1994 Guigal Côte-Rôtie

Dinner at home in Taipei.

1994 Guigal Côtie-Rôtie Brune et Blonde - the wine drank well but quality wasn't really there. After 1½ to 2 hours the bouquet was nice. Good fruit. But the wine had turned acidic. Hmm... maybe it was the poor storage at home. But probably won't buy this again.

Bought from Eslite for TWD 1,300.

Ridge, Pichon, Clos Ste Hune

Dinner at Elgin Tastes.

1993 Ridge Cabernet Santa Cruz Mountains - this continues to be a great drinking wine, ready when the cork pops. Forward raspberry fruit and slightly spicy finish. Wonderful.

Bought from BBR for HKD 368.

1981 Pichon-Lalande - this was opened early and aired for a bit, so it drank well by the time we got to it. Clasically Bordeaux, with more hearthy and herbal, weedy nose at first. Fruit emerged later and it was medium sweet. Surprisingly nice.

Got this from dad.

Drinking at home.

1989 Trimbach Clos Sainte Hune Vendages Tardives - thought this was a dessert wine but what a mistake! As this was my first VT, I didn't really know how sweet this was going to be. Well... it's a dry wine! If I had read Parker's description I would have known... Nevertheless it was a good, or actually great, riesling. Deep, rich flavors. Nose of paraffin and minerals. Long finish.

Bought from Macau Duty Free for HKD 1,085.

1996 d'Arenberg Riesling The Noble, from half bottle - the old reliable.

Bought from Watson's for HKD 113.

1990 Peter Lehmann Stonewell

Dinner at Brown.

1990 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Stonewell - my second bottle of the vintage, and confirms that it is an inferior vintage. Not a bad wine, but not spectacular. This was nice and smooth, with medium body. A bit of spice on the palate, but not enough fruit. Finish was not great.

Bought from Manly for HKD 520.

1995 Guado al Tasso

Drinking at a friend's home.

1995 Antinori Guado al Tasso - pretty tannic was it was a young cab/merlot. Has a lot of potential since the fruit was evident. Initially it was a bit acidic but got better with time. Nice cherry notes.

1997 Chileans

Chilean wine tasting at Manly Wine City.

1997 Le Dix de Los Vascos - surprisingly sweet. Tannins were heavy for the young cab.

1997 Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta - this was much lighter with a sweeter nose. The berries were more prominent, and shows the characters of merlot. Finish was a it spicy and turns tannic on the tongue. Very nice but too young.

1997 Almaviva - this was not anjoyable at first. It was so typically Bordeaux, very weedy and earthy. Could not taste much fruit. However it opened up more after another half hour and fruit was more evident.

1997 Carmen - not enjoyale

1997 Los Boldos - not enjoyable.