03 Pax Terraces

Dinner at Nikushou.

2003 Pax Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard The Terraces - showed lots of jammy fruit when decanting. Good acidity on the palate, and first sips showed more plum and some leather. Cassis showed up some 20 minutes later, with a little woodsy notes. This remained the case for the rest of the evening, where the wine showed its maturity without being the fruit bomb that it was in its youth.

Full post on dinner is here.

03 Pax Castelli-Knight

Drinking at home while suffering from Covid.

2003 Pax Syrah Castelli-Knight Ranch - nose of sweet, ripe fruit, and lovely woodsy notes.

69 Clos des Papes

Dinner at Tutto Bello in Taipei.

2020 Trimbach Riesling - nose of stone fruit with some flint. Relatively dry on the palate.

1969 Clos des Papes Rouge - started serving around 20 minutes after opening, without decanting. Very cloudy. Pretty fragrant with red fruits like red cherries and some leather. Fifteen minutes later showed some toasty notes, and developed a lovely nose with rose petals. Second pour about 1 hour after opening and the wine was already more muted, showing some mint and eucalyptus. Pretty happy with this.

Full post on dinner is here.

Champagne and SQN

Dinner at Forum Restaurant.

Ulysse Collin Les Pierrières, dégorgée en mars 2021 - nice and open, with some dessicated coconut, a little mineral and flint. Nice acidity on the palate, then some savory notes showed after about 30 minutes.

2007 Taittinger Comte de Champagne Blanc de Blancs - big on the palate. Really lovely nose with a good amount of toast.

2008 Sine Qua Non B 20 - 91% syrah, 6% grenache, 3% viognier. Served 2 hour after opening without decanting. Really big wine, very woodsy, a little metallic, minty. More than 3 hours after opening the nose was even more open and showed more cedar notes. Drinking very well.

2015 Keller Westhofener Kirchspiel Riesling Großes Gewächs - flinty, polyurethane, a bit more ripe on the palate than expected.

Full post on dinner is here.

Hugel and Henri Bonneau

Dinner at Moon Bay.

2003 Henri Bonneau Cuvée Marie Beurrier, en magnum - double decanted 1½ hours prior to serving. Nose showed tons of ripe fruit like blackcurrants. Once served the nose showed more leather and a slight stinkiness. A little savory on the palate. Half an hour after serving the wine showed lovely woodsy notes. About 3 hours after decanting the wine definitely had peaked and the fruity notes were no longer prominent or noticeable.

2011 Hugel Gewurztraminer Grossi Laüe - pretty floral, definitely lots of lychee. Palate was kinda off-dry and lightly sweet.

Full post on dinner is here.

DRC Monty and Champagnes

Dinner at Ta Vie.

2015 Mumm RSRV Blanc de Blancs, dégorgée septembre 2021 - so easy to drink. Nice nose with a little toast, a little savory minerals on the nose, and pretty fragrant.

1999 DRC Montrachet - some oxidation noted around 30 minutes after opening. Got some marmalade on the nose and very, very buttery, with some vanilla oak. Second pour 1 hour after opening and this got better. Another half hour later and this warmed up and got a little bitter on the palate. More than 2 hours after opening there was a little more toast on the nose. A very beautiful wine.

2000 Dom Pérignon P2 - fresher and more lively on the palate, with certainly more toasty notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

2004 Colgin Syrah

Drinking at a friend's home.

2004 Colgin Syrah IX Estate - decanted 1 hour after opening and served. Really beautiful nose, sweet and very ripe fruit. Fragrant oak and woodsy notes. Powerful throughout and stunning.

2020 Boulay

Drinking at home.

2020 Gérard Boulay Sancerre Monts Damnés - plenty of flint and toast. Much riper on the palate than expected, almost a little sweet.

Femme and Maiden

Dinner at Nikushou.

1996 Duval-Leroy Femme de Champagne - nice and flinty, not too oxidized on the nose considering the age. Acidity on the high side. Really fragrant nose with marmalade and a little mineral. Lovely palate and much fresher than expected.

2019 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin Le Banc - very buttery but with good acidity and not too ripe on the palate. Kinda lean and a little grippy.

2004 Harlan Estate The Maiden - decanted for 1½ hours prior to serving. Lots of ripe and sweet fruit, plenty of smoke, very minty. Beautiful after 2 hours with a lovely woodsy nose.

Full post on dinner is here.

Ruinart Rose and du Tertre

Drinking at a friend's home.

Ruinart Rosé - lots of red fruits.

2017 du Tertre - initially a little bretty, perhaps from the glass. Also leather notes.