Doquet, Pepe, Kistler, and Kongsgaard

Dinner at Pinnacle at the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

1999 Pascal Doquet Vertus, dégorgée le 13 decembre 2016 - a little floral, some light notes of marmalade from aging and oxidation. Very lovely with a nice length on the palate.

2019 Kongsgaard Chardonnay - very fresh, lots of vanilla, a little flint. Nice ripeness on the palate but not overly ripe. Very buttery here but still got plenty of acidity.

2002 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - fragrant nose, almost a little savory like black olive, a little floral, too, along with leather and grilled meats, and a little blood and almost metallic. Rounded tannins but still coated the tongue and made its presence felt. The nose was almost a little pungent, and so toasty it almost became dusty. Very savory now after opening up, not quite soapy. Not at all sweet on the palate.

2004 Kistler Pinot Noir Occidental Station Vineyard Cuvée Catherine - served 30 minutes after opening. Nice and sweet on the nose, with black cherries and really lovely sweet fruit, as well as eucalyptus. After 1½ hours the wine was still very alluring. Drinking very well tonight.

Dalla Valle and Valentini

Dinner at Shanghai Fraternity Association.

1976 Philipponnat Réserve Spéciale, dégorgée en août 2007 - almost no gas escaped when the cork was popped... although there were still some very fine bubbles coming up in glass. Good acidity here along with the expected caramelized palate and nose. Lovely notes of savory minerals and Chinese salted plums. Drinking nicely.

1990 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon - served around 45 minutes after decanting. Definitely smoky, minty, graphite, and a little savory. After more than 1 hour this was drinking very nicely. Plenty of life left in this wine.

2006 Valentini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - served about 1½ hours after decanting. Really fragrant, nice and oaky, but unfortunately this also came with a chalky nose. Sweet on the palate. Some 3 hours after decanting the chalky notes were still there, but that oak sure was lovely once you get past the dust and chalk.

Full post on dinner is here.

80s Bordeaux

Dinner at Mandarin Grill + Bar.

1982 Dom Pérignon - what a beautiful nose!  Very toasty, definitely savory, mineral, salty plum (話梅) for sure, with a hint of Chinese licorice (甘草).  Later on there was toffee, caramel and maple syrup!  Wonderful!  Fat, thick and round texture, but the finish was a little on the short side.

1990 Krug - mineral, savory, toasty.  Later on the toasty notes got heavier, along with citrus.  Always a beautiful wine.

1986 Cos d'Estournel - mint, a little sweet, smoke, surprisingly floral, black pepper.  Lost a little of the structure on the edges, resulting in a lighter palate, but there was still reasonable length in the finish.  We agreed that the '86 looks like it's going downhill and best to drink them up.

1989 Pichon-Lalande - smoky and earthy, with some cassis and black fruits at the core.  Classic Pauillac from a great vintage.

1989 Conseillante - a little ripe and stewed, slight hint of rubber perhaps...  Sweet on the palate.

2009 Italo Pietrantonj Passito Rosso - a red dessert wine that is sweet but not heavy on the palate.  Nose of forest pine, herbs.

Full post on dinner is here.