2002 Torbreck Descendant

Drinking at home.

2002 Torbreck Descendant - started drinking 1 hour after decanting. Still a bit alcoholic on the nose, with pretty big nose of oak, and the smell of the grape skin was pretty strong, along with black fruits and blueberries. Very sweet on the palate.

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.

2018 Torbreck Steading

Drinking at home.

2018 Torbreck The Steading - decanted 1 hour after opening, and started drinking 15 minutes later. Very oaky, lots of vanilla, good concentration on the palate. Drinking nicely.

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

2001 RunRig

Dinner at Chic 1699 in Shenzhen.

2001 Torbreck RunRig - this was decanted but the wine had been lying flat just before dinner, so the sediment got mixed into the wine. That may explain why the nose was showing very plummy and stewed prune notes, and just didn't seem as "clean". Definitely still got the eucalyptus and minty profile, though.

Full post on dinner is here.

2000 Torbreck Descendant

Drinking at home.

2000 Torbreck Descendant - I could smell the wet cardboard even before the cork was fully extracted. The wine was fine on the palate, not dead or flat, and was, in fact, alcoholic and hot going down. There was some ripe, fruit fruit on the nose, but the wine was definitely corked. This got worse as the wine opened up.

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

2018 Torbreck

Drinking at home in Taipei.

2018 Torbreck Old Vines Grenache Mourvèdre Shiraz - very big nose of black fruits like black cherries and Kyoho grapes. Lots of vanilla on the nose, and very oaky. Pretty ripe on the palate and definitely on the sweet side. Just around one hour in the nose was almost showing some floral notes.

Rodez and Torbreck

Dinner at Mian.

Eric Rodez Rosé, dégorgée en Avril 2022 - flint, nice notes of red fruits, savory minerals, and a little caramelized sugar.

2007 Joh.Jos. Prüm Wehelener Sonnenuhr Kabinett - classic Mosel riesling, with lots of petrol and polyurethane. Not too sweet on the palate.

2001 Torbreck RunRig - drank 2 hours after double-decanting. While decanting the fruit was really sweet and explosive, but it had mellowed out when we started drinking. Much more elegant by then, but still lovely.

Full post on dinner is here.

2001 Standish

Drinking at home.

2001 The Standish - drinking after 1 hour in the decanter. The nose was really sharp and alcoholic, and also really ripe with lots of stewed prunes. Maybe this was a tiny bit dusty and corked? Pretty exotic nose with woodsy notes, and there's some vanilla here, along with a tiny bit of leather.

2003 Kaesler Bogan

Drinking at home.

2003 Kaesler The Bogan - decanted and served. Ripe and sweet fruit, exotic spices, almost a little coconut at first, and lots of vanilla. 30 minutes later there was a ton of oak. After 1 hour in decanter the wine showed lots of dried herbs and pine needles, and tons of coconut butter. Classic Aussie Shiraz. Still going strong more than 2 hours later.

Torbreck vertical

Dinner at the Hong Kong Club.

1995 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Rosé - classic nose of marmalade, really nice with just the slightest hint of Chinese salted plum, savory and mineral, really lovely with some vanilla. Good acidity here but also got the roundness as well as complexity on the palate.

2016 Kumeu River Chardonnay Mate's Vineyard - I drank this about 1 hour after this was poured in the glass. Pretty flinty, toasty, definitely buttery. More than 2 hours after opening, this was showing a really big and toasty nose. Sooooo good!

1997 Torbreck RunRig - decanted about 1 hour after opening and served 45 minutes after decanting. Lots of coconut butter on the nose, very sweet, some smoke and grilled meats. Tannins have definitely softened. Second pour 2½ hours after opening gave us a wine that was nice and very rounded on the palate, but still with great concentration. The wine was more complex now, with a little more oak and some leather on the nose.

1999 Torbreck RunRig - decanted about 1 hour after opening and served 45 minutes after decanting. Bigger toasty nose, more minty. Leaner on the palate and more concentrated, a little more closed compared to the 1997, and showing a higher alcohol level on the palate. Really sweet on the palate with a little vanilla on the finish.

2001 Torbreck RunRig - decanted about 30 minutes after opening, and served a little more than an hour after decanting. Nose was pretty metallic, sweet but not too overripe.

2002 Torbreck RunRig - decanted about 30 minutes after opening, and served a little more than an hour after decanting. Minty, sweet on the palate. Wine was mature enough now to soften it on the palate but still retained enough structure. After more than 2 hours in the decanter this improved with some acidity on the palate.

2004 Torbreck RunRig - opened and decanted about 1½ hours before serving. This was really fragrant and minty, slightly jammy on the nose, and really sweet on the palate. So well balanced after around 3 hours in the decanter - not too hot and ripe and nicely balanced with the acidity.

Full post on dinner is here.

2001 Torbreck RunRig

Drinking at home.

2001 Torbreck RunRig - drank 30 minutes after decanting. Definitely animal notes along with a little dusty chalk. Lots of vanilla with fruit that's a little on the ripe side. After an hour in the decanter this was pretty fragrant and almost jammy, with lovely eucalyptus.

2004 Kilikanoon R

Drinking at home.

2004 Kilikanoon Shiraz R - drank 40 minutes after decanting. Very fragrant nose with cedar and woodsy notes, a little metallic, almost a little burnt rubber. Ripe and jammy with toasty oak. Drinking really wonderfully.

Kilikanoon and whites

Dinner at Genuine Lamma Hilton.

Dassai 23 (獺祭 純米大吟醸 磨き二割三分), R2BY - very rounded on the palate, nice nose of fermented rice.

2005 Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatieres - definitely over-oxidized but still drinkable. Flinty and toasty.

Serveaux Fils Pur Meunier - full-bodied with a good palate. High acidity but still grippy on the palate.

Full post on lunch is here.

Drinking at home.

2004 Kilikanoon Shiraz Green's Vineyard - drank 45 minutes after decanting. Really fragrant and open nose, minty, plenty of cedar, nice and sweet but not quite jammy. Some 30 minutes later this was really beautiful and sexy. Wow! Some coffee emerged a few minutes later. Still got good concentration after more than 3 hours in decanter. Very smooth but not light-bodied, and definitely sweet on the palate. Great wine.

1999 RWT

Drinking at home.

1999 Penfolds RWT - drank 1 hour and 45 minutes after decanting. Lots of oak, spices, and mint in the nose. Pretty smoky, tobacco, and plenty of black fruits like plums. No longer got the same punchiness like your typical young Aussie shiraz, this had good acidity balance while retaining the good concentration and some tannins. Very nice.

2001 RunRig

Drinking at home.

2000 Etude Cabernet - corked.

2001 Torbreck RunRig - started drinking 1 hour after decanting. Clearly notes of rubber, also like the thick skins of Kyoho grapes. Very ripe and jammy. Some 1½ hours after decanting some coconut butter came out, along with lots of eucalyptus. Very nice.

RunRig and Kongsgaard Syrah

Dinner at Luk Yu Tea House.

1999 Torbreck RunRig - opened around 20 minutes before dinner. Ripe and jammy as expected, with some oaky notes, a little metallic and iron rust. Very nice and fragrant. Still very metallic more than an hour later.

2004 Kongsgaard Syrah - initially very jammy when opened before dinner. Served 1½ hours after opening. Pretty toasty nose, still very sweet, woodsy and fragrant. Reasonably smooth on the palate now but still concentrated. Not quite sharp and alcoholic but still packs a punch.

Full post on dinner is here.

1999 RWT

Drinking at home.

1999 Penfolds RWT - served after 30 minutes in decanter. Sweet, definitely vanilla and coconut, minty, woodsy. Showed pine needle notes 1 hour in. After 2 hours became pretty dry on the palate, and very minty after 2½ hours, and much more smoky, less sweet fruit, and more acidic on the palate.

Princess and Les Amis

Dinner at The Chairman.

1999 Musar Rouge - served a little warm and without decanting. A little pungent nose, with leather, farmy, and savory notes.

Paul Déthune Cuvée Prestige Grand Cru, dégorgée en janvier 2017 - very light on the palate, some caramelization on the nose.

2016 Philippe Bornard Côtes du Jura Ouillé Les Chassagnes - flinty, a little floral, with good acidity. No real oxidation.

2005 Torbreck Les Amis - decanted for 2 hours and 15 minutes before serving. Not as jammy on the nose as initially when opened, but this was very floral and lovely, with plenty of sweet fruit here.

Full post on dinner is here.

Hodgepodge for hot pot

Dinner at a friend's home.

Jacques Selosse V.O. - marmalade on the nose with lovely toast.  Good ripeness.

Hanamura Junmai Daiginjo Aiyama (花邑  純米大吟醸  愛山), R2BY - very ripe, lots of fermented rice in the nose.

2015 Bernard-Bonin Bourgogne Blanc Initiales B.B. - acidity on the high side, and pretty lean on top of ripeness.  Very fresh.

2012 Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes - a lot more ripe and rounded on the palate.

2006 Kongsgaard Syrah - really ripe and jammy upon opening.  Served 1½ hours after decanting.  Not as sweet as expected on the palate.  Minty and metallic.  Acidity was higher than expected, and tannins were still here.

2010 Two Hands My Hands - served 3½ hours after decanting.  Still plenty of vanilla in the sweet nose, but not as sweet and jammy on the palate.  Finally really ripe and sweet after 4 hours, with lots of woodsy notes.

2003 Guigal Condrieu Luminescence - apricot, metallic, Anjou pear, and honey on the nose.  On palate showing marmalade and a hint of bitterness.