2005 Mondavi Chardonnay

Dinner at home in Taipei.

2005 Robert Mondavi Chardonnay Napa Valley - ripe on the palate as expected, with classic lemon citrus.

Full post on dinner is here.

3-star Italian pairing

Lunch at

2011 Tua Rita Lodano - an interesting equal blend of Traminer, Riesling and Chardonnay, with annual production of 3,000 bottles.  Very light with some oaky notes and lemon citrus.  Nice acidity here.

2009 La Spinetta Chardonnay Lidia - ripe nose with toasty oak, caramelized around the edges, very fragrant and beautiful.

1998 Paolo Scavino Barolo Carobric from magnum - a really beautiful wine.  Nose of dried herbs, forest pine, very ripe and fruity.  Nice acidity here with some tannins.

Ca' del Bosco Cuvée Annamaria Clementi Rosé, vintage unknown - nose of raspberries, kinda ripe, a little toasty and yeasty.

2007 Castello Romitorio Brunello di Montalcino Riserva "Bombana" - very toasty nose with forest notes, ripe on the nose but lean on the palate, with some tannins here.  A very beautiful wine.

2011 Capofaro Malvasia di Salina - pineapple, honey, glycerin, bitter orange, and a little nutty.

Full post on lunch is here.

2010 Roulot Luchets

Dinner at Bo Innovation.

2010 Roulot Meursault Luchets - very big nose of toast, but initially a little closed and slightly pungent.  More buttery notes when opened up later.

Full post on dinner is here.

2011 Hugel Gewurztraminer

Dinner at Golden Peacock in Macau.

2011 Hugel Gewurztraminer - very fresh and floral, with a little lychee.  Very ripe and sweet on the palate, a little alcoholic with bitter finish.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC Dinner - The Pawn

MNSC dinner at The Pawn, hosted by Lord Rayas.

First pair: decanted for 30 minutes prior to serving

1993 DRC Échézeaux - a little alcoholic, ripe, almost a little Port-like, with a hint of smokiness.  The palate, though, was lean and showing acidity, almost a little metallic.  A little grassy with some chili pepper.  Second pour was much riper.  94 points.

1993 Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche - nice and smoky, animal, leather, and a little minty and a hint of earthiness.   Much rounder on the palate.  A beautiful wine!  98 points.

Second pair: decanted for 30 minutes prior to serving

1978 Clos des Papes - ripe on the nose, almost jammy and black berries, but kinda dry and a bit lean on the palate.  95 points.

1978 Rayas - more animal, metallic, slightly savory like tapenade, and a little more tannin here than the Clos des Papes.

Third pair:

1982 Mouton-Rothschild - nose was clearly very Bordeaux, smoky, slightly green pepper, grassy, sweet.  There is nice acidity here.  A lovely wine.  96 points.

1982 Léoville-Las Cases - a little more ripe than the Mouton, slightly more alcoholic and funky.  93 points.

Fourth pair: decanted for 3 hours before serving.

2003 Ausone - nose was green but sweet and minty.  Definitely corked.

2003 Lafite-Rothschild - very ripe on the nose.  Sweet on the palate with good acidity.  A little metallic on the nose, kinda sweet and a little smoky around the edges.  98 points.

Douglas Laing's Glencadam 34 Years Cask Strength - nose really sweet and caramel, slightly medicinal and savory, potpourri.  Cask strength really shows...

Full post on dinner is here.

Italian wines for wedding

Wedding banquet.

Sacchetto Prosecco Spumante Brut - a little floral and pretty easy to drink.

2011 Avignonesi Vino Nobile di Montepulciano - still very young.  Tannins are there but soft enough to drink.

Full post on banquet is here.

1980 around the world

Dinner at Seventh Son.

A pair of rosé Champagne:

1982 Dom Pérignon Rosé - color looked light brown so it was definitely an aged rosé.  Nose showed this was clearly aged, with savory minerals, a whiff of yeastiness, and also sweetness like sugar gane.  A little nutty, too.  Not a lot of bubbles here, and showing good length in finish.

1980 Dom Pérignon Rosé - more lively than the 1982, with some minerals in the nose.  More body here and also a longer finish.

A pair of white Burgundy:

2001 d'Auvenay Meursault Les Narvaux - nice toasty nose with lemon, but also exotic coconut butter and pineapple.  Rather elegant, actually.  With further aeration the toasty notes became even more powerful.

2001 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet - a little sinky sulfur at first.  Less toasty notes here, but the toasty notes also became more prominent later.

A trio of red Burgundy from 1980:

1980 Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes - the bottle was not in good condition, since the cork was loose and fell into the wine during opening.  Nose of mushroom and wet cardboard, green and grassy.  Pretty light body.  The second pour was a lot better, but the nose was still grassy.

1980 Armand Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze - a little smoky, ripe, and a little animal, minty and some mushrooms.

1980 Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux - bigger nose here compared to the other two, with more animal, smoky, a little savory soy sauce.  More body yet also more acidity on the palate.  My favorite of the trio even as we tasted blind.

A quartet of 1980s from around the world:

1980 Petrus - really fragrant, almost floral nose, with very sweet fruit, and some mint, a little leather.  with a hint of sweet grass, and later on a little bit savory on the nose.  What a beautiful and elegant wine.

1980 Sassicaia - very exotic nose, with coconut butter, vanilla, sweet fruit, and mint.  Still quite a lot of body here but the acidity was a little higher on the palate.  If this were a Bordeaux it would have been something like a Le Pin or 1990 Montrose.  Could have guessed it was Grange, but there was not enough body here.  A wine with an awesome nose.  My kind of shit.

1980 Penfolds Grange - nose was more metallic, exotic, sweet, coconut butter, a little forest pine.  More body here and definitely a Grange.

1980 Vega Sicilia Unico - a little funky nose, slightly metallic, a little bit animal, some sweet grass, and also exotic tropical fruits.  Light-bodied in comparison.

1995 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Beerenauslese - nose of polyurethane, honey, apricot, and marmalade.  Nice acidity balance here.

Full post on dinner is here.

Barolo, Burgundy and Cali

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2011 Robert Sirugue Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Petits Monts - opened days earlier.  Acidity slightly higher than expected.  A little bit of forest and mint.

2008 Damilano Barolo Cannubi - opened days earlier.  Some fruit here and the tannins were softer.

1964 Borgogno Barolo - nose was very savory like soy sauce or tapenade.  Stewed prunes, smoky, and a little medicinal.  After chilling in ice bucket and further aeration, nose opened up well to show orange peel, almost honeydew melon, and some leather.

Drinks at Upper Modern Bistro.

2011 The Hilt The Old Guard Chardonnay - nose full of minerals, ripe, lemon citrus, and green apples.  Still fresh with higher-than-expected acidity.

2011 The Hilt The Vanguard Chardonnay - fresher and more vibrant than The Old Guard, with surprisingly high level of acidity.  Nose became a little buttery later.

2012 The Hilt The Vanguard Chardonnay - very big nose, heavy, toasty oak here, very buttery and also roasted corn, showing a little more of the pungent sulfur.  Most surprising wine and probably my favorite of the bunch.

2010 The Hilt The Vanguard Pinot Noir - really ripe and sweet on the nose, very minty, with black fruits and blueberries.

2011 The Hilt The Vanguard Pinot Noir - a little metallic on the nose, with forest, dried herbs, and a little bit of pungent sulfur.

2011 The Hilt The Old Guard Pinot Noir - very ripe, almost jammy nose, with forest, potpourri notes.  Slightly pungent and green, with some mint.

2008 Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanée Clos du Château - very big nose, with farmy, leather, animal, and floral notes like violet.  Also plenty of sweet fruit.  Drinking beautifully.

Full post on dinner is here.

Two Hands tasting

Tasting at Wine Vault featuring wines from Two Hands.

2010 Two Hands Shiraz Lily's Garden - ripe and sweet, jammy, definitely an Aussie Shiraz, alcoholic, slightly pungent nose.  Surprisingly a little acidic on the palate.

2012 Two Hands Shiraz Lily's Garden - even bigger and more powerful than the 2010.  Huge levels of extraction here, sweet nose almost like cotton candy, with a little green and forest underneath.  Also a little pungent with plastic and sulfur notes.

2012 Two Hands Shiraz Bella's Garden - really sweet and jammy, with some of that pungent sulfur in the nose.  More tannic.

2012 Two Hands Shiraz Secret Block - the nose tells me this seems to be made with cooler fruit... and there's also more acidity here on the palate.  Nose has more strawberries, a hint of animal, also cotton candy, with more complexity and balance.  Lighter on the palate, too.  Probably my favorite wine.

2008 Two Hands Grenache Aerope - nose of plastic, polyurethane on top of the fruit, with a slight hint of leather.  Lighter body.

2010 Two Hands Cabernet Sauvignon Aphrodite - sweet and jammy, more concentrated here, with a hint of pine needle and mint.  More tannins here.  Alcoholic and somewhat pungent.

2010 Two Hands Shiraz Ares - really ripe, alcoholic and sharp on the nose... The wine burns going down the back of the throat.

2007 Two Hands Shiraz Ares - rounder than the 2010, also sweet, slightly lighter body.  More open nose with bacon fat, but still sharp and alcoholic.

Two Hands Muscat Fait Accompli - really sharp alcohol here, to the point that it singes the hairs inside my nostrils... Nutty, honey, and molasses nose.  Very thick and viscous, and very sweet.  Lovely, nutty palate.