Wines for Central pop-up

Pop-up dinner by Virgilio Martinez at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental.

2012 Ulrich Langguth Riesling '3 Terraces' Trocken - mineral and toasty on the nose.  Full-bodied, ripe on the palate and dry on the finish.

2010 Tement Gelber Muskateller Steirische Klassik - completely muscat grape... pretty ripe and sweet.  Love it.

2011 Jean-Philippe Fichet Meursault -a little oaky, ripe on the nose, and also ripe mid-palate with a dry finish.

2009 Aristos Baron d'A - very fruity and sweet, jammy, fragrant and woody.  A little alcoholic on the nose.  Still kinda tannic here but there's enough acidity for balance.

2011 Château des Fines Roches Rouge - very fruity with nice leather notes.

2011 Joh.Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese - classic nose of petrol and plastic.  Surprisingly not too sweet on the palate.

Demonio de los Andes Pisco - some tropical and banana notes reminiscent of some sake.

Full post on dinner is here.

75s for birthday

Dinner at a private club.

2002 Bollinger La Grande Année - nice and a little caramelized.

2013 Dauvissat Chablis 1er Cru La Forest - a little ripe and round, a little oaky but otherwise not showing much on the nose.

1975 Beychevelle en magnum - very nice.  Classic claret, with some leather, a little smoke and earthiness, and cedar wood.  Very smooth.

1975 Dow's from magnum

Kistler and Palmer

Dinner at Ta Vie 旅.

2006 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - very toasty and oaky nose.  Lovely.  Wonderful ripeness and acidity balance here, and so smooth on the palate.

2006 Kistler Chardonnay Cuvée Cathleen - nose was overripe, too sweet and sugary, with too much Chinese licorice (甘草) and marzipan, with some oak here.  Spicy on the finish.

2008 Palmer - pretty smoky, a little earthy.  Alcohol was pretty sharp on the nose.  Got a little better with more time in the decanter.

Full post on dinner is here.

Hodgepodge for Chinese

Dinner at a private dining facility.

2004 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs - yeasty nose, and slightly acidic on the palate.  Very easy to drink.

2008 Roses de Jeanne Côte de Béchalin, dégorgée à avril 2015 - surprisingly a little floral on the nose.  Palate was surprisingly soft, and not much acidity.

2006 Selbach-Oster Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Auslese* - initially a little pungent with plastic notes, then a little more richness came out with marmalade notes.

Suehiro Kaeikura Daiginjo (末廣 嘉永藏 大吟醸) - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 35%.  a little sweet and round on the attack, but spicy mid-palate with a spicy finish.

1990 Camille-Giroud Pommard 1er Clos Les Epeneaux, en magnum - decanted for about 2 hours before serving, which was probably too long.  Notes of leather, plum, earthy, and coffee.  The waiter poured a lot of the sediment into the decanter, so the palate wasn't as elegant as it should have been...

Full post on dinner is here.

Coche and Marquis

Dinner at Serge et le Phoque.

2005 Remirez de Ganuza Erre Punto Blanco - definitely mature and over the hill... no longer as enjoyable as when I first drank it in 2006.  A little flinty and kinda floral.  Palate was very soft and flat now.

1999 Coche-Dury Meursault - good amount of toast and grilled corn in the nose, with a bit of lemon.  Very round on the palate without much acidity at first, although the acidity balance got better as the wine opened up more.  A little disappointed here.

2002 Marquis d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds - nice and fruity nose, with a little leather.

Full post on dinner is here.

Altaya tasting 2015

Altaya Wines annual tasting.

2012 Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet - a hint of toast, a bit flinty, with lemon.

2012 Vincent Girardin Chassagne-Montrachet - nose was more open, with more toast, more lemon, and more flint.  Sharper nose, with more acidity here but reasonably round on the palate.

2012 Vincent Girardin Meursault - more flint here, a little pungent. Leaner on the palate, with good acidity balance.

2012 Vincent Girardin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Le Cailleret - nose was more open and beautiful, with more butter, vanilla, and ripeness.

2012 Vincent Girardin Corton-Charlemagne - more sweetness and ripeness, beautiful!  Bigger nose of toast.

2012 Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon Mâcon-Uchizy - fruitier, more tropical, with flint.  Slightly lean on the grippy finish.

2012 Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine - more pungent with lots of oak, slightly rounder on the palate.

2012 Comte Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - nice nose of lemon citrus, a bit of toast and flint.  Kinda lean on the palate.

2013 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc - very sweet and tropical nose of peach and lychees, with some minerals.  A little ripe on the palate.

2012 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc - bigger nose, more pungent, less fruit but still with lychee and stone fruit notes.  Rounder and sweeter on the palate.

2012 Les Hauts de Smith Blanc - lemon, pipi de chat, muscat grapes, minerals, and flinty.  First whiff was pungent, then suddenly very perfumed.  Light and lovely on the palate.

2012 Smith-Haut-Lafitte Blanc - nose was more open and elegant, with lemon, muscat grape, and a bit of pipi de chat but less pungent.  Nice and buttery.

2014 Rolf Binder Chardonnay Selection - very oaky, with lots of vanilla and toast, very ripe and sweet, and very tropical nose.

2014 Burge Family Semillon Olive Hill - a little sharp, some plastic notes, a bit metallic, crisp with good acidity balance.

2010 Burge Family Semillon Olive Hill - much bigger nose of plastic and wax, a little flinty.  Really good balance on the palate.

2014 Peter Michael L'Après-Midi - still very new, nose was not quite balanced and a little out of joint.  Oaky with vanilla notes.

2013 Peter Michael La Carrière - sweet nose with tropical stone fruits, mineral.  A little bitter finish.

2013 Peter Michael Ma Belle-Fille - toasty, buttery, very ripe.  Nice and sweet on the palate.

2002 Salon - nose was nice and sweet, and caramelized, with nice toast.

2008 Pol Roger Blanc de Blancs - nice mousse, with caramelized nose and nice toast.  Sweeter than expected for a blanc de blancs.

2004 Pol Roger Brut - lots of toast, nutty, caramelized with notes of Chinese licorice, nice and mineral, almost salty plum.  Drinking beautifully now.

2006 Pol Roger Rosé - moussy.  This was OK.

Pol Roger Rich - a demi-sec.  Definitely richer and sweeter on the palate.

2011 BOND St. Eden - a little young.  Oaky, a little bit of smoke, sweet.  Lovely.

2011 BOND Quella - softer, more fragrant, oaky, and sweet.

2011 BOND Vecina - oaky, sweet and ripe on the palate.

2011 Peter Michael Les Pavots - served from decanter.  Very fragrant, with smoky and leather notes.

2010 Troplong Mondot - very fragrant with cedar notes.

2006 Climens - nice and grapey, with plenty of honey and marmalade.

Sake pairing with eel

Lunner at Godenya.

Minshuku Tono White Label Doburoku (民宿とおの 白ラベル どぶろく), 2015 - with the lees and rice still in the bottle so it was very lumpy... Still bubbling and fermenting.  Can taste the alcohol and it was a little bitter on the palate.  Made by a bed-and-breakfast (民宿) in Iwate Prefecture (岩手県) from rice grown with no chemicals or pesticides.

Sougen Junmai Hattannishiki Unfiltered Namagenshu (宗玄 純米八反錦 無濾過生原酒), 2015 - served at 20°C.  Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 65%.  Round on the palate, a little viscous.  Slighty dry and spicy (辛口) but overall more on the sweet side (甘口), smooth but with a kick on the finish.  Good depth of flavors.  Nose has a hint of fermented beans.

Ryu Bizen Omachi Tokubetsu Junmai Nama (隆 備前雄町 特別純米 生), 2015 - served at 21°C.  Seimaibuai of 60%.  Bigger on the palate, more acidity up front, but a little spicier on the palate.  Alcohol was sharper and a little piercing up the nostril.  Very fragrant, almost wood-like.

Kotorinosaezuri Junmai Ginjo (小鳥のさえずり 純米吟醸), 2006 - served at 47°C.  Seimaibuai of 50%.  Can definitely feel the alcohol as the sake goes down due to the warm temperature.  Sweet on the attack but spicy mid-palate, then with a bitter finish followed by a sweet aftertaste.

Taketsuru Omachi Junmai Nigori Sanmiitai (竹鶴 雄町純米にごり 酸味一体), 2012 - served at 21°C.  Seimaibuai of 70%.  Definitely some acidity here, with a long finish that has some spiciness.  Reminds me a little of Calpis (カルピス) or soursop...

Yorokobigaijin Yamahai Shikomi Junmaishu Unfiltered Nama Akaiwa Omachi (悦凱陣 山廃仕込純米酒 無濾過生 赤磐雄町), 2015 - served at 50°C.   Seimaibuai of 68%.  Very mild taste.  Slightly on the acidic side, but very smooth and very pleasant.  Easy to drink.

Akishika Junmai Koshu (秋鹿 純米古酒), 2000 - served at 48°C.  Seimaibuai of 55%.  Salty and mineral, but without the sweetness of Shaoxing wine (紹興酒).  Love the oxidation.  Lovely golden color.

Tenyurin Tokubetsu Junmaishu (天遊琳 特別純米酒), 2003 - served at 47°C.  Seimaibuai of 55%.  Also oxidized and showing salty plum on the nose, but sweeter on the nose and palate.

Full post on lunch is here.

Rosé Champagne and Bordeaux

Dinner at Fish School.

Chartogne-Taillet Rosé - full of strawberries on the nose, with good acidity.

Drinks at ON Dining Kitchen and Lounge.

2009 Sarget de Gruaud Larose - nose of cedar, a little smoke, a hint of earth, a little nutty, maybe?  Good balance between acidity and tannins here.

Full post on dinner is here.

03 Yattarna and 06 Liger-Belair

Dinner at Mercedes me.

2003 Penfolds Yattarna - buttery, a little vanilla, oaky, and lemon notes.  Acidity was a little higher than expected.  Needs time to open up.

2006 Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanée Clos du Château - really sweet and fruity nose, wow!  Amazing!  So sweet it was like overripe honeydew melon, with floral notes like rose.  Some dried herbs, too.  Palate was a little thin and acidic.

Full post on dinner is here.

61, 82s, and methusalehs

Dinner at Amuse Bouche.

1995 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon, en methuselah - big nose of toast with some yeasty notes.  Very lively on the palate, rounded with some maturity, but also very good acidity.  Drinking beautifully.

2010 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne, en methuselah - big and toasty nose, plenty of oak here, with lemon citrus notes.  Ripe on the palate with acidity on the finish.  Very metallic and mineral after some caviar.  After 2 hours, really opened up very well.  A beautiful wine.

1982 Mouton-Rothschild - nose of pencil lead, smoke, and mint.  Definitely a Pauillac.  Still some fruit here, slightly earthy and stinky.  A bit light on the palate.

1982 Haut-Brion - a little stinky and a bit medicinal.  Later on some soy sauce notes.  Least enjoyable wine of the evening.

1982 Margaux - smoky nose with cigar notes.  Lovely.

1961 Margaux - the lighter color gave it away.  Nose was very sweet and grassy.  However the nose faded very fast so I stopped swirling the glass, and the palate started to turn acidic.  Some fruit here but started to smell some stewed prunes, with a bit of medicinal notes.  There was almost a little bit of sour plum juice (酸梅湯).

1986 Lafite-Rothschild - nose was more closed, minty, with some smoke, slightly exotic spices.  Opened up later to show more exotic sweetness.

1982 Latour - nose was open and a little opulent.  A little leather and also a hint of medicine later on.  A bit lighter on the palate.  Favorite wine of the evening.

2003 Léoville-Poyferré - a little cedar and smoky.  Tannins still here.

Full post on dinner is here.