2012 Michel Niellon

Lunch at Forum Restaurant.

2012 Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes - ripe but still has good acidity on the palate. Very buttery on the nose. Drinking well now.

Full post on dinner is here.

2019 Pazo Señoráns

Dinner at Hansik Goo.

2019 Pazo de Señoráns Albariño - nose of tropical stone fruit, flinty, sweet and fruity on the nose. Very easy to drink.

Full post on dinner is here.

Krug Grande Cuvée 169

Dinner at MONO.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 169ème édition, ID 120003 - good ripeness on the palate, with lovely toasty notes on the nose.

Second dinner at Louise.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 169ème édition, ID 120006 - nice, bigger toasty nose.

Full post on dinner is here.

2020 Whispering Angel

Drinking at home.

2020 Caves d'Esclans Whispering Angel - strawberries, tropical stone fruits, flinty.

2016 Cos Blanc / 42 y.o. AFS

Lunch at Sushi Saito HK.

2016 Cos d'Estournel Blanc - flinty, some green apple notes. Lean, decent level of acidity, crisp but also a little round on the palate.

Full post on lunch is here.

Drinks at home.

Kidoizumi Afs Old Reserve Plum Liqueur Aged 42 years (木戸泉 アフス オールドリザーブ plum) - this is from a batch that was brewed in 1974 and 1976. Limited to 400 bottles. Tons of savory notes, like black olives, almost a little smoky, very strong Chinese salted plum. Wonderful stuff.

86x2

Dinner at the Legacy House.

1986 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve - decanted and poured. Showing minty and sweet fruit notes like plum, and a little smoky. It seemed like it was starting to go downhill and dry out a little. Afer an hour in the decanter, this was still showing the fruit, and much more sweet and ripe on the palate.

1986 Ducru-Beaucaillou - a little grassy, slightly corked, still some fruit on the palate. More than an hour after decanting, the grassy nose was still there but the palate was fine. Very smooth and silky.

Full post on dinner is here.

Churchill and Lucien Le Moine

Dinner at The Pawn.

1996 Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill - nice and ripe, mature, some toast on the nose, and really fragrant. Marmalade on the palate. This was drinking so beautifully!

2012 Lucien Le Moine Corton Blanc - really toasty on the nose. Initially the nose was a little overwhelming, almost showing like paint thinner. This went away and revealed lots of vanilla notes. Very buttery on the palate with good acidity, too.

2010 Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Rousseau-Deslandes, mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour MNSC - still very toasty as every other bottle I have opened. Nice, sweet fruit here with leather notes, and lots of Japanese cypress. Showing wonderfully.

Full post on dinner is here.

2004 Clos des Papes

Drinking at home.

2004 Clos des Papes Rouge - decanted and served. Initially pretty farmy, a little pungent, with some black fruits. Savory on the palate. With second pour the nose was more fragrant with woodsy notes. Still tannic. After 2 hours in the decanter this was lovely and fragrant, with tannins softening and becoming more velvety. Still concenrated, of course.

2007 Silex

Drinking at home.

2007 Didier Dagueneau Silex - overripe, a little bitter, still got some acidity, short finish.

MNSC Dinner - Caprice

MNSC dinner at Caprice. Hosted by me.

1971 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - nose was very oxidized, as expected, with sugar cane, straw, marmalade notes. Ripe, soft, and lovely on the palate.

First flight: served 2 hours after opening, without decanting.

2000 Armand Rousseau Chambertin - a little grilled meats, leather, not quite open. Definitely harder and masculine. 93 points.

1999 Armand Rousseau Chambertin - much bigger, more open, and more toasty on the nose, also a little dusty and dirty. Very smooth on the palate but also more noticeable tannins. 94 points.

1995 Armand Rousseau Chambertin - cleaner, softer on the palate. Black fruits and some eucalyptus. 94 points.

Second flight: served 1 hour after opening, without decanting.

1949 Haut-Brion, ex-château 2013 - very savory, huge and punchy nose. Very oxidized but not quite madeira, with Chinese salted plum, much more ripe and smoky. Classic old claret with that savory soy sauce and aged tangerine peel. 95 points.

1944 Haut-Brion, ex-château 2013 - very savory, a little medicinal, woodsy, more open and much more beautiful. 96 points.

Third flight: served 3½ hours after opening, without decanting.

1970 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - sweet grass, kinda fruity, pretty fragrant, minty, and kinda ripe. 94 points.

1971 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - a little oxidized, a little savory, kinda ripe. 93 points.

Bonus round:

1959 Clos de Nouys Vouvray Moelleux - flinty, floral, pollen and orange blossom notes. A hint of sweetness but not too rich.

Full post on dinner is here.

Peter Michael and SQN

Lunch at Mian.

2008 Peter Michael Chardonnay Point Rouge - lots of sugar cane, very caramelized and oxidized, sweet with notes of straw. Very ripe and sweet, and very buttery on the palate.

2007 Sine Qua Non Body and Soul - 71% roussanne and 29% viognier. Flinty, tropical, also sweet and caramelized but not quite sugar cane. Notes of straw. Ripe and buttery on the palate.

Full post on lunch is here.

White Burgs and a Rose

Dinner at Yong Fu.

2007 Comte Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre - very tosty nose, ripe on the nose, nice acidity on the palate. One hour in the nose was very buttery and beautiful.

2009 Hospices de Beaune Corton-Vergennes Cuvée Paul Chanson, elevé et mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour El Bulli, en magnum - the nose was very oxidized, very fragrant with lots of vanilla and caramelized sugar. Still got the acidity on the palate and definitely pretty alcoholic. Improved after more aeration and chilling. Showed more toast on the nose about 1½ hours in.

2018 Philippe Charlopin Corton-Charlemagne - much younger with more fruit, more tropical stone fruits. Very ripe and buttery on the palate, and actually really ripe and alcoholic on the nose, too.

2017 Rose and Arrow Pinot Noir Gathered Stones Hopewell Hills - very, very fragrant with lots of sweet fruit, some leather, almost a bit floral. Rich but not quite jammy - although going in that same direction. Beautiful and open, with lots of toast on the nose.

Full post on dinner is here.

2019 Susucaru Rosato

Drinking at home.

2019 Frank Cornelissen Susucaru Rosato - definitely a little pungent, almost sulfur-like, some flint, with red currants. Acidity was high and it was a little lean on the palate, with a slight grippy finish. Second pour was more fragrant.

Umeshu and more

Dinner at Tatler Dining Kitchen for the UZA by Nikushou pop-up.

Homamade umeshu highball - made with Nikushou's house umeshu.  Rich and intense plum flavors.

2018 Planeta Carricante Eruzione 1614 - a little ripeness on the palate, and flinty.

Tsubo Hassen Junmai Daiginjo (壷八仙  純米大吟醸) - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 50%.  HUGE nose of bananas, sweet and soft on the palate.

2017 Kracher Beerenauslese Cuvée - not as sweet as expected, kinda mild. Nose of pollen.

Takashimizu Kaonjukusei Gedatsushu Junmai Ginjo (高清水  加温熟成解脱酒) - seimaibuai of 50%. Sake meter value of -30. Oxidized nose but not over the line. Lighter on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

1999 RWT

Drinking at home.

1999 Penfolds RWT - served after 30 minutes in decanter. Sweet, definitely vanilla and coconut, minty, woodsy. Showed pine needle notes 1 hour in. After 2 hours became pretty dry on the palate, and very minty after 2½ hours, and much more smoky, less sweet fruit, and more acidic on the palate.

Sake sake sake

Dinner at the Sake Bistro by Ta Vie and Godenya.

Daigo no Awa (醍醐の泡), 2020-21 - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 90-93%. Sparkling. Nice and fruity like juice, with a little bit of lactic acid. Low alcohol at 7%.

Akishika Motoshibori Yamahai Junmai Nama (秋鹿  酛しぼり  山廃純米生), 2020-21 - with a seimaibuai of 70% and sake meter value (日本酒度) of -72. Very fermented nose with savory notes. Fragrant, sweet and fruity.

Inemankai Junmai Nigori (伊根満開 純米生にごり), 2020-21 - I've seen the "regular", clear version of the sake, but this was a special batch of nigori (にごり). Very intense flavors of fermented rice, very nice and sweet on the palate.

Juji Asahi Junmai Daiginjo Jukeseishu (十旭日  純米大吟醸  熟成酒), 2002-03 - seimaibuai of 45%. Very fragrant, very oxidized, very savory on the nose. Really fragrant in the mouth after the soup, with an aftertaste that was almost like longan. Really round on the palate, with a long finish that was very nice. This was very serious stuff.

Kotori no Saezuri Junmai Ginjo (小鳥のさえずり 純米吟醸), 2008-09 - seimaibuai of 50%. Served warm. Nice and fermented flavors.

Togo Kimoto Junmai Nama (東郷 生酛 純米生), 2018-19 - seimaibuai of 88%. Smoky, fermented nose. A little savory, and worked well with the duck confit.

Minshuku Tono Doburoku Nondo (民宿とおの どぶろく Nondo), 2020-21 - very sweet and fruity, with lactic acid.

2016 Afruge No.1 - seimaibuai of 65%. Aged in red wine barrels. Very oxidized and savory on top of sweetness.

Hana Tomoe Nature × Nature Yamahai x Yamahai White (花巴  ナチュール  ×  ナチュール 山廃  ×  山廃  白), 2019-20 - seimaibuai of 70%. With a sake meter value of -76. Also a little savory on the nose, but somewhat sweet on the palate, and almost a little marmalade. Very easy to drink.

Suwaizumi Junmai Koshu (諏訪泉 純米古酒), 1989-90 - seimaibuai of 60%. Really, really savory, with a little sweetness but much more umami.

Full post on dinner is here.