scratchandsniff
Actually,...... Beautiful!!!
The Whitcraft came through! It's a beauty... Usually, when it comes to the Reds I open, My Wife usually makes this look like she ate a real tannic/rancid grape. She'll say over and over "Kap Kap! Kapkap!!"... Bern, is she crazy??
Anyways, SHE even loved this one; It's not a fruit-bomb, but it had complex, aged characteristics. Wonderful stewed Plum, warm spice aromas...Reminded me of the time my Sister took me to Paris when I was 18, still going to CIA, and took me to Taillevent. She told me to just drink water because the menu(s) she got had no prices on them.. I, in the other hand got them prices, so we sounded like a couple of accountants at that 3michelin table; "How much is Foie Gras du Canard aux Sauternes?".. 'uhhhh, like, a gazzillllion Francs'.
I digress. The wine. Well, they had the Wine list printed on their poster-like menu. It was crazy! They really don't serve great wines by the glass at the time, so my options were; A) Drink water. B) Get half bottle under a 100francs. I convinced my sister that the water tastes funny, and that we should 'live a little', so I excitedly began the process of finding our Demi bottle... Yikes! Almost every selection are way up there; 200+ Francs. I was giving up hope, when out of nowwhere, like a superhero....... The Sommelier was at our side. He gave a glance at us for a split second, and knew these baby-faced Japanese tourists have neveer EVVVVVEER been to a fine dining establishment, let alone a 3 Michelin Parisienne Restaurant. This IS TAILLEVANT, dude!( He didn't say 'Dude', obviously)
Anyways, he points with his shiny Mont Blanc pen to his winelist and gently explains to the young Asian hillbilly-kids, 'Moisseur, eh we have some Nuit St. Georges for Demi boutilles, eh Perhaps a Chinon, ah Arbois..what are you planning to have for lunch?' The first one, the St.Georgia thingy sounded familiar and atleast I could pronounce the damn thing(?!), so we ended up ordering that.
The bottle said 1985 .. I honestly can't remember the rest.. The Sommelier opens the wine gracefully, examines the mold covered cork, smells it-squeeze it... Then he passed it to us. Then he takes the wine away...??? We were staring at the molding cork dumbfounded, like a couple of monkeys looking at a unplugged playstation, wondering when it will 'start'. In the corner of the room, I see our superhero pouring a few ounces into some silver ornament( Tastevin) that he's wearing like Flavaflav. WTF? He be drinkin' our Vino!? Moments later, the Supah Sommelier with the silver bling comes back to us, besides our table with a trolly, and a big Chemistry-set-flask thing, propped up on a 45degree angle, a slanted shiny funnel, candle underneath, tweezers and cloth. My sister looked at me like to say, "WHAT DID YOU ORDER, ASSHOLE?", I give the look back, " NO IDEA-DUDE, JUST GO WITH IT!"
The Sommelier begins to slowly pour our wine through the silver funnel, all the while having a candle underneath. The time it took for him to finish this bizarre ritual seemed like an eternity! My sister and I wondered if we should start singing or clapping or what, but before we knew it, the Wineguy says 'Haaa~ Voila!".. 'Pssst. I think he's done. he said', houlaah'.
He places in front of us the BIGGEST, Tall-as-the-Eiffel wine glasses in front of us, and poured me a shot first. I waited for him to pour my sister too, afterall, SHE'S PAYING!!~(Sucker). No. He is waiting for something. ?!..???..!?!?! Without sounding like a pompous prick, but like a father, gently telling his kids not to pull daddy's moustache- it hurts,..... "Moisseur, would uuur, care to taste dux wine?" Oh. Oh, then why don't ya say so? I nervously try swirling the wine in the fish aquarium-like wine glass, but not working. Screw it. Let me 'snifff',... Oh my god! "What's in HERE??", I almost shouted out of excitement. I never smelled anything so, great- Like Cherries, jam, plum, and bunch of other aromas that I could not register in my little brain. "Iz everyzsing, okeh? It's.. Badde???", the Sommelier had a look of disbelief. "It's just smells sooo good!" Drink up ya hillbilly!, When I did. The flavors that hit my tongue just made me smile.. Unbelivable! It was soooo good! That must have been the best thing I ever tasted in my life, and it's only the Wine! The Bread, let alone the Amuse Bouche hasn't even arrived yet. "You like??".. 'I~ LOVE!! OUI'.. My sister looks at me and shakes her head, 'You're retarded'. Thanx
Loooooooooong story short, this Pinot has the same characterists as that 85 Nuit St.Georges that my sister and I shared for lunch at Taillevent in 1995. Isn't it amazing how one bottle, one taste, could transcend you back into another time/dimention?
Memories~
Actually,...... Beautiful!!!
The Whitcraft came through! It's a beauty... Usually, when it comes to the Reds I open, My Wife usually makes this look like she ate a real tannic/rancid grape. She'll say over and over "Kap Kap! Kapkap!!"... Bern, is she crazy??
Anyways, SHE even loved this one; It's not a fruit-bomb, but it had complex, aged characteristics. Wonderful stewed Plum, warm spice aromas...Reminded me of the time my Sister took me to Paris when I was 18, still going to CIA, and took me to Taillevent. She told me to just drink water because the menu(s) she got had no prices on them.. I, in the other hand got them prices, so we sounded like a couple of accountants at that 3michelin table; "How much is Foie Gras du Canard aux Sauternes?".. 'uhhhh, like, a gazzillllion Francs'.
I digress. The wine. Well, they had the Wine list printed on their poster-like menu. It was crazy! They really don't serve great wines by the glass at the time, so my options were; A) Drink water. B) Get half bottle under a 100francs. I convinced my sister that the water tastes funny, and that we should 'live a little', so I excitedly began the process of finding our Demi bottle... Yikes! Almost every selection are way up there; 200+ Francs. I was giving up hope, when out of nowwhere, like a superhero....... The Sommelier was at our side. He gave a glance at us for a split second, and knew these baby-faced Japanese tourists have neveer EVVVVVEER been to a fine dining establishment, let alone a 3 Michelin Parisienne Restaurant. This IS TAILLEVANT, dude!( He didn't say 'Dude', obviously)
Anyways, he points with his shiny Mont Blanc pen to his winelist and gently explains to the young Asian hillbilly-kids, 'Moisseur, eh we have some Nuit St. Georges for Demi boutilles, eh Perhaps a Chinon, ah Arbois..what are you planning to have for lunch?' The first one, the St.Georgia thingy sounded familiar and atleast I could pronounce the damn thing(?!), so we ended up ordering that.
The bottle said 1985 .. I honestly can't remember the rest.. The Sommelier opens the wine gracefully, examines the mold covered cork, smells it-squeeze it... Then he passed it to us. Then he takes the wine away...??? We were staring at the molding cork dumbfounded, like a couple of monkeys looking at a unplugged playstation, wondering when it will 'start'. In the corner of the room, I see our superhero pouring a few ounces into some silver ornament( Tastevin) that he's wearing like Flavaflav. WTF? He be drinkin' our Vino!? Moments later, the Supah Sommelier with the silver bling comes back to us, besides our table with a trolly, and a big Chemistry-set-flask thing, propped up on a 45degree angle, a slanted shiny funnel, candle underneath, tweezers and cloth. My sister looked at me like to say, "WHAT DID YOU ORDER, ASSHOLE?", I give the look back, " NO IDEA-DUDE, JUST GO WITH IT!"
The Sommelier begins to slowly pour our wine through the silver funnel, all the while having a candle underneath. The time it took for him to finish this bizarre ritual seemed like an eternity! My sister and I wondered if we should start singing or clapping or what, but before we knew it, the Wineguy says 'Haaa~ Voila!".. 'Pssst. I think he's done. he said', houlaah'.
He places in front of us the BIGGEST, Tall-as-the-Eiffel wine glasses in front of us, and poured me a shot first. I waited for him to pour my sister too, afterall, SHE'S PAYING!!~(Sucker). No. He is waiting for something. ?!..???..!?!?! Without sounding like a pompous prick, but like a father, gently telling his kids not to pull daddy's moustache- it hurts,..... "Moisseur, would uuur, care to taste dux wine?" Oh. Oh, then why don't ya say so? I nervously try swirling the wine in the fish aquarium-like wine glass, but not working. Screw it. Let me 'snifff',... Oh my god! "What's in HERE??", I almost shouted out of excitement. I never smelled anything so, great- Like Cherries, jam, plum, and bunch of other aromas that I could not register in my little brain. "Iz everyzsing, okeh? It's.. Badde???", the Sommelier had a look of disbelief. "It's just smells sooo good!" Drink up ya hillbilly!, When I did. The flavors that hit my tongue just made me smile.. Unbelivable! It was soooo good! That must have been the best thing I ever tasted in my life, and it's only the Wine! The Bread, let alone the Amuse Bouche hasn't even arrived yet. "You like??".. 'I~ LOVE!! OUI'.. My sister looks at me and shakes her head, 'You're retarded'. Thanx
Loooooooooong story short, this Pinot has the same characterists as that 85 Nuit St.Georges that my sister and I shared for lunch at Taillevent in 1995. Isn't it amazing how one bottle, one taste, could transcend you back into another time/dimention?
Memories~