Le Jaja du Ben

Dinner at Cheong Gor Cantonese Cuisine.

2016 Anne et Jean-François Ganevat Le Jaja du Ben, en magnum - pretty meaty nose with leather, with floral notes underneath. Also pretty big and toasty. Acidity was on the high side.

Bought from Christie's for HKD 321.

2018 Gantenbein

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2018 Gantenbein Pinot Noir - showing big and toasty nose right off the bat, with lots of juicy red cherries. Young and powerful.

Bought from Swiss Wine for HKD 1,121.

2022 Alex Foillard Beaujolais-Villages - fresh and lively, nose of eucalyptus and cool fruit. Good acidity on the palate but tannins are obviously still around.

Full post on dinner is here.

J'En Veux et Encore

Dinner at Yung Kee.

Charles Dufour Bulles de Comptoir #11 Terrine et Jardin, dégorgée Novembre 2021 - nice acidity on the palate here. Very smooth and elegant.

2011 Anne et Jean-François Ganevat J'En Veux - the color was very, very light... basically a cloudy pink with a touch of ruby, but that would be the result of having white varietals in the blend. The nose was really fragrant and lovely, with floral and sweet fruit notes. So alluring... The palate displayed a higher level of acidity after tasting the preserved pork. The nose also showed some leather. The palate was also showing some light levels of stewed fruits. This bottle was just drinking really well, and I'm still dreaming about the bouquet.

Bought from Ginsberg + Chan for HKD 400.

2016 Anne et Jean-François Ganevat J'En Veux Encore - the color was much darker thanks to the dominance of gamay in the blend. The nose was definitely more pungent, with leather and animal notes dominating. Very toasty, too.

Bought from Ginsberg + Chan for HKD 300.

Full post on dinner is here.

Bongwater from Vlad

Dinner at Gaggan Anand in Bangkok.

2015 Olivier Horiot Sève Rosé de Saignée en Barmont Les Riceys, dégorgée le 28 Mars 2022 - a nice rosé with decent red fruit notes, but palate was a little flat and short.

2018 Vodopivec Solo - initially servd a little too warm. Got good mouthfeel with grippy "tannins".

2018 Slobodné Majer Zemianske Sady Partisan Cru - still got the fruit. OK la...

Akishika 888 Junmai Muroka Nama (秋鹿 八八八 純米無濾過 生原酒), 2018 - seimaibuai of 80%. Very fermented and savory notes, a bit sweet on the finish. Definitely paired well with the caviar and also tomato. More rounded on the palate than I remembered from a few months ago.

2017 La Tangente L'Excuse - smoky, a little eucalyptus, a little meaty with leather notes.

2019 Čotar Sauvignon Blanc - very fragrant nose and a little floral.

La Grapperie La Désirée - the nose was pretty fragrant but also pretty oaky, almost buttery like a chardonnay from Burgundy. Almost vanilla, too. But this paired sooo horribly with the fish and made the aftertaste very... fishy.

2018 Stephan Côte-Rôtie Côteaux de Bassenon - really nice vanilla and fruit on the nose, along with eucalyptus. Love this wine.

2022 Meinklang Prosa - definitely got a little of that pungent sulfur on the nose, but also pretty sweet on the nose.

Full post on dinner is here.

Bongwater with Vietnamese

Dinner at Ăn Đi in Tokyo.

2021 Noraponne Blanche - fizzy like ginger sale. Definitely tasted like a natural wine. Sweet fruits like pear on the nose, with a little sulfur. Sweet on the palate.

2020 Moreau-Naudet Chablis - very soft on the palate. Still got acidity and grippy palate, but definitely more gentle. Some flint on the nose, too.

Aramasa No.6 S-type (新政 No.6 S-type), 2021 - seimaibuai 45%/55%. Lots of fermented rice lees notes on the nose, and still pretty sweet.

2021 Unico Zelo Esoterico - a little like canned lychees with that metallic nose. Not too bad for an orange wine.

2017 Ridolfi Brunello di Montalcino - a little bit of oak with some fragrance here. Not too acidic on the palate. OK lah.

Minshuku Tono Doburoku Sokujo Nama (民宿とおの どぶろく 速醸生), 2023 - fizzy, sweet, and alcoholic on the nose.

2016 Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py - really nice, nose of leather and also floral notes. Very fragrant.

Full post on dinner is here.

Santorini, Pax, and Foillard

Dinner at home.

2020 Sigalas Assyrtiko Santorini - very ripe. Acidity from the salad dressing made this taste really sweet. Very oily and smoky on the nose.

2005 Pax Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard The Terraces - drank 30 minutes after decanting. Pretty sweet on the nose, really woodsy and fragrant. Drinking very well, as expected.

2013 Jean Foillard Morgon Cuvée 3.14 - ripe with bacon fat and some toast on the nose. A little floral, too.

2019 Raisins Gaulois

Drinking at home.

2019 M et C Lapierre Raisins Gaulois - very floral with violets, almost soapy. A little pungent at first, but cleared up with aeration. Some game meat notes.

De Toute Beauté

Drinking at home.

1970 Gaja Barbaresco - a little pungent, farmy, stinky, smoky, leather, savory black olives.

2016 Anne et Jean-François Ganevat De Toute Beauté - very big and funky nose with floral notes underneath. Kinda pungent and farmy, but still pretty nice.

Bongwater for lunch

Lunch at The Chairman x Interval pop-up.

La Bohème Festejar! - high acidity, a little minerality and metallic, fruity flavors almost like guava.

Between Five Bells Yellow - what an interesting mix of aged savagnin from 2008 and chardonnay which has gone through a solera system for 7 years. Very toasty oak on the nose, with some intensely sweet honeydew melon. Definitely showed that buttery voluptuousness coming from the chardonnay, with lots of vanilla sweetness, but then started to show like a Rhône blend of marsanne/roussanne. Fantastic!

2008 Scarpa Barbera d'Asti Superiore La Bogliona - OK, not very special.

2018 Tardis Venerdì Paestum - kinda flat on the palate. Very tropical nose, showing stone fruits and pineapple.

Nida Shizensyu Kimoto Melon 3.33 (にいだしぜんしゅ 生酛めろん3.33), 2020 - nose was very candy-like, actually reminded me of candied winter melon. A little sharp on the nose.

2020 Mikkeller Baghaven Ruud Peesch - pretty acidic, fruity, like a mix of peach juice and pink guava... which made sense, of course, because this was made with red peaches.

Full post on lunch is here.