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.

French and Aussie

Dinner at Sense in Hangzhou.

Augustin Feu - there was some sharp acidity on the nose, with Chinese sour plum. While the palate was on the acidic side it was somewhat tempered.

2023 Bessin-Tremblay Chablis Valmur - the nose was a bit green, and also a little reductive.

2022 Benoit Moreau Volnay 1er Cru Santenots - prominent coconut butter notes on the nose, but this also seemed a little dusty.

2022 Place of Changing Winds Heathcote Syrah - served nearly 2 hours after opening. There was lots of coconut butter and mint, very ripe and sweet, with a little smoky grilled meats and woodsy notes. Definitely too young and still got the tannins.

2009 Coutet - nose of honey, pineapple, apricot, and saffron.

Full post on dinner is here.

99 Dead Arm

Drinking at home.

1999 d'Arenberg The Dead Arm - started drinking 5 minutes after decanting. First whiff showed very sharp alcohol on the nose, along with very, very ripe fruit like cassis and stewed prunes. This all melded well with fragrant woodsy notes, and was so lovely in the mouth. The acidity was slightly on the high side now. About 30 minutes in the nose was showing more vanilla, and the palate got sweeter. About 2 hours in the nose got a little minty. To be honest this wine is now a little bit past its peak, but still very enjoyable to drink.

Bought from Wine Cave for HKD 557.

Anything but SQN

Dinner at a friend's home with Julia and Nik Krankl as guests of honor. Theme was "Anything but Sine Qua Non (and Fingers Crossed)". Magnums were requested.

2018 Robert Faivre L'Experte - light on the palate, acidity level was OK.

2023 Agnès Paquet Chassagne-Montrachet Les Battaudes - nose was very oak-oaked with tons of vanilla.

1966 Gruaud-Larose, en double magnum - definitely got that sweet grass on the nose, with smoke and leather, too. So classic.

1994 L'Evangile, en magnum - this had a much bigger nose than the '66 Gruaud-Larose, and it was nice and smoky, with pepper and green capsicum.

2018 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett, from double magnum - there was a nice bit of sweetness on the palate balanced by the acidity. Huge nose of petrol and white flowers. So nice.

2002 Torbreck RunRig, from magnum - this was showing so beautifully, with lots of coconut butter, leather, and smoke on the nose.

1983 Auguste Clape Cornas, en magnum - tasted right after opening and decanting. Toasty nose with leather. Very smooth on the palate now, but a little less lively than expected. Not so much juicy fruit.

1995 Lafleur-Petrus, en magnum - nice and smoky on the nose, with more sweet fruit. A bit savory on the palate.

2006 Torbreck The Laird - tasted a couple of hours after opening. Very ripe and jammy on the nose, really big and so sweet on the palate. Just an amazing fruit bomb that has aged for 20 years. So nice.

1996 Cos d'Estournel, en magnum - still got the sweet fruit on the nose, as well as smoke and fragrant woodsy notes.

2006 Napa Valley Reserve, from magnum - very fragrant on the nose, without too much vanilla, but still got the lovely oak. Still so tannic after almost 20 years.

2006 Dal Forno Amarone della Valpolicella, from double magnum - this was double-decanted at 3pm yesterday... and showing lots of coconut and plenty of ripe fruit. This was such a big wine.

2014 FX Pichler Riesling Smaragd Dürnsteiner Kellerberg, from magnum - definitely got the white flowers and polyurethane, and also some flint.

2010 Alain Voge Cornas, en magnum - obviously fresher than the '83 Clape.

2011 Antinori Tignanello, from magnum - this was OK la...

2015 Eisele Vineyard Syrah - still really young after 10 years, a bit sharp and tannic.

Penfolds and Wendouree

Dinner at Neighborhood.

1999 Howard Park Chardonnay - this was really nice and buttery. Ripe on the palate but still got a good amount of acidity, with a little bit of bitterness on the finish. Drinking so well now.

1996 Wendouree Shiraz Mablec - the nose was so fragrant, a bit smoky, with exotic spices like anise. Very nice and soft on the palate now, very silky, and not at all diluted or weak. So happy I got a chance to taste this.

1981 Penfolds Grange - started drinking 1½ hours after opening without decanting. This has opened up nicely, showing the coconut butter along with oak, leather, and gamey notes. So classic. Drinking so well at 45 years of age.

2002 Penfolds Bin 707 - started drinking more than 2 hours after opening without decanting. There was a slight hint of metallic nose, sweet fruit, some green capsicum, and a hint of savory notes. Very nice and smooth on the palate.

1996 d'Arenberg Riesling The Noble, from half-bottle - classic honey, honeydew melon, marmalade, saffron, orange blossom, and even a hint of coconut butter.

Full post on dinner is here.

Avani and Yokel

Drinking at home.

2020 Dormilona Yokel Grenache - fruity nose with lots of berries and red fruits. This was lighter on the palate, with decent levels of acidity.

Bought from Oz Terroirs for HKD 150.

2019 Avani Syrah The Earth - started drinking after 1 hour in the decanter. The nose was very ripe and jammy, so sweet, with vanilla and also definitely coconut butter, and some blueberries. The palate was more acidic, though. Surprised that this tasted more Aussie compared to the 2017 I tasted a couple of years ago. The nose was also smoky, with bacon and game meats.

Bought from Oz Terroirs for HKD 398.

2021 Dormilona Cab

Drinking at home.

2021 Dormilona Cabernet Sauvignon - started drinking 40 minutes after opening. This was sooo young, with lots of oak on the nose. It was a little rough around the edges, and a little sharp on the nose. An hour after opening this wine was very, very sweet, with tons of vanilla.

Bought from Oz Terroirs for HKD 238.

2021 Mayer Volcanic

Drinking at home.

2021 Mayer Syrah Volcanic - started drinking around 1 hour and 15 minutes after opening. Smoky, gamey, leathery, a little stinky, with black fruits. This was definitely more Rhone-like, pretty open and fragrant now, so floral with lots of lavender. Just really beautiful! Quelle surprise!

Bought from Oz Terroirs for HKD 348.

2022 Avani Amrit

Drinking at home.

2022 Avani Amrit Pinot Noir - started drinking 40 minutes after opening. Fruity nose with a little leather, almost a hint of sugary bubblegum. A little animal and smoke, and the nose became more open after 10 minutes in glass... showing more blueberries. The alcohol was still a bit sharp at this young age. After 3½ hours, the nose was still pretty fragrant, but this was more acidic on the palate now.

Bought from Oz Terroirs for HKD 225.

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.

2017 Kay Brothers

Dinner at a friend's home.

2017 Kay Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon The Cuthbert - very classic Aussie, with tons of coconut and vanilla on the nose, which was minty, very ripe, and very sweet.

2002 Descendant

Drinking at home.

2002 Torbreck Descendant - started drinking 10 minutes after decanting. Definitely woodsy on the nose, showing very nice fruit in the air while decanting. It's amazing that the tannins were still there on the back end after more than 20 years. The nose showed blueberries and the grape skin. Very fragrant about 45 minutes in.

Bought as part of a mixed case from Christies for HKD 396.

Sinzero and Cirillo

Lunch at Eatanic Garden in Seoul.

Eatanig Garden Sunny (맑음) - OK lah...

Eatanic Garden Cloudy (흐림) - nice balance with the acidity, and not too sweet.

2021 Sinzero Cabernet Sauvignon - couldn't get too much out of the nose, but there was some fruit... Acidity on the high side and not much tannins.

2017 Cirillo Grenache 1850 Ancestor Vine - plenty of sweet fruit on the nose. Light and delicate on the palate, but not too complex.

Full post on lunch is here.