A few bottles of old wines

Dinner at Yung Kee VIP Floor (蘭亭閣).

1997 Haut-Brion Blanc - pretty cold in the bucket and we took the decanter out to warm it up.  Nose was initially a little toasty, with minerals and a little lemon.  Acidity was pretty high, but the ripeness showed through after the wine warmed up a little.  Nose was a little dusty at the end.

1978 Solaia - I'm pretty lucky that this was my third time drinking this wine.  Nose was minty, fruity, slightly medicinal, with dried herbs, smoke, pencil lead notes.  Later on nose was a little savory, almost soy sauce-like.  Very smooth on the palate.  Perhaps not as spectacular as the bottle I tasted at the Solaia vertical last year, but this was still very lovely.

1971 Freiherr Langwerth von Simmern Rauenthaler Baiken Riesling Beerenauslese - my friend drank this 2 nights ago and brought us the leftover half.  Seems to be the trend for dessert wines these days...

The color is now dark amber, which I think is due to the sugar being oxidized...  Nose of honey, dates, nuts and marmalade.  Still reasonable acidity left and not just overly sweet.  A very lovely wine.

Full post on dinner is here.