Sinzero and Cirillo

Lunch at Eatanic Garden in Seoul.

Eatanig Garden Sunny (맑음) - OK lah...

Eatanic Garden Cloudy (흐림) - nice balance with the acidity, and not too sweet.

2021 Sinzero Cabernet Sauvignon - couldn't get too much out of the nose, but there was some fruit... Acidity on the high side and not much tannins.

2017 Cirillo Grenache 1850 Ancestor Vine - plenty of sweet fruit on the nose. Light and delicate on the palate, but not too complex.

Full post on lunch is here.

Bættig and Pedres Blanques

Dinner at MONO.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 171ème Édition, ID 122009 - as with last week, this was a little more grippy and "tannic" on the palate. It's full of that classic toasty brioche nose I love about Grande Cuvée. The acidity came out once it's paired with food.

2020 Bessin-Tremblay Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume La Pièce au Comte - the acidity is here but the palate was already rounded, so while it was not quite to the point of being sweet, the sharp acidity was no longer being felt, but all things considered this was still relatively lean. Very aromatic nose and a little tropical.

2021 Bættig Chardonnay Selección de Parcelas Los Primos - noticeably higher acidity on the palate, and leaner. Big, toasty nose. Very nice.

2020 Wa Sud Cuvée Souriez - showing eucalyptus, leather, and a little on the farmy side in terms of the nose. A little soapy on the palate, and finish has that bretty and soapy profile.

2019 Pedres Blanques - the acidity felt higher now, but the wine was still young so it's still grippy on the palate. A little farmy but the nose was pretty fragrant and fruity, with some blueberries.

Full post on dinner is here.

Krug and Lucien Le Moine

Lunch at MONO.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 171éme édition, ID 122009 - prominent acidity, not as ripe but also not too lean thanks to the acidity. Lemon citrus on the nose.

2019 Lucien Le Moine Bourgogne Blanc - sooooo buttery and vanilla on the nose, sooooo beautiful! Good acidity, too.

2020 Bættig Pinot Noir Los Parientes - sweet on the palate, sweet fruit but somehow also a little dusty on the nose. Toasty notess.

Full post on dinner is here.

Wines for ceviche

Dinner at ICHU.

2014 Roses de Jeanne Côte de Val Vilaine, dégorgée en Avril 2016 - nice and a little ripe on the palate.

2012 Tabalí Chardonnay Talinay Coastal Limestone Vineyard - definitely plenty of ripeness on the nose, rounded on the palate with some acidity.

2015 Selvadolce Terrazze dell'Imperiese Rucantù - this was kinda big, a little sweet, a little pungent and fizzy on the nose.

2014 Riccitelli Riccitelli and Father - very fragrant and a bit minty.

Egly-Ouriet Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru, dégorgée en Juillet 2008 - nice and ripe with marmalade notes, almost grassy, and definitely Chinese licorice.

Full post on dinner is here.

1997 Clos Apalta

Dinner at Octavium.

1997 Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta - decanted for 30 minutes prior to serving.  Sweet fruit, a little inky, with grilled meat notes.  Surprisingly tannic.

Full post on dinner is here.

Wines for Central pop-up

Pop-up dinner by Virgilio Martinez at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental.

2012 Ulrich Langguth Riesling '3 Terraces' Trocken - mineral and toasty on the nose.  Full-bodied, ripe on the palate and dry on the finish.

2010 Tement Gelber Muskateller Steirische Klassik - completely muscat grape... pretty ripe and sweet.  Love it.

2011 Jean-Philippe Fichet Meursault -a little oaky, ripe on the nose, and also ripe mid-palate with a dry finish.

2009 Aristos Baron d'A - very fruity and sweet, jammy, fragrant and woody.  A little alcoholic on the nose.  Still kinda tannic here but there's enough acidity for balance.

2011 Château des Fines Roches Rouge - very fruity with nice leather notes.

2011 Joh.Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese - classic nose of petrol and plastic.  Surprisingly not too sweet on the palate.

Demonio de los Andes Pisco - some tropical and banana notes reminiscent of some sake.

Full post on dinner is here.

Wines for elBulli tribute

Dinner at Amber, with Ferran Adria in the house.

2005 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - toasty nose.  Very nice on the palate.

2012 Cloudy Bay Te Koko - really big nose of Muscat grapes, definitely green notes here, with some minerality.  Nice acidity on the palate and perfectly balanced with ripeness and sweetness.  A lovely wine.

2013 Héritiers du Comte Lafon Mâcon-Villages - toasty nose.  Easy to drink but the least interesting wine of the evening.

1998 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon P2 - nice and ripe on the palate with a little acidity on the finish.  A little floral and a little yeasty on the nose.  Yum.

2011 Casa Lapostolle Chardonnay Cuvée Alexandre - grassy and sweet, very ripe and buttery on the nose.  Very ripe on the palate.

2011 Maison de la Cabotte Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes - a little fruity, some forest notes with dried herbs on the nose.  Some acidity on the palate here.

2010 Nevis Bluff Pinot Noir - wonderful nose of sweet fruit here.

2012 Ca'Marcanda 'Promis' - lots of dried herbs, sweet fruit, with medicinal notes alongside a little smokiness.  Loved that this was served at a cool temperature.

2010 Numanthia Toro Numanthia - really nice and fruity, really ripe on the nose, a little exotic coconut, with cool fruit and slightly metallic notes.

2004 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Rosé - toasty with strawberries and a nice and yeasty nose.

2013 Domaine des Forges Coteaux du Layon Saint-Aubin - very sweet with some acidity.

Full post on dinner is here.

2012 Terra Vega Sauvignon Blanc Reserva

Wine pairing for MRE #7.

2012 Terra Vega Sauvignon Blanc Reserva - flinty, a little oaky, surprisingly no pipi de chat, lemon.  Slightly ripe on the palate, and a little bitter on the finish.

Full post on dinner is here.

Mixed bag, no French

Dinner at 久食 Robata Yaki in Taipei.

2007 Mollydooker Carnival of Love - the friend who brought this bottle religiously performed the Mollydooker Shake... a few times!  Typically sweet nose with lots of vanilla, oak, cedar and mint.  Definitely very forward and "easy" to drink if you like this sort of thing.

2004 Domus Aurea Cabernet Sauvignon - smooth on the palate, with typical Cab flavor profile, but surprisingly not very fruity...

2003 Veranda Pinot Noir Founder's Reserv - fruity nose of strawberries, a little farmy and minty.  Not bad...

Dassai Junmai Daiginjo 23% (獺祭「純米大吟醸」磨き二割三分) - one of my favorite sakes because it's such value for money...  Tropical nose of pineapple, banana, honeydew melon and of course sweet fermented rice (酒釀).

Full post on dinner is here.

2006 Seña

2006 Seña - drank over dinner at Blue Smoke Bar-B-Que.  Smoky, forest notes. 

Full post on dinner is here.

Mixed bag organic

Dinner at Tam Keung's Congee (健味粥).

1988 Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin Brut - toasty and yeasty nose with caramel notes. Smooth with a sweet mid-palate and a slightly acidic finish.

2005 Touchstone Chardonnay - nose of rubber, plastic and toasty oak. A bit ripe with nice acidity balance.

2006 De Villaine Bouzeron - this white wine from the estate in the Côte Chalonnaise is made from Aligoté, the "other white grape" of Burgundy. Serious wine buffs will no doubt recognize the name of the domaine as being that of the director of DRC. A clean, crisp nose with pear and banana notes. Again the acidity balance was nice. The best Aligoté I've tasted.

2004 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon - lots of sweet fruit with vanilla and slight metallic nose. Very full-bodied, concentrated with a long finish.

Dewazakura Daiginjo (出羽桜大吟醸) - 2007 vintage with some banana notes. Very nice and smooth.

2006 Temple Breur Riesling - surprisingly big nose of smoke, petrol, minerals, urethane plastic - all typical of older Rieslings. Ripe on the palate but not overly sweet.

2006 Bonterra Cabernet Sauvignon - fruity and concentrated, the wine is ripe and a bit "hot" with toffee notes. Fairly typical for the Cali Cab.

Full post on dinner is here.

1998 Casa Lapostolle

Hotpot dinner.

1998 Casa Lapostolle Merlot Cuvée Alexandre - kinda disappointing. Only a bit of fruit, mostly covered by a grassy nose which took a while to fade.

Bought from Manly.