A pair of Kongsgaard

Dinner at VEA.

Raphaël et Vincent Bérêche Grand Cru 40 Mois de Cave, dégorgée le Octobre 2017 - lean on the palate, with reasonably high acidity along with some ripeness.

2006 Kongsgaard Chardonnay - nice and ripe on the palate without being over-ripe.  Sweet nose that was almost like sugar cane.  Not bad at all.

2006 Kongsgaard Grenache/Syrah - served after more than 45 minutes in decanter.  Nose was very sweet and jammy, with nice leather and animal notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

2007 Bonneau CdP

Dinner at Wagyu Vanne.

2007 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape - surprisingly sweet on the nose, almost bubble gum-like, with smoky, leather notes, but also a little dusty at first.  Improved after some aeration.

Full post on dinner is here.

Birthday party wines

A kiddie birthday party.

2014 Pattes Loup Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons - toasty nose.  High acidity but kinda round, although not as ripe.

2015 Nicolas Potel Chablis - more rounded on the palate but grippy at the back.

2005 Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées - smoky, leather notes.  Very fragrant with nice and very ripe fruit.  Some forest notes, too.

1982 Ducru-Beaucaillou - really fragrant with lots of smoke and cedar.  Smooth tannins.

1998 Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St Jacques - very fragrant and almost floral, with smoky and leather notes.

1998 Hudelot-Noellat Romanée Saint Vivant - very fragrant and kinda elegant, with ripe, black fruits.

1982 Trotanoy - very fragrant, cedar and woodsy, more ready and open than the Ducru, but a bit stinky.

2018 Ferme de la Sansonnière Rosé d'un Jour - pungent, flinty, sweet on the nose as well as the palate.

2001 Ojai Thompson

Drinking at home.

2001 Ojai Syrah Thompson Vineyard - initially kinda dirty and toasty on the nose, smoky, some animal notes.  Underneath there was some ripe fruit.  Very ripe and hot on the palate.  Color still dark purple and ink-like.

A couple of Germans

Dinner at HAKU.

Stroebel Triptyque - flinty, mineral, a bit ripe and bitter on the palate but there is some acidity on the back end.

1989 von Schubert Maximin Grünhauser Herrenberg Kabinett - nice and flinty, with green apple and muscat grape.  Some sweetness nicely balanced with acidity.

2007 Freiherr von Gleichenstein Baron Philipp Spätburgunder Oberrotweiler Eichberg trocken - initially pungent, but very big nose full of toast, along with leather and animal notes.  Also nice with sweet fruit, floral and fragrant, with some coffee and chocolate.  Unfortunately the wine doesn't last in the glass, and with more aeration the palate became bitter and less pleasant.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC Dinner - American Club

MNSC Dinner at the American Club, hosted by Curry.

2005 Coche-Dury Meursault - lovely nose with plenty of toasty corn.  Not at all surprised at this finest of Meursalt.  Thankfully not overripe from this hot vintage.

First flight: opened and served more than 2½ hours later from bottle.

1990 Ponsot Clos de la Roche - so bubble gum, so sweet, with a hint of leather.  95 points.

1991 Ponsot Clos de la Roche - the most elegant of the three.  95 points.

1993 Ponsot Clos de la Roche - more pungent with animal and leather notes.  96 points.

Second Flight:

1964 Paul Jaboulet La Chapelle - served from bottle almost 2 hours after opening. FUCKING GOOD. A little cloudy thanks to the sediment.  Lovely fruit.  Kinda reminded me of a Leroy.  97 points.

1983 Paul Jaboulet La Chapelle - served from bottle almost 4 hours after opening. Couldn't get much out of the nose after having it sit in glass for too long.  Second pour didn't help much.  90 points.

1989 Paul Jaboulet La Chapelle - served from bottle almost 4 hours after opening. Also sat in glass for too long.  A little grassy.  90 points.

Full post on dinner is here.

86 Ducru and white Burg

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2010 Lucien Le Moine Corton Blanc - initially closed so the wine was decanted.  Opened later and showed a little toasty nose, with a ripe palate, and surprisingly almost a hint of coconut.  Later the toasty notes became more prominent.

2001 Joseph de Bucy Meursault 1er Cru Les Bouchères - more mature and ripe than the Corton.  Sweeter nose with Chinese licorice, and a little flinty.

1986 Ducru-Beaucaillou - first bottle was served more than 1½ hours after decanting.  Smoky with a slight hint of vegetal green.  Classic Saint-Julien.  Really opened up after 2½ hours in the decanter.  Always a pleasure to drink this wine.  Second bottle was served after more than 1½ hours in decanter.

Drinks at a bar.

Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve 15 Year - lots of vanilla and caramel.  Very sweet nose.

2004 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - nice and toasty nose.  Ripe on the palate.

Full post on the evening is here.

2015 Leflaive Bourgogne

Drinking at home.

2015 Domaine Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc - nice and toasty.

Dewazakura Aiyama

Dinner at Sushi Tokumi.

Dewazakura Junmai Daiginjo Aiyama (出羽桜  純米大吟醸  愛山), 31BY - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 45%.  Sweet attack but spicy mid-palate and finish.  Smooth and round on the palate, with pretty fermented flavors.

2013 Blason de L'Evangile

Drinking at a friend's home.

2013 Blason de L'Evangile - smoky and a bit tannic.

A mixed bag of French

Dinner at L'Envol.

Françoise Bedel Entre Ciel et Terre - I believe the base vintage was 2010?  Nice and ripe, lovely on the palate.

2015 Domaine de la Taille aux Loups Montlouis-sur-Loire Clos de Mosny - the nose was a bit steely underneath the ripeness, a bit floral and perfumed.  Acidity was high.

2017 Gilles Berlioz El Hem - sweet nose of tropical stone fruits, flinty.

2013 Pierre Boisson Meursault - leaner with more acidity.  Some toasty oak, which got much heavier later.

2001 Kalin Bourgogne Côte de Beaune "Les Pierres Blanches" - nice and sweet fruit in the nose, very fragrant, more feminine than expected, with leather notes underneath.  A beautiful wine.

2013 Domaine de Souch Cuvée de Marie-Kattalin - lots of botrytis with a little plastic.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sine Qua Non

Dinner at Nikushou.

2005 Sine Qua Non The Petition - 37% viognier, 33% roussanne, 30% chardonnay.  Served 45 minutes after opening.  Honey on the nose, with lots of straw and Chinese licorice.  Some 1 hour and 45 minutes after opening, showing a really overripe palate.  More than 4½ hours after opening the wine was nice and ripe, with candied pineapple and a hint of bitterness.

2003 Sine Qua Non Sublime Isolation - 44% chardonnay, 37% roussanne, 19% viognier.  Served 50 minutes after opening.  Really ripe and big, very hot on both the palate and the nose.  Some 1 hour and 40 minutes after opening the nose was absolutely beautiful, and almost like candied pineapple.

1999 Sine Qua Non Tarantella - 39% roussanne, 33% chardonnay, 28% viognier.  Popped and poured.  Nose was beautiful with tons of sugar cane, a little flint, and a hint of savory notes.  Smooth on the palate.  A little more than 3 hours after opening, this wine was just fucking beautiful.

1998 Sine Qua Non Veiled - 100% pinot noir.  I was totally crushed that the bottle I brought was corked, and it didn't get any better with more aeration - nor did the cling wrap trick help.  But I do love the artwork on the label, and in fact it's arguably my favorite among the entire collection.

2005 Sine Qua Non Over and Out - 100% pinot noir.  Beautiful nose, lovely fruit with leather notes.  Gorgeous.  So sweet and candy-like.

2004 Sine Qua Non Into the Dark - 84% grenache, 8% mourvedre, 7% syrah, 1% viognier.  Seriously ripe and jammy.  Also very metallic.

2005 Atlantis Fe2O3, 2c - 93% grenache, 7% syrah.  Opened 2 hours before serving,  Really sweet nose, with lots of metallic notes and plenty of oak.  Beautiful.

Full post on dinner is here.