Champagne night

Dinner at Kyoto Oden Masa.

Pascal Henin Blanc comme Neige, dégorgée 12 Octobre 2022 - this showed a little more complexity than expected, and certainly an improvement on my bottle from 2023. There was some nice minerality and savory notes, along with good depth on the palate.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 3rd genration, en demi bouteille - there was some carbonation released on popping the cork so it wasn't totally flat. The nose was so beautiful, with plenty of marmalade, honey, minerals, flint, with lovely toasty and nutty notes with additional aeration. A tiny bit bitter on the palate at first, but there's good amount of acidity here for balance.

1966 Mumm Cuvée René Lalou - lovely nose of marmalade, honey, Chinese salted plum. Later on the nose got a bit toasty and a little nutty.

1976 Mumm Cuvée René Lalou - the nose was really oxidized, of course, with lots of marmalade. Fresher than the 1966 that's for sure.

1995 Hospices Corton

Drinking at home.

1995 Hospices de Beaune Corton Cuvée Charlotte Dumay, élevé par Dominique Laurent - acidity was very high, and it got pretty grippy on the tongue. Nose was showing woodsy and leather notes. Not as pleasant as the other bottles I've had.

Bought from Christie's for HKD 774.

2020 Guigal Côtes-du-Rhône

Drinking at home.

2020 Guigal Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge - pretty fragrant nose with woodsy and dried herb notes, but no toasty oak here, together with pine needles and a little leather. Slightly on the alcoholic side, but thoroughly enjoyable.

Bought from Apita for HKD 149.

Dom P2 and Italians

Dinner at Estro.

2000 Dom Pérignon P2 - this was definitely corked with that wet cardboard smell. The palate was definitely flat, with some acidity mid-palate, but the finish was definitely bitter and short. Some toast on the nose, but really not enjoyable.

Bought from MHD for HKD 3,120.

2008 Di Meo Greco di Tufo Vittorio Riserva - aged for 12 years in the tanks and then another 24 months in the bottle, the nose showed a little bit of exotic spices, definitely flinty, oxidative, and definitely heavily toasted once the wine is in the mouth.

2017 San Valentino Sangiovese di Romagna Superiore Riserva Terra di Covignano - nice nose with some spices and dried herbs, and fragrant eucalyptus.

Full post on dinner is here.

Chavost and Fourrier

Dinner at Jean May.

2008 Chavost Terroir du Cœur - good acidity with good depth on the palate, and good ripeness to pair with that acidity. Lots of plum and lemon marmalade, as well as Chinese salted plum. Pretty nice.

2015 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Champeaux Vieilles Vignes - started drinking more than an hour after opening. Nice and fruity nose. Some toasty oak came out a little later, along with black cherries. Drinking very nicely.

Full post on dinner is here.

2022 Felettig

Dinner at Henry for the collaboration with Born and Bred.

2022 Felettig Bourgogne Pinot Noir - initially the nose wasn't very open. The palate was still kinda tannic since the wine was young. Later there were notes of leather and blueberries, then a bit of dried herbs and eucalyptus with more aeration.

Full post on dinner is here.

Drappier Rosé de Saignée

Dinner at Leela for the Leela x Yong Fu collaboration.

Drappier Rosé de Saignée - lots of juicy red fruits here, like strawberries and red currants.

Full post on dinner is here.

Dewazakura and Tamaasahi

Dinner at a friend's home.

Dewazakura Junmai Ginjo Dewasansan Muroka Nama Genshu Puppy (出羽桜 純米吟醸 出羽燦々 無ろ過生原酒), from isshobin - seimaibuai of 50%. Sweet on the attack but definitely dry on the palate. The nose showed slight fermented notes.

Tamaasahi Junmai Shortcake (玉旭 純米 Shortcake) - kinda fruity with the lactic acid. Pretty easy to drink.