1982 Gruaud Larose

Dinner at DN Innovacíon.

1982 Gruaud Larose - a fragrant and absolutely lovely wine… drinking exactly as I would expect from a bottle of Bordeaux this age.  Nose of smoke, forest, sweet fruits like blackcurrant, black cherries, a little pencil lead.  Double-decanted for over an hour prior to serving, and it took a little more time for the traces of alcohol in the nose to dissipate.  

Full post on dinner is here.

1997 Beringer Merlot

Dinner at Le Palais (頤宮).

1997 Beringer Merlot Bancroft Ranch - still kinda alcoholic on the nose initially, with fruity, minty, cedar notes along with a little smoke and dried herbs.  Smooth on the palate as expected.

Full post on dinner is here.

Kokuryu No. 88

Lunch at Gyodoike (魚道生).

Kokuryu Hachijyu-hachi Go (黒龍 八十八号) - one of the limited production offerings and among my favorites. Typical nose of fermented rice (酒釀), this is smooth and a little sweet on the palate when slightly chilled. Like I noticed last time, though, the palate actually became a lot drier and spicier when chilled a little too much.

Full post on lunch is here.

14 bottles for 10

Dinner at Hong Kong Wine Vault.

Egly-Ouriet Brut Tradition Grand Cru (disgorgement Juillet 2010) - toasty and mineral on the nose.  Pretty light and watery on the palate.

1999 Dom Pérignon - oaky with lots of toast, lemon.  Tart on the finish.

1999 Salon - more elegant and subtle compared to the last two, with very fine bubbles.  Very nice on the palate.  Asian spices and lemon notes.

2002 Kistler Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard - sweet and ripe on both the nose and palate, maybe a little over-ripe and became tart.  Lots of oak.  Actually lighter on the palate than expected.

2002 Bruno Clair Corton-Charlemagne - a little more grassy on the nose, lemon and buttery.

1994 Dominus - nose was a little muted at first… a little green with a hint of smoke, then savory minerals.  Still a little grippy on the palate, which is evidence of the power that this wine possessed early on in life.

1991 Opus One - I drank a bottle of this wine a mere two days ago, but the two bottles were very different.  This one showed smoky, mineral notes which were savory, drawing out soy sauce, smoked meats and eventually coffee.  Very nice.

1996 Philip Togni - one of my favorite producers, and showing more Californian elements than the other two French transplants.  Smoky with some sweet fruit, tangerine and mint.

1990 Léoville-Las Cases - classic nose of smoke, a little earthy and medicinal.

1988 Léoville-Las Cases - not as enjoyable as the 1990… showing dusty, dirty and wet cardboard nose, along with some cigar smoke.

1964 Pio Cesare Barolo - a little wet cardboard, along with sweet grass and green peppers.

1989 Paul Jaboulet La Chapelle - sweet, tangerine, a little alcoholic still, very ripe, with a hint of plastic.  Later on the nose turned a little dusty.

1995 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon - pine needle, minty, forest, a little smoked meats and herbs.  Very interesting and fragrant.  My contribution drank surprisingly well.

1990 Schloss Schönborn Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese - lots of orange rind, acetone, honey, a little nutty, ripe grapes and raisin.  Very, very sweet and sticky.

Full post on dinner is here.

2008 Tignanello

Dinner at Fook Lam Moon in Hong Kong.

2008 Tignanello - obviously still very young, with lots of sweet fruit, new oak, dried herbs, coffee and tobacco.  Nice but needs a few more years.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC Dinner - Chiu Tang

Dinner at Chiu Tang (潮廳) in Hong Kong.

1995 Conseillante - mineral, a little metallic, some fruit, a little medicinal, a little smoke, mint.  Someone mentioned shoe polish… Perhaps.

1995 Dominus - sweeter fruit compared to the Conseillante, with a little smoke, bacon, plum, a little sharp on the nose and oaky notes.  Pretty long finish.  Very nice.  Definitely more ready to drink.

1992 Opus One - very fruity, lovely, soft and velvety on the tongue, a little medicinal on the finish.  Smoky with grilled meat.  93 points.

1990 Opus One - more open, bacon, smoky, very lovely.  Tannins are still around.  94 points.

1991 Opus One - farmy, bacon, sweet fruit and rubber.  Also very lovely. 93 points.

1995 Opus One - nose was more open than the first 3 wines.  A little minty, and a bit more animal.  Nose faded very quickly in glass… and became a lot more muted.  93 points.

1996 Opus One - smoky, farmy, a little muted.  93 points.

1994 Opus One - alcoholic and sharp, a little smoke and a little medicinal.  93 points.

Full post on dinner is here.

93 Haut-Brion

Dinner at home.

1993 Haut-Brion en demi-bouteille - smoky, cigar, earthy, oaky, candied fruit, green pepper and mint.  Pretty sharp and alcoholic at the beginning.  Very classic.

Full post on dinner is here.

Burgundy for a birthday

Dinner at Seafood 89.

Laurent-Perrier Brut L-P

2003 Jean-Marc Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot - very ripe on the palate, and a little tart.

Drinks at my apartment.

2004 Marquis d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Les Taillepieds - game meat, forest, dried herbs, sweet fruit.  Very fragrant.  Opened up more and more with time to become so beautiful - drinking very well now.  A little tart on the palate at first.

Full post on dinner is here.