Penfolds and Wendouree

Dinner at Neighborhood.

1999 Howard Park Chardonnay - this was really nice and buttery. Ripe on the palate but still got a good amount of acidity, with a little bit of bitterness on the finish. Drinking so well now.

1996 Wendouree Shiraz Mablec - the nose was so fragrant, a bit smoky, with exotic spices like anise. Very nice and soft on the palate now, very silky, and not at all diluted or weak. So happy I got a chance to taste this.

1981 Penfolds Grange - started drinking 1½ hours after opening without decanting. This has opened up nicely, showing the coconut butter along with oak, leather, and gamey notes. So classic. Drinking so well at 45 years of age.

2002 Penfolds Bin 707 - started drinking more than 2 hours after opening without decanting. There was a slight hint of metallic nose, sweet fruit, some green capsicum, and a hint of savory notes. Very nice and smooth on the palate.

1996 d'Arenberg Riesling The Noble, from half-bottle - classic honey, honeydew melon, marmalade, saffron, orange blossom, and even a hint of coconut butter.

Full post on dinner is here.

Dufour and Ganevat

Dinner at Hoper's Base.

Patagonia Yamamori (パタゴニアやまもり) 2024 - seimaibuai of 85%. Initially served under-chilled, and both the nose as well as the palate was showing fermented notes.

Bulles de Comptoir par Charles Dufour #13 Cuisine du Dimanche, dégorgée Octobre 2025 - this was bit metallic, kinda like French apple cider. Very strange.

2018 Ganevat Les Varrons Vieilles Vignes - served 20 minutes after opening. This was much riper than expected, with the nose more caramelized, but still a bit flinty and mineral. This, too, was approaching cider level, but not quite.

2002 Kongsgaard Syrah - this was in the decanter for about 10 minutes before pouring back into the bottle. The nose was very ripe and sweet while decanting, which was just as I expected. But some 50 minutes after initial opening the nose was more stewed fruits, showing more maturity than expected. We still got the leather on the nose, and surprisingly still kinda alcoholic on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Yquem tasting

Tasting of wines from Château d'Yquem at Hong Kong Wine Vault, with Thomas Robert and Louis Valette from the château.

It was a great chance to taste the trio of recent vintages. We were told that the 2021 was on the lighter side, 2022 on the rich side, and the 2023 was a nice balance between the two.

2023 Yquem - very floral, lots of lychee, so much saffron and honey, as well as apricot. This was so fragrant and beautiful.

2022 Yquem - more acetone and a bit sharper on the nose at first, maybe even a little waxy. Still got the floral, saffron notes. It was also very much richer and sweeter on the palate, very big on the palate, and sooo unctuous.

2021 Yquem - this was a bit leaner on the nose, with some vanilla and bubblegum, orange blossom water, saffron, honey, and a hint of acetone. Not so sweet on the palate and came with a little bit of bitterness on the finish, like marmalade.

2017 Ygrec, en magnum - very flinty on the nose, plenty of pipi de chat. Good acidity on the palate with a long finish. This was a little on the warm side, and tasted thick and tannic on the palate.

2007 Yquem - nice and rich, but not as big as the 2022. I do love that classic honey, saffron, and apricot blend.

Prüm and Pontet-Canet

Dinner at The Chairman.

2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese - nice, classic nose with petrol and "truffle". Just a tad of sweetness to make the palate rounder.

2009 Pontet-Canet - decanted just before serving. Minty and smoky nose, with sweet and ripe black fruits. The became very nice and open after an hour in the decanter, with more fragrant, woodsy notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

Isojiman Tokubetsu Honjozo

Dinner at Torikaze.

Isojiman Tokubetsu Honjozo Tokusen (磯自慢 特別本醸造特撰) - seimaibuai of 60%. Nose with a little rich rice starch with some banana notes. Definitely more dry on the palate, with sharper alcohol.

Full post on dinner is here.

Avani and Yokel

Drinking at home.

2020 Dormilona Yokel Grenache - fruity nose with lots of berries and red fruits. This was lighter on the palate, with decent levels of acidity.

Bought from Oz Terroirs for HKD 150.

2019 Avani Syrah The Earth - started drinking after 1 hour in the decanter. The nose was very ripe and jammy, so sweet, with vanilla and also definitely coconut butter, and some blueberries. The palate was more acidic, though. Surprised that this tasted more Aussie compared to the 2017 I tasted a couple of years ago. The nose was also smoky, with bacon and game meats.

Bought from Oz Terroirs for HKD 398.

2021 Dormilona Cab

Drinking at home.

2021 Dormilona Cabernet Sauvignon - started drinking 40 minutes after opening. This was sooo young, with lots of oak on the nose. It was a little rough around the edges, and a little sharp on the nose. An hour after opening this wine was very, very sweet, with tons of vanilla.

Bought from Oz Terroirs for HKD 238.

Bijofu Éclat

Dinner at Sushi Kumogaku.

2020 Bijofu Yumebakari Éclat (美丈夫 夢許 Éclat 2020), bottle No.141 - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 30%. This is a tobingakoi (斗瓶囲い) and aged for 5 years at 1°C.　Definitely sweet on the palate, with a nose that was very much banana and floral. Funny that I thought the nose "smelled cloudy". This had the complexity that reflects its age. After the crab this tasted a little alcoholic and dry. Changed a little bit after about 30 minutes, and the nose smelled a little more fermented and savory. About an hour in, the banana came back on the nose, and as the temperature warmed up it tasted more dry on the finish. A wonderful sake.

Bought from Hasegawa for JPY 55,000.

Full post on dinner is here.