Perrier-Jouët and more

Dinner at OPUS 388 at Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen.

Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut, dégorgée le 22 Janvier 2024 - a little mineral and flint on the nose, and good acidity on the palate.

2022 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Riesling Trocken - classic nose with notes of petrol.

2022 Louis Latour Bourgogne Pinot Noir - acidity on the palate was a little high.

Full post on dinner is here.

Wachtenburg Muskateller

Lunch at Forum Restaurant.

Wachtenburg Muskateller Trocker Edition SL, vintage unknown - nice nose of green apple and muscat grapes because... well, it WAS made from muscat grapes! Good acidity on the palate, and very fresh.

Full post on lunch is here.

61 Ducru and 71 TBA

Dinner at a friend's home.

1961 Ducru-Beaucaillou, en demi-bouteille - level was low shoulder. Popped and poured. Nose was very fragrant, like sweet grass, with a little leather. Reasonably bretty and savory, with some animal notes. Drinking reasonably well.

1971 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese - started drinking more than 2 hours after opening. Nose was really fragrant, really rich and unctuous on the palate, with a beautiful fragrance in the mouth and good sweetness, of course. Was there also a little eucalyptus on the nose? Second pour was more than 2½ hours after opening, and the wine was now really open with notes of polyurethane, orange marmalade, and saffron. Lovely level of acidity to balance out the sweetness and richness. Around 4 hours after opening, the palate had become very soft.

1997 Pégau Cuvée Justine - started drinking 20 minutes after opening without decanting. This was pretty good already but even better another 20 minutes later with nice notes of leather and a bit of smoke. Pretty rich on the palate with lots of depth, but this turned more alcoholic about 2 hours after opening.

Bought from Farr for GBP 129.

2021 Scheuermann Chardonnay Deidesheim - the nose was definitely toasty and a little reductive. There was some ripeness here but the wine still had good overall acidity. Not bad at all.

2021 Scheuermann Pinot Noir Gelber Sandstein - this needed more than 30 minutes to open up, and the nose was still very oaky, and a little bongwater.

Taichung wine pairing

Dinner at JL Studio in Taichung.

2012 Huré Frères Instantanée, dégorgée le novembre 2019 - pretty lean on the palate, since it is, after all, extra brut.

Robert Moncuit Rosé Les Romarines, dégorgée le février 2021 - an interesting rosé made by adding 8% still red wine to 92% chardonnay, hence the color of the final product. A bit flinty on the nose, and nicely balanced on the palate.

2018 Fire Gully Sauvignon Blanc Semillon - much more flinty than expected, with a little muscat on the nose.

2020 Oliver Zeter Chenin Blanc aus Versuchsanbau - very, very floral and fragrant, with white flowers and tropical stone fruits.

2016 Les Vignerons Parisiens Les Templiers - nice and ripe. Sweet and pretty fragrant.

Fang-Tsao Pale Ale (芳草艾爾啤酒) from Taiwind Beer (台風酒造) - really fragrant, light and refreshing. Abso-fucking-lutely my kind of beer.

Caldas White Porto - honey and some apricot on the nose. Amber color was much darker than expected.

Full post on dinner is here.

J'en veux encore

Dinner at Wan Wan Xiang.

Abel Charlot Brut

2017 Mesel Dürkheimer Feuerberg Scheurebe feinherb - tropical stone fruit, a little ripe but not quite off-dry.

(2017) Ganevat J'en veux encore - lovely and fragrant, floral, always beautiful on the nose. 

Austrians and Germans

Dinner at Sühring in Bangkok.

2015 Melsheimer Reiler Mullay-Hofberg Riesling Sekt Zéro Dosage - a little pungent on the nose, showing minerals.

2015 Tement Sauvignon Blanc Steirische Klassik - dry and rather mild on the palate.  Aromatic nose with a little green apple.

2017 Ökonomierat Rebholz Im Sonnenschein Weißer Burgunder Großes Gewächs - really fruity and tropical with stone fruits.  Soooo flinty.  Reminds me of a Pouilly-Fuissé.

2016 Jean Stodden Recher Herrenberg Frühburgunder Großes Gewächs - nice fruit, with honeydew melon, beautiful notes of leather and grilled meats, and bacon fat.

Full post on dinner is here.

Georges Laval and Ca' d'Gal

Lunch at Lung King Heen.

Georges Laval Doux, dégorgée le 31 Mai 2018 - with a dosage of 50g/l, this was noticeably sweeter on the palate, but with some acidity on the back.  Certainly more viscous, and a little mineral.  Very nice and easy to drink.

Mystery Germany chardonnay - big and toasty nose with lots of flint.  Good acidity on the back end.  After a while when the wine warmed up in glass, the flinty notes were even more pronounced.

2012 Ca' d'Gal Moscato d'Asti - very viscous... could definitely feel the wine swirling around the tongue.  One or two minutes after pouring, a big, floral nose with small white flowers hit me.  This was so refreshing, and such a pleasure to drink.  The sweetness didn't bother me one bit.  On the contrary, it goes so well with Cantonese cuisine.

2014 d'Arlay Vin de Paille - very oxidized nose with lots of salty plum, minerals, and definitely hospital disinfectant.

Rebholz Spätburgunder

Lunch at 'T Zilte in Antwerp.

2009 Hansjorg Rebholz Im Sonnenschein Spätburgunder GG - lovely nose once it cooled down, with leather, a little floral, eucalyptus, spices, and nice red fruits.  A hint of tannins on the finish here.

Full post on the day is here.

German-French-Italian

Dinner at Casa Don Alfonso in Macau.

2012 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Trocken GC - lots of petrol, plenty of polyurethane, a hint of white flowers on the nose.  A hint of ripeness on the palate, with a little bit of acidity on the finish that seemed a little bitter.  A lovely wine.

2009 Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - pop-and-pour and beautiful right off the bat.  Huge, open nose with lots of toast, a little popcorn, and lemon citrus.  Beautiful, ripe, and buttery on the palate, although a little bit hot and alcoholic given the vintage.  Drinking incredibly well right now.

Frank Cornelissen Magma 6VA - a natural wine from a maker recommended by Vladimir Kojic at Gaggan, this limited production (500 bottles in this 2007 vintage) wine was made with grapes grown on Mount Etna and come from vines that are more than 100 years old.  I was surprised to see this bottle of "bongwater" on the list, and was dying to try it.

Opened and decanted for 1½ hours prior to serving.  Really sweet and jammy on the palate, very alcoholic... enough to clear one's sinuses.  Almost herbal notes, like putting one's nose near Brin d'Amour.  I didn't mind this, although I don't think there were many fans at the table.  Oh and I don't buy the 14.5% alcohol for one bit... It's gotta be at least a point or two above.

Full post on dinner is here.

96 Julius Koch

Drinking at home.

1996 Julius KochUngsteiner Honigsäckel Riesling Spätlese - pretty good stuff. Refreshing and floral.