1970 Egon Müller Spätlese

Dinner at Jiang Su.

1970 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese - a little green and grassy, with some petrol in the nose.  Some sweetness here still along with the acidity.  Nicely balanced.

Full post on dinner is here.

Mags for a party

Farewell dinner at WET in W Hong Kong.

2000 Smith Haut Lafitte, en magnum - smoky, earthy, with some fruit.  Classic.

2003 Pavillon Rouge de Château Margaux, en magnum - classic left bank with smoky nose and decent fruit.

2011 Gaja Barbaresco - definitely higher acidity, a little smoked meats.

Fourrier, Ponsot, and Roulot

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2010 Roulot Meursault Ruchets - lemon and flint notes.  Drank better than my last bottle 2 years ago.

2004 Ponsot Griotte Chambertin - plummy and alcoholic on the nose, with leather and almost a hint of floral notes.  After 3½ hours the nose was more musty and animal.  Drinking pretty nicely.

2008 Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combe aux Moines - more concentration here, with eucalyptus and cool fruit.  Lovely.

Grappa della "Donna Selvatica che scavalica le colline" Riserva 45% vol. Bianca - definitely singed the hair in my nose a little.  A little herbal notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sotheby's tasting

A (mostly) Burg tasting organized by Sotheby's Wine in advance of their upcoming auctions.

2011 Lucien Le Moine Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot - nice and toasty, a little buttery corn, sweet vanilla.  A big nose.  Good balance between acidity and ripeness on the palate, with a long and hot finish.  Drinking beautifully and just about my wine of the evening.

2012 Vincent Girardin Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - more caramel and ripeness in the nose, with a little oak.  Acidity was a little higher here.

2013 Henri Boillot Meursault - riper and sweeter on the nose, with some oak.  Acidity slightly on the high side.

2003 Leroy Chorey-lès-Beaune - nose of black olives with some fruit like stewed prunes.

2009 Bruno Clair Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru La Dominode - more animal notes here, smoky.  Still young.

2005 Domaine de L'Arlot Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Clos des Forets Saint Georges - light and boring, with some fruit.

2009 Mouton-Rothschild - double-decanted 3½ hours prior to serving.  Very ripe and sweet on the nose, with some smoky and cedar notes.

2009 Lafite-Rothschild - double-decanted 3½ hours prior to serving.  Sweeter on the nose, with vanilla oak and smoky notes, some exotic spices.  Very fragrant.

2010 Lafite-Rothschild - double-decanted 3½ hours prior to serving. A little bit of tea, savory, hint of smoke, grilled meats, and leather.

2002 Cos d'Estournel - rounder, more minty, with fragrant cedar notes and ripe fruit.  Drinking nicely.

2011 Mugnier Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale Rouge - violet and floral, with leather notes.  Beautiful.  My wine of the evening.

2011 Arnoux-Lachaux Clos-de-Vougeot - more concentrated, with forest notes.

2011 Faiveley Mazis-Chambertin - nose of animal, leather, and fragrant wood.

2009 Olivier Bernstein Charmes-Chambertin - leather and smoky notes.

2011 Saouma Châteauneuf-du-Pape Omnia - ripe and sweet.  This will last for a while.

1990 Guigal Brune et Blond

Dinner at home.

1990 Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blond - grilled meats, leather, a little stewed prunes.  Good acidity here and still good concentration.

Whites for black and white dinner

Black and white dinner at Akrame.

2014 Henri Perusset Mâcon-Villages - nice and tropical with floral notes.  High acidity.

2014 Aegerter Saint-Véran - some ripeness on the palate.  Otherwise kinda bland.

Clos Dady, vintage unknown - a little peach.  A lot drier than expected for a Sauternes.

Full post on dinner is here.

2003 Kongsgaard The Judge

Dinner at Tenku RyuGin.

2003 Kongsgaard The Judge - opened 40 minutes prior to decanting.  Nice and ripe, with sweetness, a little marzipan and cotton candy, toasty corn.  Nice acidity here but soooo elegant and well-balanced.  Just drinking beautifully now.

Full post on dinner is here.

Clos Erasmus and Banneret

Dinner at On Dining Kitchen and Lounge.

1996 Clos Erasmus - decanted and served after 10 minutes or so.  Nice and minty, smoky and earthy.  Very smooth but good concentration here even after 20 years, with nice acidity levels which were perfectly balanced.

2012 du Banneret Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge - served at a perfectly chilled temperature.  Very peppery with a little animal notes.  Nice acidity here.

Full post on dinner is here.

2003 Canon-la-Gaffelière

Dinner at home.

2003 Canon-la-Gaffelière - sweet and ripe fruit, with leather, some animal, and forest notes.  A little smoky.

Isojiman and Ikezo Peach

Dinner at Hidden.

Isojiman Daiginjo Junmai Emerald (磯自慢 大吟醸純米 エメラルド), 2016 - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 50%.  Served a little warm but it was very nice, with lots of fermented rice flavors.  Soft and sweet on the palate with a spicy finish.

Ikezo Peach - interesting sparkling sake with peach jelly.  Lots of little bits of jelly, making the texture kinda interesting.

von Schubert and Mugnier

Dinner at Jiang Su.

1998 von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Spätlese-trocken - big nose of petrol and polyurethane, but riper, fuller, and richer, with lots of muscat grape. Dry finish with plenty of acidity to balance the full-bodied palate.

1983 von Schubert Maximin Grünhauser Herrenberg Riesling Auslese - obviously riper on the palate and much more mature, with plenty of acidity to balance the sweetness that wasn't at all overwhelming.  Lots of lemon and marmalade on the nose here, along with some minerals and flint.

2009 Mugnier Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale - nose of eucalyptus, game meats, lots of leather and animal notes, with a little floral violet underneath.  Slightly pungent.

Full post on dinner is here.

Calon-Segur and Clinet

Wine tasting at Hong Kong Wine Vault.  Laurent Dufau from Calon-Segur and Ronan Laborde of Clinet in attendance.

2006 Clinet - first a whiff of fruit, then became dusty, chalky, and funky.  Maybe a little bit of grilled meats.  Was this corked?

2011 Clinet - a little smoky with some black fruits.  Still tannic on the palate.  Not great.

2013 Clinet - switched to a new glass.  Nose still pungent with sulfuric notes, and still chalky.

Not sure what was going on with the Clinet wines tonight, but I didn't like any of them.

2008 Calon Ségur - wow!  This was drinking beautifully!  Lots of coffee and tobacco notes, along with cedar and plenty of fruit.

2000 Calon-Ségur - nose was more muted, perhaps a little cooked prunes, with a hint of leather.  A little softer on the palate, with higher acidity.  Plenty of sediment as this pour was from the bottom 20% of the bottle.

1996 Calon-Ségur - from a fresher bottle.  Big nose of green pepper, smoke, grilled meats, and leather.

2013 Le Marquis de Calon Ségur - very sweet, with tons of coffee and cedar notes.  Very approachable.  Amazing that this was my favorite wine of the evening.