2017 Pievalta San Paolo

Drinking at home.

2017 Pievalta Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva San Paolo - flinty, oaky, some ripeness on the nose, some ripeness on the palate but the acidity is still there.

Sake with flowers

Dinner at Godenya.

Beau Michelle Snow Fantasy (ボー・ミッシェル スノーファンタジー うすにごり生原酒), 2022-23, served at 10°C - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 60%. Nice and fizzya dn fruity with acidity. So easy to drink and makes me so happy.

Mansakunohana Super Limited Junmai Daiginjo (まんさくの花　超限定　純米大吟醸), 2021-22, served at 12°C - seimaibuai of 45%. A little more dry, still very fragrant with some notes of fermented rice lees.

Kikuyoi Junmai Ginjo Matsushitamai 40 (喜久酔 純米吟醸 松下米40), 2019-2020, served at 13°C - seimaibuai of 40%. Thicker on the palate, a little more on the dry side.

Sogen Junmai Ginjo Muroka Namagenshu (宗玄 純米吟醸 無濾過生原酒), 2021-22, served at 18°C - seimaibuai of 50/55%. Both nose and palate showing more fermented notes. Nice and fragrant in the mouth.

Tenon Mizumoto Junmai Ginjo (天穏 そやし水酛 純米吟醸), 2022-23, served at 44°C - seimaibuai of 60%. Really nice when served at this warm temperature, very fragrant in the mouth. Really fermented notes.

Odayaka Kimoto Junmai Ginjo Nama Nigori (おだやか 生酛純米吟醸 生うすにごり), 2022-23, served at 11°C - seimaibuai of 60%. Definitely more on the dry side.

Jyuji Asahi Junmai Ginjo Genshu (十旭日 純米吟醸原酒), 2009-10, served at 47°C - seimaibuai of 55%. Very fermented and savory as always, especially when served warm.

Yoshinosugi no Taruzake (吉野杉の樽酒), 1992 - seimaibuai of 60%.

Eikun Tezukuri Umeshu (英君  手作り  梅酒) - production year unknown but from around 35 years ago. This was really nice like Chinese salted plums and Shaoxing wine. Very savory, so fragrant, a little smoky with good acidity.

Full post on dinner is here.

2020 Cossard Pinot Noir

Drinking at home.

2020 Frédéric Cossard Pinot Noir - very jammy, cassis, black cherries, leather. Later on some floral notes with lavender, violet, and potpourri.

Dom and Krug

Supper at Hidden.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 170ème Édition, ID 221035 - acidity seemed a little higher than usual tonight. Still a crowd-pleaser.

1996 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - nice and caramelized, a little bit of sugar cane and also marmalade. Nice and smooth now, and still very lively.

Full post on supper is here.

Parker 90s for gala

Dinner at the Michelin Hong Kong / Macau gala 2023.

2021 Quinta do Vallado Branco Reserva - flinty with nose of tropical stone fruits.

2010 JL Chave Selection Côtes-du-Rhône Mon Coeur - very mineral, minty, lots of leather, a little farmy and stinky.

2020 Vietti Roero Arneis - some flint here, not very interesting.

2020 Penfolds Bin 311 Chardonnay - nice and toasty. Beautiful.

2017 Niepoort Charme - sharp nose of alcohol, very ripe but not in the way I like.

2009 Larrivet Haut-Brion - minty, very ripe and fruity with cassis, tons of oak, some smoke. Pretty nice.

2017 Domaine Franco Chinois Petit Manseng - a little metallic like pear which has oxidized, a little rusty. Syrupy. Very one-dimensional on palate.

Remy Martin XO - about as expected.

Full post on the day is here.

Kokuryu Hiirazu

Dinner at Yakitori Shinohara in Tokyo.

Kokuryu Hiirazu Junmai Daiginjo Nama (黒龍 ⽕いら寿 純⽶⼤吟醸 ⽣) - seimaibuai of 35%. Sweet on the nose with melon, fermented rice lees. Very smooth and soft on the palate. Elegant but not diluted or bland.

Full post on dinner is here.

Selosse and more

Dinner at Sushi Saito in Tokyo.

R. et L. Legras Cuvée Hommage - nice and floral nose, with a little hint of honey.

2014 Bollinger La Grande Année, dégorgée en mars 2023 - the nose was more open and showed more notes of brioche.

Jacques Selosse Exquise, dégorgée le 15 juin 2009 - lovely nose of marmalade. This was so soft, so elegant and beautiful. Some honey and brioche, toasty but elegant, not in-your-face kind. Later a little salted lemon, a hint of Chinese salted plums along with telltale minerals.

Drinks at Ararat in Tokyo.

Ulysse Collin Les Pierrières, dégorgée en mars 2021 - very toasty, nice and fragrant nose. Good acidity with a slightly grippy palate.

Full post on the evening is here.

Domaine Mont and Taiyo

Lunch at Sun Potter Cafe Nonbiriya in Tokyo.

2022 Domaine Mont Mont Kern AK - really floral, like Hoegaarden with the hops. Tastes fruity and as it is lightly sparkling, very much like beer.

2021 Sapporo Fujino (さっぽろ藤野ワイナリー) Taiyo - a rosé that is nice and fruity like strawberries.

Full post on the day is here.

Sake for sushi

Dinner at Harutaka in Tokyo.

Kunimare Tokubetsu Junmai (国稀  特別純米), from isshobin - seimaibuai of 55%. Slightly fermented, just a light touch, with mild sweetness, soft and sweet, then got a bit drier.

Ippongi Karakuchi Junmai (一本義  辛口純米), from isshobin - seimaibuai of 70%. A bit more banana on the nose, drier on the palate, longer finish with more body. Nice balance.

Yoemon Tokubetsu Junmai Muroka (酉与右衛門 特別純米  無濾過), from isshobin - seimaibuai of 55%. Thicker, more viscous, with a drier finish.

Wataya Jonetsu Junmai Ginjo (綿屋 情熱 純米吟醸), from isshobin - semaibuai of 55%.

Tedorigawa Daiginjo Meiryu (手取川  大吟醸  名流), from isshobin - seimaibuai of 40%. Pretty smooth and kinda rounded.

Drinks at Serpent in Tokyo.

2020 Obusé Sogga père et fils Merlot Ordinaire - nose not very open, almost a little medicinal and savory. Smelled meaty like a Chinese preserved sausage. Very whacky. Almost a little iodine. Not a wine I like.

Full post on the evening is here.