearing around the rim and plenty of sediment.
NOSE: Fully developed 'Bourgogne Nose' that reflects the broad spectrum of Pinot Noir aromas. From semi-ripe red fruit to sweetish ripe prunes, earthy animally elements and a fine doze of oak. A perfect nose that is a pleasure to sniff at.
TASTE: Mature and forward on the palate. Very tasty and harmonious, though a tiny bit hollow on the mid-palate. Ripe fruit with other more developed flavors. Good concentration and fine backbone attest to the classic terroir of this Morey-originated Bonnes Mares that resembles a Gevrey Grand Cru more than it does its neighboring Musigny.
LENGTH: Very long impressive aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Medium-full bodied (B) Grand Cru that is now at its prime.
OVERALL:Superb. Perhaps not a 'great' wine, but certainly wonderful and satisfying.
MARK: 18.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.


Riesling 'Josephshofer' TBA 1989 von Kesselstat

9/2002. Received as present Nov-01.
As far as I could 'research' it, the 1989 was the only vintage (at least in recent years) that a Trockenbeerenauslese version was made by Reichsgraf von Kesselstat from their Mosel monopole vineyard of Josephshofer.
COLOR: Very deep golden color.
NOSE: Extraordinary nose where grapes flowers and honey totally engulf the senses. Deep and enticing aromas of immense concentration. Fantastic!
TASTE: A sweet nectar that is as light as a feather. Grapy citrucy flavors abound. The excellent acidity and the low (7%) alcohol beautifully balance the sweetness of the wine. A real pleasure to the palate.
LENGTH: Infinitely long and reverberating aftertaste.
TEXTURE & BALANCE: Light-bodied wonderfully perfumed dessert wine that is sweet but uncloying. Perfectly balanced. Great now but will last for ages.
OVERALL:Extraordinary!! A rare and totally refined nectar.
MARK: 19.5/20.aaaaaaaaBUY MORE? Yes.


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Jacob "Yak" Shaya.