Pinots and chard

Dinner at Restaurant Petrus.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 172ème Édition, ID 223024 - lovely classic nose of toasty brioche, along with some white flowers and floral notes. Surprisingly the acidity wasn't sharp on the palate the way it tasted a few weeks ago with another bottle from the same Krug ID.

2013 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - a bit of toasty oak and nuttiness on the nose. Good acidity on the palate. Showing very well right now. Almost 2 hours in we finally got the buttery profile typical of white Burgs, along with lots of toasty popcorn.

Bought from Sotheby's for USD 250.

2013 Perrot-Minot Chambertin-Clos de Beze - served without decanting around 4½ hours after opening. Nice fruity notes with plenty of cherries, eucalyptus, and mint. Very fragrant on the nose. Tasted terrible with the lobster. After more than 6 hours the wine was showing very well, so fragrant with nice, herbal notes.

2009 Robert Groffier Chambertin Clos de Beze - served without decanting nearly 5 hours after opening. This was soooo beautiful! Such amazing sweet fruit on the nose, along with some leather notes. Really fucking awesome after 6 hours, and this was sooo expressive!

2014 Lucien Le Moine Bonnes Mares - served without decanting around 4½ hours. The nose was reasonably fragrant but a little chalky and dusty. Nice and clean on the palate, though, and the fruit was still there underneath the chalky notes. After nearly 7 hours the dustiness cleared up and the nose was much nicer.

Bought from Sotheby's for HKD 2,273.

Full post on dinner is here.

Super Bowl Monday morning

Drinking at a friend's home while watching Super Bowl LVIII.

2007 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb Vineyard - double-decanted back in bottle after 15 minutes, and drank 1 hour after opening. Nose was really fragrant, with really ripe fruit, but alcohol was a little sharp and hot on the nose. Lots of wood here, and this was so nice. About 1½ hours after opening this was even better, and the wine was just so alluring. Alcohol was really sharp on the nose now around 2 hours and 45 minutes after opening, and the wine has clearly peaked, but started to show a little coffee on the nose.

André Clouet Un jour de 1911..., dégorgée le 18 novembre 2021 - good balance, slightly sweet and ripe but the acidity comes up at the finish. Nice caramelized sugar on the nose with a little note of straw.

2005 Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes-Mares - drank around 45 minutes after opening. Showing beautifully with lovely notes of leather, dried herbs, potpourri, and some toasty oak. Still pretty nice some 2 hours after opening.

2012 Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes-Mares - drank around 1 hour and 15 minutes after opening. Lots of eucalyptus on the nose, more ripe and jammy, with lots of blueberries. More concentrated compared to the 2005, and also showing leather notes. Some 4 hours after opening there was still plenty of dried herbs and sous bois on the nose.

2013 Beaucastel Roussanne Vieilles Vignes - classic nose with wax and paraffin. Very, very ripe.

2005 Domaine des Chezeaux Chambertin - nose of leather hits first. Acidity was clearly higher on the palate, and this was leaner, not so lush. About an hour after opening this opened up nicely.

2019 Arnot-Roberts Cabernet Sauvignon Clajeux Vineyard - babykilling here. Really big and ripe as this wine is very young. Tons of potpourri on the nose.

2015 Lingua Franca Pinot Noir Mimi's Mind - nice nose of leather, and pretty sweet on the nose.

MNSC dinner - Woo Cheong

MNSC dinner at Woo Cheong Tea House, hosted by Lord Rayas.

2006 Joseph Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche - very buttery nose with lots of corn, pretty nice and elegant.

First flight: opened and poured into glass 1 hour prior to serving.

1982 Latour a Pomerol - really lovely, nice and sweet with bacon, smoky, animal, grilled meats, eucalyptus. Fat and sexy at first, but got leaner some 20 minutes in, then turned more bretty and medicinal about 30 minutes in. Rated 95 points but would have scored higher had the wine not gotten leaner and medicinal.

1982 Le Gay - a little more brett and animal, sweeter on the nose, and meaty. Showing well. 96 points.

1982 Guigal La Mouline - this was my favorite of the trio from the start. Really big and toasty nose, the most powerful of the three, with coffee, animal, sweet fruit. Sharper, more focused and precise. Fucking good. 99 points.

Second flight:

1995 Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes-Mares - served more than 2 hours after opening without decanting. A bit green with wet cardboard. I felt this was bouchonée.

1995 Rayas - decanted nearly 2 hours after opening, and served 30 minutes after decanting. A little dusty, more muted at first, then turned more bretty, smoky, and minty. 96 points.

1995 Lafite-Rothschild - decanted nearly 2 hours after opening, and served 30 minutes after decanting. Nose of vulcanized rubber, a bit sharp, but also fragrant with cigar smoke. 94 points.

Full post on dinner is here.

99 Burgs and Kistler

MNSC dinner at The Pawn, with The Ox hosting.

1999 Bouchard Montrachet - served after 2 hours in the decanter.  Nose was a little reductive and dusty at first.  A little caramelized, some what sweet and oxidized but the acidity was there.  After 2 hours in glass, showing more water chestnut.

First flight: served 1½ hours after opening without decanting.

1999 Dominique Laurent Richebourg - very fragrant, a little bubblegum, exotic and beautiful nose. 95 points.

1999 Dominique Laurent Charmes-Chambertin - this was more clean, slightly more elgant and floral, a littl toast. Showing mor floral notes some 40 minutes in glass. 96 points.

1999 Dominique Laurent Bonnes-Mares - exotic notes like coconut. Sweet, toasty, and pretty fragrant. 96 points.

Second flight: served 2½ hours after opening without decanting.

1999 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Bonnes-Mares - very clean, very savory, lean on the palate and kinda tannic. 93 points.

1999 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées - very savory and clean. More funky, a little stinky and barnyard, but then opened up to some sweet fruit. 94 points.

Third flight: served 3½ hours after opening without decanting.

2004 Kistler Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard - really floral, beautiful nose of cherries almost like cough syrup, and a little alcoholic. 97 points.

2005 Kistler Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard - very dusty nose with savory notes. 91 points.

2007 Kistler Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard - cleaner nose with floral notes and more concentration, sweet, black cherries, also bubblegum, later on very sweet and exotic. 97 points.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC dinner - Hong Kong Club

MNSC dinner at the Hong Kong Club, hosted by Gayliao.

1985 Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet - very nice and caramelized, with popcorn notes.  So smooth.  The last pour more than 2 hours after opening was amazingly beautiful, with sweet and exotic coconut and Chinese licorice notes.

First flight: poured 1½ hours after opening, and served 2 hours after opening.

1985 Dujac Clos Saint-Denis - beautiful and floral, really elegant.  Still got a hint of sweet grass.  Second pour was more concentrated.  96 points.

1985 Dujac Bonnes Mares - very nice, with lovely fruit and leather notes.  More tannic and grippy.  97 points.

Second flight:  poured 2 hours after opening, served 2½ hours after opening.

2000 Rouget Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cros Parantoux - minty, a little burnt rubber, a bit more acidity on the palate.  With the second pour there was more leather, and still pretty tight.  94 points.

2000 Ponsot Clos de la Roche - kinda closed, minty, and almost gingerbread.  Much better with the second pour, with a sweeter nose.  95 points.

Third flight: poured 2 hours and 45 minutes after opening, served almost 3½ hours after opening.

2003 Bouchard La Romanée - kinda alcoholic, minty, potpourri, coconut.  Second pour more animal and leather notes, almost a totally different wine.  96 points.

2003 Hudelot-Noellat Richebourg - beautifully toasty, with a hint of burnt rubber, and a layer of coffee along with some fruit.  97 points.

2003 Mugnier Musigny - sharp on the nose, a little metallic.  Not great.  A little orange and sweet fruit.  93 points.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC Dinner - Kaiseki Den by Saotome

MNSC dinner at Kaiseki Den by Saotome, hosted by Juliano.

1989 Coche-Dury Meursault 1er Cru Perrières - buttery, sweet, seemingly so smooth and viscous just on the nose without actually tasting.  Grassy notes with marmalade.  Beautiful, but slightly too warm.  Second pour showed more coffee and toasty notes.

First pair: opened 1 hour and 45 minutes prior to serving.

1978 Roumier Bonnes Mares - grassy, a bit stinky, with leather and smoke.  Acidity was high on the palate.  Was this corked? 

1978 Guigal La Landonne - more animal notes, and more concentration here, along with higher acidity on the palate.  A little stewed fruit, minty, and still got some tannins here.  96 points.

Second flight: opened 2 hours prior to serving except Clos de Tart, which was opened just prior to serving.

1983 Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze - sweet but not quite open, acidity was apparent.  With second pour 45 minutes after first pour, sweeter on the nose.  95 points.

1983 Mommessin Clos de Tart - surprising coconut notes.  Later also showed high acidity.

1983 Rayas - very nice.  A little burn rubber, but much more open.  96 points.

Second flight: opened 3 hours prior to serving.

1999 Claude Dugat Griotte-Chambertin - still a little tight and not too open. 

1999 Claude Dugat Charmes-Chambertin - smoky, chalky, stinky.  Improved later with meaty notes.

Full post on dinner is here.