Bollinger and Chapoutier

Dinner at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon.

2008 Bollinger R.D., dégorgée le 28 Octobre 2022 - the nose was yeasty and a little toasty. Acidity was high on the palate.

2007 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Meal Blanc - the nose was very, very buttery and ripe, and this was heavier than a white Burg would be.

2006 Joh.Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel - this was really, really sweet. Lovely and elegant, and so classic, with honey, marmalade, and apricot notes.

2022 Geantet-Pansiot Corton Le Rognet - this was really fragrant, with blueberries and also a little metallic.

2000 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon - unfortunately not great, dusty and chalky. More savory on the palate. Pretty disappointing.

Full post on dinner is here.

Chave and friends

Dinner at Hiyama.

1988 Chave Hermitage Blanc - started drinking around 30 minutes after opening. The nose was initially kinda closed and showed some marmalade and a little beeswax. The second pour some 20 minutes later was pretty cold, and this showed that the wine was weak and short on the palate. The last pour was drunk more than 5½ hours after opening. By now the nose was really open, showing apricot in addition to the marmalade and beeswax. Unfortunately it remained short on the palate.

1999 Chave Hermitage Rouge - started drinking more than 1½ hours after opening without decanting. The nose was kinda nice but felt a little muted. Showing some leather, plum, and a bit of acidity. Some 3 hours after opening this was very nice and fragrant, with woodsy notes.

Drinking at home.

2016 Château de la Gardine L’Immortelle - started drinking some 2½ hours after decanting into the Daniel Ricciardo shoey decanter. The first pour was very muted, almost not showing anything on the nose. After a few minutes in the glass this got a bit funky and stinky, which was actually a bit better. Another hour later the nose yielded some stewed prunes. Was this still tight and needed more time?

1990 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - started drinking 15 minutes after decanting. This was really nice and smoky, showing grilled meats, pencil lead/graphite, and tobacco. Reminds me of a Pauillac.

Full post on the evening is here.

Christie's tasting

Christie's pre-auctin dinner at the Hong Kong Club.

Jacquesson Cuvée N°748, dégorgée en Mars 2025 - this was actually very floral and elegant, with a nice little yeasty nose.

First flight:

2010 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Méal Blanc - the nose was waxy, very ripe and definitely on the bitter side. This was more expressive and open on the nose, more opulent, but the palate was kinda boring.

2016 Chave Hermitage Blanc - there was also some bitterness on the palate, but the nose was much more fresh, with flinty and citrus notes, but leaner on the nose. More than 2½ hours after opening, the nose was becoming buttery.

Second flight:

1989 La Mission Haut-Brion - this was so, soooo beautiful! Big nose of tobacco, smoke, nice fruit but so elegant, so fragrant. Plummy on the nose but without the cooked fruit or the acidity on the palate. This was still so lively at its age, showing the beauty of the vintage. What a stunning wine, and certainly my favorite tonight.

1982 Léoville-Las Cases - this was clearly more mature, more ripe on the nose with sweeter fruit. This was so interesting, and we've got green capsicum... which wasn't a surprise. The wine was silky smooth on the palate, but the finish wasn't very long. The nose also showed some smoke and grilled meats, and 2½ hours after opening, the nose got even more smoky.

2001 Dominus - pretty minty, and very much sweeter on the palate.

Third flight:

2015 Chave Hermitage Rouge - this was still very young, and still showing lots of metallic and iron notes on the nose, and also very sweet. Then it became a bit grassy on the nose, and of course it was still kinda tannic on the palate.

1995 Chave Hermitage Rouge - this was sooooo nice, so beautiful. with classic notes of bacon and game meat. On the palate this was so fragrant and complex, with potpourri and herbs. Surprisingly, more than 3 hours after opening this kinda fell off a cliff.

2015 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - this was much riper compared to the Chave, very sweet, with big nose of potpourri and herbs. Kinda hot and alcoholic on the palate. This became so, so nice after more than 2 hours as coffee and caramel notes developed.

Fourth flight:

2001 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin - this was really nice and open, especially as it was sweeter on the nose than expected, and there was that bacon... So fragrant but still had the signature barnyard notes, although not strong and offensive, and definitely got a little brett. Still so nice, though.

2003 Pierre Usseglio Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de Mon Aïeul - this was definitely overripe, and started to remind me of cough syrup with its alcoholic profile, and stewed prunes on the palate. Really, really sweet and jammy.

1990 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin - this was such a big wine with that signature barnyard nose, soooo bretty, and pretty savory. Not my thing.

Fifth flight:

2007 Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne - kinda fragrant and woodsy, pretty fragrant, minty, with lots of dried herbs.

2004 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato Cà d'Morissio Riserva - there was still a little hint of sharpness on the nose. Weakest of the trio in this lineup.

2003 Gaja Barbaresco - nice and fragrant. OK lah...

Full post on dinner is here.

The monster and chenins

Dinner at a friend's home.

2021 Thomas Batardière L'Esprit Libre - big nose of toast upfront. Good acidity on the palate, maybe a little on the lean side. Lots of flint on the nose, and very crispy on the palate. More than an hour after opening, we've also got green apple notes, too. Very enjoyable, just as one would expect from this wine.

2021 Pierre Menard Anjou Clos des Mailles - this was much bigger on the palate, fatter, richer, much more ripe and alcoholic than expected.

2021 L'Ange Vin L'Iris - this was a very interesting and complex wine. Strangely it smelled like yogurt with lactic acid,along with pineapple and other tropical fruits. There's good acidity on the palate with a long finish.

2022 Pierre Mang Le Parc Rouge, en magnum - opened at least a day before. The nose was really sweet, like juicy berries. Very fragrant with some dried herbs, and a little leather, too.

2004 Pax Syrah Cuvée Keltie - started drinking around 50 minutes after decanting. Still got that huge nose of ripe and jammy fruit, very metallic, and still alcoholic after mellowing out for 20 years. Still going strong after more than 3 hours in the decanter.

Bought from the winery for USD 65 plus tax.

2003 Clos Mimi Étiquette Rose - this was sooooo ripe, sweet like cough syrup. Nose was pretty flinty, kinda like natural wine. After 1½ hours still going strong, still hot and alcoholic on the palate.

Bought from the winery for USD 75 plus tax.

2020 Pierre Mang Coteaux du Layon Faye Cosmos - so rich, really sweet and ripe, so tropical, with apricot notes.

1985 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Rouge - popped and poured. The nose was really big and open, so fragrant, with lots of leather, a little smoky and wonderful toasty notes. There was also a little hint of farmy notes. The palate was on the light side, but it was all about that beautiful nose.

All the Chave

Dinner at Caprice featuring the wines of Jean-Louis Chave, with Jean-Louis in attendance.

2021 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc, en magnum - nose was nice and floral at first, with peachy and flinty notes giving way to some acetone. Very nice and smooth on the palate.

2013 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc, en magnum - showing a much bigger nose of acetone, with more tropical fruit like pineapple. Also bigger on the palate, too.

2009 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc, en magnum - this wine was so big now, with lots of honey and acetone on the nose. So rich and juicy! Beautiful!

2015 Jean-Louis Chave Saint-Joseph Clos Florentin, en magnum - served nearly 9 hours after opening. This has got a very big nose, with lots of eucalyptus, smoky, leather, very cool fruit, savory notes like sundried tomatoes, and floral notes like violet. Showing really beautifully. Second pour towards the end of dinner showed lots of metallic rust, pretty savory nose, and also soapy notes. What a lovely wine this was!

2000 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Rouge, en magnum - served 9 hours after opening. Nose of leather, savory and a little bretty, with a little hint of dust. Later showed some woodsy notes. Acidity was high on the palate with just a hint of tannis. Bottle was probably not in the best condition, so this was the most disappointing wine of the night.

1995 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Cuvée Cathelin - served almost 10 hours after opening. This was really big, but so elegant, so fragrant and floral, with leather, game, and a little smoky notes. Good acidity balance on the palate. There came a hint of sweet grass after some 40 minutes in the glass, and a little coffee after more than an hour in glass. Such a beautiful wine!

1998 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc - nose was showing beeswax and a little acetone. Very ripe on the palate together with cheese.

1997 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Vin de Paille, en demi-bouteille - a little sugar cane but not pure sugar cane juice, rather the Cantonese drink of sugar cane juice with water chestnuts and white grass root (竹蔗茅根). Really rich and sweet, like figs, and lots of honey on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Chave and Stephan

Lunch at Flower Drum.

1989 Maximin Grünhaüser Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese - right away we have nose of white flowers. The palate was initially soft and gentle, but with good amount of acidity on the back. There was also a little bit of caramelized sugar as the wine opened up. Delicious.

Bought from Mayfair as part of a mixed lot for HKD 316.

2008 Jean-Michel Stephan Côte-Rôtie - decanted 30 minutes after opening and started drinking 45 minutes after opening. On the nose there were some sweet fruits, a bit of leather, with a lovely floral nose showing violets. The nose was almost Burgundian and alluring. Around 1½ hours after opening, the wine was drinking really nicely.

Bought from Midfield for HKD 850.

2013 Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage - decanted around 2 hours after opening and started drinking around 2½ hours after opening. This was a much bigger wine, with much more concentration. Notes of grilled meats, and definitely a little bretty. Showing earthy notes some 3½ hours after opening.

2020 Marthe Henry Boillot Bourgogne Aligoté - toasty notes on the nose. Definitely tart and grippy on the palate, with acidity on the high side but not too sharp. Definitely an aligoté.

Full post on dinner is here.