85 Guigal and Santoleri

Dinner at Orto.

2009 Nicola Santoleri Crognaleto - bland at first, but became nutty and metallic with prosciutto.  A little ripe on the palate later on.

1985 Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde - very smooth on the palate, but towards the end slightly denser than expected as we did not decant.  A little violet and leather on the nose.  Pretty nice but this wine is on the way down.

Full post on dinner is here.

Cignale and Happs Pinot

Dinner at Kam's Restaurant.

2011 Happs Pinot Noir - strong nose of grape skin and forest.  Sugar sweet on palate.  Lolly water.

1999 Querceto Cignale - a little smoky with grilled meats.  Rounded tannins.

Full post on dinner is here.

Champagne and Cali

Drinks at La Cave at the Aberdeen Marina Club.

Egly-Ouriet Brut Tradition Grand Cru - nice and smooth, very balanced in terms of acidity and ripeness on the palate.  Somewhat caramelized nose.

Dinner at the Horizon at the Aberdeen Marina Club.

1988 Kistler Chardonnay Kistler Estate Vineyard - the color was a beautiful amber.  Nose was very sweet, bubblegum-like, caramelized, honey, marmalade, and oaky.  Later on showed straw notes.  Ripe and mature but still alcoholic, with a finish that was kinda dry.  After 2 hours, this was totally buttery, with a little coconut.  An absolutely beautiful wine.

1998 Kistler Pinot Noir Kistler Vineyard - still really young and just beginning to soften up.  Really sweet and fruity, which is just what I would expect.  The slightly pungent smell of the grape skin is still evident here.

1986 Joseph Phelps Insignia - very strong notes of leather, kinda medicinal, stinky, smoky, earthy, pencil lead... and still some fruit left.  Very soft on the palate after almost 30 years.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC Dinner - Tom Aikens / Principal

MNSC dinner at the Principal with guest chef Tom Aikens, hosted by me.

1970 Cuvée Dom Pérignon - really mature and caramelized, Chinese licorice (甘草), sugar cane and water chestnut water (竹蔗茅根水), orange marmalade, salty plum (話梅) notes.  Slightly bitter and a little short.

This Champagne was now showing a beautiful hue... after almost 44 years in bottle.

First pair: double-decanted 2½ hours before serving

1999 Armand Rousseau Chambertin - heavy nose of toasty corn, sweet and ripe, with lots of black cherries.  95 points.

1999 Guigal La Landonne - very smoky, a little floral, some leather, with a hint of pencil lead.  Very rich.  96 points.

Second pair: double-decanted more than 3 hours prior to serving

1989 Guigal La Landonne - very farmy with leather notes.  Very lovely.  96 points.

1989 Henri Bonneau Réserve des Célestins - a little green a little smoky, a little savory.  95 points.

Third pair: double-decanted about 3½ hours prior to serving

1994 Opus One - a little green and chalky, not much fruit left, lots of brett, and black pepper.  93 points.

1994 Dominus - very chalky, smoky, minty. 93 points.

Fourth pair: double-decanted 5 hours prior to serving

1982 La Mission Haut-Brion - smoky, a little chalky, a little black pepper.

1982 Léoville-Las Cases - chalky, peppery, a little green, pencil lead.  A little pungent.

Full post on dinner is here.

Ramonet Bâtard and Insignia

Dinner at Wagyu Takumi.

2001 Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet en magnum - very toasty, lots of corn, and lemon citrus.  After 2 hours, the sweetness was really nice.  Drinking really well.

1997 Joseph Phelps Insignia from magnum - tons of smoke, minerals, grilled meats, cedar, and very fragrant.

Full post on dinner is here.

Grower Champagne dinner

Dinner at Yu Lei.

Chartogne-Taillet Rosé - very nice, a little caramelized, sweet, lots of fruit with very prominent raspberry notes.  Almost a little pungent, possibly from sulfur.  Just about my favorite wine of the evening.

Varnier Fanniere Cuvée St-Denis Grand Cru - heady mousse, lots of bubbles, very vibrant.  A little lean and boring, perhaps... Later on became a little oaky, with some minerality.

Demarne-Frison Cuvée Lalore Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs - nose was a lot more caramelized, a little metallic, with honey and sweet grass notes.

Bérêche et Fils Brut Réserve - nose was a little sharp.  More acidity here, with lemon notes.  Starting to show a little age and oxidation.

Moët et Chandon Brut Impérial - lots of bubbles.  Very familiar.

Emmanuel Brochet Le Mont Benoit Extra Brut - nose showed a little plastic?  Definitely very caramelized and marshmallows, a little metallic and mineral, with a hint of coconut butter.  A blend of 2008 and 2009.

2006 Benoît Lahaye Grand Cru - more complex, showing even more ripe and caramel, with more pungent sulfur.  This was poured into a decanter and vigorously swirled for a few minutes before serving, in order to soften it up a little.

2005 Olivier Horiot Coteaux Champenois Riceys Rouge en Barmont - lots of sweet fruit, a bit of forest pine, a little minty with red currants.  Not bad for what it is.  Total production of 1,024 bottles and 25 magnums.

2010 Cedric Bouchard Inflorescence Côte de Val Villaine - a really good-value blanc de noirs from one of my favorite producers.

2009 Ulysse Collin Les Maillons Extra Brut, dégorgée 7 mars 2013 - so interesting... lemon citrus, and actually a lot like a white Burgundy.  Nose seemed aged but not really very caramelized, with high acidity, some toasty corn and very rich.  A beautiful blanc de noirs, and definitely the wine of the evening for me.

Laherte Frères Les 7 Extra Brut - made from all 7 permitted varietals.  Oaky, flinty, mineral, a little ripe but acidity is still high.  Also pretty yeasty.

Françoise Bedel Entre Ciel et Terre Brut - ripe and caramelized, with sugarcane and water chestnut water (竹蔗茅根), while also savory and mineral on the nose.

2003 Françoise Bedel L'Âme de la Terre Extra Brut - even more caramel and sugar on the nose, more prominent sugarcane and water chestnut water (竹蔗茅根), plus a little metallic copper.

Full post on dinner is here.

1970 DRC Richebourg

Dinner at STAY in Taipei.

1970 DRC Richebourg - I had low expectations of this bottle, given that the level was a little low at 4 c.m., but this was a pleasant surprise.  Nose was a little floral at first, with a little leather and animal notes, and definitely a little acidity on the palate.  Opened up more after 30 minutes, showing very lovely fruit and a little more sweetness.  Very elegant and lovely.

Full post on dinner is here.

1970 La Lagune

Dinner at Red Lantern in Silks Place Yilan.

1970 La Lagune, ex-château - earthy, green grass, blackcurrant, smoky, fragrant, cedar and tobacco notes.  Drinking pretty nicely.

Full post on dinner is here.