2020 Ginkgo

Dinner at Roucou.

2019 Le Puy Marie-Cécile - this was riper than expected on the palate, and pretty soft and round. The nose was still kinda on the mineral and flinty side, but we also had tropical fruits and it was a little reductive.

2020 Ginkgo - minty, earthy, mineral and leather nose, with nice notes of black figs, cedar, and oak when it opened up.

Full post on dinner is here.

Clinet and Starting Point

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2022 The Starting Point Riesling - the nose was a little flinty. There was good acidity on the palate, leaner but with a bit of ripeness and roundness.

2009 Clinet - this was very lovely and classic. Smoky and woodsy nose that was fragrant and minty. Drinking so well.

Full post on dinner is here.

Anything but SQN

Dinner at a friend's home with Julia and Nik Krankl as guests of honor. Theme was "Anything but Sine Qua Non (and Fingers Crossed)". Magnums were requested.

2018 Robert Faivre L'Experte - light on the palate, acidity level was OK.

2023 Agnès Paquet Chassagne-Montrachet Les Battaudes - nose was very oak-oaked with tons of vanilla.

1966 Gruaud-Larose, en double magnum - definitely got that sweet grass on the nose, with smoke and leather, too. So classic.

1994 L'Evangile, en magnum - this had a much bigger nose than the '66 Gruaud-Larose, and it was nice and smoky, with pepper and green capsicum.

2018 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett, from double magnum - there was a nice bit of sweetness on the palate balanced by the acidity. Huge nose of petrol and white flowers. So nice.

2002 Torbreck RunRig, from magnum - this was showing so beautifully, with lots of coconut butter, leather, and smoke on the nose.

1983 Auguste Clape Cornas, en magnum - tasted right after opening and decanting. Toasty nose with leather. Very smooth on the palate now, but a little less lively than expected. Not so much juicy fruit.

1995 Lafleur-Petrus, en magnum - nice and smoky on the nose, with more sweet fruit. A bit savory on the palate.

2006 Torbreck The Laird - tasted a couple of hours after opening. Very ripe and jammy on the nose, really big and so sweet on the palate. Just an amazing fruit bomb that has aged for 20 years. So nice.

1996 Cos d'Estournel, en magnum - still got the sweet fruit on the nose, as well as smoke and fragrant woodsy notes.

2006 Napa Valley Reserve, from magnum - very fragrant on the nose, without too much vanilla, but still got the lovely oak. Still so tannic after almost 20 years.

2006 Dal Forno Amarone della Valpolicella, from double magnum - this was double-decanted at 3pm yesterday... and showing lots of coconut and plenty of ripe fruit. This was such a big wine.

2014 FX Pichler Riesling Smaragd Dürnsteiner Kellerberg, from magnum - definitely got the white flowers and polyurethane, and also some flint.

2010 Alain Voge Cornas, en magnum - obviously fresher than the '83 Clape.

2011 Antinori Tignanello, from magnum - this was OK la...

2015 Eisele Vineyard Syrah - still really young after 10 years, a bit sharp and tannic.

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.

MNSC dinner - Ami

MNSC dinner at Ami, hosted by Dr. Poon.

1990 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Rosé - a little flinty on the nose, with Chinese salted plum and marmalade. A little grassy, perhaps? Very soft of the palate after 35 years.

First flight: served without decanting around 2 hours after opening.

1995 Armand Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze - very fragrant nose, the fruit was just so sweet. 96 points.

1995 Leroy Clos de Vougeot - the nose was just so explosive, so fragrant, so floral, and just FUCKING GOOD. A little farmy, with leather and eucalyptus. Lots of ripe fruit. 98 points.

Second flight: served without decanting 1½ hours after opening.

1982 Cheval Blanc - smoky nose, minty, and a little stinky. More concentrated on the palate. After another 20 minutes the mint was more obvious, with a little capsicum. Still very lively and sweet on the palate, and even came with a hint of coconut butter. 97 points.

1982 L'Evangile - the nose was so perfumed, also a little smoky and bretty, with nice sweet fruit but slightly leaner. After another 40 minutes the nose was still very perfumed but now came with more leather. 96 points.

Third flight: served without decanting around 2½ hours after opening.

1926 Haut-Brion, acquired from Baghera/wines and reportedly reconditioned at the château - very ripe and jammy on the nose, so interesting with lots of spices and stewed prunes. 92 points.

1982 Haut-Brion - the nose was minty but a little muted. Also a bit alcoholic, and a hint of farmy, bretty notes. 93 points.

Since we had questioned the condition of the 1926 Haut-Brion - while tasting it blind and not realizing its age - Dr. Poon very generously opened up his "back up" wine for this flight. Just popped and poured.

1959 Haut-Brion - the nice was so sweet with lots of vanilla, so beautiful, and a little grassy. 96 points.

Somehow we ended up popping a bottle of Moutai at the very end, which isn't really my thing...

2019 Kweichow Moutai (贵州茅台) - not too bad as far as baijiu goes...

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC dinner - Roganic

MNSC dinner at Roganic, hosted by Lord Rayas.

2020 Dominio del Águila Albillo Viña Viejas - good acidity on the palate. Nice, toasty, and flinty on the nose, a bit like savagnin, a bit reductive on the nose. There was some ripeness on the nose but still more flinty and lean.

First flight:

2022 Dugat-Py Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles Très Vieilles Vignes - opened 4 hours before serving. Really ripe on the nose with red fruits, a little forest, and pretty sweet. There was also a hint of leather as well as some metal. Nice strawberry notes, too. 96 points.

2022 William Kelley Beaune 1er Cru Les Chouacheaux - served without decanting 5 hours after opening. The nose was more metallic, but curiously a little bit of osmanthus flowers? Sharper on the nose and seemed younger. Loads of black cherries. 96.5 points.

Second flight:

1983 Lafleur - served without decanting 6½ hours after opening. Very lovely and fragrant at first, but the nose suddenly became very muted. A little minty and a little orange. 95 points.

1986 Lafleur - aired for 30 minutes before being stoppered and vacuum pumped. Allowed to breathe again 2 hours later for another 3½ hours before serving. A little sweet grass and wet cardboard on the nose on top of the fruit. 93 points.

Third flight:

2005 Rayas Rouge - decanted 7 hours prior to serving, and double-decanted back to the bottle after 1½ hours. Very funky and farmy. 95 points.

2005 Pignan - served without decanting 7 hours after opening. The nose was very fragrant with gamey leather notes. A little soapy almost. Sweet on the palate. 98 points.

Full post on dinner is here.

Chinese wines with Sichuanese food

Dinner at Chef 1996 Restaurant in Beijing.

2022 Petit Mont Baima Snow Mountain Yanjing (寸山白马雪山盐井) - OK la... this opened up after a while, showing some nice fruit, some forest notes, and maybe even a hint of coffee later.

2024 The Four Girls Mountain Chardonnay Selection (四姑娘山霞多丽臻選) - lots of vanilla and oak on the nose, along with flint and stone fruits. A little sharp and alcoholic on the nose. Got decent acidity on the palate.

1996 Wuliangye (五粮液) - very smooth on the palate. Still got that classic baijiu profile on the nose.

89 Lang Jiu (郎酒) - there was more umami on the palate, more like Shaoxing, with plummy and fermented flavors.

2023 Clos Mao Shuó Lin (说林) - definitely more rustic on the nose, reflecting the cabernet franc. Still very tannic on the palate.

2018 Célèbre Red (寶莊) - tons of vanilla oak on the nose, ripe and jammy.

2020 Lapu Valley Vidal Golden Ice Wine (藏云谷威代尔冰酒) - very floral with lots of honey.

Full post on dinner is here.