von Schubert and Mugnier

Dinner at Jiang Su.

1998 von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Spätlese-trocken - big nose of petrol and polyurethane, but riper, fuller, and richer, with lots of muscat grape. Dry finish with plenty of acidity to balance the full-bodied palate.

1983 von Schubert Maximin Grünhauser Herrenberg Riesling Auslese - obviously riper on the palate and much more mature, with plenty of acidity to balance the sweetness that wasn't at all overwhelming.  Lots of lemon and marmalade on the nose here, along with some minerals and flint.

2009 Mugnier Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale - nose of eucalyptus, game meats, lots of leather and animal notes, with a little floral violet underneath.  Slightly pungent.

Full post on dinner is here.

Calon-Segur and Clinet

Wine tasting at Hong Kong Wine Vault.  Laurent Dufau from Calon-Segur and Ronan Laborde of Clinet in attendance.

2006 Clinet - first a whiff of fruit, then became dusty, chalky, and funky.  Maybe a little bit of grilled meats.  Was this corked?

2011 Clinet - a little smoky with some black fruits.  Still tannic on the palate.  Not great.

2013 Clinet - switched to a new glass.  Nose still pungent with sulfuric notes, and still chalky.

Not sure what was going on with the Clinet wines tonight, but I didn't like any of them.

2008 Calon Ségur - wow!  This was drinking beautifully!  Lots of coffee and tobacco notes, along with cedar and plenty of fruit.

2000 Calon-Ségur - nose was more muted, perhaps a little cooked prunes, with a hint of leather.  A little softer on the palate, with higher acidity.  Plenty of sediment as this pour was from the bottom 20% of the bottle.

1996 Calon-Ségur - from a fresher bottle.  Big nose of green pepper, smoke, grilled meats, and leather.

2013 Le Marquis de Calon Ségur - very sweet, with tons of coffee and cedar notes.  Very approachable.  Amazing that this was my favorite wine of the evening.

2013 Keller Kirchspiel

Dinner at Family Li Imperial Cuisine in Beijing.

2013 Keller Westhofener Kirchspiel Riesling Großes Gewächs - nice and ripe, sweet on the nose.  Very floral with honey notes.  Dry on the palate.  A lovely wine.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sherries and friends

Dinner at Kin's Kitchen.

Aubry Brut - toasty and yeasty on the nose, with a nice balance between ripeness and acidity.

Barbadillo Obispo Gascon Palo Cortado - front palate was a little short but the finish was reasonably long.  Nutty, dry on the palate.  Nice.

2007 Leeuwin's Chardonnay Art Series - toasty, mineral, a little caramelized and ripe.

2008 Westrey Pinot Noir Justice Vineyard - eucalyptus, a little smoke, some cherries.

Valdespino Solera 1842 Oloroso VOS - much more nutty, more honey and sweetness, more concentrated.

Lustau Almacenista Amontillado Pata de Gallina 1/38 Juan Garcia Jarana - much more savory on the palate, with a drier finish.  Clearly a more refined and sophisticated wine.

2007 Domaine de la Mordorée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de la Reine de Bois - opened more than an hour before serving.  Ripe and sweet on the nose, minty, pretty concentrated.

2005 Monbousquet - popped and poured.  Earthy and a little smoky.

Full post on dinner is here.

Pinot night

Dinner at ON Dining Kitchen and Lounge.

Inflorescence Côte de Val Vilaine, millesime 2010, dégorgée en Avril 2012 - nice acidity balance here.  Lovely nose which was nice and a little caramelized.  I wasn't expecting a Champagne, but since this was a blanc de noirs made from 100% pinot noir, and was not a Burgundy, this definitely fit the bill...

2012 George Ferae Naturae - a rosé of pinot noir from one of my favorite producers.  Ripe and sweet nose but slightly pungent.  Surprisingly dry on the palate.

2009 Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Spätburgunder 'R' trocken - double-decanted after opening.  Very rich nose, with animal notes and a hint of grilled meats.  Very fragrant, almost floral after opening up.  Smooth on the palate but good concentration here.  A beautiful wine that I'd love to taste again in 10 years.

2007 Jacques Cacheux Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots - a little dusty and chalky.  There's still fruit underneath, but the bottle wasn't ideal.

2012 Tuck's Ridge Pinot Noir Buckle Vineyard - a little burnt rubber, pungent nose.  Later on showed some animal and leather notes.

2009 George Leras Family Vineyard - double-decanted for 2½ hours prior to serving, which was probably a little too long.  Nose was still beautiful and fragrant, with plenty of sweetness coming from raspberry notes, almost a little caramelized.

2009 Rockburn Pinot Noir Twelve Barrels - nice and smooth, with some lovely fruit on the nose.

2009 Chacra Pinot Noir Treinta y Dos - double-decanted for 3 hours, nose was fairy muted.  A little minty, some sweet and cool fruit, with a little rubber.  Nice structure on the palate.

2003 Peter Michael Pinot Noir Le Moulin Rouge - sweet nose with eucalyptus.  Lovely.

2013 The Hilt Chardonnay The Old Guard - nose of minerals, a little ripeness here.  Lovely with cheese.

2003 Berthet-Bondet Château-Chalon - opened for 11 hours prior to serving.  Grassy nose, lots of ripeness, a little marmalade, and some minerals.

2009 Araujo Grappa - a little acetone, paint thinner in the nose.  Reasonably smooth on the palate but still a lot more spicy than I had remembered.

Full post on dinner is here.

Hodgepodge for Cantonese

Dinner at a private dining facility.

2007 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay - pretty toasty with slightly high acidity on the palate.

2008 Galardi Terra di Lavoro Roccamonfina - smoky, minty, and later on coffee notes.

Agrapart Terroirs, mis en bouteille Mai 2012, dégorgée en Aout 2015 - an extra brut blanc de blancs that was very easy to drink.  Well-balanced acidity with a nice mousse.  Oaky and a little pungent.

Agrapart Complantée, mis en bouteille Mai 2012, dégorgée en Aout 2015 - richer, deeper flavors, with a longer finish, and a little more acidity.

2007 Rene Rostaing Côte-Rôtie La Landonne - floral with violet notes, fruity, sweet, a little ripe.  A beautiful wine drinking well right now.

1982 Cos d'Estournel - decanted for about 2 hours, which was definitely too long.  Very smooth and smoky, but lost a little of the fruit.

Full post on dinner is here.

Daiginjo sake and girlie drinks

Dinner at Rozan.

Kamoshibito Kuheiji Junmai Daiginjo Hinokishi (醸し人九平次 純米大吟醸　彼の岸) 2014, BY28 - with a seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 30%.  Dry on the palate, with some fermented rice flavors.  A little spicy on the finish.  Probably more of a food sake.

Juyondai Special (十四代 秘酒) - forgot to check the BY for this bottle, but assume it would be 28 as it was purchased this year.  Seihakudo (精白度) of 65%, which should translate to seimaibuai of 35%.  Much smoother and rounder on the palate, and more viscous.  Deeper flavors and richer on the palate.  Also slightly sweeter.

Supper at Hidden Kitchen.

Fukucho Unshu Mikanshu (富久長 温州みかん酒) - this tasted like a very concentrated orange juice with a little bit of added alcohol.  Well... there's less than 7% alcohol here, which is sake-based.  Pretty nice on the rocks.

Okinawa Kokuto Umeshu (沖縄黒糖梅酒) - from Sakiyama Brewery (崎山酒造) using an awamori (泡盛) with 44% alcohol as the base, diluted down to about 14%.  This was expected to be sweet, but actually wasn't as sweet as I thought it would be.  Lots of depth in terms of flavors here, though.  A delicious drink on the rocks.

Full post on dinner and supper is here.

2001 BOND Matriarch

Dinner at Fook Lam Moon.

2001 BOND Matriarch - double-decanted 45 minutes prior to serving.   Very fragrant nose, with some coconut butter, cedar, and nice fruit.  Initially dry on the palate, but became sweeter with time.  Still full-bodied after 15 years, even after throwing off a ton of sediment.

Full post on dinner is here.