40-year old Napa

Dinner at the Fortune Room at the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

2021 Chacra Chardonnay - a little riper on the palate than expected, but there's still decent acidity on the palate and also on the finish.

1984 Beaulieu Vineyard Georges de Latour Private Reserve - plenty of vanilla on the nose, but there was also a hint of dust so not the cleanest. Also got notes of leather, and the fruit seemed lightly stewed. Not bad, but also not so fresh and lively.

Bought as part of a mixed lot from Christie's for HKD 938.

1984 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - this was fresher in terms of condition, with plenty of mint, and also a little green pepper like shishito. More concentration on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Bongwater with Italian

Dinner at Sagrantino.

2018 Jean François Ganevat Savagnin En Billat - a little toast on the nose, plus a little ripeness on the nose, but good acidity level.

2009 Chacra Pinot Noir Cincuenta y Cinco - double-decanted but stoppered for 30 minutes, then started drinking 1 hour after decanting. There was good amount of ripe fruits on the nose, but it was served a little warm at first. Very smooth now, and improved once the wine was chilled down a little.

Bought from IWM for HKD 590.

2019 Le Clos des Treilles La Décente Aux Amphores - the nose was nice and fragrant, with a little flint. Somewhat reductive, with a hint of savory, fermented notes as well as sulfur that is unmistakably bongwater. The palate was not really sweet but a bit more ripe and rounded.

Bought from Winetastic for HKD 351.

2020 Hirakawa Notre Siècle - some toasty notes on the nose, and definitely soft on the palate. Fairly easy to drink.

2003 BOND Matriarch - stoppered for 45 minutes after double-decanting, and started drinking almost 2 hours after decanting. Smoky nose with some meaty notes. Very ripe and sweet on the palate. Later on there was unmistakable nose of coconut butter as well as vanilla oak.

Bought from the winery for USD 85 plus tax.

2006 trio

Dinner at Sportful Garden Restaurant celebrating the life of a beloved dog friend.

2006 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese - nose of white flowers, getting honey and petrol on the nose. Definitely on the sweet side with some honey on the palate. Very rounded and getting viscous, but slightly bitter on the finish.

2006 Bodegas Chacra Pinot Noir Cincuenta y Cinco - pretty gamey and meaty, with a little barnyard feel.

2006 Jean-Michel Stephan Côte-Rôtie Côteaux de Tupin - definitely some floral and violet notes on the nose, a little soapy, actually... but also showing gamey notes and grilled meats. Of course, black fruits are always present for this wine. Still could feel some tannins on the palate.

2006 Chacra Treinta y Dos

Drinking at home.

2006 Chacra Pinot Noir Treinta y Dos - very plummy, some oak on the nose, more woodsy, mature and downbeat. Even a little nutty. More acidity on the palate but not quite lean.

2009 Chacra Treinta y Dos

Drinking at home.

2009 Chacra Pinot Noir Treinta y Dos - nose of plum, leather, and a little eucalyptus. Good concentration on the palate. Good balance between the sweetness and acidity, but still a little alcoholic. A little vanilla oak, which got more prominent 40 minutes after opening. This is a pinot noir but definitely not Burgundy. 2½ hours after opening the nose was much more open, with more dried herbs and potpourri. Softer on the palate, too.

Latin wines with Latin food

Dinner at MONO.

Miolo Cuvée Tradition Brut - good depth on the palate, pretty floral and elegant nose.

2018 Otronia Rugiente 45 Corte de Blancas - tropical, almost lychee notes. Ripe on the palate.

2018 Intipalka Malbec - minty, lots of ripe and sweet fruit, very vanilla.

Los 7 Ángeles Tequila

Full post on dinner is here.

2020 Chacra and Krug

Dinner at Caprice.

2020 Chacra Chardonnay - flinty, tropical stone fruit, much riper on palate than expected but the acidity is there. Still going strong more than 3½ hours later, and the tropical stone fruit notes are still here.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 169ème édition, en demi-bouteille, ID 319028 - nice with marmalade notes, good acidity on the palate.

2019 Pierre-Henri Rougeot Gevrey-Chambertin En Grands Champs - minty, fresh, initially cold fruit. Still kinda young with forest notes, stemmy, black cherries, and strawberries. An hour later the nose was really full of strawberries.

Full post on dinner is here.

2006 Chacra

Lunch at Mono.

Charles Dufour Bulles de Comptoir #8 Stilllebenm, dégorgée mars 2020 - interesting nose with honey, apricot, flint... pretty toasty and lean.  More intense on the palate.

2006 Chacra Pinot Noir Treinta y Dos - some black prunes, smoky, leather notes.  More mellow and elegant now, but lost a lot of the fresh and intense fruit it possessed when young.

Full post on lunch is here.

Pinot night

Dinner at ON Dining Kitchen and Lounge.

Inflorescence Côte de Val Vilaine, millesime 2010, dégorgée en Avril 2012 - nice acidity balance here.  Lovely nose which was nice and a little caramelized.  I wasn't expecting a Champagne, but since this was a blanc de noirs made from 100% pinot noir, and was not a Burgundy, this definitely fit the bill...

2012 George Ferae Naturae - a rosé of pinot noir from one of my favorite producers.  Ripe and sweet nose but slightly pungent.  Surprisingly dry on the palate.

2009 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Spätburgunder 'R' trocken - double-decanted after opening.  Very rich nose, with animal notes and a hint of grilled meats.  Very fragrant, almost floral after opening up.  Smooth on the palate but good concentration here.  A beautiful wine that I'd love to taste again in 10 years.

2007 Jacques Cacheux Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots - a little dusty and chalky.  There's still fruit underneath, but the bottle wasn't ideal.

2012 Tuck's Ridge Pinot Noir Buckle Vineyard - a little burnt rubber, pungent nose.  Later on showed some animal and leather notes.

2009 George Leras Family Vineyard - double-decanted for 2½ hours prior to serving, which was probably a little too long.  Nose was still beautiful and fragrant, with plenty of sweetness coming from raspberry notes, almost a little caramelized.

2009 Rockburn Pinot Noir Twelve Barrels - nice and smooth, with some lovely fruit on the nose.

2009 Chacra Pinot Noir Treinta y Dos - double-decanted for 3 hours, nose was fairy muted.  A little minty, some sweet and cool fruit, with a little rubber.  Nice structure on the palate.

2003 Peter Michael Pinot Noir Le Moulin Rouge - sweet nose with eucalyptus.  Lovely.

2013 The Hilt Chardonnay The Old Guard - nose of minerals, a little ripeness here.  Lovely with cheese.

2003 Berthet-Bondet Château-Chalon - opened for 11 hours prior to serving.  Grassy nose, lots of ripeness, a little marmalade, and some minerals.

2009 Araujo Grappa - a little acetone, paint thinner in the nose.  Reasonably smooth on the palate but still a lot more spicy than I had remembered.

Full post on dinner is here.

Bodegas Chacra dinner

Dinner at Café Gray Deluxe in Hong Kong, hosted by Italian Wine Merchants in conjunction with Piero Incisa della Rocchetta.

2010 Chacra Barda - floral nose with dried herbs, rich, jammy and sweet with a bit of sulfur.  Very nice wine to start with.

2010 Chacra Cincuenta y Cinco - elegant and floral, with animal notes and leather.  Very lovely and sweet on the nose, showing a hint of tobacco and mint.  Finely balanced on the palate at 11.5% alcohol from a cool vintage.

2009 Chacra Cincuenta y Cinco - a much bigger wine than the 2010, from a hotter vintage and weighing in at 14% alcohol.  Nose of forest, potpourri and very sweet.  Sharp on the nose with lots of concentration here.

2010 Chacra Treinta y Dos - sweet and jammy but definitely showing its character from the cool vintage.  A bit of smoke, mint, pine needle, coffee, leather, smoked meat and bacon fat.  Lovely.

2007 Chacra Treinta y Dos - seems much cooler compared to the 2010.  Showing mineral and metallic notes, a slight hint of brett.  Acidity is higher on the palate, and actually pretty grippy at the same time.

2008 Chacra Mainqué - ripe, jammy and sweet.  Minty and a little vegetal with a bit of smoke.

2009 Chacra Mainqué - nose was luscious at first, then got a little leaner, showing smoky notes.

2007 Sassicaia in magnum - surprisingly a little dusty, smoky, then suddenly showing sweet and tropical notes along with caramel.  Lovely to drink now like so many other 2007 Tuscans.

Full post on dinner is here.