2013 L'Evangile

Dinner at Gyu+bar by Miyoshi.

2013 L'Evangile - decanted and poured. Pretty nice nose with sweet, black fruit, smoke, and almost a little coconut. Some vanilla oak here, and the nose got pretty smoky as it opened up. Still concentrated and tannic, but drinking well.

Full post on dinner is here.

RSRV dinner

Dinner at Ta Vie with Champagne RSRV.

2015 Mumm RSRV Blanc de Blancs, dégorgée en Mai 2023 - nice with a little toast on the nose, then we also got a little bit of floral perfume, perhaps from the restaurant's own environmental scent. The acidity on the palate was, naturally, higher.

Mumm RSRV Cuvée 4.5, dégorgée en Septembre 2023 - the nose was bigger, I guess from the pinot noir? Definitely more rounded on the palate compared with the blanc de blancs.

2013 Mumm RSRV Cuvée Lalou, dégorgée en Septembre 2023 - the nose was floral and more elegant. There was more depth on the palate here, with a longer finish.

2018 Mumm RSRV Blanc de Noirs, dégorgée en Mai 2023 - very well balanced despite the relative young age.

Full post on dinner is here.

Champagne magnums and DRC Assortment

Champagne in the Island Shangri-La Presidential Suite.

2003 B de Boërl et Kroff, dégorgé en Avril 2016 - drank 1 hour after opening. Nice and ripe on the nose along with lovely marmalade notes. Good depth on the palate with a nice dose of acidity. Turned reasonally metallic on the palate together with some caviar. Always a pleasure to drink.

1997 Salon, en magnum - drank 1½ hours after opening. What a beautiful wine! There was so much toast on the nose, and it was so open and fragrant. The acidity was still very high. There were also notes of minerals and juicy red plums. Soooo nice!

1961 Louis Roederer Cristal, en magnum - drank about 1 hour after opening. The nose was very metallic, with lots of Chinese salty plum. Very grippy on the palate. Such a lovely, mature wine.

Dinner at Petrus, with 2001 DRC Assortment case.

2013 Joseph Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche, en magnum - served around 2 hours after decanting. We've got some toasty notes, but overall the nose was not big and powerful. It's sweet and buttery, with lemon and almost a little apricot. A little bit too ripe for its age and considering the format. 93 points.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet - served about 2½ hours after opening. The nose was so much bigger, richer, yet cleaner. This was soooo fragrant. 97 points.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant - started drinking more than 3 hours after opening. The nose was fragrant but there was a hint of earthiness, along with leather. Later on came the toasty notes, and perhaps there was a little bit of stem. Funnily enough, I also thought there were elements of Chinese traditional bone-setting oil (跌打酒)... 94 points.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti - started drinking around 3½ hours after opening. The nose was very floral like roses, with exotic spices, as well as a little bit of cherry-flavored [cough] syrup and eucalyptus. 97 points and my favorite wine of the reds.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg - started drinking around 4 hours after opening. The nose showed a lovely fragrance, a little floral, definitely cool fruit. Better than the Romanée-Saint-Vivant but not as good as the Romanée-Conti. 95 points.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Échézeaux - started drinking about 4½ hours after opening. This was really fragrant and elegant, not quite floral but lovely nonetheless. A little later the toasty notes came out, and it was a little funky on the palate. Still very fragrant more than 5½ hours after opening. 95 points.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échézeaux - started drinking the first bottle more than 4½ hours after opening. The nose was more closed compared to the others, with more stem, and was definitely corked. The second bottle was much cleaner with a fragrant nose showing eucalyptus. 95 points for the second bottle.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche - started drinking almost 5 hours after opening. This was still a little closed, and the nose was kinda meaty. 94 points.

1965 Yquem - nose was showing tons of saffron, honey, marinated prunes, and marmalade. Such a pleasure to drink an aged Yquem!

Full post on the evening is here.

Trimbach, Brochet, and Matriarch

Dinner at The Chairman.

Emmanuel Brochet Rosé de Saignée - opened 2 hours earlier. The nose was VERY toasty, with red fruits. Very punchy nose. Underneath the toast there was perhaps a hint of bubblegum.

2013 Trimbach Pinot Gris Réserve Personnelle, en magnum - a little hint of plastic on the nose, also a little floral. Good acidity mid-palate and on the finish, but also slightly sweet. There was a hint of marmalade, and a little bitter, too.

2007 BOND Matriarch - started drinking 1 hour and 45 minutes after decanting. Really sweet fruit on the nose, with tons of vanilla and coconut butter. Nice, woodsy notes, too.

Bought from the winery for USD 125(?) plus tax.

Full post on dinner is here.

Grower Champagne night

Dinner at Tempura Tenon.

2009 Roses de Jeanne La Haut Lemblé, dégorgée en Avril 2013 - nice notes of lemon on the nose, the toast wasn't too strong, and there was a little flint. Good acidity on the palate, and later on the depth of flavors was quite good, with a little bit of savory minerals.

Gaspard Brochet 333.d, dégorgée 10 Octobre 2023 - there was more savory minerals on the nose, with sharper acidity. Very fragrant nose with red fruits. The palate was leaner and kinda tightens up on the finish.

Jérôme Lefèvre Cuvée Playing with Fire, dégorgée en Fevrier 2022 - this was even more oxidized and savory on the bigger, punchier nose, with more sulfur. More tannins and slightly grippy on the palate, and a little bitter on the finish.

2017 Bourgeois-Diaz Les Justices, dégorgée le 23 Septembre 2022 - this was really savory and oxidized on the nose. The acidity was slightly high but not too harsh.

2019 Legrand-Latour Campanien, dégorgée en Juillet 2023 - definitely reductive nose, and very bongwater with the classic flavor profile. No likey.

2020 Legrand-Latour Éocène, dégorgée en Fevrier 2025 - this, on the other hand, was not bongwater. A bit oxidized, with a good balance of acidity, but the palate was flat and one-dimensional.

Jules Brochet Prémices, dégorgée en Juillet 2024 - HUGE toasty nose, bordering on chewing on a piece of oak. Great if one likes toasty wines.

2019 Jules Brochet Éole, dégorgée en Janvier 2025 - also oaky on the nose, with more minerals. Big and savory on the palate, with good acidity, too.

2013 Brigitte Fallon, dégorgée en Octobre 2021 - nice and toasty on the nose. Lots of depth on the palate, really big and savory like Chinese salted plum, almost a little fermented. Not too lean on the palate and the maturity shows a little.

2019 Aurelién Lurquin Les Traverses, dégorgée le 18 Novembre 2022 - initially served too cold and needed warming up. Nose was a little fermented.

2008 Larmandier-Bernier Premier Cru Terre de Vertus

2004 Robert Dufour The Ballad of the Villages, dégorgée le 9 Mai 2022 - flinty, mineral, and savory on the nose, but also a little beeswax and plastic on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.