1986 Cos d'Estournel

Dinner at Danny's Kitchen in Taipei.

1986 Cos d'Estournel - mom smelled the cork when I first pulled it out, and remarked that it smelled "aged and damp".  She's got a pretty sharp nose, and I knew the bottle might be in trouble.  An hour after opening, the first pour from the decanter was definitely a little muted and smells of mold and wet cardboard.  Perhaps it was lightly corked.  After further aeration and a further chill-down in an ice bucket, both the nose and the palate got better.  There was some fruit but it wasn't very prominent.  Not very complex at all on the palate, perhaps as a result of heat damage?  A little smoky on the nose.  Could this be the first failed bottle that I've drunk from Acker?  Definitely a far cry from the very first bottle of this wine that I've ever tasted, all those years ago...

Full post on dinner is here.

2004 Marquis d'Angerville Volnay Champans

Dinner at Osteria by Angie in Taipei.

2004 Marquis d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Champans - nose was pretty alcoholic at first, then intense strawberries, jammy, forest and mint.  Very pure Burgundian.  Lovely and enjoyable. I have fond memories of tasting the 2009 vintage with Guillaume d'Angerville while visiting the domaine last year.

Full post on dinner is here.

1983 Chave Hermitage

Dinner at Cipriani.

1983 Chave Hermitage Rouge - The nose was very smoky, meaty with leather notes, fruity with a little prune. Slightly acidic on the palate at first. With more aeration the nose became a lot more farmy with a little brett. After more than 2 hours the wine had become very acidic, and wasn't very enjoyable...

Full post on dinner is here.

Leroy NSG and Kongsgaard VioRus

Dinner at Amuse Bouche.

2005 Kongsgaard VioRus - I knew that I had waited too long to drink this bottle, and that there would be no floral notes left in the nose.  Nose of toasty oak, lemon, and straw.  Later on toasty popcorn.  Very ripe, alcoholic and burned a little.  Very lovely nose, and drank like a Kongsgaard Chard.

2004 Leroy Nuits-St-Georges - floral nose of rose and violet, along with toasty oak, animal and smoke.  Very lovely and beautiful.  I'll drink a bottle of this any day!

Full post on dinner is here.

2000 Roty and 1981 Torres

Dinner at Nino's Cozinha.

2000 Joseph Roty Mazy-Chambertin - very fruity with lots of berries, a little oxidized on the edges. Kinda alcoholic and burns a little. Later on with more aeration, more animal, leather and a little mineral. A very lovely wine.

1981 Torres Gran Coronas Reserva Mas La Plana - I took this out of the fridge because I thought it'd be interesting to drink something that is 30 years old. This Cab drank very well. A little smoky, with prunes, potpourri, meaty and fragrant. Acidity is slightly higher than expected, but there was still very good concentration on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.