Dinner at Cuisine Cuisine (國金軒).
2005 Jean-Philippe Fichet Bourgogne Blanc - a flinty nose with mineral, grass and lemon citrus notes. Being from the fantastic 2005 vintage, the wine was ripe on the palate but a bit tart on the finish.
1998 Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin Combe-du-Dessus - I bought a case of this wine years ago and have had quite a few great bottles since, but this particular bottle needed a bit more coaxing - the bouquet didn't develop fully until almost 3 hours after opening. Nose of sweet strawberries and plum, with oriental spice, game meats and forest. Good body and structure here, and still a nice wine to drink. It's really unfortunate that Denis decided to commit suicide in 2006 after a long bout with depression.
Full post on dinner is here.
February 11, 2009
February 9, 2009
2002 Malleret
2002 Château de Malleret - drank at Farm House (農圃). This wine actually drank quite well given that it's a Cru Bourgeois Supérieur.
Full post on dinner is here.
Full post on dinner is here.
February 6, 2009
A mixed bag of three
Dinner at Kimberley Chinese Restaurant (君怡閣).
2006 Selbach-Oster Riesling Kabinett "Fish" - a pretty straight-forward Riesling, with nose of petrol and minerals. Only slightly ripe and sweet because it's a Kabinett.
1996 Artadi Viña El Pisón Reserva - powerful medicinal nose with brett and smoke. Colors are still very deep ruby. Concentrated yet smooth on the palate.
2001 Fisher Coach Insignia - nose of sweet red fruits, caramel, mint, smoked meats and coffee. Still pretty tannic and should probably be cellared for a few more years.
Full post on dinner is here.
2006 Selbach-Oster Riesling Kabinett "Fish" - a pretty straight-forward Riesling, with nose of petrol and minerals. Only slightly ripe and sweet because it's a Kabinett.
1996 Artadi Viña El Pisón Reserva - powerful medicinal nose with brett and smoke. Colors are still very deep ruby. Concentrated yet smooth on the palate.
2001 Fisher Coach Insignia - nose of sweet red fruits, caramel, mint, smoked meats and coffee. Still pretty tannic and should probably be cellared for a few more years.
Full post on dinner is here.
February 5, 2009
2005 Bachelet Bourgogne
2005 Domaine Bachelet Bourgogne - drank at Gusto. This is a (relatively) cheap drinking wine from a great vintage. Nose of sweet grass, straw, apple, minerals, sous-bois and mint. Good amount of body and tannins since it is a young wine. Actually this needs at least 2 hours of aeration if not more.
Full post on dinner is here.
Full post on dinner is here.
February 3, 2009
Marchese Lodovico Antinori's new wines
Dinner at Nicholini's featuring the new ventures from Marchese Lodovico Antinori, founder of Tenuta dell'Ornellaia.
2007 Mount Nelson Sauvignon Blanc - rather oaky nose, with muscat grape, some minerals and a bit chalky towards the end. Good acidity balance with the ripeness on the palate. A Sauvignon Blanc that screams New Zealand...
2007 Insoglio - first impression was stewed prunes, minerals on the nose, with lots of concentration and a bit hot on the palate. Later on smoked meats and coffee notes emerged. The wine is very young and there were still some heavy tannins. This wine is a twist on the traditional Bordeaux blend, as Cabernet Sauvignon has been replaced entirely by 35% of Syrah.
2006 Insoglio - very strong nose of minerals, iron with lots of sweet fruits. Good concentration here, a bit hot but in general pretty smooth on the palate. My favorite of the three vintages.
2005 Insoglio - a different blend than the 2006/7 with the presence of 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Sweet fruit and a bit minty on the nose which is less sharp than the newer vintages. Smooth and nice on the palate. An easy wine to drink, but I found it less interesting than the 2006/7.
2006 Il Pino di Biserno - huge concentration here, with heavy mineral notes and very sweet. A Bordeaux blend with no Syrah, but it sure smells like a lot of Cali Syrahs that I love so much, especially with the minerals.
2005 Il Pino di Biserno - sweet on the nose but also a bit chalky. Smooth on the palate with a tad more acidity. Beautiful wine. Later on a bit of brett emerged, along with caramel, vanilla and a hint of smoke. My wine of the evening.
Full post on dinner is here.
2007 Mount Nelson Sauvignon Blanc - rather oaky nose, with muscat grape, some minerals and a bit chalky towards the end. Good acidity balance with the ripeness on the palate. A Sauvignon Blanc that screams New Zealand...
2007 Insoglio - first impression was stewed prunes, minerals on the nose, with lots of concentration and a bit hot on the palate. Later on smoked meats and coffee notes emerged. The wine is very young and there were still some heavy tannins. This wine is a twist on the traditional Bordeaux blend, as Cabernet Sauvignon has been replaced entirely by 35% of Syrah.
2006 Insoglio - very strong nose of minerals, iron with lots of sweet fruits. Good concentration here, a bit hot but in general pretty smooth on the palate. My favorite of the three vintages.
2005 Insoglio - a different blend than the 2006/7 with the presence of 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Sweet fruit and a bit minty on the nose which is less sharp than the newer vintages. Smooth and nice on the palate. An easy wine to drink, but I found it less interesting than the 2006/7.
2006 Il Pino di Biserno - huge concentration here, with heavy mineral notes and very sweet. A Bordeaux blend with no Syrah, but it sure smells like a lot of Cali Syrahs that I love so much, especially with the minerals.
2005 Il Pino di Biserno - sweet on the nose but also a bit chalky. Smooth on the palate with a tad more acidity. Beautiful wine. Later on a bit of brett emerged, along with caramel, vanilla and a hint of smoke. My wine of the evening.
Full post on dinner is here.
February 2, 2009
2007 Ostertag Riesling Epfig
2007 Ostertag Riesling Epfig - drank at Fook Lam Moon (福臨門). The wine was OK but I don't think my body was in the right condition to drink much...
Full post on dinner is here.
Full post on dinner is here.
January 24, 2009
Ramonet Chassagne and Beringer Merlot
Dinner at Chefshow Time (阿正廚坊) in Taipei.
2001 Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Boudriotte - I bought this just before dinner. I've always liked the 2001 whites from Ramonet, and this proved to be a beautiful wine. Wonderful nose of honey, straw, sweet grass, orange blossom, honeydew, oxidized pear and lemon. Very slightly acidic on the finish.
1997 Beringer Merlot Howell Mountain - I bought a ton of this wine a few years ago when it was offered on sale, and it is still drinking nicely. Nose initially showed mint and eucalyptus on top of red fruits, then it was a bit medicinal and showed sweet vanilla. Since this wasn't decanted, it actually took a bit of time for the nose to open up. This wine is still going strong and I will have a few more years to enjoy and run down my inventory.
Full post on dinner is here.
2001 Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Boudriotte - I bought this just before dinner. I've always liked the 2001 whites from Ramonet, and this proved to be a beautiful wine. Wonderful nose of honey, straw, sweet grass, orange blossom, honeydew, oxidized pear and lemon. Very slightly acidic on the finish.
1997 Beringer Merlot Howell Mountain - I bought a ton of this wine a few years ago when it was offered on sale, and it is still drinking nicely. Nose initially showed mint and eucalyptus on top of red fruits, then it was a bit medicinal and showed sweet vanilla. Since this wasn't decanted, it actually took a bit of time for the nose to open up. This wine is still going strong and I will have a few more years to enjoy and run down my inventory.
Full post on dinner is here.
January 19, 2009
Old World vs New World Pinot and Chardonnay
Dinner at Fook Lam Moon (福臨門).
1999 Armand Rousseau Mazy Chambertin - color was very light and diluted. The nose was pretty muted while the palate was a bit acidic. Pretty disappointing to be honest. I expected Rousseau wines to be light, and the Mazy Chambertin would mean that it's quite restrained. But this is kinda pathetic...
1999 Kistler Pinot Noir Cuvée Elizabeth - this is Kister's top Pinot Noir with a production of around only 2,000 bottles. As I expected there was a lot more concentration here. The nose has plenty of sweet fruit, a bit of mint, blackberry, preserved plum and even a hint of mocha. Pretty nice, but still a bit of a let down. This wine can be mind-blowing but it wasn't to be tonight...
1995 Chartron et Trébuchet Bâtard-Montrachet - a beautiful wine with nose of sweet grass, straw, sweet and creamy butter and a bit of lemon. There is a little bit of ripeness on the palate. Not bad for the price I paid.
2004 Aubert Chardonnay Lauren - a very typical Californian Chardonnay, with lots of lemon citrus, minerals, toasty oak, and sweet butter popcorn. Pretty ripe on the palate. I can only imagine what this wine would taste like in another 10 years...
Full post on dinner is here.
1999 Armand Rousseau Mazy Chambertin - color was very light and diluted. The nose was pretty muted while the palate was a bit acidic. Pretty disappointing to be honest. I expected Rousseau wines to be light, and the Mazy Chambertin would mean that it's quite restrained. But this is kinda pathetic...
1999 Kistler Pinot Noir Cuvée Elizabeth - this is Kister's top Pinot Noir with a production of around only 2,000 bottles. As I expected there was a lot more concentration here. The nose has plenty of sweet fruit, a bit of mint, blackberry, preserved plum and even a hint of mocha. Pretty nice, but still a bit of a let down. This wine can be mind-blowing but it wasn't to be tonight...
1995 Chartron et Trébuchet Bâtard-Montrachet - a beautiful wine with nose of sweet grass, straw, sweet and creamy butter and a bit of lemon. There is a little bit of ripeness on the palate. Not bad for the price I paid.
2004 Aubert Chardonnay Lauren - a very typical Californian Chardonnay, with lots of lemon citrus, minerals, toasty oak, and sweet butter popcorn. Pretty ripe on the palate. I can only imagine what this wine would taste like in another 10 years...
Full post on dinner is here.
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