Rising to the Non-Occasion (July 2, 2011)

There was absolutely no rhyme to reason for opening these wines, except that Ido Galon and I just felt like it.

William Fevre, Chablis Grand Cru, Les Clos, 2004

A marvelous nose from the first pour, with sea air aromas over fruit skins (be they apples or citrus). The palate has great persistence, poise and balance, and the saline finish has a caressing touch, despite said persistence. A marine wonderland with power and flair, that truly lives up to the vineyard's pedigree. Wouldn't it be nice to drink this every day?

WineRoute, 340 NIS.

Calon-Segur, St. Estephe, 3me Cru, 2002

This is a muscular sort of claret, so don't go looking for any stray finesse (or great length) here. If you don't, you'll be happy with its charms, which are a languid-yet-stern yumminess and, uh, the way it makes sense out of black fruit - the way no other country's red wine can. Of course, there's also a fair amount of red fruit here, which I honestly didn't expect, this being St. Estephe (and, also, never being quite sure how 2002 impacted the claret paradigm), and decent complexity, of which I don't predict great improvement. If you want to go for a 2002, this is not a bad choice. Actually, quite a good one.

WineRoute, about 220 NIS.

Muller-Catoir, Pflaz, Haardter Burgergarten, Riesling Auslese, 2007

Great Ceaser's Ghost! You mean to tell me this isn't even a Goldkapsel, and it beats the feces out of just about any Sauternes I've ever had? This is fresh, with citrus marmalade, botrytis funk and an intoxicating toffee whammy, and it also has this vivacity, that lends it an ethereal touch that makes me amenable to any deficit in complexity.

Giaconda, 175 NIS - so this costs like a Sauternes, too, wow. Good value.

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