Altaya Annual Tasting

1999 Falesco Vitiano - minty, a bit acidic.  Very drinkable wine, especially for the price.

1998 Falesco Montiano - ripe and fruity, marshmallow nose.  Also a bit minty.  Pretty concentrated and tannic.  Excellent wine and my favorite of the evening.

1999 du Colombier Hermitage - sharp, kerosene-like nose.  Not very pleasant.  Full of animal blood.  Nose actually reminds me of cheap Côtes-du-Rhône from Guigal or Jaboulet.

1999 de Monteillet Côte-Rôtie - open nose and a bit floral.  Not bad.

1999 de Font-Sane Gigondas Cuvée Futée - very solid.  Medium bodied.  Good effort.

1998 Les Cailloux Châteauneuf-du-Pape - nose a bit like grape juice.  Full of red fruits and stewed prunes.  Probably the best Rhône of the evening.

1998 Balestard la Tonnelle - oaky nose with stewed prunes.

1998 La Vieille-Cure - nose of tobacco, bacon, animal, leather and coffee.

1998 Griffe de Cap d'Or - nose of roasted ground coffee, also a bit of "shit" nose, not very good.

1998 de Chambrun - pretty tannic on the palate.  Not pleasant drinking.

1998 Franc-Mayne - very flat and uninteresting.

1998 Haut-Villet Cuvée Pomone - dry, tannic on the palate.  Nose of nuts, oak and some ripe fruit.

96 Laurus Gigondas

Drinking at home.

1996 Gabriel Meffre Gigondas Laurus - this probably sat upright for too long, cork was dry. Nose seemed a bit cooked, smelling of cooked/stewed prunes and a bit raisiny. Don't think this bottle has aged well.

Bought from Jebsen for HKD 176.

1996 Laurus Gigondas

Dinner at Sorabol.

1996 Laurus Gigondas - light-bodied and kind of disappointing, not like what I remembered about this wine.

Drinking at Brown.

1996 Tardieu-Laurent Gigondas - what a pleasant surprise! After the disappointment of the CdP. Nose was very open, lots of rose petals, sweet strawberries, grilled meats, slight hint of pepper on the after palate. It reached plateau early and stayed there for a long time. Wow!

Bought from Yamaya for JPY 4,980.

1986 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Sélection des Grains Noble - WOW! What a wine! Pretty good honeyed sweetness, with caramel, citrus, walnuts, peaches. Thick and unctuous, very smooth. Tartrates very visible, just like my '89.

1996 Laurus Gigondas

Dinner at brown.

1996 Laurus Gigondas - pretty nice.  Would be better given time.

Laurus wine dinner

Dinner at the Mandarin Grill for the launch of Laurus Wines.

1998 Laurus Côtes du Rhône Blanc - 60% Roussanne and 40% Viognier.  This is amazingly floral and aromatic, refreshing, completely different from traditional CdR such as Guigal.  Very nice.

1997 Laurus Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc - this is very traditional with Grenache Blanc, and threfore less remarkable, but good wine nonetheless.

1996 Laurus Gigondas - wow!  What a wine!  This is sooo nice.  The power that comes from old Grenache is wonderful.  Very easy to drink and smooth.  Yum!  Should get some of this.

1997 Laurus Côte Rôtie - this is a little young.  It's a fuller-bodied, more powerful wine, but neds time to develop and for the Syrah to throw off the tannic coat.  Should be wonderful in a few years.

1998 Laurus Muscat de Beaumes de Venise - this is different from the others, in that it seems to be a lighter style and more "floral".  The lychee is present but not as overpowering.  Very nice end to the meal.