04 Pax Walker Vine Hill

Drinking at home.

2004 Pax Syrah Walker Wine Hill Vineyard - initially very smoky, lots of grilled meats and leather.  Still got ripe fruit and that sweetness on the nose.  Still tannic on the palate.

1996 Clos Ste Hune

Dinner at Sushi Saito.

1996 Trimach Riesling Clos Sainte Hune - color had clearly deepened but the acidity was still pretty high.  Classic nose of petrol, flint, and lots of white flowers, with a little apricot.  There was some ripeness on the palate but still dominated by acidity.  Long finish.  After half an hour this became more ripe on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

05 Kistler McCrea

Drinking at home. 

2005 Kistler Chardonnay McCrea Vineyard - overripe, apricot, a little acetone, almost sugar cane nose, with marmalade. Terrible pairing with smoked salmon as it brings out metallic flavors.  A little bitter on the palate.

1997 Beringer Bancroft

Drinking at home. 

1997 Beringer Merlot Private Reserve - minty, a hint of smoke, some stewed fruits.

2016 Te Koko

Lunch at Howard's Gourmet.

2016 Cloudy Bay Te Koko - really fresh, with a huge nose of muscat grapes, green apple, and flint.

Full post on lunch is here.

2016 PYCM Marguerite

Drinks at the office.

2016 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Cuvée "Marguerite" - lovely lemon citrus notes, definitely toasty but not buttery, and a little nutty. Good acidity here.

Hodgepodge for hot pot

Dinner at a friend's home.

Jacques Selosse V.O. - marmalade on the nose with lovely toast.  Good ripeness.

Hanamura Junmai Daiginjo Aiyama (花邑  純米大吟醸  愛山), R2BY - very ripe, lots of fermented rice in the nose.

2015 Bernard-Bonin Bourgogne Blanc Initiales B.B. - acidity on the high side, and pretty lean on top of ripeness.  Very fresh.

2012 Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes - a lot more ripe and rounded on the palate.

2006 Kongsgaard Syrah - really ripe and jammy upon opening.  Served 1½ hours after decanting.  Not as sweet as expected on the palate.  Minty and metallic.  Acidity was higher than expected, and tannins were still here.

2010 Two Hands My Hands - served 3½ hours after decanting.  Still plenty of vanilla in the sweet nose, but not as sweet and jammy on the palate.  Finally really ripe and sweet after 4 hours, with lots of woodsy notes.

2003 Guigal Condrieu Luminescence - apricot, metallic, Anjou pear, and honey on the nose.  On palate showing marmalade and a hint of bitterness.

2007 L'Esprit des Pavots

Drinking at home.

2007 Peter Michael L'Esprit des Pavots - ripe fruits, lots of cedar, grilled meats.  Still pretty tannic on the palate.

Ulysse Collin Les Maillons

Drinking at home.

Ulysse Collin Blanc de Noirs Les Maillons, dégorgée en mars 2018 - good balance of ripeness with acidity, good depth on the palate.  Toasty notes not too strong on the nose, with plum, nutty, yeasty bread notes.

Nice and aged sakes

Drinking at a friend's home.

Azumaichi Daiginjo Shizukushibori Show Selection (東一 大吟醸 雫搾り選抜酒), 2BY - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 39%.  Nice and fermented flavors of jiuniang.  Still sweet on the nose, but definitely more savory with more depth on the palate.

Katsuyama Junmai Daiginjo Shoryu (勝山  純米大吟醸  昇龍) - seimaibuai of 35%.  Really sweet nose, lots of banana.  Initially sweet and a little round on palate, but turned kinda lean and finish was a little bitter.

Kikuhime Ginjo Kukurihime (菊姫  吟醸  菊理媛), 10BY - seimaibuai of 50%.  Definitely more fermented and savory on the nose.  Nicely balanced on the palate, with a hint of sweetness but dry mid-palate, and a sweet aftertaste which comes back and builds up.  Very smooth on the front and mid-palate, turning lean into a long finish, with savory soy sauce notes.  

2012 Stephan

Drinking at home.

2012 Jean-Michel Stephan Côte-Rôtie - full barnyard, animal, and leather on the nose.  Also plenty of floral notes like violet, with some black fruits and eucalyptus.  Pretty lean and dry on the palate without much sweet fruit, and later developed savory notes.

2010 George Hansen

Drinking at home.

2010 George Pinot Noir Hansen Vineyards, from magnum - that unmistakable barnyard nose - from the manure of 300 heads of cattle grazing near the vineyard - showed along with smoky and leather notes.  Also pretty fragrant with cedar notes.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 168ème édition, ID 219014 - very toasty nose as expected, and clearly still young and fresh, with higher-than-expected acidity on the palate, along with some confit lemon.

MNSC Dinner - home edition

Dinner at a friend's home.

1980 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - nice and mature now, toasty with lots of marmalade. Good depth on the palate but a little bitter.

First flight: served 1½ hours after opening without decanting.

1950 Cheval Blanc - lots of mint and smoke. Very fragrant nose with some underlying ripeness. More savory notes showed after lowering the temperature. 94 points.

1950 Petrus - riper, but somehow dusty and chalky, with burnt rubber. More fruit showed after cooling. 92 points.

Second flight: served 2 hours after opening.

1970 Heitz Martha's Vineyard - pretty acidic and lean on the palate. More exotic on the nose with spices woodsy notes and savory soy sauce. 96 points.

1970 Vega Sicilia Unico - smoky, a little leaner, a little grassy still some black fruits here, with a slight hint of chalk. 95 points.

1970 Giscours - sweet and grassy, with wet cardboard. Corked, but jammy and ripe and exotic underneath.

Third flight: Served 3½ hours after decanting.

1990 Guigal La Mouline - fucking beautiful. Soooo fragrant with smoky, leather, and coffee notes. 100 points.

1990 Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin - very open and beautiful nose, with woodsy notes and some hospital disinfectant, brett. 97 points.

2017 Giaconda Chard

Lunch at Frantzén's Kitchen.

2017 Giaconda Chardonnay Estate Vineyard - nice and big toasty nose, with lots of flint.  Wonderful Burgundian feel, with lots of toasted popcorn.  Good acidity on the palate and not too ripe.  More buttery and sweet notes developed with more time in the glass.

Full post on lunch is here.

Blankiet and Pichon Baron

Drinking at a friend's home.

Jacques Selosse Version Originale, dégorgée le 12 decembre 2014 - lovely and oxidized nose, with lots of marmalade.  Beautiful and so elegant.  A little bitter mid-palate.

2004 Blankiet Paradise Hills Vineyard Merlot - decanted 25 minutes before serving.  Soooo jammy and really really sweet.  Pretty fragrant with some woodsy notes.  Lots of sunshine here.  Second pour showed more metallic iron notes, more earthy, more leather, and much more complex with more aeration.

2004 Blankiet Paradise Hills Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - decanted an hour before serving.  More closed and leaner compared to the merlot.  Bigger nose of smoke, and the fruit only came out later.  Tannins are still here.

1988 Pichon Baron - served without decanting.  Classic Pauillac with huge and fragrant nose, showing cedar, smoke, leather notes.  Very feminine and elegant, soft and fluffy on the palate.  Coffee notes emerged later.

97 Beringer Merlot

Drinking at home.

1997 Beringer Merlot Private Reserve Howell Mountain - ripe, stewed prunes, smoky.

Dassai 23

Drinking at home.

Dassai 23 (獺祭  純米大吟醸  磨き二割三分), R2BY - served a little on the warm side.  More spicy on the palate than expected, but still plenty of banana and tropical notes.  Definitely rounded and a little viscous.

Seafood and sake

Lunch at Godenya.

Iseno Shiroki Junmai Nama Sparkling (伊勢の白酒 純米生活性), 2BY - served at 10°C. Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 65%.  Good acidity along with sweetness, like lactic acid.  Fizzy on the tongue.

Sakurafubuki Junmai Daiginjo 50 (桜吹雪  純米大吟醸50), 2020 - served at 13°C. Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 50%.  Sweet on the attack.  Round on the palate with noticeable viscosity.  Good depth on the palate and nice finish, and the finish was a little more dry later on.

Kazenomori Yamada Nishiki Junmai Ginjo Ikakitori (風の森 山田錦 純米吟醸 笊籬採り), 2019 - served at 12°C. Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 60%.  Nose was a little fermented like fermented rice lees.  Sweet on the attack and very soft on the palate.

Mukyutenon Namamoto Junmai Daiginjo Tenkei (無窮天穏  生酛 純米大吟醸　原酒  天啓), 2019 - served at 46°C. Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 50%.  Nose showed lots of fermentation and oxidation.  Pretty viscous on the palate.  Sweet on the attack but dry in the middle with a long, spicy finish.

Jikon Tokubetsu Junmai Nigori Nama (而今 特別純米  にごり  生), 2020 - served at 11°C. Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 60%.  Tasted of lactic acid like Calpis.  Pretty dry on the palate with medium length.

Kenkonichi Jubnmai Usunigori Nama (乾坤一 純米 うすにごり 生), 2020 - served at 13°C.  Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 60%.  Kinda soft and sweet, but turned spicy with the crab.

Shiragiku Tobubetsu Junmai Genshu Hattannishiki (白菊  特別純米  原酒  八反錦), 2020 - served at 45°C.  Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 55%.  Soft on the attack and slightly dry.

2016 Afruge No. 1 - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 65%.

Full post on lunch is here.