2013 Keller Kirchspiel

Dinner at Family Li Imperial Cuisine in Beijing.

2013 Keller Westhofener Kirchspiel Riesling Großes Gewächs - nice and ripe, sweet on the nose.  Very floral with honey notes.  Dry on the palate.  A lovely wine.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sherries and friends

Dinner at Kin's Kitchen.

Aubry Brut - toasty and yeasty on the nose, with a nice balance between ripeness and acidity.

Barbadillo Obispo Gascon Palo Cortado - front palate was a little short but the finish was reasonably long.  Nutty, dry on the palate.  Nice.

2007 Leeuwin's Chardonnay Art Series - toasty, mineral, a little caramelized and ripe.

2008 Westrey Pinot Noir Justice Vineyard - eucalyptus, a little smoke, some cherries.

Valdespino Solera 1842 Oloroso VOS - much more nutty, more honey and sweetness, more concentrated.

Lustau Almacenista Amontillado Pata de Gallina 1/38 Juan Garcia Jarana - much more savory on the palate, with a drier finish.  Clearly a more refined and sophisticated wine.

2007 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine de Bois - opened more than an hour before serving.  Ripe and sweet on the nose, minty, pretty concentrated.

2005 Monbousquet - popped and poured.  Earthy and a little smoky.

Full post on dinner is here.

Pinot night

Dinner at ON Dining Kitchen and Lounge.

Inflorescence Côte de Val Vilaine, millesime 2010, dégorgée en Avril 2012 - nice acidity balance here.  Lovely nose which was nice and a little caramelized.  I wasn't expecting a Champagne, but since this was a blanc de noirs made from 100% pinot noir, and was not a Burgundy, this definitely fit the bill...

2012 George Ferae Naturae - a rosé of pinot noir from one of my favorite producers.  Ripe and sweet nose but slightly pungent.  Surprisingly dry on the palate.

2009 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Spätburgunder 'R' trocken - double-decanted after opening.  Very rich nose, with animal notes and a hint of grilled meats.  Very fragrant, almost floral after opening up.  Smooth on the palate but good concentration here.  A beautiful wine that I'd love to taste again in 10 years.

2007 Jacques Cacheux Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots - a little dusty and chalky.  There's still fruit underneath, but the bottle wasn't ideal.

2012 Tuck's Ridge Pinot Noir Buckle Vineyard - a little burnt rubber, pungent nose.  Later on showed some animal and leather notes.

2009 George Leras Family Vineyard - double-decanted for 2½ hours prior to serving, which was probably a little too long.  Nose was still beautiful and fragrant, with plenty of sweetness coming from raspberry notes, almost a little caramelized.

2009 Rockburn Pinot Noir Twelve Barrels - nice and smooth, with some lovely fruit on the nose.

2009 Chacra Pinot Noir Treinta y Dos - double-decanted for 3 hours, nose was fairy muted.  A little minty, some sweet and cool fruit, with a little rubber.  Nice structure on the palate.

2003 Peter Michael Pinot Noir Le Moulin Rouge - sweet nose with eucalyptus.  Lovely.

2013 The Hilt Chardonnay The Old Guard - nose of minerals, a little ripeness here.  Lovely with cheese.

2003 Berthet-Bondet Château-Chalon - opened for 11 hours prior to serving.  Grassy nose, lots of ripeness, a little marmalade, and some minerals.

2009 Araujo Grappa - a little acetone, paint thinner in the nose.  Reasonably smooth on the palate but still a lot more spicy than I had remembered.

Full post on dinner is here.

Hodgepodge for Cantonese

Dinner at a private dining facility.

2007 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay - pretty toasty with slightly high acidity on the palate.

2008 Galardi Terra di Lavoro Roccamonfina - smoky, minty, and later on coffee notes.

Agrapart Terroirs, mis en bouteille Mai 2012, dégorgée en Aout 2015 - an extra brut blanc de blancs that was very easy to drink.  Well-balanced acidity with a nice mousse.  Oaky and a little pungent.

Agrapart Complantée, mis en bouteille Mai 2012, dégorgée en Aout 2015 - richer, deeper flavors, with a longer finish, and a little more acidity.

2007 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie La Landonne - floral with violet notes, fruity, sweet, a little ripe.  A beautiful wine drinking well right now.

1982 Cos d'Estournel - decanted for about 2 hours, which was definitely too long.  Very smooth and smoky, but lost a little of the fruit.

Full post on dinner is here.

Daiginjo sake and girlie drinks

Dinner at Rozan.

Kamoshibito Kuheiji Junmai Daiginjo Hinokishi (醸し人九平次 純米大吟醸　彼の岸) 2014, BY28 - with a seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 30%.  Dry on the palate, with some fermented rice flavors.  A little spicy on the finish.  Probably more of a food sake.

Juyondai Special (十四代 秘酒) - forgot to check the BY for this bottle, but assume it would be 28 as it was purchased this year.  Seihakudo (精白度) of 65%, which should translate to seimaibuai of 35%.  Much smoother and rounder on the palate, and more viscous.  Deeper flavors and richer on the palate.  Also slightly sweeter.

Supper at Hidden Kitchen.

Fukucho Unshu Mikanshu (富久長 温州みかん酒) - this tasted like a very concentrated orange juice with a little bit of added alcohol.  Well... there's less than 7% alcohol here, which is sake-based.  Pretty nice on the rocks.

Okinawa Kokuto Umeshu (沖縄黒糖梅酒) - from Sakiyama Brewery (崎山酒造) using an awamori (泡盛) with 44% alcohol as the base, diluted down to about 14%.  This was expected to be sweet, but actually wasn't as sweet as I thought it would be.  Lots of depth in terms of flavors here, though.  A delicious drink on the rocks.

Full post on dinner and supper is here.