Dom and Rivers-Marie

Dinner at Nine One.

2004 Dom Pérignon - this was drinking very well as it was very smooth and well-balanced. Wonderful nose of toasty brioche.

2010 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Occidental Ridge Vineyard - very ripe and sweet nose, like strawberry jam, along with really fragrant eucalyptus notes.

2021 Corisca Albariño - surprisingly this came with a little bit of fine tannins. The nose showed some oily notes along with petrol. There was some ripeness but the acidity on the palate was pretty high.

Full post on dinner is here.

Free corkage for 5

Dinner at Sagrantino. Going for the last time.

2003 Pazo de Señorâns Selección de Añada - surprisingly nice acidity after all these years. The nose was nice showing how it developed with age, without showing oxidation or caramelization. There was a nice fragrance with toasty oak and notes of honey along with some ripeness. The acidity on the palate, though, was still there with some tartness on the finish. After about 2 hours the wine showed some metallic notes on the nose.

Bought from Links for HKD 488.

2022 Les Fauvettes De l'Aube à l'Aube - this was definitely bongwater. Nose of ripe and sweet strawberries, a little farmy and bretty but on the sweet side, not really savory. Later on we also had blueberries on the nose.

1970 Penfolds Dalwood Hermitage - started drinking around 1 hour after opening. Nose was very savory as expected, a little bretty, animal, with plenty of soy sauce. About 3 hours in this was so, so bretty.

Laherte Les Longue Voyes, dégorgée en Decembre 2021 - nice and caramelized on the nose.

Bought from Altaya for HKD 555.

2019 Chanterêves Bourgogne Aligoté Les Chagniots - toasty nose with some ripeness. There was some acidity on the palate along with buttery notes.

Toro Albala and more

Dinner at MONO.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 170ème Édition, ID 221032 - nice and toasty nose with nice acidity on the palate.

2020 Garzón Albariño Petit Clos Block 27 - not so aromatic, but not bad. A little ripe on the palate now.

2012 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion - initially very dusty and chalky, a little unpleasant. Smoky. Unfortunate.

1929 Toro Albalá Don PX Convento Selección, bottled November 2014 - a bit smoky, a little savory, with soy sauce. Sooooo rich, sooo thick and viscous and unctuous, almost like drinking honey. What a beautiful wine!

Full post on dinner is here.

Soalheiro, GPL, and Turley

Dinner at a friend's home.

2021 Soalheiro Alvarinho - green apple, a little flinty. Very light and fresh.

2010 Grand-Puy-Lacoste - drank about 30 minutes after decanting. Very ripe fruit on the nose, so sweet and rich on the palate. Drinking very well now.

2004 Turley Zinfandel Dragon Vineyard - drank about 20 minutes after decanting. Nice and fragrant on the nose. Ripe and jammy on the palate.

2019 Pazo Señoráns

Dinner at Hansik Goo.

2019 Pazo de Señoráns Albariño - nose of tropical stone fruit, flinty, sweet and fruity on the nose. Very easy to drink.

Full post on dinner is here.

Pazo Señorans

Drinking at home.

2009 Pazo Señorans Albariño Rías Baixas - very caramelized and ripe on the nose, and palate also very ripe and kinda sweet, with straw and Chinese licorice notes.

Wines at Smyth

Dinner at Smyth in Chicago.

Charles Heidsieck Rosé Réserve

2009 Añada de Baladiña - thanks to 10 years' of aging, this was not at all fruity on the nose, but it was ripe on the palate.

Ichinokura Junmai Daiginjo Kuranohana (一ノ蔵  純米大吟醸  蔵の華) - lots of banana in the nose, which was also a little sharp and showing slight fermented.  Palate was middle of the road, neither too sweet nor too dry.

2005 Huet Vouvray Sec Le Mont - very toasty, a bit of green apple.  Good acidity.

2014 Dublère Chablis Bougros - the nose was really weird, not like a chard at all... but rather more like pear cidre.

2012 Bruno Clair Vosne Romanée Les Champs Perdrix - WOW!  This was really sweet on the nose, with vanilla and coconut butter.

Billecart-Salmon Demi-Sec - flinty with a hint of anise.  Sweet-ish on the palate.

1979 l'Archiviste Rivesaltes, mis en bouteille le Decembre 2018 - pretty savory.

Full post on dinner is here.

Bodega Garzón

Dinner at Hong Kong Jockey Club, with wines from Bodega Garzón.

2018 Garzón Estate Pinot Noir Rosé - nose of strawberries, flint, and white flowers.  Still a little pungent.

2018 Garzón Albariño Reserva - nose of sweet stone fruits and flint.  Palate was kinda ripe.

2016 Garzón Cabernet Franc Reserva - pretty smooth on the palate, still concentrated and the tannins are still here.  A little smoke, and became pretty big and smoky later, almost like coffee with dark roasted beans.

2016 Garzón Single Vineyard Tannat - bigger on the palate.

2015 Garzón Balasto, from magnum - the first sip was smoother than expected.

2016 Garzón Balasto - more ready and accessible than the 2015.

Full post on dinner is here.

Lambrays Rosé and Musar

Dinner at Estiatorio Keia.

2015 Viña Nora Nora de Neve - more oaky and toasty, and a little more mature and oxidized than expected for an albariño.  Interestingly not caramelized for an oxidized wine.  Acidity still on the high side with a bitter finish.

2016 Domaine des Lambrays La Rose du Clos - flinty, strawberries, with almost a hint of jamminess in the nose.

1998 Musar Rouge - leather, smoked meats, some fruit, minty, almost a little savory.  A little sweet on the palate.  Drinking very nicely.

Musar Blanc, Arietta, and Albariño

Dinner at Uwe.

1975 Chateau Musar Blanc - obviously aged and oxidized when one looks at the amber color.  Caramelized nose with a little acetone and plenty of marmalade.  A little hot and alcoholic.  A lovely treat.

2007 Pazo Señoráns Selección de Añada - flinty, mineral, a little savory.  Toasty.  Still some freshness here with lemon citrus.

2002 Arietta H Block Hudson Vineyards - decanted for 2 hours prior to serving.  Very fragrant nose, a little floral, woodsy, almost tropical with exotic spices, coconut butter.  Absolutely beautiful after 3 hours in decanter.  Silky smooth but still got the concentration and some tannins.  Wow!

Full post on dinner is here.

Bubbly and white

Dinner at home.

Chartogne-Taillet Cuvée Sainte Anne Rosé - 60/40 blend between chardonnay and pinot noir, mainly from 2010.  Sooo full of red fruits like strawberries, with some caramel notes.  Just wonderful.

Roses de Jeanne Lieu-dit Les Ursules, 2009, dégorgée à Juillet 2011 - nice and ripe, with a good mousse.  Always love this Champagne.

2009 Pazo Señorans Albariño Rías Baixas - ripe nose with lots of honey, straw, and a little muscat grape.  Sweet on the nose.

Burgs with Cantonese

Dinner at Hong Kong Cuisine 1983.

2003 Pazo Señorans Selección de Añada - a little lean, some toasty oak, a little beeswax, somewhat floral like orange blossom.  Nice ripeness on the palate.  With a little age to this wine, no longer as fresh and tropical.

2002 Faiveley Latricières-Chambertin - minty, still tannic.  Too closed down.

2006 Henri Boillot Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets - very open and showy.  Really fruity, and showing cool fruit, with a little forest and certainly leather notes.  Drinking very nicely.

2003 DRC Romanée-St-Vivant - opened 5 hours before serving.  Very metallic nose, but also really floral and perfumed, with a little leather and plenty of eucalyptus.  Absolutely stunning and beautiful.

2006 Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanée Clos du Château - another wine that's drinking well after decanting for 2 hours.  Sweet and fruity with notes of cherries, and fragrant like cedar.

2008 Joseph Voillot Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens - really sweet and ripe, with plum and forest pine notes.  What a nice surprise!

Full post on dinner is here.