2014 Gantenbein Chard

Lunch at Petrus.

2014 Gantenbein Chardonnay - decanted just prior to serving.  Beautiful nose with toasty notes that wasn't overwhelming, like roasted corn with butter on top.  Creamy and buttery for sure.  Good acidity on the palate.  Beautiful and opulent.  Got more toasty as it opened up.

Full post on lunch is here.

Champagne at home

Dinner at a friend's home.

2007 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape - ripe fruit, prunes, leather, grilled meat, and almost a little coffee.

2011 Paul Déthune Cuvée à l'Ancienne, dégorgée en novembre 2017 - vanilla, caramelized nose.  Very ripe on the palate.

2009 Roses de Jeanne Les Ursules, dégorgée en juillet 2011 - floral notes here, like a light rosé wine.  Ripe and kinda sweet on the palate, very smooth, with plenty of depth on the palate.  A hint of bitterness here, but not bad.  Leaves lots of fragrance in the mouth, and almost like fermented lychees.  Beautiful.

Henri Giraud Hommage à François Hémart - nice and ripe on the nose, also ripe on the palate but plenty of acidity.  Some toasty notes.  Very long finish.

1997 Aldo Conterno Barolo - sweet fruit, bubble gum, banana, a little floral, potpourri, dried herbs.

70 BV and more

Dinner at a friend's home.

1996 Bruno Paillard Nec Plus Ultra, dégorgée en janvier 2009 - very, very ripe, very smooth with a long finish.  Slightly bitter at the end.  Delicious.

1996 Kistler Chardonnay Cuvée Cathleen - unfortunately this was long gone... much too oxidized and flat on the palate.  A shame.

1970 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve - decanted just before serving.  Still plenty of vanilla and coconut butter at first whiff, ripe and stewed prunes, later a little smoke.  Very smooth and silky on the palate.  Much later on it turned savory with black tea.

1996 Rayas - really sweet and jammy right off the bat, typical Rayas.  Then a little potpourri, forest, and some leather later.  Suddenly fell off a cliff less than an hour later.

1967 Kopke Colheita - smoky, nutty, sweet dates, and savory minerals.

Full post on dinner is here.

2010 Clos Floridene

Drinking at home.

2010 Clos Floridene Blanc - flinty, toasty, lemon.  Ripe on the palate but still got enough acidity for balance.  A little bitter on the finish.

Diel and Barton

Dinner at the Lobster Bar.

2001 Diel Cuvée Victor - an interesting blend of pinot gris and pinot blanc.  Nose was very floral, toasty, and a little honey.  Very lovely with a nice age on it, but not too oxidized.  A little flint, nice and buttery, and later on some stone fruit.  Good acidity on the palate.  Drinking beautifully.

2000 Léoville Barton - decanted one hour prior to serving.  Still tons of smoke and pencil lead.  Classic claret, with a decent amount of fruit.  Drinking very well.

Full post on dinner is here.

Tamanohikari Black Label

Dinner at Ishiyama.

Tamanohikari Black Label (玉乃光  純米大吟醸 Black Label) - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 35%, made with 100% Bizen Omachi (備前雄町). Initially served too warm, which made it spicy on the palate. Nose was slightly on the fermented side. When properly chilled this seemed slightly sweeter on the attack, and rather balanced on the palate with a long finish. Unfortunately somewhat one-dimensional. Not my style, and needs to be served pretty cold for my liking.

Full post on dinner is here.

2005 Girardin

Drinking at home.

2005 Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles - ripe and sweet on the palate.  Buttery with a little straw notes.

French wines with Indian food

Pop up dinner by The Bombay East Indian Girl at Test Kitchen.

Frédéric Lornet Crémant du Jura Brut NV - definitely plenty of red fruits, and also a little pungent.  Very easy to drink but with a little bitterness on the finish.

2016 Bechtold Gewurztraminer Obere Hund - very floral nose with lychee and honey.  Sweet on the attack but quickly changed to bitter mid-palate, thanks to being too ripe.  Almost like mango.  Kinda viscous, which helps coat the tongue and neutralizes the heat from spicy dishes.

2007 Josmeyer Pinot Gris "1854" Fondation - more plastic and polyurethane on the nose, oxidized, almost pineapple and kinda lychee, definitely tropical notes.  Also some minerals, and ripe on the palate.

2016 Valle Dell'Acate Il Frappato - MEH. Kinda flat on the palate.

2016 Château de Bastard, en demi-bouteille - very ripe and kinda alcoholic on the palate, with beeswax, ripe pineapple, and botrytis notes on the nose.

Full post on dinner is here.