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.

Salon and friends

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2007 Salon - a little bit of yeast on the nose, not too toasty, very nicely balanced.

2013 Pierre Damoy Chambertin - really fragrant, very fruity with lots of cherries, and very floral. Some leather notes, too. Still got some tannins here on the palate.

2000 Guigal La Mouline - decanted 1 hour and 15 minutes after opening. Apparently fragrant some 1 hour after decanting, but by the time I tasted 2 hours after decanting this was not showing at all. A little better after 3½ hours in the decanter. Still got the tannins, with smoky, grilled meats, and some mint on the nose. Pretty disappointing.

Full post on dinner is here.

Cos Blanc and friends

Lunch at Amber.

Laurent Perrier Ultra Brut - good depth on the palate, good amount of acidity due to zero dosage but not too sharp. Nice and toasty nose, with some green apple about 2 hours later.

2016 Cos d'Estournel Blanc - served about 40 minutes after decanting. Good ripeness on the palate but still got the acidity. Perhaps mellowed out a little since the last time I had it.

2013 Trapet Chambertin - by the glass. Very fragrant nose with black cherries and lots of eucalyptus, forest, leather, and animal notes. Relatively dry on the palate.

Full post on lunch is here.

MNSC dinner - Woo Cheong at home

MNSC dinner at a friend's place, hosted by GL.

2009 Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Perrières - lovely toasty nose, this was soooo buttery and soooo fucking beautiful! Wow!

First flight: served 1 hour and 15 minutes after opening without decanting.

1987 Dominus - very smoky, heavy tobacco, a hint of sweetness on the palate, a little chalky and dirty, very smooth on the palate, and somehow leaner on the nose. 95 points.

1991 Dominus - also smoky but a little more ripe on the nose, definitely more sweet on the palate, but ever so slightly pungent. Really big and smoky on the nose. 96 points.

Second flight: served 2 hours and 45 minutes after opening without decanting.

1990 Pichon Baron - smoky, minty, a little dusty, with cool fruit, oaky and woodsy notes. 95 points.

1990 Vega Sicilia Unico - much more fragrant, woodsy, a hint of burnt rubber, sweet with coconut. Beautiful! 97 points.

1990 Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche - more ripe and sweet on the nose, and also sweet on the palate. 95 points.

Third flight: served 3 hours and 45 minutes after opening without decanting.

2007 Armand Rousseau Chambertin - pretty nice and a little oaky. Really open and fragrant. 97 points.

2009 Armand Rousseau Chambertin - really fragrant with sweet, lovely fruit. 96 points.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC Dinner - Caprice

MNSC dinner at Caprice. Hosted by me.

1971 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - nose was very oxidized, as expected, with sugar cane, straw, marmalade notes. Ripe, soft, and lovely on the palate.

First flight: served 2 hours after opening, without decanting.

2000 Armand Rousseau Chambertin - a little grilled meats, leather, not quite open. Definitely harder and masculine. 93 points.

1999 Armand Rousseau Chambertin - much bigger, more open, and more toasty on the nose, also a little dusty and dirty. Very smooth on the palate but also more noticeable tannins. 94 points.

1995 Armand Rousseau Chambertin - cleaner, softer on the palate. Black fruits and some eucalyptus. 94 points.

Second flight: served 1 hour after opening, without decanting.

1949 Haut-Brion, ex-château 2013 - very savory, huge and punchy nose. Very oxidized but not quite madeira, with Chinese salted plum, much more ripe and smoky. Classic old claret with that savory soy sauce and aged tangerine peel. 95 points.

1944 Haut-Brion, ex-château 2013 - very savory, a little medicinal, woodsy, more open and much more beautiful. 96 points.

Third flight: served 3½ hours after opening, without decanting.

1970 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - sweet grass, kinda fruity, pretty fragrant, minty, and kinda ripe. 94 points.

1971 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - a little oxidized, a little savory, kinda ripe. 93 points.

Bonus round:

1959 Clos de Nouys Vouvray Moelleux - flinty, floral, pollen and orange blossom notes. A hint of sweetness but not too rich.

Full post on dinner is here.

Years of the Ox

Dinner at Forum Restaurant.

1997 Salon, degorgée en 2020 - very fragrant and absolutely floral and really perfumed. Already beautiful right from the start even though it was served a little too cold. A little toasty. Nicely balanced on the palate, even though it was a little more ripe than expected. After an hour there was some coconut, also sugar cane and water chestnuts. Very lovely.

1961 Ducru-Beaucaillou - WOW! Soooo beautiful, soooo fragrant and open just 15 minutes after decanting. Plenty of bacon fat lots of toast, smoke, and lots of sweet fruit. After an hour this seemed to have faded, becoming leaner and showing more brett, more like a classic claret. Good acidity still. After two hours this seemed to improve and fruity notes like cherries were still around. Very, very happy with how this bottle drank tonight.

Bought from Vinum for SGD 410.

1985 Faiveley Chambertin Clos de Beze - lovely and fragrant nose, with bacon, leather, and toasty notes. Soooo floral and elegant. So clean and perfect.

Bought from Sotheby's for HKD 3,267.

2009 Joseph Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche - decanted about 3 hours prior to serving. Nice with just the right amount of caramelized ripeness, with a nice amount of flint, a little sugar cane, vanilla, and coconut candy. Plenty of legs left in this wine.

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.