Valle Reale and Feyles

Dinner at Estro.

Pierre Péters Cuvée de Réserve, dégorgée le 31 Octobre 2023 - good depth on the palate here along with a good balance, as it was neither too ripe nor too acidic, with a hint of bitterness and a decently long finish. Nice nose of marmalade.

2018 Valle Reale Vigna del Convento di Capestrano - a little toast with some lemon on the nose at first. The palate was more ripe than I had expected, a little too round and soft compared to what I was looking for. Definitely felt the alcohol on the palate... but there was an elegant fragrance here. Later on when the wine opened up more, the palate became more acidic.

2014 Feyles Barbaresco Riserva Bordini Vigna di Montesommo - smoky, gamey, a little bretty and medical, along with forest and potpourri notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

Ganevat and Vilmart

Dinner at Amber.

Vilmart Grande Réserve, dégorgée en Juin 2018 - the nose was a little yeasty. Pretty good acidity here, especially on the back end. Turns more ripe and actually a little bitter after a bite of the soy burrata.

2016 Anne et Jean-François Ganevat Montferrand - started drinking about 30 minutes after opening. The acidity was definitely front and center, and it was actually a little tannic. The nose, though, was pretty ripe and sweet, and very aromatic.

2009 Coutet - fragrance of orange blossom water and marmalade here. Good amount of sweetness on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Bongwater with Italian

Dinner at Sagrantino.

2018 Jean François Ganevat Savagnin En Billat - a little toast on the nose, plus a little ripeness on the nose, but good acidity level.

2009 Chacra Pinot Noir Cincuenta y Cinco - double-decanted but stoppered for 30 minutes, then started drinking 1 hour after decanting. There was good amount of ripe fruits on the nose, but it was served a little warm at first. Very smooth now, and improved once the wine was chilled down a little.

2019 Le Clos des Treilles La Décente Aux Amphores - the nose was nice and fragrant, with a little flint. Somewhat reductive, with a hint of savory, fermented notes as well as sulfur that is unmistakably bongwater. The palate was not really sweet but a bit more ripe and rounded

2020 Hirakawa Notre Siècle - some toasty notes on the nose, and definitely soft on the palate. Fairly easy to drink.

2003 BOND Matriarch - stoppered for 45 minutes after double-decanting, and started drinking almost 2 hours after decanting. Smoky nose with some meaty notes. Very ripe and sweet on the palate. Later on there was unmistakable nose of coconut butter as well as vanilla oak.

2004 Williams Selyem

Drinking at home.

2004 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Russian River Valley - started drinking 30 minutes after decanting. Reasonably fragrant and open nose, with stewed black fruits, a little juicy blackcurrant, a little leather and potpourri. Acidity was prominent on the palate but the wine is smooth and silky. About an hour in the wine started to show sweet vanilla and black cherries. A third pour 1½ hours in was really fresh and lively, showing fruity and woodsy notes. Last pour was 1 hour and 45 minutes after decanting and there were notes of mint and eucalyptus. Drinking well.

La Turque vertical

Dinner at Nine One.

2019 Georges Vernay Condrieu Coteau de Vernon - very floral and pretty ripe on the nose, plenty of lychees just like viognier. A little flinty, too.

2018 Clos Saint-Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc - started out pretty soft and ripe on the palate, but later the palate became really ripe.

First pair:

2000 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - started drinking about 1 hour after opening without decanting. Pretty soft on the palate now. This was pretty muted, so while it was OK it wasn't the classic La Turque I would have wanted.

2001 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - started drinking about 30 minutes after opening without decanting. A little smoke on the nose, and the acidity was higher than the 2000. About 1½ hours after opening some savory notes started to appear on the nose.

Second pair:

1998 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - started drinking almost 2½ hours after opening without decanting. Some grilled meats.

2006 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - started drinking nearly 2 hours after opening without decanting. The nose showed a little smoke and grilled meats, a hint of savory notes, and ripe fruits like cassis. Some half hour later the wine was showing a nice level of ripeness, but also started to reveal some stewed fruits.

Third pair:

1991 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - started drinking a little more than 2 hours after opening without decanting. Very smooth on the palate now. Finally, a beautiful bottle of wine showing the classic floral notes along with bacon fat, and lovely sweet fruit.

1999 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - started drinking around 3 hours after opening without decanting. The nose was a little smoky with a hint of chalk, along with some ripe fruits, which was nice.

Full post on dinner is here.

Chartogne-Taillet Sainte Anne

Lunch at Louise.

Chartogne-Taillet Sainte Anne - toasty and mineral on the nose.

Full post on lunch is here.

Chave and Stephan

Lunch at Flower Drum.

1989 Maximin Grünhaüser Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese - right away we have nose of white flowers. The palate was initially soft and gentle, but with good amount of acidity on the back. There was also a little bit of caramelized sugar as the wine opened up. Delicious.

2008 Jean-Michel Stephan Côte-Rôtie - decanted 30 minutes after opening and started drinking 45 minutes after opening. On the nose there were some sweet fruits, a bit of leather, with a lovely floral nose showing violets. The nose was almost Burgundian and alluring. Around 1½ hours after opening, the wine was drinking really nicely.

2013 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - decanted around 2 hours after opening and started drinking around 2½ hours after opening. This was a much bigger wine, with much more concentration. Notes of grilled meats, and definitely a little bretty. Showing earthy notes some 3½ hours after opening.

2020 Marthe Henry Boillot Bourgogne Aligoté - toasty notes on the nose. Definitely tart and grippy on the palate, with acidity on the high side but not too sharp. Definitely an aligoté.

Full post on dinner is here.

Kokuryu Daiginjo

Dinner at Sugidama.

Kokuryu Daiginjo (黒龍 大吟醸), 2024, from isshobin - medium dry on the palate.

2007 Mordorée Lirac

Drinking at home.

2007 Domaine de la Mordorée Lirac Rouge La Reine des Bois - started drinking 20 minutes after decanting. The nose was pretty nice with notes of leather and grilled meats. Slightly sharp on the nose, with a hint of chalk. After sitting in the glass for almost 30 minutes the wine was showing some nice, woodsy notes. A second pour about 45 minutes after decanting showed a wine which opened up more, with some exotic spices on top of the wood, a little minty, and still got the tannins. Showing some ripe fruit some 1½ hours after decanting. Third pour almost 2 hours in, with leather still showing in the fragrant nose with bacon fat, too. Third pour was more than 2 hours in and the nose was still kinda sharp, but remained very fragrant. Tannins still very much present. Pretty big wine.

Nyetimber Rosé

Lunch at the Lobster Bar.

Nyetimber Rosé - the nice and floral nose seemed to be just the hotel perfume... so I guess we're just left with some nice red fruits on the nose.

La Mordorée duo

Dinner at Locanda.

2013 Gramona Cava Argent Rosé Gran Reserva - nose was a little bit toasty, and showed some caramelized confit lemon. Good acidity on the palate, on the back of a little ripeness.

2004 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge La Reine des Bois - decanted 10 minutes after opening, and started drinking around 30 minutes after opening. Some mint on the nose with a little hint of pepper and some meaty notes. Very soft on the palate, with some silky tannins, and a little sweet on the finish. An hour after opening the nose was very open and fragrant now, but a little sharp on the nose. About 1½ hours after opening, started to feel some tannins on my tongue. With a new pour almost 2 hours in, we've got ripe fruit on the palate, along with fragrant woodsy and cedar notes on the nose. Drinking pretty well now.

2010 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge La Reine des Bois - decanted 10 minutes after opening, and started drinking around 40 minutes after opening. This was much more tannic compared to the 2004 and I could feel the tannins coating my tongue right off the bat. The nose was also not as open as the 2004. About an hour after opening the nose improved, and continued to improve almost 2 hours after opening. It's amazing that almost 3 hours after opening the wine was still tannic and grippy on the palate. Needs a few more years of cellaring.

Full post on dinner is here.

Le Chêne Saint-Etienne and more

Dinner at Arbor.

R.H.Coutier Cuvée Henri III, dégorgée en Janvier 2024 - yeast nose that was nice and caramelized.

François Rousset-Martin Aligoté Aligatõ, vintage unknown - big toasty notes on the nose, reductive and definitely smelled like a natural wine, and for sure this was aligoté. Very soft on the palate at first but then comes the grippy acidity. After a while this was surprising as it was a bit buttery on the nose the way a white Burg would be.

2003 Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Le Chêne Saint-Etienne - a very interesting wine. Very minty on the nose, and in that sense this seemed more like a cab franc from Loire. Pretty smooth on the palate now, but the nose was much more gamey, animal, and leather.

Full account of dinner is here.

Prüm and Dominique Laurent

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2009 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett - mildly sweet on the palate. Classic nose of flint and petrol.

1995 Hospices de Beaune Corton Cuvée Charlotte Dumay, élevé par Dominique Laurent - started drinking 20 minutes after decanting. Nose of black plums and stewed prunes.

Full post on dinner is here.

2005 Pax Kobler

Drinking at home.

2005 Pax Syrah Kobler Family Vineyard - started drinking 15 minutes after decanting. The nose was very ripe and sweet at first, almost jammy, and kinda sharp and alcoholic on the nose. Initially there was almost a faint dusty nose. The first sip was pretty dry on the palate, while the very fragrant nose showed cedar and leather notes. Second pour 45 minutes after decanting and the wine was really fragrant now, showing an even bigger woodsy nose with leather and meaty undertones. More sweet fruit on the nose about 1½ hours, and the tannins were still very much here. About 2½ hours after decanting the acidity was relatively high on the palate, but this new pour saw the wine still showing very nicely, still incredibly fragrant with woodsy notes and lots of potpourri, still meaty, and definitely more Rhône-like than Californian. Last pour not from the decanter but from the bottle 3 hours after opening, and the nose was still very jammy. Fantastic!