Blanc de blancs for NYE

Drinking at a friend's home.

2002 Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs - riper than expected with lower acidity, pretty smooth and rounded, very easy to drink.

1998 Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs - higher acidity here, more crisp on the palate as well as more depth and complexity.

2006 El Desafio de Jonata - lots of mint with plenty of fruit, very ripe and alcoholic, with smoky notes.

2003 Kongsgaard The Judge

Lunch at Ta Vie.

2003 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge - initially the nose seemed over-ripe, but with aeration the acidity and minerality developed further.  The nose was still pretty sweet like marzipan, with orange marmalade notes.  Perhaps this wine has peaked.

Full post on lunch is here.

Krug, von Schubert, and Ducru

Dinner at Uwe.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 161éme édition, ID 412044 - initially more lean and light than expected, but still delivered a nice and toasty nose.

1989 von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett - pretty dry on the palate, but definitely mature.  Polyurethane notes on the nose.  Later this turned pretty ripe and mineral.

1996 Ducru-Beaucaillou - served after almost 2 hours in decanter.  Classic left bank, with smoky notes.  Showing more fruit with the second pour a half hour after the first, along with earthy notes.  Good acidity with velvety tannins.

Full post on dinner is here.

Prüm and Arietta

Dinner at Tasting Court.

2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett - classic petrol nose, with white flowers and polyurethane.  Later the palate got sweeter and very ripe.

2003 Arietta H-Block Hudson Vineyards - minty, with ripe fruit and almost coconut butter and vanilla oak.  A little smoky after 2 hours.

Full post is here.

Gohgan 7 wines

Dinner at Gaggan in Bangkok, for the 7th edition of Gohgan.

Charles Ellner Grande Réserve Brut, en methuselah - yeasty with good acidity.

Senkin Snowman unfiltered sake (千禽 雪だるま しぼりたて活性にごり酒), 2017 - with seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 50%.  Sweet with fermented rice flavors, but dry and spicy mid-palate.

2014 Sebastien Riffault Sancerre Les Quarterons - really ripe and sweet, with crisp acidity that was just right.  Lovely floral notes. 

2014 Christian Binner Muscat - very aromatic and floral.

2015 Frank Cornelissen Contadino - a little pungent on the nose.  Stemmy and slightly bitter, with lots of ripe fruit.

2011 François de Nicolay Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Fontenys - slightly pungent, a little stemmy and bitter, with good amount of sweet fruit.  Slightly chewy tannins.

Marguet Shaman 14 Rosé - ripe with lots of strawberries.

Full post on dinner is here.

Chevalier and Chapelle

Dinner at Petrus.

2012 Louis Jadot Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles - served from a decanter.  Toasty notes, nice and buttery, with good citrus notes.  Good acidity on the palate.

2005 Ponsot Chapelle Chambertin - served 1 hour after decanting.  There is some black fruit like plum.  Lean and astringent on the palate, with more acidity than expected.  Later on showed a whiff of sweet honeydew melon.  Very disappointed.  Second pour showed savory, black olive notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

67 Cheval Blanc

Dinner at Sushi Ima.

1967 Cheval Blanc, en magnum - a little smoky and earthy.  Good acidity here, but a little short on the palate... and a bit savory. 

Full post on dinner is here.

Mixed bag French

Dinner at Neighborhood.

1996 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - very ripe and mature.  Softened up on the palate, and so round now.

2010 Jean-Marc Roulot Meursault 1er Cru - nice and ripe, with acidity on the back end.

2004 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne - ripe on the palate, but with good acidity and flint on the finish.

1998 Hudelot-Noellat Clos de Vougeot - sooo fragrant and fruity.  Soft on the palate now.  Actually turned out to be a little too late on the palate.

1995 Faiveley Chambertin Clos de Beze - more concentration here.

2015 Domaine Jamet Syrah - very ripe and fruity, initially very floral, but later a little pungent and stemmy.

1998 Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos Saint Urbain Sélection des Grains Noble - lots of honey, ripe honeydew melon, and nutty notes.  Unctuous.

Full post on dinner is here.

Young and old German riesling

Dinner at The 8 Restaurant in Macau.

2014 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett - nice minerality.  Still off-dry with slight sweetness, with good acidity.

1921 Schloss Johannisberg Erntebringer Riesling Auslese - served 40 minutes after opening.  Very nutty and honey nose, with exotic spices.  Not very sweet at all, actually almost savory with a little Chinese preserved plum... and a little polyurethane.  Not as thick and viscous on the tongue as expected.  30 minutes after serving, the palate was already feeling a little short.

Full post on dinner is here.

French grand cru for lunch

Lunch at Robuchon au Dôme in Macau.

2000 Krug Clos du Mesnil - nice and mature now, with caramel notes, and good acidity on the palate.

2006 Ramonet Bienvenue Batard-Montrachet - beautiful, toasty nose.  Surprisingly ripe and alcoholic on the palate when warmed up a little. 

1979 Haut-Brion - smoky, leather, still a bit of fruit, with a hint of rust.  Beautiful.  Still some tannins here.

2007 de Fargues - acetone, honey, and orange marmalade.

Full post on lunch is here.

Wines for Michelin Gala 2017

Michelin Gala Dinner at the Grand Hyatt Macau.

Mumm Grand Cordon Brut

2012 Château des Quarts Pouilly-Fuissé Clos des Quarts - nice and toasty on the nose.  Very ripe and soft on the palate, almost limp, and no finish other than the feeling of alcohol burning the back of my throat.

2013 Pernot-Belicard Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champ Gain - nose fairly aromatic, with surprisingly good ripeness.  Minerality came out when paired with the homard bleu, with some acidity at the back.

2012 La Tour Figeac - pretty ripe and sweet, but not quite jammy.  A little smoke in the fragrant and floral nose.  Still rather tannic.  Surprise on the upside.

2012 François Feuillet Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers - pretty heavy, toasty nose, nice and floral, with sweet fruit notes.  Seemed a little cloudy and dirty...

2011 Ogier Côte-Rôtie - lovely floral and lavender notes, with some leather and eucalyptus.  A little sharp from the alcohol.

Jean-Marc Roulot l'Abricot du Roulot

Full post on dinner is here.

Sine Qua Non big guns

Dinner at Beefbar.

2009 Sine Qua Non Packin' Rosy - 70% grenache, 16% syrah, 14% roussanne.  15.5% alcohol. A little pungent at first, with lots of toast and plenty of cool fruit.  10 minutes later showing more sweet fruit, with tons of strawberries like a young Rayas, or a young pinot.  Really ripe and hot on the palate.

1997 Sine Qua Non Twisted and Bent - 60% roussanne and 40% chardonnay.  14% alcohol. Rich and mature now, with sweet grass, a little acetone, and a hint of polyurethane.  Beautiful and fragrant.  Totally awesome with straw notes.  45 minutes later the nose was full of sugarcane and vanilla.  1 hour 15 minutes after opening it smelled like cotton candy.  2 hours 15 minutes after opening the wine was just sooo buttery.  Fantastic!

2012 Sine Qua Non Pearl Clutcher - 100% chardonnay.  15.3% alcohol.  Showing beautifully 15 minutes after pouring... toasty and stunning.  40 minutes after it showed a little American ginseng.  1 hour 25 minutes after there was this huge, amazing, toasty nose.  Fucking awesome!  2 hours after it showed like a Kistler chardonnay, with lots of popcorn.

2001 Sine Qua Non Midnight Oil - 96% syrah, 2.5% grenache, 1.5% viognier.   14.9% alcohol.  Served 1 hour 20 minutes after opening, and already beautiful, sweet, with nice oak.  Almost metallic, with vanilla, a little dried herbs, and forest pine.

1999 Sine Qua Non The Marauder - 100% syrah.  14.9% alcohol.  Served 2 hours 50 minutes after opening.  Lovely but still needed a little more time.  Pretty smooth on the palate now.  3 hours 20 minutes after minty notes came out, but one could still smell the alcohol.  3 hours 30 minutes after, more cedar and woodsy notes showed up, and at 4 hours 10 minutes a hint of burnt rubber came out.

1998 Sine Qua Non E-raised - "predominantly syrah, with a spritz of viognier and a dash of grenache".  14% alcohol.  1 hour after opening there was still plenty of iron, with eucalyptus, really sweet fruit, a hint of leather, and some smoke.  1½ hours later the wine was beautiful.

2003 Sine Qua Non The Inaugural Syrah - 97% syrah, 3% viognier.  15.8% alcohol.  2 hour after opening the nose was soooo big and fragrant, woodsy, so alcoholic it was singeing my nose hairs... So ripe, but sooo fucking good!  2 hour 40 minutes after opening the wine was beautiful, a little smoky, so concentrated, and the alcohol was still burning my nose hairs.  3 hours 40 minutes after some coffee notes showed up.

2004 Sine Qua Non Poker Face - 96% syrah, 2.5% mourvedre, 1.5% viognier.  15.5% alcohol.  2 hours after opening it was showing a hint of grass, but still ripe and sweet.  I briefly wondered whether it was lightly corked, but perhaps not.  Very smooth on the palate, but the tannins were still there.  A little smoky, too.

2006 Sine Qua Non To The Rescue Roussanne - 100% roussanne.  10.5% alcohol.  Honey, grapey, honeydew melon, acetone, and polyurethane. 

2001 Mr. K The Noble Man - 100% chardonnay.  11.3% alcohol.  Richer on the palate, nutty, more honeydew melon, more marmalade.  Sweeter with more depth.  Beautiful.

Full post on dinner is here.