Dassai Beyond and Ishidaya

Dinner at Sushi Imamura.

Dassai Beyond (獺祭 磨き その先へ), BY 26 - seimaibuai (精米歩合) not disclosed.  Good depth of flavors, medium dry with long finish.  Nose was rich in fermented rice notes.  Very clean.

Kokuryu Daiginjo Junmaishu Ishidaya (黒龍 大吟醸純米酒 石田屋), BY 27 - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 35%.  Pretty smooth and soft, much lighter on the palate at first.  Slight hint of dryness and a bit dry on the finish.  After warming up this was much better, with a lot more depth.

Full post on dinner is here.

Rolf Binder Hubris

Drinking at home.

2005 Rolf Binder Hubris - initially too cold when decanted, showing leather notes.  Silky smooth on the palate with plenty of concentration and medium length.  One hour later showed smoky notes and aromatics emerged, and after warming up the wine packed a real alcoholic punch - displaying vanilla, marzipan, and cedar notes.  Two hours later a little chocolate also came out. 

Arnaud Ente and Artadi

Dinner at Ronin.

2014 Arnaud Ente Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Les Referts - nice and toasty, buttery, beautiful.

1998 Artadi Grandes Añadas - sweet nose, a little vanilla, a little smoky.  Opened up nicely after 1½ hours.

Full post on dinner is here.

02 Cos and 85 Madeleine Collignon

Drinking at Sotheby's auction.

2002 Cos d'Estournel - nice and easy to drink.  Fragrant, woody nose, smoky, and almost a little chocolate.  Still a little tannic.

Drinking at home.

1985 Hospices de Beaune Mazis-Chambertin Cuvée Madeleine-Collignon par Bouchard - very ripe nose with stewed prunes, leather, smoky, a hint of chalk.  Opened up nicely an hour in the decanter.

94 DRC Echzeaux and friends

Dinner at Xin Rong Ji.

Henri Guiraud Fût de Chêne MV10, dégorgée le 18 Novembre 2016 - yeasty, ripe, somewhat floral.  Nice.

Jacques Selosse Rosé, dégorgée le 11 Mai 2010 - very ripe and more oxidized as expected, yeasty.  Good depth on the palate and long finish.

2014 Josmeyer Fleur de Lotus - very floral and tropical nose with sweet lychee, elegant on the nose.  But a little hot on the palate, and also overripe with a slight bitter finish.

2010 Hospices de Beaune Corton-Vergennes Cuvée Paul Chanson elevé et mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour El Bulli - tons of toasty oak with mineral notes.  Drinking beautifully.

1990 von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abstberg Riesling Spätlese - unfortunately the first bottle I brought was very slightly corked, but tasted OK on the palate if too oxidized.  Thankfully the second bottle was very fresh and youthful, especially considering that it had been aerated for 2 hours prior to serving.  Showed lemon and polyurethane notes.  Beautiful and smooth.

1994 DRC Echezeaux - two bottles courtesy of the restaurant owner.  Aerated more than 1 hour prior to serving.  Still some sweet fruit in the nose, with a whiff of floral notes.  Pretty dry and somewhat grippy.  OK considering the vintage.

2005 Marchesi di Barolo Barolo Cannubi - exotic herbs and sharp alcohol in the nose.  A little rich, and very tannic.

2005 Paolo Scavino Barolo Cannubi - aromatic and much more elegant compared to the Marchesi di Barolo.  Also softer and less tannic.

2000 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion, en magnum - aerated for more than 2½ hours prior to serving.  Very nice with smoky notes.  Smooth on the palate.  Classic claret.

2014 Gut Oggau Joshuari - minty, peppery, pimenton, pine needle notes.  Showing cool fruit.  Reminds of Loire reds like Chinon but also a little of Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage.

Full post on dinner is here.

2014 Dagueneau

Lunch at Sushi Saito in Hong Kong.

2014 Didier Dagueneau Blanc Fumé de Pouilly - served by the glass and obviously too oxidized.  Good acidity, a little green apple, and a little spicy like pimento.

Full post on lunch is here.

Delamotte and stuff

Dinner at a private kitchen in Macau.

Delamotte Blanc de Blancs, en magnum

2014 Recrue Des Sens Love and Pif - a little cloudy, almost a little fizzy with some pungency.  Not my kind of shit.

Full post on dinner is here.

2006 Roederer Brut Nature

Drinking at Wynn Palace in Macau after Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2018.

2006 Louis Roederer Brut Nature

Full post on the evening is here.