1994 Cepparello

Dinner at Moomba in Singapore.

1994 Isole e Olena Cepparello - started out wonderfully, with good concentration and good, powerful nose.  But this wine throws a huge sediment, more than any other wine I've seen.  Looks like mud off the bottom of hiking boots!  Definitely needs decanting, or a third of the bottle won't be drinkable.

1988 Léoville Poyferré

Dinner at home.

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut

1988 Léoville Poyferré - decanted for 1½ hours prior to serving.  This was amazing.  This was the first time I believed in 'terroir', even though I can't describe it. This tasted like a Ducru! Sure they're both Bordeaux, but it's nothing like a Lynch-Bages, for example.  It's definitely St. Julien!  Nice body, smooth.  Great nose packed with good fruit.

1997 Baumard Quarts de Chaume

Drinking at home.

1997 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume - good floral nose, kumquats, honeyed almonds.  Yummy.

Bought for NTD 1,250.

1996 Yalumba Hermitage

Dinner at a friend's home.

1996 Yalumba Hermitage - OK.  A little young, with firm structure and good amount of tannin.  Classic sweet palate and a bit of spicy nose.  Would be better in a couple of years.

1994 Ebenezer Shiraz

Dinner at a friend's house in Tokyo.

1994 Barossa Valley Estate Ebenezer Shiraz - not bad.  Typical New World blend of sweetness and spiciness.  Would improve with time.

91 DRC Richebourg and La Turque

Dinner at a friend's house in Tokyo.

Killawarra Sparkling Shiraz Cabernet - pretty good.  Very different from Champagne.  It's richer, fuller-bodied. and not as acidic.

1991 DRC Richebourg - I decanted this about an hour prior to dinner into a carafe without a stopper.  Wow!  What a wine!  This is a great Pinot, and certainly justifies DRC's reputation.  This was the first time that my friend used his Riedel Burgundy Grand Cru glasses to drink a true Burgundy Grand Cru.  The nose was amazing.  Very intense, lots of fruit.  Extremely smooth going down, and long finish.  Spent lots of time chewing this wine.  Soooo delicious.  The bouquet continued to develop over time, and was quite amazing 2½ - 3 hours after opening. Awesome!  Bit of vanilla nose.

Bought from Tatung Atherton for TWD 6,450.

1991 Guigal La Turque - decanted for about 1 hour.  Amazing wine!  I liked this much better than the DRC, even though the Richebourg already blew my palate away.  This is incredibly smooth and soft, yet it had a good, medium body and structure, with good acidity balance.  This was a complex wine with good concentration without being heavy.  Bouquet was very nice and aromatic, with lavender overtones.  I love this wine!  Very rich.  Again I spent time chewing this wine.  What an unforgettable experience!

Bought from Vinum for SGD 541.

1990 Yquem en demi-bouteille - Wow!  Amazingly rich, with lots of walnut and honey.  A bit thick now but sure to improve for years to come.

California tasting

California Wine Trading tasting at Tokyo American Club.

Carneros Creek Estate Grown Pinot Noir - this was a bit young, but it was OK.  The Estate Grown is better than their generic Pinot.

1996 St. Supéry Meritage - this was OK.  Nothing special.

I was amazed that they offered the '95 Caymus SS for tasting, and they were already on their 3rd bottle!  Of course I jumped at the chance to taste the wine that got a 97 from Wine Spectator.

1995 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Special Selection - hmmm... Not bad at all!  While it was still a little  young, it certainly had a lot of potential!  It was a full-bodied wine.  Tannins were firm and chewy, but nice on the palate.  Long finish.  Complex.  Good amount of fruit in the structure.  Wow.  This would be awesome in another 5 years.

Niebaum Coppola Merlot Diamond Label - not bad at all.  Good effort.

1997 Cuvaison Pinot Noir - this was really wonderful.  It even resembled Syrah a little bit to me.  I guess it's because of the tannins.  Tokyu sells it for JPY 4,000.  Definitely a big buyer of this wine.

Met Suzie Selby who is the winemaker for both Rabbit Ridge and Selby.

Rabbit Ridge Zinfandel OVZ Reserve (vintage forgotten) - definitely a very nice wine, better than Hedin or Olson.

Selby Syrah (vintage forgotten) - this was OK.

Merryvale Chardonnay Starmont (vintage forgotten) - good wine.

Merryvale Profile (vintage forgotten) - good.

Kenwood Cabernet Sauvignon Jack London (vintage forgotten) - pretty good.