Barolo and Portela

Drinking at a friend's home.

2007 Rocche dei Manzoni Barolo Vigna Cappella di S. Stefano - very fragrant, very ripe stewed prunes, but also a little chalky and a bit smoky. Still got the tannins, and the acidity is definitely there.

2019 Alberto Orte A Portela - tasted 1½ hours after opening. Really ripe and kinda exotic.

Christie's tasting

Christie's pre-auctin dinner at the Hong Kong Club.

Jacquesson Cuvée N°748, dégorgée en Mars 2025 - this was actually very floral and elegant, with a nice little yeasty nose.

First flight:

2010 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Méal Blanc - the nose was waxy, very ripe and definitely on the bitter side. This was more expressive and open on the nose, more opulent, but the palate was kinda boring.

2016 Chave Hermitage Blanc - there was also some bitterness on the palate, but the nose was much more fresh, with flinty and citrus notes, but leaner on the nose. More than 2½ hours after opening, the nose was becoming buttery.

Second flight:

1989 La Mission Haut-Brion - this was so, soooo beautiful! Big nose of tobacco, smoke, nice fruit but so elegant, so fragrant. Plummy on the nose but without the cooked fruit or the acidity on the palate. This was still so lively at its age, showing the beauty of the vintage. What a stunning wine, and certainly my favorite tonight.

1982 Léoville-Las Cases - this was clearly more mature, more ripe on the nose with sweeter fruit. This was so interesting, and we've got green capsicum... which wasn't a surprise. The wine was silky smooth on the palate, but the finish wasn't very long. The nose also showed some smoke and grilled meats, and 2½ hours after opening, the nose got even more smoky.

2001 Dominus - pretty minty, and very much sweeter on the palate.

Third flight:

2015 Chave Hermitage Rouge - this was still very young, and still showing lots of metallic and iron notes on the nose, and also very sweet. Then it became a bit grassy on the nose, and of course it was still kinda tannic on the palate.

1995 Chave Hermitage Rouge - this was sooooo nice, so beautiful. with classic notes of bacon and game meat. On the palate this was so fragrant and complex, with potpourri and herbs. Surprisingly, more than 3 hours after opening this kinda fell off a cliff.

2015 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque - this was much riper compared to the Chave, very sweet, with big nose of potpourri and herbs. Kinda hot and alcoholic on the palate. This became so, so nice after more than 2 hours as coffee and caramel notes developed.

Fourth flight:

2001 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin - this was really nice and open, especially as it was sweeter on the nose than expected, and there was that bacon... So fragrant but still had the signature barnyard notes, although not strong and offensive, and definitely got a little brett. Still so nice, though.

2003 Pierre Usseglio Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de Mon Aïeul - this was definitely overripe, and started to remind me of cough syrup with its alcoholic profile, and stewed prunes on the palate. Really, really sweet and jammy.

1990 Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Hommage à Jacques Perrin - this was such a big wine with that signature barnyard nose, soooo bretty, and pretty savory. Not my thing.

Fifth flight:

2007 Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne - kinda fragrant and woodsy, pretty fragrant, minty, with lots of dried herbs.

2004 Giuseppe Mascarello Barolo Monprivato Cà d'Morissio Riserva - there was still a little hint of sharpness on the nose. Weakest of the trio in this lineup.

2003 Gaja Barbaresco - nice and fragrant. OK lah...

Full post on dinner is here.

Rinaldi and Trevallon

Drinking at a friend's home.

2019 Rinaldi Barolo Brunate - there was a hint of dust on the nose, but there was sweet fruit undereneath and overall it was pleasant. It opened up in the same glass after an hour and got a lot more fragrant.

2012 Trévallon Rouge - this was intense with a big nose, at first was a bit sharp. After 40 minutes in the decanter this was so fragrant, with a big toasty nose and notes of coffee, mint, and eucalyptus.

Bought from Ginsberg+Chan for HKD 900.

Italians and makgeolli

Dinner at Estro.

2019 Ca' del Bosco Franciacorta Vintage Collection Extra Brut, discorged in 2023 - very lively, toasty and yeasty nose with a little bit of flint.

Eatanic Garden Cloudy (흐림) - the nose was a little medicinal, the palate was slightly bitter and not too sweet.

2019 Manzone Barolo Castelletto - smoky, earthy, minty, forest, with potpourri.

Full post on dinner is here.

70 Latour and Henin

Dinner at Locanda.

Pascal Henin L'Appel de la Forêt, dégorgée à 11 Octobre 2022 - the non-vintage version, which was different from the bottle of 2014 I tasted 2 months ago. Nice and toasty on the nose, and also a bit oily. There was a decent amount of depth on the palate, with good acidity.

Romain Henin Galip'ette, dégorgée à 10 Mai 2023 - the nose was pretty sugary, a little caramelized, with a hint of sugar cane. The palate did have the acidity, and was a little sharp on the attack but then softened up a little. For some reason the nose reminded me of kir royale, and there was a shade of cough syrup, too...

1970 Latour - mid-shoulder level. Tasted almost 1½ hours after opening and just after decanting. CORKED. Got that green vegetal and wet cardboard nose. Still corked an hour later. It was drinkable with smoke and a bit of grilled meats on the nose. Showed some graphite notes about 5 hours after opening. But what a disappointment!

Bought from Christies for HKD 5,000.

2007 Domenico Clerico Barolo Ciabot Mentin - got that acidity I expected from Barolo. Interestingly the color of the wine was lighter than the Latour nearly 40 years older! Smoky nose with some nice fruits.

Full post on dinner is here.

Morgassi Superiore

Drinking at home.

Morgassi Superiore Cortesia di Morgassi - very nutty, a little honeydew melon. A little bitter on the palate now, like marmalade that has been aged.

70 Tonodia and Cali

Dinner at a friend's home.

1970 López de Heredia Viña Tondonia - mid-shoulder. Started drinking 15 minutes after opening. The sweetness was still there on the nose, but initially this was a bit grassy and also a touch of mold. The nose was a little similar to Chinese sour plum drink. Later the funky in the nose dissipated and we were left with the sweet fruit that had been aged and oxidized. Not bad at all.

1995 Caymus Special Selection - decanted 40 minutes after opening, and started drinking after 20 minutes in the decanter. The nose was smoky, a little earthy, with a nice hit of sweet fruit, and showinglovely, really fragrant oak. Almost 2 hours after opening the wine was just showing beautifully. So lovely and elegant now.

Bought from Farr for GBP 87.

2004 Colgin Cariad - decanted 1 hour and 20 minutes after opening and served. The nose was definitely much sweeter with that vanilla, and of course minty. Sweet on the palate, smooth now after 20 years of age, but still got the tannins. Drinking very nicely.

Bought from the winery for USD 275 plus tax.

2013 Produttori del Barbaresco Riserva Asili - swirled in decanter after opening, and started drinking 30 minutes later. The nose was very fragrant with lots of dried herbs and eucalyptus. Could still feel the tannins on the palate.

2018 Monfalletto

Dinner at home in Taipei.

2018 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto - smoky nose with some cassis. Lighter on the palate.

From Collin to Sassicaia

Dinner at Wing.

Ulysse Collin Rosé de Saignée Les Maillons, dégorgée en Mars 2021 - lovely notes of red fruits. This was so elegant, really nice and rounded on the palate.

1988 Maximin Grünhaüser Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett - this was really nice and fresh despite the age, and a good amount of acidity made it very lively on the palate. There was a bit of sweetness, of course, and the prominent notes of white flowers were very nice, too.

Bought from Mayfair as part of a mixed lot for HKD 316.

2016 Guiberteau Saumur Brézé - there was a huge, toasty nose, and also very fragrant. Pretty lean on the palate with grippy tannins and good acidity. Later on, though, the nose started to develop a buttery profile.

2005 Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis - a really fragrant nose of spices and also somewhat smoky. It's still got the concentration but now the wine is ready, and drinking very nicely.

2007 Sassicaia - smoky, minty nose with wonderful fruit, where it's jammy but not sugary sweet on the nose, and a little fermented. Really good concentration on the palate. Beautiful wine from a great vintage.

1988 Maximin Grünhaüser Abtsberg Riesling Spätlese - slightly more sweetness on the palate than the kabinett, but still got lots of acidity, and not surprisingly this was more rounded on the palate. Lots of white flowers on the nose, making it very nice and fragrant.

Bought from Mayfair as part of a mixed lot for HKD 316.

Full post on dinner is here.