Mingyi and Muxin

Four hands dinner at Jiang by Chef Fei in Guangzhou, with Meet the Bund.

DEVO MV04 Brut Nature – the nose was more caramelized than I had expected. Nice marmalade. Good acidity on the palate without being lean, with a good depth on the palate and a long finish.

2022 Mingyi Beneath the Temple (酩一 岚岩之下) – opened and breathed for 45 minutes before stoppering, and served another 1½ hours later. Initially this was served a bit cold so the nose was closed. On the palate there was a nice sweetness, very ripe and also a it hot and alcoholic.

2023 Muxin Cabernet Sauvignon (木杺赤霞珠) – very classic Bordeaux nose, with nice vanilla oak, smoky, a bit earthy, chocolate, and very ripe fruit. Tannins were still strong, which wasn’t surprising given the young age, but this was approachable as it’s made in a modern style. Also got some fragrant spices on the nose. I can understand why some people like this.

2018 Cailonglin Jin Ding Ice Wine (蔡龙鳞冰酒金鼎) - nose of honeydew, apricot, and peaches. Good acidity upfront and all through the finish, so it wasn’t just sweet all the way.

Full post on dinner is here.

Hundred mountains and Glaciers

Dinner at Yong Fu.

DEVO MV04 Brut Nature - the nose was flinty and mineral. The palate was fairly well-balanced, although it was rather flat mid-palate, with some orange marmalade notes.

2023 JiangYu Grechetto - this was very oxidized. Ripe and sweet.

Bai Yue Cheng Qu Long Jian Fu Xi (百越承曲 龙见伏兮) - made with a solera system, with wines up to 30 years being used. Long finish here. Nice.

2023 Domaine des Glaciers Cabernet Sauvignon - started serving almost 3½ hours after opening. Initially the nose was rather muted and only so-so, with a hint of spices and some green capsicum. Then it got more open and fragrant, with smoky notes and some graphite. Some 4½ hours after opening this got to be pretty nice.

2017 Franco-Chinois Petit Manseng - very sweet on the nose, with lots of intense honeydew melon.

Full post on dinner is here.

Ganevat and Muxin

Dinner at Man Ho.

2018 Domaine Ganevat Les Varrons Vieilles Vignes - it took time for the wine to open up, with more ripeness on the nose than expected, together with flint. Lean on the palate with high acidity. More than an hour later the nose began to show toasty notes. Drinking decently.

Bought from Ginsberg + Chan for HKD 1,000.

2020 Jean-Marc Vincent Santenay 1er Cru Le Beaurepaire - this was pretty forward. Nice and fruity on the nose, with a little leather and also a little meaty. Very pleasant and easy to drink.

Bought from Ginsberg + Chan for HKD 800.

1982 Giscours - started to drink more than an hour after opening. Clearly a little tired, as the sweet fruit was gone. Got some sweet grass on the nose, musty, definitely bretty. Not great.

2021 Muxin Rouge - started drinking about 1 hour and 15 minutes after decanting. The nose was pretty open, and this was definitely predominantly cab. Smoky, earthy, mineral. Young and lively. This was much better than the one I tasted last year.

Bought from Ginsberg + Chan for HKD 1,250.

Full post on dinner is here.

Chinese wines with Sichuanese food

Dinner at Chef 1996 Restaurant in Beijing.

2022 Petit Mont Baima Snow Mountain Yanjing (寸山白马雪山盐井) - OK la... this opened up after a while, showing some nice fruit, some forest notes, and maybe even a hint of coffee later.

2024 The Four Girls Mountain Chardonnay Selection (四姑娘山霞多丽臻選) - lots of vanilla and oak on the nose, along with flint and stone fruits. A little sharp and alcoholic on the nose. Got decent acidity on the palate.

1996 Wuliangye (五粮液) - very smooth on the palate. Still got that classic baijiu profile on the nose.

89 Lang Jiu (郎酒) - there was more umami on the palate, more like Shaoxing, with plummy and fermented flavors.

2023 Clos Mao Shuó Lin (说林) - definitely more rustic on the nose, reflecting the cabernet franc. Still very tannic on the palate.

2018 Célèbre Red (寶莊) - tons of vanilla oak on the nose, ripe and jammy.

2020 Lapu Valley Vidal Golden Ice Wine (藏云谷威代尔冰酒) - very floral with lots of honey.

Full post on dinner is here.

Chinese bistro wines

Supper at Bistro Strong in Beijing.

Henri Giraud MV20, dégorgée le 17 Fevrier 2025 - pretty nice and yeasty nose. Can't go wrong with this.

2023 Yunling Strong White (2023 云翎壮壮干白) - there was some fragrance here, but overall it was pretty muted on the nose.

2023 Canaan Chapter and Verse Master Riesling Sweet (2023迦南诗百篇特选甜型雷司令) - the nose was kinda interesting, floral with lychee notes, but also a bit sharp on the nose like acetone. Maybe this was just too young. Has shades of Trimbach but nowhere near as lovely.

Full post on supper is here.

2022 Muxin Chardonnay

Lunch at Jiang by Chef Fei in Guangzhou.

2022 Muxin Chardonnay - showing lemon, a little honey, flint, and some fruity notes at first. After 20 minutes or so the nose opened up more, and the acidity also came out on the palate. We've got more toasty notes, then the body gathered weight and the wine had a grippy finish on the back of the throat. A very nicely balanced chardonnay, and pretty elegant.

Ordered from the wine list for CNY 1,5xx.

Full post on lunch is here.

Chinese wine tasting

Tasting of Chinese wines at Christie's.

2017 Tiansai Skyline of Gobi Sparkling Wine - this was decent, with a little flint and some fruit on the nose.

DEVO MV03 Brut Nature - this was more lively, with bigger flinty nose, and good acidity on the palate.

2023 Longting Spring Rosé - big nose with lots of flint. Very sweet with stone fruit notes.

2022 Zaxee Syrah Reserve - kinda funky, reductive, a bit stinky, mineral, and minty. Once it opned up more it got better.

2012 Franco Chinois Reserve Marselan - this was really good, with a fragrant and open nose.

2022 Amber Memorable Jin Prestige Cuvée Cabernet Sauvignon - this was more Bordeaux-like, showing a decent nose with smoky and earthy notes. Also very decent on the palate, soft but not too boring. Almost a bit of a floral finish.

2019 Renyiyuan Tao Cabernet Sauvignon - this was also kinda Bordeaux-like, smoky, minty, with good fruit. Nice on the palate with good concentration.

2021 Xige Estate Jade Dove Cabernet Gernischt - the nose was more smoky, but also came with more woodsy fragrance.

2021 Helan Mountain Special Reserve Chardonnay - a bit oaky on the nose with flint and tropical stone fruit. Ripe on the nose as well as bring very ripe on the palate, this was definitely on the sweet side.

2022 Chateau Hesoute White Muscat - so flinty and also very obviously lychee, and this reminds me of Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise.