Amabie-sama

Drinking at home.

Dewazakura Tokubetsu Junmaishu Amabie-sama Facing the Sky (出羽桜  特別純米酒  アマビエさま  空の向こうへ), 2022 - seimaibuai of 55%. Initially not too sweet, actually, with a hint of fermented flavors now. Still got those starchy rice notes. After aeration of about 3 hours this was much softer on the palate.

Sake, Champagne, and more

Dinner at Hansik Goo.

Juyondai Daiginjo Kuronawa (十四代 大吟醸 黒縄), 2022, from isshobin - very sweet on the nose, really rich rice flavors, and big on the palate. Very sweet on the palate, with almost a hint of bitterness on the back end.

2020 Le Petit Cheval Blanc - a really classic Bordeaux Blanc, pretty fragrant nose but with that pipi de chat, too, in addition to the green apple.

Emmanuel Brochet Rosé de Saignée - really dark red in color, really big on the palate as well as big on the nose, with lots of cranberries.

Isojiman Nakatori Junmai Daiginjo 35 (磯自慢 中取り 純米大吟醸35), 2020 – very rich now that there's some age on it. Sweet on the palate, but nicely balanced.

2020 Jean-Marie Bouzereau Meursault - better acidity here than I had expected, but still got some of that ripeness. Nice and toasty nose.

Full post on dinner is here.

2000 Andreas

Drinking at home.

2000 Andreas - drank more than 45 minutes after decanting. Ripe on the nose with slightly stewed fruits. Relatively dry on the palate. Then showing smoky notes with some smoked meats, woodsy and fragrant. Also a little bretty, and a little savory on the palate.

2005 Konsgaard Syrah

Drinking at home.

2005 Konsgaard Syrah - showing beautifully just after 20 minutes in the decanter. Plenty of leather, floral, lavender notes, with game meats. So fragrant! Sweet and almost jammy on the nose. Even better at 30 minutes. After one hour this was so fragrant with lots of cedar and woodsy notes. Still going strong after 2 hours, with a tiny hint of smoked meats now.

2009 Lucien Le Moine Volnay

Dinner at home.

2009 Lucien Le Moine Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets - drank 20 minutes after decanting. Showing leather, dark fruits, and a hint of floral fragrance. After 40 minutes this was bigger on the palate, and very smooth on the palate after 1 hour, showing silky textures. On the nose now showing a little grilled meats... yeah, definitely on the meaty side now.

Full post on dinner is here.

Pascal Henin Blanc comme Neige

Dinner at home.

Pascal Henin Blanc comme Neige, dégorgée 12 Octobre 2022 - initially this was very fresh and crisp, then gradually the yeasty notes came out. Good acidity here with some depth on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

2012 Chapoutier Mure de Larnage

Drinking at home.

2012 Chapoutier Hermitage Blanc Mure de Larnage - the wine was ripe enough without being sweet on the palate, while being rounded on the palate as one would expect. Definitely got the acetone on the nose, along with honey and beeswax.

99 NPU and Kokuryu

Lunch at Mudan Tempura in Taipei.

1999 Bruno Paillard Nec Plus Ultra, dégorgée en Janvier 2012 - drinking beautifully with lovely notes of marmalade and savory Chinese salted plum. Nice and ripe now.

Kokuryu Daiginjo Ryu (黒龍 大吟醸 龍), 2023 - very classic with notes of banana and starchy rice. Reasonably sweet with decent depth on the palate.

Full post on lunch is here.

2010 l'A

Dinner at Fong Wing Kee Hot Pot Restaurant.

2010 Domaine de l'A, en magnum - very ready to drink now. Sweet fruit and vanilla on the nose, and plenty of oak.

Dewazakura duo and more

Dinner at a friend's place.

Jyokigen Yamahai Daiginjyo (常きげん 山廃仕込大吟醸), 2023 - seimaibuai of 40%. Really sweet on the nose with starchy rice flavors. Lots of banana, too. Sweet on the attack but dry from mid-palate to the finish. Viscous on the palate. More than an hour later the nose was more open, and the sake was smoother on the palate.

Dewazakura Ginjoshu New Year's Day Brewing (出羽桜 吟醸酒 桜花 元日仕込 2019年醸造), 2019 - lovely nose, definitely very sweet on the nose like musk melon, with a bit of starchy rice. Big nose with sharp alcohol. Good depth on the palate, too.

Dewazakura Ginjoshu Heisei Perod Vintage (出羽桜 吟醸酒 桜花 平成熟成 1990年醸造), 1990 - the nose was showing more fermentation, but much to our surprise this was much fresher and didn't drink like something aged for almost 30 years. Much more elegant than other koshu of its age. Much more depth of the palate. A very nice bottle.

2000 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon - drank 30 minutes after decanting. Still got lots of concentration, but somehow not getting much on the nose other than a little bit of smoke and maybe some grilled meats. This was disappointing.

2003 Arietta H-Block Hudson Vineyards - drank more than 1½ hours after opening. Very fragrant with woodsy notes, and sweeter on the palate.

2005 Blankiet Rive Droite

Dinner at Koji Charcoal Grill.

2005 Blankiet Rive Droite - drank about 30 minutes after double-decanting. Really sweet fruit while decanting, but started to smell grass when drinking. Undoubtedly corked.

2003 Kistler SC

Drinking at home.

2003 Kistler Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - nose was fragrant after about 30 minutes in the decanter, with lovely coconut butter, but the palate was terrible. Lots of wood and some black plums on the nose, also very big and toasty. Later on toasty on the palate, too, as it improved.

Emmanuel Reynaud wines

Dinner at Caprice, featuring the wines of Emmanuel Reynaud.

All wines were opened at the same time and served without decanting.

2019 Domaine des Tours Vaucluse Blanc - served a little more than 7 hours after opening. Really ripe and really fragrant nose, with tropical stone fruits and acetone notes. The sweetness was not exactly like honey but something similar, and in any case this was really nice.

2017 Les Tours Vaucluse Blanc - served more than 7½ hours after opening. This was much sweeter on the nose compared to the 2019, with lovely honeysuckle, along with some acetone. Very exotic and fragrant nose. This was also bigger on the palate, very, very ripe and butter, with a bitter finish.

2017 Château des Tours Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge - served more than 8 hours after opening. Really lovely fruity nose, very fragrant, with a little bit of leather, lots of potpourri and dried herbs. Sooo lovely, actually, but in comparison to the 2014 Grande Réserve this was more closed, with more concentration.

2014 Château des Tours Côtes-du-Rhône Grande Réserve Rouge - served more than 8 hours after opening. Nose was showing cooler fruit for sure. This wine was so elegant, more floral with lavender notes... Is this really a Côtes-du-Rhône?! No fucking way! This was too fucking beautiful! Showing animal and leather notes, too. About 10 hours after opening this was so sweet like the honey dripping from a honeycomb, as I could smell the beeswax, too. My wine of the evening.

2009 Domaine des Tours Vaucluse Merlot-Syrah - served more than 8½ hours after opening. Nose was very minty and pretty fragrant. A little more tannic on the palate. After more than 10 hours the nose became a little grassy.

2005 Domaine des Tours Vaucluse Merlot - served more than 8½ hours after opening. Frankly the nose wasn't showing as well as the 2009 Merlot-Syrah, and felt a little dusty and not clean. Later one this seemed more ripe with some stewed prunes.

2011 Château Pignan - served more than 9 hours after opening. The nose was really floral and beautiful. So elegant now, with lovely strawberry notes one would expect from this wine. My second favorite wine of the evening. A very close second.

2011 Château de Fonsalette Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge - served more than 9 hours after opening. Certainly more concentrated than the Pignan, more meaty, but also pretty fragrant.

2012 Rayas Rouge - served almost 10 hours after opening. Showing notes of leahter and animal, but along with floral notes which made it very fragrant and elegant. A beautiful wine for sure, but tonight this was outshone but two of its stable mates.

Full post on dinner is here.

Williams Selyem Zinfandel

Drinking at home.

2004 Williams Selyem Zinfandel Feeney Vineyard - decanted 30 minutes after opening. Showing black plums on the nose, stewed prunes on the palate with the high acidity. After 1 hour in the decanter this was pretty fragrant. Smooth on the palate but still got the concentration. Ripe and jammy black fruits on the nose, with fragrant vanilla notes. Drinking reasonably nicely.

Andreas and Arietta

Dinner at a friend's home.

2000 Andreas - drank 30 minutes after decanting. This was OK... smoky, a bit lean on the nose. After more than 1 hour in the decanter this showed some ripeness, but overall this was still showing its Bordeaux profile.

2002 Arietta H-Block Hudson Vineyards - drank 1½ hours after decanting. This was pretty sweet on the palate as one would expect. Very minty, with nice cedar notes. The nose was just so fragrant and lovely.

2019 Marisa Cuomo

Drinking at home.

2019 Marisa Cuomo Costa d'Amalfi Bianco - big on the palate, and while there is ripeness on the palate, the acidity level is still good. Reasonably fragrant nose with flinty notes.

La Croix DB

Dinner at Papillon in Kaohsiung.

2020 Couly-Dutheil Chinon Les Chanteaux - very, very ripe on the nose, with a little acetone. Really aromatic and starting to cross over into viognier and gewurztraminer territory. Pretty full-bodied on the palate, actually, and sweetish with a slight bitterness on the finish.

2017 La Croix Ducru-Beaucaillou - definitely showing black plums, mint, cool fruit with some ripeness, smoke, and almost a little earthy. Very classic Left Bank profile.

Full post on dinner is here.

1998 Kay Brothers

Drinking at home.

1998 Kay Brothers Shiraz Block 6 Amery Vineyards - drank 20 minutes after decanting. Initially this was lean, without much fruit other than some black plums. Acidic both on the nose and on the palate, which was surprising. About 40 minutes in there was more vanilla and oak showing on the nose, while being sweeter on the palate, too. More than 1 hour and 40 minutes in, the tannins were still showing here and continued to accumulate on the tongue with additional sips.