Cristal, rhone, and more

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2007 Cloudy Bay Te Koko - big, toasty nose.  Kinda ripe on the palate.  Muscat grape and a hint of green apple, along with some flint.  Actually this was pretty fresh for a wine this age, with some lively acidity and not too ripe.

2002 Louis Roederer Cristal - very smooth on the palate.  Nice and fragrant.

1989 Zind Humbrecht Clos Windsbuhl Riesling Sélection de Grains Nobles - tons of manuka honey, notes of apricot, dates, marmalade, acetone, and beeswax.

2003 Henri Bonneau Cuvée Marie Beurrier, en magnum - decanted 1 hour after opening, and served 1½ hours after opening.  Very fragrant nose with eucalyptus, some ripe fruit, and a little gamey.  Still a little tannic, actually.

2003 Torbreck Run Rig - decanted more than 1 hour after opening and served almost 3 hours after opening.  Sweet and ripe, and a little smoky.  Delicious.

2005 Jonata El Alma de Jonata - decanted more than 4 hours after opening, and served 6 hours after opening.  Really sweet with lots of vanilla.

Full post on dinner is here.

Jonata El Desafio

Lunch at Yakiniku Jumbo Hong Kong.

2006 El Desafio de Jonata - pretty ripe and sweet on the palate.

Full post on lunch is here.

Blanc de blancs for NYE

Drinking at a friend's home.

2002 Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs - riper than expected with lower acidity, pretty smooth and rounded, very easy to drink.

1998 Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs - higher acidity here, more crisp on the palate as well as more depth and complexity.

2006 El Desafio de Jonata - lots of mint with plenty of fruit, very ripe and alcoholic, with smoky notes.

The Judge and Chave Hermitage

Dinner at View 62 by Paco Roncero.

2003 Kongsgaard Chardonnay The Judge - this was decanted 1½ hours before dinner, and was still pretty closed as we poured it from the bottle during dinner.  Eventually I asked for it to be decanted again, and the wine finally opened up.  Nose of flint, honey, toasty oak, vanilla… a little more restrained and elegant compared to last night.  Very well balanced.  Curiously the wine has mellowed out since I was blown away by it almost 2 years ago.

1985 Chave Hermitage Rouge - opened and poured immediately at the table, showing a huge farm nose, with minerals, leather, minty and plummy nose that was lovely.  Later on the savory notes from minerals emerged, along with olive tapenade.  The one with the best palate among us, though, thought it was green olives…  The palate of the wine faded quickly, turning acidic after a short while.

Drinks at a friend's house.

2008 La Sangre de Jonata - opened but stoppered for about 3½ hours before pouring.  A very floral nose, but very sharp and alcoholic.  Also earthy, metallic, mineral and very sweet.  Seriously too young.

Full post on the evening is here.

1997 Au Bon Climat

1997 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Sanford and Benedict Vineyard

2000 Andrew Murray Enchanté

Dinner at Tarpy's Roadhouse in Monterey.

2000 Andrew Murray Enchanté - this blend of Roussanne and Viognier was interesting and the flavors are pretty typical of the varietals, with floral notes on top of pear.  But it tastes just like a Côtes-du-Rhône!  A bit disappointed...