MNSC dinner - Ami

MNSC dinner at Ami, hosted by Dr. Poon.

1990 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Rosé - a little flinty on the nose, with Chinese salted plum and marmalade. A little grassy, perhaps? Very soft of the palate after 35 years.

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

1995 Armand Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze - very fragrant nose, the fruit was just so sweet. 96 points.

1995 Leroy Clos de Vougeot - the nose was just so explosive, so fragrant, so floral, and just FUCKING GOOD. A little farmy, with leather and eucalyptus. Lots of ripe fruit. 98 points.

Second flight: served without decanting 1½ hours after opening.

1982 Cheval Blanc - smoky nose, minty, and a little stinky. More concentrated on the palate. After another 20 minutes the mint was more obvious, with a little capsicum. Still very lively and sweet on the palate, and even came with a hint of coconut butter. 97 points.

1982 L'Evangile - the nose was so perfumed, also a little smoky and bretty, with nice sweet fruit but slightly leaner. After another 40 minutes the nose was still very perfumed but now came with more leather. 96 points.

Third flight: served without decanting around 2½ hours after opening.

1926 Haut-Brion, acquired from Baghera/wines and reportedly reconditioned at the château - very ripe and jammy on the nose, so interesting with lots of spices and stewed prunes. 92 points.

1982 Haut-Brion - the nose was minty but a little muted. Also a bit alcoholic, and a hint of farmy, bretty notes. 93 points.

Since we had questioned the condition of the 1926 Haut-Brion - while tasting it blind and not realizing its age - Dr. Poon very generously opened up his "back up" wine for this flight. Just popped and poured.

1959 Haut-Brion - the nice was so sweet with lots of vanilla, so beautiful, and a little grassy. 96 points.

Somehow we ended up popping a bottle of Moutai at the very end, which isn't really my thing...

2019 Kweichow Moutai (贵州茅台) - not too bad as far as baijiu goes...

Full post on dinner is here.

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.

Clos de Beze and Clos Ste Hune

Dinner at Aap Ba Din.

1988 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune - the nose was sooo fragrant. Obviously very much oxidized so there's that marmalade both on the nose and the palate. The palate was ripe but the acidity was still there. Got some lemon, Chinese angelica, caramelized sugar, straw, a little flint and petrol, and also vanilla on the nose. Drinking really well.

1985 Faiveley Chambertin Clos de Beze - decanted and served around 45 minutes after opening. Very fragrant and floral nose, with leather and more meaty notes, still very much alive but vitality was not the same as our last bottle 3 years ago. Certainly more mellow now. Two hours after opening this was drinking beautifully and still going strong.

2011 Perrot-Minot Chambertin Clos de Beze - pretty exotic spices on the nose and maybe a little coconut. Nice black cherries, too. Good concentration here.

2017 Pierre Damoy Chambertin Clos de Beze - served more than 4 hours after opening. Nice and fragrant with black fruits and a little leather. Still a little grippy but also got the acidity.

Full post on dnner is here.

1976 Rousseau Clos de Beze

Dinner at La Tour d'Argent in Paris.

1976 Armand Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze

EUR 445 on the restaurant wine list.

1995 Ojai and 1991 Armand Rousseau

Dinner at brown.

1995 Ojai Pinot Noir Benjamin Lorenzo Bien Nacido Vineyard - opened but not decanted. At the beginning the nose was full of minerals on top of the red fruits, to the point of being a little "sulfury". Over time this improved a lot, and an apricot nose emerged, with more sweetness. At the very end, when it went downhill, I smelled Chinese herbal medicine! Very interesting but not as good as hoped. Maybe will try another bottle.

110 cases made, and artwork by Manfred Krankl of Sine Qua Non.

Bought from Oaks Cellars for around SGD 120.

1991 Armand Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Bèze - this was decanted. I didn't like this at first since I didn't get enough from the nose, but eventually it really opened up, after 2½ hours, very nice but not very full bodied. More elegant, with sweet cherries mixed in with a hint of sweet grass. Pretty good stuff.

Bought from Eslite for TWD 6,750.