3 Burgs

Dinner at Roganic.

2005 Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons - initially served too cold. Some ripeness on the palate but came with good acidity. Somehow expected a little more from this.

2002 Marquis d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds - decanted 30 minutes after opening, and served 20 minutes after decanting. Medium-bodied with leather and black fruits on the nose. Not showing as well as the other bottles from the same case.

2005 Nicolas Potel Clos de Vougeot - decanted 45 minutes after opening and served 30 minutes later. This was lean overall, with leather and eucalyptus notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

4 French regions

Dinner at Bâtard.

1996 Egly-Ouriet, dégorgée en juillet 2005 - color was pretty deep, nose was very caramelized, with sugar cane notes. Maybe a little too ripe and oxidized. But really fragrant and almost floral. Acidity was actually OK at the end.

1953 Huët Vouvray Le Haut-Lieu Sec - tons of toast on the nose, with lots of bee pollen, a bit of acetone. Very lovely. The minerality came out with the monkfish, and was slightly unpleasant but with a little honey. More than 2 hours later there were coffee notes on the nose. So interesting.

2011 Clos de Tart - opened 2½ hours prior to serving. Still pretty young with tons of herbs on the nose. About 45 minutes after decanting the nose of pretty fragrant, with black fruits and potpourri notes.

1976 Jaboulet La Chapelle, rebouché en 2016 - decanted 45 minutes after opening and served 15 minutes later. Minty and forest notes, with lots of black fruits and some smoke. Acidity was relatively high. Not bad at all.

Full post on dinner is here.

Daishichi Omega and Myoka Rangyoku

Dinner at Nikushou.

Daishichi Myoka Rangyoku Omega (大七  妙花蘭曲  𝝮), 2016 - popped the stopper for 5 minutes around 6½ hours prior to serving, then opened for 30 minutes about an hour before serving. With the first pour there was plenty of banana and rice flavors in the elegant nose. Some dryness mid-palate, and actually pretty round and supple on the palate. Around 1½ hours after serving this seemed more dry than the "regular" bottling.

Daishichi Myoka Rangyoku (大七  妙花蘭曲), 2016 - popped the stopper for 5 minutes around 6½ hours prior to serving. Also showing lots of rich rice flavors along with banana. More dry and bitter on the palate, with a slightly more fermented nose. Around 1½ hours after serving it seemed very sweet on the nose.

2018 Bass Phillip Pinot Noir Premium - very weird nose as I thought I was smelling cream of tomato soup. A little disjointed. But there was still bubblegum sweetness in the nose.

1981 Penfolds Grange - decanted 1 hour and 45 minutes after opening, and served 2 hours after opening. Pretty savory nose, but also still got tons of coconut butter, and almost like sugar cane. Wondering if I've over-decanted a little.

Full post on dinner is here.

Tarlant and Biserno

Dinner at China Tang.

1996 Tarlant Saga, dégorgée en novembre 2004 - wonderful nose of aged tangerine peel, savory, mineral, and toasty notes. Beautiful to the end.

1988 Maximin Grünhauser Riesling Abtsberg Spätlese - tons of white flowers, really lovely, with classic petrol notes along with some lemon. Definitely slightly sweet and mature on the palate.

2007 Biserno, from magnum - decanted 1 hour after opening, and served 45 minutes after decanting. Absolutely beautiful! Soooo fragrant with lots of cedar and woodsy notes, very sweet and plenty of vanilla on the nose, almost jammy. Still full-bodied and concentrated.

1998 Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon - popped and poured after decanting. Nice and fragrant, woodsy, slightly savory, a little smoky. A little ripe on the palate, with a very nice balance between sweetness and maturity.

Full post on dinner is here.

Azumaichi and others

Dinner at Godenya.

Iseno Shiroki Junmai Nama Sparkling (伊勢の白酒 純米生活性), 2020-21 - served at 9°C. Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 65%.  love the round, viscous mouth feel.  Sweet with lactic acid, fizzy.

Hanaabi Junmai Daiginjo Unfiltered Nama (花陽浴 純米大吟醸 瓶囲無濾過生原酒), 2020-21 - served at 11°C. Seimaibuai of 40%.  Fragrant with tropical fruit notes, a little more alcohol in the nose.  Some fermentation notes, with a pretty long and dry finish.

Azumaichi Junmai Ginjo Nama Usunigori (東一  純米吟醸  生  うすにごり), 2020-21 - served at 13°C.　Seimaibuai of 49%.  Sweet on the attack but dry mid-palate.

Kaiun Unfiltered Junmai Nama (開運 無濾過純米 生), 2020-21 - served at 15°C. Seimaibuai of 55%.  Pretty fruity with higher acidity.

Komagura Tokubestsu Junmai 60 (独楽蔵  特別純米 60), 2017-18 - served at 44°C. Seimaibuai of 60%.  More fermented and savory notes.

Harunotsuki Junmai Ginjo Nigori Nama (春の月  純米吟醸  にごり生), 2020-21 - served at 10°C. Seimaibuai of 60%.  Sweet on the attack but dry on the palate.

Togo Kimoto Junmai Daiginjo (東郷  生酛  純米大吟醸), 2009-10 - served at 46°C. Seimaibuai of 40%.  Fermented notes, both dry and sweet on the palate.

2016 Afruge No. 1 - seimaibuai of 65%.

Full post on dinner is here.

Dewazakura Yukimegami

Dinner at Kichi.

Dewazakura Yukimegami 35% (出羽桜  雪女神  三割五分) - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 35%. Smooth. Sweet on the palate but nicely balanced with the dryness mid-palate. Good depth, a little bitter, with a long finish. 

Full post on dinner is here.

Faiveley Mazis

Drinking at home.

2005 Faiveley Mazis-Chambertin - served 30 minutes after decanting.  Black fruits, plums, forest, leather.  Tannins are still here so slightly grippy on the palate.  Second pour 45 minutes after decanting was slightly better, and gradually opened up.

1997 Remoissenet Montrachet - oxidized and pretty dead on the palate with no finish.

Champagne and syrah

Dinner at Ren Ren Heping.

Pascal Agrapart Complantée, dégorgée octobre 2017 - medium body, very balanced with slightly more ripeness than acidity. A little mineral.

Sharaku Tokubetsu Junmai Daiginjo (写楽  特別純米大吟醸) - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 50%. Pretty sweet, very banana with lots of rich, rice flavors.

1998 Kay Brothers Shiraz Block 6 Amery Vineyards - unfortunately corked.

1996 Guigal Château d'Ampuis - really floral and violet nose, along with leather notes. Just beautiful.

1996 R et L Legras Saint-Vincent - this was really nice. A little desiccated coconut and sugar cane on the nose. Great depth on the palate, with some sharp acidity balancing the ripeness.

Full post on dinner is here.

99 Burgs and Kistler

MNSC dinner at The Pawn, with The Ox hosting.

1999 Bouchard Montrachet - served after 2 hours in the decanter.  Nose was a little reductive and dusty at first.  A little caramelized, some what sweet and oxidized but the acidity was there.  After 2 hours in glass, showing more water chestnut.

First flight: served 1½ hours after opening without decanting.

1999 Dominique Laurent Richebourg - very fragrant, a little bubblegum, exotic and beautiful nose. 95 points.

1999 Dominique Laurent Charmes-Chambertin - this was more clean, slightly more elgant and floral, a littl toast. Showing mor floral notes some 40 minutes in glass. 96 points.

1999 Dominique Laurent Bonnes-Mares - exotic notes like coconut. Sweet, toasty, and pretty fragrant. 96 points.

Second flight: served 2½ hours after opening without decanting.

1999 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Bonnes-Mares - very clean, very savory, lean on the palate and kinda tannic. 93 points.

1999 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées - very savory and clean. More funky, a little stinky and barnyard, but then opened up to some sweet fruit. 94 points.

Third flight: served 3½ hours after opening without decanting.

2004 Kistler Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard - really floral, beautiful nose of cherries almost like cough syrup, and a little alcoholic. 97 points.

2005 Kistler Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard - very dusty nose with savory notes. 91 points.

2007 Kistler Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard - cleaner nose with floral notes and more concentration, sweet, black cherries, also bubblegum, later on very sweet and exotic. 97 points.

Full post on dinner is here.