French and Aussie

Dinner at Sense in Hangzhou.

Augustin Feu - there was some sharp acidity on the nose, with Chinese sour plum. While the palate was on the acidic side it was somewhat tempered.

2023 Bessin-Tremblay Chablis Valmur - the nose was a bit green, and also a little reductive.

2022 Benoit Moreau Volnay 1er Cru Santenots - prominent coconut butter notes on the nose, but this also seemed a little dusty.

2022 Place of Changing Winds Heathcote Syrah - served nearly 2 hours after opening. There was lots of coconut butter and mint, very ripe and sweet, with a little smoky grilled meats and woodsy notes. Definitely too young and still got the tannins.

2009 Coutet - nose of honey, pineapple, apricot, and saffron.

Full post on dinner is here.

Yquem tasting

Tasting of wines from Château d'Yquem at Hong Kong Wine Vault, with Thomas Robert and Louis Valette from the château.

It was a great chance to taste the trio of recent vintages. We were told that the 2021 was on the lighter side, 2022 on the rich side, and the 2023 was a nice balance between the two.

2023 Yquem - very floral, lots of lychee, so much saffron and honey, as well as apricot. This was so fragrant and beautiful.

2022 Yquem - more acetone and a bit sharper on the nose at first, maybe even a little waxy. Still got the floral, saffron notes. It was also very much richer and sweeter on the palate, very big on the palate, and sooo unctuous.

2021 Yquem - this was a bit leaner on the nose, with some vanilla and bubblegum, orange blossom water, saffron, honey, and a hint of acetone. Not so sweet on the palate and came with a little bit of bitterness on the finish, like marmalade.

2017 Ygrec, en magnum - very flinty on the nose, plenty of pipi de chat. Good acidity on the palate with a long finish. This was a little on the warm side, and tasted thick and tannic on the palate.

2007 Yquem - nice and rich, but not as big as the 2022. I do love that classic honey, saffron, and apricot blend.

Champagne magnums and DRC Assortment

Champagne in the Island Shangri-La Presidential Suite.

2003 B de Boërl et Kroff, dégorgé en Avril 2016 - drank 1 hour after opening. Nice and ripe on the nose along with lovely marmalade notes. Good depth on the palate with a nice dose of acidity. Turned reasonally metallic on the palate together with some caviar. Always a pleasure to drink.

1997 Salon, en magnum - drank 1½ hours after opening. What a beautiful wine! There was so much toast on the nose, and it was so open and fragrant. The acidity was still very high. There were also notes of minerals and juicy red plums. Soooo nice!

1961 Louis Roederer Cristal, en magnum - drank about 1 hour after opening. The nose was very metallic, with lots of Chinese salty plum. Very grippy on the palate. Such a lovely, mature wine.

Dinner at Petrus, with 2001 DRC Assortment case.

2013 Joseph Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche, en magnum - served around 2 hours after decanting. We've got some toasty notes, but overall the nose was not big and powerful. It's sweet and buttery, with lemon and almost a little apricot. A little bit too ripe for its age and considering the format. 93 points.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet - served about 2½ hours after opening. The nose was so much bigger, richer, yet cleaner. This was soooo fragrant. 97 points.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant - started drinking more than 3 hours after opening. The nose was fragrant but there was a hint of earthiness, along with leather. Later on came the toasty notes, and perhaps there was a little bit of stem. Funnily enough, I also thought there were elements of Chinese traditional bone-setting oil (跌打酒)... 94 points.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti - started drinking around 3½ hours after opening. The nose was very floral like roses, with exotic spices, as well as a little bit of cherry-flavored [cough] syrup and eucalyptus. 97 points and my favorite wine of the reds.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg - started drinking around 4 hours after opening. The nose showed a lovely fragrance, a little floral, definitely cool fruit. Better than the Romanée-Saint-Vivant but not as good as the Romanée-Conti. 95 points.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Échézeaux - started drinking about 4½ hours after opening. This was really fragrant and elegant, not quite floral but lovely nonetheless. A little later the toasty notes came out, and it was a little funky on the palate. Still very fragrant more than 5½ hours after opening. 95 points.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échézeaux - started drinking the first bottle more than 4½ hours after opening. The nose was more closed compared to the others, with more stem, and was definitely corked. The second bottle was much cleaner with a fragrant nose showing eucalyptus. 95 points for the second bottle.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche - started drinking almost 5 hours after opening. This was still a little closed, and the nose was kinda meaty. 94 points.

1965 Yquem - nose was showing tons of saffron, honey, marinated prunes, and marmalade. Such a pleasure to drink an aged Yquem!

Full post on the evening is here.

2020 Angelus and Ygrec

Dinner at Caprice.

2020 Ygrec de Yquem - nose of lemon citrus, honey, with very good acidity to balance the small amount of ripeness on the palate. I could definitely smell the sauvignon blanc in the blend.

Bought from HK Wine Vault for HKD 1,300.

2020 Angelus - drank about 2 hours after decanting. Definitely still a very young and vibrant wine. Very ripe and a little jammy, with prominent notes of forest and potpourri, along with vanilla and mint on the nose. Still needs time to develop, but enjoyable now.

Bought from Altaya for EUR 295.

2014 Yauem, en imperial - lots of polyurethane and saffron, as well as orange and acetone. Soooo lovely and viscous on the palate.

2020 DRC Corton-Charlemagne - good acidity as well as good ripeness, with a little honey on the nose and a bit of polyurethane. This did not smell like a white Burg at all, with none of the buttery and oaky profile. After a little more time, the toasty notes finally came out, along with some flint. When the wine got warmer in the glass, the ripeness became more obvious.

1989 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl Sélection de Grains Nobles - nose of saffron, honey, marmalade, and lovely nutty notes.

Full post on dinner is here.

Henin and Araujo

Lunch at Restaurant Petrus.

2014 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs - initially the nose was rather muted, or perhaps it was actually 'elegant'? With a little minerals. The acidity was really nice on the palate, with good depth and a long finish.

2014 Pascal Henin L'apelle de la Forêt, dégorgée 15 Decembre 2020 - this was very different from the Delamotte. The nose was very open and fragrant, with more woodsy notes, followed by citrus and marmalade. Good dose of acidity on the palate without being too sharp. Very enjoyable.

Bought from WEA Wines for SGD 108.

2002 Araujo Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard - drank about 2 hours after decanting, but really not sure why most of the sediment was poured into the decanter. The wine was soooo fragrant, with mint, pencil lead, and sweet cassis notes. Later on we also got smoky and savory mineral notes on the nose. The wine was riper and sweeter on the palate than expected based on previous experience.

Bought from Zachys for HKD 1,830.

2005 Yquem - classic nose of honey, safron, apricot, acetone, and beeswax.

Drinks at the Lobster Bar.

2019 Penfolds Bin 704 - very ripe nose with lots of cooked fruit, obviously very hot, and pretty minty. Surprising this also got a little more acidity on the palate than expected.

2008 Lynch-Bages - I actually haven't tasted this wine since the en primeur season at the château. Initially the nose was more muted, with some smoke and a hint of sweet grass. Then we got some oak and meaty notes, pencil lead, and was showing a little of the savory profile.

Full post on lunch and drinks is here.

2020 Petit Cheval Blanc

Dinner at Caprice.

Leclerc Briant Réserve Vendages 2018, dégorgée Decembre 2023, en magnum - acidity was pretty high on this, so the palate was pretty crisp. The nose was pretty metallic on the first whiff, but then turned pretty yeasty as the wine opened up in the glass.

2020 Le Petit Cheval Blanc - decanted and served about 30 minutes later. This showed really big nose of green apple and some muscat grapes, along with some flint. The acidity of the wine was fairly high, but we've also got a little bit of that roundness on the palate.

Bought from HK Wine Vault for HKD 980.

1987 Yquem, en imperial - nose of saffron, polyurethane, marmalade, Anjou pear. Good level of sweetness on the palate, but also got that little bitterness, too.

Full post on dinner is here.

2016 Filhot Gold Reserve

Drinking in the air.

1996 Filhot Gold Reserve - nose of acetone, orange blossom water, saffron, orange rind, honey. Pretty sweet on the palate, especially after eating some curry. A little bitter on the palate like orange bitters.

A pair of 1981s

Dinner at Caprice.

2014 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs - nose was very yeasty with notes of brioche. Ripe but not too sweet on the palate with good depth. Pretty elegant and alluring.

1981 Guigal La Landonne - served without decanting about 30 minutes after opening. This was showing beautifully, with lovely notes of leather, prunes, black cherries, and almost a hint of floral fragrance. Color was lighter than the '81 Grange. Also showed a bit of smokiness both on the nose and on the palate.

Bought from Andromeda for HKD 5,350.

1981 Penfolds Grange - served without decanting right after opening. Nose was more green and grassy than expected. About 30 minutes later this was more minty, and lacking the coconut butter that usually comes with this wine and this vintage. Still some oak on the nose, sweet but not the same richness typical of Grange. More than 1½ hours later there was a little more sweet fruit, a little smoke, then some savory minerals and black olives more than 2 hours after opening. Unfortunately I do think there was a little cork taint here. Not bad to the point of the wine being undrinkable, but just very disappointing and not really enjoyable.

Bought from Acker for HKD 2,456.

2014 Yquem, en imperial - nose of orange blossom water, saffron, beeswax, and a little candied pineapple. Really nice.

Full post on dinner is here.

1943 Yquem

Dinner at Sushi Momo in Taipei.

1943 Yquem, from Christie's Finest and Rarest Wines from the Cellar of Christen Sveass - level base neck. Opened around an hour before serving. The nose was really, really fragrant, and there was so much depth on the palate. Marmalade, honey, figs, saffron, honeydew melon, acetone. When it got a little too warm the wine became slightly bitter and astringent on the palate, but as after cooling in the ice bucket this changed. Yes, the wine is sweet and viscous, but that acidity remains after more than 80 years.

The cork looks pretty damn good after 80 years, I gotta say...

Full post on dinner is here.

France 2023 day 2: Yquem banquet

Dinner at Château d'Yquem with wines chosen to pair with dishes from Guillaume Galliot.

2018 Yquem - nose of apricot, orange blossom, honey, beeswax, saffron. So fresh, so energetic and lively. The wine is still too young to be unctuous on the palate, but it's already soft and supple. Very exotic. Very delicious.

2021 Ygrec - nose of muscat grapes, a little bit of flint and mineral. Good acidity, as it's there but not too sharp, with some ripeness to balance out everything. This was a good match with the scallops.

2017 Yquem - just a year older than the 2018 but this was much more mature. Very supple and alluring, with nose of honey and apricot. Much sweeter on the palate but also comes with the bitterness on the finish. A bit more viscous in terms of texture. Chef says he smells durian in this wine, but I didn't think so. Maybe the creaminess but there's no stink here.

2001 Yquem - so rich, soooo unctuous, and much more mature. Showing lots of marmalade and then the bitterness on the finish. Nose of honey, minerals, a little acetone, so much ripe honeydew melon, and sooooo sweet on the nose. This was such a stunning wine!

1990 Yquem - this was soooo smooth now, thinner on the body and definitely lighter. Nose of raisins, with a prominent, bitter finish.

1970 Yquem - lots of alcohol and tons of acetone made this sharp on the nose. Lots of raisins on the nose, a little exotic, with some medjool dates, and this was actually more aged mandarin peel than the classic marmalade thanks to a bit of smokiness. Lots of depth on the palate, and the bitterness was there, but this was not viscous by any means. So happy to have tasted this at the château.

1934 Yquem - nose of honey, raisins, medjool dates, almost nutty. More sharp on the nose than expected. Later on also showing honeydew melon. Very elegant now. Not so sweet on the palate at this age, and not too bitter on the finish. After the cheese course, though, a little more of the bitterness came out.

Full post on dinner is here.