2008 Domaine du Castel and others

Lunch at Sports Club.

1995 Montrose - minty with some fruit and leather in the nose.

Drinks at Amuse Bouche.

2004 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - toasty and pretty yeasty.

2008 Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux - a little flinty on the nose.  Rounded on the palate with some ripe fruit, but lean and acidic on the finish.

2008 Bachelet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Corbeaux - a little flinty and acidity was higher than expected.  Not a fan of this.

2008 Domaine du Castel Grand Vin - nose was a little dusty at first, with animal and minty notes.  Palate was a little exotic, leaning towards new world.  Still pretty tannic but slightly sweet on the palate.  After an hour in the decanter some smoke emerged.  Needs time to open up.

Wines for elBulli tribute

Dinner at Amber, with Ferran Adria in the house.

2005 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - toasty nose.  Very nice on the palate.

2012 Cloudy Bay Te Koko - really big nose of Muscat grapes, definitely green notes here, with some minerality.  Nice acidity on the palate and perfectly balanced with ripeness and sweetness.  A lovely wine.

2013 Héritiers du Comte Lafon Mâcon-Villages - toasty nose.  Easy to drink but the least interesting wine of the evening.

1998 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon P2 - nice and ripe on the palate with a little acidity on the finish.  A little floral and a little yeasty on the nose.  Yum.

2011 Casa Lapostolle Chardonnay Cuvée Alexandre - grassy and sweet, very ripe and buttery on the nose.  Very ripe on the palate.

2011 Maison de la Cabotte Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes - a little fruity, some forest notes with dried herbs on the nose.  Some acidity on the palate here.

2010 Nevis Bluff Pinot Noir - wonderful nose of sweet fruit here.

2012 Ca'Marcanda 'Promis' - lots of dried herbs, sweet fruit, with medicinal notes alongside a little smokiness.  Loved that this was served at a cool temperature.

2010 Numanthia Toro Numanthia - really nice and fruity, really ripe on the nose, a little exotic coconut, with cool fruit and slightly metallic notes.

2004 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Rosé - toasty with strawberries and a nice and yeasty nose.

2013 Domaine des Forges Coteaux du Layon Saint-Aubin - very sweet with some acidity.

Full post on dinner is here.

Cedric Bouchard and Nicolas Potel

Dinner at Fish School.

2008 Roses de Jeanne Blanc de Noirs Côte de Bechalin - a little warm at first, so it was a little too acidic on the palate but not very crisp.

1990 Nicolas Potel Meursault 1er Cru Perrières - opened for more than an hour but nose was still a little closed.  A little ripe and round on the palate.  Finally opened up nicely after 2 hours, with lemon, toasty oak, and a little sweet butter in the nose.  Should have gotten it decanted.

1988 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Riesling Auslese, from half-bottle - muscat grapes, white flowers in the nose.  Nice balance between the acidity and the sweetness on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Foillard Cuvée 3.14 and Kracher

Dinner at a private dining facility.

1988 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhauser Herrenberg Riesling Auslese - brought two bottles to start off dinner.  Nice nose of orange marmalade, polyurethane, sweet on the nose with floral notes.  Acidity was actually higher than expected, and this wasn't as sweet on the palate.

2001 Kracher Scheurebe Trockenbeerenauslese No. 9 Zwischen den Seen, from half-bottle - very sweet, rich, and nutty.  Unctuous texture.

2007 Jean Foillard Morgon Cuvée "3.14", en magnum - opened but not decanted at least 1½ hours before serving.  Lots of eucalyptus, violet, and floral.  A little bit of earthiness and smoked meats.  After 3 hours some sweet fruit emerged in the nose.

2000 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion, en magnum - smoke, mint, and pencil lead.  Classic Left Bank.

Full post on dinner is here.

1996 Françoise Bedel and 1986 Dunn

Lunch at Robuchon au Dôme in Macau.

1996 Françoise Bedel Cuvée Robert Winer - nose was a little yeasty, nice and a little caramelized, but still pretty fresh.  Medium acidity on the palate and very, very well balanced.  Such an enjoyable wine to drink!

1986 Dunn Napa Valley - opened for 1½ hours and decanted prior to serving.  Nose was initially a little stinky, with animal, leather, mint, and some sweet fruit.  Still plenty of tannins after almost 30 years, but there's also plenty of acidity here to keep it going.

Full post on lunch is here.

Sake and bubbly

Dinner at Hidden Kitchen.

Bijofu Cuvée Akagizaka Unfiltered Sparkling (美丈夫 あかぎ坂 うす濁り) - with a seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 50%.  Made especially for Master at Tamanegiya (たまねぎや) Tokyo and a gift from him on my last visit.  Sweet on the attack but with a dry finish.  Body seemed light at first but there's actually more depth here.

1995 Laurent Perrier Grand Siècle - nice and more acidic thanks to the dominance of chardonnay, but also some ripeness on the attack.

Zaku Crown Toji's Specialty Select (筰クラウン 杜氏特選秘藏酒) - with a seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 40%.  Smooth on the palate with a dry finish, opened up to show a more yeasty nose and a full body.  Very delicious and enjoyable.

Full post on dinner is here.

2000 Les Plantiers and 2003 Fisher Hidden Terrace

Dinner at Seasons by Olivier E.

Gosset Brut Grande Réserve - a little pungent, chalky, and dusty.  Perhaps it was a problem with the glass?  Slightly high acidity on the finish.

2000 Les Plantiers du Haut-Brion en magnum - nose was a little closed at first, but later opened up to reveal a sweet and caramelized nose, albeit a little dusty.  Drank well but the characters of a fresh, young semillon have long faded.

2003 Fisher Syrah Hidden Terrace Vineyard from magnum - my third magnum out of 4 I bought on my visit to Fisher, from a total of 400 magnums produced for this inaugural vintage.  Much softer now, although still a little alcoholic on the palate.  Very fragrant nose, showing woody, cedar nots, with a little mint, eucalyptus, and plenty of fruit.  Sweet on the palate.  Just shows the benefits of cellaring wine for them to develop.

Full post on dinner is here.

2001 Dead Arm

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2001 d'Arenberg The Dead Arm - very heavy nose of coconut butter, exotic spices, and very, very sweet on the nose.  Sweet on the palate, too.  Tannins have softened but still a big wine.

Full post on dinner is here.

2013 de Fenouillet Muscat de Beaumes de Venise - the last glass from the bottle, so perhaps the nose wasn't as fresh.  The lychee nose seemed to be fading a little, with sweetness on the palate combined with a little grippiness.

Françoise Bedel L'Âme de la Terre

Dinner at Chiu Chow Chuen.

2003 Françoise Bedel L'Âme de la Terre - ripe on the palate, with a nice and caramelized nose.

Full post on dinner is here.

Château Margaux dinner

Dinner hosted by Sotheby's featuring the wines of Château Margaux.  Thibault Pontallier was on hand.

R and L Legras Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru - always a nice drink, with good acidity balance.

2011 Pavillon Blanc de Château Margaux en magnum - pure sauvignon blanc.  Very big nose, with pipi de chat, green apple, muscat grapes, and lemon citrus notes.  Lovely fragrance.  Very round and smooth on the palate, especially after some food in the mouth.  Nice acidity here.  So fresh and vibrant!

2001 Pavillon Blanc de Château Margaux en magnum - more mature, ripe and full-bodied.  Richer on the palate with a longer finish, featuring more sweetness upfront and a dry finish.  A little straw in the nose.  An hour later the nose was sweet and caramelized.

2009 Pavillon Rouge de Château Margaux - double-decanted for more than 3 hours prior to serving.  Nose of forest, pine needle, a little smoke and pencil lead.  Slightly more sweet fruit on the nose.  Surprisingly this was not to tannic for a wine so young.  Pretty enjoyable now, but what amazing potential in the years to come!

2000 Pavillon Rouge de Château Margaux - double-decanted for more than 2 hours prior to serving.  Love the big and smoky nose.  More fragrant, floral, and elegant, with cedar and slight earthy notes, along with exotic spices.  Naturally this was softer than the 2009 and drinking incredibly well.

2004 Margaux - there's a certain amount of ripeness and sweet fruit here, with some spices.  Fresh, young, and vibrant.

1996 Margaux - first whiff of the nose was more medicinal, but this quickly gave way to a big and smoky nose that was open and lovely, with cedar and pencil lead notes.  Slightly alcoholic on the nose.  Soooo nice, and definitely wine of the evening for me.

1983 Margaux - nose was very grassy and sweet, and the smokiness came out a little later.  Nice and fragrant nose.  Silky smooth on the palate, naturally.

Full post on dinner is here.

2000 Etude Heirloom Pinot

Dinner at Shanghai Fraternity Association.

2000 Etude Heirloom Pinot Noir - a little bubblegum, very ripe, with lots of sweet fruit.  Almost jammy.

Full post on dinner is here.

97 Guado al Tasso

Dinner at Hugo's.

1997 Guado al Tasso - good sweet fruit, nice smokiness, earthy, woody, leather, lovely and fragrant nose.  Wonderful sweetness.

Full post on dinner is here.

Martenot Meursault and Astrolabe Pinot

Dinner at Heichinrou.

2010 Françoit Martenot Meursault "Les Hauts Bois" - ripe on the nose, a little sweet and honeyed nose, almost pollen-like, oaky, and buttery.  Good acidity here.

2013 Astrolabe Province Marlborough Pinot Noir - initially it smelled like cool fruit, with eucalyptus, forest pine, and very ripe and sweet on the nose.  Also pretty ripe and sweet on the palate, too.  Definitely a new world pinot.

Full post on dinner is here.

97 von Schubert and 14 Gavi

Dinner at Yuè.

1997 von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Spätlese-trocken - big nose of petrol, polyurethane, with a little lemon, light honey nose.  Very acidic on the palate at first, and softened up later.

Drinks at Conrad Hotel.

2014 Castellari Bergaglio Gavi Fornaci del Comune di Tassarolo - kinda fragrant and floral.

Full post on dinner is here.