2020 Angelus and Ygrec

Dinner at Caprice.

2020 Ygrec de Yquem - nose of lemon citrus, honey, with very good acidity to balance the small amount of ripeness on the palate. I could definitely smell the sauvignon blanc in the blend.

2020 Angelus - drank about 2 hours after decanting. Definitely still a very young and vibrant wine. Very ripe and a little jammy, with prominent notes of forest and potpourri, along with vanilla and mint on the nose. Still needs time to develop, but enjoyable now.

2014 Yauem, en imperial - lots of polyurethane and saffron, as well as orange and acetone. Soooo lovely and viscous on the palate.

2020 DRC Corton-Charlemagne - good acidity as well as good ripeness, with a little honey on the nose and a bit of polyurethane. This did not smell like a white Burg at all, with none of the buttery and oaky profile. After a little more time, the toasty notes finally came out, along with some flint. When the wine got warmer in the glass, the ripeness became more obvious.

1989 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl Sélection de Grains Nobles - nose of saffron, honey, marmalade, and lovely nutty notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

Legras and BV

Dinner at Locanda.

Legras et Haas Intuition, dégorgée en Octobre 2023 - the nose had a nice and lovely fragrance. The dosage of 6g/l makes this a Brut, but I kinda felt the palate veered towards the sweet side.

1994 Beaulieu Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve - started drinking more than 1½ hours after decanting. Nose was nice and smoky, with pencil lead and black fruits. Very smooth tannins on the palate after 30 years. There was also a hint of earthiness a little later.

Full post on dinner is here.

1982 Cave Privée

Dinner at Sushi Fujimoto.

1982 Veuve Cliquot Cave Privée - the nose was nicely oxidized with savory mineral notes, and also reminded me of Chinese salty lemon. There was good acidity on the palate.

Bouteille 2490/3500, dégorgée en mai 2014

Full post on dinner is here.

Laherte and Arietta

Dinner at Medora.

Laherte Rosé de Meunier, dégorgée en Mars 2023 - this always has a good level of acidity in addition to those juicy red fruits.

2001 Arietta Hudson Vineyard H-Block - started drinking 1 hour and 15 minutes after decanting. Still pretty concentrated on the palate, although the tannins have become softer now. Still got some of the vanilla oak.

Full post on dinner is here.

2020 Larrivet Haut-Brion Blanc

Drinking at home.

2020 Larrivet Haut-Brion Blanc - fairly big on the nose, with some notes of muscat grapes. A little ripeness on the palate but not too sweet, and still got enough acidity. Later the nose showed some nice and toasty oak, with a little flint.

2002 Descendant

Drinking at home.

2002 Torbreck Descendant - started drinking 10 minutes after decanting. Definitely woodsy on the nose, showing very nice fruit in the air while decanting. It's amazing that the tannins were still there on the back end after more than 20 years. The nose showed blueberries and the grape skin. Very fragrant about 45 minutes in.

Kokuryu Kuzuryu

Dinner at Sugidama (杉玉).

Kokuryu Junmai Kuzuryu (黒龍 純米 九頭龍)

Águila and Cossard

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2020 Frédéric Cossard Chassagne-Montrachet - the acidity was very high, just the way we wanted. Got some toasty and flinty notes.

2010 Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Rousseau-Deslandes, mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour MNSC - served without decanting more than 1 hour after opening. Plenty of toast on the nose and also lots of coconut butter. Still pretty fragrant. The wine was decent on the palate, but it's more simple now compared to just a a year or two ago.

2018 Dominio del Águila Albillo Viña Viejas - flint nose, very fragrant, very big toasty nose, and lots of vanilla and sweet bubblegum on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

2022 Fèvre Chablis

Drinking at home.

2022 Nathalie et Gilles Fèvre Chablis Vieilles Vignes - very soft on the palate, and definitely lacking the acidity for Chablis. This was ripe on the nose and the palate. The nose did get a little more interesting later with some flint.

La Mouline and Mortet

Dinner at Caprice.

2019 Lemaire Les Terres Jaunes, dégorgée en Mars 2022 - seemed to have some age on it, pretty nice and smooth on the palate, but maybe a little less lively. Nose was a little caramelized but not too heavily. Later on the palate improved, became a little grippy and lean.

1993 Fiorano Bianco - this was pretty oxidized and the color was fairly dark. There was a little flint on the nose, and there were some notes of straw, but pretty flat and boring on the palate.

1998 Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin Combe-du-Dessus - started serving some 2½ hours after opening without decanting. Still got that toasty popcorn on the nose, very fragrant and floral. So lovely now and a pleasure to drink.

1995 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline - started serving around 3 hours after opening without decanting. Got that eucalyptus and bacon on the nose, with a hint of toast, and even some pencil lead along with some cool fruit. Drinking really nicely now. About 4½ hours after opening this was really beautiful, and the violet notes really came out after dessert.

Full post on dinner is here.

Italians and makgeolli

Dinner at Estro.

2019 Ca' del Bosco Franciacorta Vintage Collection Extra Brut, discorged in 2023 - very lively, toasty and yeasty nose with a little bit of flint.

Eatanic Garden Cloudy (흐림) - the nose was a little medicinal, the palate was slightly bitter and not too sweet.

2019 Manzone Barolo Castelletto - smoky, earthy, minty, forest, with potpourri.

Full post on dinner is here.

Cali night

Dinner at a friend's home.

2008 Dashe Zinfandel Todd Brothers Ranch Old Vines - decanted for a short while before serving. Earthy nose with cooked fruit, really sweet and jammy on the palate. There was also a little savory soy sauce on the nose.

2001 Arietta H-Block Hudson Vineyards - started drinking more than 1 hour after opening without decanting. Very nice and minty, very fragrant and sooo sweet on the nose... almost jammy with vanilla notes. A little hot and alcoholic on the palate.

2003 BOND Matriarch - decanting just before serving. Very sweet on the palate but still got the acidity for balance, A little mushroom and green capsicum on the nose, which was unexpected.

2017 Brane-Cantenac

Dinner at Born and Bred in Seoul.

2017 Brane-Cantenac - this was such a classic claret, with a nose that was smoky and a little earthy. Kinda OK on the palate now after a few years, but still a little young and I could taste the oak.

Full post on dinner is here.

de Chanceny Crémant

Buffet dinner at King Sejong Memorial Hall in Seoul.

de Chanceny Crémant de Loire Brut

Full post on the wedding is here.

Sinzero and Cirillo

Lunch at Eatanic Garden in Seoul.

Eatanig Garden Sunny (맑음) - OK lah...

Eatanic Garden Cloudy (흐림) - nice balance with the acidity, and not too sweet.

2021 Sinzero Cabernet Sauvignon - couldn't get too much out of the nose, but there was some fruit... Acidity on the high side and not much tannins.

2017 Cirillo Grenache 1850 Ancestor Vine - plenty of sweet fruit on the nose. Light and delicate on the palate, but not too complex.

Full post on lunch is here.

Korean wine pairing

Lunch at Onjium in Seoul.

Omynara Mungyeong Baram Oak 40% (오미나라 문경바람 오크 40%)

Wink Sour Mead

These two were mixed together. I could definitely taste the alcohol but also the apple flavors were distinctive.

Ellyeop Pyunjoo Cheongju (一葉平舟 / 일엽편주 청주) - good acidity, nice fruitiness, too, but not really sweet on the palate. A hint of bitterness on the palate but only just a little. I guess this is a yakju (약주) after all.

Gyeongju Beopju Choteuksun 21% (慶州法酒 超特選 21%) - equivalent of a 21% seimaibuai. This was kinda like sake, but not quite. A little sweeter on the palate.

Housemade mulberry rice wine - nice fruity notes.

Pungjeon Sagye Autumn (풍정사계 秋) - very enjoyable with light sweetness but not fizziness.

Chusa 40 degree Apple Brandy (추사 40도 사과브랜디) - we had a small taste with our meat dish. Didn't bother to dilute it with ice...

Full post on lunch is here.