Whites and Chinese bongwater

Dinner at Shanghai Fraternity Association.

2022 00 Wines Chardonnay VGW - very toasty nose, and kinda buttery.

2008 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese - big nose of petroleum, with a little bit of white flower. There was definitely some sweetness on the palate along with the acidity.

Xiaopu perdue.J - this was soooo bongwater, unfiltered and very cloudy appearance. Pretty sweet and fruity, with notes of forest, leather, strawberries, and raspberries.

Full post on dinner is here.

Keller and Le Gallais

Dinner at Gem Garden in Shenzhen.

1989 Le Gallais Wiltinger Braune Kupp Riesling Auslese - decanted before serving. Big nose of white flowers, white truffle, orange blossom water, marmalade, and honey.

2020 Keller Dalsheim Bürgel Spätburgunder Trocken Großes Gewächs - decanted before serving. First whiff showed strawberries and eucalyptus. About 45 minutes later the wine got softer on the palate. The fragrance was nicer after almost 1½ hours, showing more leather.

Full post on dinner is here.

2022 Muxin Chardonnay

Lunch at Jiang by Chef Fei in Guangzhou.

2022 Muxin Chardonnay - showing lemon, a little honey, flint, and some fruity notes at first. After 20 minutes or so the nose opened up more, and the acidity also came out on the palate. We've got more toasty notes, then the body gathered weight and the wine had a grippy finish on the back of the throat. A very nicely balanced chardonnay, and pretty elegant.

Ordered from the wine list for CNY 1,5xx.

Full post on lunch is here.

90 Fleury and Jacquesson

Dinner at Song in Guangzhou.

1990 Fleury, dégorgée en Septembre 2020 - this had plenty of age on it, so it was very nice and smooth, with marmalade, red plums, and salty plum on the nose.

Drinks at Park Hyatt Guangzhou Roof Bar.

Jacquesson Cuvée N°745 - yeasty nose with brioche, flinty and mineral. The acidity was a bit higher as this is extra-brut, but there was still a bit of ripeness on the palate. I could smell the caramelized sugar on the nose, and maybe a little bit of pear thanks to the minerals.

2015 Résonance Pinot Noir Résonance Vineyard - drank about 30 minutes after decanting. Nose showed smoke, leather, vanilla, black cherries. After a few more minutes there was smoke on the nose, too. Reasonably soft on the palate after 10 years. Second pour was another 20 minutes later, and was now less sweet on the nose. Body also got a bit bigger.

Full post on the evening is here.

61 Pichon Baron and more

Dinner at 7 Paintings at the Murray Hong Kong.

Perrier-Jouët Blanc de Blancs - a little mineral with reasonable acidity.

2023 Michel Redde Pouilly-Fuisée La Moynerie - nose of stone fruits, a little flinty, very refreshing and lively.

2019 Reale Primitivo di Manduria Gloria - the nose was kinda corked, with that wet cardboard scent. The palate was pretty ripe, hot, and alcoholic. 

Drinks at a friend's home.

1961 Pichon-Baron - level was slightly below mid-shoulder, with the cork shrunken and fallen in. Initially the first pour was a little pungent on the nose, a little farmy, but also showed plenty of smoke, grilled meats, pencil lead, mint, with black fruits like cassis underneath. The palate was not great, very soft, and perhaps slightly cooked and over the hill. With the second pour after half an hour this was more open with more fruit, and also more smoke. After 1 hour this was really nice and fragrant now, definitely more alive, and still got the fruit and now also capsicum. Palate improved significantly and the power of the vintage is still there. Not in tip-top condition, but drinking very well for its age.

Bought from Christies for HKD 3,646.

1995 Corton

Drinking at home.

1995 Hospices de Beaune Corton Cuvée Charlotte Dumay, élevé par Dominique Laurent - started drinking 10 minutes after decanting. The nose was very fragrant, with some leather, a bit meaty, plum, and a little animal notes. The acidity was definitely on the high side. After half an hour in the decanter, the nose got a little floral. The acidity got a little too high for my liking.

SQN and friends

Dinner at Caprice.

2015 Vincent Dancer Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - started drinking some 3 hours after opening. This was sooo beautiful! There was a nice balanced level of toast on the nose, which wasn't too big and heavy but just right. Nice and buttery with a dose of lemon citrus and minerals. There was acidity on the palate, but once again it was nicely balanced with ripeness. What a wine!

2001 Sine Qua Non Albino - the nose was nice and floral, with lots of honey, marmalade, and some straw. Very ripe both on the nose and on the palate, but a little hot and alcoholic on the palate. A really lovely wine.

2006 Hundred Acre Ark Vineyard - decanted some 30 minutes after opening, and started drinking a little more than 1 hour after opening. Minty, a bit earthy, and actually a little savory on the nose. Definitely showing cool fruit, and surprisingly not as jammy as expected. Really opened up after 2 hours, and showing smoky notes, too. Delicious.

2005 Sine Qua Non Atlantis Fe₂O₃ Syrah 1c - decanted around 1½ hours after opening, and started drinking more than an hour after decanting. A bit smoky on the nose, and there was almost a hint of brett. Savory and a bit stinky on the nose. Pretty smooth and drinking well, but this was one of the least SQN reds I remember drinking. Totally lacking the typical punchy character and jammy fruit, and leaning more towards a French syrah.

1955 Toro Albalá Don PX Convento Selección, bottle 004, from imperial - this was so complex with lots of spices and herbs on the nose. Viscous texture and sweet on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Wines with UNO

Drinking at a friend's home.

2015 Maison Leroy Bourgogne - tasted a couple of hours after aerating. Nice and fruity, jammy, and a little plummy.

2005 Kongsgaard Syrah - drank almost 2½ hours after opening. Very ripe, sweet, and jammy on the nose. Lovely nose of leather and mint. Sooooo fragrant. Fantastic!

Bought from the winery for USD 150 plus tax.

1999 Avignonesi Vin Santo di Montepulciano Occhio di Pernice - this was really thick and viscous, like pouring syrup into a glass. Nose showing smoky, nutty, honey, and medjool dates. Lovely.

2019 Méo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes - a little pungent on the nose, with some exotic spices.

Champagne and more

Dinner at Yuet Tung Hin.

1975 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - pretty amber in color now that it's 50 years' old. Initially there was plenty of Chinese licorice on the nose, but of course there were also savory minerals and marmalade. I love old Champagne and this was drinking nicely for its age.

Bought from Farr Vintners for GBP 140.

Ubusuna Yamada Nishiki (産土 山田錦), 2024 - slightly fizzy on the palate. Lots of banana and plenty of starchy rice notes on the nose. Really fragrant. Lightly sweet on the palate. A lovely sake.

1996 Bruno Paillard Assemblage, dégorgée en Janvier 2006, en magnum - lovely nose with flint and minerals on top of the marmalade. Nice acidity on the palate.

Bought from Sotheby's for USD 396.

2022 Bendito Destino Amphora - the nose was kinda bretty, with animal and leather notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

93 Abtsberg

Dinner at Grand Majestic Sichuan.

1993 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Kabinett - good level of acidity on the palate, which was actually quite high and even a little sharp at times. Lovely nose of truffle and petrol.

Bought from Mayfair as part of a mixed lot for HKD 316.

Full account of the dinner is here.

Champagne magnums and DRC Assortment

Champagne in the Island Shangri-La Presidential Suite.

2003 B de Boërl et Kroff, dégorgé en Avril 2016 - drank 1 hour after opening. Nice and ripe on the nose along with lovely marmalade notes. Good depth on the palate with a nice dose of acidity. Turned reasonally metallic on the palate together with some caviar. Always a pleasure to drink.

1997 Salon, en magnum - drank 1½ hours after opening. What a beautiful wine! There was so much toast on the nose, and it was so open and fragrant. The acidity was still very high. There were also notes of minerals and juicy red plums. Soooo nice!

1961 Louis Roederer Cristal, en magnum - drank about 1 hour after opening. The nose was very metallic, with lots of Chinese salty plum. Very grippy on the palate. Such a lovely, mature wine.

Dinner at Petrus, with 2001 DRC Assortment case.

2013 Joseph Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche, en magnum - served around 2 hours after decanting. We've got some toasty notes, but overall the nose was not big and powerful. It's sweet and buttery, with lemon and almost a little apricot. A little bit too ripe for its age and considering the format. 93 points.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet - served about 2½ hours after opening. The nose was so much bigger, richer, yet cleaner. This was soooo fragrant. 97 points.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant - started drinking more than 3 hours after opening. The nose was fragrant but there was a hint of earthiness, along with leather. Later on came the toasty notes, and perhaps there was a little bit of stem. Funnily enough, I also thought there were elements of Chinese traditional bone-setting oil (跌打酒)... 94 points.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti - started drinking around 3½ hours after opening. The nose was very floral like roses, with exotic spices, as well as a little bit of cherry-flavored [cough] syrup and eucalyptus. 97 points and my favorite wine of the reds.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg - started drinking around 4 hours after opening. The nose showed a lovely fragrance, a little floral, definitely cool fruit. Better than the Romanée-Saint-Vivant but not as good as the Romanée-Conti. 95 points.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Échézeaux - started drinking about 4½ hours after opening. This was really fragrant and elegant, not quite floral but lovely nonetheless. A little later the toasty notes came out, and it was a little funky on the palate. Still very fragrant more than 5½ hours after opening. 95 points.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échézeaux - started drinking the first bottle more than 4½ hours after opening. The nose was more closed compared to the others, with more stem, and was definitely corked. The second bottle was much cleaner with a fragrant nose showing eucalyptus. 95 points for the second bottle.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche - started drinking almost 5 hours after opening. This was still a little closed, and the nose was kinda meaty. 94 points.

1965 Yquem - nose was showing tons of saffron, honey, marinated prunes, and marmalade. Such a pleasure to drink an aged Yquem!

Full post on the evening is here.