2009 Sartori L'Appassito

Dinner at Cucina.

2009 Sartori L'Appassito - initially some green and herbaceous notes, which I thought may be signs of TCA.  Still some black fruits in the nose.  Opened up well after 30 minutes and the green notes disappeared, leaving a nice and fragrant nose.  Soft on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

76 Œnothèque and 96 Clos Erasmus

Dinner at Ta Vie.

1976 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Œnothèque, dégorgée en 2003 - lovely and mature nose, caramelized, honey, marmalade, with floral notes that was almost like osmanthus.  Acidic on the mid-palate and also on the finish.  Toasty notes emerged later.  This peaked about 30-40 minutes after popping the cork, and the floral fragrance disappeared.

2011 Grace Vineyard Chardonnay Tasya's Reserve - nose was a little lean, almost a little green apple.  Only a little ripe on the palate.  Very light floral notes, with a little hint of sweetness after the wine warmed up.  At the end there seemed to be sulfur in the nose.  Tasted blind my first instinct was that this was from a cold climate.

1996 Clos Erasmus - decanted for 1½ hours before serving, which was definitely too long.  There were vibrant and fruity notes coming from the decanter when the wine was first decanted, but those notes disappeared when we finally got to drinking the wine.  A little bit of stewed prunes, along with smoky notes reminiscent of Chinese ink.  Also savory like soy sauce or black tea.  Still surprisingly a little grippy on the palate at almost 20 years.

Full post on dinner is here.

French for kaiseki

Dinner at Wagyu Kaiseki Den.

2002 Krug - nice and toasty nose, and a little floral.  Very nice and lively on the palate, with some maturity.

1996 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - pretty smooth, initially light on the palate, but gradually opened up and became more acidic on the finish. With more aeration this turned into a beautiful wine, with incredibly nutty and toasty nose.

2000 Beychevelle - decanted for more than 1½ hours prior to serving.  Smoky and savory notes, like soy sauce, with pencil lead, oak, and almost earthy notes.  A little ripe.  Drinking very nicely now.

1999 Rayas Blanc - initially this was too cold and wasn't open, but improved after warming up a little.  Nose of acetone, white flowers, and white pepper.  Surprisingly young and lean.

Full post on dinner is here.

Dewazakura Aiyama

Dinner at Sushi Fuku-suke.

Dewazakura Junmai Daiginjo Aiyama (出羽桜 純米大吟醸 愛山), released Jan 2011 - nose with fermented rice lees.  Deep and complex flavors, with a pretty dry and spicy finish.  Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 45%.

Full post on dinner is here.

Bubbly and 85 Mazis

Dinner at RAW in Taipei.

2009 Franck Bonville Blanc de Blancs, en magnum - very fresh with lots of bubbles.  A little yeasty, a little flinty.  Smooth but a little light on the palate.

2002 J. de Telmont Grande Couronnement - riper on the palate with nice acidity.

1985 Hospices de Beaune Mazis-Chambertin Cuvée Madeleine-Collignon par Bouchard - nose of ripe cherries, a little animal and leather.  Pretty clean.

2013 Matthieu Barret Petit Ours Brun - forest notes with cool fruit, with a hint of ripeness.

Full post on dinner is here.