2004 Mordorée CDP

Dinner at La Maison.

2004 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Reine des Bois - lots of leather, animal, a bit of smoke, and cassis. Pretty fragrant on the nose, and sweet on the palate with juicy fruit. Definitely a little rustic on the nose. More than an hour after decanting it became a little more open, and then showed a little bit of farmy notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

40-year old Napa

Dinner at the Fortune Room at the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

2021 Chacra Chardonnay - a little riper on the palate than expected, but there's still decent acidity on the palate and also on the finish.

1984 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve - plenty of vanilla on the nose, but there was also a hint of dust so not the cleanest. Also got notes of leather, and the fruit seemed lightly stewed. Not bad, but also not so fresh and lively.

1984 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - this was fresher in terms of condition, with plenty of mint, and also a little green pepper like shishito. More concentration on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Peyre Rose and more

Dinner at the Amex Centurion Gala.

Ruinart Blanc de Blancs - decent acidity on the palate, not as bland as I remembered from drinking many bottles. The nose was actually perfumed, and it wasn't even from the room.

2021 Alain Chavy Bourgogne Chardonnay - some elegant toasty notes on the nose, with a bit of lemon. Interesting that it almost smelled like Champagne.

2021 Coudoulet de Beaucastel - initially the nose seemed a little chalky, but this faded and the nose was almost a little floral.

Drinks at Roucou.

2013 Peyre Rose Les Cistes - this was reall fragrant, a little pungent with earthy tones. A little bongwater-like but I loved the sweet and ripe fruit as well as those floral notes. I could still feel the tannins on the palate a little bit. Later on this showed minty and really nice, toasty notes, and something that wasn't quite coffee-like, but this was so nice.

Full post on the evening is here.

Muted Cali

Dinner at Hong Kong Cuisine 1983.

2022 Sine Qua Non Distenta IV White - 32.0% Roussanne, 30.0% Gelber Muskateller, 15.0% Chardonnay, 13.0% Petit Manseng and 10.0% Viognier. The nose was really ripe and sweet, with tons of lychees and very floral. Also really ripe on the palate, too. Showed some acetone notes, and about an hour after opening the nose also brought some vanilla and almond notes. Incredibly aromatic wine, but I wasn't expecting this level of ripeness so young.

2004 Kistler Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Vineyard Cuvée Elizabeth - incredibly disappointing bottle. First problem was that the restaurant staff poured the entire bottle into the decanter - including all the sediment. Well... that pretty much fucking defeats the whole point of decanting a 20-year-old bottle! The wine also was pretty muted on the nose. Yes, there were notes of plum and leather, but it was not singing as I expected it would. There was a little more wood coming out after about an hour, but the wine remained disappointing.

1993 Colgin Herb Lamb Vineyard - decanted about 2 hours after opening, and started drinking after 1½ hours in the decanter. Nose was showing mint, some smoke, and some black fruits. Pretty smooth on palate after more than 30 years, with a good acidity balance. After half an hour this was showing more fragrant, woodsy notes, then the nose turned a little savory and started to veer off course with a hint of brett. Nice, but I had hoped for better.

1998 Dominus - started drinking after 2 hours in the decanter. There was a hint of dust to start, with a bit of smoke, and pencil lead. Yes, there were still cassis and plum on the nose, but the style is surely not the typical Napa cab... but showing cooler fruit instead.

Full post on dinner is here.

Pegau Lône

Drinking at home.

2022 Château Pégau Côtes-du-Rhône Cuvée Lône - pretty ripe on the nose, with ripe peaches, a bit metallic, a bit acetone. Pretty grippy on the palate, especially on the finish.

Henin and Araujo

Lunch at Restaurant Petrus.

2014 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs - initially the nose was rather muted, or perhaps it was actually 'elegant'? With a little minerals. The acidity was really nice on the palate, with good depth and a long finish.

2014 Pascal Henin L'apelle de la Forêt, dégorgée 15 Decembre 2020 - this was very different from the Delamotte. The nose was very open and fragrant, with more woodsy notes, followed by citrus and marmalade. Good dose of acidity on the palate without being too sharp. Very enjoyable.

2002 Araujo Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard - drank about 2 hours after decanting, but really not sure why most of the sediment was poured into the decanter. The wine was soooo fragrant, with mint, pencil lead, and sweet cassis notes. Later on we also got smoky and savory mineral notes on the nose. The wine was riper and sweeter on the palate than expected based on previous experience.

2005 Yquem - classic nose of honey, safron, apricot, acetone, and beeswax.

Drinks at the Lobster Bar.

2019 Penfolds Bin 704 - very ripe nose with lots of cooked fruit, obviously very hot, and pretty minty. Surprising this also got a little more acidity on the palate than expected.

2008 Lynch-Bages - I actually haven't tasted this wine since the en primeur season at the château. Initially the nose was more muted, with some smoke and a hint of sweet grass. Then we got some oak and meaty notes, pencil lead, and was showing a little of the savory profile.

Full post on lunch and drinks is here.

Amour and Clos Ste Hune

Dinner at Spring Moon.

2013 Amour de Deutz - this had some nice depth on the palate, and the nose really showed some lovely toasty notes after it opened up.

2009 Lucien Le Moine Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets - the nose was very fragrant, elegant, almost floral, with a light hint of leather. On the palate, though, it's got a real meaty flavor.

1990 Trimbach Clos Sainte Hune - the nose was soooo beautiful, with "white truffle" as Jean Trimbach would call it. There was also some wonderful marmalade, but on the palate now it's kinda bitter and tart. Not as "fresh" and lively as some of the other bottles I've had, although it has been a few years since my last one.

Full post on dinner is here.

Lahaye and Diebolt

Lunch at Forum Restaurant.

Diebolt-Vallois Blanc de Blancs, dégorgée en 2022 - very nicely balanced and quite easy on the palate.

Benoît Lahaye Rosé de Macération, dégorgée en Mars 2023 - I loooove rosé Champagne like this. The nose was so fragrant and fruity, full of juicy strawberries.

Full post on lunch is here.