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.