70 Mouton

Dinner at Molino de Urdániz in Taipei.

2019 Gramona Imperial, disgorged June 2025 - this was kinda bland, to be honest. It was easy drinking but not particularly interesting.

1970 Mouton-Rothschild - decanted 10 minutes after opening, and served after 30 minutes in decanter. This was still fragrant and really woodsy, and still got cassis and black fruits. About an hour after opening we got some coffee, and after an hour and a half lots of tobacco smoke came, which was just classic Pauillac. So soft on the palate now at this age, and this bottle drank better than the last 2 or 3 I've opened.

Bought from Sotheby's for HKD 3,075.

Full post on dinner is here.

70 Latour and Henin

Dinner at Locanda.

Pascal Henin L'Appel de la Forêt, dégorgée à 11 Octobre 2022 - the non-vintage version, which was different from the bottle of 2014 I tasted 2 months ago. Nice and toasty on the nose, and also a bit oily. There was a decent amount of depth on the palate, with good acidity.

Romain Henin Galip'ette, dégorgée à 10 Mai 2023 - the nose was pretty sugary, a little caramelized, with a hint of sugar cane. The palate did have the acidity, and was a little sharp on the attack but then softened up a little. For some reason the nose reminded me of kir royale, and there was a shade of cough syrup, too...

1970 Latour - mid-shoulder level. Tasted almost 1½ hours after opening and just after decanting. CORKED. Got that green vegetal and wet cardboard nose. Still corked an hour later. It was drinkable with smoke and a bit of grilled meats on the nose. Showed some graphite notes about 5 hours after opening. But what a disappointment!

Bought from Christies for HKD 5,000.

2007 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin - got that acidity I expected from Barolo. Interestingly the color of the wine was lighter than the Latour nearly 40 years older! Smoky nose with some nice fruits.

Full post on dinner is here.

70 Biondi-Santi

Dinner at Ta Vie.

2015 Mumm RSRV Blanc de Blancs, dégorgée en Decembre 2022 - got a nice and toasty nose, with a good balance on the palate where the acidity was slightly higher than expected but the wine was still rounded on the palate.

1970 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - served without decanting. Initially this was OK but after 20 minutes this was starting to fade in the glass, with a short finish. Nose was fairly woodsy but it wasn't cedar, and there were stewed black fruits. After about 30 minutes the nose was more open with more woodsy fragrance. After 1 hour this was not as good as before, with the acidity higher on the palate and the wine starting to feel a little thin. Not as good as the other bottle I opened 4 years ago.

Bought from Fine Wine Experience for HKD 3,600.

Full post on dinner is here.

70 Tonodia and Cali

Dinner at a friend's home.

1970 López de Heredia Viña Tondonia - mid-shoulder. Started drinking 15 minutes after opening. The sweetness was still there on the nose, but initially this was a bit grassy and also a touch of mold. The nose was a little similar to Chinese sour plum drink. Later the funky in the nose dissipated and we were left with the sweet fruit that had been aged and oxidized. Not bad at all.

1995 Caymus Special Selection - decanted 40 minutes after opening, and started drinking after 20 minutes in the decanter. The nose was smoky, a little earthy, with a nice hit of sweet fruit, and showinglovely, really fragrant oak. Almost 2 hours after opening the wine was just showing beautifully. So lovely and elegant now.

Bought from Farr for GBP 87.

2004 Colgin Cariad - decanted 1 hour and 20 minutes after opening and served. The nose was definitely much sweeter with that vanilla, and of course minty. Sweet on the palate, smooth now after 20 years of age, but still got the tannins. Drinking very nicely.

Bought from the winery for USD 275 plus tax.

2013 Produttori del Barbaresco Riserva Asili - swirled in decanter after opening, and started drinking 30 minutes later. The nose was very fragrant with lots of dried herbs and eucalyptus. Could still feel the tannins on the palate.

Spanish night

Dinner at MONO.

Miolo Cuvée Tradition Brut - this was kinda floral on the nose, with a little bit of toast. Crisp acidity on the palate.

1998 Marqués de Murrieta Ygay Gran Reserva Capellanía - the nose was very oxidized, which was not surprising given the dark color of the wine. The nose was like vin jaune or sherry, kinda caramelized on the nose, oaky. But the palate was acidic. About an hour after opening the nose was showing lovely caramelized sugar with a little marmalade.

Bought from Andromeda for HKD 1,300.

1970 Marqués de Murrietta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial - served without decanting about 30 minutes after opening. The wine was showing well, with a little savory notes, minty, with fruit underneath it all. After 45 minutes in the glass the acidity on the palate got more prominent, and almost 2 hours in the acidity was pretty damn high. The nose now started to show some coconut butter. Drinking really well.

1996 Artadi Viña El Pison - started serving without decanting about 1 hour and 45 minutes after opening. Initially the nose was very chalky and farmy, and I thought it might be corked, but the palate was OK if a little savory and soapy. The second pour some 2½ hours after opening shows that the unpleasant nose had faded, and the wine now showed plenty of fragrant eucalyptus in addition to lovely fruit, and still a little savory. About 3 hours in the wine was showing really well with some toasty oak.

2014 Flor de Pingus - started serving some 1½ hours after opening, but the wine was still closed, with just a little eucalyptus and herbs. A second pour another hour later and now the wine was showing beautifully, with more fragrance and fruit.

Ron Zacapa XO - lovely notes of vanilla and caramel.

Full post on dinner is here.

Free corkage for 5

Dinner at Sagrantino. Going for the last time.

2003 Pazo de Señorâns Selección de Añada - surprisingly nice acidity after all these years. The nose was nice showing how it developed with age, without showing oxidation or caramelization. There was a nice fragrance with toasty oak and notes of honey along with some ripeness. The acidity on the palate, though, was still there with some tartness on the finish. After about 2 hours the wine showed some metallic notes on the nose.

Bought from Links for HKD 488.

2022 Les Fauvettes De l'Aube à l'Aube - this was definitely bongwater. Nose of ripe and sweet strawberries, a little farmy and bretty but on the sweet side, not really savory. Later on we also had blueberries on the nose.

1970 Penfolds Dalwood Hermitage - started drinking around 1 hour after opening. Nose was very savory as expected, a little bretty, animal, with plenty of soy sauce. About 3 hours in this was so, so bretty.

Laherte Les Longue Voyes, dégorgée en Decembre 2021 - nice and caramelized on the nose.

Bought from Altaya for HKD 555.

2019 Chanterêves Bourgogne Aligoté Les Chagniots - toasty nose with some ripeness. There was some acidity on the palate along with buttery notes.

70 BV and William Kelley

Lunch at Caprice.

2015 Jean Vesselle Pur B3, bouteille n° 838/1700, dégorgée 15 Fevrier 2023 - a little sweet and a little yeasty on the nose.

1970 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve - this bottle was more mature than the others I had tasted in previous years, and was showing a very savory profile on the nose with lots of soy sauce as well as smoke. Very nice and silky smooth after more than 50 years, and still got sweetness on the palate. Also showing some lovely spices on the nose.

Bought from Andromeda for HKD 1,750.

2020 William Kelley Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Elelois - the wine was definitely too young and this showed, as the nose was definitely pretty jammy and metallic, showing black cherries and also eucalyptus. Tannins were very obvious. A second pour after an hour after opening still showed plenty of metallic notes, more black cherries, and now also some violet. This was definitely infanticide and the wine was drunk far too young.

1931 Toro Albalá Don PX Convento Selección, from imperial - the nose was very complex and showed plenty of savory notes, along with dried herbs and plenty of nuts. Very rich and viscous on the palate, and very sweet on both the palate and the nose.

Full post on lunch is here.

1970 CVNE

Dinner at Ta Vie.

2015 Mumm RSRV Blanc de Blancs, dégorgée en Decembre 2022 - really floral nose that is also yeasty. Pretty elegant.

1970 Compañia Vinicola del Norte de España Imperial Gran Reserva - really nice and fragrant on the nose with cedar, mushroom, and sweet fruits. So nice and beautiful, very elegant, with a bit of leather and black cherries. Starting to show some floral notes but not quite like roses. Around 45 minutes after opening the palate went a little flat, but the nose improved, showing bigger woodsy notes. More than 1 hours after opening the nose was minty and resembled claret a little more.

Bought from Altaya for HKD 1,710.

Full post on dinner is here.

Old Napa cabs

Dinner at The Merchants.

1985 Silver Oak Alexander Valley - pop and poured. Still pretty fresh and lively. The nose was very minty, smoky, with lot of cedar, and really sweet, with beautiful notes of tobacco. Acidity was slightly on the high side on the palate. My wine of the evening.

1976 Silver Oak Alexander Valley - this was more mature and more developed compared to the 1985. Nose of stewed fruit, still got the sweetness on the nose, but this has started to develop savory notes like black olives. The nose was still pretty fragrant but the palate wasn't as good as the 1985, with pretty high acidity. The nose had a little more vanilla, and oxidized like old Madeira.

1974 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Bosché - the nose was showing a little game and leather on the edges, with a hint of savory olive, a little bit of smoke, and nice fruity notes. The palate was on the savory side.

1976 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve - served about 1½ hours after double-decanting, which was much later than anticipated. This was a decent showing for the wine, very soft on the palate, niced aged, with a nose that was oxidized and on the savory side. Some 3 hours after decanting the nose was still showing OK, and 4 hours after decanting the nose was pretty savory by then.

Bought from Andromeda for HKD 1,800.

1977 Beaulieu Vineyard Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon - this was fresher and cleaner on the nose, with more sweetness. There was a little more body on this wine compared to the 1976, and then also started to show savory notes. More than 3½ hours after opening the nose was showing plenty of savory soy sauce, which was pretty nice.

1970 Heitz Martha's Vineyard - served some 45 minutes after opening. The nose showed nice and ripe fruit, with leather and also nice smoky notes. My third favorite wine of the night.

1976 Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - served about 1½ hours after opening. The nose was a little more green than the other wines, but not in a bad way. Pretty open and fragrant nose showing woodsy notes. Really showing nicely some 3 hours after opening, with a bit of sweet grass and almost floral notes. My second favorite wine of the evening.

1984 Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - drank about 1 hour and 15 minutes after opening. This was really nice after about 2 hours, showing some sweet fruit on the nose.

1985 Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon - drank about 1 hour and 15 minutes after opening. The nose was bigger than the 1984, with more savory notes, but still showed a good amount of sweet fruit.

1986 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill - drank about 1½ hours after opening. The nose was nice and woodsy, showing a bit of savory profile. The wine was drinking really nicely some 3½ hours after opening.

Full post on dinner is here.