2007 Te Koko

Drinking at home.

2007 Cloudy Bay Te Koko - very fragrant, floral, lots of muscat grape, green apple.  Pretty ripe and flinty on the palate, also a little pungent.  Hot palate with a little bitter finish.

Lucia and Hakutsuru

Dinner at home.

2009 Lucia, en magnum - very smoky, grilled meats.  Very sweet on the palate underneath the tannins, which were still a little grippy.  Big cedar nose after 2 hours in decanter.

Hakutsuru Super Selection Tenku Fukurotsuri Junmai Daiginjo Yamada Nishiki (白鶴  超特撰  天空  袋吊り  純米大吟醸  山田錦), 2019 - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 38%.  Lots of banana and also some Anjou pear, acetone, with lots of starch in the nose.  Very sweet on the palate, but turned dry when temperature warmed up.

Full post on dinner is here.

2015 Conterno Barbera

Dinner at Beefbar.

2015 Aldo Conterno Barbera d'Alba Conca Tre Pile - pretty soft on the palate, and pleasant to drink.  Perfumed nose.  With aeration the palate got a little more firm.

Full post on dinner is here.

More sake at Godenya

Dinner at Godenya.

Iseno Shiroki Junmai Nama Sparkling (伊勢の白酒  純米生活性), 1BY - served at 10°C. Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 65%.  Fruity nose, sweet and tropical on the palate, with some acidity to balance things.  A little fizz on the tongue, easy to drink and a very happy sake to drink.  Not a very serious sake, very casual, but makes me happy.

Kaiun Junmai Unfiltered Junmai Nama (開運 無濾過純米 生), 1BY - served at 13°C. Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 55%.  More fermented notes, more depth of flavor here, and definitely more savory.  Dry mid-palate and a little spicy on the back end.

Hokkomasamune Kinmon Nishiki Junmai Daiginjo (北光正宗  金紋錦  純米大吟醸), 30BY - served at 12°C.  Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 39%.  Sweet upfront as it has a sake meter (日本酒度) of 0.  Smoother and rounder on the palate.  Slightly dry towards the back.

Nechi Otokoyama Junmai Ginjo Nama (根知男山  純米吟醸  生), 1BY - served at 15°C.  Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 55%.  More depth and power on the palate.

Maibijin Yamahai Junmai Nama (舞美人  山廃純米  無濾過生  SanQ), 30BY - served at 12°C. Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 60%.  Surprised at the yellowish color.  Acidity was high but came with fermented flavors, almost like Cantonese salted lemon.  Interestingly, the savory, fermented flavors reminded me of katsuobushi (鰹節).

Hanatomoe Yamahai Junmai Daiginjo Nama Nigori (花巴  山廃  純米大吟醸  生にごり), 1BY - served at 11°C. Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 50%.  Very dry, spicy, and alcoholic.

Inemankai Junmai Red Rice Sake (伊根満開 純米赤米酒), 1BY - served at 48°C.  Oxidative nose.  Decent acidity but of course it's sweet overall.  Interesting that this was served warm, as it tasted so different from the time when I had it chilled.

2016 Afruge Ma Chérie - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 90%.

Full post on the evening is here.

Araujo SB and Collet Chablis

Lunch at a friend's home.

2013 Araujo Sauvignon Blanc Eisele Vineyard - nose of green apple and flint.  Ripe on the palate.

2017 Jean Collet Chablis Le Clos - nose of lemon and flint.

Full post on lunch is here.

Dom and Dame de Montrose

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2004 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - nice and toasty nose.  Ripe on the palate but with good acidity balance.

2009 Dame de Montrose, en magnum - decanted for an hour before serving.  Drinking nicely now, pretty smooth on the palate without the sharp alcohol found a few years ago.  Lovely and fragrant woodsy notes.

1995 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Kabinett - nice, lemon citrus notes, with flint, white flowers, and polyurethane.  Good acidity here to balance out the mild sweetness.

Full post on dinner is here.

Kikuhime and 2001 Napa

Dinner at a friend's house.

Kikuhime Aged Daiginjo (菊姫  大吟醸  熟成酒), 8BY - this has aged for more than 22 years prior to release, so it wasn't surprising that the palate delivered lots of oxidized and savory flavors.  Very viscous and rounded on the palate.  So delicious!

2001 Karl Lawrence Reserve Gary Morisoli Vineyard - served about 1 hour after opening.  Very minty with animal notes.  After 1 hour 45 minutes still concentrated, but nose and opened up and became more woodsy and fragrant.

2001 Fisher Cabernet Sauvignon Wedding Vineyard - served 1 hour and 15 minutes after opening.  Very fragrant nose with lots of very ripe fruit along with smoky notes.  Medium- to full-bodied.  Drinking beautifully now.