Françoise Bedel Vin Secret

Dinner at Épure.

Françoise Bedel Dis, "Vin Secret" - ripe and caramelized nose, plummy notes.  A little more fragrant later, and almost cane sugar, a little mineral and savory.  Higher acidity on the palate, but ripe and smooth.  Delicious.

Full post on dinner is here.

Camille Giroud wine dinner

Dinner at China Tang hosted by Sotheby's, featuring wines directly from Maison Camille Giroud.  Winemaker David Croix in attendance.

2010 Camille Giroud Corton-Charlemagne en magnum - nice but still a little closed.  A little smoke, some lemon notes, fragrant, and a little ripe.  This sees very little new oak.  Opened up after an hour and was nice and buttery.

First flight: David wanted to show us two different vintages of the same wine, and these were pretty different.  Popped and poured.

2007 Camille Giroud Chapelle-Chambertin - very lovely fruit, with black cherries and almost a little bit of strawberries.  A little leather on the nose, and eucalyptus, and lots of forest pine.  Ripe and concentrated, with good tannins, but pretty forward and accessible.

2006 Camille Giroud Chapelle-Chambertin - could this be only one year younger than the 2007?  Seemed much softer with very nice red fruits.  Nice and open nose full of bacon fat, and a whiff of savory notes.

Second flight: double-decanted for more than 2 hours prior to serving.  Definitely necessary for a big vintage like this.

2005 Camille Giroud Latricières-Chambertin - very exotic nose, lots of sweetness like candy, cherries, and the nose was almost like cough syrup...

2005 Camille Giroud Chambertin - the nose was still a little closed at first, and there were still plenty of tannins.  Just too young.

Third flight: two decades older, and much more ready and enjoyable.

1993 Camille Giroud Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots - some green grass on the nose, with leather, farmy notes.  A slight hint of stinkiness...  Nice acidity here.

1993 Camille Giroud Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint-Georges - nice and ripe, with sweet fruit.  Ready to drink now but there are still noticeable tannins here.  More enjoyable than the Volnay.

Fourth flight: almost four decades-old.  Definitely ready and very much enjoyable now.

1978 Camille Giroud Charmes-Chambertin - a little more concentrated on the palate, with sweeter fruit.  Very lovely and unquestionably the wine of the evening.

1976 Camille Giroud Volnay 1er Cru Champans - very smooth on the palace, with a nice balance.  A hint of sweet grass in the nose on top of the fruit.

Full post on dinner is here.

2012 Paco and Lola Albariño

Dinner at JAAN in Singapore.

2012 Paco and Lola Albariño Rías Baixas - very floral, with tropical fruits, a hint of flinty notes.  Nice acidity here but not too sharp.  A refreshing glass.

Full post on dinner is here.

2011 Arlot NSG Blanc

Drinking at a friend's home.

2011 Domaine de L'Arlot Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Blanc - nice acidity, and a little rich on palate.

1985 Guigal Brune et Blonde

Dinner at Neighborhood.

1985 Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde - drank about as well as I expected from this wine. Classic nose of leather, bacon fat, smoke, and some prunes. Acidity was a little high at first, but the palate softened up later. Yum.

Full post on dinner is here.

White for Chinese food

Dinner at a private dining facility.

2004 Bollinger Grande Annee - nice and a little toasty.

2008 Barmès-Buecher Riesling Hengst - ripe and a little sweet on the palate, with good acidity.  Full-bodied.  Very big and plasticky nose, with nice marmalade notes.

1999 Ceretto Barolo Prapò from magnum - decanted for an hour before drinking.  Nice notes of dried fruits.   Very lovely.

2005 Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles - nice and buttery.  Wonderful on the palate.  Ripe but not over-ripe so it wasn't bitter.

Full post on dinner is here.

06 Mollydooker Two Left Feet

Dinner at a friend's home.

2006 Mollydooker Two Left Feet - very sweet on the nose, toasty oak, vanilla, dried herbs, sweet caramel.  Still plenty of tannins here, and need a few more years to soften up further.