1996 Penfolds Bin 407

Dinner at Shanghai Kitchen (上海鄉村) in Taipei.

1996 Penfolds Bin 407 - a classic wine with no surprises.  I think the last time I drank this vintage was more than 10 years ago...

Full post on dinner is here.

1999 Matriarch

Dinner at Robin's Grill.

1999 BOND Matriarch - minty, metallic, sweet, a little smoky with grilled meats.  I've had this wine a few times, so no surprises here.

Full post on dinner is here.

75 Trotanoy, 90 Vogüé Amoureuses and more

Dinner at Paris 1930 in Taipei.

1998 Krug - a little yeasty, a little ripe, nice and very ready to drink.  Good acidity balance.  Opened up a lot  more with time, with some marmalade and Chinese licorice (甘草).

1990 Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses en demi-bouteille - meaty, slightly smoky, ripe and a little pruny.  A little sweet fruit, and perhaps a little burnt around the edges.  Nose was lovely but the body needed time to develop.  Still very youthful.

1975 Trotanoy - smoky, tea leaves, dried herbs, a bit alcoholic at first.  A little animal, brett and coffee.  Very fragrant.  Nice and sweet, very smooth on the palate.    A delicious wine.

1995 Gaja Costa Russi - smoky, minty, good amount of fruit.  Still pretty hard and took some time to open up.

Egly-Ouriet Brut Rosé Grand Cru (disgorged November 2009) - nice nose of strawberries.

Full post on dinner is here.

Sake and 2008 Bordeaux

Dinner at Gyodoike (魚道生) in Taipei.

Rihaku Daijinjo Tobingakoi (李白大吟釀斗瓶囲い) - one of my favorite sakes.  Sweet mid-palate, dry and spicy on the finish, but at the very end of the long finish one feels sweet again.  A pretty complex sake that took time to open up to reveal its tropical fruit and floral notes.

Drinks at Max Bordeaux/Wine Gallery and Cellar (美樽廊).

2008 Calon-Ségur - very sweet, with dates, oak, dried herbs, vanilla and coffee on the nose.  Pretty decent.

2008 La Lagune - smoky, dried herbs, vanilla and oak on the nose.  More classic claret and not as sweet.  Later I realized that I had actually tasted this wine at the UGC tasting in Hong Kong earlier this year.

2008 Ausone - Alain Vauthier was busy when we turned up at his door in April 2009, so I never got to taste this wine.  I decided that I owed it to myself to see what this tastes like.  The nose was very open and approachable, typically sweet fruit with vanilla and oaky notes.  Very fragrant.  Not quite ready on the palate but one can see greatness in the future.

Full post on dinner is here.

2001 Beaucastel

Dinner at Mr. and Mrs. Bund in Shanghai.

2001 Beaucastel - the nose took a few minutes to open up, and showed lots of ripe fruit, oak and other wood scents.  Sweet and lovely.

Full post on dinner is here.

47 La Fleur-Petrus and old Burgs

Late night tasting at a generous friend's home.

1947 La Fleur-Petrus - I literally drank the sediment from the bottle, as this was a leftover from the dinner my friend attended earlier in the evening.  The nose had plenty of salty minerals, soy sauce, along with plenty of fruit and some smoke.  My friend reported that this was a stunningly beautiful bottle.

1978 Roumier Bonnes Mares - another leftover bottle, but I didn't get the dregs this time.  Nose was initially dusty and dirty, but once that was gone the wine showed a beautiful fruit core.  Very elegant and feminine.

1966 Rousseau Charmes Chambertin - plenty of fruit.  Nice and ripe, a little prune.  With further aeration the floral characters emerged, making this a beautiful and elegant wine.  There was a little salty mineral on the palate.  Later on the nose suddenly turned medicinal like hospital disinfectant, but this faded.

The bottle of Rousseau was the reason why we had the late night tasting... The wine arrived via air shipment and apparently the change in air pressure pushed the cork in a little, causing some slight leakage.  My friend decided the bottle should be consumed right away.  The cork was indeed very loose, and dropped into the bottle with the slightest pressure in the attempt to extract it.  It was decided that wine would not be decanted, and the cork was left floating on the surface for the remainder of the evening.

Bordeaux and wannabes

Dinner at a friend's place.

2004 Louis Roederer Cristal - nose was a little yeasty, surprisingly a little pungent - sulfur?  Mineral.  Good acidity balance, though, and very approachable.  The nose turned a little metallic once the wine warmed up in glass.

1970 BV Georges de Latour in half bottle - my third time drinking this great wine from my vintage.  Nose was a little prune, a little smoky, with brett, dried herbs, tea and a little woody.  Very lovely, and pretty much what I expected of this wine.

1971 Biondi-Santi Riserva - lots of sweet grass and herbs... Would have guessed this was a Bordeaux... perhaps a Saint Julien.  Herbs, a little coffee grinds, and perhaps a hint of soy sauce.  Don't have much experience with old Brunellos so didn't know what to expect.  My surprise contribution.

1990 Troplong Mondot - from a stellar vintage with a near-perfect Parker score.  Expectations were high, thanks to the generosity of BFF who brought it on account of me.  Nose of green peppers, tea, a little smoky, minty.  Definitely pretty alcoholic.  Honestly pretty disappointing...

Full post on dinner is here.

Dassai 50

Dinner at Gyotoike in Taipei.

Dassai Junmai Daiginjo 50 (獺祭 純米大吟醸 50) - seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 50%.  Didn't pay much attention to this tonight, but noticed it was a little on the dry side.

Full post on dinner is here.