Good/bad pairing with Thai food

Dinner at a friend's house.

Moët & Chandon - as I expected the carbonation from the bubbly only served to turn up the heat that was already dancing on my tongue...  Not a good combo with spicy Thai food.

1999 Selbach-Oster Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese - this was exactly the wine to do the trick. This off-dry wine from the famous vineyard in Mosel always delivers, showing typical petrol, polyurethane, minerals as well as orange marmalade. The low alcohol level (8.5%) and relatively high sugar level helped neutralize the heat.

2003 Clos Mimi Etiquette Rose - this is a wine unlike any other. The late-harvest Syrah is vinified dry with an extended fermentation, resulting in an incredible 19% alcohol. It was this high alcohol level that worried me...as it may completely clash with the spicy food. Well, my fears kinda came true.  Whatever this is, the Etiquette Rose is not a food wine in my opinion. Predictably it was very "hot" and alcoholic on the palate, with notes of acetone, floral/rose, strawberries, slightly metallic and a hint of caramelized sugar. The finish is decidedly bitter. I quickly realized that I was the only one at the table still drinking the wine. I think I'll follow winemaker Tim Spear's advice and open the next bottle with a cigar...

Full post on dinner is here.

Riesling and Merlot

Dinner at Fook Lam Moon.

2006 Keller Riesling Spätlese - classic German Riesling, with nose of plastic, polyurethane, minerals, petrol and a good amount of sweetness on the palate.

1997 Beringer Merlot Bancroft Ranch Private Reserve - generally smooth on the palate, but I thought the finish was a little short and perhaps even a little acidic. Is the wine starting its decline?

Full post on dinner is here.

2003 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill

2003 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard - drank over dinner at Dim Sum. I found it a bit too ripe so that after the medium-acidic mid-palate, the finish was slightly tart and bitter.

Full post on the evening is here.

Mizu no Eau

Dinner at Sushi U.

Mizu no Eau (水の王) - this has a seimaibuai of 50%. It's a little drier than the sake that I normally drink, but surprisingly light and watery in taste. Later we found out that it was called daiginjo light...

Full post on dinner is here.

Two Bordeaux

Dinner at Shanghai Fraternity Association.

2004 Blason d'Issan - this was pretty drinkable with some nice fruit and smooth tannins. 

1989 Talbot - the amber rim of the Talbot was very obvious, with very soft tannins and it was made in a much drier style.

Full post on dinner is here.

Cortesia di Morgassi

Cortesia di Morgassi - drank over lunch at a friend's house.  This was given to me by the winemaker during last year's Vinexpo. Aside from the typical orange marmalade notes, it was also a bit spicy, with chilli and peppery notes. Pretty interesting.

Full post on lunch is here.

MNSC Dinner - Pierre

MNSC dinner at Pierre, hosted by me.

2005 Didier Dagueneau Pur Sang - it was classic... nose of minerals, flint, muscat grapes and green apples. Later a hint of oak with a bit of creaminess. Definitely an acidic finish.

1983 Guigal Hermitage - I had no expectations for this wine so the surprise was on the upside, turning out to be fairly beautiful and rich. Lots of fruit here with the usual farmy plus a bit of violet/floral notes. A bit light-bodied.

1983 Chave Hermitage - this wine would always outperform the Guigal, and was much more concentrated and powerful. It was very floral and sweet, with tell-tale bacon fat notes.

1989 Bahans-Haut-Brion - smoky, farmy and a bit medicinal, with farmy, smoked meats and lead pencil all surrounding a core of sweet fruit. This was clearly the crowd favorite tonight.

1989 Chapoutier Hermitage Le Pavillon - explosive sweet nose with orange, tangerine and even rubber notes, but the nose became more muted with time. Body was lighter than I expected and the tannins were silky soft. Once again a 100-point Le Pavillon failed to wow me, but it did better than I expected.

1999 Sine Qua Non the Marauder - this was exactly as I expected it... a huge, sharp and alcoholic nose with lots of iron and minerals. Explosively sweet with lots of orange and a hint of grilled meats. This wine needs a lot more cellaring time and it was just waaaay too early to open this. It's my kind of wine but not exactly appreciated by the crowd.

1999 Torbreck Run Rig - it was obvious that this was also a New World Syrah, but it was softer than the Californian. Nice sweet nose of orange and strawberries. This is also one of my favorite Aussie Shiraz.

Full post on dinner is here.

Kokuryu Shizuku

Kokuryu Daiginjo Shizuku (黒龍大吟醸しずく) - drank over dinner at Irori.  The sake is collected not from pressing the sacks of rice, but letting it drip naturally from the hanging sacks. In winemaking terms it's equivalent of using only free-run juice. My expectation were high as this was a Kokuryu limited edition bottling, with a seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 35%. It was very smooth on the palate, a little sweet even, with a finish that suddenly turns dry and spicy. The nose was pleasant but not particularly complex. Maybe I had cellared this for too long?

Full post on dinner is here.