How the fuck do we always come up with these unholy eclectic lineups? Why can't we just all get along? Like a lame joke, we always wind up with an Austrian, a Sicilian and an American in a bar. At least this time we brought a couple of Burgundies and a Bordeaux.
Leo Alzinger, Wachau, Loibenberg, Riesling Smaragd, 2010
Very expressive with its yellow fruit and mineral funk, this is complex, long; ripe, yet finely and tightly sculpted, braced by acidity and does wonders for the palate. Eldad Levy imports it for 250 NIS, which is a steal. I brought it because I knew no one in the group had tasted it, and even Eldad hadn't tasted the 2010 for a few years. Never underestimate the loyalty of a faithful customer, Eldad.
Domaine Leflaive, Bourgogne, 2013
Really? A regional Bourgogne?! The only wine we tasted blind, no one even considered the possibility this was just a Bourgogne, but at least I guessed Puligny (due to the very specific interaction of apples, lime and minerals), which is where the house hails from. With its length and focused power, it has to be a declassified village wine, it just has to be - for God's sake, we thought it was a Premier Cru! I hope Eldad will sell me a bottle.
Terre Nere, Etna Rosso, Calderara Sottana, 2010
The nose evokes and tantalizes, with black fruit, leather, rock and hints of forest floor. The palate, though, scampers and punches, tannic and bitter as it is, yet somehow the experience is favorable to the palate and very memorable. A wine that challenges but leaves a lasting impression. 225 NIS.
Chateau Lynch-Bages, Pauilliac 5me Cru, 2002
2002. Always an underrated vintage. Lynch-Bages is the epitome of luxury, costing a fortune these days, always showing a velvet richness (black fruit, cigar box) designed to seduce the upper class twits, that you almost hate yourself for loving. At 16 plus years, it still has the forward currant aromas and rawness of youth.
Dominus Estate, Napa Valley, Napanook, 2009
This Bordeaux blend is the second wine of Dominus. It's ripe, but balances well the ripeness of its black fruit with a crusty, tannic backbone. Eventually, it spews minerals like Ol' Faithful on crack.
Pierre Marey, Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru, 2011
The fruit is so dormant, all that is left is metal minerality and spices and a discord between a lean frame and extract of fruit. A very nice nose, less than stellar palate - at least it's better than a bottle a couple of years ago.
Domaine Hubert Lamy, Saint Aubin Premier Cru, Derrières Chez Edouard, 2014
Exhilarating steely finesse, with citrus fruit and flint tantalizing and delineating a wine structured for the ages with its balance of ripeness and taut, electric tension. This is another steal at 290 NIS. My honesty is probably going to cost me when I find out it's out of stock, but whoever buys it is going to treasure his bottles.
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