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.

Hodgepodge Wednesday

Dinner at Parade.

Pierre Deville Primitif, dégorgée en Octobre 2022 - lovely nose with yeast, minerals, nice and caramelized.

2004 Kistler Pinot Noir Cuvée Catherine - started drinking some 1 hour and 15 minutes after double-decanting. Initially the nose was not showing much, and the palate was thinner than expected. Half an hour later this opened up really nicely and showed lots of sweet fruit. Very elegant, not quite floral, but lovely nonetheless.

Bought from the winery for USD 90 plus tax.

2002 Kongsgaard Syrah - started drinking almost 2 hours after double-decanting. Lots of eucalyptus, some smoke. The palate wasn't great on the first pour, but over time this opened up more and the sweetness came, with a little more leather. Very smooth and elegant, but not as glorious as other recent bottles.

Bought from the winery for USD 138.

1959 Coron Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches - nose with leather and meaty notes, a little bretty, which was not surprising given the wine's age.

2019 Piero Busso Barbaresco Albesani Vigna Borgese - tasted more than 2½ hours after opening. Nose was very minty, with lots of herbs and similar to potpourri, and reminiscent of amaro.

Pinots and sweets

Dinner at Forum.

2020 Domaine Takahiko Soga Nana-Tsu-Mori - really fragrant, definitely floral nose. I could smell the acidity in the wine, like Chinese preserved sour plums. Not exactly ripe and jammy but there was definitely some sweetness on the nose. After sitting in the glass for an hour the wine turned a little soapy, and there was perhaps some aged tangerine peel. More than 2 hours after opening this became more savory, with some exotic spices which was not quite Chinese five spice. Very happy with this wine.

1989 Maximin Grünhauser Abtsberg Eiswein - really fragrant notes of aged marmalade, honey, with lots of petrol on the nose. There is enough acidity here to balance out the sugar, which was why the sommelier suggested we start with this before the others.

2008 Joseph Douhin Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Petits Monts - more lean rather than voluptuous, a little meaty, and definitely toasty on the nose. Quite nice and drinking well.

2005 Weinbach Gewurztraminer Furstentum Vendages Tardives - really floral with lots of white flowers, lots of classic lychee, and later plenty of honeysuckle. Very sweet on the palate but texture was not really viscous. Very alluring right now.

1959 Reichsgraf von Plettenberg Kreuznacher Brückes Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese Cabinet - served about 2 hours after opening. Very nutty, lots of medjool dates, a little bit Chinese sour plum juice. A lot more complex than the other two sweet wines.

Frederic Savart Les Pinots V15.16, dégorgée juillet 2021 - drank more than 2 hours after opening. Slight ripeness on the nose with a little bit of minerals. Dry on the palate with a little bitterness on the finish.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sparkling and Burg night

Dinner at Wing.

2014 Ultramarine Heintz Vineyard Blanc de Noirs, disgorged Nov 15, 2018 - somewhat fragrant, a little caramelized sugar, nice mousse. More rounded with a decent palate.

2014 Ultramarine Heintz Vineyard Blanc de Blancs, disgorged Nov 18, 2018 - acidity was definitely much higher, a little more mineral, and more grippy on the palate.

1959 Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach Hochheimer Domdechaney Riesling Spätlese Cabinet Naturrein - classic nose oe petrol, very oxidized, very round and soft on the palate. After more than 2 hours this opened up and got better.

1964 Hospices de Beaune Meursault 1er Cru Charmes Cuvée Albert Grivault, par Bouchard - oxidized with some notes of straw, very soft on the palate.

2008 Roulot Meursault Les Tessons Clos de Mon Plaisir - good balance between ripeness with the acidity.

2010 Cecile Tremblay Vosne-Romanée Vieilles Vignes - served after opening for 2 hours or so. Really fragrant with some leather notes along with black cherries.

2019 Jérôme Galeyrand Bourgogne Aligoté Le Cran - flinty on the nose, some ripeness here.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC Dinner - Caprice

MNSC dinner at Caprice. Hosted by me.

1971 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - nose was very oxidized, as expected, with sugar cane, straw, marmalade notes. Ripe, soft, and lovely on the palate.

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

2000 Armand Rousseau Chambertin - a little grilled meats, leather, not quite open. Definitely harder and masculine. 93 points.

1999 Armand Rousseau Chambertin - much bigger, more open, and more toasty on the nose, also a little dusty and dirty. Very smooth on the palate but also more noticeable tannins. 94 points.

1995 Armand Rousseau Chambertin - cleaner, softer on the palate. Black fruits and some eucalyptus. 94 points.

Second flight: served 1 hour after opening, without decanting.

1949 Haut-Brion, ex-château 2013 - very savory, huge and punchy nose. Very oxidized but not quite madeira, with Chinese salted plum, much more ripe and smoky. Classic old claret with that savory soy sauce and aged tangerine peel. 95 points.

1944 Haut-Brion, ex-château 2013 - very savory, a little medicinal, woodsy, more open and much more beautiful. 96 points.

Third flight: served 3½ hours after opening, without decanting.

1970 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - sweet grass, kinda fruity, pretty fragrant, minty, and kinda ripe. 94 points.

1971 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - a little oxidized, a little savory, kinda ripe. 93 points.

Bonus round:

1959 Clos de Nouys Vouvray Moelleux - flinty, floral, pollen and orange blossom notes. A hint of sweetness but not too rich.

Full post on dinner is here.

59 Ducru and 82 Montrose

Dinner at a friend's home.

2015 Yann Durieux Love and Pif - toasty, flinty, a little fizzy.  Not bad la...

1959 Ducru-Beaucaillou, negociant bottling - definitely nicely aged, with a nice and fragrant nose with cedar and mint notes.

1982 Montrose -  slightly corked.  Smoky nose.  Finally opened up after almost 3 hours later, and showed nice coffee notes which overpowered the cardboard notes.  More smoky notes later.

1999 Sine Qua Non The Ox - pretty fragrant.  A little floral, with nice, sweet fruit on the nose.  Slightly sweet on the palate, and soft and elegant on the palate now.