Dewazakura Karesansui

Dinner at Sushi Zinc.

Dewazakura Tokubetsu Honjoso Karesansui 1990 (出羽桜 特別本醸造 枯山水 悠久の風), H2BY - seimaibuai of 55%. While there were some savory, oxidative notes that comes from aging, this was surprisingly fresh and clean. Naturally very, very smooth on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Years of the Horse

Dinner at Andō. Wine theme was Years of the Horses.

Drappier Quattuor - the nose was very moussy, also nice and toasty. Overall pretty nice and easy to drink.

A year ago I ordered and received the Riedel Clos Sainte Hune decanter, which is limited to 100 pieces and has the iconic label sketch etched on the glass. As a big fan of the wine, I just had to get one for myself. What I should have done was the get two...

1990 Trimbach Riesling Clos Sainte Hune - the nose was definitely flinty, with classic petrol notes, and tonight there was plenty of white truffle as Jean Trimbach would insist, along with dried fruits like apricot. Rich and rounded on the palate. The finish was a little on the bitter side when the wine got a little too warm. Drinking beautifully as one would hope.

Purchased from Sotheby's for HKD 5,682.

2002 Coche-Dury Meursault - at the beginning this turned out much more elegant than expected, as the nose showed some of the expected toasty notes but they were milder and more muted. After about an hour the lemon citrus was still delivering nice acidity on the palate. The nose got more flinty, and almost lean like Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, although there was some ripeness here. About another 15 minutes later the palate started to get a little bitter, but the nose was also getting more open and alluring.

Purchased from Acker for HKD 1,627.

2002 François Lamarche La Grande Rue - opened for an hour before stoppering, started drinking after another of aeration. Nice and fragrant nose with lovely fruit, with a hint of stewed or dehydrated fruit. Also nice and toasty.

1978 Trotanoy - started drinking about 1½ hours after opening. Smoke nose with savory notes like black olives, minty, capsicum, so fragrant. Almost 2 hours after opening the coffee notes showed up, so that was really nice and toasty, to. Naturally this was very light and smooth on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Two Rieslings

Dinner at The Chairman.

1990 Maximin Grünhauser Riesling Herrenberg Kabinett - this was still pretty fresh and lively, with good acidity level on the palate.

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

2019 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese - definitely sweeter as a spätlese. Very nice and classic.

2011 Payre Rose Marlène N°3 - pretty smooth now given its age, with nice leathery notes on the nose.

Bought from Ginsberg + Chan for HKD 560.

Full post on dinner is here.

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.

90 Fleury and Jacquesson

Dinner at Song in Guangzhou.

1990 Fleury, dégorgée en Septembre 2020 - this had plenty of age on it, so it was very nice and smooth, with marmalade, red plums, and salty plum on the nose.

Drinks at Park Hyatt Guangzhou Roof Bar.

Jacquesson Cuvée N°745 - yeasty nose with brioche, flinty and mineral. The acidity was a bit higher as this is extra-brut, but there was still a bit of ripeness on the palate. I could smell the caramelized sugar on the nose, and maybe a little bit of pear thanks to the minerals.

2015 Résonance Pinot Noir Résonance Vineyard - drank about 30 minutes after decanting. Nose showed smoke, leather, vanilla, black cherries. After a few more minutes there was smoke on the nose, too. Reasonably soft on the palate after 10 years. Second pour was another 20 minutes later, and was now less sweet on the nose. Body also got a bit bigger.

Full post on the evening is here.

90 Montrose and friends

Dinner at Flower Drum.

2020 Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc - nose of green apple and muscat. Drinking well with a little ripeness to balance the acidity.

Bought from Altaya for EUR 112.

1981 Guigal La Landonne - all sediment poured into decanter. Started drinking around 40 minutes after decanting. Kinda meh. With the char siu the after taste was pretty metallic and a little funky. Got better after 1 hour in the decanter, and now I could smell the acidity, and the acidity also started to show on the palate. Still got sweet fruits like plum on the nose. After 1½ hours the nose was now better than the palate. Just kinda disappointing.

Bought from Sotheby's for GBP 195.

1990 Montrose - all sediment poured into decanter. A little bretty just after decanting. Started drinking about 1 hour and 45 minutes after decanting. Very lively. Around the 2-hour mark the nose was very smoky, showing lots of tobacco, leather, mineral and savory notes. Really nice and fragrant. Maybe not performing as a 100-point wine tonight but very delicious nonetheless.

Full post on dinner is here.

90 Latour and bongwater

Dinner at Hosu in Taipei.

Weightstone WE Frizzante No.6 - fruity, lively, kinda happiness-inducing wine. Lots of lychees here, and just seems so happy.

1990 Latour - this was really nice and smooth now. Second pour for me was about 1½ hours after opening, and now it was pretty sweet on the palate, with smoky and leather notes. Really nice after 2 hours as the wine was very open now, with fragrant woodsy notes. Started to have a little pencil lead on the nose. After about 2½ hours, finally felt some tanins on the palate, while the woodsy fragrance was really, really now nice. In fact, it was so fucking good after the wine really opened up.

Full post on dinner is here.

Amour and Clos Ste Hune

Dinner at Spring Moon.

2013 Amour de Deutz - this had some nice depth on the palate, and the nose really showed some lovely toasty notes after it opened up.

2009 Lucien Le Moine Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets - the nose was very fragrant, elegant, almost floral, with a light hint of leather. On the palate, though, it's got a real meaty flavor.

Bought from Links Concepts for HKD 570.

1990 Trimbach Clos Sainte Hune - the nose was soooo beautiful, with "white truffle" as Jean Trimbach would call it. There was also some wonderful marmalade, but on the palate now it's kinda bitter and tart. Not as "fresh" and lively as some of the other bottles I've had, although it has been a few years since my last one.

Bought from Acker for HKD 3,456.7.

Full post on dinner is here.

Champagne and Kabinett

Ta Vie's 10th anniversary party at Forty-Five.

Mumm RSRV Cuvée 4.5, dégorgée en Septembre 2023 - easy to drink, good depth on the palate.

Dinner at The Bay by Chef Fei in Shenzhen.

2012 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame, dégorgée en Fevrier 2020 - nice nose of marmalade. Very good depth on the palate, with acidity but also savory minerals. After further aeration the nose began to show some toasty notes.

Bought from Wineview for HKD 1,165.

1990 Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett - classic nose of petrol, polyurethane, orange blossom water, and lemon confit. Good acidity but more rounded and mellow on the palate. Drinking pretty nicely.

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

Full post on dinner is here.

Bordeaux and riesling

Dinner at the Chairman.

1990 Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett - nose of white flowers, lemon, and a hint of caramelized sugar. The nose was much more elegant than expected, without the usual notes of polyurethane. There was only a hint of ripeness on the palate along with lots of acidity, which gave the wine a long finish.

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

2014 Mouton-Rothschild - the wine was opened the night before. Very fragrant nose with lots of mint, sweet fruit, and some smoke underneath. This paired very, very well with the taro and smoked duck thanks to the smokiness in both.

1990 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel - very big nose with honey, nutty notes, a lot more plastic and polyurethane, some acetone. Really viscous, round, and sweet on the palate. The wine showed more marmalade and orange blossom water with additional aeration. Really lovely.

Bought from Sotheby's as part of a mixed lot for HKD 718.

2004 Vieux Château Certan - at first whiff the wine was much more smoky than expected. Started drinking more than 1½ hours after opening. Very fragrant now with a lovely woodsy nose. There was also a little bit of vanilla on the nose. Tannins were still here but very well integrated by now, with a good acidity balance on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Riesling and Rhone

Lunch at Luk Yu Tea House.

2021 Rappenhof Riesling E² - a little flinty on the nose with some lemon. Good acidity on the palate.

2004 Pax Venus - nose was very much oxidized but others felt it was simply natural aging. Notes of pineapple, Chinese angelica, and a little metallic rust.

2014 Gramona Corpinnat III Lustros, disgorged July 2022 - really nice on the palate and nicely balanced. A little acidity here but very smooth, without being too sweet or ripe.

2019 Château-Grillet Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc - the nose was very fragrant and floral, with stone fruits and some flint.

2022 Ogier Condrieu La Combe de Malleval - the nose was really floral and fragrant, with tropical fruits.

2016 Gangloff Condrieu - very alcoholic on the nose with notes of acetone.

1990 Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Kabinett - this was really nice, with plenty of lemon and polyurethane on the nose. Good acidity on the palate, almost bordering on being sharp, with a very long finish. The wine was much more viscous on the palate than expected, and just drinking beautifully.

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

2018 Keller Westhofen Kirchspiel Riesling Großes Gewächs - very big nose of polyurethane. Good amount of acidity on the palate.

2020 Ogier Syrah La Rosine - drunk much too young. Notes of blueberries as well as metallic nose.

2011 Ogier Côte-Rôtie Lancement - this was pretty elegant, very smooth on the palate, with notes of leather on the nose.

Full post on lunch is here.