Drinking at home.

2005 Charles Thomas Beaune-Grèves 1er Cru - nice sweet fruit, more tannins than expected.

Duval-Leroy Fleur de Champagne

Tasting at HAKU.

Duval-Leroy Fleur de Champagne Premier Cru - nice balance on the palate.

Full post on the tasting is here.

2009 Rollan de By

Drinking at home.

2009 Rollan de By - fruity, smoky, with cedar notes.  Still some tannins here but nice to drink.

Selosse, Fonsalette, Lynch-Bages and more

Dinner at a private dining facility.

Jacques Selosse V.O., dégorgée le 21 Avril 2015 - lovely caramelized nose.  Wonderful balance between acidity and ripeness.

Benoît Déhu Cuvée La Rue des Noyers, dégorgée le 4 Août 2016 - richer on the nose thanks to pinot meunier, with good acidity.

2000 Château de Fonsalette Rouge - opened for 1 hour prior to serving.  Initially a little muted but later showed some leather and game notes.

2014 Gaja Gaia and Rey - tropical fruits, very fragrant.

2000 Lynch-Bages - opened for 1½ hours before decanting.  Very smooth with good acidity.  Fragrant with smoky notes and sweet fruit.

2009 Château de Fonsalette Blanc - very fragrant nose, a little minty, almost like a chartreuse.

Full post on dinner is here.

07 Biserno and 05 Girardin

Drinking at home.

2007 Biserno - beautiful nose, with fragrant woodsy, cedar notes, and sweet fruit, dried herbs.  Almost jammy.  Drinking beautifully now.

2005 Vincent Girardin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Cailleret - toasty, nice and sweet, honey, and lemon citrus.

Pax, Ruinart, and white Burg

Dinner at Neighborhood.

Ruinart Blanc de Blancs - riper and sweeter on the palate than expected.  Toasty nose.

2008 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame - corked.

2013 Château de Puligny-Montrachet Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly - lots of toasty oak in the nose, and fairly dry on the attack.

2005 Pax Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard The Terraces, from magnum - very sweet on the nose with cedar and minty notes.  A little jammy after 2 hours.  Later on showed floral and almost 'soapy' notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

1940 Haut-Brion and more

Dinner at Caprice.

1995 Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millénaires - warmed up a little in glass and showed a nice, toasty nose, and also citrusy.  Ripe on the palate and slightly bitter on the finish.

1940 Haut-Brion - initially a little dirty, stinky, bretty, smoky, but still have fruity notes like prunes.  Surprisingly crisp and fresh sweetness underneath.  About 10 minutes later, the nose showed more leather and stewed prunes notes, even some pencil lead.  With the second pour some 30 minutes later, the nose was clearly less fresh, and palate showed more acidity.  It all went downhill after 45 minutes.

2010 David Duband Chambertin - very fruity, showing fragrant cedar notes, and almost a little floral.

Jacques Selosse Exquise, dégorgée à 27 Julliet 2016 - a little sweet on the palate, with marmalade and a little toast.

Full post on dinner is here.

Whites for Chinese

Dinner at Lung King Heen.

2008 R. Pouillon Chemin du Bois, dégorgée en 3ème trimestre 2016 - a lovely blanc de noirs with a nose that seemed fairy mature, nice and interesting and full of character.  Good acidity at the beginning, but palate was very short when it warmed up in the glass.

2007 Arietta On The White Keys - decanted upon opening.  Surprising how dry it was on the palate at first.  Highly aromatic nose, with acetone and almonds.  Gradually developed toasty notes and became ripe and sweeter on the palate.

1989 von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett - beautiful nose with polyurethane petrol, and a little white flowers.  Relatively dry on the palate with surprisingly crisp acidity, but still remains an off-dry wine.

2009 Ca' D'Gal Moscato d'Asti Vigna Vecchia - viscous consistency, mild and sweet on the palate, almost like drinking a slushie that has melted... Minty, almost menthol, with very light peachy flavors.

Full post on dinner is here.

Doisy-Daëne and Azumaichi

Dinner at Tasting Court.

2009 Doisy-Daëne Sec - toasty, flinty, with some green apple.

Azumaichi Junmai Daiginjo Shizukushibori (東一  純米大吟醸  雫搾り) - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 39%.  Very sweet on the nose, very floral and fragrant with fermented rice notes.  Initially served very cold, so it was light on the attack at first, then gradually built up after warming a little.  Later on slightly sweet on the attack then turns dry.

Full post on dinner is here.

Clos Floriden Blanc

Drinking at home.

2009 Clos Floriden Blanc - very oxidized and mature, showing marmalade, pretty oaky, and a little dirty nose.  A little bitter on the palate.

82 Latour à Pomerol and Alfred Gratien

Dinner at Amber.

Alfred Gratien Brut - nose very caramelized, quite mineral.  Very full on the palate, with very high acidity and a grippy finish.  Definitely showing the meunier side.

1982 Latour à Pomerol - opened an hour and 45 minutes prior to serving without decanting.  Wonderful nose showing smoky, tobacco, pencil lead, and fragrant woodsy notes, with some sweet fruit underneath.  Good acidity on the back end.  The wine drank very well but peaked somewhere between 2½ and 3 hours.

Full post on dinner is here.

2009 Rollan de By

Drinking at home.

2009 Rollan de By - minty, smoky, black fruits, with a little cedar.

Dewazakura Manrei

Dinner at Hidden.

Dewazakura Daiginjo Manrei (出羽桜  大吟醸  万禮), BY25, from isshobin (一升瓶) - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 25%.  This has been aged for about 3 years before release, which explains how smooth, rounded, and viscous it tasted on the palate.  Initially just slightly sweet and a little dry on the finish, this later became much sweeter.  Very delicious.

Full post on dinner is here.

Ganevat, Ostertag, and Antinori

Dinner at The Chairman.

2014 Ganevat Les Chamois du Paradis - good acidity here, almost a little fuzzy on the palate, and definitely not 'clean'.  Flinty.

2008 Ostertag Fronholz Gewurztraminer Vendages Tardives - lots of lychee, peaches, honey, and floral notes, with a little flint.  Very sweet on the palate.

1997 Guado Al Tasso - classic claret nose, with smoky, minty, and a little bit of earthy notes, along with sweet fruit.  Drinking really well just after popping the cork.

Full post on dinner is here.