2020 Whispering Angel

Drinking at home.

2020 Caves d'Esclans Whispering Angel - strawberries, tropical stone fruits, flinty.

2016 Cos Blanc / 42 y.o. AFS

Lunch at Sushi Saito HK.

2016 Cos d'Estournel Blanc - flinty, some green apple notes. Lean, decent level of acidity, crisp but also a little round on the palate.

Full post on lunch is here.

Drinks at home.

Kidoizumi Afs Old Reserve Plum Liqueur Aged 42 years (木戸泉 アフス オールドリザーブ plum) - this is from a batch that was brewed in 1974 and 1976. Limited to 400 bottles. Tons of savory notes, like black olives, almost a little smoky, very strong Chinese salted plum. Wonderful stuff.

86x2

Dinner at the Legacy House.

1986 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve - decanted and poured. Showing minty and sweet fruit notes like plum, and a little smoky. It seemed like it was starting to go downhill and dry out a little. Afer an hour in the decanter, this was still showing the fruit, and much more sweet and ripe on the palate.

1986 Ducru-Beaucaillou - a little grassy, slightly corked, still some fruit on the palate. More than an hour after decanting, the grassy nose was still there but the palate was fine. Very smooth and silky.

Full post on dinner is here.

Churchill and Lucien Le Moine

Dinner at The Pawn.

1996 Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill - nice and ripe, mature, some toast on the nose, and really fragrant. Marmalade on the palate. This was drinking so beautifully!

2012 Lucien Le Moine Corton Blanc - really toasty on the nose. Initially the nose was a little overwhelming, almost showing like paint thinner. This went away and revealed lots of vanilla notes. Very buttery on the palate with good acidity, too.

2010 Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Rousseau-Deslandes, mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour MNSC - still very toasty as every other bottle I have opened. Nice, sweet fruit here with leather notes, and lots of Japanese cypress. Showing wonderfully.

Bought from Altaya for HKD 590.

Full post on dinner is here.

2004 Clos des Papes

Drinking at home.

2004 Clos des Papes Rouge - decanted and served. Initially pretty farmy, a little pungent, with some black fruits. Savory on the palate. With second pour the nose was more fragrant with woodsy notes. Still tannic. After 2 hours in the decanter this was lovely and fragrant, with tannins softening and becoming more velvety. Still concenrated, of course.

2007 Silex

Drinking at home.

2007 Didier Dagueneau Silex - overripe, a little bitter, still got some acidity, short finish.

MNSC Dinner - Caprice

MNSC dinner at Caprice. Hosted by me.

1971 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon - nose was very oxidized, as expected, with sugar cane, straw, marmalade notes. Ripe, soft, and lovely on the palate.

First flight: served 2 hours after opening, without decanting.

2000 Armand Rousseau Chambertin - a little grilled meats, leather, not quite open. Definitely harder and masculine. 93 points.

1999 Armand Rousseau Chambertin - much bigger, more open, and more toasty on the nose, also a little dusty and dirty. Very smooth on the palate but also more noticeable tannins. 94 points.

1995 Armand Rousseau Chambertin - cleaner, softer on the palate. Black fruits and some eucalyptus. 94 points.

Second flight: served 1 hour after opening, without decanting.

1949 Haut-Brion, ex-château 2013 - very savory, huge and punchy nose. Very oxidized but not quite madeira, with Chinese salted plum, much more ripe and smoky. Classic old claret with that savory soy sauce and aged tangerine peel. 95 points.

1944 Haut-Brion, ex-château 2013 - very savory, a little medicinal, woodsy, more open and much more beautiful. 96 points.

Third flight: served 3½ hours after opening, without decanting.

1970 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - sweet grass, kinda fruity, pretty fragrant, minty, and kinda ripe. 94 points.

1971 Biondi-Santi Brunello di Montalcino Riserva - a little oxidized, a little savory, kinda ripe. 93 points.

Bonus round:

1959 Clos de Nouys Vouvray Moelleux - flinty, floral, pollen and orange blossom notes. A hint of sweetness but not too rich.

Full post on dinner is here.

Peter Michael and SQN

Lunch at Mian.

2008 Peter Michael Chardonnay Point Rouge - lots of sugar cane, very caramelized and oxidized, sweet with notes of straw. Very ripe and sweet, and very buttery on the palate.

2007 Sine Qua Non Body and Soul - 71% roussanne and 29% viognier. Flinty, tropical, also sweet and caramelized but not quite sugar cane. Notes of straw. Ripe and buttery on the palate.

Full post on lunch is here.