Mizu no Eau

Dinner at Sushi U.

Mizu no Eau (水の王) - this has a seimaibuai of 50%. It's a little drier than the sake that I normally drink, but surprisingly light and watery in taste. Later we found out that it was called daiginjo light...

Full post on dinner is here.

Two Bordeaux

Dinner at Shanghai Fraternity Association.

2004 Blason d'Issan - this was pretty drinkable with some nice fruit and smooth tannins. 

1989 Talbot - the amber rim of the Talbot was very obvious, with very soft tannins and it was made in a much drier style.

Full post on dinner is here.

Cortesia di Morgassi

Cortesia di Morgassi - drank over lunch at a friend's house.  This was given to me by the winemaker during last year's Vinexpo. Aside from the typical orange marmalade notes, it was also a bit spicy, with chilli and peppery notes. Pretty interesting.

Full post on lunch is here.

MNSC Dinner - Pierre

MNSC dinner at Pierre, hosted by me.

2005 Didier Dagueneau Pur Sang - it was classic... nose of minerals, flint, muscat grapes and green apples. Later a hint of oak with a bit of creaminess. Definitely an acidic finish.

1983 Guigal Hermitage - I had no expectations for this wine so the surprise was on the upside, turning out to be fairly beautiful and rich. Lots of fruit here with the usual farmy plus a bit of violet/floral notes. A bit light-bodied.

1983 Chave Hermitage - this wine would always outperform the Guigal, and was much more concentrated and powerful. It was very floral and sweet, with tell-tale bacon fat notes.

1989 Bahans-Haut-Brion - smoky, farmy and a bit medicinal, with farmy, smoked meats and lead pencil all surrounding a core of sweet fruit. This was clearly the crowd favorite tonight.

1989 Chapoutier Hermitage Le Pavillon - explosive sweet nose with orange, tangerine and even rubber notes, but the nose became more muted with time. Body was lighter than I expected and the tannins were silky soft. Once again a 100-point Le Pavillon failed to wow me, but it did better than I expected.

1999 Sine Qua Non the Marauder - this was exactly as I expected it... a huge, sharp and alcoholic nose with lots of iron and minerals. Explosively sweet with lots of orange and a hint of grilled meats. This wine needs a lot more cellaring time and it was just waaaay too early to open this. It's my kind of wine but not exactly appreciated by the crowd.

1999 Torbreck Run Rig - it was obvious that this was also a New World Syrah, but it was softer than the Californian. Nice sweet nose of orange and strawberries. This is also one of my favorite Aussie Shiraz.

Full post on dinner is here.

Kokuryu Shizuku

Kokuryu Daiginjo Shizuku (黒龍大吟醸しずく) - drank over dinner at Irori.  The sake is collected not from pressing the sacks of rice, but letting it drip naturally from the hanging sacks. In winemaking terms it's equivalent of using only free-run juice. My expectation were high as this was a Kokuryu limited edition bottling, with a seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 35%. It was very smooth on the palate, a little sweet even, with a finish that suddenly turns dry and spicy. The nose was pleasant but not particularly complex. Maybe I had cellared this for too long?

Full post on dinner is here.

1971 Camille Giroud Clos de Vougeot

1971 Camille Giroud Clos de Vougeot - drank over dinner at home.  I had very little expectation for the wine, for although 1971 was a good year in Burgundy and we were drinking a Grand Cru, I really wasn't sure about the winemaking at Camille Giroud all those years ago. But the wine was actually pretty nice once it opened up. Initially there was a bit of chalk, then the core of sweet fruit came out, with smoky, grilled meat notes. Later on the classic bacon fat and farmy nose really showed. Not bad.

Full post on dinner is here.

1995 Etude Cabernet

1995 Etude Cabernet Sauvignon - drank over dinner at the Green Mouse. The wine has now become pretty mellow, with a smoky nose, a bit of mint and a hint of green pepper. There's a solid fruit core but not overly sweet. Very smooth on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Spéciale Jean-Paul Gaultier

Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Spéciale Jean-Paul Gaultier - drank over dinner at Fu Sing.  This comes with the special red corset that just screams JPG... The curvaceous lines of the Champagne bottle is wrapped with the red PVC corset, tied with a very long, black string... very sexy. The Champagne itself is not too shabby, either.

Full post on dinner is here.

2005 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

2005 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Russian River Valley - drank over dinner at the Drawing Room. This just couldn't get any more Californian... huge nose of iron & minerals, orange, tropical fruits, very sweet and jammy, extremely ripe both on the nose and the palate. The nose was also very alcoholic, although it weighs in at just under 15%. A very different beast from the likes of Kistler and Marcassin.

Full post on dinner is here.

1989 Margaux

1989 Margaux - drank over dinner at the Dining Room of the Park Hyatt Shanghai.  It was a beautiful wine, and I'm sure that it was every bit as good as the bottles that Paul Pontallier served us back in April.

Full post on dinner is here.

2004 Château de Fuissé Pouilly-Fuissé Tête du Cru

2004 Château de Fuissé Pouilly-Fuissé Tête du Cru - drank over dinner at Villa du Lac in Shanghai. Mineral and flinty nose, with lemon, oily and buttery notes. Kinda ripe on the nose and the palate. Not bad at all.

Full post on dinner is here.

2004 Lascombes

2004 Lascombes - drank at a friend's house. I thought it was French from a weaker recent vintage like 2004, and those two answers alone got me 3 points - higher than your average MNSC score... Pretty smoky nose and soft tannins.

Full post on the evening is here.