Marcassin and La Closerie

Dinner at Gaddi's.

La Closerie fac-simile - lots of strawberries and red currants on the nose. Lovely mousse. Really fragrant, very nice and alluring. There was good depth and lovely balance on the palate, harmony among ripeness, acidity, and tartness. With time we also got savory minerals on the nose. Long finish. Lovely wine.

2013 Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard - first served about 30 minutes after opening, and the wine was just beginning to show. The nose was really buttery, nice and toasty, and this was really ripe and alcoholic on the palate. Drinking beautifully about an hour after opening and it was so, sooo nice.

2017 Clos Rougeard Saumur Champigny - started drinking about 1½ hours after opening. Nose was very meaty, very animal, smoky, a little pungent, slightly savory, and a little peppery. Got some fruit here, and we've got acidity peering through the tannins. Around 2½ hours after opening the nose was showing lots of capsicums, too.

2012 Ogier Côte-Rôtie - started drinking about 2½ hours after decanting, and maybe this has over-aerated a little. Lots of pine needles and potpourri, but where was the jammy fruit? There were some lovely eucalyptus on the nose, with some ripe fruit that was far weaker than I had expected. The wine had clearly softened and was now more elegant. After 3 hours in the decanter, there were a little herbal notes, almost like green tomatoes.

2000 Niepoort Colheita, engarrafado em 2018 - very ripe, very sweet, and very rich, like rum raisin ice cream.

Full post on dinner is here.

Krug Rosé and Clos Rougeard

Dinner at Impromptu by Paul Lee in Taipei.

Krug Rosé - nice and rounded on the palate, pretty mature now, with a little toast on the nose. A little more bitterness when it warmed up in glass. Pre-2004 label so this has around 20 years' of age on it. What a treat!

2013 Clos Rougeard Saumur Champigny - served starting 1 hour after decanting. Pretty muted nose at first, perhaps a little corked? Some light red fruits on the nose, with a slight hint of brett. Not much body here. Disappointing.

2012 Tommasi Recioto della Valpolicella Fiorato - the sharpness of alcohol on the nose was evident. Almost a little raisin on the nose.

Full post on dinner is here.

Juyondai Black Label and more

Dinner at Shoun RyuGin in Taipei.

1995 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Œnothèque - nose was a little strange, maybe some sugarcane notes, with very strong marmalade and nice minerality along as well as a little toast.  Acidity was pretty high.

2010 Louis Michel Chablis Grenouilles - lovely minerals, some flint, and stone fruits.  Decent acidity level was it was not too high.  Some ripeness and fragrance lingered in the mouth for a lovely finish.

1995 Comte de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes - lots of leather in the nose.  Still hard with tannins, and turned acidic with aeration, but the tannins were still present.  Later on with further aeration acidity became really high.  Probably just not ready yet...

Kokuryu Daiginjo Ryu (黒龍 大吟醸 龍), 30BY - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 40%.  Nice flavors of fermented rice.

Sohomare Kimotoshikomi Junmai Ginjo (惣誉 生酛仕込 純米吟醸), 30BY - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 55%.  Nose showing some fermented rice flavors, with banana notes.  Drier on the palate but with good depth.

Juyondai Black Label, 29BY - seimaibuai (精米歩合) is not disclosed for this bottling.  Nose was somewhat fermented, with some fermented rice notes.  Pretty sweet on the palate with a long finish.

2010 Clos Rougeard Saumur Champigny - toasty, minty, leather notes.  Good acidity here.

Vincent Fleith Crémant d'Alsace Brut Nature - flinty with stone fruits on the nose.

Full post on dinner is here.

6 for bistro

Dinner at Le Mieux Bistro in Hong Kong.

1990 André Beaufort Grand Cru Brut - A bit of wood on the nose.  Ripe and sweet mid-palate with an acidic finish.  Caramelized and a little metallic.

1996 Vilmart Cuvée Création - nose was caramelized, grassy with notes of flint.

2002 Vincent Girardin Bonnes Mares - fragrant and fruity with strawberry notes.  A little sharp and alcoholic on the nose.  Animal, leather, potpourri.  Pretty full-bodied.  Very nice and sweet.  A little feminine.

2006 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny Le Bourg - a little sharp, with smoke, exotic spices, pine needle and a little floral.

1996 Guigal Château d'Ampuis - classic Côte-Rôtie, with a lovely, beautiful nose of dried herbs, flowers, sweet fruit and a little leather.  This bottle drank very nicely, and I'm glad I brought it.

1998 Henri Bonneau Cuvée Marie Beurrier - fruity with lychees, rose, a little medicinal and smoked meats.

Full post on dinner is here.

Cheese dinner pairing

Cheese dinner at Caprice.

2009 Pithon-Paillé Anjou Coteau des Treilles - from the négociant business set up by famed winemaker Jo Pithon and his stepson Jo Paillé after the former's ouster from the domaine that bore his name.  This was a little tropical, with minerals and ripeness.  Acidity is definitely there.

2009 Andre Perret Condrieu Chery - lovely nose of white flowers, lots of white peach, very tropical with a hint of banana.  Really ripe on the palate.

2003 Domaine des Roches Neuves Saumur Champigny La Marginale - this Cab Franc definitely reminded me of some of the Saint Emilion... Very earthy nose, with forest, smoke and some fruit.  A little cloudy thanks to the surprisingly large amount of sediment.

2003 Albert Mann Pinot Gris Pfersigberg - notes of pineapple, ripe fruit, a little sweet on the palate with a slightly spicy finish.

2008 Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage Rouge - what a wine!  Sebastien had opened two bottles of another wine which he found flawed, before popping the cork on this one and leaving it in the decanter for perhaps close to an hour.  When I received the first pour, I was blown away.  The amazing floral notes - which I only find in Northern Rhône - was in my face.  Loads of violet and rose, and sweet fruit, too.  After more than 10 years of drinking Syrah from Northern Rhône and having Côte-Rôtie as my favorite wine, I finally learned that the floral notes aren't actually the result of adding Viognier into the blend, but come from Syrah that has gone through a long maturation process.  Just shows you how much I know...

Eric Bordelet Poiré Authentique - as a lover of French cidre, I'm lucky to have found a source for Bordelet's famed cidre, some of which are made with fruit from trees that are a couple hundred years' old.  Toasty, mineral and of course sweet on the palate.  A natural pairing with the Fourme d'Ambert and pear.  Coincidentally, I was carrying in my bag a magnum of Bordelet's Poiré Granit that I had been keeping in the office...

Full post on dinner is here.