Georges Laval and Ca' d'Gal

Lunch at Lung King Heen.

Georges Laval Doux, dégorgée le 31 Mai 2018 - with a dosage of 50g/l, this was noticeably sweeter on the palate, but with some acidity on the back.  Certainly more viscous, and a little mineral.  Very nice and easy to drink.

Mystery Germany chardonnay - big and toasty nose with lots of flint.  Good acidity on the back end.  After a while when the wine warmed up in glass, the flinty notes were even more pronounced.

2012 Ca' d'Gal Moscato d'Asti - very viscous... could definitely feel the wine swirling around the tongue.  One or two minutes after pouring, a big, floral nose with small white flowers hit me.  This was so refreshing, and such a pleasure to drink.  The sweetness didn't bother me one bit.  On the contrary, it goes so well with Cantonese cuisine.

2014 d'Arlay Vin de Paille - very oxidized nose with lots of salty plum, minerals, and definitely hospital disinfectant.

2005 Kongsgaard Cab

Drinking at home.

2005 Kongsgaard Cabernet Sauvignon - very sweet on the nose, alcoholic, minty, very fragrant.  Very ripe and sweet on the palate, not quite jammy.  An hour later jammy, metallic rust, smoke, potpourri, and woody.  Tons of tannins still.

Ente, Rayas, and Kongsgaard

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2000 Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon - lovely and caramelized, very toasty, almost like a brioche.

2014 Arnaud Ente Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champ-Gain - very toasty nose, nice minerality, almost tropical stone fruit, with high acidity on the palate.

2004 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge - opened about 50 minutes prior to serving.  Very caramelized and sweet nose, with vanilla.  Overripe as I had feared and hot on the palate.  Mineral and flint notes, with almost a little acetone.  After 1½ hours the nose turned really buttery.

2002 Rayas - popped and poured, just sooooo beautiful right off the bat.  Strawberry jam, roses, almost lychee of course... just amazing and floral.  And as close to Pierre Hermé's Ispahan as a wine could come.

1989 Suduiraut - rich and grapey.  Like a good ol' Sauternes.

Full post on dinner is here.

1940 Haut-Brion and Jacquesson

Dinner at Épure.

Jacquesson Cuvée n° 739, en magnum - nice and a little yeasty, almost like bread.

1940 Haut-Brion, rebouchée en 1999, ex-château 2013 - served 30 minutes after opening.  Nose was really nice and smoky... a classic claret, with pencil lead and graphite notes as well as lovely woody fragrance.  Not surprisingly the wine didn't last long in the glass.  Still got some body here even after almost 80 years, and actually gained a little weight in glass with aeration.  After 1 hour the wine was still fresh and lively, with some sweetness.  The peak was clearly between 1 and 1½ hours, after which it started to go downhill.  As an ex-château bottle, the condition was clearly better than the bottle we opened last year.

Full post on dinner is here.

Il Pino, Kongsgaard and rosé

Lunch at home.

2007 Biserno Il Pino - very minty, potpourri, lots of dried herbs, and smoky.  Ripe and sweet on the palate with good concentration.

Dinner at Tasting Court.

Lelarge-Pugeot Rosé de Saignée, dégorgée le 20 juillet 2015 - nose was a little strong and pungent, but definitely a lot of red fruits here.  A little bitter on the palate.

2002 Kongsgaard Chardonnay - totally oxidized, a bit sugary and candied orange peel, marmalade on the nose.  Short and flat on the finish, with some acidity and lemon citrus.  Second pour about an hour later was better, but the palate was still short.

Full post on dinner is here.

'82 Latour à Pomerol

Dinner at Tenku RyuGin.

1982 Latour à Pomerol - served about 70 minutes after opening without decanting.  Initially not quite open and showing only some smoke.  Two hours after opening there was more acidity on the palate after 20 minutes in glass.  Showing better by now with tobacco notes and reasonable length on the palate.  A little more than two hours in and the nose was really fragrant, showing more wood notes.  Strangely showing metallic rust about 2½ hours in, and after 3 hours this became really fragrant, and showing some earthy notes.  Not quite as good as the bottle last year, but still very nice.

Full post on dinner is here.

Leroy and Kouden

Drinking at Sotheby's auction.

2013 Domaine Leroy Aligoté - flinty, a little dusty, toasty.

Drinking at home.

Kouden 35 (香田  35磨き) - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 35%.  Very strong fermented flavors.  コクがある.  Dry in the middle, and definitely spicy.

Dagueneau, Leflaive, Selosse

Dinner at Neighborhood.

Jacques Selosse Rosé, dégorgée le 20 Julliet 2015 - lovely and oxidized nose as expected, with marmalade and toasty notes.  Ripe and mature on the palate.

2004 Didier Dagueneau Silex, en magnum - green apple notes.  Very ripe and rounded on the palate.

2008 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon - oxidized nose, with ripe and buttery notes.

2013 Szent Tamás Szamorodni - not as sweet as what I'm used to, but good sugar levels with some acidity.  Lychee and marmalade notes.

Full post on dinner is here.