1996 Togni and 1988 Vogüé Bonnes Mares

Drinking at Brown.

1996 Philip Togni - obviously didn't breathe this enough.  Concentrated nose of cassis, a little sweet, a little spice.  Not ready to drink.  Tannins are strong.

1988 Vogüé Bonnes-Mares - obviously less tannic, and the after palate, finish, was much better.  The nose was very nice, classic black olives and leather and red fruits.  Wonderful balance with the acidity and the tannin.  Great Burgundy Grand Cru.

Bought from Vinum for SGD 216.

1996 Hugel Gewurz Jubilee

Drinking at home.

1996 Hugel Gewürztraminer Jubilee

1961 Lynch-Bages

Dinner at Paris 1930 in Taipei.

1961 Lynch-Bages - opened and decanted into a "duck" decanter, and breathed for about 45 minutes before we started drinking.  Clearly this was less spectacular than the Ducru because of breathing time.  But it was still good.  Color was sufficiently deep ruby.  Classic nose of cassis, a bit of smoke, earthy, medium sweet.  Finish not as long as Ducru.  Maybe Parker was right about reaching the end of maturity plateau.  We finished this about 3 hours after we opened it.

TWD 28,000 on the list.

1983 Guigal La Mouline

Drinking at home.

1983 Guigal La Mouline - double-decanted and started drinking after 1 hour.  Wow!  What an incredible wine!  Nose is very sweet.  Just hits you.  Lots of cassis, leather.  The smoke comes and goes with  breathing time, but the sweet fruit core stays.  A very long, spicy finish, lasting up to a minute!  Very good stuff.  The perfect score from Parker is well-deserved.  Color is dark, indicating that this wine still has a long life ahead.  Nice violet notes.  Finished drinking 4 hours after opening.

1996 d'Arenberg The Noble

Drinking at home.

1996 d'Arenberg Riesling The Noble - honey, walnut, apricot, toasted nuts.

1996 Joseph, 1996 Filhot

Dinner at Roland's Terrace in Hong Kong.

1996 Joseph Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot - this was amarone style so a bit raisiny.  Strawberry nose, very sweet, concentrated, not bad but not spectacular.  Maybe need to be drunk properly.

Bought from Oaks for SGD ?

1996 Filhot en demi-bouteille - nice honey and apricot nose.

Drinks at Grand Hyatt Champagne Bar.

Besserat de Bellefon Cuvée des Moines - not bad.

1961 Ducru-Beaucaillou

Dinner at Brasserie on the Eighth in Hong Kong.

1961 Ducru-Beaucaillou - opened and double-decanted at 4pm using Riedel glasses, and left to air in bottle.  Started drinking around 8pm.  Wow!  What a wine!  The first glass wasn't impressive, because of too much contact with the air.  But it just kept on improving.  Nose is still incredibly sweet, with typical cassis, rather, animal scents.  Tannins are velvety smooth, very finely balanced wine.  Complex. Nice, long finish with a hint of spice.  Still powerful and full-bodied.  It's amazing how long this wine has lasted, and is capable of keeping a few more years!  After 6 hours it was still improving.  Amazing stuff!  Color is still ruby, not very dark, but has amber edges.

Bought from Tatung Atherton for TWD 10,800.

95 Stony Hill Chardonnay and more

Dinner at Postrio in San Francisco.

1995 Stony Hill Chardonnay - this was really good!  Smooth, not too oaky, full bodied.

Also had a pinot noir from Rochioli, and a Chapoutier Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde.

Drinks at the Skylight Room.

Drank a bottle of Krug Grande Cuvée, and a bottle of Billecart Salmon Brut.

Napa trip - Beringer

Visit to Beringer, with a private tour at the very beautiful winery and a tasting in a private room.

1997 Beringer Viognier Napa Valley

1997 Beringer Alluvium

1997 Beringer Alluvium Blanc

1997 Beringer Chardonnay Napa Valley

1995 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve - what a yummy wine!  Sweet but not too much.  Smooth with a long finish.

Bought 2 bottles of the Sbragia Limited Release Chardonnay, and a whole vertical of Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve in 2 sets in wooden cases, 1983 - 1988 and 1989 - 1994 - for USD 1,550.

Napa trip - Niebaum Coppola

Visit to Neibaum Coppola.  Didn't taste or buy anything, other than seeing Francis Ford Coppola's shrine to himself.

Napa trip - Opus One

Visit to Opus One.

1997 Opus One - this was smooth, nicely integrated without the in-your-face punch of Californian wines.

Bought 3 bottles of Overture.

Napa trip - Robert Mondavi

Went to Robert Mondavi to buy wine without tasting or tour.  Bought a bottle of the 1996 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon 30th Anniversary, and a bottle of 1998 Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc To-Kalon Vineyard I-Block.  The Cabernet Sauvignon To-Kalon Vineyard was sold out.

Napa trip - Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

Visit to Stag's Leap Wine Cellars.

Mentioned to Warren's assistant Victoria that I attend the Cask 23 tasting in Singapore, and a free tasting was set up on the spot.  Tasted their Napa Chardonnay, Chardonnay Beckstoffer Ranch, Napa Cabernet, Petit Sirah (very tannic as fruit was small compared to the amount of skin).

1997 Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon SLV - smooth, a bit sweet.

1997 Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon Fay - spicy and harder.

Bought a bottle of 1998 Stag's Leap Chardonnay Beckstoffer Ranch.

Napa trip - Shafer

Visit to Shafer.  Bought 2 bottles of 1997 Shafer Hillside Select.  No tasting as we didn't have an appointment.