1999 Etude

Dinner at Nikushou.

1999 Etude Cabernet Sauvignon - drank about 1 hour after decanting. Still kinda sweet on the palate, and a little ripe now, like stewed prunes but without the acidic profile. After 2 hours this was still going strong. After more than 20 years the wine was smooth on the palate, but that doesn't mean it's light on the palate. Still has very good concentration.

Full post on dinner is here.

Tarlant and Tellier

Lunch at One Harbour Road.

2018 Tellier Les Massales, dégorgée en Novembre 2022 - lean with a decent amount of acidity, but reasonably easy to drink.

Tarlant Zero, en demi-bouteille - apparently from somewhere in the 2000s, there's good maturity here, and the acidity is still here without being sharp despite being a brut nature. Tasted great on the palate. Nose was so fragrant with plenty of Chinese salted plum, lemons, and oranges that were not quite marmalade. Also plenty of toasty brioche. What a wonderful Champagne!

Jean Vesselle Œil de Perdrix, dégorgée le 26 Juin 2023 - really nice red fruits, and paired very well with the prawn.

Full post on lunch is here.

Bættig and Pedres Blanques

Dinner at MONO.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 171ème Édition, ID 122009 - as with last week, this was a little more grippy and "tannic" on the palate. It's full of that classic toasty brioche nose I love about Grande Cuvée. The acidity came out once it's paired with food.

2020 Bessin-Tremblay Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume La Pièce au Comte - the acidity is here but the palate was already rounded, so while it was not quite to the point of being sweet, the sharp acidity was no longer being felt, but all things considered this was still relatively lean. Very aromatic nose and a little tropical.

2021 Bættig Chardonnay Selección de Parcelas Los Primos - noticeably higher acidity on the palate, and leaner. Big, toasty nose. Very nice.

2020 Wa Sud Cuvée Souriez - showing eucalyptus, leather, and a little on the farmy side in terms of the nose. A little soapy on the palate, and finish has that bretty and soapy profile.

2019 Pedres Blanques - the acidity felt higher now, but the wine was still young so it's still grippy on the palate. A little farmy but the nose was pretty fragrant and fruity, with some blueberries.

Full post on dinner is here.

2020 Boulay Monts Damnés

Drinking at home.

2020 Gérard Boulay Sancerre Monts Damnés - flinty, oaky, pretty fruity with stone fruit notes. Ripe on the palate but not really sweet, as it has the acidity and more importantly, that bitterness on the finish.

09 Haut Condissas

Dinner at a friend's house.

2009 Haut Condissas Prestige, en magnum - drunk a little more than 1 hour after opening. Nice and open now, with fragrant and woodsy notes on the nose. Smoky and toasty, along with ripe fruits. Pretty sweet on the palate.

Bad Girl

Drinking at home.

Bad Girl Crémant de Bordeaux - a little bitter on the palate, but easy drinking in general.

Krug 171

Krug Studio in Hong Kong.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 171ème Édition, ID 122009 - definitely got that classic Krug nose with toasty brioche as well as lemon citrus. The acidity seemed a little higher than usual, and definitely more grippy on the palate. A lot more oaky on the nose, as if I was standing right next to the barrels in the cellar. Really full-bodied on the palate with a long finish. Full post is here.

2017 Bouley Pommard

Lunch at the Fairway Grill in Hong Kong Golf Club.

2017 Jean-Marie Bouley Pommard - not really interesting... not enough fruit and more lean than I would prefer.

95 Dominique Laurent Corton

Drinking at home.

1995 Hospices de Beaune Corton Cuvée Charlotte Dumay, élevé par Dominique Laurent - animal notes, meaty, leather, black plums, and a little stewed prunes.

Guiberteau and Brocard Pierre

Dinner at Table in Paris.

Brocard Pierre L'Égarée - full-bodied with plenty of depth from the pinot. A little bitter and slightly grippy on the palate. Clearly showing that zero dosage.

2020 Guiberteau Saumur Clos de Guichaux - very fragrant nose, with a little flint. Good acidity on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Bollinger and Pagodes

Dinner at Le Train Bleu in Paris.

Bollinger Special Cuvée - an easy drinking wine. There's acidity here but the palate is definitely more on the sweet side.

2020 Pagodes de Cos - ripe and jammy cassis, definitely pretty oaky with that vanilla, some smoky on the nose, too. I could feel the tannins a little but the wine was already soft enough to be drinkable. Soooo minty and fragrant on the nose, this was a vibrant wine and drinking pretty well.

Full post on dinner is here.

Le Gamin du Terroir

Drinking at L'Etiquette in Paris.

Romain Henin Le Gamin du Terroir, dégorgée en Juillet 2023 - very refreshing with crisp acidity, with was not too high. Floral notes along with small and fine bubbles. Very clean but slightly on the simple side. Needs aging to develop some complexity.

Full post on the day is here.

France 2023 day 4: Trimbach

Tour of Maison Trimbach and tasting with Jean Trimbach.

All the wines are aged for 6-8 months and not longer.

2021 Trimbach Pinot Blanc - flinty nose, lots of minerals, tropical stone fruits. Got some good acidity, actually.

2021 Trimbach Riesling Réserve - a little vanilla or marshmallow, perhaps, with flinty and minerals. No peaches in the nose. Higher acidity on the palate and more tart.

2021 Trimbach Riesling Vieilles Vignes - a little more muted on the nose, still a little flinty, almost floral, with ripe pears. Quite nice on the nose. High acidity on the palate but with more depth and more length on the finish.

2019 Trimbach Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg - big nose of polyurethane and petrol, or as Jean would say, white truffle. Also beautiful flint and minerals. Wow! Really long finish on this one.

2017 Trimbach Riesling Frédéric Emile - a mix of 2/3 Osterberg and 1/3 Geisberg. Big, big nose of plastic, polyurethane, and petrol. Much more depth and much bigger on the palate. Very high acidity.

2018 Trimbach Riesling Clos Sainte Hune - "white truffle", so floral, just a beautiful wine. I smell some petrol here but it was much more elegant. Really big and grippy on the palate, very, very lean and steely.

2017 Trimbach Pinot Gris Réserve Personnelle - good combination of aromatics along with the petrol and flint. Definitely a little ripe on the palate together with the acidity.

2015 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre - this was sooooo beautiful, such aromatics, with tons of ripe lychees. In fact, I've never had so much lychees in a wine. Very ripe but strangely not sugary sweet.

2017 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Vendages Tardives - amazing aromatics here. So much honey. So lovely.

2022 Josmeyer Peau Rouge

Dinner at Restaurant Au Pont Corbeau in Strasbourg.

2022 Josmeyer Sylvaner Peau Rouge - nose of Anjou pear with that sweet yet metallic combo. Kinda sweetish on the palate but tapers off. Also a little fizzy on the palate, pretty rounded and easy to drink. After more than half an hour, this became a little bitter on the finish.

Full post on dinner is here.

France 2023 day 2: Yquem banquet

Dinner at Château d'Yquem with wines chosen to pair with dishes from Guillaume Galliot.

2018 Yquem - nose of apricot, orange blossom, honey, beeswax, saffron. So fresh, so energetic and lively. The wine is still too young to be unctuous on the palate, but it's already soft and supple. Very exotic. Very delicious.

2021 Ygrec - nose of muscat grapes, a little bit of flint and mineral. Good acidity, as it's there but not too sharp, with some ripeness to balance out everything. This was a good match with the scallops.

2017 Yquem - just a year older than the 2018 but this was much more mature. Very supple and alluring, with nose of honey and apricot. Much sweeter on the palate but also comes with the bitterness on the finish. A bit more viscous in terms of texture. Chef says he smells durian in this wine, but I didn't think so. Maybe the creaminess but there's no stink here.

2001 Yquem - so rich, soooo unctuous, and much more mature. Showing lots of marmalade and then the bitterness on the finish. Nose of honey, minerals, a little acetone, so much ripe honeydew melon, and sooooo sweet on the nose. This was such a stunning wine!

1990 Yquem - this was soooo smooth now, thinner on the body and definitely lighter. Nose of raisins, with a prominent, bitter finish.

1970 Yquem - lots of alcohol and tons of acetone made this sharp on the nose. Lots of raisins on the nose, a little exotic, with some medjool dates, and this was actually more aged mandarin peel than the classic marmalade thanks to a bit of smokiness. Lots of depth on the palate, and the bitterness was there, but this was not viscous by any means. So happy to have tasted this at the château.

1934 Yquem - nose of honey, raisins, medjool dates, almost nutty. More sharp on the nose than expected. Later on also showing honeydew melon. Very elegant now. Not so sweet on the palate at this age, and not too bitter on the finish. After the cheese course, though, a little more of the bitterness came out.

Full post on dinner is here.

France 2023 day 1: Yquem

Dinner at Château d'Yquem.

2020 Ygrec de Yquem - nice and flinty just as I expected, with green apple and muscat grape on the nose.

2007 Yquem - very high level of botrytis, with orange marmalade and almost candied clementine, a little bit of saffron and beeswax.

1988 Yquem - really rich in botrytis and lots of saffron on the nose. Surprisingly not too sweet on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.