1990s party

Dinner at SẾP.

1990 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - nice and toasty on the nose, with a bit of straw and some Chinese licorice, but also a hint of wet cardboard, perhaps. Good acidity on the palate.

1990 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile - the nose was really nice, showing classic notes of petrol / truffle and white flowers. Still pretty fresh, and there was good acidity on the palate with just a tad of ripeness. Even after 2 hours this was still really good.

1990 Joseph Drouhin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot - definitely showing nose of leather and almost a little bit of piquillo peppers. Light color and lighter on the palate.

1990 Marcel Juge Cornas Cuvée C - CORKED, but still nice and open, with leather notes and a very big, farmy finish.

1990 Hubert de Montille Pommard 1er Cru Rugiens - a bit more concentration here, with a lovely nose of eucalyptus along with smoky, grilled meats.

1990 Georges Mugneret Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots - this was fairly elegant, with a fragrant nose of leather. Very nice.

1990 Ardbeg Airigh Nam Beist - peaty and smoky on the nose, but actually there was lovely caramel underneath the hospital disinfectant.

1990 Beaucastel - lovely fragrance of leather with a hint of farmyard on the finish. Surprisingly this was sweet on the palate.

1998 L'Evangile - decanted more than 2 hours prior to drinking. A lovely Bordeaux, with a very fragrant nose showing cedar and smoke.

1990 Climens - nose of honey, marmalade, honeydew, and also nutty. Wonderfully sweet 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.

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.

Trimbach and Bain

Drinking at home.

2022 Trimbach Riesling Vieilles Vignes - FUCK! This was just so ripe on the palate! What happened to the acidity? Where is it? Lots of petrol, polyurethane, and truffle on the nose, but even the nose was much too ripe and sweet. There was a touch of vanilla, along with lemon confit, marmalade, and lanolin. OK, so there was some acidity on the finish, but not nearly enough. Not what I wanted from this wine at all.

2018 Alexandre Bain La Levée - the nose was freakishly ripe, with lots of apricot, ripe peach, and a bit of acetone. Very ripe on the palate, but at least this had the biting acidity along with some grippy tannins.

Grange and Jubilation

Dinner at Yong Fu.

2017 Darviot-Perrin Meursault 1er Cru Genevrières - this was initially served too cold and needed a little warming up with the hands. There was good ripeness on the palate, with lemon citrus, and also got those flint and toasty notes, but thankfully not too heavy.

1991 Penfolds Grange - this was opened prior to arriving at the restaurant. Showing that classic coconut butter and jammy nose. With aging this has developed tertiary notes on the nose, and was now so fragrant with spices and this lingered in the mouth. Also prunes but not unpleasant nor too acidic on the palate. Finally showing some notes which reminded me of hawthorn. Drinking nicely.

2004 Colgin Jubilation - started drinking after 1½ hours in the decanter. This was much riper and much sweeter on the nose as well as palate. Pretty fragrant on the nose, and so soft on the palate now... but not diluted or weak. Pretty elegant and feminine.

Bought from Winebid for USD 284.

1999 Hugel Gewurztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles, en demi-bouteille - the nose was so floral, so much lychee, so much honey here... and definitely nutty, too.

Bought from Hong Kong Wine Vault for HKD 495.

Full post on dinner 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.

2020 Angelus and Ygrec

Dinner at Caprice.

2020 Ygrec de Yquem - nose of lemon citrus, honey, with very good acidity to balance the small amount of ripeness on the palate. I could definitely smell the sauvignon blanc in the blend.

Bought from HK Wine Vault for HKD 1,300.

2020 Angelus - drank about 2 hours after decanting. Definitely still a very young and vibrant wine. Very ripe and a little jammy, with prominent notes of forest and potpourri, along with vanilla and mint on the nose. Still needs time to develop, but enjoyable now.

Bought from Altaya for EUR 295.

2014 Yauem, en imperial - lots of polyurethane and saffron, as well as orange and acetone. Soooo lovely and viscous on the palate.

2020 DRC Corton-Charlemagne - good acidity as well as good ripeness, with a little honey on the nose and a bit of polyurethane. This did not smell like a white Burg at all, with none of the buttery and oaky profile. After a little more time, the toasty notes finally came out, along with some flint. When the wine got warmer in the glass, the ripeness became more obvious.

1989 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl Sélection de Grains Nobles - nose of saffron, honey, marmalade, and lovely nutty notes.

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.

Krug, Trimbach and more

Dinner at VEA for the VEA x Gaggan collaboration.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 172ème Édition, ID 123005 - initially this was served too cold, but after warming up a little using my hands, the nose opened up to show the classic toasty brioche notes that I love so much from Grande Cuvée. The acidity was fairly high, and we had a little tartness and tannins on the finish.

2020 Trimbach Riesling Réserve - very big nose of petrol, much more powerful than "white truffle", although it almost seemed like there was a little sugar on the nose, too. Good, lean acidity as expected. Reliable as always.

2022 Marco de Bartoli Pietranera - the nose was very aromatic and floral, with a little flint and a bit metallic like pears such as La France. This was sooo fragrant with fruity sweetness.

2020 Mark Haisma Saint-Romain Blanc - this was buttery on the nose, but also showing flinty notes. On the palate this was more dry and lean than I had expected, which was nice.

2020 Rolet L'Étoile En Novalet - I had expected this to be oxidized and caramelized, and we've certainly got vanilla, too, along with some flint. The palate was a little bit sweet, although the acidity was still prominent for a good balance.

2019 Philippe Jouan Coteaux Bourguignons Cuvée Thomas - earthy, eucalyptus, leather, and animal notes on the nose. Drinking pretty nicely.

2019 Decugnano dei Barbi Pourriture Noble Muffa Nobile d'Umbria, from half bottle - some acetone and honeydew melon on the nose.

Full post on dinner is here.