Visit to Montrose.
2008 Tronquoy de Sainte Anne - sharp nose with ripe fruits. Pretty tannic with a really spicy finish
2008 Tronquoy-Lalande - spicy and peppery nose, with red fruits and vanilla notes. Very tart and tannic
2008 La Dame de Montrose - peppery nose with grippy tannins
2008 Montrose - sooooo tannic! beautiful bouquet with very forward fruit with toasty oak and vanilla
April 6, 2009
MNSC Bordeaux Trip Day 2: Pichon-Baron
Visit to Pichon-Baron.
2008 Les Tourelles de Longueville - very sweet and concentrated fruity nose, with vanilla and coconut notes. Body is a bit lighter thanks to the higher percentage of Merlot
2008 Pichon Baron - minty, alcoholic and fruit-forward with vanilla notes
2007 Pichon Baron - much more classic than the 2008, with smoky, vanilla and lead pencil notes
2004 Pichon Baron - farmy and a bit of stewed fruits with very smooth tannins
2008 S de Suduiraut - what a beautiful wine! Pear, honey, green apple, toasty oak, vanilla and mineral notes. I asked to buy some of this wine, but alas there were none for sale...
2008 Suduiraut - nose of honey, apricot and orange marmalade
2008 Les Tourelles de Longueville - very sweet and concentrated fruity nose, with vanilla and coconut notes. Body is a bit lighter thanks to the higher percentage of Merlot
2008 Pichon Baron - minty, alcoholic and fruit-forward with vanilla notes
2007 Pichon Baron - much more classic than the 2008, with smoky, vanilla and lead pencil notes
2004 Pichon Baron - farmy and a bit of stewed fruits with very smooth tannins
2008 S de Suduiraut - what a beautiful wine! Pear, honey, green apple, toasty oak, vanilla and mineral notes. I asked to buy some of this wine, but alas there were none for sale...
2008 Suduiraut - nose of honey, apricot and orange marmalade
MNSC Bordeaux Trip Day 2: Pontet-Canet
Visit and lunch at Pontet-Canet, where we were warmly received by Alfred Tesseron.
2008 Pontet-Canet - nose of ripe fruits and mint, with very smooth tannins to make an enjoyable wine.
2000 Dom Perignon en magnum - this was beautiful.
2003 Pontet-Canet – nose still a bit closed, very concentrated fruit with a bit of metallic and iron rust, turning a bit alcoholic later.
2000 Pontet-Canet – nose also concentrated but more accessible than the 2003. Ripe fruit with a bit of coffee, and smoke emerging later. Nice and long finish.
1995 Pontet-Canet – very apparent sous bois, very smooth and lovely on the palate.
Full post on lunch is here.
2008 Pontet-Canet - nose of ripe fruits and mint, with very smooth tannins to make an enjoyable wine.
2000 Dom Perignon en magnum - this was beautiful.
2003 Pontet-Canet – nose still a bit closed, very concentrated fruit with a bit of metallic and iron rust, turning a bit alcoholic later.
2000 Pontet-Canet – nose also concentrated but more accessible than the 2003. Ripe fruit with a bit of coffee, and smoke emerging later. Nice and long finish.
1995 Pontet-Canet – very apparent sous bois, very smooth and lovely on the palate.
Full post on lunch is here.
MNSC Bordeaux Trip Day 2: Lynch-Bages
Visit to Lynch-Bages, where we were received by Jean-Charles Cazes.
2008 Les Ormes de Pez - smoky, minty nose with coffee. Grippy but ripe tannins
2008 Echo de Lynch-Bages - this is the rebranded Haut-Bages Averous, the second wine of Lynch-Bages. Nose of toffee and mint
2008 Lynch-Bages - fragrant nose of mint and red fruits
2008 Blanc de Lynch-Bages - beautiful perfumed nose with white flowers, orange, banana and pineapple notes
2008 Les Ormes de Pez - smoky, minty nose with coffee. Grippy but ripe tannins
2008 Echo de Lynch-Bages - this is the rebranded Haut-Bages Averous, the second wine of Lynch-Bages. Nose of toffee and mint
2008 Lynch-Bages - fragrant nose of mint and red fruits
2008 Blanc de Lynch-Bages - beautiful perfumed nose with white flowers, orange, banana and pineapple notes
MNSC Bordeaux Trip Day 2: Cos d'Estournel
Visit to Cos d'Estournel, where we were received by Jean-Guillaume Prats.
2008 Goulée - tart, with a minty, New World nose.
2008 Les Pagodes de Cos - minty, perfumed nose with concentrated fruit and vanilla.
2008 Cos d'Estournel - perfumed nose with coffee, vanilla and a bit of smoke. Much smoother on the palate than the others.
2008 Goulée - tart, with a minty, New World nose.
2008 Les Pagodes de Cos - minty, perfumed nose with concentrated fruit and vanilla.
2008 Cos d'Estournel - perfumed nose with coffee, vanilla and a bit of smoke. Much smoother on the palate than the others.
April 5, 2009
MNSC Bordeaux Trip Day 1: Thierry Marx
Dinner at Château Cordeillan-Bages.
NV Egly-Ouriet Champagne Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Les Crayéres à Ambonnay - this was a real treat as it's not easy to come across wines from small producers like this in Hong Kong. The wine is made from old vines Pinot Noir, and costs a fraction of the price of the most famous of all blanc de noirs - Bollinger Vieille Vignes Françaises. Wonderful nose of caramel, toast, oxidized pear not unlike the wines of Jacques Selosse. Very smooth on the palate. Lovely stuff.
1998 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune - probably the most sought after of the Alsatian Rieslings and comes from a single enclosed vineyard. Unlike most of its German and French cousins, this is fermented dry. Lots of petrol and minerals in the nose, with a bit of sweetness on the nose. Beautiful stuff and a rare chance to drink something with a little age on it.
2005 Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Le Clos - very enjoyable. Classic minerals, butter, lemon citrus and toasty oak in the nose. Actually quite a nice acidity balance despite the ripe vintage.
1982 Pichon Lalande - funky nose with braised beef and beef jerky (the ones from Taiwan) notes. Definitely smoky and soy sauce was very prominent, with a bit of sweet fruit. Most of the group thought this was the Mouton but I knew it wasn't so...
1982 Mouton-Rothschild - beautiful nose...right off the bat I picked up the smoke and lead pencil notes and that usually points to Mouton. The additional hint of soy sauce pretty much confirmed it for me. Oh and of course there was red fruit and a bit of brett. A classic and the crowd loved it.
1982 Latour - Wow! This was sooo beautiful! Sweet fruit, a bit of sweet grass, smoky with a hint of coffee. Definitely everyone's wine of the evening and we all knew it had to be Latour.
1982 Cheval Blanc - it was clear that this wine was a little different from the rest. Nose was smoky and sweet, but the presence of exotic and tropical fruits gave it away...it had to be the Cabernet Franc from the Cheval.
1982 Léoville-Las Cases - once again this wine manages to disppoint. The nose was pretty shut and didn't reveal much. Green and a bit vegetal, with smoky, rubber and a little stinky... We continue to be baffled by the 100-point score on this one.
2001 DRC La Tâche. Beautiful wine! Nose was very sweet with red fruits, a little bit farmy, with smoked meats and orange. Awesome stuff.
Full post on dinner is here.
NV Egly-Ouriet Champagne Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru Les Crayéres à Ambonnay - this was a real treat as it's not easy to come across wines from small producers like this in Hong Kong. The wine is made from old vines Pinot Noir, and costs a fraction of the price of the most famous of all blanc de noirs - Bollinger Vieille Vignes Françaises. Wonderful nose of caramel, toast, oxidized pear not unlike the wines of Jacques Selosse. Very smooth on the palate. Lovely stuff.
1998 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune - probably the most sought after of the Alsatian Rieslings and comes from a single enclosed vineyard. Unlike most of its German and French cousins, this is fermented dry. Lots of petrol and minerals in the nose, with a bit of sweetness on the nose. Beautiful stuff and a rare chance to drink something with a little age on it.
2005 Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Le Clos - very enjoyable. Classic minerals, butter, lemon citrus and toasty oak in the nose. Actually quite a nice acidity balance despite the ripe vintage.
1982 Pichon Lalande - funky nose with braised beef and beef jerky (the ones from Taiwan) notes. Definitely smoky and soy sauce was very prominent, with a bit of sweet fruit. Most of the group thought this was the Mouton but I knew it wasn't so...
1982 Mouton-Rothschild - beautiful nose...right off the bat I picked up the smoke and lead pencil notes and that usually points to Mouton. The additional hint of soy sauce pretty much confirmed it for me. Oh and of course there was red fruit and a bit of brett. A classic and the crowd loved it.
1982 Latour - Wow! This was sooo beautiful! Sweet fruit, a bit of sweet grass, smoky with a hint of coffee. Definitely everyone's wine of the evening and we all knew it had to be Latour.
1982 Cheval Blanc - it was clear that this wine was a little different from the rest. Nose was smoky and sweet, but the presence of exotic and tropical fruits gave it away...it had to be the Cabernet Franc from the Cheval.
1982 Léoville-Las Cases - once again this wine manages to disppoint. The nose was pretty shut and didn't reveal much. Green and a bit vegetal, with smoky, rubber and a little stinky... We continue to be baffled by the 100-point score on this one.
2001 DRC La Tâche. Beautiful wine! Nose was very sweet with red fruits, a little bit farmy, with smoked meats and orange. Awesome stuff.
Full post on dinner is here.
April 4, 2009
Aus / NZ Pinot
Dinner at Island Tang (港島廳).
1999 Bass Philip Old Cellar Pinot Noir – the color was very light and translucent, and because the wine was unfiltered and no decanting was done, it got to be very cloudy. The nose was very, very sweet, with lots of strawberries, bubblegum and a bit of grass. Really nice and elegant.
1999 Dry River Pinot Noir Amaranth – a completely different wine with darker colors. Huge nose of buttery toffee, caramel, tropical fruits like pineapple and orange – even a bit farmy. Smells and tastes a lot like some Californian Pinot Noirs. Nose was very powerful but the finish was short.
Full post on dinner is here.
1999 Bass Philip Old Cellar Pinot Noir – the color was very light and translucent, and because the wine was unfiltered and no decanting was done, it got to be very cloudy. The nose was very, very sweet, with lots of strawberries, bubblegum and a bit of grass. Really nice and elegant.
1999 Dry River Pinot Noir Amaranth – a completely different wine with darker colors. Huge nose of buttery toffee, caramel, tropical fruits like pineapple and orange – even a bit farmy. Smells and tastes a lot like some Californian Pinot Noirs. Nose was very powerful but the finish was short.
Full post on dinner is here.
April 3, 2009
2004 Rollan de By
2004 Rollan de By - drank at Caprice. This is the wine that was introduced to me last year by François Mauss of Grand Jury Europeen. I always thought that this wine made by Jean Guyon was delicious. Today it showed a nose of sous bois, brett, smoked meats and a hint of coffee. Classic Bordeaux that was smooth on the palate. Very nice.
Full post on lunch is here.
Full post on lunch is here.
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