Bouzeron and St-Estephe

Dinner at the Chairman.

2007 De Villaine Bouzeron - this tasted exactly as expected, with lemon citrus, toasty oak and minerals in the nose. A little acidic on the palate.

1996 Les Pagodes de Cos - this was classically claret, with nose of smoke, sweet fruit, mint, wet earth and soy sauce. Finish was fairly long and a little tart.

Full post on dinner is here.

2007 De Villaine Bouzeron

2007 De Villaine Bouzeron - drank over dinner at Swiss Chalet.  The wine showed steely minerals with a good amount of acidity to cut through the richness of the cheese. There was some degree of ripeness on the palate, and the wine tasted a little "hot".

Full post on dinner is here.

Mixed bag organic

Dinner at Tam Keung's Congee (健味粥).

1988 Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin Brut - toasty and yeasty nose with caramel notes. Smooth with a sweet mid-palate and a slightly acidic finish.

2005 Touchstone Chardonnay - nose of rubber, plastic and toasty oak. A bit ripe with nice acidity balance.

2006 De Villaine Bouzeron - this white wine from the estate in the Côte Chalonnaise is made from Aligoté, the "other white grape" of Burgundy. Serious wine buffs will no doubt recognize the name of the domaine as being that of the director of DRC. A clean, crisp nose with pear and banana notes. Again the acidity balance was nice. The best Aligoté I've tasted.

2004 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon - lots of sweet fruit with vanilla and slight metallic nose. Very full-bodied, concentrated with a long finish.

Dewazakura Daiginjo (出羽桜大吟醸) - 2007 vintage with some banana notes. Very nice and smooth.

2006 Temple Breur Riesling - surprisingly big nose of smoke, petrol, minerals, urethane plastic - all typical of older Rieslings. Ripe on the palate but not overly sweet.

2006 Bonterra Cabernet Sauvignon - fruity and concentrated, the wine is ripe and a bit "hot" with toffee notes. Fairly typical for the Cali Cab.

Full post on dinner is here.