Arbois and Austrians

Dinner at Roganic.

Drappier Carte d'Or, en magnum - I could smell the acidity on the nose. The palate was rather soft.

2022 Hiedler Grüner Veltliner Thal - pretty fragrant nose with some stone fruits. Very pleasant and easy to drink.

2015 Michel Brégeon Les Vigneaux Gorges - the nose was nice and flinty, and there was a little fruit on the nose. Got the acidity and was reasonably grippy on the palate.

2019 Coursodon Etincelle - flinty nose, ripe and alcoholic on the palate, and alcoholic on the finish, too.

1986 Rolet Trousseau Arbois, en magnum - the nose was very fragrant, toasty, and a little funky. This was really nice, with lovely, juicy fruit together with that toasty nose.

2022 Kracher Cuvée Auslese - honey and floral notes, with orange blossoms.

Full post on dinner is here.

China and Bordeaux

Dinner at Ho Lee Fook.

2022 Xige Jade Dove Rosé - the nose was pretty fragrant and fruity, nice and toasty.

2013 Ygrec - served 45 minutes after opening. Initial hit of glycerin with the nose being highly alcoholic, followed by flint and toasty notes.

2009 Clinet - started drinking about 1½ hours after decanting. Very nice on the nose with some smoke, lovely woodsy and minty notes. Good concentration on the palate but already rounded with some age.

Full post on dinner is here.

2020 Calon-Ségur

Drinking at home.

2020 Calon Ségur - first taste 20 minutes after decanting. Nice and woodsy on the nose, with lots of vanilla, sweet black cherries, smoke, and pencil lead. Definitely sweet on the palate. After more than an hour in the decanter, the nose was showing a hint of green, but still got the pencil lead, and a bit of grilled meats. More than 1½ hours in, we got a little mint on the nose. There was a bit more acidity on the palate, and tannins got more grippy. Two hours after decanting, this was really fragrant and woodsy.

Clemens Busch tasting

My friends at Ginsberg + Chan hosted a tasting of wines from Weingut Clemens Busch from the Mosel, and Jay highly recommended that I come and check out the wines. Clemens Busch stopped by Hong Kong on his way home from a long-overdue vacation in New Zealand, and was on hand to conduct the tasting.

Pascal Doquet Diapason Le Mesnil-sur-Oger - good notes of lemon on the nose, but maybe also a touch of honey there, too. Nice acidity balance on the palate.

First flight:

2022 Clemens Busch Riesling (alter)native Trocken - the "natural wine". Nose was very stony and flinty, with plenty of petrol, but also some honey. Thick texture and grippy on the palate, with high acidity... and maybe a little too much for my liking. Also showed more juicy fruit on the nose.

2022 Clemens Busch Marienburg Rothenpfad Riesling Großes Gewächs - the vines are more than 80 years old. Big nose of toast, then also some petrol. Acidity was also high here, but softer than the (alter)native, and more crisp and clean.

Second flight:

2022 Clemens Busch Marienburg Fahrlay Riesling Großes Gewächs - a bit more ripeness on the palate, more rounded, but still dry overall with good acidity. Some flint and lemon on the nose.

2022 Clemens Busch Marienburg Fahrlay Terrassen Riesling Großes Gewächs - the grapes come from 115-year-old vines. The acidity was higher, more grippy on the palate, with a longer finish. There was more petrol and flint on the nose.

Third flight:

2022 Clemens Busch Marienburg Falkenlay Riesling Großes Gewächs - nose was showing fruity notes, with stone fruits like peach. Of course there was flint and a hint of petrol, too. Certainly more complexity on the nose. And we've got the acidity on the palate.

Fourth flight:

2022 Clemens Busch Marienburg Felsterrasse Riesling Große Lage - the grapes come from vines which are almost 100 years old, with a small production of around 1,000 bottles. The nose was much bigger, with bigger punch of the flint. This was clearly more rounded on the palate, still with the acidity but at the same time a little more ripeness.

2022 Clemens Busch Marienburg Raffes Riesling Große Lage - also small production of around 1,400 bottles. This was much more ripe than the Felsterrasse, but still flinty. There was more sugar on the palate, with plenty of acidity and a long finish. The nose here was more showy and powerful.

Fifth flight: finally an off-dry wine.

2022 Clemens Busch Marienburg Riesling Spätlese Große Lage Goldkapsel - the nose was much more floral, together with the familiar petrol. Definitely more residual sugar and sweeter on the palate.

70 Tonodia and Cali

Dinner at a friend's home.

1970 López de Heredia Viña Tondonia - mid-shoulder. Started drinking 15 minutes after opening. The sweetness was still there on the nose, but initially this was a bit grassy and also a touch of mold. The nose was a little similar to Chinese sour plum drink. Later the funky in the nose dissipated and we were left with the sweet fruit that had been aged and oxidized. Not bad at all.

1995 Caymus Special Selection - decanted 40 minutes after opening, and started drinking after 20 minutes in the decanter. The nose was smoky, a little earthy, with a nice hit of sweet fruit, and showinglovely, really fragrant oak. Almost 2 hours after opening the wine was just showing beautifully. So lovely and elegant now.

2004 Colgin Cariad - decanted 1 hour and 20 minutes after opening and served. The nose was definitely much sweeter with that vanilla, and of course minty. Sweet on the palate, smooth now after 20 years of age, but still got the tannins. Drinking very nicely.

2013 Produttori del Barbaresco Riserva Asili - swirled in decanter after opening, and started drinking 30 minutes later. The nose was very fragrant with lots of dried herbs and eucalyptus. Could still feel the tannins on the palate.

Giscours and Laherte

Dinner at Noble Imperial.

Laherte Rosé de Meunier, dégorgée en Mars 2023 - nice and fruity with red fruits. Nicely balanced on the palate.

2019 Giscours - started drinking 45 minutes after opening. A little bit of smoke, some oak, some sweet fruit but not too ripe, and not too sweet on the palate. Definitely a claret.

Full post on dinner is here.

2018 Torbreck

Drinking at home in Taipei.

2018 Torbreck Old Vines Grenache Mourvèdre Shiraz - very big nose of black fruits like black cherries and Kyoho grapes. Lots of vanilla on the nose, and very oaky. Pretty ripe on the palate and definitely on the sweet side. Just around one hour in the nose was almost showing some floral notes.

2018 Monfalletto

Dinner at home in Taipei.

2018 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto - smoky nose with some cassis. Lighter on the palate.