Bourgogne and more

Lunch at Mosu.

2015 Bollinger La Grande Année, dégorgée en Octobre 2023 - first sip delivered a dose of high acidity, but the palate also had some roundness. Some toasty notes on the nose.

Gonin Musume Shizen No Manma (五人娘 自然のまんま) - seimaibuai of 70%. Showing lots of savory fermented notes on the nose initially, but so sweet on the palate like Chinese fermented rice lees. Soon after the nose changed and showed tons of caramel, toffee, or dulce de leche. Very fruity with a bit of citrus, and also like Japanese konpeito.

2017 Coche-Dury Bourgogne Chardonnay - initially the nose was not very open despite having been decanted, showing only a little citrus and a hint of green apple. Acidity showing on the palate, and there was some ripeness on the palate with the oak. But totally not what I had expected.

2018 Domaine de la Roseraie Bourgogne Senex - showing animal notes, lots of eucalyptus, dried herbs, big and toasty, and a little farmy that made me think of natural wines. Pretty fragrant.

2022 François Villard Crozes-Hermitage Cour de Récré - this was a lot more fruity on the nose than I had expected, with some acetone. What was really interesting was that it almost started to smell like Oolong tea!

2022 Keller Sylvaner Feuervogel - big nose of petrol, flint, and muscat grapes. Good and crisp acidity.

2015 Bressan Schioppettino - this was really fragrant with tons of herbs, like a chinotto, but also a little savory. This was very, very lovely.

Full post on lunch is here.

Magnum Champagnes and Burgs

Dinner at a private dining facility.

1996 Bruno Paillard Assemblage, dégorgée en Janvier 2006, en magnum - the acidity was quite nice on the palate. The wine was starting to show some maturity but still tasted youthful and lively. On the nose there was a little flint, a little sugar cane, and a hint of straw. Overall this was rather elegant.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 2nd generation, en magnum - this was REALLY fragrant, with marmalade and especially aged lemon peel with that savory profile on the palate. Just absolutely beautiful. My wine of the night.

2019 Dauvissat Chablis - this was actually pretty buttery on the nose, much to my surprise. Thankfully still got the acidity I want from a Chablis.

2009 Darviot-Perrin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Blanchots Dessus - this was definitely more buttery and toasty on the nose.

Rémy Martin 250th Anniversary - lovely vanilla and caramel.

2012 Sine Qua Non In the Abstract - wow! This was soooo fragrant. A little bit of flint, sweet vanilla, toasty popcorn, sooo buttery! So beautiful this was fucking good!

1987 DRC La Tâche - very subtle floral notes on the nose. Also showing tea leaves with a little bit of savory notes, leather, and animal. Pretty fragrant after a few minutes. The owner of the bottle felt that the wine was showing better in the smaller Gabriel Glas than the big Riedel Sommeliers, and of course he would be correct.

2006 Casanova di Neri Cerretalto - very minty and plenty of eucalyptus, also earthy. Drinking very well.

Tien Heung Lau Huadiao (天香樓花雕) - this was the 'syrup' that's been aging for a long time, and the viscosity really shows. Very savory, soooo fragrant, and so rich. Not too sweet on the palate at all.

2018 Fingers Crossed Grenache Off the Record - this was opened almost 9 hours before serving. Nose was really metallic, with lots of sweet fruit, tons of oak, and lots of eucalyptus. Very young but lovely.

1990 Laurent Perrier Grand Siècle - I drank this nearly 2½ hours after opening. Nose was showing a hint of straw. On the palate we've got good acidity along with some ripeness, good maturity now thanks to aging.

Full post on dinner is here.

Spanish night

Dinner at MONO.

Miolo Cuvée Tradition Brut - this was kinda floral on the nose, with a little bit of toast. Crisp acidity on the palate.

1998 Marqués de Murrieta Ygay Gran Reserva Capellanía - the nose was very oxidized, which was not surprising given the dark color of the wine. The nose was like vin jaune or sherry, kinda caramelized on the nose, oaky. But the palate was acidic. About an hour after opening the nose was showing lovely caramelized sugar with a little marmalade.

1970 Marqués de Murrietta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial - served without decanting about 30 minutes after opening. The wine was showing well, with a little savory notes, minty, with fruit underneath it all. After 45 minutes in the glass the acidity on the palate got more prominent, and almost 2 hours in the acidity was pretty damn high. The nose now started to show some coconut butter. Drinking really well.

1996 Artadi Viña El Pison - started serving without decanting about 1 hour and 45 minutes after opening. Initially the nose was very chalky and farmy, and I thought it might be corked, but the palate was OK if a little savory and soapy. The second pour some 2½ hours after opening shows that the unpleasant nose had faded, and the wine now showed plenty of fragrant eucalyptus in addition to lovely fruit, and still a little savory. About 3 hours in the wine was showing really well with some toasty oak.

2014 Flor de Pingus - started serving some 1½ hours after opening, but the wine was still closed, with just a little eucalyptus and herbs. A second pour another hour later and now the wine was showing beautifully, with more fragrance and fruit.

Ron Zacapa XO - lovely notes of vanilla and caramel.

Full post on dinner is here.

Wachtenburg Muskateller

Lunch at Forum Restaurant.

Wachtenburg Muskateller Trocker Edition SL, vintage unknown - nice nose of green apple and muscat grapes because... well, it WAS made from muscat grapes! Good acidity on the palate, and very fresh.

Full post on lunch is here.

2018 Gantenbein

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2018 Gantenbein Pinot Noir - showing big and toasty nose right off the bat, with lots of juicy red cherries. Young and powerful.

2022 Alex Foillard Beaujolais-Villages - fresh and lively, nose of eucalyptus and cool fruit. Good acidity on the palate but tannins are obviously still around.

Full post on dinner is here.

2005 Clos des Papes

Dinner at Sun Hon Kee.

2005 Clos des Papes Rouge - started drinking almost 2 hours after decanting. Minty on the nose, with plenty of woodsy notes. Very nice and sweet on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

86 Ducru

Lunch at Petrus.

2017 Famille Bourgeois Sancerre Les Côtes aux Valets - really big nose of green apples, along with muscat grapes. So fragrant. Pretty ripe on the palate but still got acidity.

1986 Ducru-Beaucaillou - popped and poured without decanting. The nose was very open from the start, very smoky, a little bretty, earthy, woodsy. The fruit became more obvious after drinking some mushroom soup, and this was also minty. Drinking so, so well right now after almost 40 years.

Full post on lunch is here.

Dom and Sawanoi

Lunch at À Poêle.

Bernard Lonclas Blanc de Blancs, dégorgée le 23 Août 2023 - smooth and easy to drink, with acidity slightly higher from the chardonnay.

Dinner at Sushi Kumogaku.

2013 Dom Pérignon - the nose was really nice and toasty with lots of brioche, and the acidity on the palate was nice, too.

Hakuryu Shin (白龍 真) - very rich notes of fermented rice like Shanghainese 酒釀. Definitely on the sweet side.

Sawanoi Premium Daiginjo Koh (澤乃井 大吟醸 凰), R5BY - seimaibuai of 35%. Got some nice, starchy flavors, and certainly sweet on the nose. Very rich and viscous on the palate, but a bit more alcoholic than expected so it wasn't completely sweet, finishing a little dry instead.

Hanahato Kijoshu Oak Cask Aged (華鳩 貴醸酒オーク樽貯蔵) - very oaky and woodsy, and still rich although slightly diluted by the ball of ice.

Full post on dinner is here.

Krug and Huadiao

Dinner at a friend's place.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 162ème Édition, ID 414082 - started drinking after the wine has been open for more than 1 hour. Really lovely nose of Chinese salted plum. Initially this was served a little too cold, and the nose also showed a little minerality like Anjou pear. The acidity on the palate went up after the wine warmed up.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 4th generation, en demi-bouteille - the nose was much more salty with lots of minerals. Good acidity on the palate, and so very complex. Drinking very well now.

2013 Guigal Condrieu La Doriane - still got the floral notes with some flint and a bit of almond. Sipping after a taste of caviar really brought out oxidative flavors, and this became sweet but slightly bitter.

Wing Lee Wai 30 Year Huadiao (永利威三十年花雕) - very fragrant on the nose with both sweet and savory notes, nice and complex, sweeter and richer on the palate, but the finish wasn't very long.

ManSong Special Edition Light Huangjiu (慢宋•珍藏 清爽型黃酒) - the nose was more oxidized and clearly more dry and savory, and more similar to a Fino Sherry. not much sweetness on the palate, but showing umami instead.

Between Five Bells Yellow - really big and beautiful toasty nose thanks to the chardonnay, with a hint of pineapple. Really high and crisp acidity thanks to the savagnin. Really powerful and beautiful.