Bijofu Éclat

Dinner at Sushi Kumogaku.

2020 Bijofu Yumebakari Éclat (美丈夫 夢許 Éclat 2020), bottle No.141 - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 30%. This is a tobingakoi (斗瓶囲い) and aged for 5 years at 1°C.　Definitely sweet on the palate, with a nose that was very much banana and floral. Funny that I thought the nose "smelled cloudy". This had the complexity that reflects its age. After the crab this tasted a little alcoholic and dry. Changed a little bit after about 30 minutes, and the nose smelled a little more fermented and savory. About an hour in, the banana came back on the nose, and as the temperature warmed up it tasted more dry on the finish. A wonderful sake.

Full post on dinner is here.

SQN On the Lam

Drinking at a friend's home.

2009 Sine Qua Non On the Lam - 48% Roussanne, 35% Chardonnay and 17% Viognier. 15.5% alcohol. Very ripe and hot on the palate, sweet with a bitter finish. Toasty nose came out after a little more than 5 minutes, instantly changing the whole profile of the wine. There was so much honey, or actually honeysuckle, with some apricot and a hint of nuttiness. More than 2 hours after opening, the sweetness on the palate was still there, and the cold temperature of the wine kept the bitterness in check. The nose got more floral, with a bit of straw and acetone as well. Incredibly beautiful after 2½ hours.

2001 Arietta

Dinner at home in Taipei.

2001 Arietta Hudson Vineyard H-Block - started drinking about 30 minutes after decanting. Nose was showing a bit of smoke, and still got the sweet fruit, but not to the point of being jammy. Nice woodsy notes.

2020 Calon Ségur

Dinner at Ginza in Taipei.

2020 Calon Ségur - started drinking 40 minutes after opening. Smoky, minty, very classic claret. Nice and lively fruit as the wine is still young.

Palacios and Cañas

Dinner at Leela.

2023 Alvaro Palacios Camins del Priorat - very ripe and very oaky, with forest and potpourri notes.

2018 Luis Cañas Rioja Reserva - the nose was a little sharp at first, and riper, more intense. Later on the wine got softer on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

2021 Mayer Volcanic

Drinking at home.

2021 Mayer Syrah Volcanic - started drinking around 1 hour and 15 minutes after opening. Smoky, gamey, leathery, a little stinky, with black fruits. This was definitely more Rhone-like, pretty open and fragrant now, so floral with lots of lavender. Just really beautiful! Quelle surprise!

2022 Avani Amrit

Drinking at home.

2022 Avani Amrit Pinot Noir - started drinking 40 minutes after opening. Fruity nose with a little leather, almost a hint of sugary bubblegum. A little animal and smoke, and the nose became more open after 10 minutes in glass... showing more blueberries. The alcohol was still a bit sharp at this young age. After 3½ hours, the nose was still pretty fragrant, but this was more acidic on the palate now.

Col d'Orcia and Arietta

Dinner at Deng G.

2017 Col d'Orcia Riserva Poggio al Vento - this was very fragrant with good amount of sweet fruit. About 1½ hours later we also had nice, woodsy notes.

2001 Arietta H-Block Hudson Vineyards - started drinking after 1 hour and 15 minutes in the decanter. This was really sweet and very ripe, almost jammy. Smoky and also nice, woodsy notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

Ganevat and Muxin

Dinner at Man Ho.

2018 Domaine Ganevat Les Varrons Vieilles Vignes - it took time for the wine to open up, with more ripeness on the nose than expected, together with flint. Lean on the palate with high acidity. More than an hour later the nose began to show toasty notes. Drinking decently.

2020 Jean-Marc Vincent Santenay 1er Cru Le Beaurepaire - this was pretty forward. Nice and fruity on the nose, with a little leather and also a little meaty. Very pleasant and easy to drink.

1982 Giscours - started to drink more than an hour after opening. Clearly a little tired, as the sweet fruit was gone. Got some sweet grass on the nose, musty, definitely bretty. Not great.

2021 Muxin Rouge - started drinking about 1 hour and 15 minutes after decanting. The nose was pretty open, and this was definitely predominantly cab. Smoky, earthy, mineral. Young and lively. This was much better than the one I tasted last year.

Full post on dinner is here.

Grange and Jubilation

Dinner at Yong Fu.

2017 Darviot-Perrin Meursault 1er Cru Genevrières - this was initially served too cold and needed a little warming up with the hands. There was good ripeness on the palate, with lemon citrus, and also got those flint and toasty notes, but thankfully not too heavy.

1991 Penfolds Grange - this was opened prior to arriving at the restaurant. Showing that classic coconut butter and jammy nose. With aging this has developed tertiary notes on the nose, and was now so fragrant with spices and this lingered in the mouth. Also prunes but not unpleasant nor too acidic on the palate. Finally showing some notes which reminded me of hawthorn. Drinking nicely.

2004 Colgin Jubilation - started drinking after 1½ hours in the decanter. This was much riper and much sweeter on the nose as well as palate. Pretty fragrant on the nose, and so soft on the palate now... but not diluted or weak. Pretty elegant and feminine.

1999 Hugel Gewurztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles, en demi-bouteille - the nose was so floral, so much lychee, so much honey here... and definitely nutty, too.

Full post on dinner is here.

Costamolino and Kikusaki

Dinner at Zozzona.

2023 Argiolas Costamolino - very fragrant and floral nose, with tropical fruits. Pretty ripe on the palate but not too sweet, with a good acidity balance and a little bitter on the finish.

Kikusaki Tokusen (菊咲特撰), from isshobin - seimaibuai of 65%. On the dry side.

2010 MNSC

Drinking at home.

2010 Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Rousseau-Deslandes, mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour MNSC - started drinking 30 minutes after decanting. Fragrant nose of black fruits, plum, a little woodsy. Still toasty on the nose but much more mellow now.

Bought from Altaya for HKD 590.

Gruaud Larose and Philip

Dinner at a friend's home.

2022 Mazzei Philip - opened the previous evening and vacuum pumped. Nose was a little muted and initially served a little too cold. As it opened up the nose was showing fruity and minty notes, almost sweet like candy.

2017 Gruaud Larose - started drinking 1 hour after opening. Ripe fruit on the nose, but a little metallic. Opened up a little more later and became more fragrant.

MNSC dinner - Ami

MNSC dinner at Ami, hosted by Dr. Poon.

1990 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Rosé - a little flinty on the nose, with Chinese salted plum and marmalade. A little grassy, perhaps? Very soft of the palate after 35 years.

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

1995 Armand Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze - very fragrant nose, the fruit was just so sweet. 96 points.

1995 Leroy Clos de Vougeot - the nose was just so explosive, so fragrant, so floral, and just FUCKING GOOD. A little farmy, with leather and eucalyptus. Lots of ripe fruit. 98 points.

Second flight: served without decanting 1½ hours after opening.

1982 Cheval Blanc - smoky nose, minty, and a little stinky. More concentrated on the palate. After another 20 minutes the mint was more obvious, with a little capsicum. Still very lively and sweet on the palate, and even came with a hint of coconut butter. 97 points.

1982 L'Evangile - the nose was so perfumed, also a little smoky and bretty, with nice sweet fruit but slightly leaner. After another 40 minutes the nose was still very perfumed but now came with more leather. 96 points.

Third flight: served without decanting around 2½ hours after opening.

1926 Haut-Brion, acquired from Baghera/wines and reportedly reconditioned at the château - very ripe and jammy on the nose, so interesting with lots of spices and stewed prunes. 92 points.

1982 Haut-Brion - the nose was minty but a little muted. Also a bit alcoholic, and a hint of farmy, bretty notes. 93 points.

Since we had questioned the condition of the 1926 Haut-Brion - while tasting it blind and not realizing its age - Dr. Poon very generously opened up his "back up" wine for this flight. Just popped and poured.

1959 Haut-Brion - the nice was so sweet with lots of vanilla, so beautiful, and a little grassy. 96 points.

Somehow we ended up popping a bottle of Moutai at the very end, which isn't really my thing...

2019 Kweichow Moutai (贵州茅台) - not too bad as far as baijiu goes...

Full post on dinner is here.

2019 Nine Peaks

Drinking at home.

2019 Nine Peaks Reserve Red - started drinking 30 minutes after decanting. Nose of forest pine, sweet black fruits, with a little earthy tones. Definitely a cab sauv. Another hour in the wine was very smooth on the palate. Almost 2 hours after decanting this was showing smoky, oaky notes.

MNSC dinner - Roganic

MNSC dinner at Roganic, hosted by Lord Rayas.

2020 Dominio del Águila Albillo Viña Viejas - good acidity on the palate. Nice, toasty, and flinty on the nose, a bit like savagnin, a bit reductive on the nose. There was some ripeness on the nose but still more flinty and lean.

First flight:

2022 Dugat-Py Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles Très Vieilles Vignes - opened 4 hours before serving. Really ripe on the nose with red fruits, a little forest, and pretty sweet. There was also a hint of leather as well as some metal. Nice strawberry notes, too. 96 points.

2022 William Kelley Beaune 1er Cru Les Chouacheaux - served without decanting 5 hours after opening. The nose was more metallic, but curiously a little bit of osmanthus flowers? Sharper on the nose and seemed younger. Loads of black cherries. 96.5 points.

Second flight:

1983 Lafleur - served without decanting 6½ hours after opening. Very lovely and fragrant at first, but the nose suddenly became very muted. A little minty and a little orange. 95 points.

1986 Lafleur - aired for 30 minutes before being stoppered and vacuum pumped. Allowed to breathe again 2 hours later for another 3½ hours before serving. A little sweet grass and wet cardboard on the nose on top of the fruit. 93 points.

Third flight:

2005 Rayas Rouge - decanted 7 hours prior to serving, and double-decanted back to the bottle after 1½ hours. Very funky and farmy. 95 points.

2005 Pignan - served without decanting 7 hours after opening. The nose was very fragrant with gamey leather notes. A little soapy almost. Sweet on the palate. 98 points.

Full post on dinner is here.

Krug and Pepe

Dinner at Old Tower in Beijing.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 173ème Édition, ID 124007 - this has got that classic toasty brioche nose of Grande Cuvée, while the acidity on the palate was on the high side.

2021 Emidio Pepe Trebbiano d'Abruzzo - with the first whiff I thought this may have been a little corked, but the others felt this was OK. Nose showed a little bit of toast. On the palate there was still acidity, but we've also got some ripeness and then the bitterness on the finish.

2022 Armand Heitz Rully 1er Cru Marissou - classic butter nose with toast and flint.

Full post on dinner is here.