German rieslings

Dinner at the Chairman.

2015 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett - good acidity together with some sweetness on the palate, which also came with some fairly strong polyurethane. Nice nose of white flowers.

2009 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett - lots of the usual petrol and polyurethane on the nose. Slightly sweet on the palate but medium-dry.

Full post on dinner is here.

Marisa Cuomo and Veuve

Dinner at home.

Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label - yeasty nose with a little savory notes.

2020 Marisa Cuomo Costa d'Amalfi Furore Bianco Fiorduva - flinty on the nose, kinda fragrant, nice and a little caramelized nose, with a little toasty oak. Good balance between the acidity and the ripeness on the palate. A very well-made wine.

2020 Blanc de Suduiraut

Drinking at home.

2020 Blanc Sec de Suduiraut - very flinty, some stone fruit like apricot on the nose. Good acidity here, and almost a little tart on the finish, but also got some ripeness, too.

Torbreck vertical

Dinner at the Hong Kong Club.

1995 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon Rosé - classic nose of marmalade, really nice with just the slightest hint of Chinese salted plum, savory and mineral, really lovely with some vanilla. Good acidity here but also got the roundness as well as complexity on the palate.

2016 Kumeu River Chardonnay Mate's Vineyard - I drank this about 1 hour after this was poured in the glass. Pretty flinty, toasty, definitely buttery. More than 2 hours after opening, this was showing a really big and toasty nose. Sooooo good!

1997 Torbreck RunRig - decanted about 1 hour after opening and served 45 minutes after decanting. Lots of coconut butter on the nose, very sweet, some smoke and grilled meats. Tannins have definitely softened. Second pour 2½ hours after opening gave us a wine that was nice and very rounded on the palate, but still with great concentration. The wine was more complex now, with a little more oak and some leather on the nose.

1999 Torbreck RunRig - decanted about 1 hour after opening and served 45 minutes after decanting. Bigger toasty nose, more minty. Leaner on the palate and more concentrated, a little more closed compared to the 1997, and showing a higher alcohol level on the palate. Really sweet on the palate with a little vanilla on the finish.

2001 Torbreck RunRig - decanted about 30 minutes after opening, and served a little more than an hour after decanting. Nose was pretty metallic, sweet but not too overripe.

2002 Torbreck RunRig - decanted about 30 minutes after opening, and served a little more than an hour after decanting. Minty, sweet on the palate. Wine was mature enough now to soften it on the palate but still retained enough structure. After more than 2 hours in the decanter this improved with some acidity on the palate.

2004 Torbreck RunRig - opened and decanted about 1½ hours before serving. This was really fragrant and minty, slightly jammy on the nose, and really sweet on the palate. So well balanced after around 3 hours in the decanter - not too hot and ripe and nicely balanced with the acidity.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sake pairing

Dinner at Godenya.

Iseno Shiroki Junmai Nama Sparkling (伊勢の白酒 純米生活性), 2022-23 - served at 10°C. Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 65%. Smell like fermented rice lees with their fruity acidity. Definitely some fermentation here and love how it perks up the palate.

Fukuiwai Junmai Ginjo Summer (福祝 純米吟醸  夏の純吟), 2022-23 - served at served at 12°C. Seimaibuai of 40%. Some roundness on the palate. A little bit sweet at first, but medium-dry in the middle, with a dry finish that brings some bitterness.

Kozaemon Junmai Daiginjo (小左衛門 純米大吟醸), 2022-23 - served at 12°C. Seimaibuai of 40%. A little bit on the dry side, lean but with slight roundness on the palate. A little savory, too.

Okunoto no Shiragiku Tokubetsu Junmai Sonomanma (奥能登の白菊 特別純米無濾過生原酒 そのまんま), R5BY - served at 20°C. Seimaibuai of 55%.

Niida Natural Kimoto Natsuyuki Nama (仁井田 自然酒 生酛なつゆき生), 2022-23 - served at 11°C. Seimaibuai of 80%. Some fermented fruity notes here, but not very strong.

Hagi no Tsuru Junmai Ginjo Omachi Nama (萩の鶴  純米吟醸  雄町 生), R4BY - served at 14°C. Seimaibuai of 50%. A little acidity here, with some fruity notes.

Tanaka Nojyou Junmai 70% (田中農場 七割), H28BY - served at 48°C. Seimaibuai of 70%. The flavors were very fermented here, definitely savory, and very nice when served warm.

Niida Natural Kimoto Nigori (仁井田 自然酒 生酛にごり), 2020-23

Full post on dinner is here.

Rosés and Lucia

Dinner at home.

2020 Frédéric Cossard Super Pink - flinty with plenty of red fruits.

2021 Robert Sirugue Bourgogne Passetoutgrains Rosé - more flint, bigger nose of toasty oak, more strawberries, and very tropical stone fruit.

2009 Lucia, en magnum - drank 2½ hours after decanting. Smooth on the palate now. Still concentrated but the tannins are quite soft. Nose of vanilla, sweet black cherries, and later on a little bit peppery.

Trotanoy and Clinet

Dinner at Racines.

Marteaux Guillaume Cuvée Infusion - a rosê de saignée with nice nose of red fruits, and not too much flint here.

2004 B de Boërl et Kroff, dégorgé en Avril 2016 - first pour was a little warm, and obviously improved later. Love the minerals on the nose as well as the white flowers. Always happy to drink this.

1998 Trotanoy - decanted around 1½ hours after opening, and served after 1½ hours in decanter. Smoky, a little green on the nose, with forest notes. Initially there was a hint of sweetness on the palate, but this became sweeter with additional aeration. A little more tannic and concentrated than the 1990, but the tannins are already smooth by now.

1990 Trotanoy - served an hour after opening and decanting. This was clearly more open. Nose was smoky but also a little dusty and chalky unfortunately. Sweeter on the palate than the 1998. Very elegant and really fragrant, with some green capsicum and some exotic spices. After almost 3 hours this developed tertiary notes and showing some savory soy sauce.

2009 Clinet - served nearly 3 hours after double-decanting. Still sweet on the nose after all this time, and sweet on the palate. Such an elegant wine now.

2020 Vincent Paris Cornas Granit 30 - really sweet nose, notes of caramel, but unfortunately there was that unpleasant smell of dust and chalk. Given that the 1990 Trotanoy also showed this defect, I wondered if this was a problem with the restaurant's wine glasses and not the wine itself...

Full post on dinner is here.

Dalla Valle and Valentini

Dinner at Shanghai Fraternity Association.

1976 Philipponnat Réserve Spéciale, dégorgée en août 2007 - almost no gas escaped when the cork was popped... although there were still some very fine bubbles coming up in glass. Good acidity here along with the expected caramelized palate and nose. Lovely notes of savory minerals and Chinese salted plums. Drinking nicely.

1990 Dalla Valle Cabernet Sauvignon - served around 45 minutes after decanting. Definitely smoky, minty, graphite, and a little savory. After more than 1 hour this was drinking very nicely. Plenty of life left in this wine.

2006 Valentini Montepulciano d'Abruzzo - served about 1½ hours after decanting. Really fragrant, nice and oaky, but unfortunately this also came with a chalky nose. Sweet on the palate. Some 3 hours after decanting the chalky notes were still there, but that oak sure was lovely once you get past the dust and chalk.

Full post on dinner is here.