2004 Williams Selyem

Drinking at home.

2004 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Russian River Valley - started drinking 30 minutes after decanting. Reasonably fragrant and open nose, with stewed black fruits, a little juicy blackcurrant, a little leather and potpourri. Acidity was prominent on the palate but the wine is smooth and silky. About an hour in the wine started to show sweet vanilla and black cherries. A third pour 1½ hours in was really fresh and lively, showing fruity and woodsy notes. Last pour was 1 hour and 45 minutes after decanting and there were notes of mint and eucalyptus. Drinking well.

La Turque vertical

Dinner at Nine One.

2019 Georges Vernay Condrieu Coteau de Vernon - very floral and pretty ripe on the nose, plenty of lychees just like viognier. A little flinty, too.

2018 Clos Saint-Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc - started out pretty soft and ripe on the palate, but later the palate became really ripe.

First pair:

2000 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - started drinking about 1 hour after opening without decanting. Pretty soft on the palate now. This was pretty muted, so while it was OK it wasn't the classic La Turque I would have wanted.

2001 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - started drinking about 30 minutes after opening without decanting. A little smoke on the nose, and the acidity was higher than the 2000. About 1½ hours after opening some savory notes started to appear on the nose.

Second pair:

1998 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - started drinking almost 2½ hours after opening without decanting. Some grilled meats.

2006 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - started drinking nearly 2 hours after opening without decanting. The nose showed a little smoke and grilled meats, a hint of savory notes, and ripe fruits like cassis. Some half hour later the wine was showing a nice level of ripeness, but also started to reveal some stewed fruits.

Third pair:

1991 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - started drinking a little more than 2 hours after opening without decanting. Very smooth on the palate now. Finally, a beautiful bottle of wine showing the classic floral notes along with bacon fat, and lovely sweet fruit.

1999 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - started drinking around 3 hours after opening without decanting. The nose was a little smoky with a hint of chalk, along with some ripe fruits, which was nice.

Full post on dinner is here.

Chartogne-Taillet Sainte Anne

Lunch at Louise.

Chartogne-Taillet Sainte Anne - toasty and mineral on the nose.

Full post on lunch is here.

Chave and Stephan

Lunch at Flower Drum.

1989 Maximin Grünhaüser Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese - right away we have nose of white flowers. The palate was initially soft and gentle, but with good amount of acidity on the back. There was also a little bit of caramelized sugar as the wine opened up. Delicious.

2008 Jean-Michel Stephan Côte-Rôtie - decanted 30 minutes after opening and started drinking 45 minutes after opening. On the nose there were some sweet fruits, a bit of leather, with a lovely floral nose showing violets. The nose was almost Burgundian and alluring. Around 1½ hours after opening, the wine was drinking really nicely.

2013 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - decanted around 2 hours after opening and started drinking around 2½ hours after opening. This was a much bigger wine, with much more concentration. Notes of grilled meats, and definitely a little bretty. Showing earthy notes some 3½ hours after opening.

2020 Marthe Henry Boillot Bourgogne Aligoté - toasty notes on the nose. Definitely tart and grippy on the palate, with acidity on the high side but not too sharp. Definitely an aligoté.

Full post on dinner is here.

Kokuryu Daiginjo

Dinner at Sugidama.

Kokuryu Daiginjo (黒龍 大吟醸), 2024, from isshobin - medium dry on the palate.

2007 Mordorée Lirac

Drinking at home.

2007 Domaine de la Mordorée Lirac Rouge La Reine des Bois - started drinking 20 minutes after decanting. The nose was pretty nice with notes of leather and grilled meats. Slightly sharp on the nose, with a hint of chalk. After sitting in the glass for almost 30 minutes the wine was showing some nice, woodsy notes. A second pour about 45 minutes after decanting showed a wine which opened up more, with some exotic spices on top of the wood, a little minty, and still got the tannins. Showing some ripe fruit some 1½ hours after decanting. Third pour almost 2 hours in, with leather still showing in the fragrant nose with bacon fat, too. Third pour was more than 2 hours in and the nose was still kinda sharp, but remained very fragrant. Tannins still very much present. Pretty big wine.

Nyetimber Rosé

Lunch at the Lobster Bar.

Nyetimber Rosé - the nice and floral nose seemed to be just the hotel perfume... so I guess we're just left with some nice red fruits on the nose.

La Mordorée duo

Dinner at Locanda.

2013 Gramona Cava Argent Rosé Gran Reserva - nose was a little bit toasty, and showed some caramelized confit lemon. Good acidity on the palate, on the back of a little ripeness.

2004 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge La Reine des Bois - decanted 10 minutes after opening, and started drinking around 30 minutes after opening. Some mint on the nose with a little hint of pepper and some meaty notes. Very soft on the palate, with some silky tannins, and a little sweet on the finish. An hour after opening the nose was very open and fragrant now, but a little sharp on the nose. About 1½ hours after opening, started to feel some tannins on my tongue. With a new pour almost 2 hours in, we've got ripe fruit on the palate, along with fragrant woodsy and cedar notes on the nose. Drinking pretty well now.

2010 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge La Reine des Bois - decanted 10 minutes after opening, and started drinking around 40 minutes after opening. This was much more tannic compared to the 2004 and I could feel the tannins coating my tongue right off the bat. The nose was also not as open as the 2004. About an hour after opening the nose improved, and continued to improve almost 2 hours after opening. It's amazing that almost 3 hours after opening the wine was still tannic and grippy on the palate. Needs a few more years of cellaring.

Full post on dinner is here.

Le Chêne Saint-Etienne and more

Dinner at Arbor.

R.H.Coutier Cuvée Henri III, dégorgée en Janvier 2024 - yeast nose that was nice and caramelized.

François Rousset-Martin Aligoté Aligatõ, vintage unknown - big toasty notes on the nose, reductive and definitely smelled like a natural wine, and for sure this was aligoté. Very soft on the palate at first but then comes the grippy acidity. After a while this was surprising as it was a bit buttery on the nose the way a white Burg would be.

2003 Henri Bourgeois Sancerre Le Chêne Saint-Etienne - a very interesting wine. Very minty on the nose, and in that sense this seemed more like a cab franc from Loire. Pretty smooth on the palate now, but the nose was much more gamey, animal, and leather.

Full account of dinner is here.

Prüm and Dominique Laurent

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2009 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett - mildly sweet on the palate. Classic nose of flint and petrol.

1995 Hospices de Beaune Corton Cuvée Charlotte Dumay, élevé par Dominique Laurent - started drinking 20 minutes after decanting. Nose of black plums and stewed prunes.

Full post on dinner is here.

2005 Pax Kobler

Drinking at home.

2005 Pax Syrah Kobler Family Vineyard - started drinking 15 minutes after decanting. The nose was very ripe and sweet at first, almost jammy, and kinda sharp and alcoholic on the nose. Initially there was almost a faint dusty nose. The first sip was pretty dry on the palate, while the very fragrant nose showed cedar and leather notes. Second pour 45 minutes after decanting and the wine was really fragrant now, showing an even bigger woodsy nose with leather and meaty undertones. More sweet fruit on the nose about 1½ hours, and the tannins were still very much here. About 2½ hours after decanting the acidity was relatively high on the palate, but this new pour saw the wine still showing very nicely, still incredibly fragrant with woodsy notes and lots of potpourri, still meaty, and definitely more Rhône-like than Californian. Last pour not from the decanter but from the bottle 3 hours after opening, and the nose was still very jammy. Fantastic!

04 Williams Selyem

Drinking at home.

2004 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast - started drinking 30 minutes after decanting. Plenty of black fruits like black cherries and blackcurrants. This has now matured after 20 years so it's now become more oxidized and showing stewed fruits. After one hour in decanter this was showing some potpourri and herbs, but the wine got better on the palate and became more lively, with more fruit, along with good acidity.

Marcassin and La Closerie

Dinner at Gaddi's.

La Closerie fac-simile - lots of strawberries and red currants on the nose. Lovely mousse. Really fragrant, very nice and alluring. There was good depth and lovely balance on the palate, harmony among ripeness, acidity, and tartness. With time we also got savory minerals on the nose. Long finish. Lovely wine.

2013 Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard - first served about 30 minutes after opening, and the wine was just beginning to show. The nose was really buttery, nice and toasty, and this was really ripe and alcoholic on the palate. Drinking beautifully about an hour after opening and it was so, sooo nice.

2017 Clos Rougeard Saumur Champigny - started drinking about 1½ hours after opening. Nose was very meaty, very animal, smoky, a little pungent, slightly savory, and a little peppery. Got some fruit here, and we've got acidity peering through the tannins. Around 2½ hours after opening the nose was showing lots of capsicums, too.

2012 Ogier Côte-Rôtie - started drinking about 2½ hours after decanting, and maybe this has over-aerated a little. Lots of pine needles and potpourri, but where was the jammy fruit? There were some lovely eucalyptus on the nose, with some ripe fruit that was far weaker than I had expected. The wine had clearly softened and was now more elegant. After 3 hours in the decanter, there were a little herbal notes, almost like green tomatoes.

2000 Niepoort Colheita, engarrafado em 2018 - very ripe, very sweet, and very rich, like rum raisin ice cream.

Full post on dinner is here.

2021 Mia

Drinks at Caprice Bar.

2021 Mia Mercurey Clos la Marche Rouge - obviously opened at least the day before so this was not "fresh". Decent nose of leather with some cooked fruits. Still got the tannins as it's pretty young.

French and sake

Dinner at a friend's home.

2002 Deutz Cuvée William Deutz - very fragrant nose and there was plenty of caramelized sugar. Pretty ripe on the palate and I love the maturity and depth of the wine.

2018 Isojiman Daiginjo 28 Nobilmente - seimaibuai of 28%. Nice and sweet on the attack, pretty round on the palate, a little dry mid-palate, and slightly fermented, with a long finish. Classic nose of banana. A pleasure to drink.

1998 Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin Combe-du-Dessus - started drinking 30 minutes after decanting. Nice and toasty nose, and while it was lovely this was not as clean and floral, but more meaty. Still drinking very nicely.

2009 Pontet-Canet - drank 20 minutes after decanting. Really ripe and jammy on the nose, highly extracted, woodsy, and almost a little green capsicum. After an hour in decanter this was still going strong, of course, and still got plenty of woodsy notes.

1970 CVNE

Dinner at Ta Vie.

2015 Mumm RSRV Blanc de Blancs, dégorgée en Decembre 2022 - really floral nose that is also yeasty. Pretty elegant.

1970 Compañia Vinicola del Norte de España Imperial Gran Reserva - really nice and fragrant on the nose with cedar, mushroom, and sweet fruits. So nice and beautiful, very elegant, with a bit of leather and black cherries. Starting to show some floral notes but not quite like roses. Around 45 minutes after opening the palate went a little flat, but the nose improved, showing bigger woodsy notes. More than 1 hours after opening the nose was minty and resembled claret a little more.

Full post on dinner is here.