In Which 2GrandCru Plays Teacher (Mar. 10, 2012)

The Shermans, especially Yahali, are my wine proteges, sort of, and I've been teaching them the ropes for a few years now. I think the evening's lesson was an especially rich experience. Let's just say I wanted to drink well.

Francois Jobard, Meursault Premier Cru, Poruzots, 2004

How I prayed for a good bottle, as a Premier Cru from this producer can be quite amazing on the one hand, while I've been batting .500 with Jobard on the other. The first whiff and sniff are certainly reassuring, with all the fossil-laden complexity you'd like to get from a white Buorgogne, and that a great vineyard like Poruzots is supposed to deliver. However, by the time I got to the Shermans, an hour later, it had gone all flat with only a monolithic note of dull pears. The lesson here is: I'm going to curb my purchases of white B's that require cellaring.

Burgundy Wine Collection, 350 NIS at the time.

Bricco Rocche, Ceretto, Barolo, Prapo, 2000

The nose immediately impresses with its typicity: red fruit, tar and spices and the aromatic depth and complexity you'd expect from a single vineyard Barolo. Flat out amazing! The attack on the palate seems as though the overall effect would be overwhelming, but the fruit, acidity, alcohol and spicy tannins are in fine balance, and the ripeness of the vintage comes across in a friendly warmth on the finish, as opposed to ripe bluster. Onlike the Pozurots, it keeps giving the whole evening through.

This was yet another McArthur purchase, 60-70 USD four years back, to the best of my recall.

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