Whites for Chinese

Dinner at Lung King Heen.

2008 R. Pouillon Chemin du Bois, dégorgée en 3ème trimestre 2016 - a lovely blanc de noirs with a nose that seemed fairy mature, nice and interesting and full of character.  Good acidity at the beginning, but palate was very short when it warmed up in the glass.

2007 Arietta On The White Keys - decanted upon opening.  Surprising how dry it was on the palate at first.  Highly aromatic nose, with acetone and almonds.  Gradually developed toasty notes and became ripe and sweeter on the palate.

1989 von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett - beautiful nose with polyurethane petrol, and a little white flowers.  Relatively dry on the palate with surprisingly crisp acidity, but still remains an off-dry wine.

2009 Ca' D'Gal Moscato d'Asti Vigna Vecchia - viscous consistency, mild and sweet on the palate, almost like drinking a slushie that has melted... Minty, almost menthol, with very light peachy flavors.

Full post on dinner is here.

Doisy-Daëne and Azumaichi

Dinner at Tasting Court.

2009 Doisy-Daëne Sec - toasty, flinty, with some green apple.

Azumaichi Junmai Daiginjo Shizukushibori (東一  純米大吟醸  雫搾り) - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 39%.  Very sweet on the nose, very floral and fragrant with fermented rice notes.  Initially served very cold, so it was light on the attack at first, then gradually built up after warming a little.  Later on slightly sweet on the attack then turns dry.

Full post on dinner is here.

Clos Floriden Blanc

Drinking at home.

2009 Clos Floriden Blanc - very oxidized and mature, showing marmalade, pretty oaky, and a little dirty nose.  A little bitter on the palate.

82 Latour à Pomerol and Alfred Gratien

Dinner at Amber.

Alfred Gratien Brut - nose very caramelized, quite mineral.  Very full on the palate, with very high acidity and a grippy finish.  Definitely showing the meunier side.

1982 Latour à Pomerol - opened an hour and 45 minutes prior to serving without decanting.  Wonderful nose showing smoky, tobacco, pencil lead, and fragrant woodsy notes, with some sweet fruit underneath.  Good acidity on the back end.  The wine drank very well but peaked somewhere between 2½ and 3 hours.

Full post on dinner is here.

2009 Rollan de By

Drinking at home.

2009 Rollan de By - minty, smoky, black fruits, with a little cedar.

Dewazakura Manrei

Dinner at Hidden.

Dewazakura Daiginjo Manrei (出羽桜  大吟醸  万禮), BY25, from isshobin (一升瓶) - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 25%.  This has been aged for about 3 years before release, which explains how smooth, rounded, and viscous it tasted on the palate.  Initially just slightly sweet and a little dry on the finish, this later became much sweeter.  Very delicious.

Full post on dinner is here.

Ganevat, Ostertag, and Antinori

Dinner at The Chairman.

2014 Ganevat Les Chamois du Paradis - good acidity here, almost a little fuzzy on the palate, and definitely not 'clean'.  Flinty.

2008 Ostertag Fronholz Gewurztraminer Vendages Tardives - lots of lychee, peaches, honey, and floral notes, with a little flint.  Very sweet on the palate.

1997 Guado Al Tasso - classic claret nose, with smoky, minty, and a little bit of earthy notes, along with sweet fruit.  Drinking really well just after popping the cork.

Full post on dinner is here.

A very long day

Drinks at a kiddie birthday party.

1988 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin La Grande Dame - very savory nose with lots of salty plum.

1990 Deutz Cuvée William Deutz, en magnum - very soft and caramelized nose.  Drinking very well.

2006 Biserno - lots of vanilla and toasty oak.  Very nice.

1997 Sandrone Le Vigne, from magnum - from decanter.  Very sweet and fruity... almost exotic like jack fruit.  Strangely also a little plastic.

1983 La Mission Haut-Brion - very classic claret nose, with lots of smoke and sweet, green grass, pretty bretty and animal.  Drinking beautifully.

1982 Trotanoy - beautiful nose with smoky and coffee notes.

2001 Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet - beautiful nose, very toasty and flinty.  Mature and rounded on the palate.

Drinks at home with friends.

2012 Dujac Morey-Saint-Denis Blanc - very heavy toast on the nose, almost a little unpleasant in the Zalto Burgundy glass.  But good acidity and nice balance.

Bijoufu Yuzu Liqueur (美丈夫ゆず), from isshobin - always fragrant, with sweetness cut down with crushed ice.

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2000 Chartogne-Taillet - nose was very caramelized and oxidized, with savory minerals.

2012 Lucien Le Moine Corton Blanc - showeing really beautiful toasty nose, with lots of flint.

1985 Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde - nice and mature, showing good amount of sweet fruit, leather, and animal notes.

1997 Jaboulet La Chapelle - nice and smooth now, with good concentration and a bit of leather.

1993 Royal Tokaji Company Tokaji Aszu Essencia - throwing off an unbelievable amount of sediment.  Incredibly unctuous and viscous.  Really rich, with tons of honey and dried tangerine peel, and surprisingly high acidity to balance out the sugars.