Sparkling and Burg night

Dinner at Wing.

2014 Ultramarine Heintz Vineyard Blanc de Noirs, disgorged Nov 15, 2018 - somewhat fragrant, a little caramelized sugar, nice mousse. More rounded with a decent palate.

2014 Ultramarine Heintz Vineyard Blanc de Blancs, disgorged Nov 18, 2018 - acidity was definitely much higher, a little more mineral, and more grippy on the palate.

1959 Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach Hochheimer Domdechaney Riesling Spätlese Cabinet Naturrein - classic nose oe petrol, very oxidized, very round and soft on the palate. After more than 2 hours this opened up and got better.

1964 Hospices de Beaune Meursault 1er Cru Charmes Cuvée Albert Grivault, par Bouchard - oxidized with some notes of straw, very soft on the palate.

2008 Roulot Meursault Les Tessons Clos de Mon Plaisir - good balance between ripeness with the acidity.

2010 Cecile Tremblay Vosne-Romanée Vieilles Vignes - served after opening for 2 hours or so. Really fragrant with some leather notes along with black cherries.

2019 Jérôme Galeyrand Bourgogne Aligoté Le Cran - flinty on the nose, some ripeness here.

Full post on dinner is here.

Old Malmsey and Chapoutier

Lunch at Robuchon au Dôme in Macau.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 165éme édition, ID 416039 - very big and toasty nose.  Acidity was a little higher than expected.  Such a beautiful wine.

2010 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Méal Blanc - very big toasty nose, which was lovely.  Really, really ripe on the palate, actually a little over-ripe, and ended up being a little bitter.

1975 Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Auslese - beautiful and sweet on the nose, with honey, preserved lemon, and dried tangerine peel.  Not too sweet on the palate.

2010 Chapoutier Ermitage L'Ermite - decanted 1½ hours prior to serving.  First whiff was almost Bordeaux-like, with smoke but not much fruit.  Showed eucalyptus and a hint of black pepper, and was still a little sharp on the nose in terms of alcohol.

1934 Henriques and Henriques Malmsey - THIS was an incredible treat.  Showing Asian pear like Korean or Japanese nashi with the mineral notes, and interesting, exotic spices, really ripe prunes, and even a little savory notes.

Old rieslings and more

Dinner at The 8 in Macau.

2002 Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons - nose kinda ripe, buttery, sweet and tropical, flinty, later obvious notes of frangipani.  Good acidity, with some ripeness but overall still kinda lean.

1969 Schloss Eltz Eltviller Sonnenberg Riesling Feine Spätlese - spiced quince, almost nutmeg, honey, marmalade, orange peel, and savory mineral notes.  The second pour delivered a little more sweetness on the palate.

1959 Anheuser Kreuznacher Narrenkappe Riesling Feinste Auslese - actually more dry than the '69 spätlese.  Oxidized and mineral nose, with polyurethane.  A little hint of bitterness on the palate.  The second and third pours came flat and short on the palate, while the bitterness became more pronounced.  Not as pleasant as the '69.

2000 Chave Hermitage Rouge - served more than 1½ hours after opening, without decanting.  Lots of fruit with eucalyptus, along with a bit of iron rust and metallic notes.  Exotic spices, pretty jammy underneath the oak, along with leather, smoke, a bit of graphite and some barnyard.  Drinking absolutely beautifully.

Full post on dinner is here.

German rieslings and more

Dinner at The Chairman.

Godmé Extra Brut Grand Cru - nice and toasty.  Slightly bitter mid-palate.

1990 von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Spätlese - nice acidity balance, and nice and rounded on the palate.  Beautiful nose of minerals and lemon.

1986 Domdechant Werner Hochheimer Domdechaney Riesling Auslese - very marmalade on the nose.  Very flat on the palate with a short finish.  Not great.

1980 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain - minty with sweet fruit, so fragrant with cedar notes.  Tannins were smooth now but wine was by no means diluted, still full-bodied, with good acidity.

1968 Fortia Tête de Cru - decanted for a while.  Really huge nose of iron rust, savory underneath with a bit of black olives, and still some nice fruit here.  Pretty interesting.

2002 Marquis d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds - minty with dried herbs.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sweet German rieslings

Tasting of sweet German Rieslings at Watson's Wine Cellar, hosted by Katharina Staab - the current German Wine Queen.

1992 Wegeler Oestricher Doosberg Riesling Auslese - grassy, sugar cane, ripe pineapple, and marzipan.  Lots of sweetness but also plenty of acidity on the palate.

1993 Diel Riesling Eiswein - very intense nose of pollen, plastic, honey, marmalade.  Viscous on the palate.

2012 Max Ferd. Richter Mülheimer Helenenkloster Riesling Eiswein - very elegant and floral, with white flowers, young dried tangerine peel, a little polyurethane, and still a little pungent on the nose.  Lots of sugar and more concentrated on the palate, with mandarin notes.

2011 Keller Cuvee Trockenbeerenauslese - polyurethane, marmalade, honey, dried apricot notes.  Sweet but has enough acidity here.

2008 Gunderloch Nackenheimer Rothenberg Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese - intense nose of honey, honeydew melon, a little floral, with plastic glue notes.  Very thick and viscous on the palate, almost chewy.  Really sweet and totally up my alley.

2007 Max Ferd. Richter Graacher Dompropst Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese - a little pungent plastic, a little more floral, with orange blossom.  Really ripe with lots of botrytis.

76 Schönborn Auslese

Lunch at The 8 in Macau.

1976 Schloss Schönborn Erbacher Marcobrunn Riesling Auslese - lovely marmalade, a hint of nuttiness, and honey.  Lovely on the palate, with a very long finish.

Full post on lunch is here.

97 Giacosa, 90 Beaufort, 76 Weiβherbst

Dinner at Robuchon au Dôme in Macau.

1990 André Beaufort Ambonnay Brut, dégorgé en Janvier 2012 - very ripe on the palate, nice and mature.  Beautiful, caramelized nose with salty plum notes.

1976 Schloss Reinhartshausen Erbacher Siegelsberg Spätburgunder Weiβherbst Auslese - I had never seen a rosé or blanc de noirs from Germany before, never mind one that was made as an auslese.  Nose was lovely like a Chambertin, with leather and sweet fruit notes.  Palate-wise it was kinda sweet and somewhere between a spätlese and an auslese.  This was soooo interesting!

1997 Bruno Giacosa Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga - we needed to pay tribute to the passing of the great man a few days ago.  Served 2 hours after decanting.  At first this was a little warm, showing a little smoky notes.  Delivered minty, eucalyptus, and cassis on the nose.  Lovely.

Young and old German riesling

Dinner at The 8 Restaurant in Macau.

2014 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett - nice minerality.  Still off-dry with slight sweetness, with good acidity.

1921 Schloss Johannisberg Erntebringer Riesling Auslese - served 40 minutes after opening.  Very nutty and honey nose, with exotic spices.  Not very sweet at all, actually almost savory with a little Chinese preserved plum... and a little polyurethane.  Not as thick and viscous on the tongue as expected.  30 minutes after serving, the palate was already feeling a little short.

Full post on dinner is here.

Rieslings and Mouton

Lunch at The Eight in Macau.

2013 Keller Dalsheimer Hubacker Riesling Großes Gewächs trocken - flinty on the nose, with good ripeness on the palate but still good acidity on the back.  More like a French riesling than your average German off-dry riesling.

1971 Christoffel Berres Erdener Prälat Riesling Auslese - decanted just prior to serving.  Lots of Manuka honey in the nose, very fragrant, with marmalade notes, a little whiff of old, musty nose... at the same time rich and nutty.  Good depth of flavors on the palate, but a little short.

1978 Mouton-Rothschild - decanted and served right away.  Just 15 minutes later, the wine showed beautiful nose with classic smoke and pencil lead.  The palate was a little short at first, but improved with time.

Full post on lunch is here.