Italian quartet

Dinner at Yong Fu.

First pair:

1995 Giacomo Conterno Barolo Montfortino Riserva - decanted more than 1½ hours after opening, but the wine did not open up after another 15 minutes. There was some woodsy fragrance along with a little mint. After more than 30 minutes in the decanter this was a little more open. Certainly the more tannic of the pair, but the acidity was there. After another 40 minutes, and about 3 hours after first opening, the wine was finally open, and we had more fruit showing.

1998 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Santo Stefano di Neive Riserva - this was more mature and more advanced of the pair, with the color being lighter and more amber. The wine was more fragrant in the mouth, much more oxidized, and more flamboyant. After another 30 minutes this became pretty savory and showing soy sauce, but at the same time this was still caramelized, nutty, and sweet. Beautiful.

Second pair:

2010 Roagna Barbaresco Crichët Pajé - I could feel the richness and the power of the wine, but this just wasn't very open even after an hour in the decanter. It did get better later on, but was showing a little toasty as well as a little dusty.

2010 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato Cà d'Morissio Riserva - nose was minty, and the wine felt younger and fresher. The acidity was definitely higher. This was open enough and drinking pretty well.

Full post on dinner is here.

Ulysse Collin and more

Dinner at Wing.

2020 Ulysse Collin Les Pierrières, dégorgée en Janvier 2025 - a little vanilla on the nose, with mineral and flinty notes, and there was almost a little bit of wampee.

2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese - this was so classic with the petrol and white truffle, and also white flowers. Reasonable sweetness on the palate.

2010 Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Rousseau-Deslandes, mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour MNSC - opened 2½ hours before serving. The nose was pretty toasty, and still had a lovely amount of fruit, with leather and meaty notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

Glandien and Banneret

Dinner Geoélia in Paris.

JM Sélèque Solessence, dégorgée en Decembre 2024 - as expected with this winemaker, the acidity was on the high side.

2024 Maison Glandien L'Ouverture Blanc - flinty nose with stone fruits. Good acidity on the palate accompanied by some roundness.

2010 Domaine du Banneret Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge - this was VERY savory with smoky nose. I could still find the fruit here, but overall this was just very, very farmy and bretty. Definitely in the Beaucastel school of CdP.

2024 Falkenstein Krettnacher Euchariusberg Riesling Kabinett Alte Reben Gisela 8 - kinda elegant, with pretty high acidity on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Chevalier and Bonneau

Dinner at Neighborhood.

1992 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc - nose of lemon with a hint of flint. Surprisingly not too oxidized despite the age, and still got very good acidity on the palate.

2010 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape, en magnum - nice nose of leather with a bit of fruit. A bit farmy, though, and kinda bretty on the finish.

Full post on dinner is here.

Rodez and Lucien Le Moine

Dinner at a friend's home.

Chandon Garden Spritz – I do enjoy Apero spritz, so this was pretty much right up my alley with all the orange bitters.

Eric Rodez Cuvée des Grands Vintages, dégorgée en Janvier 2021 – good acidity and definitely good depth on the palate. My host was happy with it.

2010 Lucien Le Moine Clos de Vougeot – the nose was nice and ripe, with plenty of sweet fruit and leather. Decent acidity on the palate.

2007 BOND Matriarch - surprised that the nose was a bit reductive. Lots of dried herbs and potpourri here. Not as delicious as other bottles opened earlier.

Full post on dinner is here.

Five Shooters and more

Dinner at Man Ho.

2006 Jean-François Ganevat Les Vignes de Mon Père, en magnum - drank about 40 minutes after decanting. What a beautiful nose, with lots of toast and floral notes. The acidity was still crisp. Such an amazing wine!

1978 Antinori Solaia - drank about 40 minutes after decanting. Very big nose with lots of smoke, grilled meats, leather, and maybe a hint of green capsicum. Showed some sweetness on the nose after 1½ hours.

2010 Sine Qua Non Five Shooter Grenache, from magnum - decanted 50 minutes after opening, and started drinking more than 1½ hours after decanting. Initially the nose was a bit muted, but still got some sugary ripeness. This opened up and was soooo sweet and ripe on the palate.

2010 Sine Qua Non Five Shooter Syrah, from magnum - decanted 50 minutes after opening, and started drinking more than 1½ hours after decanting. Of course this was ripe and sweet as we would expect it to be. Some of the tannins have been shed after 15 years, so this was tasting fairly smooth on the palate, but clearly showing the concentration of the syrah and obviously a bigger wine compared to the grenache. Beautiful.

Full post on dinner is here.

2010 MNSC

Drinking at home.

2010 Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Rousseau-Deslandes, mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour MNSC - started drinking 30 minutes after decanting. Fragrant nose of black fruits, plum, a little woodsy. Still toasty on the nose but much more mellow now.

Bought from Altaya for HKD 590.

Águila and Cossard

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2020 Frédéric Cossard Chassagne-Montrachet - the acidity was very high, just the way we wanted. Got some toasty and flinty notes.

2010 Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Rousseau-Deslandes, mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour MNSC - served without decanting more than 1 hour after opening. Plenty of toast on the nose and also lots of coconut butter. Still pretty fragrant. The wine was decent on the palate, but it's more simple now compared to just a a year or two ago.

Bought from Altaya for HKD 590.

2018 Dominio del Águila Albillo Viña Viejas - flint nose, very fragrant, very big toasty nose, and lots of vanilla and sweet bubblegum on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Lucia and Krug

Dinner at Neighborhood.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 168éme édition, ID 319031 - nice and toasty nose as expected. Good acidity balance on the palate, and obviously another couple of years' of aging meant the wine developed some maturity, so the palate got a little softer and rounder.

2010 Lucia, en magnum - started drinking about 1½ hours after double-decanting. Still got the fruit on the nose, along with minty, woodsy, and cedar notes. Drinking well.

Bought from Mayfair for EUR 74.

Full post on dinner is here.

2004 Maiden and 2010 MNSC

Dinner at Imperial Treasure Fine Chinese Cuisine in Tsim Sha Tsui.

2010 Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Rousseau-Deslandes, mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour MNSC - started drinking after 10 minutes in the decanter. The big familiar toasty nose showed up right away, along with wonderful fruit that was not quite jammy like a Cali, but fresh and lively nonetheless. Delicious.

Bought from Altaya for HKD 590.

2004 Harlan Estate The Maiden - started drinking after 45 minutes in the decanter. Initially the nose was a little more muted than expected, with perhaps slightly more Asian spices. Second try showed a bigger nose along with stronger alcohol, now opening up more and packing a punch. Got that big, woodsy nose with smoke and grilled meats. This was really nice now. Plenty of sweet fruit left, too... and got the sweetness on the palate.

Bought from the winery for USD 150 plus tax.

Full post on dinner is here.

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.

Isojiman Adagio vertical

Isojiman Adagio vertical tasting at Hotel Metropolitan Edmont in Tokyo, organized by Tamanegiya.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 Adagio (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35 アダージョ), 2009, from jeroboam - only 51 of these 3-liter bottles exist, with glass handblown in Italy. This was very smooth, and slightly sweet on the palate. It's clear that there is age on it but it's not showing too much of the fermented or savory notes one usually finds with koshu. Did I smell a little more of the alcohol than usual, and was it because of the light fermentation notes? Regardless, this was just a really smooth and beautiful drink.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 Adagio (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35 アダージョ), 2010 - the nose was not as open as the 2009, and this was more dry on the palate.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 Adagio (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35 アダージョ), 2011 - this was a little more rounded on the attack but turned dry and spicy almost immediately afterwards.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 Adagio (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35 アダージョ), 2012 - very smooth and round, soft and slightly sweet on the palate now.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 Adagio (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35 アダージョ), 2013 - rounded on the palate, but slightly more dry than 2012.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 Adagio (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35 アダージョ), 2014 - definitely sweeter on the palate, and showing notes of starchy rice on the nose.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 Adagio (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35 アダージョ), 2015 - sharper alcohol notes on the nose, a little more dry than the 2014, and bigger on the palate.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 Adagio (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35 アダージョ), 2016 - very sweet and starchy nose, but also started to be a little spicy on the palate.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 Adagio (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35 アダージョ), 2017 - got a little more acidity on the palate here, but overall rounder and smoother on the palate.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 Adagio (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35 アダージョ), 2018 - reasonably smooth on the palate, with a good balance between being neither too sweet or too dry.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 Adagio (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35 アダージョ), 2019 - this was more dry on the palate.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 Adagio (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35 アダージョ), 2020 - rounded on the palate, a little bit sweet but still kinda dry, too.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 Adagio (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35 アダージョ), 2021 - this leans dry on the palate.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 Adagio (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35 アダージョ), 2022 - rounded and smooth on the palate, but I could taste the alcohol a little more. Slightly dry on the finish.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 Adagio (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35 アダージョ), 2023 - the nose was not as open on this one, although it was sweeter on the palate.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 Adagio (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35 アダージョ), 2024 - a little bit of banana on the nose.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35), 2023 - this was the very last vintage of Nakatori 35, as a new product line started in 2024. The palate still started out being sweet, but turned dry towards the finish.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 33 Grazioso (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 33 グラツィオーソ), 2024 - this was the first vintage of Nakatori 33 Grazioso, which replaced the "regular" Nakatori 35. Having just been released, the alcohol seemed to be a little sharper on the nose for this one.

Photo credit: Kinoshita Takayoshi

Full post on the tasting is here.