Taking Care Of Business (Jun. 2014)

I like Bourgogne and I cannot lie
Domaine Pavelot, Savigny-Les-Beaune, 2011

This packs a lot of fresh, sexy fruit into a lithe frame, although a lot of its appeal is also in the detailed, earthy, sanguine nuances as well as the saline finish. Fully ready for business and tasty as hell. (Jun. 1, 2014)

Bourgogne Crown, 165 NIS.

Huet, Vouvray, Clos de Bourg, Sec, 2010

This is, by my standards, a "wow" wine, for the effortless ease and grace with which it coats the palate with clear fruit that perfectly marries fantastic acidity and salinity with a hint of sweetness. The nose completes the picture with a complex, playful yet intense, blend of quince, apples and minerals. (Jun. 2, 2014)

Giaconda,  150 NIS.

C.V.N.E., Imperial, Rioja Gran Reserva, 2004

I'm beginning to realize how clumsy young Riojas can be. I can sense there's good substance here, juicy, potentially complex fruit with a layer of gun smoke and minerals, but it's still obscured by oak and dry, bitter tannins. (Jun. 5, 2014)

Wine Route, 259 NIS.

Domaine de l'Arlot, Nuits-St.-Georges, Le Petit Arlot, 2009

This young-vines Premier Cru Clos de l'Arlot  has a typical NSG nose, earthy, slightly gamy, with a touch of exotic spices. The palate, as I'm sadly learning to accept, has the 2009 vintage's relatively low acidity - even if it doesn't come coupled with, say, the ripeness of 2003 - but it does have very savory tannins, I'll give it that. So it tastes good, but doesn't have lift or real depth. (Jun. 6, 2014)

Burgundy Wine Collection, 190 NIS.

Domaine Hubert Lamy, Bourgogne Blanc, Les Chataigners, 2011

I've tasted through a large portion of the local imports of Saint Aubin star Hubert Lamy, and he is one of the white Bourgogne producers who has rekindled my faith in the genre, after a fair share of highly priced, marquee name disappointments. While this is a just a generic Bourgogone (although it might be some declassified village cru; the mini-map on the back label makes out Chataigners to be a named vineyard abutting the La Princee village cru and at any rate Saint Aubin is a cartographical nightmare, so it's hard to make sense of the appellation, harder to know how relevant such distinctions are in the first place in Saint Aubin), it offers tasty overview of all the white Burgundy highlights. A pretty, typical nose (apples, grass, minerals) and tasty, savory acidity to frame an elegant, flavor filled structure. (Jun. 7, 2014)

Bourgogne Crown, 145 NIS.

Christian Moreau, Chablis Premier Cru, Vaillons, 2011

This is really drinking well now, with a detailed, typical nose, all marine fossils and citrus, the palate clean and long. Just a hint of oak, already submerged. (Jun. 8, 2014)

Burgundy Wine Collection, 170 NIS.

Emrich-Schonleber, Nahe, Monzinger Halenberg, Riesling Spatlese Trocken, 2008

A steely, precise wine, with enough loose fringes to let the passion shine through. Peaches, apples, flowers, slate, a touch of kerosene, acidity that makes a bright statement. (Jun. 10, 2014)

Giaconda, 180 NIS.

Dr. Loosen, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Riesling Auselse, 2005

Highly tasty and showing a lot of botrytis free breed and depth. Green apple acidity with tropical sweetness suggestive of peaches, but very reined in, as though someone gave you a snapshot of summer to warm you up in the midst of a winter storm. A strand of minerals  becomes noticeable after a couple of hours. (Jun. 14, 2014)

Wine Route, about 200 NIS.

Faustino, Rioja Gran Reserva, I, 2001

Classic Rioja, balsamic vinegar and red and black fruit on the nose, sweet fruit, savory tannins and good acidity on the palate. (Jun. 16, 2014)

Wine Route,  139 NIS on discount.

Peter Jakob Kuhn, Rheingau, Jacobus, Riesling, Trocken, 2012

I picked up a trocken Rheingau from Giaconda - bet you didn't see that coming. I don't usually like dry Rheingaus, but I followed a whim, and honestly, this is excellent! The flavors and aromas are all about apples, with enough minerals to provide complexity, and the taste is fresh, long and exuberant, with a hint of sweetness on the finish. So it's dry, but it still feels German. (Jun. 17, 2014)

120 NIS.

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