2018 Monfalletto

Dinner at home in Taipei.

2018 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto - smoky nose with some cassis. Lighter on the palate.

The monster and chenins

Dinner at a friend's home.

2021 Thomas Batardière L'Esprit Libre - big nose of toast upfront. Good acidity on the palate, maybe a little on the lean side. Lots of flint on the nose, and very crispy on the palate. More than an hour after opening, we've also got green apple notes, too. Very enjoyable, just as one would expect from this wine.

2021 Pierre Menard Anjou Clos des Mailles - this was much bigger on the palate, fatter, richer, much more ripe and alcoholic than expected.

2021 L'Ange Vin L'Iris - this was a very interesting and complex wine. Strangely it smelled like yogurt with lactic acid,along with pineapple and other tropical fruits. There's good acidity on the palate with a long finish.

2022 Pierre Mang Le Parc Rouge, en magnum - opened at least a day before. The nose was really sweet, like juicy berries. Very fragrant with some dried herbs, and a little leather, too.

2004 Pax Syrah Cuvée Keltie - started drinking around 50 minutes after decanting. Still got that huge nose of ripe and jammy fruit, very metallic, and still alcoholic after mellowing out for 20 years. Still going strong after more than 3 hours in the decanter.

2003 Clos Mimi Étiquette Rose - this was sooooo ripe, sweet like cough syrup. Nose was pretty flinty, kinda like natural wine. After 1½ hours still going strong, still hot and alcoholic on the palate.

2020 Pierre Mang Coteaux du Layon Faye Cosmos - so rich, really sweet and ripe, so tropical, with apricot notes.

1985 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Rouge - popped and poured. The nose was really big and open, so fragrant, with lots of leather, a little smoky and wonderful toasty notes. There was also a little hint of farmy notes. The palate was on the light side, but it was all about that beautiful nose.

2003 Matriarch

Drinking at home.

2003 BOND Matriarch - started drinking 30 minutes after decanting. The nose was really ripe, and this was really smooth on the palate, which was a little sweet. The nose was so ripe it smelled like the skin of the Kyoho grape, but also more blueberry than other fruits. After one hour this was so fragrant, so open and opulent, with lovely cedar notes.

Ducru and Prüm

Lunch at Zhejiang Heen.

2009 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett - very nicely balanced between sweetness and acidity on the palate. Big nose of plastic and petrol, which was just classic.

2004 Ducru-Beaucaillou - started drinking about an hour after opening. Ripe fruit with nice woodsy notes on the nose. Also showed dried herbs and plenty of smoke.

Full post on lunch is here.

2003 Pax

Drinking at home.

2003 Pax Syrah Walker Vine Hill Vineyard - very fragrant nose of dried herbs, really sweet on the nose, almost like blueberry jam. Good acidity mid-palate and on the finish. After half an hour this was showing nice woodsy notes, and was really sweet on the palate.

Suminoe Something Four

Dinner at Hidden

Suminoe Junmai Ginjo Assemblage Something Four (墨廼江 純米吟醸 アッサンブラージュ Something Four), 2024 - seimaibuai of 55%. Balanced on the palate, not really sweet and slightly dry. Very fragrant in the mouth.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC dinner - Saffron

MNSC dinner at Saffron in the HKGTA Town Club, with Juliano hosting.

2007 Arnaud Ente Meursault Clos des Ambres - quickly double-decanted. Elegant and beautiful nose of lemon, and surprisingly not a lot of toasty notes. Good acidity and very fresh on the palate. About 45 minutes later there was more flint and toast on the nose, but not big and overpowering. Lovely.

First flight: served without decanting around 2 hours after opening.

1985 Georges Mugneret Ruchottes-Chambertin - very obvious nose of sweet grass, very fragrant nose with nice fruit, smoke, and leather. 92 points.

1985 DRC Échézeaux - showing more concentration on the nose, the wine seemed meatier, a hint more farmy and leather notes. Another 20 minutes in this was showing some coffee, fragrant and floral notes. A beautiful wine. 97 points.

1985 La Conseillante - lots of black pepper, a little grass, plenty of tobacco, savory notes like black tea. Some 4 hours after opening this was also showing some green pepper. Just beautiful. 98 points.

Second flight: served without decanting around 3 hours after opening.

1986 Henri Bonneau Réserve des Célestins - definitely very sweet honey on the nose like an old Sauternes, kinda exotic. Love this wine. 97 points.

1986 Lafleur - minty and cool, more subdued on the nose, more eucalyptus, and a bit savory. 94 points.

Full post on the dinner is here.

Hospices de Beaune

Drinking at home.

1995 Hospices de Beaune Corton Cuvée Charlotte Dumay, élevé par Dominique Laurent - started drinking 30 minutes after opening. Nice on the nose with ripe fruit, but the palate was kinda meh.

2010 Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Rousseau-Deslandes, mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour MNSC - big, toasty nose as usual, and this kept going for a long time. Also had nice and sweet fruit like blueberries. Lovely wine.

2005 Ponsot and Pax

Lunch at a friend's home.

2005 Ponsot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes - the nose was so fragrant, so fruity and juicy, and so lovely. With notes of leather, too. While the nose was extremely alluring, the palate unfortunately dropped off fairly quickly.

1967 Gordon and McPhail Connoisseurs Choice Glenugie, bottled in 1995 - the nose was on the sweet and fruity side, reasonably elegant.

Bowmore 21 Years, Distilled in 1974 - this was definitely more peaty and the alcohol really was more sharp.

Suntory President's Choice - back to sweetness, more caramel on the nose.

Drinking at home.

2005 Pax Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard The Terraces - an immediate hit of the jammy nose while decanting. The nose was so sweet, very fragrant, with leather and woodsy notes, and so floral that was almost violet. The profile was definitely more Rhône and Côte-Rôtie thanks to the 3% viognier that was co-fermented. The nose was just beautiful after 30 minutes, with eucalyptus now coming out. Really lovely and floral on the palate now, too.

2008 Pascal Doquet

Drinking at home in Taipei to ring in the new year.

2008 Pascal Doquet Le Mont Aimé Cœur de Terroir, dégorgée 3 novembre 2021 - the nose was definitely showing lots of savory minerals, just like a few days ago. The acidity on the palate was on the high side, and it was quite big on the palate. The finish was a little tart and bitter.