Cali night

Dinner at a friend's home.

2008 Dashe Zinfandel Todd Brothers Ranch Old Vines - decanted for a short while before serving. Earthy nose with cooked fruit, really sweet and jammy on the palate. There was also a little savory soy sauce on the nose.

2001 Arietta H-Block Hudson Vineyards - started drinking more than 1 hour after opening without decanting. Very nice and minty, very fragrant and sooo sweet on the nose... almost jammy with vanilla notes. A little hot and alcoholic on the palate.

2003 BOND Matriarch - decanting just before serving. Very sweet on the palate but still got the acidity for balance, A little mushroom and green capsicum on the nose, which was unexpected.

2017 Brane-Cantenac

Dinner at Born and Bred in Seoul.

2017 Brane-Cantenac - this was such a classic claret, with a nose that was smoky and a little earthy. Kinda OK on the palate now after a few years, but still a little young and I could taste the oak.

Full post on dinner is here.

de Chanceny Crémant

Buffet dinner at King Sejong Memorial Hall in Seoul.

de Chanceny Crémant de Loire Brut

Full post on the wedding is here.

Sinzero and Cirillo

Lunch at Eatanic Garden in Seoul.

Eatanig Garden Sunny (맑음) - OK lah...

Eatanic Garden Cloudy (흐림) - nice balance with the acidity, and not too sweet.

2021 Sinzero Cabernet Sauvignon - couldn't get too much out of the nose, but there was some fruit... Acidity on the high side and not much tannins.

2017 Cirillo Grenache 1850 Ancestor Vine - plenty of sweet fruit on the nose. Light and delicate on the palate, but not too complex.

Full post on lunch is here.

Korean wine pairing

Lunch at Onjium in Seoul.

Omynara Mungyeong Baram Oak 40% (오미나라 문경바람 오크 40%)

Wink Sour Mead

These two were mixed together. I could definitely taste the alcohol but also the apple flavors were distinctive.

Ellyeop Pyunjoo Cheongju (一葉平舟 / 일엽편주 청주) - good acidity, nice fruitiness, too, but not really sweet on the palate. A hint of bitterness on the palate but only just a little. I guess this is a yakju (약주) after all.

Gyeongju Beopju Choteuksun 21% (慶州法酒 超特選 21%) - equivalent of a 21% seimaibuai. This was kinda like sake, but not quite. A little sweeter on the palate.

Housemade mulberry rice wine - nice fruity notes.

Pungjeon Sagye Autumn (풍정사계 秋) - very enjoyable with light sweetness but not fizziness.

Chusa 40 degree Apple Brandy (추사 40도 사과브랜디) - we had a small taste with our meat dish. Didn't bother to dilute it with ice...

Full post on lunch is here.

2022 Rabichattes Pouilly-Fumé

Dinner at 7th Door in Seoul.

2022 Rabichattes Pouilly-Fumé Les Grands Champs - nose was a little flinty, fruity. This was fairly ripe for its age. Unfortunately this was just so flat and boring on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sine Qua Non night

Dinner at Jiangsu Club.

2004 Sine Qua Non The Rejuvenators - 56% roussanne, 24% viognier, and 20% chardonnay. The nose was very oxidized, very ripe, and in fact over-ripe. Very fragrant, though, and I could almost smell some almonds along with Chinese angelica. Definitely very hot on the palate, but also somewhat rounded. The finish was slightly bitter when the wine warmed up. There was definitely cork taint here, and it became more obvious about 45 minutes after opening.

1998 Sine Qua Non Backward and Forward - 40% chardonnay, 30% roussanne, 30% viognier. This was obviously more mature, with more oxidation leading to a nutty nose. As the wine opened up the nose got more and more fragrant, with marzipan and a little flint. Still got the acidity on the palate, which was pretty nice.

Bought from Sotheby's for HKD 2,893.

2005 Sine Qua Non Over and Out - 100% pinot noir. This was sooo nice, so fragrant and almost floral, with lovely spices and eucalyptus notes.

2009 Sine Qua Non Turn the Whole Thing Upside Down - 84% grenache, 11% syrah, 5% mourvedre. Still got the tannins on the palate but this was softer now.

2005 Sine Qua Non The Naked Truth - 90% grenache and 10% syrah. This was bigger on the palate, felt thicker and more viscous, but just felt the concentration of the wine without the tannins.

Bought from Sotheby's for USD 625.

1999 Sine Qua Non The Marauder - 100% syrah. This was pretty fragrant with lots of sweet fruit. Really smooth on the palate now, although not quite silky yet.

2004 Sine Qua Non Poker Face - 96% syrah, 2.5% mourvedre, 1.5% viognier. This wine was more upfront and lively, and very enjoyable.

2008 Sine Qua Non The Duel Syrah - 93% syrah, 4% grenache, 3% viognier. Good concentration here, but this was the least enjoyable of the three syrahs.

Full post on dinner is here.

Penfolds and Clos Mimi

Dinner at Neighborhood.

Egly-Ouriet Brut Rosé Grand Cru, dégorgée en Novembre 2014 - this has some nice age to it, so it's got plenty of complexity and that savory profile I love so much. Such a treat.

1981 Penfolds Grange, re-corked August 22, 2025 - this was the bottle that was deemed "sub-standard" at the Penfolds Re-corking Clinic, so I figured I'd bring it out and drink it with a couple of Grange lovers. We opened it and decanted it after about 30 minutes, and the nose was definitely still pretty fragrant, with plenty of coconut butter I love so much.

Bought from Sotheby's for HKD 3,100.

2023 Yukidoke Shonai Blanc, from half-bottle - a curious blend of about a dozen grape varietals. In addition to the main ones like Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, and Riesling, there was also Gewurztraminer... which explained why it was so tropical with prominent lychee notes. Very ripe and very sweet on the palate.

2003 Clos Mimi Syrah Brave Oak Vineyard - this has clearly aged and mellowed, and no longer as vibrant as it was in its youth. A little disappointing, to be honest.

Bought from the winery for USD 50 plus tax.

Full post on dinner is here.