JJ Prum and L'Evangile

Dinner at the Orchid Room in Taipei.

1995 Jos. Joh. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese - petrol, white pepper, flint.  Very sweet on the palate.

2002 L'Evangile en magnum - minty, a little pungent, perhaps sulfur?  Smoky, coffee and potpourri.

Full post on dinner is here.

96 Turley Aida

Dinner at home.

1996 Turley Zinfandel Aida Vineyard - plummy, berries, a little sweet vanilla, sous bois, forest, minty.  A little alcoholic.  A lovely wine.

Full post on dinner is here.

Opus and Kistler

Dinner at my favorite cousin's place.

1991 Opus One - minty, leather, plummy, a little earthy, smoky and grilled meats.

2005 Kistler Chardonnay Kistler Vineyard - very ripe on both the nose and the palate, toasty, marmalade, and a little buttery on the finish.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC Dinner - Hong Kong Club

MNSC dinner at Hong Kong Club, hosted by Pineapple.

Pol Roger Brut Réserve, disgorged at least 12 years ago - nose was really grassy, almost a little moldy, caramelized, very ripe, with Chinese licorice (甘草), kinda plummy, and a little sharp.  There were still a reasonable amount of bubbles here, so it didn't feel that old, and certainly not something that was disgorged 30-40 years ago as it would have oxidized further.

First flight: opened 1 hour 15 minutes and decanted 45 minutes prior to serving

1971 Lafleur - fruity and forward, more raisiny, opened up amazingly for just a whiff before muting down again.  Slightly higher acidity here and lighter.  Pretty exotic, stewed nose, with blackcurrant.  95 points.

1978 Lafleur - really beautiful, minty, open and fragrant nose.  Smoky, slightly earthy, classic Bordeaux, grassy, leathery, with a little brett.  96 points.

Second flight: opened 2 hours and decanted 1½ hours prior to serving

1975 Lafleur - minty, open and wonderful nose, smoky.  Later on savory like soy sauce.  93 points.

1979 Lafleur - smoky, forest, potpourri, coconut butter, toffee, a hint of burnt rubber on the nose.  Ripe and sweet on palate.  95 points.

Third flight: opened 3½ hours and decanted 2½ hours prior to serving

1990 Lafleur-Petrus - a little smoky, a little pungent but beautiful nose.  Slightly sharp, and a little savory.  94 points.

1990 Lafleur - a little ripe, a little muted at first.  4½ hours after opening the nose was much sweeter, but still a little bit sharp.  95 points.

1990 Petrus - a little green pepper, smoky, cooler fruit and not as ripe.  94 points.

Full post on dinner is here.

Krug, Ramonet and Lafleur

Dinner at André in Singapore.

2000 Krug - very toasty, nutty nose.  Acidity was pretty noticeable despite the very ripe palate.  Really, really didn't work with the mussels.

2004 Ramonet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet - ripe on palate, but turned really metallic with caviar.  Initially served in smaller white wine glasses, the nose improved once we changed to larger glasses.

1986 Lafleur - very ripe on the nose, almost a little stewed, with soy sauce, smoky, minty, slightly earthy notes.  Very beautiful.  Soft on the palate, with higher than expected acidity.

Full post on dinner is here.

Selosse, Araujo and La Mission

Dinner at Gunther's in Singapore.

Jacques Selosse Exquise (dégorgée à 15 Juin 2009) - toasty, smoky, very much caramelized with the richness of cane sugar.  Sweet and rich on the palate, as it's a sec with higher dosage.

1998 La Mission Haut-Brion - smoky, earthy, minty, cedar, mineral, a little grassy.  Still pretty tannic.

2002 Araujo Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard - a little coffee and chocolate at first.  Sweeter on the palate, full-bodied, good concentration.  Later on coconut butter came out.

Drinks at Lantern in Singapore.

Moët and Chandon Ice Imperial - ripe on the palate, with marmalade.

Full post on dinner is here.

Coche, Les Forts and Beychevelle

Dinner at Iggy's in Singapore.

1999 Coche-Dury Meursault - pretty heavy toast, lots of toasty corn.  Pretty ripe and a little sweet on the palate.  Acidity is definitely on the low side.  Later on very sweet and buttery.  What I would expect from Coche-Dury.

1996 Les Forts de Latour - very solid and classic Pauillac, with lots of smoke, pencil lead, a little earthy, a little sweetness on the palate.  Very nice concentration.

1982 Beychevelle - a little muted at first.  After more aeration the nose was a little smoky and a little grassy.  Drank reasonably well after being shaken up on the plane.

Full post on dinner is here.

A pair of '88 Rieslings

Dinner at Candlenut in Singapore.

1988 von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett - nose of lemon, white flowers, flint, slight hint of petrol.  Definitely some acidity on the back palate, a little ripe, almost a little bitter.

1988 von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Spätlese - nose a little more closed at first, with some petrol, flint, some orange marmalade.  Perhaps slightly riper on the palate than the kabinett, but no significant level of sweetness.

Full notes on dinner is here.

Whites for Canto

Dinner at Guo Fu Lou.

2005 Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières - a little toasty, pretty buttery, sweet and grassy on the nose.  Very ripe on the palate, full-bodied with a long finish.

2007 Cloudy Bay Te Koko - really smoky and oaky, pipi de chat, some green apple.  Very pungent and in-your-face with sulfur.

Full post on dinner is here.

Endless wines for lunch

Lunch at Hong Kong Wine Vault catered by the Press Room.

2010 Jean-Marc Boillot Puligny-Montrachet - oaky, toasty, lemon citrus on the nose.  Nice acidity on the palate.

1973 Maison Roche de Bellene Volnay 1er Cru Santenots - savory like black olives, ripe, a little stewed fruit and slightly tired.  Lovely and interesting ruby color.  Almost took it for a dark rosé...

1973 Chave Hermitage Rouge - violet and floral nose, with farmy and bacon fat notes.  Very lovely and drinking well.

1973 Latour en jeroboam - what a beautiful wine!  Minty, smoky, earthy, tea leaves, dried herbs... Very fresh and vibrant.  Smooth on the palate but by no means light and diluted.  A little acidity on the back palate.  Wow!  This is meant to be ex-château stock from an auction house, and it really shows!

1992 Château de la Maltroye Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Grandes Ruchottes - mature, caramelized nose, sweet with Chinese licorice notes.

1973 Tortochot Chambertin - nice and sweet fruit, acidity a little high, a little savory.  Long and spicy finish.

1998 Bouchard La Romanée - minty, a little potpourri, perhaps fermented without de-stemming?  Good power here, but needs more time.

1998 Jean-Jacques Confuron Romanée-St-Vivant - fresh, fruity, pine needle notes.  Lovely and open.  Much more ready than the La Romanée.

1975 Ducru-Beaucaillou - sweet, grassy, smoky.  Pretty open.

1963 Averys Romanee St. Vivant - nose of leather, animal and sweet fruit.

1971 Maison Leroy Echezeaux - a little savory with a little fruit.  Not open yet and gone too quickly.  My contribution.

1994 Rayas en magnum - fruity, sweet, cool fruit, pine needle, potpouri, a little ripe.  Drinking very nicely.

Macallan 18 Years, distilled in 1973 - really beautiful and nutty.  The old style of Macallan.

1998 Yquem en demi-bouteille - polyurethane, honey, apricot and nutty.

1981 Rayas - leather and animal notes.  Very nice.

1987 Guigal La Turque - so much bacon fat, sweet and round.  Drinking beautifully.  Awesome.

1990 Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses en demi-bouteille - a little tight, not great. sharp alcohol with shiitake mushroom notes.  A pity that this was drunk just after opening, without proper aeration.  My contribution.

1996 Domaine Leroy Romanée-St.-Vivant - forest, sweet fruit, beautiful, nice with dried herbs.  Pretty rich and powerful.

1997 Gaja Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo - smoky, nice concentration, drinkable now and very nice on palate.

MNSC Dinner - China Tang

MNSC dinner at China Tang, hosted by Juliano.

1983 Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet - caramelized nose, a little sweet on the edges, a little oaky, some Chinese licorie.  Slightly acidic finish.  Later on a little nutty.  About 1½ hours later, showing sugary bubblegum notes.  Nice and rich on the palate.

Flight 1:  opened for 1 hour before serving.

1978 DRC Échézeaux - beautiful nose, really sweet with black cherries.  A little plummy towards the end.  Sweet like candy, with a hint of savory black olives underneath the layer of sweetness.  An absolutely beautiful wine, with floral, rose petal notes.  97 points.

1978 Chave Hermitage - richer and denser on the nose but still light on the body.  More animal notes, slightly meaty, bloody, iron and minerals.  A little smoky but more closed.  92 points.

Flight 2:

1990 Cheval Blanc - opened for 2 hours but decanted for 1 hour and 15 minutes prior to serving.  Minty, smoky, nice and smooth on the palate but not light.  Grassy and green notes, with lead pencil.  95 points.

1990 DRC La Tâche - opened for 2 hours but decanted for 30 minutes prior to serving.  Sweet, a little exotic, coconut butter, plummy.  94 points.

Flight 3: opened 2 hours prior and decanted for an hour

1990 Pichon Baron - sweetish, seeming a little cooked, with green pepper.  A little dusty and dirty.  93 points.

1990 Gruaud Larose - oaky, lead pencil, green pepper, plastic, sharp, a little moldy, stinky, smoky.  A little corked.  90 points.

1990 La Mission Haut-Brion - smoky, savory with tea leaves.  Very nice and classic.  96 points.

Full post on dinner is here.