2003 Mitolo Savitar

Drinking at home.

2003 Mitolo Shiraz Savitar - drank right after decanting. Pretty smoky nose and pretty sweet on the palate. Lots of vanilla and cassis. More open 30 minutes later, more hot and alcoholic on the palate, with bigger nose of vanilla oak. More than 2 hours after opening this became a lot softer on the palate, with more eucalyptus and lavender notes.

2013 Cayuse Syrah Armada

Dinner at La Maison.

2013 Cayuse Syrah Armada Vineyard - initially stinky when opened. Back in the bottle after 30 minutes in decanter, and started drinking 1 hour after opening. Showing ripe and sweet fruit, leather, grilled meats. Very fragrant. Ripe on the palate and possibly a little too hot.

Mumm RSRV 4.5

Drinking at home.

Mumm RSRV Cuvée 4.5, dégorgée septembre 2021 - good depth on the palate at first, kinda firm. Lots of lemon and some toast, with a hint of green apple later.

Krug and only Krug

Dinner at Ando.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 170éme édition, ID 221030 - nice and toasty, really fragrant and floral, very beautiful and alluring.

2008 Krug, ID 120005 - nicknamed "classic beauty". Pretty perfurmed on the nose but leaner on the palate with sharper acidity.

2004 Krug, ID 218024 - nicknamed "luminous freshness". Definitely got orange notes. Certainly more mature than the 2008, more rounded on the palate. Really elegant and lovely.

2006 Krug Clos du Mesnil, bottle No.7266, ID 319030 - decanted an hour prior to serving. Already a little rounded, pretty open and fragrant, and very elegant.

1988 Krug Collection, bottle No.954 - the nose was soooo alluring. Acidity was very prominent on the palate, but we've got the aged salted plum, straw, sugar cane, and Chinese licorice. Very complex, and beautiful.

Full post on dinner is here.

2004 Turley Dragon

Dinner at Sagrantino.

2004 Turley Zinfandel Dragon Vineyard - decanted and back into bottle 1 hour later, and drank 20 minutes after. Still very tannic, grippy on the palate. Sweet on the palate but the fruit was perhaps a little cooked.

2020 Balland Sancere Rosé

Drinking at home.

2020 Jean-Paul Balland Sancerre Rosé - very fragrant with cranberries and raspberries.

2000 Conseillante

Lunch at Bâtard.

2000 La Conseillante - served 50 minutes after decanting. A little astringent on the palate at first. About 10 minutes after we started this was really fragrant and open, with smoky and woodsy notes, but still grippy on the palate thanks to the tannins. Some black fruits here underneath the smoke and wood. A very alluring wine.

Full post on lunch is here.

Bass Philip and Arioso

Dinner at Écriture.

Charles Le Bel Inspiration 1818 - nice notes of lemon citrus, toasty, and yeasty. Good balance with roundness and ripeness, very smooth.

2016 Bass Philip Chardonnay Premium - a little reductive some 45 minutes after opening, perhaps too toasty? Got the buttery corn on the palate, and the nose improved with further aeration.

2010 Rotem and Mounir Saouma Châteauneuf-du-Pape Arioso Rouge - served 1½ hours after decanting. A little oxidized and slightly stewed nose. Smoky 15 minutes later, and drinking pretty nicely after opening up. Obviously evolved a lot since I last tasted it in 2011.

Full post on dinner is here.