Lunchtime wine pairing

Lunch at Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic.

Billecart Salmon Pic - nice and floral nose. Good acidity on the palate with a little bit of ripeness.

2022 Rudolf Fürst Riesling pur mineral - initially the nose wasn't so open, with notes of flint, minerals, and muscat grapes. Good acidity on the palate and a long finish. I could see how this paired well with the Hokkaido sea urchin.

San Francisco Javier Viña Corrales Fino Pago Balbaina, bottled in 2021 - beautiful oxidized nose with green notes, savory and fragrant, and almost a little waxy at the end. Nice and dry on the palate with umami. Just wonderful with the Comté and vin jaune sauce.

2021 Badenhorst Cinsault Ringmuur - very big and open nose, very fruit forward and juicy, with a hint of smoke. Very light and simple on the palate with a short finish.

2021 Les Bruyères Crozes-Hermitage Rouge - a lighter style, more fruity, with nice notes of forest and dried herbs. Really fragrant with tons of eucalyptus.

Full post on lunch is here.

The Judge and Takahiko

Dinner at Andō.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 171ème Édition, ID 122003 - nice brioche nose, love the toasty notes from Krug as always.

2013 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge - definitely ripe and oxidized on the palate, soft and rounded. Some flint here but the nose was not too open. Much better after decanting and needed more than 40 minutes. Very ripe and sweet and buttery on the nose, and later on really sweet like cotton candy. At 10 years old this was already sliding down past its peak.

2017 Domaine Takahiko Soga Nana-Tsu-Mori - very fragrant and lovely nose with good savory but also floral notes that brings a smile to my face. A little jammy, too. Definitely lighter on the body. There is some aromatic eucalyptus with just a hint of green peppers, along with some plum. Good acidity on the palate. Certainly a pretty alluring wine.

Adorado de Menade, from demijohn - made using solera system where the mother dates back to 1967. Nose was fairly oxidized with savory mineral notes, nutty, and definitely more lean on the nose and closer to an amontillado. A little caramel here, too.

Full post on dinner is here.

Kistler and Yangarra

Drinking at home.

2003 Kistler Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard - initially very alcoholic, lighter-bodied than expected, and acidity was higher than expected.  Tasted like hawthorn on the palate.  Disappointing.

2012 Yangarra Grenache High Sands - the vines were planted in 1946.  Smoky, animal, woodsy, very fragrant.

Drinks at Ham and Sherry.

González Byass Alfonso Oloroso Seco - savory minerals in the nose, savory on the palate.  Dry, lovely finish with nutty flavors.

Clos Badon and Apostoles

Dinner at Spring Deer Restaurant.

2000 Clos Badon - smoky, a little earthy, with grilled meats and nice fruit.

González Byass Apostoles - lovely nose with nutty, honey, grapey nose, along with a hint of savory notes like salty plum.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sherries and friends

Dinner at Kin's Kitchen.

Aubry Brut - toasty and yeasty on the nose, with a nice balance between ripeness and acidity.

Barbadillo Obispo Gascon Palo Cortado - front palate was a little short but the finish was reasonably long.  Nutty, dry on the palate.  Nice.

2007 Leeuwin's Chardonnay Art Series - toasty, mineral, a little caramelized and ripe.

2008 Westrey Pinot Noir Justice Vineyard - eucalyptus, a little smoke, some cherries.

Valdespino Solera 1842 Oloroso VOS - much more nutty, more honey and sweetness, more concentrated.

Lustau Almacenista Amontillado Pata de Gallina 1/38 Juan Garcia Jarana - much more savory on the palate, with a drier finish.  Clearly a more refined and sophisticated wine.

2007 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine de Bois - opened more than an hour before serving.  Ripe and sweet on the nose, minty, pretty concentrated.

2005 Monbousquet - popped and poured.  Earthy and a little smoky.

Full post on dinner is here.

Mixed bag for Cantonese

Dinner at a private dining facility.

2012 Roses de Jeanne Côte de Val Vilaine Blanc de Noirs, dégorgée à Avril 2014 - delicious, smooth and round on the palate.

2011 Keller Westhofen Brunnenhäuschen Absterde Riesling trocken - classic nose of minerals, white flowers and plastic.  Definitely dry on the palate.

1952 Borgogno Barolo Riserva - initial nose of sweet fruit, followed by tea, salty plum, minerals, and smoke.  Still alive and kicking.

2010 Vincent Paris Cornas Granit 30 - ripe nose with wonderful notes of forest and potpourri.  So fragrant and beautiful.

1995 Jos. Joh. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese - classic notes of minerals and plastic, with good amount of sweetness on the palate.  Very round and smooth.

Valdespino Solera 1842 Medium Sweet Very Old Oloroso Blend VOS - classic, with nose that's like Shaoxing wine after soaking some salty plum in it.  Wonderful.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sherry and Pomerol

Lunch at ILoveLubutin's new pad.

Península Palo Cortado Solera Reserva, from Lustau - walnut, toasty, a little yeasty, perhaps.  Long finish.  While I'm happy to drink Sherry at "room temperature", like wine I am mindful that "room temperature" in Asia isn't the same as what it is in Europe…

Valdespino Tio Diego Amontillado - sharper nose with stronger alcohol, also more intense nose and more grapey.

2002 L'Evangile en magnum - aired for 1 hour prior to drinking.  Smoky, pretty sweet and ripe prunes, dried herbs, cedar and potpourri.  After 2 hours the sweetness really came out and dominated.

Full post on lunch is here.