Hodgepodge birthday

Dinner at The Chin's.

1982 Joseph Perrier Cuvée Royal Brut, en magnum - a little sweet on the nose, a little caramel.  Naturally this improved later.

2013 Prieuré Roch Roses, en magnum - nose was very pungent, stinky, sulfur,  like rotten eggs, with some heavy toast.  Pretty WTF.  Listed as a "quaffing wine" on the domaine's website.

2012 Lucien Le Moine Corton Blanc - very tight upon opening, very toasty, almost a little mandarin zest, with good acidity.  More open after 30 minutes, with lemon citrus.  After an hour more buttery notes came out, but remained very toasty.  Punches above its weight.

2001 Ponsot Griotte Chambertin - served a little warm after 2 hours.  Minty, earthy, smoky and meaty.  After 2½ hours showing a little wet cardboard...

1986 Gaja Darmagi - decanted for more than 3 hours and served too warm.  Smoky and reminiscent of Left Bank Bordeaux, with almost savory notes on top of inky and cigar nose.

2011 Marcel Deiss Alsace - pretty tropical nose with a hint of pineapple, acetone, beeswax.  Ripe and almost a little bitter on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sake, Bordeaux, Piedmont, Napa, Burg

Dinner at Mandarin Grill + Bar.

Dewazakura sparkling (出羽桜 スパークリング) - naturally sparkling, aged for 15 years below zero.  Not many bubbles.  Very fruity on the nose, a little sweet, with tropical, stone fruits.  A little fermented and oxidized nose, but very fresh.  Dry on the palate with a very short finish, almost flat later after sitting in glass.  With the second pour, much more depth on the palate and no longer flat.  With the last pour the banana notes came out.

2014 Le Petit Cheval Blanc - very pipi de chat, green apple, and lots of toast in the nose.  Really nice acidity here, a little sharp.

2009 Vietti Barolo Brunate - good acidity here, still a little tannic.

1998 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb Vineyard - decanted more than 1½ hours before serving.  What a beautiful wine!  Much more elegant than I expected, with lots of fruit, a little smoky, and surprisingly no coconut whatsoever.  Very smooth with good acidity.  More than 2 hours later, showing some coffee in the fragrant nose along with some lovely fruit.

1997 René Engel Échezeaux - toasty corn with some nice fruit, but a little overwhelmed by the dusty nose.

Full post on dinner is here.

Kokuryu Nizaemon and Shizuku

Dinner at Hidden.

Kokuryu Junmai Daiginjo Nizaemon (黒龍 純米大吟醸 斗瓶囲い 二左衛門), 2015 - drier on palate at first, especially on the finish.  Slightly sweet on the attack, showing depth later.  Very smooth and elegant, what the Japanese would call 淡麗.  Much more feminine.

Kokuryu Daiginjo Shizuku (黒龍 大吟醸 しずく), 2010 - very full-bodied.  Lots of banana on the nose, with plenty of rice and mochi notes.  Very full and long finish.  Five extra years of cellar aging brought out some fermented and oxidized notes, making it more like koshu (古酒).  Much more muscular and powerful.

Full post on dinner is here.

Cheval Blanc, Tertre Roteboeuf

Dinner at a friend's place.

2008 Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux - toasty, a little pungent, good acidity on the palate.  Three hours later some pineapple in the nose.

1975 Cheval Blanc - opened 1 hour before decanting and serving.  Earthy, a little muted sweet fruit, also a little stinky.  Later on some meaty notes.

1990 Tertre Roteboeuf - decanted and served shortly after.  Minty, more sweet fruit, very meaty, smoky.  Drinking nicely.

2007 Suduiraut - nice and sweet nose, with beeswax, acetone, orange blossom, honeydew melon, and honey.

Von Schubert Abtsberg Kabinett

Dinner at The Ocean.

2012 von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Kabinett - lovely and classic nose of marmalade, flint, polyurethane, and petrol. Kinda sweet but with some acidity on the finish, and almost a little fizzy.

Full post on dinner is here.

1969 Marquis de Laguiche

Dinner at home.

1969 Marquis de Laguiche Montrachet - not chilled enough when uncorked, showing caramelized nose of honey, straw, marmalade, and cane sugar.  Acidity was a little high.  More pleasant after eing chilled and aerated 45 minutes after opening.  Peaked about 1½ hours after opening.  Not as fresh, more oxidized than the last bottle opened 6 years earlier.

Sine Qua Non lunch

Lunch at Seventh Son.

2008 Sine Qua Non Kolibri - nice and toasty nose, with a little manuka honey, very ripe and alcoholic, floral, almost a little peachy and stone fruit.  After opening up more, there was more sweetness and became so buttery.  Beautiful.

2000 Sine Qua Non The Boot - pop and pour.  Amazing nose right off the bat.  Plenty of petrol... so much so that it smelled more like a German riesling.  Some ripeness and a little honey here, with some lemon citrus.  After 45 minutes this became really ripe.  After 2 hours it turned into an amazing wine, showing a little green grass and straw, but also a hint of dustiness.  What an amazing wine!

2006 Sine Qua Non Autrement Dit - served 1½ hours after opening.  A little toasty with lots of strawberries in the nose.  Alcohol was still a little sharp.  Probably a rosé that isn't meant to be served chilled.

2001 Sine Qua Non No. 6 - served 1 hour after opening.  Nose was pretty open, with a little leather and a little smoke.  Nose was awesome after 2½ hours.

1998 Sine Qua Non E-raised - served 2 hours after opening.  Lovely sweet fruit, and came close to being elegant.  A hint of smoke and a little metallic.  Very smooth on the palate now.  Totally surprising.

Full post on lunch is here.

Clos Badon and Apostoles

Dinner at Spring Deer Restaurant.

2000 Clos Badon - smoky, a little earthy, with grilled meats and nice fruit.

González Byass Apostoles - lovely nose with nutty, honey, grapey nose, along with a hint of savory notes like salty plum.

Full post on dinner is here.

Blin, von Schubert, and La Mission

Dinner at Seventh Son.

2000 von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Spätlese-trocken - classic nose of petrol and polyurethane.  Good acidity on the palate.

2008 H.Blin - nice and floral nose, a little caramelized.  Very smooth and easy.

2000 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion - decanted an hour after opening.  Very smoky, a little sweet on the nose, minty, a little chalky and stinky.  Lead pencil.  Very classic claret.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sparkling Sake, Kyoto Gin and more

Lunch at Tenkai.

Mizubasho Pure - nice and sweet nose, with a little starchy rice and some banana notes.

2011 Ram's Hill Sauvignon Blanc - mature and oxidized, with honey and something akin to Morinaga milk caramel... and also maybe apricot?

Ki No Bi (紀の美) - had this gin from Kyoto on the rocks.  Definitely prominent nose of yuzu and sansho in addition to the juniper berries.

Full post on lunch is here.

German riesling and Cali cabs

Dinner at Sheung Hing Chiu Chow Restaurant.

2000 von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Spätlese-trocken - nice acidity, with petrol and flint in the nose.

2011 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Kabinett - almost a little green apple.  A hint of fizziness, and slightly sweet on the palate.

2012 William Selyem Pinot Noir Coastlands Vineyard - lots of sweet strawberries in the nose.  Very ripe and lovely.

Drinks at a friend's house.

1997 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red - opened for more than an hour prior to drinking.  A hint of sweet grass, very minty, with cedar and some sweet fruit.  Sharp alcohol in the nose that finally dissipated after about 2 hours.  Smooth on the palate, but still very powerful and full-bodied.

Tesseron Lot 29 X.O Exception - floral, raisins, a little nutty.  Elegant but still powerful finish.

Remy Martin Louis XIII, believed to be from 1980s - very fragrant, floral, very sweet, very smooth on the palate with a slight kick on the finish.

Full post on dinner is here.