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.