La Mission & Haut-Brion tasting

Tasting at Hong Kong Wine Vault, with Jean-Philippe Delmas in attendance.

2009 La Mission Haut-Brion Blanc - pipi de chat, citrus, toasty oak and a little smoke.

2009 Haut-Brion Blanc - toasty corn, more subtle and elegant, perhaps a little closed compared to La Mission?  Riper on the palate.

Then came a pair of wines I tasted back in 2009 at the château during en primeur.

2008 La Mission Haut-Brion - really sweet and ripe, with metallic minerals, vanilla, smoky and minty. Of course the tannins are still here.

2008 Haut-Brion - more muted, smoky, slightly peppery.  Grippy on the palate.

1998 Chapelle de la Mission - in a word: manure.  Farmy, earthy, savory, soy sauce, fermented soy bean, stinky cheese.

1998 Bahans Haut-Brion - smoky, nice and elegant.

Had to leave early so didn't get to taste the 1998 grand vins.

Full post on the entire evening is here.

85 magnum trio and more

Dinner at RyuGin in Hong Kong.

1988 Krug Clos de Mesnil - nose of honey, toasty oak, marmalade, savory mineral.  Later some coconut came out.  Nice acidity here, especially on the finish.  An amazing Champagne.

2002 Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - clean and crisp on the nose, with a little bit of flint.  The classic Meursault nose of toasty oak dominated, but this was much more elegant and "charming" compared to a Perrières.  Acidity was there but also a little bit ripe on the palate.

1985 Le Pin en magnum - strawberries, sweet, a bit of ripeness, a little leather, animal, a little sweet grass, a hint of green pepper and smoke.  Later on toasty oak came out.  So smooth and light on the palate at first, but later on the body gained weight.  A beautiful wine, but not as exotic and flamboyant as some other vintages.

1985 DRC La Tâche en magnum - awesome.  Kick ass.  Nose of mushroom, leather, bacon fat, smoky, a bit floral, osmanthus, really sweet, marmalade, slightly nutty.  Acidity was a little higher than expected.  This was my favorite wine of the evening as the nose was just so open and beautiful, and I could forgive the palate for not being 100%.

1985 Lafleur en magnum - minty, a little medicinal, forest, so sweet and more concentrated than the Le Pin.  Smoky, and later on savory mineral and soy sauce notes showed up.  Very lovely, a big wine.  Would love to see how this tastes in another 10 to 20 years.

1901 Adegas do Torreão Malvazia - walnut, caramel, ripe plum and vanilla.  Alcohol seemed to be milder than previous old bottles of Madeira I've opened.  Decanted before dinner and I had to move the decanter away from the table, since the amazingly lovely nose was interfering with my ability to taste the other wines.

Full post on dinner is here.

Conseillante and Clos Fourtet

La Conseillante and Clos Fourtet tasting at Hong Kong Wine Vault.

2001 Clos Fourtet - really ripe, sweet and exotic, smoky.  Enjoyable.

2003 Clos Fourtet - bigger nose, more open and fragrant, with bacon fat, leather, mint, pine resin and smoke.  In fact this could almost pass for a Rhône…  Very nice.

2007 Clos Fourtet - sweet nose with coffee, a little smoke and mint.

2010 Clos Fourtet - more minty, potpourri, perhaps showing characters from the stems.  Later on showed sweet fruit.  Not bad at all given the young age of the wine.  It just needs more time.

1994 La Conseillante - first bottle was clearly corked, showing obvious wet cardboard notes on top of smoke.  I asked for a pour from the second bottle, and this time the wine showed smoky and minty notes.  Still grippy on the palate.  Not great.

1998 La Conseillante - lighter smoke initially, with metallic tones, then cigar smoke.

2006 La Conseillante - ripe and jammy, a little minty, pine resin.  Medium bodied with a slightly tannic finish.  Very enjoyable.

Unfortunately I didn't get to the 2009 La Conseillante before it ran out...

Bahans, Troplong and Trimbach

Dinner at Fook Lam Moon in Hong Kong.

1998 Bahans Haut-Brion - big nose with smoky, earthy, cassis, very minty notes.  Full-bodied.

2000 Troplong Mondot - a little ripe on the nose, a little oaky, then strong notes of coconut butter developed, along with some savory notes.  Dry on the palate.

1995 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile - mineral and flint, petrol, a little ripe given the vintage but this was still dry on the palate, with plenty of acidity.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC Dinner - Megan's Kitchen

MNSC dinner at Megan's Kitchen in Hong Kong, hosted by Gayliao.

1980 Dom Pérignon en magnum - nutty, caramel, really sweet on the nose, with marzipan, desiccated coconut that got stronger like coconut butter.  Really delicious and beautiful.  Possibly not kept in perfect condition, but the accelerated aging actually made it into something that's right up my alley.

First flight:

1972 Comte de Vogüé Bonnes Mares - fragrant, almost floral, animal, leather, grassy and almost a little corked, sweet like Chinese licorice, and osmanthus notes. 91 points.

1972 Comte de Vogüé Musigny - animal notes, denser, minty with black cherries. 92 points

Second flight:

1989 Joseph Drouhin Musigny - muted nose with some black fruits.

1990 Joseph Drouhin Musigny - forest notes, more concentrated.  Definitely tasting younger than the 1989.

Third flight:

1989 Lafite-Rothschild - bretty, minty, forest, cedar, and a little sharp on the nose after a while.  Sweet on the palate.

1989 Margaux - more medicinal and a little sharper on the nose.  Not drinking as well as the bottle I had last week.

Fourth flight:

1989 Mouton-Rothschild - exotic and sweet, smoky, leather, bacon fat and a big coffee nose.  Very nice. 95 points.

1989 Cheval Blanc - smoky, fragment, cigar smoke, toasty corn. 94 points.

Full post on dinner is here.

Dassai 50

Dinner at Gyodoike in Taipei.

Dassai Junmai Daiginjo 50% (獺祭「純米大吟醸」50) - sweet on the palate, with plenty of rice flavor and slightly bitter finish.

Full post on dinner is here.

Cali and Bordeaux

Dinner at Sup 1 in Hong Kong.

1996 Laville Haut Brion - nice ripe nose of marmalade, minerals and oak.  No length whatsoever on the palate.

1990 Philip Togni - smoke, grilled meats, kinda sweet on the nose with a hint of brett.  I've always loved Togni's wines and this was lovely.

1991 Opus One - ripe and sweet fruit, with mint, a bit of earth, black fruits, and later on a little grassy.  Nice and smooth.  My contribution.

1995 Angélus - nose was a little sharp and alcoholic at first, but this disappeared with my second pour.  A little ripe and cooked, smoky, coffee and chocolate.

1989 Margaux - "perfumed" according to the Specialist… although it was indeed fragrant.  Smoky, mineral with soy sauce.  Surprisingly still lots of concentration on the palate.

1998 Angélus - needs more time to open up, but classic smoky nose.

2000 Réserve de la Comtesse

Dinner at Fook Lam Moon in Hong Kong.

2000 Réserve de la Comtesse - showing coffee, tobacco, earthy and minty notes.  Drinking pretty well.

Full post on dinner is here.