Ozanne and Clos Ste Hune

Dinner at MONO.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 168éme édition, ID 219017 - very nice mousse. Lovely nose of toasted brioche. Acidity was a little sharper than expected, but very nice nonetheless.

Michel Fallon Ozanne - kinda floral nose, with a hint of caramelized sugar. Good depth on the palate and a little tart and grippy,.

1998 Trimbach Clos Sainte Hune - tons of petrol and polyurethane, as well as white flowers. Absolutely LOVE the nose. A little ripeness here on the palate.

2004 Ponsot Chapelle Chambertin - served 1 hour after decanting. Lovely fruit with a beautiful, floral nose along with leather and farmy notes.

2001 Yquem, en demi-bouteille - orange blossom, honey, nutty, honeydew melon, lychee honey. Fucking beautiful.

Full post on dinner is here.

Chevalier and Chapelle

Dinner at Petrus.

2012 Louis Jadot Chevalier-Montrachet Les Demoiselles - served from a decanter.  Toasty notes, nice and buttery, with good citrus notes.  Good acidity on the palate.

2005 Ponsot Chapelle Chambertin - served 1 hour after decanting.  There is some black fruit like plum.  Lean and astringent on the palate, with more acidity than expected.  Later on showed a whiff of sweet honeydew melon.  Very disappointed.  Second pour showed savory, black olive notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

Camille Giroud wine dinner

Dinner at China Tang hosted by Sotheby's, featuring wines directly from Maison Camille Giroud.  Winemaker David Croix in attendance.

2010 Camille Giroud Corton-Charlemagne en magnum - nice but still a little closed.  A little smoke, some lemon notes, fragrant, and a little ripe.  This sees very little new oak.  Opened up after an hour and was nice and buttery.

First flight: David wanted to show us two different vintages of the same wine, and these were pretty different.  Popped and poured.

2007 Camille Giroud Chapelle-Chambertin - very lovely fruit, with black cherries and almost a little bit of strawberries.  A little leather on the nose, and eucalyptus, and lots of forest pine.  Ripe and concentrated, with good tannins, but pretty forward and accessible.

2006 Camille Giroud Chapelle-Chambertin - could this be only one year younger than the 2007?  Seemed much softer with very nice red fruits.  Nice and open nose full of bacon fat, and a whiff of savory notes.

Second flight: double-decanted for more than 2 hours prior to serving.  Definitely necessary for a big vintage like this.

2005 Camille Giroud Latricières-Chambertin - very exotic nose, lots of sweetness like candy, cherries, and the nose was almost like cough syrup...

2005 Camille Giroud Chambertin - the nose was still a little closed at first, and there were still plenty of tannins.  Just too young.

Third flight: two decades older, and much more ready and enjoyable.

1993 Camille Giroud Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots - some green grass on the nose, with leather, farmy notes.  A slight hint of stinkiness...  Nice acidity here.

1993 Camille Giroud Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint-Georges - nice and ripe, with sweet fruit.  Ready to drink now but there are still noticeable tannins here.  More enjoyable than the Volnay.

Fourth flight: almost four decades-old.  Definitely ready and very much enjoyable now.

1978 Camille Giroud Charmes-Chambertin - a little more concentrated on the palate, with sweeter fruit.  Very lovely and unquestionably the wine of the evening.

1976 Camille Giroud Volnay 1er Cru Champans - very smooth on the palace, with a nice balance.  A hint of sweet grass in the nose on top of the fruit.

Full post on dinner is here.

Thanksgiving mix

Dinner at Seventh Son.

1999 von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Auslese-trocken - mineral, white pepper, petrol, a little floral, big and ripe on the nose, and also ripe on palate but without the sugar.  Not bad at all.

1985 Hospices de Beaune Mazis-Chambertin Cuvée Madeleine-Collignon par Bouchard - decanted for 30 minutes prior to serving.  Plummy, stewed fruits.  Not bad but seemingly a little tired.  Nice on the palate, though.

2004 Ponsot Chapelle Chambertin - a little vegetal, un petit bouchonnée.  But still drinkable.

2000 Coche-Dury Meursault - served after opening for 2 hours.  Really lovely nose, big and toasty, with lots of toasty corn and minerals.  This may not be an elegant wine, but it sure got the power!

1996 Guigal Côte-Rôtie Château d'Ampuis - a little minty, pretty sweet.  Nice on the palate, but this can develop a little more.

1996 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon - a little green, which led me to think that it was also un petit bouchonnée.  This would be the second consecutive bottle of 1996 Chapoutier Ermitage that I've opened this year that was corked.  Otherwise the nose was smoky, lean, savory like black olives, animal and leather.

Full post on dinner is here.

Louis Jadot dinner

Dinner at Pierre in Hong Kong, featuring wines from Louis Jadot.

2010 Ferret Pouilly-Fuissé Autour de Fuissé - big nose of toasty oak, heavy smoke, revealing sweet core after the smoke fades.  Almost a little floral.  Acidity strong mid-palate, and almost a little bitter.  Long finish. At 13.5%, definitely felt the alcohol burn going down.  Surprisingly excellent to drink.

2008 Jadot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle - mineral, a little sweet, tropical coconut.  Served a little too cold initially.  Definitely lots of body weight, and acidity was very prominent.  Later on this grew fatter and more buttery.

2008 Jadot Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet - a little ripe, with good acidity balance but slightly acidic on the finish. Toasty, buttery and sweet.  Lovely and elegant.

2001 Jadot Corton-Charlemagne - nose was a little closed at first, with a hint of cheese.  Toasty, and acidic on the finish.

2006 Jadot Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Ursules - a monopole within the 1er Cru Vignes Franches, which was Jadot's very first vineyard holding.  Really ripe fruit, sweet on the nose with a little eucalyptus and some toasty corn much later.  A bit alcoholic.  Light on the front palate but got slightly grippy at the end.

2006 Jadot Clos Vougeot en magnum - meaty, animal, a bit smoky.  A little more tannic.

2004 Jadot Chapelle-Chambertin - more animal, leather, forest.  A bit sharp on the nose.  Acidic on palate.

2001 Jadot Corton-Pougets - a bit more body here.

Full post on dinner is here.

Drinking at the Acker auction

Day 1 of the Acker auction.

2008 Vogüé Bonnes Mares - minty, herbs, potpourri, light sweetness that is almost like caramel, game meats.  Very light-bodied and not much tannins at first, but gained weight with time.

2007 Coche-Dury Meursault - tell-tale nose with lots of toast, minerals, corn and lemon.  Good acidity, but the wine was surprisingly light both in terms of color and body.

1986 Pichon-Lalande - ripe fruits, smoke, forest, mushrooms, mint and black olives.  Lovely wine.

2005 Jadot Chapelle-Chambertin en jeroboam - fruity, sweet, caramel and mint.  Body lighter than expected.

1999 DRC Romanée-Saint-Vivant - very floral, sweet with black fruits.  A lovely wine.

2000 Guigal La Landonne - smoky, grilled meats, sweet fruit and toast.

Adjourned to the Lobster Bar for drinks after the auction.

2004 Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Bèze - gamey, love nose of red fruits, sweet, pure and fresh.  Still a little alcoholic.  Second pour showed more concentration and fuller body.

Full post on the auction is here.

2007 Ponsot

Tasting of 2007 Ponsot wines at the Press Room, organized by Altaya Wines.  Laurent Ponsot was in town, and it was good to see him again a few weeks after our visit to his domaine.

2007 Ponsot Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos de Mont Luisants Blanc - nose of minerals and lemon.  Quite pleasant to drink.  This was labeled Vieilles Vignes as the vines were almost 100 years old...

2007 Ponsot Bourgogne Cuvée de Pinson - smoky, farmy, stinky with animal notes.

2007 Ponsot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes - farmy, minty, some fruit on the nose.  Sweeter on the palate.

2007 Ponsot Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Cuvée des Alouettes - smoky with forest notes.  Very pleasant.

2007 Ponsot Chapelle-Chambertin - minty, smoky, fruity, earthy with minerals.

2007 Ponsot Griotte-Chambertin - more farmy with bacon fat, sweet, minty with herbs.  Very lovely.

2007 Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes - a lovely and complex wine.  Perhaps not quite ready to be drunk tonight.

MNSC Burgundy Trip Day 5: Ponsot

Visit to Domaine Ponsot in Morey-Saint-Denis.  Very warmly received by the flamboyant Laurent Ponsot.  I hadn't seen Laurent since he came to show us the amazing 2005s almost 3 years ago, and I was surprised to see that he's trimmed his long, wavy locks...

Ponsot does not use any new oak as Laurent doesn't believe in it.  That puts him in the minority here, especially when it comes to Grand Crus.

2009 Ponsot Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos des Monts Luisants - made from Aligoté planted in 1911.  Nose was pungent, with minerals, really ripe, buttery and floral.  Acidity was high on the palate, as I expected.  Better than the 2005 I tasted last time.

2009 Ponsot Corton-Charlemagne - one of a handful of new wines Laurent has been able to make in 2009 as he was offered grapes from other growers.  Made with 40% Aligoté.  Really sweet, ripe, floral, creamy vanilla... huge nose.  Good acidity balance here.  Laurent claims this is the only Corton-Charlemagne made without any new oak.

2009 Ponsot Bourgogne - smoked meats, fruit, rich and almost a little cloudy.

2009 Ponsot Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée de l'Abeille - minerals, sweet fruit and leather.

2009 Ponsot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes - sweet, black fruits like plums, ripe and smoky.

2009 Ponsot Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru - intense nose of leather, concentrated and sweet fruits.  Made with fruit from Clos Monts Luisants.

2009 Ponsot Corton Cuvée de Bourdon - color was really dark and inky.  Nose of pine needle, herbs, a hint of smoke.  Grippy on the finish with acidity.  Was this a Pinot that I drank?!

2009 Ponsot Corton Les Bressandes - more smoky and medicinal, brett and smoke on the nose.  Intense and dark, with higher acidity.

2009 Ponsot Griotte-Chambertin - really sweet and fruity, jammy, black fruits and herbs.  Soft and enjoyable.

2009 Ponsot Chapelle-Chambertin - really exotic, sweet, ripe, tropical fruits, coconut butter... Is this an Aussie Shiraz?

2009 Ponsot Chambertin - smoke, fruit and pine needle.  Elegant... some tannins here but reasonably smooth.  5 barrels.

2009 Ponsot Clos Saint-Denis Très Vieilles Vignes - made from 104-year vines.  Minty, intense nose of herbs and forest.  Raw, animal-like, almost pungent.  7 barrels.

2009 Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes - so smooth and silky... Nose of smoked meats, a bit fatty.

Domaine Ponsot 2005 tasting

Tasting of the 2005 vintage held by Laurent Ponsot at the China Club.

2005 Ponsot Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos des Monts Luisants - this is a monopole white made from old vines Aligoté, planted in 1911. Laurent Ponsot explained that many people do not know that in the old days, Aligoté made up a significant portion of the white wine production in Burgundy. The nose was a little "hot", with notes of pear and minerals. Acidity was on the high side, with a slightly bitter after palate. While Laurent is obviously very proud about this special wine, I think I would stay with Chardonnays in Burgundy...

2005 Ponsot Chambolle-Musigny Cuvée des Cigales - sweet grassy nose, with notes of strawberries. In fact it smelled a little like a new world Pinot...The tannins were evident, while there was a lot of acidity. This combination should actually make for a good one in the long run.

2005 Ponsot Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée de L'Abeille - my favorite of the three village wines, an opinion shared by others at the table. The nose was very sweet, fruity and forward, much more fragrant than the Chambolle. Compared to the Chambolle, the tannins here were much lighter. Overall this wine drinks much better now in its youth.

2005 Ponsot Morey-Saint-Denis Cuvée des Grives - situated between Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny - this was not very attractive. The nose smelled a bit medicinal and the fruit only showed up much later in the tasting. Tannin levels were between those of the Gevrey and the Chambolle, and I could taste the significant acidity. On the palate it probably was the middle ground between Gevrey and Chambolle.

2005 Ponsot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes -  a significant improvement over the village wines. The nose was very intense, sweet with a hint of grass and a strong dose of iron and minerals. Here we have again a wine that reminds me of blood. Tannins were soft and the acidity was well-balanced. Very nice.

2005 Ponsot Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Cuvée des Alouettes - a very ripe and forward wine with an even sweeter nose. I tasted a bit of tannin but the wine was pretty well-balanced. Very enjoyable and significantly higher on the quality scale than the village wine.

2005 Ponsot Chapelle-Chambertin - sweet, grassy nose with black cherries. The wine very very smooth, ripe but not "hot". There was a bit of acidity on the palate. Very, very enjoyable and again a notch above the 1er Crus.

2005 Ponsot Griotte-Chambertin - the wine Laurent Ponsot described as the "lolita" readily displaying her charmes was for me the wine of the tasting. It was a ripe and powerful wine, with an explosively sweet nose that blew me away. Drinking today, it showed a bit better than the Chapelle-Chambertin - the "lady" as Laurent would describe it. Views were divided across the table as to which one performed better. The vines were planted with the same clone, and the harvest dates were almost identical. But the terroir of the wine showed through...

2005 Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes - everyone had high expectations, and I dare say that most were at least somewhat disappointed. The acidity was quite high, and the nose was very muted - I didn't get any fruit out of it. As Laurent said, this wine would probably reach maturity only in 20 years, so I guess we will wait and see.

Conclusion? 1. Don't buy the village wines (which I did not). 2. 1er Cru is worth buying (bought the Chambolle-Musigny). 3. The two Grand Crus from Chambertin are better value than the Clos de la Roche VV (bought all of them, but my allocation on Griotte and Chapelle was smaller than the Clos de la Roche!)

After the tasting I went off to dinner at Bonheur with a couple of friends, and opened up 2 bottles of wine.

1985 Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde - I have served the three single-vineyard Côte-Rôtie LaLaLa's in an MNSC tasting 3 years ago, and was looking forward to tasting their cousin. It drank beautifully - especially for the price paid. It was a classic Côte-Rôtie with the telltale perfumed nose from the Viognier. Very smooth after more than 20 years' of aging, the tannins were soft and yummy.

2002 Pax Syrah Walker Vine Hill - from one of my favorite Californian Syrah producers, it's basically a fruit bomb weighing in at 15.2% alcohol. We decanted the bottle, each had a couple of sips, and poured the wine back into the bottle. I will be having it tomorrow after 24 hours...

Full post on tasting and dinner is here.