2005 Kistler Parmlee Hill

Dinner at Épure.

2005 Kistler Chardonnay Stone Flat Vineyard Parmlee Hill - overripe, really sweet, lots of Chinese licorice (甘草), straw, and ripe, tropical pineapple.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC dinner: Amuse Bouche

MNSC dinner at Amuse Bouche, hosted by Dr. Poon.

1998 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon P2 - very nice and toasty nose, drinking beautifully.  Surprisingly mature on the palate.  However, sitting in the glass caused the wine to die quickly.

First flight: opened for 1 hour and decanted just prior to serving

1967 Palmer, from the Sotheby's ex-château sale on June 4, 2016 - initially very dusty and chalky nose.  Very savory, with some tobacco notes.  Very smooth on the palate.  92 points.

1967 Petrus - nice and ripe fruit on the nose at first, but also showed a little dusty and mineral notes, with mint, smoke, and some sweetness here.  93 points.

1967 Trotanoy - nice fruit, a little stinky, some coffee, black fruits, smoky with a hint of vegetal notes.  Firmer and more powerful on the palate.  95 points.

Second flight: opened and decanted 1 hour and 15 minutes later.

1982 Latour à Pomerol - lovely ripe fruit, eucalyptus, still a bit graphite and dusty.  Much riper on the palate.  95 points.

1982 L'Evangile - showing sweet grass and vegetal.  Corked.

1982 Trotanoy - replacement bottle.  Opened late.  Mineral and savory nose.  93 points.

1982 Lynch-Bages - coffee, smoke, a bit of sweet fruit.  Sweet grass showed up on the second pour.  Wonderful.  97 points.

Third flight: opened 30 minutes prior to serving without decanting.

1989 DRC Grands Echezeaux - really sweet berries, almost like strawberries.  Lovely, with a bit of forest.  Not so great on the palate after sitting in the glass for a while.  96 points.

1980 DRC Grands Echezeaux - also nose of really sweet berries.  Beautiful, with more concentration.  98 points.

Full post on dinner is here.

Leroux and Amon-Ra

Lunch at STAY in Taipei.

2012 Benjamin Leroux Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champ Gain - lemon citrus, some ripeness in the nose, buttery, toasty, flinty and mineral.

2006 Glaetzer Amon-Ra - very big vanilla and oaky nose.  Classic Aussie Shiraz.

Full post on lunch is here.

Simple wines at home

Dinner at home in Taipei.

2014 Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin La Princée - mineral, lemon, and toasty oak.

1997 Beringer Merlot Private Reserve - decanted just prior to serving.  Nose of stewed prunes, pretty sweet and ripe, plenty of vanilla oak.  Very silky and smooth on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Dominus dominates

Dinner at Le Moût in Taichung.

2008 Bauget-Jouette Blanc de Blancs «Le Moût Restaurant» - nice acidity with a little ripeness.  Nose was still a little sharp and somewhat toasty.

Egly-Ouriet "Les Vignes de Vrigny" Premier Cru, dégorgée en Juillet 2015 - rich and full-bodied on the palate with a long finish.  Very interesting and toasty nose, with a bit of caramel.

1996 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste Hune - this was a little more mature than I had expected.  Lovely nose with flint, mineral, a little toasty and smoky, along with a little bit of honey.

1997 Chartron et Trébuchet Corton-Charlemagne - a little vanilla and almond, buttery, a little sweet on the nose, with tropical pineapple, straw, and Chinese licorice.

1996 Dominus - very minty, oaky, cedary, and fragrant.  Smoky and a little earthy, with a hint of tea.  Slightly sweet on the palate.  Full-bodied and smooth on the palate.  Drinking very, very well right now.

Full post on dinner is here.

1970 Egon Müller Spätlese

Dinner at home.

1970 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese - good acidity here, with salted lemon rind, acetone, a little round and slightly viscous on the palate, some sugars here, with a little flint and white flowers on the nose.

Zorah, Juyondai, and more

Dinner at a private dining facility.

2000 Henriot Brut - nice and ripe on the palate, with a little sugarcane on the nose.

2011 Kings Farm Chardonnay - very buttery and creamy on the nose, oaky, very ripe and sweet on the palate.

2007 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese - huge nose of petrol and flint, polyurethane.  Such an amazing nose.  Nice bit of acidity with a good amount of sweetness on the palate for balance.  A beautiful wine.

2005 Camus Charmes-Chambertin - nice nose of cherries, a little gamey fowl, and a little metallic iron.

Juyondai Hizoushu (十四代 秘蔵酒), bottled May 2010 - this is a junmai daiginjo (純米大吟醸) koshu (古酒) with at least 3 years' aging, using Aiyama (愛山) rice milled down to a semaibuai (精米歩合) of 40%.  This bottle had been aging in my cellars for the last 6 years, and the extended aging - possibly 10 years or more when you count cellaring before the release - gives the sake a wonderful depth of flavors on the palate.  It is also noticeably viscous and rounded on the palate.  Nose shows a concentration of rice flavors, very rich, with lots of tropical and banana notes.

2002 Frédéric Magnien Charmes-Chambertin - beautiful sweet fruit, more floral than the Camus, with oaky notes and toasty corn.

1985 Tattinger Artist Collection - nose was very caramelized, with heavy amount of toast, as well as something a little savory... almost like salty plum (話梅) that's soaked in Shaoxing wine (紹興酒).  Beautiful.

1997 Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello di Montalcino Rennina, from magnum - sweet vanilla, lots of herbs, and really fragrant.

2012 Zorah Yeraz - really sweet and ripe, with lots of herbs and exotic spices, a little black pepper.  Very smooth and silky on the palate.  Made from vines that are more than 100 years old.

Full post on dinner is here.

1986 Cos d'Estournel

Dinner at Spaghetti House.

1986 Cos d'Estournel - double-decanted 50 minutes prior to drinking.  Still plenty of fruit here like stewed prunes, a little toasty and cedar.  But this bottle seems to be a little over the hill.

Full post on dinner is here.

85 DRC Richebourg

Lunch at Ta Vie.

1985 DRC Richebourg - not decanted.  Initially very light and acidic on the palate.  Opened up with time, and after an hour this became really lovely, with berries, animal, leather, and violet notes.

Full post on lunch is here.

Italian whites for lunch

Lunch at 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Macau.

2011 Gini Soave Classico - pretty flat on the palate, a little bit of oak.

2014 Ceretto Langhe Arneis Blangé - very fragrant and floral, almost perfume-like, with tropical stone fruits, some oak, and flint.

Full post on lunch is here.

2003 Keller Goldkapsel

Dinner at The Eight in Macau.

2003 Keller Dalsheimer Hubacker Riesling Spätlese 26 Goldkapsel - nice level of sweetness with a bit of acidity on the palate.  A little polyurethane on the nose.  With the deep-fried fish some minerality came out.  Delicious and easy to drink.

Full post on dinner is here.

2012 Guigal La Doriane

Lunch at Robuchon au Dôme in Macau.

2012 Guigal Condrieu La Doriane - what a beautiful wine!  Nutty, floral, honey notes, with a good amount of ripeness on the palate.  Everything I expected.

Full post on lunch is here.

Meursault Perrières and Clos des Papes

Lunch at The Kitchen in Macau.

2010 Bouchard Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières, en demi-bouteille - a little closed at first.  Oaky and lovely.  After an hour or so lots of buttery richness came out, along with sweet, toasty corn, as well as floral and vanilla notes from the oak.  Nice acidity along with nice ripeness on the palate, with lengthy finish.

2003 Clos des Papes - decanted after opening.  Animal, smoky, and forest notes.  Sweet fruit came out after an hour and 15 minutes or so.  Classic farmy and stinky notes came out later, along with some dried herb.  Starting to drink well.

Full post on dinner is here.