04 Williams Selyem

Drinking at home.

2004 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - started drinking 30 minutes after decanting. Plenty of black fruits like black cherries and blackcurrants. This has now matured after 20 years so it's now become more oxidized and showing stewed fruits. After one hour in decanter this was showing some potpourri and herbs, but the wine got better on the palate and became more lively, with more fruit, along with good acidity.

Marcassin and La Closerie

Dinner at Gaddi's.

La Closerie fac-simile - lots of strawberries and red currants on the nose. Lovely mousse. Really fragrant, very nice and alluring. There was good depth and lovely balance on the palate, harmony among ripeness, acidity, and tartness. With time we also got savory minerals on the nose. Long finish. Lovely wine.

2013 Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard - first served about 30 minutes after opening, and the wine was just beginning to show. The nose was really buttery, nice and toasty, and this was really ripe and alcoholic on the palate. Drinking beautifully about an hour after opening and it was so, sooo nice.

2017 Clos Rougeard Saumur Champigny - started drinking about 1½ hours after opening. Nose was very meaty, very animal, smoky, a little pungent, slightly savory, and a little peppery. Got some fruit here, and we've got acidity peering through the tannins. Around 2½ hours after opening the nose was showing lots of capsicums, too.

2012 Ogier Côte-Rôtie - started drinking about 2½ hours after decanting, and maybe this has over-aerated a little. Lots of pine needles and potpourri, but where was the jammy fruit? There were some lovely eucalyptus on the nose, with some ripe fruit that was far weaker than I had expected. The wine had clearly softened and was now more elegant. After 3 hours in the decanter, there were a little herbal notes, almost like green tomatoes.

2000 Niepoort Colheita, engarrafado em 2018 - very ripe, very sweet, and very rich, like rum raisin ice cream.

Full post on dinner is here.

2021 Mia

Drinks at Caprice Bar.

2021 Mia Mercurey Clos la Marche Rouge - obviously opened at least the day before so this was not "fresh". Decent nose of leather with some cooked fruits. Still got the tannins as it's pretty young.

French and sake

Dinner at a friend's home.

2002 Deutz Cuvée William Deutz - very fragrant nose and there was plenty of caramelized sugar. Pretty ripe on the palate and I love the maturity and depth of the wine.

2018 Isojiman Daiginjo 28 Nobilmente - seimaibuai of 28%. Nice and sweet on the attack, pretty round on the palate, a little dry mid-palate, and slightly fermented, with a long finish. Classic nose of banana. A pleasure to drink.

Bought from Hasegawa for JPY 21,296.

1998 Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin Combe-du-Dessus - started drinking 30 minutes after decanting. Nice and toasty nose, and while it was lovely this was not as clean and floral, but more meaty. Still drinking very nicely.

2009 Pontet-Canet - drank 20 minutes after decanting. Really ripe and jammy on the nose, highly extracted, woodsy, and almost a little green capsicum. After an hour in decanter this was still going strong, of course, and still got plenty of woodsy notes.

Bought from Altaya for EUR 98.

70 BV and William Kelley

Lunch at Caprice.

2015 Jean Vesselle Pur B3, bouteille n° 838/1700, dégorgée 15 Fevrier 2023 - a little sweet and a little yeasty on the nose.

1970 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve - this bottle was more mature than the others I had tasted in previous years, and was showing a very savory profile on the nose with lots of soy sauce as well as smoke. Very nice and silky smooth after more than 50 years, and still got sweetness on the palate. Also showing some lovely spices on the nose.

Bought from Andromeda for HKD 1,750.

2020 William Kelley Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Elelois - the wine was definitely too young and this showed, as the nose was definitely pretty jammy and metallic, showing black cherries and also eucalyptus. Tannins were very obvious. A second pour after an hour after opening still showed plenty of metallic notes, more black cherries, and now also some violet. This was definitely infanticide and the wine was drunk far too young.

1931 Toro Albalá Don PX Convento Selección, from imperial - the nose was very complex and showed plenty of savory notes, along with dried herbs and plenty of nuts. Very rich and viscous on the palate, and very sweet on both the palate and the nose.

Full post on lunch is here.

1970 CVNE

Dinner at Ta Vie.

2015 Mumm RSRV Blanc de Blancs, dégorgée en Decembre 2022 - really floral nose that is also yeasty. Pretty elegant.

1970 Compañia Vinicola del Norte de España Imperial Gran Reserva - really nice and fragrant on the nose with cedar, mushroom, and sweet fruits. So nice and beautiful, very elegant, with a bit of leather and black cherries. Starting to show some floral notes but not quite like roses. Around 45 minutes after opening the palate went a little flat, but the nose improved, showing bigger woodsy notes. More than 1 hours after opening the nose was minty and resembled claret a little more.

Bought from Altaya for HKD 1,710.

Full post on dinner is here.

Peyre Rose and Charles Dufour

Dinner at Caprice Bar.

Charles Dufour Bulles de Comptoir #11 Terrine et Jardin, en magnum, dégorgée Mars 2023 - pretty smooth. The color made it look like it has some age on it, but the base vintage was actually 2020. A little metallic on the nose, somewhat like Anjou pears, along with a little flint. Drinking pretty well and rather elegant on the nose.

2018 Jourdan Les Trois Quartiers - the nose was really fragrant, very nice notes of dried herbs, pine needle, potpourri. After more than half an hour there were some light savory notes around the edges.

2006 Peyre Rose Marlène N°3 - drank after about 1 hour in decanter. Nose was very meaty, smoky, grilled meats, with a little leather, along with black fruits. After years of aging this was now pretty smooth on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Roblin Sancerre

Dinner at Nine One.

Bonnet-Ponson Cuvée Perpétuelle Extra Brut, dégorgée en Decembre 2023 - yeasty nose with notes of marmalade.

2021 Roblin Sancerre Origine - nice toasty notes but not overbearing. Decent acidity on the palate. Very easy to drink.

Full post on dinner is here.

Amuse Bouche and Rafling

Drinking at home.

2020 Frederic Cossard Rafling - there were some bubbles initially when pouring. The nose was a little toasty, with decent acidity on the palate. Both the nose and the palate got bigger after 15 minutes, and the palate was a little round but overall the wine was pretty lean. Definitely bongwater style with some pungency. Later on the wine showed a little pear with a hint of metallic notes.

2021 Amuse Bouche Prêt à Boire - showing red fruits, strawberries, vanilla, and a little bit of caramelized sugar. Pretty fragrant.

Bought from Duty Zero for HKD 480.

Smith Haut Lafitte and Jyuyondai

Dinner at Sushi Fujimoto.

2020 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc - despite the relative young age this was already very ripe on the palate, and was hot and alcoholic. The nose showed some rubber and plastic notes, along with flint and some lemon. With more aeration the rubber dissipated and the nose got more fragrant, kinda oily. After 1½ hours of being on ice the palate was grippy and some of that lean acidity came out.

Bought from Altaya for EUR 112.

Jyuyondai Ranbiki (十四代 蘭引酒), 2013 - a shochu that had been aged in barrel for 10 years. The wood was very much front and center, along with sweet caramel and tons of vanilla on the nose. So interesting as it kinda tasted like a Japanese whisky...

Full post on dinner is here.

Sake et vins

Dinner at Nikushou.

Kikuhime Ginjo Kukurihime (菊姫 吟醸 菊理媛), 28BY? - seimaibuai of 50%. The alcohol was kinda sharp on the nose, but this opened up and the alcohol faded. Definitely on the drier side.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35), 2019 - seimaibuai of 35%. Sweet nose of starchy rice. Really smooth on the palate with a nice and sweet attack.

1987 Trimbach Clos Sainte Hune - the first bottle was really fragrant and showed white flowers and lemon on the nose, with good acidity. The condition of the second bottle was even better so the wine was definitely more fresh, with crisp, sharper acidity on the palate. This was just fucking beautiful with huge nose of white flowers and a little flint.

Bought from Sotheby's for HKD 3,333.

1992 Calera Pinot Noir Selleck Vineyard - there was some acidity which came through the nose, which was showing some complexity, almost like how ketchup would smell with a tiny bit of savory notes. Still got some sweetness on the palate and the fruit.

1975 Beychevelle, en magnum - drank around 2 hours after opening without decanting. The nose was showing beautifully with some capsicum, smoke, mint, leather, and earth. Drinking pretty well now.

1974 Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage Selection - pretty smoky on the nose, and pretty savory with black olives as the wine developed tertiary flavors. Still very much alive.

1984 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill - drank some 2½ hours after opening without decanting. Still got the nice fruit, and the nose was meaty and woodsy like cedar. Still going strong, which wasn't a surprise to anyone who's had older Diamond Creek.

Henri Giraud MV17, dégorgée le 22 Septembre 2021 - lovely now with some maturity, giving off savory notes like salty preserved lemon, along with some marmalade. Delicious.

Katsuyama Junmai Daiginjo Shoryu (勝山 純米大吟醸 昇龍) - seimaibuai of 35%. Nice and fragrant with lovely nose of banana and floral notes.

1999 Hugel Gewurztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles, en demi-bouteille - the nose was really floral, lots of lychees, orange blossom water, and honey. Very rounded on the palate.

Bought from HK Wine Vault for HKD 495.

1999 Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal Sélection des Grains Nobles, en demi-bouteille - the texture was really viscous. Very sweet on the palate with honey and sapodilla notes. On the nose there was a slight hint of minerals like oxidized Asian pear, medjool dates, and some nutty notes.