MNSC - Country Club

MNSC dinner at the Grill Room of Hong Kong Country Club.

1996 Salon - more lemon citrus than mature marmalade. This was much fresher, more elegant. The acidity came out strong on the second sip, which was just as expected.

1996 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - very nice and toasty nose. Good acidity on the palate together with nice maturity, and this was drinking very nicely. Not surprisingly this was the more forward of the pair.

First flight: served 1½ hours after opening without decanting.

2001 Georges Roumier Chambolle-Musigny - this was a little dusty but also had the toasty popcorn on the nose. Farmy with some sweetness later. 95 points.

2002 Georges Roumier Chambolle-Musigny - nose of leather, and clearly more rustic. 95 points.

2003 Georges Roumier Chambolle-Musigny - nice sweet red fruits on the nose. Pretty soft. 94 points.

Second Flight: served after 2½ hours in the decanter.

1994 Beaucastel Hommage a Jacques Perrin - this was the more bretty of the two. But surprisingly I preferred it. 96 points.

1995 Beaucastel Hommage a Jacques Perrin - nice and smoky. So classic. 95 points.

Third Flight: served after 3½ hours in the decanter.

1999 Beaucastel Hommage a Jacques Perrin - this was very oxidized and very ripe. 95 points.

2000 Beaucastel Hommage a Jacques Perrin - this was sooo beautiful, with a sweetness that included some grassy notes. Smoky and meaty, too... and then a bit floral about 20 minutes later. 99 points.

2001 Beaucastel Hommage a Jacques Perrin - the nose had plenty of coconut butter, with good ripe fruit but not quite jammy. A great wine with good concentration. Almost a bit of Chinese medicine and minty. 97 points.

Full post on dinner is here.

Magnums and Don PX

Dinner at Caprice.

Henri Giraud Fût de Chêne MV10, en magnum, dégorgée le 18 Novembre 2016 - a light perfume fragrance with lemon notes on the nose. Ater some aging, this was now softer on the palate but still got the acidity.

2011 Ponsot Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos des Monts Luisants Pressée du Centenaire, en magnum n°562 - served 1½ hours after opening. Not too ripe on the palate, and still got a good level of acidity. On the nose one could tell there is some age on the wine, as it showed caramelized sugar along with straw.

2011 Joseph Drouhin Chambertin Clos de Beze, en magnum - served some 2 hours after opening. Very nice and fragrant, with eucalyptus along with black cherries.

2003 Henri Bonneau Cuvée Marie Beurrier, en magnum n°222 - nose was showing nice leather and woodsy notes. Surprisingly savory on the palate, and almost a little bretty. Still kinda tannic.

1946 Toro Albalá Don PX Convento, botella N.534 - the nose was so fragrant and complex. Very sweet on the palate, with honey, prunes, and spices. Really ripe and rich. I absolutely love this wine!

Full post on dinner is here.

2016 Ferrando Colombis

Drinking at home.

2016 Isabel Ferrando Châteauneuf-du-Pape Colombis - started drinking after 1 hour in decanter. Decent amount of ripe, black fruits on the nose. Not overpowering or overripe. One could feel that the tannins were still around, and the wine was grippy on the finish. Woodsy notes along with some spices on the nose. After 2½ hours in the decanter the wine was slightly softer, but still kinda tannic. By now the nose was also a bit minty with some leather notes. Pretty nice, and would love to see how this ages.

Chevalier and Bonneau

Dinner at Neighborhood.

1992 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc - nose of lemon with a hint of flint. Surprisingly not too oxidized despite the age, and still got very good acidity on the palate.

2010 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape, en magnum - nice nose of leather with a bit of fruit. A bit farmy, though, and kinda bretty on the finish.

Full post on dinner is here.

Chave and friends

Dinner at Hiyama.

1988 Chave Hermitage Blanc - started drinking around 30 minutes after opening. The nose was initially kinda closed and showed some marmalade and a little beeswax. The second pour some 20 minutes later was pretty cold, and this showed that the wine was weak and short on the palate. The last pour was drunk more than 5½ hours after opening. By now the nose was really open, showing apricot in addition to the marmalade and beeswax. Unfortunately it remained short on the palate.

1999 Chave Hermitage Rouge - started drinking more than 1½ hours after opening without decanting. The nose was kinda nice but felt a little muted. Showing some leather, plum, and a bit of acidity. Some 3 hours after opening this was very nice and fragrant, with woodsy notes.

Drinking at home.

2016 Château de la Gardine L’Immortelle - started drinking some 2½ hours after decanting into the Daniel Ricciardo shoey decanter. The first pour was very muted, almost not showing anything on the nose. After a few minutes in the glass this got a bit funky and stinky, which was actually a bit better. Another hour later the nose yielded some stewed prunes. Was this still tight and needed more time?

1990 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - started drinking 15 minutes after decanting. This was really nice and smoky, showing grilled meats, pencil lead/graphite, and tobacco. Reminds me of a Pauillac.

Full post on the evening is here.

Vaudieu L'Avenue

Drinking at home.

2016 Château de Vaudieu Châteauneuf-du-Pape L'Avenue... - started drinking after 1 hour in decanter. Initially the nose was muted, but the ripe fruit on the palate was there. Still pretty young and the tannins were there. Got that juicy blackcurrant jam on the palate.

2017 Stephan

Dinner at Chouchou.

2017 Stephan Côte-Rôtie - lots of fragrant mint and eucalyptus. Definitely meaty. After more than an hour, the nose was still pretty fragrant.

Full post on dinner is here.

Chidaine and Gonon

Dinner at Jin Sha in Hangzhou.

2022 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Les Choisilles - nose was very flinty and tropical, a little ripe on the palate. Also some lemon citrus.

2023 Pierre Gonon Les Iles Feray - this was very interesting with lots of spices on the nose. The wine was very young and full of really ripe fruit, and also kinda metallic and a little sharp on the nose.

Full post on dinner is here.

Bongwater central

Drinks at La Cabane Bistro.

Brasserie Cantillon Ashanti - lambic with acidity and not bitterness. Lots of floral lavender here.

2017 Marie-Courtin Efflorescence - nose of caramelized apple, along with some nutty notes.

2022 Gramenon Côtes du Rhône L'Emouvante - definitely a Rhône syrah, with some smoke, leather, some fragrant eucalyptus, and black fruits.

2021 Calvez Bobinet Ruben - a bit funky on the nose, and definitely a cab franc.

Champagne, Burg, and Rôtie

Dinner at Wing.

La Closerie Grand Cru - the nose was nice and toasty, and showing some notes of straw. The wine had really good depth on the palate, with good acidity but not too lean. This was beautiful.

1995 Krug Collection, N°534 - pretty nice with lots of vanilla on the nose. Also lovely marmalade on the nose thanks to a good amount of age, which has made it very elegant but still retained freshness. The acidity was on the high side and almost a little grippy on the palate.

2023 Dugat-Py Bâtard-Montrachet - the nose was like those banana rolls I grew up eating. This was definitely fruity and sweet on the nose, almost like bubblegum... with only a hint of toasty popcorn. Definitely got that classic sweet and buttery feel on the palate. Later on the nose also turned a little flinty.

2005 Georges Mugneret Clos-Vougeot - lovely nose of eucalyptus and mint, a little oak, with lovely fruit like black cherries and a bit of smoked meat. Still a pretty big wine with plenty of tannins on the palate.

2020 Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Clos-Vougeot - served around 4 hours after opening. This was much more closed, but showing some sweet fruit like blueberries. Pretty nice and open after another 1½ hours and beyond.

1999 Guigal La Turque - tasted about 45 minutes after opening without decanting. This was really fragrant with tons of coconut butter, which was pretty surprising. Stoppered for about 1½ to prevent the wine from over-breathing, but unfortunately it became muted even with the cork stuck back in. I blame this on the restaurant sommelier insisting to pair this wine with the goose dish, but actually serving this only after the dish had been served.

Bought from Bordeaux Index for GBP 300.

1995 Comte de Vogüé Musigny - served more than 5 hours after opening. There was a little toast and some eucalyptus on the nose.

Full post on dinner is here.

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.