2012 Barde Haut

Drinking at home in Taipei.

2012 Barde Haut - started drinking 45 minutes after decanting. There was some sweetness on the palate. We've got a little smoke on the nose, definitely some woodsy notes, and some dried herbs.

2008 Pascal Doquet

Drinking at home in Taipei.

2008 Pascal Doquet Le Mont Aimé Cœur de Terroir, dégorgée 3 novembre 2021 - a little savory and mineral and very ripe on the nose. Ripe on the palate with very nice depth, and there's the acidity to balance the ripeness.

George and Super Pink

Drinking at my cousin's place.

2020 Frédéric Cossard Super Pink - definitely flinty, and we've got some savory minerals on the palate. Nice red fruits.

2008 George Pinot Noir Leras Vineyard - really sweet on the nose with red cherries, and definitely got that vanilla oak. Showed some leather notes later, and really fragrant with the woodsy notes.

2004 Turley

Drinking at home.

2004 Turley Zinfandel Old Vines - started drinking 45 minutes after decanting. This bottle was showing more age and more oxidation, and some alcohol on the nose as well as feeling a little 'hot' going down. Plummy nose with stewed prunes, sweet black fruits, and showing a little leather. Sweet on the palate, and very smooth and silky now. Still alive after 2 hours, and drinking so smoothly now.

MNSC dinner - Andō

MNSC dinner at Andō, hosted by me.

2013 Emmanuel Brochet Selected, dégorgée Novembre 2022 - a big and powerful wine. Very salty, even on the nose, like aged Comté or salty lemon.

First flight: served without decanting 2 hours and 10 minutes after opening.

2000 Dugat-Py Charmes-Chambertin - more depth and concentration on the palate. Much bigger and more open nose, lovely and fragrant. 95 points.

2000 Dugat-Py Mazis-Chambertin - some leather notes on the nose, plummy. Still got some tannins on the palate. Better with the second pour and more open after 20 minutes in glass. Initially the nose showed more oxidation but improved with the second pour. 94 points.

Second flight:

2000 Andréas - served without decanting almost 3 hours after opening. Nose was a little subdued but showed mint and anise notes. More than 3 hours after opening this started to show a little savory notes on the nose, like tea leaves. 92 points.

2000 Ducru-Beaucaillou - corked.

2000 Sine Qua Non In Flagrante - decanted 2 hours after opening and served another 2 hours later. This was sooo rich, sooo sweet on the nose. After 45 minutes in glass the wine showed some burnt rubber. Second pour nearly 5 hours after opening, this was sooo jammy and I love it. 97 points.

Third flight:

1976 Mouton-Rothschild - served without decanting 2 hours after opening. Really nice nose of smoke and cigar, loads of cedar and wood. This was really lovely for a while but suddenly the nose became muted. 94 points.

1988 Mouton-Rothschild - served without decanting 2 hours after opening. This was really showing beautifully with so much smoke and tobacco on the nose, along with cedar and woodsy notes, as well as a bit of coffee and a hint of sweet grass. A second pour half-hour later showed the wine continuing to open and spread its wings like a beautiful butterfly. 96 points.

2000 Mouton-Rothschild - decanted 1 hour after opening, and served another 3 hours later. This wine was clearly much more concentrated, more minty. A powerful and well-made wine, although admittedly not full-blown open yet some 5 hours after opening. 97 points.

Full post on dinner is here.

All the Chave

Dinner at Caprice featuring the wines of Jean-Louis Chave, with Jean-Louis in attendance.

2021 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc, en magnum - nose was nice and floral at first, with peachy and flinty notes giving way to some acetone. Very nice and smooth on the palate.

2013 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc, en magnum - showing a much bigger nose of acetone, with more tropical fruit like pineapple. Also bigger on the palate, too.

2009 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc, en magnum - this wine was so big now, with lots of honey and acetone on the nose. So rich and juicy! Beautiful!

2015 Jean-Louis Chave Saint-Joseph Clos Florentin, en magnum - served nearly 9 hours after opening. This has got a very big nose, with lots of eucalyptus, smoky, leather, very cool fruit, savory notes like sundried tomatoes, and floral notes like violet. Showing really beautifully. Second pour towards the end of dinner showed lots of metallic rust, pretty savory nose, and also soapy notes. What a lovely wine this was!

2000 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Rouge, en magnum - served 9 hours after opening. Nose of leather, savory and a little bretty, with a little hint of dust. Later showed some woodsy notes. Acidity was high on the palate with just a hint of tannis. Bottle was probably not in the best condition, so this was the most disappointing wine of the night.

1995 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Cuvée Cathelin - served almost 10 hours after opening. This was really big, but so elegant, so fragrant and floral, with leather, game, and a little smoky notes. Good acidity balance on the palate. There came a hint of sweet grass after some 40 minutes in the glass, and a little coffee after more than an hour in glass. Such a beautiful wine!

1998 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc - nose was showing beeswax and a little acetone. Very ripe on the palate together with cheese.

1997 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Vin de Paille, en demi-bouteille - a little sugar cane but not pure sugar cane juice, rather the Cantonese drink of sugar cane juice with water chestnuts and white grass root (竹蔗茅根). Really rich and sweet, like figs, and lots of honey on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sake and Italians

Dinner at DEN in Tokyo.

Ca' del Bosco Franciacorta Cuvée Prestige 46a Edizione - decent acidity on the palate. Pretty nice.

Houou Biden Black Phoenix Junmai Ginjoshu Muroka Honnama (鳳凰美田 純米吟醸酒 無濾過本生), 2024, from isshobin - very lovely fragrance, showing sweet rice lees on the nose.

2020 Sturm Andritz Bianco - the sauvignon blanc really shows through, with a little flint on the nose. Good acidity on the palate but not too lean or sharp.

Sara Usukiri Junmai Ginjo Muroka Genshu (彩來 うす霧 純米吟釀 無ろ過原酒), from isshobin - definitely fruity and sweet on the palate. Pretty soft and round on the palate, too.

Tedorigawa Junmai Daiginjo Muroka Genshu Hakusan Yamada Nishiki (手取川 純米大吟醸 無濾過原酒 白山市産山田錦) - nose of melon. Very clean on the palate, with a nice balance between sweet and dry.

Full post on dinner is here.

Selosse and Paillard

Dinner at Sushi Saito in Tokyo.

Jacques Selosse Version Originale, dégorgée 28 Octobre 2008 - the nose was wonderful, so fragrant, with a little toasty brioche. The wine was now mature and elegant, with good acidity on the palate but not sharp at all. Drinking so beautifully right now. Later on the nose was showing a little savory notes like Chinese salted plum, with a hint of minerals. Gotta give this at least 98 points or more as this wine was just so alluring.

1995 Bruno Paillard Nec Plus Ultra, bouteille n° 6253/9393, dégorgée en Octobre 2006 - this was soooo savory on the nose with the same Chinese salted plum, along with some aged tangerine peel. Definitely a shorter finish, and milder on the palate than expected. Still a very nice wine, but pales in comparison to the Selosse. About 90 minutes in the acidity on the palate was getting higher. Still very fresh and lively.

Full post on dinner is here.

Bijofu and Azumaichi

Drinking at Tamanegiya in Tokyo.

Bijofu Junmai Daiginjo Yumebakari (美丈夫 純米大吟醸 夢許), 2024, from isshobin - the nose was nice and fragrant, with a touch of sweet fermented rice lees, and a faint nose of banana, along with perhaps some muscat grapes. Pretty nice and elegant.

Saika Junmai Daiginjo Yamadanishiki (雑賀 純米大吟醸 山田錦), from isshobin - very sweet on the palate but slightly alcoholic and a tiny bit dry.

Azumaichi Junmai Daiginjo Shizukushibori Tobintori Show Selection (東一 純米大吟醸 雫搾り 斗瓶貯蔵 選抜酒), R5BY, from isshobin – the nose was really sweet, with lots of banana. On the palate this was sweet on the attack but turned dry in the second half.

Matsu no Tsukasa Daiginjo Junmai Shizuku Tobingako (松の司 大吟醸 純米しずく 斗瓶囲), 2007, from isshobin - really smooth and fresh for something of this age. Nice balance between somewhat sweet but then this was a bit dry later. So nice.

Henri Bonneau and friends

Dinner at YAKITORI MOE in Tokyo.

2017 Ultramarine Blanc de Blancs, disgorged November 16, 2021 - nose was very toasty and buttery.

2022 Yukidoke Shonai Pinot Gris - pretty fragrant on the nose.

2007 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape - drank about 1 hour after opening without decanting. Nice nose of prunes, spices, with meaty notes. Still got the tannins around but with good acidity balance.

2007 Henri Bonneau Réserve des Célestins - drank about 1½ hours after opening without decanting. The nose was definitely a little farmy but also more fragrant, more savory notes along with some leather. Tannins were very silky on the palate. More than 2 hours after opening the nose opened up and showed beautiful floral notes that reminded me of certain kinds of soap.

1998 Henri Bonneau Réserve des Célestins - drank a little before 2 hours after opening without decanting. The nose was definitely more fruity and sweet, but not quite to the level of being jammy. Sweet on the palate, too. This was rich and really lovely.

1986 Henri Bonneau Réserve des Célestins - Drank about 1½ hours after decanting. Definitely more farmy on the nose, but this wine was so elegant and lovely, very alluring.

Full post on dinner is here.