8 Sine Qua Non

Dinner at Caprice.

2013 Sine Qua Non Résisté - 45% roussanne, 26% chardonnay, 13.5% petit manseng, 10.5% viognier, 5% marsanne.  This was much more rounded and riper than expected.  Nose was nice and caramelized, and there was sooo much depth on the palate.

2003 Sine Qua Non Omega - 100% pinot noir.  Opened 45 minutes before serving.  Sweet and fruity, definitely ripe but not quite jammy.  A little smoky with some grilled meats.  One hour and 45 minutes after opening this was soooo beautiful and alluring.  Wow!

2007 Sine Qua Non Dangerous Birds Grenache - 88% grenache, 10% syrah, 2% viognier.  Served 3½ hours after opening.  Minty nose and not too in-your-face.  After 4 hours this was more open and aromatic.

2009 Sine Qua Non Turn the Whole Thing Upside Down - 84% grenache, 11% syrah, 5% mourvedre.  Opened about 3 hours and 15 minutes before serving.  More minty and certainly more open, with good concentration.  Seemingly a more "simple" wine compared to Dangerous Birds.

2009 Sine Qua Non The Thrill of Stamp Collecting - 93% syrah, 4.5% grenache, 2.5% viognier. Opened almost 4 hours before serving.  Much more metallic compared to the other two syrahs as it's much younger, a little more sharp on the nose.  More concentrated and very sweet on the palate.

2001 Sine Qua Non Midnight Oil - 96% syrah, 2.5% grenache, 1.5% viognier.  Opened 3 hours before serving.  Much more jammy, smoky, minty, with toasty oak.  Soooo smooth around 4 hours after opening.

1998 Sine Qua Non E-raised - "predominantly syrah, with a spritz of viognier and a dash of grenache".  Opened almost 4 hours before serving.  Notes of leather, smoke, and a little game meats.  This was soooo nice, very smooth and drinking so well.

2000 Sine Qua Non Suey, bottle No. 254, in half bottle - 100% roussanne.  Pop and poured.  Soooo fucking awesome with lots of honeydew melon and honey.  Amazing palate, rich with such depth.

Full post on dinner is here.

Mixed bag of funky

Dinner at Happy Chefs Happy Friends.

1990 François Cotat Sancerre La Grande Côte - ripe on the palate but not over-ripe. A bit grassy.

2017 00 Wines Chardonnay VGW - slightly flinty at first. Opened up to show toasty and buttery notes. Very tasty.

2017 Sadie Family Chenin Blanc Skurfberg - flinty, ripe on the palate but still got good acidity.

2019 Bouchard Meursault - sooo tropical, so surprisingly fruity in addition to being flinty.

2008 Sine Qua Non Kolibri - 2/3 roussanne, 1/3 viognier. Wow! So fragrant! A little acetone and alcoholic on the nose. Ripe on the palate.

2000 Terpin Collio Bianco - kinda OK.

2014 Mikulski Meursault 1er Cru Goutte d'Or - pretty nice as expected.

2014 Jean-François Ganevat Les Grands Teppes Vieilles Vignes, en magnum - drank 2½ hours after opening. Flinty, with good acidity on the palate. Drinking very well.

Full post on dinner is here.

2001 Clos Ste Hune

Dinner at Chesa.

2001 Trimbach Clos Sainte Hune - big nose of polyurethane and petrol, with beautiful white flowers. This has matured so it's softer on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

30 year Karasansui

Dinner at Ippoh.

Dewazakura Tokubetsu Honjoso Karesansui 1990 (出羽桜  特別本醸造  枯山水  悠久の風), H2BY - seimaibuai of 55%. Sweet on the palate, definitely lots of very fermented flavors with good depth on palate. Not as savory as expected. Very, very smooth on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

Marcassin tasting

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2007 Marcassin Chardonnay Three Sisters Vineyard - initially the nose was very caramelized, with big pineapple notes like the filling of Taiwanese pineapple cake. Changed drastically 15 minutes later and showed lots of buttery notes, and definitely got better with aeration. Weakest of the 3 chardonnays tonight but still pretty good.

2006 Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard - opened almost 4 hours before dinner. Really big and powerful, sooo toasty on the nose, also ripe and sweet on the palate. Almost 7 hours later this was still going strong. Amazing!

2010 Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard - nose was kinda toasty too at first, opened up really nicely and showed huge nose. Such depth on the palate with a long finish. Wonderful stuff.

2003 Marcassin Pinot Noir Marcassin Vineyard - opened 4½ hours before serving. Very fruity, very soft and alluring. Such amazing balance that gives you everything in just the right amount.

2003 Marcassin Pinot Noir Blue-Slide Ridge Vineyard - opened 4½ hours before serving. Riper fruit, initially more metallic. Showed cool fruit and pretty jammy later.

2003 Marcassin Pinot Noir Three Sisters Vineyard - served almost 5 hours after opening. Very ripe, showing sweet fruit without being too jammy. Toasty oak in the nose, too.

2003 Marcassin Pinot Noir Bondi Home Ranch - drank 5 hours 45 minutes after opening. Lovely and ripe with plenty of sweet fruit.

Full post on dinner is here.

Cossard Bigotes

Drinking at home.

2019 Frédéric Cossard Bourgogne Blanc Bigotes - nose was soooo big and pungent. It's a wonder when no sulfur is added to the wine but the wine reeks anyway. Not a fan.

BOND and more

Dinner at Stellar House.

1990 Vilmart Grand Cellier d'Or Coeur de Cuvée, N°3595, dégorgée le 8 avril 1999 - beautifully caramelized, with salty preserved lemon. Good acidity on the palate, and so, soo nice. Wow!

2016 Maison Leroy Bourgogne Blanc - more ripe on the palate than expected. Very clean with toasty notes.

2000 BOND Vecina - decanted for 30 minutes starting 1 hour 15 minutes prior to serving, then back in bottle. Very smoky, really oaky. Pretty ripe and sweet on the palate. Two hours after opening this was really open and lovely, a little plummy. Another 15 minutes later this started to show some coconut butter and vanilla notes. Nice and exotic.

2000 BOND Melbury - decanted for 30 minutes starting 1 hour 15 minutes prior to serving, then back in bottle. Really ripe and sweet on the palate, with less smoke on the nose. More savory. Very smooth 2 hours after opening, very plummy, almost like stewed prunes. At 3 hours in this showed more woodsy notes and also more smoke.

Full post on dinner is here.

2010 magnums

Dinner at Heichinrou in Kwun Tong.

2010 Domaine de l'A, en magnum - served 20 minutes after decanting. Very fragrant nose, with cedar and woodsy notes. Very nice and open with some nice, ripe fruit on the palate. Drinking very well right now.

2010 Lucia, en magnum - served 2 hours after decanting. Nose was a little off, with smoky notes but generally a little stinky.

Full post on dinner is here.