Krug Rosé 28 and Krug 172

Krug x Flower pairing with Olivier Krug.

First stop: Caprice.

Krug Rosé, 28éme édition, ID 123009 - nose of cranberries, red currants, and other red fruits, along with some toast. This was very lively and fresh, and the acidity was quite high. Gotta be the best Krug Rosé I've tasted.

Second stop: MONO.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 172ème Édition, ID 123005 - being young and fresh, the acidity was certainly high on the palate. The nose started with very strong nutty and toasty notes, and opened up further to that very familiar toasty brioche nose I love so, soooo much from Krug Grande Cuvée.

Full post on the afternoon is here.

2020 Petit Cheval Blanc

Dinner at Caprice.

Leclerc Briant Réserve Vendages 2018, dégorgée Decembre 2023, en magnum - acidity was pretty high on this, so the palate was pretty crisp. The nose was pretty metallic on the first whiff, but then turned pretty yeasty as the wine opened up in the glass.

2020 Le Petit Cheval Blanc - decanted and served about 30 minutes later. This showed really big nose of green apple and some muscat grapes, along with some flint. The acidity of the wine was fairly high, but we've also got a little bit of that roundness on the palate.

Bought from HK Wine Vault for HKD 980.

1987 Yquem, en imperial - nose of saffron, polyurethane, marmalade, Anjou pear. Good level of sweetness on the palate, but also got that little bitterness, too.

Full post on dinner is here.

Dom and Rivers-Marie

Dinner at Nine One.

2004 Dom Pérignon - this was drinking very well as it was very smooth and well-balanced. Wonderful nose of toasty brioche.

2010 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Occidental Ridge Vineyard - very ripe and sweet nose, like strawberry jam, along with really fragrant eucalyptus notes.

2021 Corisca Albariño - surprisingly this came with a little bit of fine tannins. The nose showed some oily notes along with petrol. There was some ripeness but the acidity on the palate was pretty high.

Full post on dinner is here.

1982 Philipponnat

Dinner at Locanda.

1982 Philipponnat Réserve Millésimée, dégorgé en Août 2007 - initially this was very soft on the palate, maybe a little on the flat side without lots of bubbles. Showing nose of marmalade and aged tangerine peel. Acidity was a little on the high side but not too much, with a little bitterness on the finish. As the wine got a little warmer, the finish also grew longer. Acidity remained high and got a little sharper over time.

Bought from Sotheby's for HKD 1,354.

2014 Tenimenti d'Alessandro Syrah Cortona Borgo - lots of eucalyptus on the nose with a big whiff of spices. Really fragrant. So interesting that this really smelled of cool, black fruits on the nose with some black pepper. Nice acidity on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

82 Latour a Pomerol and Les Pavots

Dinner at Wagyumafia.

Sharaku Junmai Ginjo (寫楽 純米吟醸), R5BY - seimaibuai of 50%. The nose showed a lot of musk melon and banana, along with a very sweet, starchy rice profile.

Hakuryu Shin (白龍 真) - a little fruity with some lactic acid on the palate. Also showed starchy, fermented rice notes.

1982 Latour à Pomerol - started drinking 30 minutes after decanting. Initially this was only so-so, perhaps the wine was a little tired? Showing earthy notes without too much sweetness, maybe the nose had a hint of stewed fruits. Later on the wine opened up to reveal smoky and leather notes, and now was showing itself to be an old claret. Finished the wine about 1½ hours after decanting, and it still wasn't showing much sweet fruit.

Bought from Sotheby's for HKD 2,246.

2007 Peter Michael Les Pavots - decanted about an hour after opening, and started drinking 30 minutes after decanting. Initially the wine wasn't very open and needed to wake up in glass. It was sweeter on the palate for sure, showing its character as a Californian, but not to the point of being ripe or jammy despite being from a stellar vintage.

Bought from Altaya for HKD 1,320.

Full post on dinner is here.

2003 Pax Kobler

Drinking at home.

2003 Pax Syrah Kobler Family Vineyard - started drinking 45 minutes after decanting. Initially the nose was a little chalky. Really big nose with the second pour, very jammy with lots of exotic spices and dried herbs. Still very rich and concentrated after more than 20 years, with mint and eucalyptus on the nose. After more than 2 hours in the decanter, this also showed some sandalwood notes.

Bought from the winery for USD 60 plus tax.

Laherte and Lucien Le Moine

Dinner at Yong Fu.

Laherte Les Longue Voyes, dégorgée en Decembre 2021 - this was definitely big on the palate. Very well-balanced, and clearly showing some aging. Nice and yeasty nose, without big toasty notes.

Bought from Altaya for HKD 555.

2010 Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Rousseau-Deslandes, mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour MNSC - very fragrant nose. It's minty with typical toasty notes without being overpowering.

Bought from Altaya for HKD 590.

Full post on dinner is here.

Takahiko and friends

Lunch at Andō.

Krug Rosé, 28éme édition, ID 123009 - very fragrant nose with lots of red fruits, so sweet on the nose with a little caramelized sugar around the edges. Good acidity on the palate with a long finish.

2021 Takahiko Yoichi-Nobori Passetoutgrain - lots of exotic spices on the nose, ripe and fruity, more like Chinese sour plum drink (酸梅湯) with a hint of savory notes. Then we got sweetness on the nose like candy and bubblegum, and the fragrance was just sooo alluring. I could totally understand why so many people love this wine.

2005 Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon - very minty and smoky on the nose. A pretty nice cab.

Full post on lunch is here.