tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31788466439223495182012-01-30T23:16:28.545+02:002GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.comBlogger3741100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-81860236964211910682012-01-28T07:15:00.000+02:002012-01-28T09:20:03.397+02:00

Leroy at her idiosyncratic best Despite my love for white wines, I have some issues with white Burgundies. I've run into my fair share of disappointments, which has to do, for the most part, with specimens that did not age as well as advertised. For that reason, I've been buying about three bottles of Chablis for every equivalent bottle from the Cote. I'm mad in love with Chablis! The Chablis

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-85929125257090822022012-01-23T05:22:00.001+02:002012-01-23T05:22:00.661+02:00

Behind the ultra-conservative labelis one pf the great wines of the universe 2002 wasn't so good for me. Lots of family tragedies, the height of the second Intifadah, bombs in the streets, economic depression. Not a happy time, you'll all recall. But in the midst of all that, the wine bug bit me. Meanwhile, Bordeaux was struggling, too with the weather uneven and on the cool side (the Reader's

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-11912111965623773572012-01-18T07:39:00.002+02:002012-01-18T10:13:07.818+02:00

I wish I was better at writing about food, because any place that lists "pork belly" in its specials is love at first sight. Pierre Gimmonet, Special Club, 2002 Walnuts, brioche, sweetness born of fruit not sugar, minerals. Full, surprisingly soft and approachable, flavorsome with sweet salinity on the finish. I think years from now I'll look back on this as the point where I became addicted

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-31252465218363396972012-01-13T08:13:00.001+02:002012-01-27T17:42:14.625+02:00

A wine blogger's work is never-ending Dr. Loosen, "L", 2008 I treated my colleagues to a bottle after lunch at work, drunk out of plastic glasses. Democracy at work. Actually, this wine drinks the same out of any type of container. I plan on taking it to the gym in a plastic bottle one day, in fact. (Dec. 1, 2011) WineRoute, two for 50 NIS. Albert Mann, Furstentum Grand Cru, Gewurztraminer,

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-28155027762503166192012-01-08T22:07:00.007+02:002012-01-10T08:18:09.223+02:00

Bernhard Ecker I drink a lot of wines at home, and sometimes my wife actually pays attention and gulps down a wine with gusto, signifying it's a wine to live with, as opposed to yon wine geek simply peering up his butthole to contemplate the contents of his goblet. And sometimes I try to court her with something special. Which she deserves. Sometimes she actually lets me. Some really special

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-54106693252508634922012-01-03T19:31:00.014+02:002012-01-03T19:31:00.874+02:00

I don't really enjoy writing anything besides tasting notes, so I'll make the obligatory annual summary short and sweet: Chave vertical tasting Didier Deguenau tasting Pomerol tasting Exploring Beaujolais Cru Louis Dupont Les Heritiers du Comte Lafon Daniel Lifshitz's Burgundy Tastings Habasta with Zachy and Itai WineRoute starts importing Dubeouf Giaconda starts importing Huet Palmer and Mouton

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-82735868267260493792011-12-30T07:19:00.000+02:002011-12-30T07:52:46.877+02:00

Upon my return from our Thanksgiving weekend in the Big Apple, I regaled Fat Guy (a.ka. Eldad Levi) with recounts of our excursions into Asian cuisine. Salivating, he suggested we pit some of the workhorses of his Austrian portfolio against the fare at that venerable Tel Aviv institute, Thai House (which I've never posted about here, since I'd never attempted a wine pairing there, but it's great

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-6014500390277114662011-12-24T09:23:00.001+02:002011-12-27T13:22:13.483+02:00

What an amazing wine town! Nuits-St.Georges doesn't have a Grand Cru of its, which generally seems to lower prices across the board, so a Nuits Premier Cru will generally cost less than an equivalent Vosne or Chambolle. Yet these days, the quality is classy and consistent, and even if the wines can be a little rustic, its a very charming sort of rusticity. The proof is in the bottles, and this

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-57772173021972816482011-12-19T21:57:00.001+02:002011-12-20T23:12:17.679+02:00

I love Toto! I mean, the food is so tasty and creative, you don't feel pretentious for being a fuckin' gourmand! And, it was fun showing my mother and sister how we savvy urbanites dine out. Tua Rita, Guido di Nostria, Tuscana IGT, 2001 There's a story here, but not the one I thought I'd be getting tonight. To my thinking, these Super-Tuscans are supposed to be smooth Ivy Leaguers, well endowed

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-71553348121173420452011-12-14T19:17:00.001+02:002011-12-14T19:17:01.381+02:00

The bored aristocratFor the time being, I still subscribe to the conventional point of view that the famous Clos is not the grandest Grand Cru around. It's consistent, in the hands of good producers anyway, and tasty, but despite the Cistercian origins of the vineyard, I think the wines themselves are very businessman-like in nature; while the pedigree is certainly present, I've found it to be

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-2449201349760637422011-12-08T03:54:00.004+02:002011-12-10T23:47:10.475+02:00

An impromptu Thanksgiving dinner, just Efrat and I, in Tribeca.Beaujolais Crus need to be appreciated for what they are, yet I can't help but make comparisons; despite being so one of a kind, at their best, they're hard to peg down without external references. Here, the sous bois and iron speak of Bourgogne, then a mineral note is echoed by cedar - which somehow evokes Bordeaux (not that a

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-90079924900269564592011-12-02T21:33:00.002+02:002011-12-04T22:43:38.286+02:00

Is it very obvious that Anat and Rafaella from Giaconda delivered my stash this month?Huet, Vouvray, Le Haut-Lieu, Demi-Sec, 2009My first Huet, ever. The nose is melons elegantly laced with minerals. By now, the character of Loire Chenin minerality is blatantly specific, to me, after three years of perusing the stuff, and here it shows a wet clay surprisingly complemented by a substratum of

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-48320874009688385162011-11-26T22:42:00.002+02:002011-12-24T09:12:55.313+02:00

Please allow me to introduce myselfI'm a manof wealthand taste Doesn't a good claret always make you feel like you're the richest fellow in the world? That's due to the confident, self assured poise of a robust, mature Bordeaux. If you want to do right, woman, do right, man - serve a claret! Sociando-Mallet, Haut-Medoc, Cru Bourgeois, 1989 This used to cost like 10 bucks twenty years ago, but

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-67700400318654089072011-11-18T18:37:00.000+02:002011-11-18T18:37:00.174+02:00

Hirsch, Kammerner Heiligenstein, Gruner Veltliner, 2010I must be doing something right, if a knowledgeable blogger like bob68 has purchased a wine because of my recommendation (I'm sure most, if not all, of my Israeli readers read this very honest and detailed culinary and wine blog, which is more informative than any restaurant critic I've ever read. If you're not a local - you wish you had a

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-46525599094951714842011-11-11T21:57:00.001+02:002011-11-11T23:43:38.743+02:00

Proving once again, you can't get drunk off Bourgogne!Deux Montille, Bourgogne, 2008Sweaty red fruit, earthy with decent complexity and depth, and quite tasty with a measure of juicy acidity. So Alixe does reds well, too. Unless it's Etienne who made this wine.Burgundy Wine Collection, 110 NIS.Bouchard, Savigny-Les-Beaune Premier Cru, Les Lavieres, 2007On the nose: red fruit with great focus,

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-25789746235934767052011-11-04T08:46:00.003+02:002011-11-09T08:01:48.801+02:00

"In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage."Meanwhile, 2GrandCru had another good month.Sang des Cailloux, Vacqueyras, Cuvee de Doucinello, 2005What a lovely surprise! The nose is gritty Old World, redolent with roasted coffee and meat, and also a hint of brine, over a backdrop of sour cherries. The palate is along the same lines,

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-32768867795274791942011-10-30T18:50:00.010+02:002011-10-30T22:10:09.774+02:00

As far as I can Google it, it seems that Janodet is perhaps the one top-quality producer in Beaujolais who does not eschew sulphur. So maybe I was hasty in opening one of the few Crus that I could have safely cellared, but after contemplating my sole bottle for almost a year, curiosity got the better of me.However much it may discomfort me to say goodbye to this sole bottle, this is already tasty

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-80283161436750608752011-10-25T02:10:00.003+02:002011-11-05T22:56:30.550+02:00

Somewhere, in a wine country far, far away...Golan Heights Winery is, arguably (no, make that certainly, and hats off to them) Israel's most innovative winery, and it has been introducing new grape varieties almost from the very start. After kicking off with Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, they introduced, in dazzling succession: Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir,

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-39075366802924915892011-10-20T16:19:00.000+02:002011-10-20T17:17:19.568+02:00

Fredric Magnien, Chambolle-Musigny, Vieilles Vignes, 2007Sous bois, animalistic, minerally. The nose is nice, yet the palate is a little short. But its ready and tasty and expresses its origins reasonably well.30-40 euros.Domaine Bruno Clavelier, Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru, La Combe d'Orveaux, 1999Animalistic, almost Gevrey-ish, on the nose, with an added benefit of minerals - the fruit blooms

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-3233657221342192102011-10-15T10:32:00.000+02:002011-10-15T10:52:11.106+02:00

Wild ThingRecanati is one of the few Israeli wineries I've tasted extensively, although it's been a while, as I've obviously been drinking few Israeli wines in recent years. I'm not sure what sparked my interest, as I was initially very much put off by the connection to the Recanati family (I'm sure Lenny is a fine guy, really, but maybe I'm still a punk at heart and the Recanatis are

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-52190232762660089182011-10-09T15:03:00.002+02:002011-10-09T23:18:17.336+02:00

A posse ad esse non valet consequentiaI wrote this piece a short while after the funeral, and then fretted over it for a couple of weeks. There was no way that the things I wanted to say in parting could come out as rosy as the other eulogies. Although in the end, I believe I behaved myself and treated the man with respect.My original approach to Rogov was as pure fanboy. I was a member of his

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-21857818091193238122011-10-05T19:52:00.002+02:002011-10-05T19:52:00.706+02:00

Chablis and Muscadet set the tone for this month's selection of crisp, mineral-laden wines. At least, until the rain came.Chereau Carre, Chateau du Chasseloir, Muscadet de Sevre et Maine, 2009God, I hate typing the name of the wine - thank God I've drunk it before so I can just cut and paste. It's hard to write about a wine from a relatively new region for me, while trying to ignore what I've

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-59715992219407836282011-09-30T00:11:00.013+03:002011-09-30T00:11:00.432+03:00

The time proven formula of "BYO in your local restaurant" broke down, as sommelier Aviram Katz has departed for a new employer, Toto. Thus the BYO policy in Rokah is in a state of limbo and my corkage fee hit the ceiling. Look, I don't ask for freebies, but I do expect some consideration as a frequent customer. Given that I can find other fine establishments where I'm given a break on corkage, I

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-42251128469148445292011-09-25T06:50:00.000+03:002011-09-25T06:50:00.704+03:00

Revolution number eightI came back from the first tasting of Eldad Levy's new Austrian portfolio with two conclusions. One: I need to get deeper intro these lovely whites (not my fault, I'd bought a few while abroad, but little was available locally until now, hence the urgency of the title).Two: Hirsch rocks! I mean, Berger is a very good dark horse, but Hirsch knocked me out.BergerKremstal,

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-65877530032259868762011-09-20T11:54:00.008+03:002011-09-20T11:54:00.996+03:00

A.K.A, Ran Shapira's 42nd birthday.Gimmonet, Special Club, 1999Classic brioche nose, lovely apple fruit on the palate. Tasty, flavorsome, balanced and long. The mineral aftertaste proves once again the uniqueness of the genre and why the contents of a bottle of a great Champagne like this can vanish almost instantly.Eldad Levi, about 380 NIS.Vincent Girardin, Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru, La

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-38600946555028201382011-09-14T13:33:00.008+03:002011-10-07T17:53:35.046+02:00

This lovely beast is grateful for the opportunity to accompany the following wines and thus be immortalized on the pages of 2GrandCru.Falesco, Umbria, Marciliano, 1999This is a Cabernet Sauvignon/Franc cuvee from a winery more famous for its Merlot, and it's damn fine. The nose is red and black cherries and saddle leather, there's a hint of black pepper then it fades, replaced by tar and chives.

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-70124925662245269922011-09-08T20:07:00.012+03:002011-11-15T21:14:18.450+02:00

Pretty good wines in all, but the Auslese is a real homerun!Koehler-Ruprecht, Pfalz, Kalstadter Saumagen, Riesling Auslese, 2001This is finally in a good place once again, with honeyed fruit on a background of minerals and spices, even a hint of kerosene. The palate has a complex texture and fine depth born of bottle age and balances its sweetness with hints of salinity. This is an idiosyncratic

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-10411039553946125832011-09-03T02:20:00.001+03:002011-09-26T09:31:13.466+03:00

Surprise, surprise!I really, really like the Special Reserve this year. To me, it has a weird family resemblance to Bordeaux, with similar warm, musky, currant-y aromas and flavors, and just a hint of brett, that plays like an echo of a barnyard far away. And despite some sweetness in the background, it's elegant and its tannins are crisp and savory.This is selling for about 200 NIS, even at

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-82679714461072001792011-08-29T18:25:00.006+03:002011-08-29T18:25:00.462+03:00

A postcard from paradise A collection of white Burgundies, organized by Daniel Lifshitz and Zacki Rosenblum, chez Yossi Hillel. But first, something completely different: Hagafen Cellars, Riesling, Wieruszowski Vineyard, 2007 Petrol, peaches and some red fruit. More limpid than the bottle I tasted at the winery three weeks ago (travel shock?) - not complex, nor deep, but tasty for sure. 36 USD

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-29745736482857132272011-08-24T22:23:00.000+03:002011-08-24T22:23:00.121+03:00

A belated 16th anniversary with my love. "Why didn't you bring a '95?" "I'd rather drink a good wine than obsessing about bringing a '95. Well, I do have a '95 of this wine that I think it will last longer, so I'll save it for a future anniversary." "Uh, okay. Thanks." It was a great evening, in a laid-back way that you can only manage when you're more or less on equidistant distances from forty

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-33982800382809813162011-08-18T19:55:00.001+03:002011-09-22T12:59:25.297+03:00

My wife had a casual encounter with Irit Weir a few weeks ago in Israel, and that interested her enough to suggest we drop in on her and her husband Ernie's Hagafen Cellars when we were doing the Napa Valley tour thing with the kids.For the religiously inclined, Hagafen is kosher and mevushal, and well renowned for being one of the few, if not the only, wineries, to do mevushal without ruining

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-32706579758145423382011-08-11T21:55:00.003+03:002011-08-12T08:46:22.871+03:00

Guy Breton, Regnie, 2009 This is good, very good, and highly enjoyable, yet without the vivacity, suppleness and succulence that make me sit up and pay attention to a Beaujolais Cru. But the black cherry and dusty aromatics are very cool indeed, and the purity of fruit makes for a delicious, if not complex drop. St. Cosme, Cote-Rotie, 2004 The nose is a very proper expression of the North Rhone,

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-54786277813221134732011-08-06T19:51:00.004+03:002011-09-01T20:04:26.010+03:00

Bouchard Pere & Fils, Volnay Premier Cru, Caillerets Ancienne Cuvee Carnot, 2004 It's tempting to call any '04 which performs well a "good effort for the vintage", and I'm going to let myself slide easily into that cliche: this is an enjoyable wine, but although it possesses decent structure, said structure is sorely over-emphasized by bitter, green tannins (which are tempered by air, but not

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-77598055160016060562011-08-01T06:20:00.000+03:002011-08-01T18:14:23.120+03:00

Read slowly. These wines deserve a lot of praises, as do the friends who joined and shared their wines with me and with each other: Ran, Rani (the other birthday boy), Uri, Amir, David and Meir Ido.Nicolas Feuillatte, Palme d'Or, Brut, 1998Very complex on both nose and palate, with flavors that literally explode on the palate, and never at the cost of elegance. One of the best Champagnes I've

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-88696466344881227542011-07-27T18:02:00.002+03:002011-09-03T10:24:33.867+03:00

Stop me if you've heard this one. Two guys walk into a bistro with three bottles of wine... Jobard, Mersault, En La Barre, 2004 Flint, nut oil, honey, but little in the way of overt fruit aromas, at first, which is how I like my French whites. Well, it seems citrusy, for sure (that is, no Meursault-ish pears) and even when it opens up a couple of hours later to show some green apples, there's

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-86228029523578080342011-07-26T19:50:00.001+03:002011-07-17T00:30:24.195+03:00

Marcel Deiss, Alsace, Englegarten, 2005Deiss dubs this a premier cru, although that has no legal meaning in Alsace. Regardless, this is impressive and tasty. The decadent, heady nose is smoky quince and pears, with a slight touch of oxidation which doesn't follow through on the palate, which is very fresh and lively, albeit with depth and weight of some bottle age, and dry, mineral-edged core

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-23204324552388915712011-07-20T10:15:00.008+03:002011-07-26T23:05:14.001+03:00

Polaroid impressions from a table in Neve Tzedek's A Place For Meat, upon which we gourmands heaped bottles of red and slabs of cows that made a temporary stop on their way to the Great Grazing Ground.Chateau Lafleur-Petrus, Pomerol, 1999Currants, leather, savory tannins. Feel young and vigorous; tannic, but these are tasty tannins and, like I said, savory, and there is enought fruit and acidity

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-55797665091651667052011-07-14T07:25:00.000+03:002011-07-17T00:28:28.199+03:00

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, 2004A 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

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-35726669826509770612011-07-10T22:23:00.010+03:002011-07-10T22:23:00.326+03:00

August Kesseler, Rheingau, Rudesheimer Bischofsberg, Riesling Spatlese, 2005I find this typically Rheingau, with fruity transparency. The nose has apples and peaches with soft strokes of kerosene. The palate is limpid and languid, with the sweetness well held in check by the acidity, both in perfect harmony, and shows subtly bitter, vegetable notes on the long finish. At this stage, a wine

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-4780071097078011012011-07-05T22:19:00.005+03:002011-07-15T12:15:53.365+03:00

Hosted at the Tel-Aviv branch of WineRoute. A rather eclectic collection of white wines.Recanati, Special Reserve, 2009The nose more than hints at Bourgogne with notes of flint. I don't really want to say "good acidity for Israel", but there you have it: just enough acidity to wrestle the bitterness on the palate away from the usual pitfalls. A few years ago, I'd been knocked out of my boxers;

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-80038311596350521712011-06-30T19:27:00.005+03:002011-07-01T01:22:32.564+03:00

WineRoute has brought in a bunch Georges Dubeouf's 2009 Flower Label bottlings, which means we finally have a chance to taste several Beaujolais Crus side by side. Seeing as 2009 is a stellar vintage in Beaujolais, this is even better. Mind you, the way Beaujolais and Gamay are structured, even 2009 doesn't really fit in with the way most wine geeks think of the term Vintage Of The Century: these

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-20910524257828389372011-06-24T22:33:00.015+03:002011-09-21T19:45:31.423+03:00

Wines and friends from all over the place, and with them, just cheeses, bread and cold meat.Bodega Dehesa De Los Caningos, Ribera Del Duero, Reserva, 1996Because this was the first wine and it took its sweet time opening, and because we were waiting on a few late arrivals, we spent a little extra time with this one. So, there were multiple impressions. At first, an obviously mature wine but not

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-75065999120613814882011-06-17T23:19:00.001+03:002011-06-20T23:34:53.033+03:00

Maison Leroy, Meursault, 2000Classic nose: pears, nuts and and dusty chalk. Tasty, savory and balanced with restrained fruit. I do expect either more parlor tricks or greater breed for what this costs (as usual, Madame Leroy has placed a price tag on the bottle roughly twice what I'd pay for the juice inside) but leaving that aside, this is quite lovely.I checked importer Tomer Gal's catalog and

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-75831432870888603912011-06-11T22:22:00.003+03:002011-06-11T22:22:00.907+03:00

Jean Paul et Benoit Droin, Chablis Premier Cru, Cote de Lechet, 2007"Tonight we drink Chablis" is always a thought that pours a jar of sunshine unto any day that I've ever lived through, but I wasn't sure I wanted to open this specific wine. But I really wanted a Chablis, and there wasn't any bottle of Chablis in my fridge that seemed any more ready than any other Chablis. And I really wanted a

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-84314926406047027782011-06-08T19:26:00.000+03:002011-06-08T19:26:00.554+03:00

How do you serve wines to guests with a huge variance in love and understanding of wines, while conjuring enough magic to content with a match between the likes of Barcelona and Manchester U? My usual plan is to start out with deceptively simple wines that I like and have drunk enough in the past, and then work our way up to the good stuff, hoping the neophytes will wear themselves out and leave

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-79160107551301823432011-06-02T22:06:00.003+03:002011-10-01T00:20:49.173+03:00

Muller-Catoir, Pfalz, Haardter Herrenletten, Riesling Spatlese, 2006The nose is ripe without being tropical or fruit-cocktaily, mostly red apples and apricots, with a hint of kerosene and sweet dough. The palate is round, friendly and tasty, with perfectly appropriate sweetness and green apple acidity. Although it starts out simple and metallic on the finish, turns out it just needs time to pick

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-51632586269258349382011-05-27T15:32:00.002+03:002011-05-27T19:25:52.171+03:00

In attendance: a winemaker, two coopers from Bourgogne, an ice-cream maker and a football goalkeeper. And a few others of less picturesque distinctions.This was a Burgundy Villages tasting (with a few exceptions) and drove home an obvious point. There's a reason why so many people skip the Villages level and head straight for the Premier Crus (those who can afford them, that is): to get a good

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-51271885220351927442011-05-19T19:52:00.004+03:002011-05-19T19:52:00.284+03:00

The Loosen 2009 single-vineyards are available at WineRoute. Good a reason as any to drink a good Kabinett and start checking them out.Dr. Loosen, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Wehlener Sonnenhur, Riesling Kabinett, 20092009. Another very good vintage in germany - but it seems all recent vintages have been offering some level of excellence or another, either across the board or for specific regions and

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-36634991511204112532011-05-13T06:02:00.000+03:002011-05-13T19:48:06.586+03:00

Despite the 2GrandCru Mission Statement (check out the About Me box to the right, if you've skipped straight to the recent installment), I've been slipping lately and it's been a while since I've been to an all-white tasting, especially not an all-white Burgundy tasting.All sins were forgiven last night, at Tomer Gal's Meursault tasting.Meursault is certainly not the grandest of the five

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-34470894203640418322011-05-06T20:32:00.001+03:002011-05-06T20:32:00.472+03:00

My Chenin-ometer flashed a red light: my stocks were running low. But I felt like I needed a wine with a punch on the day the Americans nailed Bin-Laden. Not that I'm particularly blood-thirsty, but the news reports had me really excited. Face it, years from now, my grandkids will ask me if I really lived through the 9-11 decade and I'll say "ummm, yeah", while I muse upon the wines I drank.This

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-12563218071112000462011-05-01T19:52:00.004+03:002011-10-07T17:54:37.635+02:00

Any wine can go with food, but not every wine can keep you happy while you're doing the dishes!Moreau-Naudet, Chablis, Pargues, Vieilles Vignes, 2006I'd read on Robin Garr's Wine Lovers Page that Pargues used to be a Premier Cru before the official classification, at which time it was devoid of vines and hence de-classified. I was not able to find anything to substantiate that claim, but

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-55469473846716430862011-04-26T00:07:00.007+03:002011-04-28T00:32:32.179+03:00

A couple of years ago, my wife's cousin Boaz and his wife Stacy gave us a short, yet thrilling, food tour in downtown Manhatten. Ever since, we'd been planning a reciprocal engagement in Tel Aviv and today, it finally came to pass. Since Boaz and Stacy had just one free evening, I had only one shot at this and I chose Toto: because I believe it is typical of current trends in Israeli haut cuisine

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-1225564226214258782011-04-21T16:02:00.002+03:002011-05-28T00:47:33.341+03:00

Celebrating my first participation in the Tel Aviv Marathon (I ran the ten kilometer race, finished in 58 minutes. Bummer - I was aiming for 55):The nose is somewhat musky and earthy at first, but silky on the palate from the very start. With time, the aromatics show typical Nebbiolo spicy accents and greater complexity, while the palate gains stuffing and grip without losing it's light-handed

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-39218171339511246852011-04-15T13:00:00.001+03:002011-05-15T17:04:43.031+03:00

Dude kinda looks like Clint EastwoodI haven't had much luck with the Brocard Grand Crus, having only tasted off-vintages, over-the-hill bottles, and one 2002 Les Clos that was defunct in ways even a combined attack of TCA, heat damage and bad closure would have had a hard time explaining. Earlier this fall, my other bottle of 2002 Les Clos hinted at what Brocard could actually do, although it

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-86112979855379414752011-04-14T00:24:00.003+03:002011-04-16T18:52:15.061+03:00

God, I'm in love.It's a good thing I'm not a professional restaurant reviewer, so I can get away with simply basking in post-coital bliss about my latest infatuation, HaBasta, located in Tel-Aviv's Shuk HaCarmel. Let someone break down the yummy dishes and the ambience into flowery, detailed prose. This ain't my gig.The tasting notes are.Vincent Girardin, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, 2004A

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-81590300419289434892011-04-07T19:16:00.005+03:002011-04-16T20:16:59.322+03:00

I missed out on the heyday of Ha-Zela Ha-Sheminit (The Eighth Rib, we Israelis are a funny people). In fact, I can't even recall when exactly its heyday was, except that it was over a decade ago, but I had been looking forward to trying out the degustation menu in its reincarnated version in Tel Aviv. Chef/owner Shlomi Katzin's original vision focused on meat; the latter-day Zela is a small

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-16649596275539374622011-04-02T20:04:00.001+03:002011-04-07T00:14:21.572+03:00

Domaine du Colombier, Crozes-Hermitage, Rouge, 2006I bought enough of these to make it my house red, and I really believed, up to this point, that I'd seen through all its guises. However, despite the familiarity, I find myself surprised at its evolution. While I adored its aromas of raw meat and flowers over the last year plus, they have started to take a back seat and this is now showing, on

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-33778972535093850732011-03-26T13:58:00.001+02:002011-04-01T23:12:25.863+03:00

Two wines that Ido Galon and I had been scheming for ages to get together and drink.Chateau Haut-Bergey, Pessac-Leognan, 2006Lovely, complex nose: lime, minerals, slate, honey, mushrooms - a bit of 'dirty' funk. The palate is a little hesitant and disjointed despite solid grip and acidity; started out dominated by Semillon, later giving way to the Sauvignon Blanc, but just didn't scream Bordeaux

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-39282340653911674072011-03-21T19:57:00.001+02:002011-05-27T16:25:02.337+03:00

Lewinsohn, Garage de Papa, Blanc, 2009 How objectively can you approach a wine that has already sparked specific comparison, on the local scene, to all things Bourgogne - from Chablis to Puligny? Not that I haven't been disappointed by acclaimed Israeli ringers (not to mention the real deal), but I find myself on such occasions falling into two traps. I'm either too optimistic and keep spotting

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-90878094665491333742011-03-15T19:39:00.004+02:002011-08-12T08:40:23.618+03:00

After drinking my way through the 2008's, I continued with my master plan and went on to taste the 2007's. Macon-Uchizy, Les Maranches Classic Chardonnay, classic white B., with dried grass and so much citrus fruit on the nose that a more poetic man than I might compare this to a walk in an orchard. Very savory on the palate with just a hint of sweetness tempered by a mouth-filling bang and a

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-67576432567692015742011-03-10T15:33:00.007+02:002011-08-22T00:12:19.724+03:00

A great night. I was joined at Roshfeld's Herbert Samuel in Tel Aviv by Ran Shapira, Oron Stern and Giaconda's Anat Sella and Rafaella Ronen (who did a terrific job ordering a set of dishes that complemented the wines very handsomely). Everything clicked: the food, the wine, the people - especially the people. Around this time of year, my loosely-formed circle of wine loving friends usually hold

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-18213723563893921072011-03-04T10:16:00.002+02:002011-09-22T09:11:26.989+03:00

Leitz, Rheiingau, Rudesheimer Magdalenenkreuz, Riesling Spatlese, 2007A killer to spell, a delight to drink due to its freshness, deft balance, mineral cut and decent complexity. (Feb. 1, 2011)Giaconda, about 100 NIS.Domaine des Hauts Chassis, Crozes-Hermitage, Les Galets, 2007A very nice wine - not especially complex or unique, but quite charming. The aromatics start out where red fruit meets

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-39078193075167184582011-02-28T15:03:00.002+02:002011-03-15T19:06:29.388+02:00

Tel Aviv restaurant Shakuf reminds me of Hector Camacho, dressed up for the ring like a Native American warrior and calling himself the Macho Man, then proceeding to stick and run, all smoke and mirrors, never delivering any real knockout power. The tasting menu is an experience, for sure, but for an undue portion of it, an outlandish, silly one.PS. I think that if the waiter accepts a glass of

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-16620840481639024902011-02-22T23:50:00.001+02:002011-02-22T23:50:00.426+02:00

I met up with Uri Caftori from boutique importer IsProVinum to taste a few wines from the catalog and, as a very welcome fringe benefit, got a chance to re-visit Tel Aviv restaurant Toto after a hiatus of over a year.The wines ranged from fresh and simple bistro-style wines to interesting premium wines that compete nicely in quality and value with some of my sweet spot wine regions.Chateau d'Or

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-68793351356986246342011-02-16T11:42:00.007+02:002012-01-06T22:44:11.134+02:00

If you're the type of wine geek who is willing to pay white Burgundy Premier Cru prices, you'll find the Dagueneau family domaine offers wines of similar, arguably better quality at the same prices - and my guess is you'd be less severely punished for mis-gauging the drinking window. If you're encumbered by prejudice and don't take kindly to paying such prices for a Sauvignon Blanc, then pass

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-3852033598738196032011-02-11T19:02:00.002+02:002011-02-11T19:02:00.044+02:00

This is the last of the batch of Beaujolais Crus that I bought in Paris a few months ago, and, on paper anyway, it promised to be the best of the lot - being the sole representative of the reputedly stellar 2009 vintage I was able to score in the City Of Lights.In the event, it turned out to be an excellent wine, with all the complexity of a Cote d'Or Premier Cru, if not quite the stuffings of

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-51853951030588770102011-02-06T22:06:00.003+02:002011-08-15T08:37:04.106+03:00

Domaine Courbis, Saint-Joseph, 2005 So by now I've tasted just about all the Saint-Josephs available in Israel: Graillot, Chave, Chapoutier, and now this. Anyway, I don't have a great depth of experience with Saint-Josephs, but this wine doesn't seem too typical of the appellation to me. The nose is interesting: black and red cherries with black pepper, stony minerality and a hint of garrigue,

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-18657616646434768122011-01-31T22:04:00.006+02:002011-02-01T19:32:21.313+02:00

I wouldn't normally do this kind of thing. Not that I don't want to. I just don't have enough bottles. Even my more affluent fellows don't have enough, so this evening at local bistro Coffee Bar was a one-of. But a glorious one-of, originally planned as an all-Merlot evening that evolved into a Right Bank tasting, finally focusing solely on Pomerol.Chateau Providence, 2006This garagiste (1500

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-38163774515709309522011-01-25T11:45:00.007+02:002011-01-25T11:45:00.500+02:00

This was a tough tasting. All the wines were served blind, in pairs of wines from the same producer, and revealed only at the end of the evening. Which tends to place me in a position where trying to identify the wine is more important than understanding and enjoying it. Add to that the fact that these wines were just starting to come out of their slumber and you have more of a finals exam for

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-49102352390612461382011-01-19T21:03:00.000+02:002011-01-19T21:03:00.162+02:00

With the regulars, at Cafe Italia.Robert Weil, Rheingau, Kiedrich Grafenberg, Riesling Auslese 1999A sniff-and-smile nose: petrol, mellow minerality, apples, honey. On the palate, luscious fruit with a self-assured backbone. This is a wine that did a whole lot of good to all present, but it was so delicious and easy to drink that it was gone before I could dwell on it long enough.Not available in

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-80251857745052201042011-01-14T10:36:00.004+02:002011-01-14T14:24:50.671+02:00

New Year's celebration with wine laymen. I guess I've educated this crowd well, because the class of wine we've been drinking on special occasions such as birthdays and holidays is now on par with what I drink with the wine geeks on regular outings.Koehler-Ruprecht, Pfalz, Kalstadter Steinacker, Scheurebe Auslese, 2005A floral nose with apples (and, later, more typical notes of guayava/litchi)

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-66221338272579062202011-01-09T14:53:00.006+02:002011-08-19T18:49:14.573+03:00

I don't want this to get too mushy, so I'll keep it short. Today I ran my first official race. Ten kilometers. Came in 427th out of 562 runners. 56 minutes, 12 seconds. And how do you suppose 2GrandCru would celebrate this athletic feat? Donnhoff, Norheimer Kirschheck, Riesling, Spatlese, 2008 I have a confession to make. I love young Donnhoffs. So while this isn't top of the line Donnhoff, it's

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-15166144410883335072011-01-04T22:31:00.000+02:002011-01-04T22:31:00.873+02:00

Josef Leitz, Rheingau, Rudesheimer Magdalenenkreuz, Riesling Spatlese, 2007I just had the "Maggie" the month before, but I was ravenous for German Riesling. And this wine sort of says "Drink Me" as opposed to "Cellar Me". (Dec. 2, 2010)Giaconda, about 100 NIS.Later on that month, I also put to bed my last bottle of the 2006, which has fine-tuned its crystalline sweet aromas and grip. These two

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-21747673725029446592010-12-31T21:15:00.004+02:002010-12-31T21:15:00.084+02:00

Les Heritiers du Comte Lafon is Meursault specialist Comte Lafon's Macon "side project", which Tomer Gal's Burgundy Wine Collection has started importing this year, along with the more famous parent domaine. I admit I didn't notice it in the catalog, probably because I knew Lafon was out of my price range so I only glanced through the relevant page in the catalog, never bothering to scroll down -

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-72173575565567125502010-12-25T21:39:00.004+02:002010-12-25T22:58:19.365+02:00

With the arrival of Lapierre's 2009 Morgon at the land of milk and honey, I decided the best way to welcome the new kid on the block was by saying goodbye to last year's model with a more detailed note than usual. Then, follow it up as soon as possible with the same for the 2009, and get as close as possible to a mini-vertical.There is a minor debate as to how much the Beaujolais Crus resemble

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-47599914920989662642010-12-11T18:33:00.006+02:002010-12-16T19:49:38.375+02:00

After being grounded by work and by playing house-husband for a couple of weeks, I decided to indulge myself in a wine I don't usually open on my lonesome. In fact, a wine I don't usually drink, period, as I've drifted from Tuscany, generally speaking, over the last three-four years. Even when someone from my regular wine circle does bring a Tuscan, it tends to be a super-Tuscan rather than one

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-83305509558069044242010-12-04T21:38:00.003+02:002010-12-07T08:17:40.018+02:00

Bourillon-d'Orleans, Vouvray, Art Monia Moeulleux, 2003This where the Chenin magic goes off on its own wild tangent. The nose is all apricots and melons that strut their stuff like nubile starlets on the Riviera, shrouded by wafts of sweet spices, sculptor's clay and flint. In short, a sexy, hedonistic wine, even if you were forced to make a call based solely on its aromatic virtues - but the

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-21407249838154743392010-11-30T19:01:00.006+02:002010-12-01T18:25:34.567+02:00

These are the fruits of my recent trip to Paris.I'd been reading about Beaujolais and my previous experiences with the Lapierre Morgon gave a clear indication that they would prove a very enjoyable style of wine. So I decided to experiment.George Descombes, Brouilly, 2008The color is certainly no Pinot look-alike - it's semi transparent, for sure, but too purple in hue to be a Bourgogne - but

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-12257049195050419052010-11-24T13:48:00.001+02:002010-11-26T16:27:05.902+02:00

Honestly, sadly, I don't quite have the experience to pontificate on the virtues and characteristics of Pommard. I can say that I don't find the Pommards that Tomer Gal's Burgundy Wine Collection imports to be rustic, crude or over-masculine. I do find them to be very minerally, angular at times and not inexpensive. The quality was impressive on this night - but then, the producers tasted are

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-61758976976452697602010-11-14T15:33:00.002+02:002010-11-14T15:43:52.669+02:00

Served alongside cheeses bought on the 2GrandCru's tour of Paris.Weingut Ihle, Baden, QBA Trocken, Weissburgunder, 2007A nice, typically Pinot Blanc nose, but the palate is a disaster - although dry , it is laden with toffee. Some kind soul ought to tell the wine-maker to set his sights on something better than Cali Chardonnay.Price unknown.Domaine de la Vougeraie, Gevrey-Chambertin, Le Justice,

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-41946590463673480222010-11-10T22:51:00.005+02:002010-11-10T22:51:00.375+02:00

The wines and the settings change, the faces and the friends remain the same.Olivier Leflaive, Meursault Premier Cru, Charmes 1996The nose here has mushrooms, nuts, attractive hints of oxidation, while the poise, the balanced acidity and the mineral cut fooled me and some others into mistaking this for a Puligny. Everything works here and finally I get to drink a truly mature white Burgundy that

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-50249864269715785042010-11-04T15:14:00.009+02:002010-11-04T20:12:31.479+02:00

Here are some wines my wife and I drank or tasted on a long overdue, romantic getaway to the City Of Lights. The first three are the most memorable wines that we drunk at bistros and cost 4-6 euros a glass. These were tasty and interesting rather than fancy or profound. The last four are from the vending machine at Lavinia.Domaine Chanzy, Clos de la Fortune, Bouzeron 2009A nice wine, light on its

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-42604734618576273472010-10-30T13:34:00.006+02:002011-02-13T22:13:57.365+02:00

Kicked off the month with the Marcel Lapierre, Morgon, 2008 (100 NIS from Burgundy Wine Collection), which I enjoyed, as always, for its minerality and angularity, mellow spices and sour fruit. And surprising length (Oct. 2, 2010). Followed up a day later, as a sort of one-two punch, by the similarly priced and similar delineated A. Et P De Villaine, Cote Chalonnaise Rouge, La Fortune, 2008,

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-11502166744998236662010-10-22T22:17:00.008+02:002010-10-22T22:17:00.246+02:00

An outrageously delicious wine from the excellent 2005 vintage that is drinking very well in its youth, even if right now its sweetness makes it more of a dessert wine than an Auslese would usually be. The nose is fairly complex and deep already, with notes of candied apples, dill, ice-cold slate and incipient hints of petrol. The secret behind the aromatics of a great German Riesling isn't in

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-34331738295520647582010-10-16T16:46:00.022+02:002010-10-17T00:14:54.671+02:00

Last year's Nuits tasting was an eye-opener, but this year's, for me, was more along the lines of a return to school after a summer vacation. Some of the thrill is gone now, as a loose set of expectations has crystalized: Meo will be slick, Gouges will be funky, Grivot will be somewhere in the middle with a vague feeling of dormancy, Chateau du Puligny-Montrachet will be relatively lacklustre and

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-88739622824332465852010-10-10T19:43:00.013+02:002011-10-21T23:48:53.104+02:00

Ran Shapira's birthday parties are the best shows in town, as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure the local oligarchs party harder, but I'm not invited to their do's.This year he teamed up with David Wollenberg and we all headed to Raphael with a stash of booze.Now, I will admit, publicly and otherwise, that Raphael is not my favorite institute. The food is tasty enough but not special enough to lure

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-22977602516055729952010-10-03T20:08:00.000+02:002010-10-07T19:46:29.095+02:00

J. L. Chave, St. Joseph, Offerus, 2006A simple wine, which I loved in 2003 and originally "only" liked in 2006 - but at this point I like the 2006 a great deal, so there's something of an improvement in my relationship with this vintage. As I've written before, it's a fruity wine with peppery black fruit, plump and round with savory tannins. There's a bit of aggression on the finish - that I'm

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-58647641334618810742010-09-28T07:31:00.004+02:002010-09-28T08:40:51.913+02:00

Only two wines this summer received the honor of a "solo" blog entry: the first was a Sancerre, and now this, from the other side of the Loire river. And I'm not even a big Sauvignon Blanc fan. Yet.An excellent wine and an amazing match to a very marine dinner at Rokah. While the nose was initially very austere and tight, the palate - from the first sip to the very last - was incredibly fresh and

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-43267574846813996582010-09-26T22:51:00.003+02:002011-01-25T23:09:47.800+02:00

Onami is an expensive joint, compared to my fave haunt Sakura, but the sushi there is really extravagantly delicious.Zind-Humbrecht, Riesling, Gueberschwihr, 2004For the first twenty minutes, this is the best value Alsatian in my inventory, with its mineral-laden nose that is the essence of all I could hope for in Alsace (given that I never approach the area with as much hope and expectations as

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-20377723960373558842010-09-19T22:35:00.001+02:002010-09-19T22:35:00.292+02:00

I forgot to grab a bite to eat before my arrival at Catit, thus wound up stuffing myself with about half a loaf of (admittedly great) bread between servings of chef Meir Adoni's miniature creations. He does pack a lot of creativity into an awfully small volume (making him, what, the gastronomical version of d. boon?) but his dishes are still very small for this hard-working, blue-collar wine

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-73690648874667582052010-09-16T09:29:00.008+02:002011-03-21T20:27:00.509+02:00

You'd expect a wine afficiando to drink lots of good wines to celebrate the new Jewish year - and in my case, you'd be wrong. What usually happens is I downgrade, downscale and downsize as we dine with the ignorant masses.Carmel, Regional Series, Viognier, 2008Clementine, apricot jam, honey, alcoholic. Alcoholic bite on finish. Pretty decent for a variety I no longer care for much (it could well

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-61313741927363124342010-09-11T18:19:00.000+03:002010-09-11T18:19:00.434+03:00

I am never sure what the proprietors' translation of the Hebrew name "מקום של בשר" should be. I like "Meat Place" but the owners may well think of it as "A Place For Meat". It means the same thing but neither sounds as cool as the Hebrew anyway. I would personally call it "Carnivore Corner", 'cept I'm saving that name for my future retirement home. Be that as it may, on this visit I dismissed

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-10489140496778822252010-09-05T21:34:00.011+03:002010-09-06T14:33:13.870+03:00

Yeah, I'm losing my edge.I'm losing my edge.The kids are coming up from behind.I'm losing my edge.I'm losing my edge to the twenty-something sommeliers From London and Manhatten.But I was there.I was there in 1976. I was there at the Judgement of Paris.I'm losing my edge.I'm losing my edge to the wine store salesmen whose footsteps I hear behind me when I'm browsing through Cellar Tracker! on my

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-17235095670697140222010-08-30T03:03:00.004+03:002011-02-25T23:28:44.274+02:00

Grata Vinum, Priorat, 2 Pi R, 2006I like it, even though, on paper anyway, it's not really my style, being too round and too friendly. But it's got just enough tannic bite and acidity to pull through and there's enough in it to point to its origins in modern Spain and enough graphite to point me to Priorat. I suppose I'm just not feeling witty or perceptive enough to write up a solid reason why I

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-73941542864865733122010-08-12T17:31:00.011+03:002011-09-21T22:42:39.699+03:00

I celebrated my birthday over a period of three weeks this year. The first stop in the celebration tour was at home with my wife:Donnhoff, Nahe, Schlossbockelheimer Felsenberg, Riesling Spatlese, 2004At home, on my birthday, a Nahe. Beautiful, elegant Nahe. If Donnhoff's only ambition was to make the most archetypical off-dry german Riesling, then he succeeded in spades. This doesn't break any

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-50998081953725193872010-08-05T22:24:00.003+03:002010-08-05T22:47:46.137+03:00

I didn't realize I'd been looking for the right Sauvignon Blanc - not consciously, anyway - and while this, the Henri Bourgeois, Sancerre, La Bourgeoise, 2007, isn't the perfect sample, it's still the best Sauvignon Blanc I've tasted in the last couple of years. The nose is decent-plus, with pungent minerals and a lime-and-apple shake that is reminiscent of Chablis - but it's the palate that's

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-85751724564972266142010-08-01T21:57:00.001+03:002010-08-03T15:02:51.024+03:00

Henri Bourgeois, Vin De Pays Du Val De Loire, Petit Bourgeois, Sauvignon Blanc, 2009Why quibble if it's only a quaffer? It's a terrific quaffer and like drinking an airy sherbet of white peaches, with mineral nuances. (July 13, 2010)WineRoute, 53 NIS.Gunderloch, Rheinhessen, Nackenheim Rothenberg, Riesling Auslese, Goldkapsel, 2007I had this at Giaconda's 4th anniversary celebrations at Pier 23

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-56889172061256927002010-07-24T22:44:00.004+03:002011-03-12T01:27:52.607+02:00

This was not an easy tasting for me. Moreau-Naudet's wines are obviously of their place but the 2006's were too sullen to enjoy. See, I can't shake of my fears that a moody wine won't emerge in the future a bright and happy wine - and I like my Chablis quiet yet joyous. So I'll hope for the best. And certainly the Valmur 2002 was a wine worth waiting for.Petit Chablis, 2007Smells like a Chablis

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-10758711029871881732010-07-18T16:59:00.003+03:002011-04-16T19:01:17.190+03:00

I had a notion of watching the games with friends but six year old Adam discovered the world of football this year and I had so much fun staying at home and watching the games with him. Turns out he remembers the scores and scorers better than I do! Of course, there were wines to be drunk; I did share a few sips with Adam, please don't tell the authorities.Koehler-Ruprecht, Pfalz, Kalstadter

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178846643922349518.post-38259686232438446352010-07-12T21:46:00.010+03:002010-07-12T21:46:00.483+03:00

No, not to the blog (although I bet the post title is an eye-catcher) but to Hagit and Noam Koren, who, after hosting numerous wine dinners at their home, are California-bound where they will be living, working and drinking the next few years. I can't believe it's been four years! Good luck, folks, and thanks for the good times and the hospitality.Granted that great company can uplift the quality

2GrandCruhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16677145557411276062noreply@blogger.com0