Knoll and San Giuseppe

Drinks at Gaggan in Bangkok.

2012 Knoll Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Loibner - nice and mineral, a little white pepper on the nose.  Ripe on the palate.

2009 San Giuseppe Stella di Campalto Riserva - very fragrant with dried herbs, sweet on the nose.  A little vanilla and coconut butter.  Soft on the palate.

Full post on the evening is here.

Wines at Gaggan

Dinner at Gaggan in Bangkok.

2008 Drappier Grande Sendrée - a little yeasty and very ripe on the palate.

2014 Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py - nice acidity here with some tannins.  Nice leather notes.

2015 William Downie Pinot Noir Yarra Valley - a little forest and leather notes.  Higher acidity.

Full post on dinner is here.

Wines at Gaggan x Den

Four hands dinner with Gaggan Anand and Hasegawa Zaiyu at Gaggan in Bangkok.

Eikun Murasaki no Eikun Junmai Ginjo Muroka Namagenshu (英君 紫の英君 純米吟醸 無濾過生原酒) - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 50%.  Sweet on the attack but dry mid-palate, and surprisingly dry and spicy on the finish.

Primosic Ribolla de Oslavia Riserva, vintage unknown - nose was oxidated and came with very familiar flavors.

2014 Lapierre Morgon - nose seemed a little stewed prunes?  Nice with just enough acidity here.

2015 Occhipinti SP68 Bianco - oxidized nose with acetone notes, a little dry on the palate, not really sweet.

2012 Albert Mann Pinot Gris Hengst - off dry, with nice ripeness on the palate and a slightly bitter finish.  Good length.

Château Jolys Cuvée Jean, vintage unknown - sweeter on the palate with deeper flavors, more marmalade, and slightly bitter.

Full post on dinner is here.

90 Dame de Montrose

Drinking at home.

1990 Dame de Montrose, ex-château 2016 - smoky, grilled meats, leather, woody, cedar.  Very fragrant.  After 45 minutes, the sweet fruit started to emerge.  Not the same style as the 1990 Montrose at all, but a beautiful wine nonetheless.

Italians for Italian

Dinner at 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana.

Mattia Vezzola Costaripa Brut - very easy to drink.  A little floral, a hint of minerals, and a little toasty.

2015 Argiolas Vermentino di Sardegna Merì - very floral and tropical fruits, with sweet peaches, and almost a hint of bergamot.

2014 La Monacesca Verdicchio di Matelica Riserva Mirum - aged in stainless steel on less and not in oak.  Actually I didn't find this interesting.  Ripe on the palate with a little acidity.

2012 Duemani CiFRA - nose of sweet fruit with lots of herbs, a bit of cedar.  Nice and fragrant nose.  No aging in oak here.

2011 Pietradolce Archineri Rosso - more leather notes, very fragrant.  A little more tannic on the palate.

2009 Mastrojanni Brunello di Montalcino - this was reasonably fragrant, with a little bit of leather, and softer tannins.

2014 Tasca d'Almerita Capofaro Malvasia di Salina - the berries are harvested around mid-September and sun-dried.  Showing acetone, honey, and stone fruit notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

2014 Bernard Van Berg Rosé

Drinking in our villa at Ayana Resorts in Bali.

2014 Bernard Van Berg Le Rosé - hands down one of the worst wines I have ever had.  Nose was faint upon opening, and palate was pretty non-existent.  Only showing some mineral, almost savory funk.  After aerating for 2 hours and warming up a little, finally there was some length to the finish.  Nose was still weak, with a hint of salted lemon.  A total waste and we did not finish. Made with pinot noir grapes from En Belles-Roses in Meursault, from vines planted in 1957.

Full post on the evening is here.

Dujac and Kistler

Dinner at Upper Modern Bistro.

2012 Dujac Morey-Saint-Denis Blanc - huge nose of toasty oak, and so buttery, too.  What a surprisingly delicious wine!

2005 Kistler Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard - lots of fragrant sweet fruit, a bit of leather, and some cedar.  Delicious as expected.

Full post on dinner is here.

Isojiman Emerald

Dinner at La Bombance.

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%.  Sweet on the attack but starts turning dry mid-palate.  The finish was definitely long and spicy, but the palate was still kinda round.

Full post on dinner is here.

Calon-Segur, VVF, and Van Berg

Dinner at a friend's home.

2004 Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Françaises - nice and yeasty nose, a little caramelized and sweet.  Perhaps it's still a little young, since it seemed slightly disjointed on the nose.

2009 Bernard Van Berg La Rose Reserve - opened 1 hour before serving from bottle.  Some toasty, fruity, and floral (rose) notes.  Intensely sweet on the nose, with a little leather and a lovely, fragrant nose.  Finish seemed a little on the short side, and still kinda tannic with a slightly bitter finish.  Towards the end the nose showed a little sharp alcohol, but the beautiful, fragrant nose just kept on giving... even 3 hours after opening.  While I thought that this reminded me of a Prieuré Roch, my friend with a much better palate actually thought it was more similar to a DRC Corton.  Made with pinot noir grapes from En Belles-Roses in Meursault, from vines planted in 1957.

1982 Calon-Ségur - popped and poured.  Very savory and mineral on the nose, almost like oyster sauce, with smoke and a little bit of grassy notes.