Fortia and Thalabert

Drinks at a friend's home.

2015 Jaboulet Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert - meaty and leather nose, and the acidity was higher than expected.

2019 Il Marroneto Brunello di Montalcino - pretty fragrant nose with some woodsy notes. Pretty easy to drink.

2003 Château Fortia Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Baron - started drinking after 1 hour in the decanter. Pretty fragrant with eucalyptus notes, with a surprise later on in the form of black olives.

Bought from Farr Vintners for GBP 13.

Bourgogne and more

Lunch at Mosu.

2015 Bollinger La Grande Année, dégorgée en Octobre 2023 - first sip delivered a dose of high acidity, but the palate also had some roundness. Some toasty notes on the nose.

Gonin Musume Shizen No Manma (五人娘 自然のまんま) - seimaibuai of 70%. Showing lots of savory fermented notes on the nose initially, but so sweet on the palate like Chinese fermented rice lees. Soon after the nose changed and showed tons of caramel, toffee, or dulce de leche. Very fruity with a bit of citrus, and also like Japanese konpeito.

2017 Coche-Dury Bourgogne Chardonnay - initially the nose was not very open despite having been decanted, showing only a little citrus and a hint of green apple. Acidity showing on the palate, and there was some ripeness on the palate with the oak. But totally not what I had expected.

2018 Domaine de la Roseraie Bourgogne Senex - showing animal notes, lots of eucalyptus, dried herbs, big and toasty, and a little farmy that made me think of natural wines. Pretty fragrant.

2022 François Villard Crozes-Hermitage Cour de Récré - this was a lot more fruity on the nose than I had expected, with some acetone. What was really interesting was that it almost started to smell like Oolong tea!

2022 Keller Sylvaner Feuervogel - big nose of petrol, flint, and muscat grapes. Good and crisp acidity.

2015 Bressan Schioppettino - this was really fragrant with tons of herbs, like a chinotto, but also a little savory. This was very, very lovely.

Full post on lunch is here.

Lunchtime wine pairing

Lunch at Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic.

Billecart Salmon Pic - nice and floral nose. Good acidity on the palate with a little bit of ripeness.

2022 Rudolf Fürst Riesling pur mineral - initially the nose wasn't so open, with notes of flint, minerals, and muscat grapes. Good acidity on the palate and a long finish. I could see how this paired well with the Hokkaido sea urchin.

San Francisco Javier Viña Corrales Fino Pago Balbaina, bottled in 2021 - beautiful oxidized nose with green notes, savory and fragrant, and almost a little waxy at the end. Nice and dry on the palate with umami. Just wonderful with the Comté and vin jaune sauce.

2021 Badenhorst Cinsault Ringmuur - very big and open nose, very fruit forward and juicy, with a hint of smoke. Very light and simple on the palate with a short finish.

2021 Les Bruyères Crozes-Hermitage Rouge - a lighter style, more fruity, with nice notes of forest and dried herbs. Really fragrant with tons of eucalyptus.

Full post on lunch is here.

1990 Jaboulet Thalabert

Drinking at home.

1990 Jaboulet Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert - drank right after decanting. Plenty of leather and meaty notes, some stewed prunes here but also more savory black olives, and almost a little dirty and bretty. After 2½ hours in the decanter this was so fragrant, with toasted walnuts and even some coffee.

1990 Jaboulet Thalabert

Drinking at home.

1990 Jaboulet Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert - very soft on the palate.  Initially muted, opened up to show more ripeness with stewed prunes.  There was good acidity.  Some woodsy, barnyard, and smoky notes.  Faded pretty quickly, and not much left on the palate after an hour.

Wines for cheese

Cheese dinner at Caprice.

2006 Willi Bründlmayer Grüner Veltliner Alte Reben - a little mineral, ripe, muscat grape on the nose.  Sweet with saucisson, but not so good with jamón ibérico.

2009 Michel Bouzereau Meursault Les Tessons - rich and round on the palate, very smooth.  Somehow lacking that heavy toast and mineral nose I associate with Meursault.

2010 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage - more of that lovely, familiar nose of mint, minerals, violet and pine forest.  Still a little sharp on the nose, and definitely needed a lot of aeration time.  Infanticide.

Full post on dinner is here.

2009 Pithon-Paillé and Alain Graillot

Lunch at Caprice.

2009 Pithon-Paillé Anjou Coteau des Treilles - finish was a little metallic at first.  Very ripe on the palate, and I definitely felt the alcohol burning as the wine went down the back of my throat…  A hint of honey, a little pungent, then sweet nose with white flowers.

2009 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage - what a lovely wine!  Lots of mint, herbs, potpourri… sweet fruit with floral notes.  Full-bodied.

Full post on lunch is here.

Cheese dinner pairing

Cheese dinner at Caprice.

2009 Pithon-Paillé Anjou Coteau des Treilles - from the négociant business set up by famed winemaker Jo Pithon and his stepson Jo Paillé after the former's ouster from the domaine that bore his name.  This was a little tropical, with minerals and ripeness.  Acidity is definitely there.

2009 Andre Perret Condrieu Chery - lovely nose of white flowers, lots of white peach, very tropical with a hint of banana.  Really ripe on the palate.

2003 Domaine des Roches Neuves Saumur Champigny La Marginale - this Cab Franc definitely reminded me of some of the Saint Emilion... Very earthy nose, with forest, smoke and some fruit.  A little cloudy thanks to the surprisingly large amount of sediment.

2003 Albert Mann Pinot Gris Pfersigberg - notes of pineapple, ripe fruit, a little sweet on the palate with a slightly spicy finish.

2008 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage Rouge - what a wine!  Sebastien had opened two bottles of another wine which he found flawed, before popping the cork on this one and leaving it in the decanter for perhaps close to an hour.  When I received the first pour, I was blown away.  The amazing floral notes - which I only find in Northern Rhône - was in my face.  Loads of violet and rose, and sweet fruit, too.  After more than 10 years of drinking Syrah from Northern Rhône and having Côte-Rôtie as my favorite wine, I finally learned that the floral notes aren't actually the result of adding Viognier into the blend, but come from Syrah that has gone through a long maturation process.  Just shows you how much I know...

Eric Bordelet Poiré Authentique - as a lover of French cidre, I'm lucky to have found a source for Bordelet's famed cidre, some of which are made with fruit from trees that are a couple hundred years' old.  Toasty, mineral and of course sweet on the palate.  A natural pairing with the Fourme d'Ambert and pear.  Coincidentally, I was carrying in my bag a magnum of Bordelet's Poiré Granit that I had been keeping in the office...

Full post on dinner is here.

1995 Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Les Varonniers

1995 Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Les Varonniers - drank over dinner at Lei Garden in IFC.  This turned out not to match the food we ordered, but it drank reasonably well, considering how little I paid for the wine years ago. Classic Rhone nose and palate, with bacon fat, floral and Christmas potpourri notes. Medium body. Pretty enjoyable as a casual wine.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC Dinner - Golden Leaf

MNSC dinner at Golden Leaf (金葉庭).  Theme was Rhône and everyone contributed a bottle.

1989 Clos du Mont-Olivet Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Cuvée du Papet - nose was a bit alcoholic, with some fruit and grilled meats. A bit muted and slightly pruny, minty and spicy. A full-bodied wine. 90 points.

1995 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins - nose seemed a bit more interesting, with pronounced forest and bacon notes. I still felt that the nose wasn't as open as I would like. Concentrated and full-bodied. Still a young wine. 94 points.

1989 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins - the nose didn't smell like a Rhone at all...and we all would have guessed this was a Bordeaux in a true blind tasting. Nose was grassy, a bit earthy, really sweet and minty. Very full-bodied and even a bit tannic. I liked it even though I didn't know I was tasting the bottle that I brought. Unfortunately the group thought the wine was off, which I can't really argue with. 93 points.

1986 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins - wow! Nose was totally lychee like there's no tomorrow... A bit of iron and minerals in the nose, with some coffee notes. Seemed very young and vibrant with an awesome long finish. My wine of the evening at 96 points.

1990 Jaboulet Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert - huge nose of ham/spam, animal and smoked meats. A bit spicy with forest notes. 94 points.

1989 Jamet Côte-Rôtie - nose was a bit medicinal and smoky. Very concentrated and clearly a Northern Rhone. 92 point.

Full post on dinner is here.

Wine pairing at Michael Mina

Dinner at Michael Mina in San Francisco.

Chartogne Tallet Cuvée Michael Mina NV - typical citrus and oak notes, with lots of bubbles and a pretty yeasty attack. The wine was crisp and not too dry on the palate, which was quite a nice balance. Most of all, the finish was very long. Quite enjoyable.
2006 Kracher Cuvée Beerenauslese - I'm a big fan of the sweet wines from Austrian producer Alois Kracher, and it was refreshing to see this on the menu. Nose of honey, honeydew, apricot, orange blossom, with a bit of sharp acetone. The wine was actually slightly bitter mid-palate, tasting like orange marmalade.

2005 Ladoucette Pouilly-Fumé - a totally underrated wine. Lots of minerals, flint and oak here, with a hint of lemon, a bit of sweet butter. Long and spicy finish.
2006 Gros Frère & Soeur Vosne-Romanée - the nose had lots of jammy sweet fruit, with hints of smoke and some caramel after a while, it was also very alcoholic. Basically the wine is just too young, and was very 'grippy' both in terms of tannins and acidity. Not well-balanced at this stage.
2005 Domaine du Caillou Châteauneuf-du-Pape - this was pretty good, but still very young and alcoholic. Nose was a bit minty with strawberry marshmellows. Very long finish.
2006 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage - this was a wonderful wine. Despite being made from 100% Syrah, the nose was very much like a Côte-Rôtie, with the telltale floral notes of violet and rose. The wonderful nose also included classic notes of smoked meats. Unfortunately it is also still a young wine, so it was too tannic and grippy on the palate.

2003 Royal Tokaji Company Tokaji 5 Puttonyos - this has got to be the "Blue Label" and another perennial favorite of mine. Nose of marmalade, cloves, a bit of honeydew and just a tad sharp with the acetone. The wine is still young and has a nice balance between the sweetness and the acidity.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC Dinner - Yung Kee 4th Floor

MNSC dinner at Yung Kee's 4th Floor (蘭亭閣), hosted by Pineapple.  The theme for the evening was 1978 horizontal.

1988 Pol Roger - very sharp, acidic finish. I did not care much for this wine.

First flight:

1978 Robert Groffier Bonnes Mares - classic Burgundy nose, a little thin on the body which indicated that there was considerable age in this wine. Rim was a little orange.

1978 Conn Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 1 - tasted like a classic Bordeaux in blind tasting, with typical smoky nose. None of us except the nose had heard of Conn Creek, since the winery is no longer in existence. But a little research showed that Conn Creek actually produced wine from the famed Eisele Vineyard for the 1974 vintage.

I was pretty drunk by the time the second flight came around, and really couldn't taste much of anything...So no tasting notes for the following wines.

1978 Camille Giroud Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens
1978 Vieux Telegraphe Le Crau
1978 Paul Jaboulet Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert

As a number of us guessed that the wines were from Burgundy when they were in fact from Rhone, it demonstrated to us once again that old wines from the two regions tend to converge in character.

Full post on the dinner is here.

40th birthday party

Friend's 40th birthday party at the Peninsula Hong Kong.

Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve Mis en Cave en 1996 - pretty good.

2000 Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Blanc Petite Ruche - very light-bodied and refreshing.

1997 Les Carmes Haut-Brion - very smooth, light to medium-bodied, easy to drink.

1989 Climens - sweet enough with honey, caramel, apricot nose.

Bought from Oaks for SGD 145.

Syrah and Aussie

Dinner at home.

1995 Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Les Varonniers - this came highly recommended by Parker at 95 points. Pretty disappointed! At first it was very chalky, not pleasant. With time the fruit core came out, pretty sweet, nose of smoke meats. I think it just needs lots of time to breathe before drinking.

Bought from Farr for GBP 20.

1997 Penfolds RWT - this was the first vintage. Everything I expected from Penfolds for a new-style shiraz - full of coconut and caramel, with smoked meats at the same time. The typical Aussie shiraz nose of strawberry and cotton candy. I liked this.

Bought for HKD 530.

1996 Joseph Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot - very sweet as usual, thanks to the amarone style. Everything as expected.

Bought from Oaks for SGD 66.50.

1994 Moillard Crozes-Hermitage

1994 Moillard Crozes-Hermitage - drunk at Le Tire Bouchon.  Very easy to drink, with lots of fruit hitting the palate.  Pretty good with the food.