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 any pretenses at subtlety and/or elegance for my BYO and brought flagrantly upfront wines such as may nonetheless satisfy a minimal requirement for finesse. Thus, I present this pair of Parker sluts.
d'Arenberg, Dead Arm, Shiraz, 2001
This is obviously the New World, but liquor-like, as opposed to jammy, the distinction being the former somehow implies greater focus. Now, add on top of that and the black fruit some balsamic vinegar and and black pepper, and this tannic, powerful yet sleek wine would be a blockbuster if it weren't so balanced and, within its context, elegant. I was juggling boxing metaphors whilts appraising and finally settled on Sugar Ray Leonard; you know: shallow, yet classy.
Clos Mogador, Priorat, 2001
A knockout nose, really. Asphalt and graphite complementing a rather elegant facade of fruit on the palate that is tannic, yet somehow rounder than the Dead Arm. I have a cosmic-scale shopping list and a miserly budget so I won't be coming 'round its way again, but this is really a fine wine.
Both imported by WineRoute and originally sold for about 210 NIS on discount
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