What would you think of a Georgian dinner, paired with Bourgognes, served by an Israeli/Swede goalie? Daniel Lifshitz and his wife Ani put together a very fun event at Tel Aviv's Bin 281 (which Daniel calls his second home).
Bagrationi, Finest nv
This is Georgian quaffer offering adequate pleasure and a mineral cut.
Domaine d'Arlaud, Bourgogne Aligote, 2008
Light bodied with notes of grapefruit and clay. Aligote at the hands of a good producer can be quite fun.
Domaine Matrot, Saint Romain, 2007
Wonderful, funky aromatics, direct yet complex. At six years post- harvest, this has plenty of jism for a relatively lowly, backwoods appellation and offers the experience of a mature white B without, so far, any signs of premoxed bottles.
Dugat-Py, Bourgogne, 2009
Ripe, veering towards black fruit, spicy. I prefer the 2008, which had a much more idiosyncratic personality.
Jean Grivot, Vosne-Romanee Premier Cru, Les Beaux Monts, 2008
Perfumed red fruit with some black - spicy, long, structured and tasty, even if there is something unyielding about it. Daniel claims Grivot's Nuits bottlings are better than his Vosnes and I have to agree, especially if I compare this to the village Aux Lavieres that we had recently and that clearly outmatches this Premier Cru.
Rene Engel, Clos De Vogeout, 2002
Complex earthy/spicy funk. Deep with subtle sweetness. With Engel gone, I just don't know how many more bottles I'll get to drink in the future, which is such a shame, this stuff being so great.
Etienne Sauzet, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru, 2009
Starts out closed, with a hint of tropical fruit, and a vein of spicy minerals. With air, the minerals become more prominent. But it still lacks the focused power I expect from a Grand Cru.