Fortia and Thalabert

Drinks at a friend's home.

2015 Jaboulet Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert - meaty and leather nose, and the acidity was higher than expected.

2019 Il Marroneto Brunello di Montalcino - pretty fragrant nose with some woodsy notes. Pretty easy to drink.

2003 Château Fortia Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Baron - started drinking after 1 hour in the decanter. Pretty fragrant with eucalyptus notes, with a surprise later on in the form of black olives.

Bought from Farr Vintners for GBP 13.

Col d'Orcia and Arietta

Dinner at Deng G.

2017 Col d'Orcia Riserva Poggio al Vento - this was very fragrant with good amount of sweet fruit. About 1½ hours later we also had nice, woodsy notes.

2001 Arietta H-Block Hudson Vineyards - started drinking after 1 hour and 15 minutes in the decanter. This was really sweet and very ripe, almost jammy. Smoky and also nice, woodsy notes.

Bought from the winery for USD 75 plus tax.

Full post on dinner is here.

Cabs and Tuscany

Dinner at Carna.

2006 Casanova di Neri Cerratalto - double-decanted at home. Very big and oaky nose, with tons of sweet fruit along with sweet vanilla. Very concentrated on the palate, and a really lovely wine in the prime of its drinking window.

1985 Antinori Solaia - decanted an hour after opening and started drinking after 1½ hours in the decanter. A little too soft by now, although 20 minutes later this was more fragrant with some woodsy notes. Very soft and supple on the palate. Probaby should have started drinking earlier as the wine may have had too much aeration.

1994 Haut-Brion - decanted an hour after opening and started drinking after 2 hours in the decanter. Big nose of smoke and green pepper, tobacco, and a bit earthy. Really fragrant after about 2½ in the decanter. Still very much alive and going strong.

Full post on dinner is here.

Ponet-Canet and Matriarch

Dinner at The Chairman.

2009 Pontet-Canet - starting drinking 45 minutes after double-decanting. Pretty nice and open now, with woodsy notes and cigar smoke on the nose after 1 hour. Really fragrant and drinking very well right now.

Bought from Altaya for EUR 98.

2007 Joh. Jos. Prüm Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese - big nose of petrol with white flowers. I still like the sweetness level here.

Bought from Rare and Fine Wines for HKD 368.

2003 BOND Matriarch - started drinking about 2½ hours after double-decanting. Very minty on the nose, with smoky and leather notes. Pretty sweet with black fruits on the palate. Very silky smooth now but still got that wonderful concentration. Such a pleasure to drink.

Bought from the winery for USD 85 plus tax and shipping.

2006 La Magia Brunello di Montalcino - smoky with nose of dried herbs, a little wood, and a little sweet fruit.

Full post on dinner is here.

70 Biondi-Santi

Dinner at Ta Vie.

2015 Mumm RSRV Blanc de Blancs, dégorgée en Decembre 2022 - got a nice and toasty nose, with a good balance on the palate where the acidity was slightly higher than expected but the wine was still rounded on the palate.

1970 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - served without decanting. Initially this was OK but after 20 minutes this was starting to fade in the glass, with a short finish. Nose was fairly woodsy but it wasn't cedar, and there were stewed black fruits. After about 30 minutes the nose was more open with more woodsy fragrance. After 1 hour this was not as good as before, with the acidity higher on the palate and the wine starting to feel a little thin. Not as good as the other bottle I opened 4 years ago.

Bought from Fine Wine Experience for HKD 3,600.

Full post on dinner is here.

Magnum Champagnes and Burgs

Dinner at a private dining facility.

1996 Bruno Paillard Assemblage, dégorgée en Janvier 2006, en magnum - the acidity was quite nice on the palate. The wine was starting to show some maturity but still tasted youthful and lively. On the nose there was a little flint, a little sugar cane, and a hint of straw. Overall this was rather elegant.

Bought from Sotheby's for USD 396.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 2nd generation, en magnum - this was REALLY fragrant, with marmalade and especially aged lemon peel with that savory profile on the palate. Just absolutely beautiful. My wine of the night.

2019 Dauvissat Chablis - this was actually pretty buttery on the nose, much to my surprise. Thankfully still got the acidity I want from a Chablis.

2009 Darviot-Perrin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Blanchots Dessus - this was definitely more buttery and toasty on the nose.

Rémy Martin 250th Anniversary - lovely vanilla and caramel.

2012 Sine Qua Non In the Abstract - wow! This was soooo fragrant. A little bit of flint, sweet vanilla, toasty popcorn, sooo buttery! So beautiful this was fucking good!

1987 DRC La Tâche - very subtle floral notes on the nose. Also showing tea leaves with a little bit of savory notes, leather, and animal. Pretty fragrant after a few minutes. The owner of the bottle felt that the wine was showing better in the smaller Gabriel Glas than the big Riedel Sommeliers, and of course he would be correct.

2006 Casanova di Neri Cerretalto - very minty and plenty of eucalyptus, also earthy. Drinking very well.

Tien Heung Lau Huadiao (天香樓花雕) - this was the 'syrup' that's been aging for a long time, and the viscosity really shows. Very savory, soooo fragrant, and so rich. Not too sweet on the palate at all.

2018 Fingers Crossed Grenache Off the Record - this was opened almost 9 hours before serving. Nose was really metallic, with lots of sweet fruit, tons of oak, and lots of eucalyptus. Very young but lovely.

1990 Laurent Perrier Grand Siècle - I drank this nearly 2½ hours after opening. Nose was showing a hint of straw. On the palate we've got good acidity along with some ripeness, good maturity now thanks to aging.

Full post on dinner is here.

2014 Burgs and friends

Dinner at Hop Sze in Club Batard.

Chartogne-Taillet Hors Série, dégorgée Juin 2022 - a nice nose with a little bit of yeast. The acidity on the palate was higher than expected, more lean and certainly crisp.

2014 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets - started with a huge nose of toast but also a little pungent, smells a little plasticky and waxy, which was not so pleasant. After warming up for about an hour, the plastic notes were mostly gone. The wine remained lean on the palate with high acidity.

2014 Méo-Camuzet Clos de Vougeot - lovely fruit with a little leather on the nose. A little dry on the palate considering the fruity nose.

2017 Comte Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre - the nose was buttery and toasty. There was good acidity on the palate.

2014 Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St-Jacques - really sweet and fruity nose, with a lovely fragrance.

2012 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - apparently the wine was opened the night before to breath. Nose was minty with spices and a little bit of smoke. The acidity was high on the palate, but the wine was very clean. Later on here was more stewed fruit on the nose, and then suddenly the wine was more Burgundian...

2006 La Mission Haut-Brion - served more than 3 hours after opening. Nose showed a little soy sauce and savory notes, along with pencil lead.

2010 La Conseillante - popped and poured. Nose was very earthy and smoky, with some ripe fruit. Really minty, too.

1967 Glenugie, bottled in 1995 by Gordon and MacPhail - showing notes of orange zest, smoke, and light amount of peat.

Full post on dinner is here.

Bongwater with Vietnamese

Dinner at Ăn Đi in Tokyo.

2021 Noraponne Blanche - fizzy like ginger sale. Definitely tasted like a natural wine. Sweet fruits like pear on the nose, with a little sulfur. Sweet on the palate.

2020 Moreau-Naudet Chablis - very soft on the palate. Still got acidity and grippy palate, but definitely more gentle. Some flint on the nose, too.

Aramasa No.6 S-type (新政 No.6 S-type), 2021 - seimaibuai 45%/55%. Lots of fermented rice lees notes on the nose, and still pretty sweet.

2021 Unico Zelo Esoterico - a little like canned lychees with that metallic nose. Not too bad for an orange wine.

2017 Ridolfi Brunello di Montalcino - a little bit of oak with some fragrance here. Not too acidic on the palate. OK lah.

Minshuku Tono Doburoku Sokujo Nama (民宿とおの どぶろく 速醸生), 2023 - fizzy, sweet, and alcoholic on the nose.

2016 Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py - really nice, nose of leather and also floral notes. Very fragrant.

Full post on dinner is here.