Dewazakura Aiyama

Dinner at Sushi Tokumi.

Dewazakura Junmai Daiginjo Aiyama (出羽桜  純米大吟醸  愛山), 31BY - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 45%.  Sweet attack but spicy mid-palate and finish.  Smooth and round on the palate, with pretty fermented flavors.

2013 Blason de L'Evangile

Drinking at a friend's home.

2013 Blason de L'Evangile - smoky and a bit tannic.

A mixed bag of French

Dinner at L'Envol.

Françoise Bedel Entre Ciel et Terre - I believe the base vintage was 2010?  Nice and ripe, lovely on the palate.

2015 Domaine de la Taille aux Loups Montlouis-sur-Loire Clos de Mosny - the nose was a bit steely underneath the ripeness, a bit floral and perfumed.  Acidity was high.

2017 Gilles Berlioz El Hem - sweet nose of tropical stone fruits, flinty.

2013 Pierre Boisson Meursault - leaner with more acidity.  Some toasty oak, which got much heavier later.

2001 Kalin Bourgogne Côte de Beaune "Les Pierres Blanches" - nice and sweet fruit in the nose, very fragrant, more feminine than expected, with leather notes underneath.  A beautiful wine.

2013 Domaine de Souch - lots of botrytis with a little plastic.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sine Qua Non

Dinner at Nikushou.

2005 Sine Qua Non The Petition - 37% viognier, 33% roussanne, 30% chardonnay.  Served 45 minutes after opening.  Honey on the nose, with lots of straw and Chinese licorice.  Some 1 hour and 45 minutes after opening, showing a really overripe palate.  More than 4½ hours after opening the wine was nice and ripe, with candied pineapple and a hint of bitterness.

2003 Sine Qua Non Sublime Isolation - 44% chardonnay, 37% roussanne, 19% viognier.  Served 50 minutes after opening.  Really ripe and big, very hot on both the palate and the nose.  Some 1 hour and 40 minutes after opening the nose was absolutely beautiful, and almost like candied pineapple.

1999 Sine Qua Non Tarantella - 39% roussanne, 33% chardonnay, 28% viognier.  Popped and poured.  Nose was beautiful with tons of sugar cane, a little flint, and a hint of savory notes.  Smooth on the palate.  A little more than 3 hours after opening, this wine was just fucking beautiful.

1998 Sine Qua Non Veiled - 100% pinot noir.  I was totally crushed that the bottle I brought was corked, and it didn't get any better with more aeration - nor did the cling wrap trick help.  But I do love the artwork on the label, and in fact it's arguably my favorite among the entire collection.

2005 Sine Qua Non Over and Out - 100% pinot noir.  Beautiful nose, lovely fruit with leather notes.  Gorgeous.  So sweet and candy-like.

2004 Sine Qua Non Into the Dark - 84% grenache, 8% mourvedre, 7% syrah, 1% viognier.  Seriously ripe and jammy.  Also very metallic.

2005 Atlantis Fe2O3, 2c - 93% grenache, 7% syrah.  Opened 2 hours before serving,  Really sweet nose, with lots of metallic notes and plenty of oak.  Beautiful.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sake with seafood

Dinner at Godenya.

Zaruso Hourai Junmai Ginjyo Queeen Nama (残草蓬莱  純米吟醸  クイーン生), 2019 - served at 10°C. With a seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 60%.  Tastes like a fruity and alcoholic sour drink, a little coconut, and a bit milky like Calpis.

Kaiun Unfiltered Junmai Nama (開運  無濾過純米  生), 2019 - served at 13°C. With a seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 55%.  More spicy on the palate, fruity, and more rounded on the palate.  Sweeter on the attack and with more depth.

Sohomare Kimoto Junmai Daiginjyo (惣誉 生酛仕込 純米大吟醸), 2019 - served at 40°C. With a seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 45%.  Nice and warm, which helped deliver a sweet attack but spicy mid-palate.

Yoemon Junmai Unfiltered Nama Oomachi (酉与右衛門  純米無濾過生原酒  雄町), 2016 - served at 11°C. With a seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 70%.  Palate was a little more fermented.  Sweet on the front palate but quickly turned spicy, with a nice acidity but a little bitterness.

Hiwata Yamahai Junmai Nama (日輪田  山廃純米  生原酒), 2019 - served at 15°C. With a seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 60%.  Good acidity.

Natsu No Omoide Junmai Shiro Koji (伊根町  夏の思い出  純米), 2018 - served at 45°C. With a seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 70%.  Good acidity, some plum notes along with some sweetness.  Very much like an oxidized wine such as Shaoxing or koshu, showing some savory notes.

Bongu Junmai Ginjyo (凡愚  純米吟醸), 2017 - served at 47°C. With a seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 55%.  Very strong fermented flavors... almost soapy.  A little savory like koshu.

Niida Natural Kimoto Nigori (仁井田  自然酒  生酛にごり)

Full post on dinner is here.

Bodega Garzón

Dinner at Hong Kong Jockey Club, with wines from Bodega Garzón.

2018 Garzón Estate Pinot Noir Rosé - nose of strawberries, flint, and white flowers.  Still a little pungent.

2018 Garzón Albariño Reserva - nose of sweet stone fruits and flint.  Palate was kinda ripe.

2016 Garzón Cabernet Franc Reserva - pretty smooth on the palate, still concentrated and the tannins are still here.  A little smoke, and became pretty big and smoky later, almost like coffee with dark roasted beans.

2016 Garzón Single Vineyard Tannat - bigger on the palate.

2015 Garzón Balasto, from magnum - the first sip was smoother than expected.

2016 Garzón Balasto - more ready and accessible than the 2015.

Full post on dinner is here.

Old Malmsey and Chapoutier

Lunch at Robuchon au Dôme in Macau.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 165éme édition, ID 416039 - very big and toasty nose.  Acidity was a little higher than expected.  Such a beautiful wine.

2010 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Méal Blanc - very big toasty nose, which was lovely.  Really, really ripe on the palate, actually a little over-ripe, and ended up being a little bitter.

1975 Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Auslese - beautiful and sweet on the nose, with honey, preserved lemon, and dried tangerine peel.  Not too sweet on the palate.

2010 Chapoutier Ermitage L'Ermite - decanted 1½ hours prior to serving.  First whiff was almost Bordeaux-like, with smoke but not much fruit.  Showed eucalyptus and a hint of black pepper, and was still a little sharp on the nose in terms of alcohol.

1934 Henriques and Henriques Malmsey - THIS was an incredible treat.  Showing Asian pear like Korean or Japanese nashi with the mineral notes, and interesting, exotic spices, really ripe prunes, and even a little savory notes.