Ponet-Canet and Matriarch

Dinner at The Chairman.

2009 Pontet-Canet - starting drinking 45 minutes after double-decanting. Pretty nice and open now, with woodsy notes and cigar smoke on the nose after 1 hour. Really fragrant and drinking very well right now.

2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese - big nose of petrol with white flowers. I still like the sweetness level here.

2003 BOND Matriarch - started drinking about 2½ hours after double-decanting. Very minty on the nose, with smoky and leather notes. Pretty sweet with black fruits on the palate. Very silky smooth now but still got that wonderful concentration. Such a pleasure to drink.

2006 La Magia Brunello di Montalcino - smoky with nose of dried herbs, a little wood, and a little sweet fruit.

Full post on dinner is here.

70 Latour and Henin

Dinner at Locanda.

Pascal Henin L'Appel de la Forêt, dégorgée à 11 Octobre 2022 - the non-vintage version, which was different from the bottle of 2014 I tasted 2 months ago. Nice and toasty on the nose, and also a bit oily. There was a decent amount of depth on the palate, with good acidity.

Romain Henin Galip'ette, dégorgée à 10 Mai 2023 - the nose was pretty sugary, a little caramelized, with a hint of sugar cane. The palate did have the acidity, and was a little sharp on the attack but then softened up a little. For some reason the nose reminded me of kir royale, and there was a shade of cough syrup, too...

1970 Latour - mid-shoulder level. Tasted almost 1½ hours after opening and just after decanting. CORKED. Got that green vegetal and wet cardboard nose. Still corked an hour later. It was drinkable with smoke and a bit of grilled meats on the nose. Showed some graphite notes about 5 hours after opening. But what a disappointment!

2007 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin - got that acidity I expected from Barolo. Interestingly the color of the wine was lighter than the Latour nearly 40 years older! Smoky nose with some nice fruits.

Full post on dinner is here.

Pinots for mushroom

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2009 Dom Pérignon Rosé - very nice nose of strawberries, nice and toasty, so refreshing.

Kamoshibito Kuheiji Inoné 5 Stars (醸し人九平次 いのね 5つ星), 2022 - this had a HUGE nose, really rich in starchy rice and very sweet. The attack was fresh and fruity but there is much more depth mid-palate and turns a bit dry on the finish. Really good shit.

2018 Gonet-Médeville Ambonnay Cuvée Athénaïs, en magnum - started drinking some 50 minutes after opening. Really nice and fruity on the nose, with eucalyptus, pine needles, and a bit of woodsy fragrance.

2005 Faiveley Mazis-Chambertin - started drnking about 2 hours after opening. Nose of leather with a bit of funk, maybe a little sulfur.

2004 Kistler Pinot Noir Cuvée Catherine - first tasted just before we got to 2 hours after opening. Surprisingly big and toasty nose. Obviously the fruit was very sweet and ripe. Still going strong after another half-hour. This was fairly different from the two previous bottles I had opened in the past, and this was much more masculine and in-your-face, without the elegance I was expecting.

Full post on dinner is here.

04 Pax

Drinking at home.

2004 Pax Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard - decanted 50 minutes after opening and served. Notes of blueberries and blackberries were really fragrant, and woodsy notes like cedar were well-integrated. Very ripe and almost jammy fruit. It's amazing that tannins were still here after 20 years. About 2½ there was plenty of mint and eucalyptus, and this was still fragrant more than 3 hours after opening, with a smoky nose showing grilled meats and leather. Drinking really well.

Sake in Osaka

Dinner at Higashichaya Nakamura in Osaka.

Suzuki Shuzou Nagai Kura Junmai Ginjo Yomigaeru (鈴木酒造 長井蔵 純米吟醸 甦る), R6BY - seimaibuai of 55%. Sweet on the palate, but the finish was long and spicy.

Haneya Junmai Ginjo Hattannishiki Namashu (羽根屋 純米吟醸 八反錦 生酒), 2025 - seimaibuai of 60%. This was much nicer, round on the palate and also a bit sweeter.

Yamakawa Mitsuo Natsu (山川光男 なつ), 2025 - seimaibuai of 50%. There was a lot more character and depth on the palate here, and not as sweet.

Full post on dinner is here.

Daimon sake tasting

Tasting at Daimon Brewery in Osaka-fu, hosted by Toji Daimon Yasutaka.

Daimon Rikyubai Tokubetsu Junmai Seizanryokusui (大門利休梅 特別純米 青山緑水) - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 60%. I could definitely taste the alcohol, and there's that starchy rice flavor. This was simple and more dry on the palate.

Daimon Rikyubai Junmai Ginjo Shizuka (大門利休梅 純米吟醸　静香) - seimaiuai of 55%. This was certainly more fragrant on the nose, and for some reason it smelled of adzuki bean paste. Sweeter and more rounded on the palate.

Daimon Rikyubai Junmai Daiginjo Hanzaemon (大門利休梅 純米大吟醸　半左衛門) - seimaibuai of 50%. This was darker in color. Definitely more complex, savory and umami on the nose, with more fermented flavors. Still got some sweetness on the palate along with that savory profile. My favorite of the range.

Daimon 55 Junmai Ginjo (大門 55純米吟醸) - seimaibuai of 55%. Cleaner and sweeter on the palate, but turns dry mid-palate to the finish. Also smelling like adzuki beans to me...

Daimon 45 Junmai Daiginjo (大門 45純米大吟醸) - seimaibuai of 45%. WHY DOES EVERYTHING SMELL LIKE ADZUKI BEANS TODAY???　Definitely sweet on the nose.

Daimon 35 Junmai Daiginjo (大門 35純米大吟醸) - seimaibuai of 35%. This was the sweetest and most sugary. Someone said it was like strawberry shortcake...

Daimon flower yeast sake - a very special brew made in a tiny amount using yeast extracted from the flowers of the pearlbush on the family estate. This came from the tobin as it hasn't been bottled... This was much sweeter on the nose and the palate. Really smooth. Really elegant and beautiful.

Daimon Rikyubai Tokubetsu Honjozo Iwafune (大門利休梅 特別本醸造 磐船) - seimaibuai of 60%. Definitely more alcoholic, more basic and simple. In comparison to the others, this seemed rather crude - which it was meant to be.

70 Biondi-Santi

Dinner at Ta Vie.

2015 Mumm RSRV Blanc de Blancs, dégorgée en Decembre 2022 - got a nice and toasty nose, with a good balance on the palate where the acidity was slightly higher than expected but the wine was still rounded on the palate.

1970 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - served without decanting. Initially this was OK but after 20 minutes this was starting to fade in the glass, with a short finish. Nose was fairly woodsy but it wasn't cedar, and there were stewed black fruits. After about 30 minutes the nose was more open with more woodsy fragrance. After 1 hour this was not as good as before, with the acidity higher on the palate and the wine starting to feel a little thin. Not as good as the other bottle I opened 4 years ago.

Full post on dinner is here.

All Aussie

Dinner at Ming Court in Wanchai.

2021 Bellebonne Natalie Fryar Vintage Rose - nose was kinda muted, although some would call it 'pretty'... with a little flint but not too heavy, along with some red fruits.

2023 Silkman Semillon Blackberry Vineyard - nose was big and punchy, with big, powerful flint, more mineral. Lean and thin on the palate, but the acidity came out on the finish and this got grippy at the end.

Chardonnay flight:

2023 Mayer Chardonnay - really big and oaky nose, very punchy. Nutty with coffee and flint. On the palate, though, this was much more muted and mild than expected. Light and with a short finish. The acidity was not high at all, with some lemon.

2022 Place of Changing Winds Larderdark Chardonnay - the nose was big and fragrant, felt more opulent, toasty, nutty, and rich, with some white flowers.

2019 Sorrenberg Chardonnay - this was the most vanilla and buttery, and also flinty.

2020 Tony Bish Zen Chardonnay -this was the one with the most punchy nose, got the biggest toast, with some butter underneath. This was actually mostly lean on the nose, but on the palate it was softer than expected... starting out lean but also a little rounded.

Pinot noir flight:

2024 Dr Mayer Pinot Noir - definitely got that bubblegum nose, and a bit earthy. Lighter than expected.

2022 Place of Changing Winds Pinot Noir Between Two Mountains - this was more minty, with cooler fruit, along with a little farmy notes. Good concentration here and really nice.

2023 Aphelion Rapture - nose was like cherry-flavored cough syrup. Didn't like this. There was a bit of leather and dried herbs which reminded me of some Italian wines.

2023 Aphelion Brini - this had a bigger nose, very minty, and really smelled like cough syrup.

Shiraz flight:

2022 Piggs Peake House of Bricks Shiraz - this was such a classic Aussie shiraz with lots of vanilla, lots of oak, and was just really big and punchy.

2021 Place of Changing Winds Harcourt Syrah - this was more open and fragrant, with really woodsy and cedar notes, and also plenty of juicy fruit.

2012 Torbreck Run Rig - nose was showing plenty of vulcanized rubber and some eucalyptus.

2021 Standish Lamella - really sweet on the nose with dried herbs.

Full post on dinner is here.