Alsace and Burgs

Lunch at Lucky Ship.

2019 Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Boudriotte - this was very ripe and very buttery, and oaky. Pretty classic.

2020 Trimbach Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg - there was a bit of ripeness on the palate, but also got decent acidity. Some flint on the nose.

Bought from RNG for HKD 598.

Drinking at home.

2002 Weinbach Clos des Capucines Pinot Gris Altenbourg Sélection de Grains Nobles, en Jennie - nose of honey, apricot, and marmalade. Of course this was pretty sweet on the palate, but also came with a good dose of acidity.

Bought from Tatung Atherton.

2008 Peyre Rose Clos des Cistes - started drinking about 1 hour after decanting. This was really fragrant, but perhaps with a hint of chalk at the beginning. Otherwise the woodsy nose came with black fruits, mineral, and a bit savory on the palate.

Bought from Ginsberg + Chan for HKD 616.

1995 Hospices de Beaune Corton Cuvée Charlotte Dumay, élevé par Dominique Laurent - wet cardboard, definitely corked.

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.

1995 Corton

Drinking at home.

1995 Hospices de Beaune Corton Cuvée Charlotte Dumay, élevé par Dominique Laurent - started drinking 10 minutes after decanting. The nose was very fragrant, with some leather, a bit meaty, plum, and a little animal notes. The acidity was definitely on the high side. After half an hour in the decanter, the nose got a little floral. The acidity got a little too high for my liking.

1995 Corton

Drinking at home.

1995 Hospices de Beaune Corton Cuvée Charlotte Dumay, élevé par Dominique Laurent - decanted 45 minutes after opening, and served more than an hour after opening. This wine is definitely over the peak. Acidity is high as expected, and palate is thin. Some cooked fruit here.

Bought from Christie's for HKD 774.

La Mouline and Mortet

Dinner at Caprice.

2019 Lemaire Les Terres Jaunes, dégorgée en Mars 2022 - seemed to have some age on it, pretty nice and smooth on the palate, but maybe a little less lively. Nose was a little caramelized but not too heavily. Later on the palate improved, became a little grippy and lean.

1993 Fiorano Bianco - this was pretty oxidized and the color was fairly dark. There was a little flint on the nose, and there were some notes of straw, but pretty flat and boring on the palate.

1998 Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin Combe-du-Dessus - started serving some 2½ hours after opening without decanting. Still got that toasty popcorn on the nose, very fragrant and floral. So lovely now and a pleasure to drink.

1995 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline - started serving around 3 hours after opening without decanting. Got that eucalyptus and bacon on the nose, with a hint of toast, and even some pencil lead along with some cool fruit. Drinking really nicely now. About 4½ hours after opening this was really beautiful, and the violet notes really came out after dessert.

Full post on dinner is here.

Rousseau and Paillard

Dinner at Yong Fu.

1995 Bruno Paillard Nec Plus Ultra, dégorgée octobre 2006, bouteille 6,254/9,393 - nose was very savory with lots of salty minerals. Very nutty, with a good level of acidity on the palate that was not too lean or sharp. It actually started out more rounded on the attack but got leaner towards the finish. Nice and complex.

Bought from Sotheby's for HKD 2,708.

2004 Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin - very floral and fragrant on the nose, as expected, with lovely notes of black cherries along with fragrant woodsy and leather notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

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.

Burgs and Jura

Dinner at Yong Fu.

2017 Testut Chablis Grenouille - this was decanted to give it time to air, but the staff made the mistake of serving it right away. Nice and toasty nose. Good acidity, a little tannic and grippy on the palate.

2020 Tissot Arbois Les Bruyères - much bigger toasty notes on the nose. Palate was more focused with crisp, higher acidity.

2018 Rémi Jobard Meursault 1er Cru le Poruzot-Dessus - the nose was toasty as one would expect, and still got the acidity on the palate, but this was a little more buttery and certainly softer.

1995 Hospices de Beaune Corton Cuvée Charlotte Dumay, élevé par Dominique Laurent - first bottle was served after about 2 hours in decanter. First taste was a little acidic, but still got the black fruits. More fruity with the second pour, along with smoke and toasty notes. Second bottle decanted about 30 minutes before serving was tasting a little more fresh.

Bought from Christie's for HKD 774.

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.

Hospices de Beaune

Drinking at home.

1995 Hospices de Beaune Corton Cuvée Charlotte Dumay, élevé par Dominique Laurent - started drinking 30 minutes after opening. Nice on the nose with ripe fruit, but the palate was kinda meh.

Bought from Christie's for HKD 774.

2010 Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Rousseau-Deslandes, mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour MNSC - big, toasty nose as usual, and this kept going for a long time. Also had nice and sweet fruit like blueberries. Lovely wine.

Bought from Altaya for HKD 590.

All the Chave

Dinner at Caprice featuring the wines of Jean-Louis Chave, with Jean-Louis in attendance.

2021 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc, en magnum - nose was nice and floral at first, with peachy and flinty notes giving way to some acetone. Very nice and smooth on the palate.

2013 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc, en magnum - showing a much bigger nose of acetone, with more tropical fruit like pineapple. Also bigger on the palate, too.

2009 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc, en magnum - this wine was so big now, with lots of honey and acetone on the nose. So rich and juicy! Beautiful!

2015 Jean-Louis Chave Saint-Joseph Clos Florentin, en magnum - served nearly 9 hours after opening. This has got a very big nose, with lots of eucalyptus, smoky, leather, very cool fruit, savory notes like sundried tomatoes, and floral notes like violet. Showing really beautifully. Second pour towards the end of dinner showed lots of metallic rust, pretty savory nose, and also soapy notes. What a lovely wine this was!

2000 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Rouge, en magnum - served 9 hours after opening. Nose of leather, savory and a little bretty, with a little hint of dust. Later showed some woodsy notes. Acidity was high on the palate with just a hint of tannis. Bottle was probably not in the best condition, so this was the most disappointing wine of the night.

1995 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Cuvée Cathelin - served almost 10 hours after opening. This was really big, but so elegant, so fragrant and floral, with leather, game, and a little smoky notes. Good acidity balance on the palate. There came a hint of sweet grass after some 40 minutes in the glass, and a little coffee after more than an hour in glass. Such a beautiful wine!

1998 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc - nose was showing beeswax and a little acetone. Very ripe on the palate together with cheese.

1997 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Vin de Paille, en demi-bouteille - a little sugar cane but not pure sugar cane juice, rather the Cantonese drink of sugar cane juice with water chestnuts and white grass root (竹蔗茅根). Really rich and sweet, like figs, and lots of honey on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.