December 25, 2003
December 20, 2003
December 15, 2003
MNSC Dinner - Golden Leaf
MNSC dinner at Golden Leaf (金葉庭), hosted by Pineapple.
First pair:
1983 Margaux
1985 Stag's Leap Cask 23
Second pair:
1983 Beaucastel
1983 Rayas
Third pair:
1990 Marcoux Vieilles Vignes
1995 Marcous Vieilles Vignes
December 10, 2003
December 7, 2003
December 3, 2003
December 1, 2003
November 28, 2003
November 24, 2003
November 22, 2003
November 19, 2003
November 14, 2003
November 10, 2003
November 6, 2003
1998 Petaluma
Dinner at Wolf.
1998 Petaluma Coonawarra - not bad. Still not completely like a typical Aussie.
November 3, 2003
1993 Ducru
Dinner at Latata in Taipei.
1993 Ducru-Beaucaillou - pretty classic Bordeaux, I must say. Plenty of tobacco, minerals, earth, with fruit core, although not sweet enough. Still enjoyable to drink, and the tannins were fairly smooth.
Bought from Watson's for HKD 439.
October 30, 2003
1999 Joseph Drouhin
Drinks at Sixth Avenue in Taipei.
1999 Joseph Drouhin Aloxe-Corton - not bad. A bit sharp on the nose due to the alcohol, but fruity enough to be a little sexy. Medium body, tannins firm for a young Burgundy.
October 26, 2003
1998 Beringer Sbragia
Dinner at Calina.
1998 Beringer Chardonnay Sbragia Limited Release - easy to drink. Mineral nose, but it lacked the buttery, fatty palate. This had a short mid-palate while having a long finish.
Bought from the winery for USD 40.
October 25, 2003
SQN and Latour a Pomerol
Dinner at Nicholini's.
1999 Sine Qua Non The Marauder - this was very minerally and irony at first, almost like drinking blood in that sense! Nose was very sharp due to the high alcohol level. Notes of tar, cherry, red fruits. Very full-bodied, tannins firm but not harsh. Good balance overall.
Bought from FRW for GBP 100.
1982 Latour à Pomerol - this was double-decanted at home and kept soppered until serving. Pretty disappointed considering its showing last December. Nose was powerful with earthy, mineral, medicinal notes. Medium- to full-bodied. Tannins very smooth, although the after palate was a bit astringent. Not very much fruit on the nose.
Bought from Vinum.
October 24, 2003
1993 Trimbach Ribeaupierre
Dinner at a friend's home.
1993 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Cuvée des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre - I expected it to be sweeter. Maybe it suffered from heat? But in any case, nose was very floral, with hints of lychee, overpowered by minerals and petrol. toasty oak.
Bought from Berry Brothers for HKD 379.
October 18, 2003
2000 Rochioli
Brunch at Brown.
2000 Rochioli Sauvignon Blanc - very easy to drink. Nose of minerals, petrol, and oak dominated. Light-bodied. Pretty yummy.
Bought from the winery for USD 22.
October 13, 2003
MNSC dinner - Fook Lam Moon
MNSC dinner at Fook Lam Moon. Gayliao hosted.
1999 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne - this was very good, full of buttery, toasty oak and minerals.
1990 L'Eglise-Clinet - this was very good. Smooth on the palate, with sweet fruit on the nose. Packs a bit of a punch.
1990 La Gaffelière - nose was very grassy pretty much throughout, with some green apples. Showed an amber rim.
1990 Angelus - very nice stuff. Powerful, full-bodied, it was showing very well. Lots of sweet fruit on the nose. Definitely the wine of the evening.
1990 Figeac - this was very good today, showing a bit of fruit on the nose as well as grilled meats.
October 10, 2003
1998 Mas de Daumas Gassac
Dinner at Liu Yuan.
1998 Mas de Daumas Gassac Rouge - this was pretty decent. Smooth and easy to drink. Classic Bordeaux cepages, but not terribly exciting to drink.
Bought from Remy.
October 5, 2003
Grosset Piccadilly
Dinner at Tsui Hang Village.
2000 Grosset Chardonnay Piccadilly - not a bad bottle. Nose of petrol, buttery, toasty oak. A bit of citrus.
Bought from Ponti.
September 26, 2003
Mont-Olivet and Turley
Dinner at a friend's home.
1990 Clos du Mont-Olivet La Cuvée du Papet - kinda disappointed as this was a bit "cooked", or showed too much stewed fruits. Maybe it breathed too long? Maybe past its peak. But still showed classic Rhône nose and palate.
Chateau Segonnes - typical Bordeaux and not interesting.
1997 Turley Zinfandel Dogtown Vineyard - very good stuff. Showed all the characters of a fruity, forward Californian zin. Very enjoyable.
September 15, 2003
1998 Casa Lapostolle
Hotpot dinner.
1998 Casa Lapostolle Merlot Cuvée Alexandre - kinda disappointing. Only a bit of fruit, mostly covered by a grassy nose which took a while to fade.
Bought from Manly.
September 13, 2003
Kistler and Parker
Dinner at Cine Citta.
Kistler Chardonnay Les Noisetieres - pretty good stuff for entry level. Crisp acidity, very refreshing.
1998 Parker Coonawarra Terra Rossa First Growth - pretty good stuff. Classic Aussie wine, showing a lot of ripe fruit. Pretty full-bodied as it is still pretty young.
Bought from Ponti.
September 9, 2003
1992 Leroy
Dinner at a friend's home.
1992 Domaine Leroy Corton-Renardes - this was not bad. Nose was very nice and open, with black cherries and stewed prunes. Body was a bit lighter, and acidity slightly higher than the '93.
Bought from Fa Lan Ke in Taipei.
September 4, 2003
Montelena and 1998 whites
Dinner at Sanjusangendo in Taipei.
1998 Blanc de Lynch-Bages - this was OK. Wasn't chilled enough before it was served, so the acidity on the palate was a bit high. Nevertheless it was a good wine.
1998 Montelena Chardonnay - better than the Lynch-Bages as it was served at the right temperature. A pleasure to drink.
1996 Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon Estate - this was disappointing for me. Perhaps I had let it breathe too long. It had lost its fruity nose by the time we got to it. Faded and flat, boring to drink.
September 2, 2003
Lamarche and Morey
Dinner at Sabatini in Taipei.
2000 Jean-Marc Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes - this was very good. Crisp, fruity, good minerals and toasty oak. Very vibrant and lively on the palate.
1995 François Lamarche Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes - very open, drinking very well. Lots of ripe fruit in the big nose. Wow! Very enjoyable, and for such a reasonable price!
August 23, 2003
1994 Leeuwin Estate
Lunch in Singapore.
1994 Leeuwin Estate Chardonnay Art Series - pretty good. Typical toasted oak, butter, and lemon zest.
August 8, 2003
Las Cases and Huet
Dinner at a friend's home.
1985 Léoville Las Cases - started drinking after 1½ hours of airing, and it was drinking beautifully. Nose was wonderful and full-blown, very smoky, with minerals, stewed fruits. With time the nose increased in sweetness. Amazing Bordeaux expressing its classic beauty.
Bought from Oaks for SGD 223.
1997 Huet Vouvray Cuvée Constance, en jennie - this was a very well-balanced wine. Not too sweet. Good acidity to balance the fat, with a creamy, buttery palate. Very strong minerals and iron on the nose, enveloping the core of pear, orange, citrus, and caramel notes. Yummy! Very complex and fine.
Bought from Farr for GBP 52.
August 4, 2003
1997 Viader and Mondavi
Dinner at Tribute.
1997 Viader - this drank well like a typical Californian from the start. However it started to show really well after 2 hours of opening, which is consistent with the last tasting... it needs a lot of time. Lots of sweet fruit, coconut, and caramel. The nose was definitely "wow!" Everyone was impressed since it evolved over time and improved.
Bought from Ponti for HKD 591.
1997 Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon To-Kalon Vineyard - this was pretty strong from the start, with nose of sweet fruit and caramel. Very smoky at first, and more of a "Bordeaux" feel. Tannins are pretty firm. Still needs time to soften up.
August 1, 2003
1990 Dom
Dinner at Brasserie on the Eighth.
1990 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - pretty good stuff. Smooth, yeasty, not too sharp, nice toasty oak.
Bought from Macau Ferry for HKD 850.
July 20, 2003
1997 Poggio Antico
Dinner at Zanotti in Bangkok.
1997 Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino - pretty good stuff. Nose was nice on the opening, and gradually good better, with good fruit and acidity not too apparent.
About USD 100 on the wine list.
July 14, 2003
1996 Phelps Backus
Dinner at Victoria Harbour Seafood.
1996 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Backus Vineyard - fairly good but needs more time. Not a "wow" wine.
Bought from Sogo for HKD 1,080.
June 22, 2003
MNSC dinner - Conrad HK
MNSC dinner at the Conrad Hong Kong Executive Lounge, catered by Brasserie on the Eighth. Hosted by me on my birthday.
1990 Louis Roederer Cristal - this was yummy. Nose was very yeasty and sweet, with hints of straw. Crisp acidity. Good stuff.
Bought from Yamaya for JPY 13,000.
1998 Artadi Grandes Añadas - the nose was very sweet, full of strawberries, cotton candy, marshmallow, with hints of coffee and glycerin. I can certainly understand why this could be a New World shiraz. Tannins still pretty firm on the palate. My favorite of the 4 1998s.
Bought from Oaks for SGD 208.
1998 Clos Erasmus - the nose was very sweet, very New World, with notes of vanilla and coffee. I liked this wine a lot, almost as much as Artadi, though Parker's 99 points is probably not deserved, at least not today.
Bought from Vinum for SGD 151.
1998 Pingus - I never would have guessed this was the Pingus. It started out with the classic "shit" nose, but later the sweet fruit emerged and the wine was delicious. Then it took a strange turn, and the nose was completely Côte-Rôtie! With the classic rose petals! Everyone smelled this and it was amazing! Very good wine.
Bought from Vinum for SGD 480.
1998 Alvaro Palacios L'Ermita - my first pour smelled of wet chalk at first and I thought the wine was off. But it was only my glass. Then sweet fruit core came out after the second pour, Pretty good.
Bought from Vinum for SGD 260.
1970 Marqués de Murrietta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial - nose of sweet fruit as well as sweet grass. A bit acidic on the finish, typical of an older Rioja. Don't think the others liked this as much as I did.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
