2007 Kapcsándy Family Rosé State Lane Vineyard

2007 Kapcsándy Family Rosé State Lane Vineyard - drank reasonably well over dinner at Tim's Kitchen (桃花源), with nose of strawberries and a little bit of smoke. One of the better rosés I have had.

Full post on dinner is here.

California Screamin'

Dinner at Brian's in Tokyo.

1997 Marcassin Chardonnay Gauer Vineyard Upper Barn - I was hoping that the wine would not be overly oxidized and over the hill, as several mid-90s Californian Chards I've tasted recently have been. I wasn't happy with the wine at first - nose of orange marmalade, white flowers and clearly oxidized. Initially the finish was a little tart. I decided to cool the wine further in the ice bucket, and the wine improved markedly. The floral notes became more prominent, and that nice buttery nose I love about Chardonnays came out.

1996 Dalla Valle Maya - I decanted the wine early and it had been in the decanter for about 2 hours before we starting drinking it. Nose was alcoholic, with prunes and pine needles. Still pretty concentrated and full-bodied. Room temperature was definitely too warm, so I dunked the decanter into the ice bucket for a while. The wine tasted much better at the new, cooler temperature. Lots of spices like star anise came out, and it was even a little smoky. Definitely a little funkier than your typical Cali Cab, thanks to the 45% Cabernet Franc in the blend.

1995 Bryant Family - the wine smelled incredible when I was decanting it, and the nose remained the most Californian throughout the night. Lots of tropical fruits, coconut butter, sweet and a little bit of caramel. Definitely alcoholic, but very smooth on the palate. It's been a while since my last taste of Bryant Family, and I was the beneficiary of H-man's generosity.

1997 Screaming Eagle - this, of course, was the wine that we'd all been waiting for. I couldn't believe my ears when H-man said last week that he wanted to open this up. I'd drunk plenty of good wines, but I have only ever tasted one vintage of Screaming Eagle... and 1997 is THE Screagle!

Nose was smoky, fruity with coffee notes. Like the other two reds, the alcohol was evident in the nose. Surprisingly the nose didn't smell very Californian to me at all, but rather muted and subdued. There is no doubt that this was a beautiful wine, as it was extremely well-balanced on the palate, and a little sweet.

1998 Mr. K Eiswein - this wine was made at Sine Qua Non by two wine personalities I respect, Manfred Krankl and Alois Kracher. There was never any doubt that the duo would produce anything short of spectacular. I was amazed at the viscosity of the wine, plainly evident as I was pouring it. Nose of peach, pear, banana, apricot and botrytis. The wine was slightly carbonated, which meant the wine was nicely balanced between the acidity and the sweetness. So glad I brought this wine...

We'd definitely have had too much wine by this point, but I couldn't pass up taking a few more sips. I received my shipment of Bijofu Yuzu Liqueur (美丈夫ゆずリキュール) today, and couldn't wait to let the others have a taste. It was as refreshing and fragrant as I remembered fromlast week, and definitely blew away its siblings made with lemon and Chinese honey orange (ポンカン).

Full post on dinner is here.

Higan Daiginjo

Dinner at Yukimura (幸村) in Tokyo.

Higan Daiginjo (鄙願 大吟醸) - the sake tasted very ripe, like Chinese fermented rice (酒釀). It starts out sweet but becomes dry and alcoholic mid-palate, with a sharp and spicy finish. Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 50%.

Full post on dinner is here.

Egly-Ouriet Brut Tradition

Egly-Ouriet Brut Tradition - drank over dinner at Les Créations de Narisawa. Nose with a bit of caramel, minerals, toast... Oxidized nose was a little strong on the metallic side, and the acidity was apparently on the finish. Also nose of pear and apple cider.

Full post on dinner is here.

Kokuryu and Juyondai

Tasting sake at Sake Hasegawa (酒はせがわ) in Omotesando Hills.

Juyondai Junmai Daiginjo Shichitare Nijikkan (十四代 純米大吟醸 七垂二十貫) - this was very smooth, with a good balance between the sweet and dry side. Pleasant to drink in the middle of the afternoon.

Bijofu Lemon (美丈夫 レモン) - on the rocks. It was OK, but nothing close to the Yuzu.

Azumaichi Bemolle (東一 黒糖梅酒 ベモーレ) - it was definitely umeshu (梅酒), but with the distinct flavor and sweetness of muscovado. Not bad.

Dinner at RyuGin (龍吟).

Kokuryu Kuzuryu Daiginjo Kanshu (黒龍 九頭龍 大吟醸燗酒) - this was brewed to be drunk warm, which is not normally how high quality sakes are drunk. But I don't really enjoy hot sake, so I take it cold anyway. It was slightly dry on the attack, but a little sweet on the palate. Finish started out a little sweet, then changed to the dry side later. Seimaibuai of 50%. Gotta love that velvet label... A little off-topic, but the name 九頭龍 reminds me of 九頭龍斬 - one of the attack forms described in the Japanese comic Samurai X (るろうに剣心). Will I be able to perform the attack if I keep drinking this?!

Kokuryu Daiginjo Ryu (黒龍 大吟醸 龍) - this was much richer in terms of flavors... A little drier on the palate and sharper in terms of alcohol, although I could still taste the sweetness and the classic banana nose. Seimaibuai of 40%.

Full post on dinner is here.

Kikunoi Junmai Ginjo

Kikunoi Junmai Ginjo (菊乃井 純米吟醸) - drank over dinner at Kikunoi Akasaka (菊乃井 赤坂) in Tokyo.  Sweet with a slightly dry finish.

Full post on dinner is here.

Best izakaya in Tokyo

Dinner at Sake Tamanegiya (酒たまねぎや) in Tokyo.

I wanted to start off easy so I ordered something simple to start - on the dry side. The Takijiman Show Special (滝自慢 鑑評会出品酒) was definitely on the dry side, with the sharp alcohol showing a little. The nose was classic tropical fruit, with banana and pear. Finish was on the long side. A daiginjo (大吟醸) with seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 40%. 21BY.

Kissho Show Special (喜正 鑑評会出品酒) - supposedly dry but actually sweeter and softer than the Takijiman, and rounder, more fragrant with fruit on the nose. Then you'd do a double-take as you find it actually sharp and a little hot as it trickles down the back of your throat... Daiginjo with seimaibuai of 35%. 21BY.

To cleanse my palate, Master poured me a glass of water. Not just any water, but 仕込水 from the Yoronotaki (養老の滝) waterfall in Gifu Prefecture, and bottled under the well-known sake brand of Reisen (醴泉). This is the same water used to make all the Reisen sake, and it tasted so clear and refreshing... what a treat!

I move on and order Eau du Désir (別誂) from Kamoshibito Kubeiji (醸人 九平次), bottled in 2009. This was fairly rich on the palate, initially sweet but became drier mid-palate and on the finish. It was even a little bitter on the tip of the tongue... Junmai daiginjo (純米大吟醸) with semaibuai of 35%.

I sidetrack to something really interesting... The Bijofu Yuzu Liqueur (美丈夫ゆずリキュール) is a favorite here. Everyone seems to order it. It's poured into a larger wine glass over crushed ice. One only has to be close to the glass to enjoy the full perfume of this wonderful citrus fruit. It's a sake-based liqueur with low alcohol content and on the sweet side, which is why it's served with ice. The perfume was amazing, and I kept wanting to have the citrus explosion in my mouth... Master was kind enough to tell me where to go get some. Let me see how much of it I can get my hands on...

The next one was also a little different - this bottle came with a custom label, showing Master at work. This was the Bijofu Mai Yamada Nishiki Usunigori (美丈夫 舞 山田錦 うすにごり), a junmai ginjo namasake (生酒) that's unfiltered and with a little fizzy carbonation. Nose was totally bananas and fermented rice. Seimaibuai of 50%.

Next was a trio of top-of-the-line sakes, basically the rarest and most expensive on the menu. Drinking them side-by-side was definitely a treat.

Hatsukame Show Special (初亀 鑑評会出品酒) - powerful nose of banana, fragrant, almost like Chinese white wine (白酒) made from grains... some pear also in the nose. Very smooth in the mouth, slightly dry mid-palate but kinda sweet at the same time. Very long finish, and really rich in terms of palate and nose. This is a daiginjo namasake (大吟醸 生酒) with the total production of 33 bottles, all of which were acquired by Master. The previous vintage had a production of 34 bottles, and was also entirely taken up by Master. 21BY. From a fresh bottle.

Isojiman Nakatori Junmai Daiginjo 35 (磯自慢 中取り 純米大吟醸 35) - very smooth but suddenly became slightly dry in mid-palate, turning smooth again on the finish. Very light and fragrant - an easy wine to drink any time. Bottled in 2009, with seimaibuai of 35%. From a fresh bottle.

Gikyo Tae (義侠 妙) - smooth on the palate but a bit alcoholic. Definitely the most powerful of the trio, and certainly needed to be tasted last. This was another rarity, being a blend of several vintages of koshu (古酒) and limited to a production of 300 bottles per year. Master has been buying them since the wine began to be produced and has a complete vertical. I believe this one was bottled last year, and Master seems to have forgotten the exact vintages in the blend. A junmai daiginjo with seimaibuai of 30%.

I was already really happy to have had all these rare sakes, but I know Master has a ton of old stock around...so I ask for one last glass of koshu, something that's around 20 years or so. My very first experience with koshu - at Akaoni (赤鬼) 3 years ago - blew my mind. The liquid in that bottle wasn't clear but came out a dark burgundy, and smelled like Shaoxing (紹興酒).

Master was kind enough to treat me (he laughed as he said "サービス") to a glass of Johji (醸児). This wine was made in 1978 and released as a daikoshu (大古酒) after 12 years. Master acquired it 20 years ago upon release. This was his last remaining bottle, and what was poured into my glass (and the glass of my neighbor, clearly a regular customer) pretty much emptied out the bottle.

This nectar was amazing... you could see the viscosity as Master poured it into my glass. And the nose... it was pure Huadiao (花雕) wine, with that telltale salty plum (話梅) nose, and it was even salty on the palate and definitely salty on the finish. Thanks to the 30% alcohol level, the finish was also alcoholic, spicy and hot. Amazingly, the color was still very light after more than 30 years, unlike the koshu I had 3 years ago. What a treat!

Full post on the evening is here.

MNSC Dinner - Manor

MNSC Dinner at Manor Seafood Restaurant (富瑤酒家).  Theme was Champagne and white wines, and everyone brought a bottle.

This was supposed to be an all-white dinner, but the Ox decided to bring a bottle of 1983 Latour because he wanted to drink a little red. He's been training for his upcoming match and had stayed off alcohol for the last month. It was classically beautiful... plummy, slightly smoky and very smooth on the palate. A pleasure to drink and not ridiculously expensive.

I brought a bottle of Jacques Selosse Exquise Sec, which I carried back from Reims on my trip last year. It was a little too cold when we first poured it into the white wine glass, and needed time to warm up and open. Lots of bubbles and a little heady, yeasty, a little metallic with light caramel notes - it's easy to smell the sweetness on the nose and see that this was clearly not a brut Champagne... Sweet on the palate as expected, a little thick and viscous in the mouth, with the finish a little short and nutty. With the second pour a little bit of toast emerged in the nose. Still later, the nose became pretty explosive and open - what I would expect from a Selosse. Finish tasted of marmalade, and it was pretty awesome.

A pair of 2002 Chardonnays were up next - Old World vs. New World.

2002 Kistler Chardonnay Cuvée Cathleen - classic toast and minerals on the ripe nose, with lemon citrus and lots of gorgeous buttery fatness... Really lovely. Sweet on the palate, with the beautifully open nose right from the start. Later on the oak became more obvious, and some floral, even plastic notes came out. Towards the end the finish did fade a little and became slightly bitter, but the best Kistler Chards never disappoint. Soooo not surprised that Dr. Poon brought this bottle...

2002 Comte Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes - this was a little more muted, steely with minerals and slightly toasty at first - not exactly unexpected for this wine. There was great balance, though, in terms of the acidity, and the wine just got better and better with aeration. By the end one could easily argue that it was drinking better than the Kistler.

A pair of Roussanes made up the last flight - again featuring Old World vs. New World. Both wines were decanted.

2006 Beaucastel Roussanne Vielle Vignes - sweet like marzipan and toasty with mineral notes. Nose became very fragrant after a while, but the palate got a little ripe and hot, with that slightly bitter, marmalade finish. No brownie points to Pineapple for bringing this wine... he's only the local agent...

1999 Sine Qua Non Tarantella - the copper-colored wine was a few hues darker than the Beaucastel, which we would expect for this older vintage. All I could say at first was "Wow!" Nose was very sweet, with notes of straw, loads of oak but not too toasty... White flowers and a little marmalade. Very rich and the fragrance was just awesome. Kudos to the Ox for bringing this bottle... and of course he also bought it from me years ago...

Full post on dinner is here.

Coche-Dury and DRC

Dinner at Aroma Cuisine.

2000 Coche-Dury Meursault - a weaker vintage than its sibling, on this night it blew us away with its beauty. The nose was very open upon pulling the cork, and showed literally tons of toasty oak and grilled corn that I had come to associate with Coche-Dury. The nose was so powerful, at times I almost wondered if it went over the edge and started smelling a little like b.o... But with a little sweet grass in the nose, this wine was extremely well-balanced and beautiful. Later on, the nose was still packing a punch but the acidity started becoming evident on the palate. The fact that Jean-François Coche-Dury can craft such a beautiful wine in a weak vintage at the village level, producing quality that rival other people's premier crus, shows exactly why his wines have been bid up in the secondary market to premier cru price levels. Bravo!

1999 Coche-Dury Meursault - from a much riper and bigger vintage, shown clearly in the darker, golden color of the wine. This was initially pretty closed up, and needed some coaxing by aerating in a decanter. The acidity here was more apparent in the nose, with similar popcorn notes but a lot less toasty than its sibling at first. One could definitely detect the ripeness and sweetness, with a hint of citrus thanks to the fruit flavors being dominant. As the wine opened up the acidity became more obvious on the palate, and the nose was almost a little plasticky and chemical. Even later the familiar aromas of caramel and sweet butter showed up. Finally, after 2 and a half hours in the decanter, the fruit aromas started to fade and the toasty oak nose took center stage, completing the transformation and starting to really kick ass.

2002 DRC Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cuvée Duvault-Blochet - a rare opportunity for me to drink this wine, which isn't made every vintage. Despite being given the tag of Vosne-Romanée, it is in fact a blend of all 6 grand cru vineyards - two of which are in Flagey-Echezeaux. Unlike its predecessor in 1999, this particular vintage included fruit from the famed Romanée-Conti vineyard. What a beautiful wine! The nose was very violet and floral throughout, with lots of sweet, ripe fruit and minerals. The floral character only intensified with time, along with some smoke. The finish was a little short on the palate, though, but the perfume was alluring.

2004 Vietti Barbaresco Masseria - at first it seemed we were drinking this wine a little young, as the nose was incredibly powerful and sharp, with the 14% alcohol coming through loud and clear. The pine needle, forest and plummy notes were distinctive. But the wine drank well on the palate, with the tannins having softened enough not to be annoying grippy. It was a nice treat to have tasted this small-production cuvée.

Full post on dinner is here.

2001 Rousseau Charmes-Chambertin

2001 Rousseau Charmes-Chambertin - drank over dinner at Petrus. From the first pour (after having pulled the cork about an hour before dinner) the nose the very nice and open, like a classic Burg. Sweet plum, farmy, mushroom, smoked meats and floral notes. The fragrance lingered in the mouth for a very nice finish. Medium body. Pleasant to drink now.

Full post on dinner is here.

2004 Pax Aphrodite

2004 Pax Aphrodite - drank over dinner at Bo Innovation.  You just can't age a Viognier... it loses all its freshness and floral notes and turns into something else. Nose of honey, oxidized pear, sweet like marzipan, marmalade, and somehow not very "clean".

Full post on dinner is here.

1999 L'Arrosée

1999 L'Arrosée - drank over dinner at China Club. I asked the waiter to dunk it in an ice bucket and kept it there until I thought the wine was cool enough to drink. It wasn't anything spectacular, but smooth and good enough to go with the food.

Full post on dinner is here.