03 Solaia and Ornellaia

Dinner at Testina.

2003 Antinori Solaia - opened for 1 hour then decanted and served. Initial nose was bigger with more smoky notes and a lot more cedar. Also showing more medicinal notes on the palate. Later on also developed notes of pencil lead. This wine was more consistent throughout the evening and didn't improve much.

2003 Ornellaia - opened for 1 hour then decanted and served. Very minty, smoky, black fruits. The alcohol was more apparent on the nose, and initially the wine felt a little more closed. Showed better about 2½ hours after opening, and turned out very nice and elegant. About 3½ hours after opening there were additional notes of coffee. While this was more shy at first, by the end of the evening this had clearly surpassed the Solaia and showing better.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sparkling and Burg night

Dinner at Wing.

2014 Ultramarine Heintz Vineyard Blanc de Noirs, disgorged Nov 15, 2018 - somewhat fragrant, a little caramelized sugar, nice mousse. More rounded with a decent palate.

2014 Ultramarine Heintz Vineyard Blanc de Blancs, disgorged Nov 18, 2018 - acidity was definitely much higher, a little more mineral, and more grippy on the palate.

1959 Hessische Staatsweingüter Kloster Eberbach Hochheimer Domdechaney Riesling Spätlese Cabinet Naturrein - classic nose oe petrol, very oxidized, very round and soft on the palate. After more than 2 hours this opened up and got better.

1964 Hospices de Beaune Meursault 1er Cru Charmes Cuvée Albert Grivault, par Bouchard - oxidized with some notes of straw, very soft on the palate.

2008 Roulot Meursault Les Tessons Clos de Mon Plaisir - good balance between ripeness with the acidity.

2010 Cecile Tremblay Vosne-Romanée Vieilles Vignes - served after opening for 2 hours or so. Really fragrant with some leather notes along with black cherries.

2019 Jérôme Galeyrand Bourgogne Aligoté Le Cran - flinty on the nose, some ripeness here.

Full post on dinner is here.

L'If and more

Dinner at Spaghetti House.

Herbert Beaufort Carte d'Or Tradition - a bit yeasty, ripe on the palate.

2014 L'If - served 30 minutes after opening. Fragrant nose of dried herbs and sweet vanilla.

2015 NUN Passito di Pantelleria - lots of orange blossom, eucalyptus, honey, and grape jelly.

Full post on dinner is here.

Kracher and Extra Old Veuve

Drinks at a friend's home.

1999 Alois Kracher Nummer 10 Welschriesling Trockenbeerenauslese Nouvelle Vague, from half bottle - very, very sweet, with honey, orange blossom, medjool dates. Sooo unctuous, sooo viscous. Lovely but wondering whether it was too simple on the finish. After more aeration the complexity improved.

Dinner at Raw Bar No. 8.

Veuve Clicquot Extra Brut Extra Old, dégorgée fevrier 2021 - slightly dry but not too bad. Some ripeness here when it warmed up. With more air this got a little grippy, and got a little bitter on the finish.

2017 Pataille Chapitre

Drinking at home.

2017 Sylvain Pataille Bourgogne Le Chapitre - lots of leather, smoked meats, plums, black fruits. Kinda pungent and stinky with some sulfur. Showed some eucalyptus after more than an hour, and became more fragrant.

2020 Te Koko

Drinking at home.

2020 Cloudy Bay Te Koko - muscat grape and green apple.

Italian and French

Dinner at Estro.

Chartogne-Taillet Les Couarres, dégorgée septembre 2020 - lots of heady mousse. Acidity was clearly higher because of the low dosage.

2017 Benanti Pietra Marina - pretty aromatic. Some acidity here on the palate.

2017 Charles Van Canneyt Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers - pretty nice fruit like black cherries. Pretty nice and surprisingly accessible.

2007 Gaja Sorì San Lorenzo - nice herbs, smoke, leather, and some plums.

Full post on dinner is here.

Prüm, Blankiet, and Daishichi

Dinner at The Chairman.

2011 Joh.Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese, from magnum - lots of petrol and polyurethane on the nose, and palate was definitely on the sweet side.

2005 Blankiet Paradise Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - served 1½ hours after decanting. Nice and sweet fruit, smoky. Tannins were still there.

Daishichi Myouka Rangyoku Junmai Daiginjo Shizuku Genshu (大七 妙花蘭曲 生酛 純米大吟醸 雫原酒), 2018 - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 50%. Plenty of banana and fermented rice on the nose. A little savory, fermented notes. Pretty light on the palate. Very enjoyable.

Full post on dinner is here.