Alsace and Burgs

Lunch at Lucky Ship.

2019 Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Boudriotte - this was very ripe and very buttery, and oaky. Pretty classic.

2020 Trimbach Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg - there was a bit of ripeness on the palate, but also got decent acidity. Some flint on the nose.

Bought from RNG for HKD 598.

Drinking at home.

2002 Weinbach Clos des Capucines Pinot Gris Altenbourg Sélection de Grains Nobles, en Jennie - nose of honey, apricot, and marmalade. Of course this was pretty sweet on the palate, but also came with a good dose of acidity.

Bought from Tatung Atherton.

2008 Peyre Rose Clos des Cistes - started drinking about 1 hour after decanting. This was really fragrant, but perhaps with a hint of chalk at the beginning. Otherwise the woodsy nose came with black fruits, mineral, and a bit savory on the palate.

Bought from Ginsberg + Chan for HKD 616.

1995 Hospices de Beaune Corton Cuvée Charlotte Dumay, élevé par Dominique Laurent - wet cardboard, definitely corked.

Fonteneau Morgeot

Dinner at Ship Kee.

2022 Pierre Fonteneau Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot - got the acidity on the palate, but this was very, very ripe and buttery.

Águila and Cossard

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2020 Frédéric Cossard Chassagne-Montrachet - the acidity was very high, just the way we wanted. Got some toasty and flinty notes.

2010 Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Rousseau-Deslandes, mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour MNSC - served without decanting more than 1 hour after opening. Plenty of toast on the nose and also lots of coconut butter. Still pretty fragrant. The wine was decent on the palate, but it's more simple now compared to just a a year or two ago.

Bought from Altaya for HKD 590.

2018 Dominio del Águila Albillo Viña Viejas - flint nose, very fragrant, very big toasty nose, and lots of vanilla and sweet bubblegum on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Krug and Cossard

Dinner at Neighborhood.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 172ème Édition, ID 223024 - nice and toasty on the nose, but that acidity was pretty sharp. In fact, I initially thought this was 171ème because of how high the acidity was. Not a fan of the high acidity tasted in the recent editions.

2020 Frédéric Cossard Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Abbaye de Morgeot - kinda rounded on the palate, but with good acidity from mid-palate to finish. Not too toasty on the nose, with just a bit of flint.

1988 Domaine de la Pinte Vin Jaune - alcoholic on the nose, with a little apricot and a hint of honey. Nice and nutty, too.

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.

Sake and whites

Dinner at Mosu Hong Kong.

2016 Cos d'Estournel Blanc - flinty, a little ripe.

Next5 Colors 2022 Ippakusuisei (一白水成) - seimaibuai of 50%. A little bit of fermented rice on the nose. Some sweetness on the palate but medium-dry mid-palate. Nose was pretty nice, fragrant but not floral nor too fruity, and a bit more alcoholic on the nose than expected.

Kamonishiki Brilliance Akaiwa Omachi (加茂錦 Brilliance 赤磐雄町), R4BY - seimaibuai of 40%. Pretty soft and elegant, with some fermented rice notes, a little on the sweet side. Very nice and richer with the sweet fermented rice notes.

Koshino Kagetora Nakatori Daiginjo (越乃景虎 中とり 大吟醸), R4BY - opened for 2 hours before serving. Nose was a bit more pungent, not as elegant, with stronger flavors.

2018 Bruno Colin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chaumées - very toasty nose, with lots of lemon citrus and a bit of flint.

Full post on dinner is here.

Mark Haisma Chassagne

Drinking during hotel quarantine in Hong Kong.

2019 Mark Haisma Chassagne-Montrachet - pretty ripe. A little round on the palate but still got the acidity. Some flint and toast on the nose.

Full post on the day is here.