97 Beringer Merlot

Dinner at home in Taipei.

1997 Beringer Merlot Private Reserve Howell Mountain - drank 40 minutes after decanting. Sweetness on the palate for sure, but later turned a little more acidic with stewed prunes.

Full post on the day is here.

2008 Domaine du Castel

Drinking at home in Taipei.

2008 Domaine du Castel Grand Vin - drank 30 minutes after decanting. A bit smoky, some woodsy notes but somehow reminded me more of darker wood, with more density.

Full post on the day is here.

2009 Chimney Rock Tomahawk

Drinking at home in Taipei.

2009 Chimney Rock Cabernet Sauvignon Tomahawk Vineyard - drank right after decanting. Still pretty concentrated and sweet on the palate. Nice and woodsy nose with some smoke. An hour after decanting it showed some vanilla oak. Pretty enjoyable.

Full post on the day is here.

Krug and 70 Mouton

Dinner at MONO.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 3rd genration, en demi bouteille - condition of the bottle was a little disappointing, as there were very few bubbles left and I certainly did not hear any sound of gas escaping when the cork was popped. This ended up being almost like an aged still wine, with around 20 years or so of age. Lots of savory flavors which reminded me of Chinese salted plum, marmalade, and almost a hint of Chinese preserved lemon.

1970 Mouton-Rothschild - served 40 minutes after opening without decanting. Level was mid-shoulder so not the greatest. Initially the nose was a little dusty but not corked. Smoky, earthy, a little brett. Improved with aeration and the dusty notes faded away.

Full post on dinner is here.

Masumi Sanka

Dinner at Ishiyama.

Masumi Junmai Daiginjo Sanka (真澄  純米大吟醸  山花), from 300ml - the fermented flavors were stronger on the palate than I had remembered. A bit of acidity here, with a slightly spicy finish.

2012 Veuve Rosé and AWA sake

Dinner at home.

2012 Veuve Clicquot Rosé - yeasty nose with red currants. More depth on the palate.

Dewazakura AWA Sake (出羽桜 AWA Sake), H31BY - lots of banana, some rice water notes, and only slightly sweet on palate.

Sylvain Pataille Marsannay

Drinking at home.

2017 Sylvain Pataille Marsannay - fragrant nose of leather, with toasty and nutty notes, almost a hint of coffee, black cherries, mint and eucalyptus. Sooo fragrant some 2 hours after opening.

Santorini, Pax, and Foillard

Dinner at home.

2020 Sigalas Assyrtiko Santorini - very ripe. Acidity from the salad dressing made this taste really sweet. Very oily and smoky on the nose.

2005 Pax Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard The Terraces - drank 30 minutes after decanting. Pretty sweet on the nose, really woodsy and fragrant. Drinking very well, as expected.

2013 Jean Foillard Morgon Cuvée 3.14 - ripe with bacon fat and some toast on the nose. A little floral, too.

2019 Pinard Flores

Drinking at home.

2019 Vincent Pinard Sancerre Cuvée Flores - much riper than expected. Very floral and aromatic nose.

Krug Grande Cuvée 170

Drinking at home.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 170éme édition, ID 121028 - drank 1 hour after opening. Acidity was a little on the aggressive side. Lots of toast on the nose as usual. Very lively in terms of bubbles, with lots of lemon citrus on the big, powerful palate with a pretty long finish. Some 2 hours later this was definitely a little bitter on the finish, and pretty much. Much too young and needs some time to mellow out.

2019 Te Koko

Drinks at Winelog.

2019 Cloudy Bay Te Koko - acidity was a little higher than expected, but plenty of ripeness, too. Nose of green apple, flint, and toast.

Kilikanoon and whites

Dinner at Genuine Lamma Hilton.

Dassai 23 (獺祭 純米大吟醸 磨き二割三分), R2BY - very rounded on the palate, nice nose of fermented rice.

2005 Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatieres - definitely over-oxidized but still drinkable. Flinty and toasty.

Serveaux Fils Pur Meunier - full-bodied with a good palate. High acidity but still grippy on the palate.

Full post on lunch is here.

Drinking at home.

2004 Kilikanoon Shiraz Green's Vineyard - drank 45 minutes after decanting. Really fragrant and open nose, minty, plenty of cedar, nice and sweet but not quite jammy. Some 30 minutes later this was really beautiful and sexy. Wow! Some coffee emerged a few minutes later. Still got good concentration after more than 3 hours in decanter. Very smooth but not light-bodied, and definitely sweet on the palate. Great wine.

Ducru and Fevre

Dinner at Hansik Goo.

2014 William Fevre Chablis Les Clos, en magnum - the nose was surprisingly oily and ripe, but it was still lean on the palate, with a ripe finish. Drinking well.

The Leroy Bourgogne Blanc était bouchonnée...

1999 Ducru-Beaucaillou - served around 2 hours after decanting. Beautiful nose with graphite, cigar smoke, a hint of savory notes with some cassis underneath. Very fragrant and open. Drinking really well.

Full post on dinner is here.

Veuve Rosé

Drinking at home.

Veuve Clicquot Rosé - strawberries and flint on the nose, along with honey. Pretty caramelized and round on the palate.

Daimon dinner

Dinner at Neighborhood with sake from Daimon Brewery.

Daimon 55 Junmai Ginjo (大門  55純米大吟醸) - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 55%. This was very easy to like, with lots of banana on the nose, not too sweet on the palate, almost a little effervescent. Actually this was very light on the palate with a slightly dry finish. Goes down very easily.

Rikyubai Shizuka Junmai Ginjo (利休梅 静香 純米吟醸) - seimaibuai of 55%. More fruity, more lively on the palate, with a longer finish.

Daimon 35 Junmai Daiginjo (大門  35純米大吟醸) - seimaibuai of 35%. Nose was very muted. Higher acidity on the palate, Showed more depth when tasted along with the fish. More rounded on the palate.

Daimon Road to Osaka Tokubetsu Junmai Nigori - seimaibuai of 60%. Fruity and with more acidity. When tasting along with the fish this became more dry and spicy on the palate. Actually had a lot more depth on the palate.

Daimon 45 Junmai Daiginjo (大門  45純米大吟醸) - seimaibuai of 45%. Apparently this uses white koji instead of yellow koji. There's more fermented flavors and more umami, and much more depth and character on the palate.

The Toji Series Edition 1 Junmai Daiginjo, 1999 BY02 - a blend of 1999 and 2020 vintages, which explains why the flavors were much more fermented. This is recommended to be served at room temperature instead of being chilled. Very rounded and viscous on the palate. Very elegant.

Full post on dinner is here.

Turley and Trimbach

Drinking at home.

1989 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Émile, en demi-bouteille - very caramelized and very sweet on the palate. Sweetness was surprisingly high and easily more mature than the vendages tardives I drank a few days ago. Plenty of honey and marmalade, orange blossom water, with a little bitterness on the finish.

2004 Turley Zinfandel Duarte Vineyard - drank 1 hour and 15 minutes after decanting. Very open now, a little pungent like rubber, and still kinda sharp and alcoholic on the nose. A little jammy, very nice nose of bacon and grilled meats, very fragrant, with tons of cassis and blackcurrant. Kinda toasty and almost got coffee notes. Very smooth on the palate. Drinking very well but would have been better if the piercing alcohol was toned down.

2004 Kilikanoon Oracle

Drinking at home.

2004 Kilikanoon Oracle Shiraz - decanted and served 40 minutes after opening. There was lots of sweet fruit while decanting but the first sip showed more smoke and savory black olive, and the acidity was on the high side with a sharp, alcoholic nose. Thirty minutes later this was so fragrant with lovely spices. A little sweet on the palate now. Drinking beautifully after an hour. Alcohol was still definitely on the high side, but the nose was so sweet and ripe it was like honey.

White and sweet

Dinner at Wing.

Egly-Ouriet Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru, dégorgée en juillet 2020 - nice and ripe on the palate. Sooo smooth. So delicious.

2013 Au Pied du Mont Chauve Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos Saint Jean - fruity, almost like passion fruit, with nice flinty notes.

1989 Trimbach Cuvée Frédéric Émile Vendages Tardives - huge nose of petrol and white flowers. Definitely sweetish on the palate.

2005 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge - drank more than 2½ hours after opening. Very caramelized as expected, with lots of vanilla and cotton candy. Not a wine everyone will enjoy.

Full post on dinner is here.