91 Napa horizontal

Dinner at Beefbar.

1970 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon, dégorgée le 19 Septembre 1996 - really lovely with savory notes of Chinese preserved plums. An hour after opening this was showing sugar cane notes.

2000 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Allen Vineyard - leather, stewed prunes, almost of hint of savory notes on the nose. So fragrant with eucalyptus notes.

1991 Araujo Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard, from magnum - served without decanting 45 minutes after opening. Really fragrant with savory black olives and a little stewed prunes. Showing better more than an hour after opening, and displayed more elegance.

1991 Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineard, from double magnum - decanted 1 hour and 15 minutes prior to serving. Also showing slightly savory black olive and tapenade notes, but definitely fresher, more meaty and concentrated.

1991 Joseph Phelps Insignia - served without decanting almost 2 hours after opening. WOW! This was fucking beautiful! Minty, showing much bigger nose of fruit, with cigar smoke. My wine of the evening.

1991 Philip Togni - served without decanting almost 2½ hours after opening. Lovely and open nose, sweet with big, toasty oak. A little green capsicum later. Feels a little cloudy, but very nice.

1991 Abreu Madrona Ranch - served without decanting more than 3 hours after opening. Big, smoky and toasty nose with green peppers.

Full post on dinner is here.

Gaja, Lodovico, and Shiba

Dinner at Yixin Restaurant.

Dewazakura Junmai Ginjo Dewasansan Muroka Nama Genshu (出羽桜  純米吟醸  出羽燦々  無ろ過生原酒), from isshobin - nice, starchy rice flavors, with a little banana.

1971 Gaja Barbaresco - nose of stewed prunes, nice, woodsy notes, and savory black olives.

1979 Gaja Barbaresco - served 3½ hours after opening. Woodsy, plum notes.

1996 Gaja Barbaresco Sorì San Lorenzo - drank about 2 hours after opening. Smoky and leather notes. Still pretty fragrant.

1996 Gaja Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn - drank about 2 hours after opening. Sweet on the nose, with coconut butter. Dry on the palate and not quite savory. Pretty fragrant, minty, with a little orange almost.

2007 Tenuta di Biserno Lodovico - drank more than 2 hours after opening without decanting. Really fucking fragrant nose, with lots of dried herbs, potpourri, exotic spices, coconut butter. This was fucking beautiful about 2½ hours after opening. Sweet and ripe, with lots of vanilla in the nose.

Full post on dinner is here.

Champagne and Napa cabs

Drinking at a friend's home. 

Henri Giraud Fût de Chêne, MV13 - yeasty with good toasty notes.

Krug Rosé, 23éme édition, ID 217014 - nose of raspberries.

1997 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23 - decanted 45 minutes prior to serving. Initially pretty grassy but it wasn't corked. Smoky, inky, tannic on the palate. Quelle surprise. Some soy sauce and some fruit here, but overall this was much leaner and more French than expected.

2005 Shafer Hillside Select, from magnum - decanted 1 hour prior to serving. Smelled awesome while decanting. Lots of sweet fruit on the nose, really fragrant with lots of cedar, lots of forest pine. Full-bodied with velvety tannins. Ripe and just shy of being jammy. Tannins got stronger 1½ hours in.

Alion and The Boot

Dinner at Estro.

2000 Sine Qua Non The Boot, from magnum - 52% chardonnay, 24% roussanne, and 24% viognier. Initially showing some sugar cane, caramelized sugar, a little oily on the nose and some metallic rust. Acidity was still fine on the palate, with some bitterness. Once the wine warmed up and was no longer too cold, the bitterness emerged along with more depth on the palate. As it opened up it became soooo fragrant and perfumed, along with some notes of straw and beeswax. Drinking very well right now.

2000 Alión - nose of sweet grass. Nice and light-bodied.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC dinner - Megan's Kitchen

MNSC dinner at Megan's Kitchen, hosted by Curry Jayer.

2009 Coche-Dury Meursault - nice and big, toasty nose. Good ripeness on the palate with some acidity still.

Flight 1: - opened some 3 hours prior to serving without decanting.

2013 Arnoux-Lachaux Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots - initially a bit stinky, with notes of leather, dried herbs. Lean and a little hard. Second pour was much better, more open, a little metallic and still on the lean side. 93 points.

2013 Bachelet Charmes-Chambertin - more fruit here, with black cherries, eucalptus notes. More open and vibrant. Acidity on the palate was higher. 95 points.

2013 Dujac Echezeaux - more toasty on the nose, also very nice fruit, with more body showing more tannins and a little "stemmy" and green. 95 points.

Flight 2: - opened some 4 hours prior to serving without decanting.

2013 Dujac Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts - nice and open, lots of mint and eucalyptus. Sweeter fruit, like raspberries perhaps. Second pour showed more exotic characters, almost coconut-like. 95 points.

2012 Dujac Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts - this was better than the 2013. Nose of leather, meats, pretty toasty and more fragrant. 96 points.

Flight 3: - opened some 4½ hours prior to serving without decanting.

2002 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts - sooooooo sweet on the nose, almost a little sugar cane, like bubblegum. Just beautiful! Almost showing a little acetone, and some muscat grapes. 97 points.

1999 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts - nose of leather and almost roses. 96 points.

Full post on dinner is here.

2012 Michel Niellon

Lunch at Forum Restaurant.

2012 Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes - ripe but still has good acidity on the palate. Very buttery on the nose. Drinking well now.

Full post on dinner is here.

Hakutsuru Chotokusen and Masumi Sanka

Dinner at Ishiyama.

Hakutsuru Chotokusen Daiginjo Genshu "36 Views of Mount Fuji" (白鶴 超特撰 大吟醸原酒 富嶽三十六景) - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 38%. Rounded on the palate. Sweet on the attack but pretty dry mid-palate, and definitely dry and spicy finish.

Masumi Sanka Junmai Daiginjo (真澄  三花  純米大吟醸) - seimaibuai of 45%. Softer on the palate and more elegant.

Hakutsuru and Sanka

Dinner at Ishiyama.

Hakutsuru Chotokusen Daiginjo Genshu "36 Views of Mount Fuji" (白鶴 超特撰 大吟醸原酒 富嶽三十六景) - seimaibuai of 38%. Rounded on the palate, sweet on the attack but pretty dry mid-palate, and definitely with a spicy finish.

Masumi Junmai Daiginjo Sanka (真澄  純米大吟醸  山花) - seimaibuai of 45%. Softer on the palate and more elegant.

2020 By.Ott

Drinking at home.

2015 Puchang Cabernet Sauvignon - corked. Too grassy.

2020 Domaines Ott Côtes de Provence By.Ott - really fragrant, perfumed, so floral, with peaches. Lovely. 

2019 Pazo Señoráns

Dinner at Hansik Goo.

2019 Pazo de Señoráns Albariño - nose of tropical stone fruit, flinty, sweet and fruity on the nose. Very easy to drink.

Full post on dinner is here.

Krug Grande Cuvée 169

Dinner at MONO.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 169ème édition, ID 120003 - good ripeness on the palate, with lovely toasty notes on the nose.

Second dinner at Louise.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 169ème édition, ID 120006 - nice, bigger toasty nose.

Full post on dinner is here.