Mingyi and Muxin

Four hands dinner at Jiang by Chef Fei in Guangzhou, with Meet the Bund.

DEVO MV04 Brut Nature – the nose was more caramelized than I had expected. Nice marmalade. Good acidity on the palate without being lean, with a good depth on the palate and a long finish.

2022 Mingyi Beneath the Temple (酩一 岚岩之下) – opened and breathed for 45 minutes before stoppering, and served another 1½ hours later. Initially this was served a bit cold so the nose was closed. On the palate there was a nice sweetness, very ripe and also a it hot and alcoholic.

2023 Muxin Cabernet Sauvignon (木杺赤霞珠) – very classic Bordeaux nose, with nice vanilla oak, smoky, a bit earthy, chocolate, and very ripe fruit. Tannins were still strong, which wasn’t surprising given the young age, but this was approachable as it’s made in a modern style. Also got some fragrant spices on the nose. I can understand why some people like this.

2018 Cailonglin Jin Ding Ice Wine (蔡龙鳞冰酒金鼎) - nose of honeydew, apricot, and peaches. Good acidity upfront and all through the finish, so it wasn’t just sweet all the way.

Full post on dinner is here.

Rodez and Lucien Le Moine

Dinner at a friend's home.

Chandon Garden Spritz – I do enjoy Apero spritz, so this was pretty much right up my alley with all the orange bitters.

Eric Rodez Cuvée des Grands Vintages, dégorgée en Janvier 2021 – good acidity and definitely good depth on the palate. My host was happy with it.

2010 Lucien Le Moine Clos de Vougeot – the nose was nice and ripe, with plenty of sweet fruit and leather. Decent acidity on the palate.

2007 BOND Matriarch - surprised that the nose was a bit reductive. Lots of dried herbs and potpourri here. Not as delicious as other bottles opened earlier.

Full post on dinner is here.

Chave and friends

Dinner at Hiyama.

1988 Chave Hermitage Blanc - started drinking around 30 minutes after opening. The nose was initially kinda closed and showed some marmalade and a little beeswax. The second pour some 20 minutes later was pretty cold, and this showed that the wine was weak and short on the palate. The last pour was drunk more than 5½ hours after opening. By now the nose was really open, showing apricot in addition to the marmalade and beeswax. Unfortunately it remained short on the palate.

1999 Chave Hermitage Rouge - started drinking more than 1½ hours after opening without decanting. The nose was kinda nice but felt a little muted. Showing some leather, plum, and a bit of acidity. Some 3 hours after opening this was very nice and fragrant, with woodsy notes.

Drinking at home.

2016 Château de la Gardine L’Immortelle - started drinking some 2½ hours after decanting into the Daniel Ricciardo shoey decanter. The first pour was very muted, almost not showing anything on the nose. After a few minutes in the glass this got a bit funky and stinky, which was actually a bit better. Another hour later the nose yielded some stewed prunes. Was this still tight and needed more time?

1990 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - started drinking 15 minutes after decanting. This was really nice and smoky, showing grilled meats, pencil lead/graphite, and tobacco. Reminds me of a Pauillac.

Full post on the evening is here.

Vaudieu L'Avenue

Drinking at home.

2016 Château de Vaudieu Châteauneuf-du-Pape L'Avenue... - started drinking after 1 hour in decanter. Initially the nose was muted, but the ripe fruit on the palate was there. Still pretty young and the tannins were there. Got that juicy blackcurrant jam on the palate.

2025 Murgo

Dinner at Ninetta.

2025 Murgo Etna Bianco - really flinty on the nose, with lots of peaches along with vanilla oak. Acidity on the palate was quite high for the first sip, which was what I wanted out of this wine.

Full post on dinner is here.

2017 Stephan

Dinner at Chouchou.

2017 Stephan Côte-Rôtie - lots of fragrant mint and eucalyptus. Definitely meaty. After more than an hour, the nose was still pretty fragrant.

Full post on dinner is here.

2005 Pax The Terraces

Drinking at home.

2005 Pax Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard The Terraces - started drinking 20 minutes after decanting. Very fragrant with mint and eucalyptus, lots of cedar, coconut, with a hint of sharp alcohol on the nose. Half an hour in this was so, sooo nice, with so much fruit but now has the acidity with complexity and softness from 20 years' of maturity.

2016 Ganevat En Billat

Drinking at home.

2016 Ganevat En Billat - this was classic Fanfan. We've got floral notes on the nose along with the leather, and of course there were slight hints of pungent, farmy notes. There were also juicy, dark fruits, with some woodsy fragrance. About 1½ hours in some toasty notes came out, like popcorn.

2022 Guy Wertz

Dinner at Lucky Ship.

2022 Frédéric Cossard Bain de Bulles Guy Wurtz - the nose was very floral, and it was also very obviously lychee... not surprising given the grape varietal used. Palate-wise this was a bit like apple juice or apple cider.

French and German whites

Dinner at Wildyeast in Hangzhou.

2019 Ulysse Collin Les Pierrières, dégorgée le 5 Fevrier 2024 - this is a blanc de blancs so acidity was fairly high. Always a nice drink.

2022 Keller Oberer Hubacker Riesling - classic riesling with a huge nose of petrol, along with crisp acidity. Love Keller.

2022 Dugat-Py Meursault Très Vieilles Vignes - the nose was, surprisingly, not so toasty but very nice and fragrant. Later on the nose turned very buttery with plenty of vanilla.

Full post on dinner is here.

2025 Vastira

Lunch at Ru Yuan in Hangzhou.

2025 Jinyu Yunlai Petit Manseng Vastira - flinty and mineral on the nose. Acidity was nice and high, but there was some ripeness on the front palate. Lovely lemon notes.

Full post on lunch is here.

French and Aussie

Dinner at Sense in Hangzhou.

Augustin Feu - there was some sharp acidity on the nose, with Chinese sour plum. While the palate was on the acidic side it was somewhat tempered.

2023 Bessin-Tremblay Chablis Valmur - the nose was a bit green, and also a little reductive.

2022 Benoit Moreau Volnay 1er Cru Santenots - prominent coconut butter notes on the nose, but this also seemed a little dusty.

2022 Place of Changing Winds Heathcote Syrah - served nearly 2 hours after opening. There was lots of coconut butter and mint, very ripe and sweet, with a little smoky grilled meats and woodsy notes. Definitely too young and still got the tannins.

2009 Coutet - nose of honey, pineapple, apricot, and saffron.

Full post on dinner is here.

Chidaine and Gonon

Dinner at Jin Sha in Hangzhou.

2022 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Choisilles - nose was very flinty and tropical, a little ripe on the palate. Also some lemon citrus.

2023 Pierre Gonon Les Iles Feray - this was very interesting with lots of spices on the nose. The wine was very young and full of really ripe fruit, and also kinda metallic and a little sharp on the nose.

Full post on dinner is here.

Bongwater central

Drinks at La Cabane Bistro.

Brasserie Cantillon Ashanti - lambic with acidity and not bitterness. Lots of floral lavender here.

2017 Marie-Courtin Efflorescence - nose of caramelized apple, along with some nutty notes.

2022 Gramenon Côtes du Rhône L'Emouvante - definitely a Rhône syrah, with some smoke, leather, some fragrant eucalyptus, and black fruits.

2021 Calvez Bobinet Ruben - a bit funky on the nose, and definitely a cab franc.

Henin and Chavost

Dinner at Lucky Ship.

Romain Henin Le Gamin du Terroir, dégorgée le 16 Septembre 2025 - this was a little warm at first so there was a bit more body than I was expecting. It drank much better than I had expected, but still too young and the palate felt too diluted.

Chavost Eurêka! - the acidity was higher, and this was nicer with a longer finish.

2002 Konsgaard Syrah - started drinking 1 hour after opening without decanting. The nose was very fragrant, with mint, eucalyptus, and woodsy notes. Drinking well as expected.

Full post on dinner is here.