2022 Guy Wertz

Dinner at Lucky Ship.

2022 Frédéric Cossard Bain de Bulles Guy Wurtz - the nose was very floral, and it was also very obviously lychee... not surprising given the grape varietal used. Palate-wise this was a bit like apple juice or apple cider.

Grange and Jubilation

Dinner at Yong Fu.

2017 Darviot-Perrin Meursault 1er Cru Genevrières - this was initially served too cold and needed a little warming up with the hands. There was good ripeness on the palate, with lemon citrus, and also got those flint and toasty notes, but thankfully not too heavy.

1991 Penfolds Grange - this was opened prior to arriving at the restaurant. Showing that classic coconut butter and jammy nose. With aging this has developed tertiary notes on the nose, and was now so fragrant with spices and this lingered in the mouth. Also prunes but not unpleasant nor too acidic on the palate. Finally showing some notes which reminded me of hawthorn. Drinking nicely.

2004 Colgin Jubilation - started drinking after 1½ hours in the decanter. This was much riper and much sweeter on the nose as well as palate. Pretty fragrant on the nose, and so soft on the palate now... but not diluted or weak. Pretty elegant and feminine.

Bought from Winebid for USD 284.

1999 Hugel Gewurztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles, en demi-bouteille - the nose was so floral, so much lychee, so much honey here... and definitely nutty, too.

Bought from Hong Kong Wine Vault for HKD 495.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sake et vins

Dinner at Nikushou.

Kikuhime Ginjo Kukurihime (菊姫 吟醸 菊理媛), 28BY? - seimaibuai of 50%. The alcohol was kinda sharp on the nose, but this opened up and the alcohol faded. Definitely on the drier side.

Isojiman Junmai Daiginjo Nakatori 35 (磯自慢 純米大吟醸 中取り 35), 2019 - seimaibuai of 35%. Sweet nose of starchy rice. Really smooth on the palate with a nice and sweet attack.

1987 Trimbach Clos Sainte Hune - the first bottle was really fragrant and showed white flowers and lemon on the nose, with good acidity. The condition of the second bottle was even better so the wine was definitely more fresh, with crisp, sharper acidity on the palate. This was just fucking beautiful with huge nose of white flowers and a little flint.

Bought from Sotheby's for HKD 3,333.

1992 Calera Pinot Noir Selleck Vineyard - there was some acidity which came through the nose, which was showing some complexity, almost like how ketchup would smell with a tiny bit of savory notes. Still got some sweetness on the palate and the fruit.

1975 Beychevelle, en magnum - drank around 2 hours after opening without decanting. The nose was showing beautifully with some capsicum, smoke, mint, leather, and earth. Drinking pretty well now.

1974 Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage Selection - pretty smoky on the nose, and pretty savory with black olives as the wine developed tertiary flavors. Still very much alive.

1984 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill - drank some 2½ hours after opening without decanting. Still got the nice fruit, and the nose was meaty and woodsy like cedar. Still going strong, which wasn't a surprise to anyone who's had older Diamond Creek.

Henri Giraud MV17, dégorgée le 22 Septembre 2021 - lovely now with some maturity, giving off savory notes like salty preserved lemon, along with some marmalade. Delicious.

Katsuyama Junmai Daiginjo Shoryu (勝山 純米大吟醸 昇龍) - seimaibuai of 35%. Nice and fragrant with lovely nose of banana and floral notes.

1999 Hugel Gewurztraminer Sélection de Grains Nobles, en demi-bouteille - the nose was really floral, lots of lychees, orange blossom water, and honey. Very rounded on the palate.

Bought from HK Wine Vault for HKD 495.

1999 Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal Sélection des Grains Nobles, en demi-bouteille - the texture was really viscous. Very sweet on the palate with honey and sapodilla notes. On the nose there was a slight hint of minerals like oxidized Asian pear, medjool dates, and some nutty notes.

Trimbach and Egon Müller dinner

Dinner at Caprice featuring 19 wines from Domaine Trimbach and Weingut Egon Müller. Both Jean Trimbach and Egon Müller IV are in attendance.

2017 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile, en magnum - nice nose of petrol, or as Jean Trimbach insisted, "white truffle". Wow! The high aciity was very unexpected and kinda gave me a shock. But this was really nice.

2015 Egon Müller Riesling Scharzhofberger Kabinett - really nice nose of petrol. Good acidity on the palate but also got plenty of fruity sweetness.

2015 Egon Müller Riesling Scharzhofberger Kabinett Alte Reben - this was a much bigger wine compared to its sibling, with more acidity which made it much more lively on the palate.

2012 Trimbach Riesling Grand Cru Geisberg - very fragrant nose with honey, apricot, and almost orange blossom water. There was also a hint of acetone.

2012 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile - lighter in color compared to Geisberg, it was also leaner on the palate, not as fruity, with good acidity. Beautiful nose of white flowers put a smile on my face.

2022 Le Gallais Riesling Wiltinger Braune Kupp Kabinett - a little effervescent and tickled the tongue. Very obvious orange notes, as if I were drinking Apero or Martini Rosso without the bitterness. Very fruity.

2022 Egon Müller Riesling Scharzhofberger Kabinett - nice nose of white flowers and petrol. Got some fruity flavors here but they were much more tame compared to Le Gallais.

2022 Egon Müller Riesling Scharzhofberger Kabinett Alte Reben - nose was much more pungent with plenty of sulfur. But also strangely fragrant at the same time. Ripe and funky on the palate, with a little bit of fruity acidity.

2016 Trimbach Riesling Clos Sainte Hune, en double-magnum, bouteille N° 122/300 - floral notes showed after the wine wrmed up a little. Good balance here between the ripeness and the acidity. As I was told at the domaine in November, double-magnums are only bottled in years where a new member of the Trimbach family is born. So privileged to have tasted this out of double-magnum.

2009 Trimbach Riesling Clos Sainte Hune, en magnum - this wine was showing very nicely, and much bigger on the palate than its younger sibling. It's got good acidity but there's almost a little bitterness, too.

2009 Egon Müller Riesling Scharzhofberger Spätlese - this was such a fragrant and alluring wine, so ripe and fruity.

2007 Egon Müller Riesling Scharzhofberger Spätlese - really fragrant and floral, almost like jasmine. So, so beautiful.

2016 Trimbach Pinot Gris Réserve Personnelle, en magnum - the nose was fairly muted, and slightly bitter mid-palate. Tasted a little better with the duck.

2015 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Cuvée des Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre - very beautiful notes of lychee. So ripe and sweet, so floral and sexy. This reminded me why, before I started learning about wine, my first love was gewurztraminer.

1989 Trimbach Riesling Clos Sainte Hune Vendages Tardives Hors Choix - pretty ripe and sweet, with honey, marmalade, apricot, pollen notes. Not too sweet but just sweet enough thanks to the late harvest. Still got a bit of acidity, along with some bitterness on the finish.

1989 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile Sélection des Grains Nobles - this was much richer, with lots of honey and floral notes, almost like very ripe honeydew melon, with a bit of plastic on the nose.

1999 Egon Müller Riesling Scharzhofberger Auslese - nose was a little funky, with the classic petrol notes. Not too ripe but there was some ripeness here.

1997 Egon Müller Riesling Scharzhofberger Auslese - very nice nose of petrol. A little riper than I expected, with a beautiful nose of white flowers. Still got the acidity.

2018 Egon Müller Riesling Scharzhofberger Trockenbeerenauslese - what a treat! You can smell the viscosity of the wine. Ripe honeydew melon and acetone on full blast. So, so beautiful. So viscous on the palate that it's fun to swirl the wine around in the mouth. Tons of sugar here but it's still got the acidity. What a fucking beautiful wine!

Full post on dinner is here.

France 2023 day 4: Trimbach

Tour of Maison Trimbach and tasting with Jean Trimbach.

All the wines are aged for 6-8 months and not longer.

2021 Trimbach Pinot Blanc - flinty nose, lots of minerals, tropical stone fruits. Got some good acidity, actually.

2021 Trimbach Riesling Réserve - a little vanilla or marshmallow, perhaps, with flinty and minerals. No peaches in the nose. Higher acidity on the palate and more tart.

2021 Trimbach Riesling Vieilles Vignes - a little more muted on the nose, still a little flinty, almost floral, with ripe pears. Quite nice on the nose. High acidity on the palate but with more depth and more length on the finish.

2019 Trimbach Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg - big nose of polyurethane and petrol, or as Jean would say, white truffle. Also beautiful flint and minerals. Wow! Really long finish on this one.

2017 Trimbach Riesling Frédéric Emile - a mix of 2/3 Osterberg and 1/3 Geisberg. Big, big nose of plastic, polyurethane, and petrol. Much more depth and much bigger on the palate. Very high acidity.

2018 Trimbach Riesling Clos Sainte Hune - "white truffle", so floral, just a beautiful wine. I smell some petrol here but it was much more elegant. Really big and grippy on the palate, very, very lean and steely.

2017 Trimbach Pinot Gris Réserve Personnelle - good combination of aromatics along with the petrol and flint. Definitely a little ripe on the palate together with the acidity.

2015 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Seigneurs de Ribeaupierre - this was sooooo beautiful, such aromatics, with tons of ripe lychees. In fact, I've never had so much lychees in a wine. Very ripe but strangely not sugary sweet.

2017 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Vendages Tardives - amazing aromatics here. So much honey. So lovely.