1995 Heitz

Dinner at Da Paolo's in Singapore.

1995 Heitz Cabernet Sauvignon - this was rather nice.  Typically Californian: forward, sweet fruits, good concentration.  Not too tannic.  Delicious.  I'll definitely drink this again.  Felt the alcohol kick.

1996 Laurus Gigondas

Dinner at brown.

1996 Laurus Gigondas - pretty nice.  Would be better given time.

1990 Beaucastel

Dinner at brown.

1990 Beaucastel - decanted 1½ hours before serving.  This tasted a lot like an Australian shiraz... like a Stonewell.  Not like the '94 Beaucastel I had in January.  A little disappointing, because it needed 2-3 hours, and it didn't hit me like the '94.

Bought for HKD 790.

Vidal-Fleury and Spring Mountain

Dinner at brown.

1994 Vidal-Fleury Côte-Rôtie - very typical, classic Côte-Rôtie... displaying some berries fruit, but higher acidity.  It was good but nothing extraordinary.

Bought for HKD 299.

1994 Spring Mountain Vineyard Miravalle-Alba-Chevalier - disappointing.  Maybe we didn't air it enough, and drank out of small glasses.  But not much of a nose.  Tannins were smooth, but no fruit for a Californian cab.

1990 Quintarelli Amarone Classico Superiore

Dinner at a friend's home.

1990 Quintarelli Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Superiore - the nose was... WOW!  That 15% alcohol really shows!  It was like Cognac at first.  It got better with time, but the punch from the alcohol remains.  It was a bit raisiny, some coffee, toffee with caramel.  Strange since you just can't escape the alcohol.  It took between 2-3 hours to reach peak.  After decanting not as good as we hoped.

Bought for SGD 160.

Rosemount Balmoral and Lehmann Stonewell

Dinner at Chesa.

1996 Rosemount Balmoral Syrah - very good.  Very New World, packed with flavors and good concentration.  It hits you up front and had staying power.  Good amount of sweetness, and surprisingly tannins were not very noticeable.

1994 Peter Lehmann Stonewell Shiraz - once the wine opened up the nose was pretty spectacular.  It's not quite at the point of the '91, but it was a big, sweet nose.  Not too peppery.  Very smooth, which was evidence of the long aging process.  Chewable tannins were somewhat noticeable.  Clearly this wine still needs some time.  Yummy!

Bought for SGD 87.

Clos Pegase and San Leonardo

Dinner at Vis-a-Vis in Singapore.

1996 Clos Pegase Merlot - drank this while waiting for the San Leonardo to be ready.  The Merlot was typically Californian.  Very forward and a big wine.  Sweet nose and palate, but firm tannins (a bit young) and lots of oak and earthy/minerals.

Listed at Vis-a-vis for SGD 78.

1991 San Leonardo - this was really closed when opened.  It was pretty undrinkable at first.  Took about an hour to open, then it was much smoother.  Nose was just like a Bordeaux, not enough fruit in the nose and palate.  It was OK as a drinking wine.  Not as good as the one we had in Tokyo.

Bought from Vinum for SGD 48.

93 des Chezeaux Chambolle-Musigny

Dinner at Au Petit Salut in Singpaore.

1993 des Chezeaux Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes - this was pretty good.  Need a good hour to open up to compensate for the acidity, but the nose was sweet.  Medium palate.

Bought from Vinum for SGD 95.