Rieslings and Champagnes

Dinner at Wing.

Frederic Savart L'Ouverture-Premier Cru, dégorgée en Janvier 2025 - lean as expected, with good acidity for a crisp palate, a little yeasty on the nose.

Sylvie Moreau Edition N°11, bouteille n° 0133/1300, dégorgée 16 Novembre 2019 - base year was 2004. The nose was very fragrant, with straw and sugar cane thanks to some oxidation due to aging.

1985 Maximin Grünhauser Riesling Abtsberg Kabinett - the front palate was a little short, but with the acidity on the palate the finish was reasonably long. Ripe and mature after 40 years with notes of straw alongside lemon citrus and white flowers.

Bought from Mayfair as part of a mixed lot for HKD 316.

2006 Kistler Pinot Noir Bodegas Headlands Vineyard Cuvée Elizabeth - nice with plenty of sweet fruit. so fragrant with eucalyptus notes.

Bought from the winery for USD 97.

1980 Baron Gaston Legrand Bas-Armagnac - lovely with vanilla and caramel nose.

Full post on dinner is here.

Cabs and Tuscany

Dinner at Carna.

2006 Casanova di Neri Cerratalto - double-decanted at home. Very big and oaky nose, with tons of sweet fruit along with sweet vanilla. Very concentrated on the palate, and a really lovely wine in the prime of its drinking window.

1985 Antinori Solaia - decanted an hour after opening and started drinking after 1½ hours in the decanter. A little too soft by now, although 20 minutes later this was more fragrant with some woodsy notes. Very soft and supple on the palate. Probaby should have started drinking earlier as the wine may have had too much aeration.

1994 Haut-Brion - decanted an hour after opening and started drinking after 2 hours in the decanter. Big nose of smoke and green pepper, tobacco, and a bit earthy. Really fragrant after about 2½ in the decanter. Still very much alive and going strong.

Full post on dinner is here.

The monster and chenins

Dinner at a friend's home.

2021 Thomas Batardière L'Esprit Libre - big nose of toast upfront. Good acidity on the palate, maybe a little on the lean side. Lots of flint on the nose, and very crispy on the palate. More than an hour after opening, we've also got green apple notes, too. Very enjoyable, just as one would expect from this wine.

2021 Pierre Menard Anjou Clos des Mailles - this was much bigger on the palate, fatter, richer, much more ripe and alcoholic than expected.

2021 L'Ange Vin L'Iris - this was a very interesting and complex wine. Strangely it smelled like yogurt with lactic acid,along with pineapple and other tropical fruits. There's good acidity on the palate with a long finish.

2022 Pierre Mang Le Parc Rouge, en magnum - opened at least a day before. The nose was really sweet, like juicy berries. Very fragrant with some dried herbs, and a little leather, too.

2004 Pax Syrah Cuvée Keltie - started drinking around 50 minutes after decanting. Still got that huge nose of ripe and jammy fruit, very metallic, and still alcoholic after mellowing out for 20 years. Still going strong after more than 3 hours in the decanter.

Bought from the winery for USD 65 plus tax.

2003 Clos Mimi Étiquette Rose - this was sooooo ripe, sweet like cough syrup. Nose was pretty flinty, kinda like natural wine. After 1½ hours still going strong, still hot and alcoholic on the palate.

Bought from the winery for USD 75 plus tax.

2020 Pierre Mang Coteaux du Layon Faye Cosmos - so rich, really sweet and ripe, so tropical, with apricot notes.

1985 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Rouge - popped and poured. The nose was really big and open, so fragrant, with lots of leather, a little smoky and wonderful toasty notes. There was also a little hint of farmy notes. The palate was on the light side, but it was all about that beautiful nose.

MNSC dinner - Saffron

MNSC dinner at Saffron in the HKGTA Town Club, with Juliano hosting.

2007 Arnaud Ente Meursault Clos des Ambres - quickly double-decanted. Elegant and beautiful nose of lemon, and surprisingly not a lot of toasty notes. Good acidity and very fresh on the palate. About 45 minutes later there was more flint and toast on the nose, but not big and overpowering. Lovely.

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

1985 Georges Mugneret Ruchottes-Chambertin - very obvious nose of sweet grass, very fragrant nose with nice fruit, smoke, and leather. 92 points.

1985 DRC Échézeaux - showing more concentration on the nose, the wine seemed meatier, a hint more farmy and leather notes. Another 20 minutes in this was showing some coffee, fragrant and floral notes. A beautiful wine. 97 points.

1985 La Conseillante - lots of black pepper, a little grass, plenty of tobacco, savory notes like black tea. Some 4 hours after opening this was also showing some green pepper. Just beautiful. 98 points.

Second flight: served without decanting around 3 hours after opening.

1986 Henri Bonneau Réserve des Célestins - definitely very sweet honey on the nose like an old Sauternes, kinda exotic. Love this wine. 97 points.

1986 Lafleur - minty and cool, more subdued on the nose, more eucalyptus, and a bit savory. 94 points.

Full post on the 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.

Clos de Beze and Clos Ste Hune

Dinner at Aap Ba Din.

1988 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune - the nose was sooo fragrant. Obviously very much oxidized so there's that marmalade both on the nose and the palate. The palate was ripe but the acidity was still there. Got some lemon, Chinese angelica, caramelized sugar, straw, a little flint and petrol, and also vanilla on the nose. Drinking really well.

1985 Faiveley Chambertin Clos de Beze - decanted and served around 45 minutes after opening. Very fragrant and floral nose, with leather and more meaty notes, still very much alive but vitality was not the same as our last bottle 3 years ago. Certainly more mellow now. Two hours after opening this was drinking beautifully and still going strong.

2011 Perrot-Minot Chambertin Clos de Beze - pretty exotic spices on the nose and maybe a little coconut. Nice black cherries, too. Good concentration here.

2017 Pierre Damoy Chambertin Clos de Beze - served more than 4 hours after opening. Nice and fragrant with black fruits and a little leather. Still a little grippy but also got the acidity.

Full post on dnner is here.

85 Maximin Grünhäuser

Lunch at Forum Restaurant.

1985 Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Kabinett - lovely nose of lemon citrus, still got the petrol for sure. Really good, crisp acidity on the palate.

Full post on lunch is here.

Figeac tasting

Lunch at Woo Cheong Tea House hosted by Altaya Wines featuring wines of Figeac. Frédéric Faye from the château in attendance.

2014 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs - nice and a little caramelized on the nose, with lovely lemon citrus notes. Good acidity on the palate.

2018 Petit-Figeac - 40% cabernet sauvignon in the blend. Very fragrant with lots of mint and exotic spices. Very ripe fruit. Obviously very young with that telltale nose which comes from thick grape skin that is almost like rubber.

2015 Figeac - still pretty young. Fragrant nose of oak and eucalyptus. Really nice and fresh and lovely. First couple of sips seemed to show that tannins were already smooth, although certainly more tannic than the 2009. After almost 3 hours in the decanter this was showing some coconut butter.

2009 Figeac - a more mature and complete wine than 2015. More smoky, minty but not eucalyptus, with some earthiness. Very nice and more flamboyant than the 2015. About 3 hours after decanting the tannins on the tongue became more noticeable.

2000 Figeac - served about 2 hours and 45 minutes after decanting. Heavier smoke on the nose, more Asian spices and leather, a little more animal notes, and lots of tobacco. Meaty with a little green capsicum. Drinking so well now.

1985 Figeac - this was corked, unfortunately, and showed lots of wet cardboard and grassy notes. Underneath the taint the wine wasn't bad, still showing leather, a little salty plum, and good fragrance.

1966 Figeac, ex-château and rebouché en 2017 - served 3 hours after decanting. Lots of tea in the nose, elegant and beautiful, so sexy and exotic. Fantastic wine.

Full post on lunch is here.