Mix bag of not-so-cheap

Dinner at a private dining facility.

2004 Krug, ID 214041 - drinking very nicely, with good maturity now and also good acidity balance.

Laherte Rosé de Meunier, dégorgée Juillet 2021 - so easy to drink, so smooth. Love the vibrant red fruits.

2001 Kracher Scheurebe Trockenbeerenauslese No. 9 Zwischen den Seen, from half-bottle - really viscous, grapey and raisins. So rich and unctuous. Like honey and dates.

Henri Guiraud PR90-18, dégorgée 14 Janvier 2022 - decent acidity balance here.

2018 Rougeot Bourgogne Blanc Clos des Six Ouvrées - decent acidity but there is also ripeness. Lots of vanilla oak on the nose.

2018 Domaine du Bel-Air Bourgueil "Grand-Mont" - nose of animal and leather. Nice and oaky.

Full post on dinner is here.

Kracher and Extra Old Veuve

Drinks at a friend's home.

1999 Alois Kracher Nummer 10 Welschriesling Trockenbeerenauslese Nouvelle Vague, from half bottle - very, very sweet, with honey, orange blossom, medjool dates. Sooo unctuous, sooo viscous. Lovely but wondering whether it was too simple on the finish. After more aeration the complexity improved.

Dinner at Raw Bar No. 8.

Veuve Clicquot Extra Brut Extra Old, dégorgée fevrier 2021 - slightly dry but not too bad. Some ripeness here when it warmed up. With more air this got a little grippy, and got a little bitter on the finish.

Champagne and Burg

Dinner at Wing.

Pierre Baillette Le Village Premier Cru, dégorgée en novembre 2020 - very moussy, toasty, and a little caramelized. Compliments of the chef.

2002 Egly-Ouriet, dégorgée en mai 2013 - toasty, caramelized with a little sugar cane on the nose. Good acidity and lovely on the palate.

2014 William Fevre Chablis Les Clos, en magnum - definitely on the lean side as expected, and worked well with the dishes.

2017 J. Cacheux Vosne-Romanée Les Genaivrières - lovely and floral nose with leather, animal notes. Beautiful with plenty of toast, and some eucalyptus. I was surprised that such a young wine was drinking so well. Compliments of the chef.

2001 Kracher Scheurebe Trockenbeerenauslese No. 9 Zwischen den Seen, from half-bottle - classic honey, raisins, marmalade, and medjool dates. Rich and unctuous.

Full post on dinner is here.

Umeshu and more

Dinner at Tatler Dining Kitchen for the UZA by Nikushou pop-up.

Homamade umeshu highball - made with Nikushou's house umeshu.  Rich and intense plum flavors.

2018 Planeta Carricante Eruzione 1614 - a little ripeness on the palate, and flinty.

Tsubo Hassen Junmai Daiginjo (壷八仙  純米大吟醸) - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 50%.  HUGE nose of bananas, sweet and soft on the palate.

2017 Kracher Beerenauslese Cuvée - not as sweet as expected, kinda mild. Nose of pollen.

Takashimizu Kaonjukusei Gedatsushu Junmai Ginjo (高清水  加温熟成解脱酒) - seimaibuai of 50%. Sake meter value of -30. Oxidized nose but not over the line. Lighter on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

2000 Bahans and more

Drinking at home.

1996 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - nice and a little floral, a little cotton candy.  Mellow, rounded, nice ripeness but not too much.  Very elegant and easy to drink.  More toasty with caramel notes 30 minutes later, with more depth on the palate.

2006 Cloudy Bay Te Koko - still flinty on the nose, not too ripe and caramelized, but finish was kinda short.

2000 Bahans Haut-Brion, en magnum - decanted 1 hour and 15 minutes prior to serving.  A little corked perhaps, definitely bretty, very chalky and dusty with the first pour.  Pretty savory but OK on the palate.  Three hours after decanting, the bretty notes kinda faded and graphite showed up.  Much better after extended aeration.

2001 Kracher Scheurebe Trockenbeerenauslese No. 9 Zwischen den Seen, from half-bottle - really ripe, honey, concentrated grape nectar, marmalade.  This seemed a little one-dimensional tonight.

Juris vs Burgundy

Dinner at Hong Kong Cuisine.

2016 Juris Sauvignon Blanc - pretty fruity and tropical, stone fruits, flint.  Ripe on the nose as well as on the palate, with a bit of acidity to balance.  Nose was fairly big but a a teeny bit pungent.

2009 Lucien Le Moine Corton Renardes - served 1½ hours after opening.  Pretty sweet and ripe on the nose, with coconut and almost bubblegum notes.  Around 2 hours after opening there was almost a hint of coffee.  Tannins still here.

2013 Juris Pinot Noir Setzluss - ripe and fruity, also a hint of coconut.  About an hour after opening showed some smokiness, and almost toasty and coffee.

2011 Juris Pinot Noir Hochreit - served about an hour after opening.  Very sweet on the nose and especially on the palate, almost a little jammy.  A bit more animal and leather notes here.  2011 saw an extended growing season.

2008 Dominique Gallois Charmes-Chambertin - served 1½ hours after opening.  Ripe and stewed fruit, a little savory, with slightly higher acidity.

1999 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays - served 1½ hours after opening.  Good fruit here, and softer on the palate.

2014 Dubreuil-Fontaine Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru Les Vercots - very cool fruit, a little eucalyptus, maybe a little stemmy.  Perhaps needed a little more aeration.

2009 Dugat-Py Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée Cœur du Roy - served 2 hours after opening.  A hint of toast, a hint of leather at first, pretty smooth on the palate.  Showing a little more smoke and heavier toast, as well as fragrant wood notes.  Leaner on palate.

2002 Michel Magnien Clos de la Roche - served 2½ hours after opening.  Minty, maybe a bit sulfur.  Pungent and not well-integrated nose, with huge toasty notes.  Later on the nose opened up a little more and showed some fruit.

2012 Juris Pinot Noir Haide - served 2½ hours after opening.  Very young and fresh, lovely, with lots of dried herbs and pretty sweet.  Not quite integrated, and almost showing Chinese medicinal herbs like ginseng.  From Dijon clone 114 planted in 1980s.

2004 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays - served 3 hours after opening.  Nice and ripe.  Pretty open.

2006 Prieuré-Roch Vosne-Romanée Les Hautes-Maizières - toasty and ripe nose.  Fragrant with a hint of stewed fruit.

Full post on dinner is here.

Riesling trumps reds

Dinner at a private dining facility.

1989 von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Auslese 137 - nose of petrol, white flowers, lemon, with a hint of polyurethane.  Nice acidity here, and almost a little fizzy.  Rounded on the palate.

2001 Kracher Scheurebe Trockenbeerenauslese No. 9 Zwischen den Seen, from half-bottle - big, grapey and raisin nose, with honeydew and marmalade.  Sooo incredibly sweet on the nose and the palate.

1985 Hospices de Beaune Mazis-Chambertin Cuvée Madeleine-Collignon par Bouchard - very disappointing as the fresh fruit never showed.  Instead we got very savory black olives, leather, and stewed fruit.

2003 Pavillon Rouge de Château Margaux, en magnum -  decanted for more than an hour.  A little exotic, a little toasty, somewhat chalky and toasty.  Later on some smoke emerged.  Tannins still here.  Disappointing.

Full post on dinner is here.

Foillard Cuvée 3.14 and Kracher

Dinner at a private dining facility.

1988 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhauser Herrenberg Riesling Auslese - brought two bottles to start off dinner.  Nice nose of orange marmalade, polyurethane, sweet on the nose with floral notes.  Acidity was actually higher than expected, and this wasn't as sweet on the palate.

2001 Kracher Scheurebe Trockenbeerenauslese No. 9 Zwischen den Seen, from half-bottle - very sweet, rich, and nutty.  Unctuous texture.

2007 Jean Foillard Morgon Cuvée "3.14", en magnum - opened but not decanted at least 1½ hours before serving.  Lots of eucalyptus, violet, and floral.  A little bit of earthiness and smoked meats.  After 3 hours some sweet fruit emerged in the nose.

2000 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion, en magnum - smoke, mint, and pencil lead.  Classic Left Bank.

Full post on dinner is here.