Old Malmsey and Chapoutier

Lunch at Robuchon au Dôme in Macau.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 165éme édition, ID 416039 - very big and toasty nose.  Acidity was a little higher than expected.  Such a beautiful wine.

2010 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Méal Blanc - very big toasty nose, which was lovely.  Really, really ripe on the palate, actually a little over-ripe, and ended up being a little bitter.

1975 Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Auslese - beautiful and sweet on the nose, with honey, preserved lemon, and dried tangerine peel.  Not too sweet on the palate.

2010 Chapoutier Ermitage L'Ermite - decanted 1½ hours prior to serving.  First whiff was almost Bordeaux-like, with smoke but not much fruit.  Showed eucalyptus and a hint of black pepper, and was still a little sharp on the nose in terms of alcohol.

1934 Henriques and Henriques Malmsey - THIS was an incredible treat.  Showing Asian pear like Korean or Japanese nashi with the mineral notes, and interesting, exotic spices, really ripe prunes, and even a little savory notes.

1996 Turley Hayne

Drinks at The 8 in Macau.

1996 Turley Zinfandel Hayne Vineyard - decanted 45 minutes prior to serving.  Very fruity nose, with ripe and stewed prunes.  Pretty sweet on the palate.  An hour after decanting the nose showed lots of alcohol, really bubble gum and super sweet candy nose, and started to have some honeydew melon feel.  Pretty hot on the palate now, and probably overripe.  Also showed a hint of leather and cedar.  A lovely wine.

Katsuyama Ken

Drinks at a friend's home.

Katsuyama Junmai Ginjo Ken (勝山  純米吟醸  献), 30BY - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 50%.  Pretty sweet on attack, but dry mid-palate to finish.

Ganevat Le p'tiot Roukin

Drinking at home.

Ganevat Le p'tiot Roukin, 2016 - fruity, leather notes, a bit pungent.  A little savory on the palate.  Nice and fragrant later.

Bongwater Friday

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2014 Guiberteau Saumur Brézé - huge nose of toasty oak.  Very ripe on the palate, but still got plenty of acidity and very vibrant on the palate.

2016 Esporão Alentejo Reserva - big, flinty nose with some ripeness on the palate.

2016 Cos Nero di Lupo - minty, eucalyptus, fruity, dried herbs, and a bit leather on the nose.

Full post on dinner is here.

Bongwater with Gert

4-hands dinner at HAKU with Gert de Mangeleer.

Peter Lauer Saar Riesling Brut - big on the palate.  Some ripeness on the front palate but definitely showing acidity in the middle.  Flinty on the nose.  An interesting sparkling riesling.

2017 Brash Higgins ZBO - nose was very floral and honey, orange blossom, and reminded me of Hoegaarden.  Also had a hint of bitterness on the palate.  Could definitely taste the maceration.  Worked well with the tomatoes.

2012 Breton Bourgueil Les Perrières - smoky, animal.  Definitely peppery on the palate.

Graham's 30 Year Old Tawny Port - beautiful with lots of depth and a long finish.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC dinner - Neighborhood

MNSC dinner at Neighborhood, hosted by me.

Jacques Selosse V.O. - caramelized nose, a bit flat and mild on the palate, and acidity was not too high.

First flight: decanted 2 hours prior to serving.

1996 Harlan Estate - initially served too warm so alcoholic and hot.  Showed sweet fruit, vanilla, coconut butter, and smoky notes.  95 points.

1996 Abreu Madrona Ranch - smoky, leather notes.  A bit leaner on the palate, softer, and also a bit short.  93 points.

1996 Shafer Hillside Select - a bit more ripe on the nose, with black olives.  91 points.

Second flight: decanted 3 hours prior to serving.  Overall a bit more muted than expected.  Perhaps over-decanted?

2001 Harlan Estate - a bit muted on the nose.  Got nicer a little later with some fruit, maybe a hint of chocolate, and smoke.  Still tannic.  93 points.

2001 Colgin Herb Lamb Vineyard - a bit of smoke, some stewed fruit, and definitely more fruity than the Harlan.  93 points.

Third flight: decanted 3 hours and 15 minutes prior to serving.

2004 Colgin Cariad - minty, sweet on the palate.  93 points.

2004 Colgin IX Estate Red Wine - nice and sweet.  93 points.

Full post on dinner is here.

2017 Pietradolce

Dinner at Old Bailey.

2017 Pietradolce Etna Rosato - flinty with lots of red fruits.

Full post on dinner is here.

09 Torbreck Juveniles

Drinking at home.

2009 Torbreck Juveniles - intense nose of raspberries and black cherries.  Full-bodied, tannins are still here.  Kinda bitter on the palate.

Kongsgaard, Prieuré-Roch, and Jamet

Dinner at Écriture.

2006 Kongsgaard Chardonnay - opened and decanted 1 hour and 45 minutes before serving.  Lots of big toasty oak, flinty, and nice acidity on the palate.  In very good condition and very lively.

2004 Prieuré-Roch Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru - opened 2½ hours prior to serving.  This was sooooo fucking fragrant, with strawberries and leather.  So sweet with black cherry notes.  Beautiful nose.  A bit short on the finish, though.

1999 Jamet Côte-Rôtie - decanted 3 hours and 40 minutes before serving.  Very savory and mineral, with black olives, Puer tea, and smoky notes.  Probably over-decanted and breathed too long, as there wasn't enough fruit now.  A little disappointing.

Full post on dinner is here.

Mukyutenon

Dinner at JunG39.

Mukyutenon Saninginjo Kimototsukuri (無窮天穏  山陰吟醸  生酛造り), 29BY, from isshobin - some fermente flavors, good depth on the palate.  Fatty, rounded, and viscous but dry on mid-palate and also on finish.  Some sweetness on the attack.

Saku, shochu, and more

Dinner at a friend's home.

Hiroki Junmai Daiginjo (飛露喜 純米大吟醸), 29BY - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 50%.  Kinda dry on the palate, but still some roundness and some sweetness.  Rather balanced.  Long finish.

Sookoo Junmai Daiginjo Yamadanishiki (蒼空 純米大吟醸 山田錦), 30BY - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 40%. Stronger fermented flavors, dry on the palate, which got sweeter as it warmed up.

Homemade mei kuei lu (玫瑰露) - lovely and aged, smooth, almost a little stinky and fermented.  Very alcoholic but smooth, like a smooth firewater which burns/warms on the way down.  Definitely felt like I was drinking Cantonese duck liver sausage.

2005 Moriizo (森伊蔵) - pretty smooth.

2009 Haut Condissas

Dinner at Metropole Restaurant.

2009 Haut Condissas Prestige, en magnum - lots of sweet fruit, earthy notes.  Can still feel the tannins, and a bit lean on the palate.

Maximin Grünhaus dinner

Dinner at Kin's Kitchen with the wines of Maximin Grünhaus, organized by Fine Wine Experience.  Maximin von Schubert in attendance.

2016 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Kabinett Auktion - a bit of honey, flint, polyurethane.  Actually a bit sweeter than I expected, but still has a good balance of acidity mid-palate.  Quite a long finish.

2015 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Kabinett Auktion - more honey on the nose, more orange blossom, with flint.  Shorter on the finish.   A little later it was much bigger on the attack, some petrol, along with a bigger and slightly more punchy nose.  The last drops were pretty big and showy on the palate, but the finish was still short.

1986 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Spätlese - huge, punchy nose, with polyurethane and some lemon.  Very clean, rounded but dry on the palate, almost like eating muscat grapes, with a hint of straw.  At the end there was still lemon, and a hint of savory notes.  Still got the polyurethane.

2017 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Auslese Auktion - nose was so much more intense and a bit pungent, and really really ripe, with tropical notes like stone fruit, and a little flinty.  Pretty sweet on the palate for sure, big and powerful.  Didn't really smell like riesling...  This was the first harvest for vines planted by Maximin, with yields of 300L/ha and small berries.  300 bottles made.

2015 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Spätlese Auktion - leaner on the nose, with petrol.  Later sweeter and floral.

2018 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Auslese Fuder 89 - this was really young, very, very ripe on the nose, and lots of flint with tropical stone fruit like peaches.  Very sweet on the palate, like muesli with dried fruits.  So ripe, hot, and alcoholic that it seemed almost Alsatian.  Residual sugar around 125g/L.

2011 Maximin Grünhauser Herrenberg Auslese Fuder 15 - a lot of plastic and polyurethane, with some petrol... and almost smelled like insecticide spray... Sweet on the palate but not much on the finish.  Later on showed some honey and pollen.

2011 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Auslese Fuder 87 - totally different from the Herrenberg.  Smelled like the smoke rising from the wick of a candle that had just been extinguished... or gun powder.  Much sweeter on the nose but also some bitterness.  Later showed polyurethane and the smokiness faded.  Some orange blossom water on the palate, and the finish was much longer.

2006 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Auslese Fuder 45 - more pungent and stinky, with animal notes.  More acidity here, with a very long finish.  A little bitter on the palate, and love the acidity.  Showed much more character.  A great wine.

1993 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Eiswein Fuder 190 - so rich, with lots of marmalade, definitely botrytis, honey, flinty, a little savory.  Rich on the palate, but surprisingly (to me) with piercing acidity through the unctuous, viscous wine.  Later showed caramelized notes like a crème brûlée and cane sugar.  Residual sugar about 50-60g/L.

1989 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Trockenbeerenauslese, from half bottle - nose was a little muted, with some honey pollen.  Some depth on the palate, a little bitter.  Certainly richer and more viscous, with marmalade, a hint of dried apricots.  Definitely still acidity here and quite high, but not at the level of eiswein.  Probably above 200g/L of residual sugar.

Full post on dinner is here.