85 Guigal and 07 JJ Prüm

Dinner at On Lot 10 in Hong Kong.

1985 Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde - beefy, animal, leather, dried herbs, prunes, violet and floral. Acidity slightly high on the palate.  Not bad considering the price.

2007 Jos. Joh. Prüm Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese - very refreshing, classic petrol and white flowers.  Sweetish and smooth on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC Dinner - HK Country Club

Dinner at the Grill Room of Hong Kong Country Club.

1996 Salon - flinty, yeasty, ripe with caramel notes.

1982 Ausone - Very sweet, ripe, grassy, minty, a bit of green pepper and smoke.  94 points.

1983 Ausone - a little dusty, chalky, ripe fruit and a little smoke.  93 points.

1989 Guigal La Landonne - drank almost 3 hours after opening.  Sharp, very ripe nose, a bit farm and animal, minty, and a little violet.  Soooo good… 97 points.

1989 Henri Bonneau Réserve des Célestins - drank almost 3 hours after opening.  Pretty sharp nose, ripe, really sweet, black olives and savory nose.  A big wine.  96 points.

1990 Henri Bonneau Réserve des Célestins - decanted 4 hours prior to serving. A bit meaty, minty, forest.  96 points.

1990 Chave Cuvée Cathelin - really ripe and sweet, jammy, really open nose, bacon, forest, animal and tangerine.  Wow!  99 points, almost perfection!

Full post on dinner is here.

1991 Janus Gran Reserva Pesquera

Dinner at La Paloma in Macau.

1991 Alejandro Fernández Janus Gran Reserva Pesquera - nose of potpourri, dried herbs, savory minerals, ripe and a little cooked, minty.  Very smooth on the palate with silky, velvety tannins.

Full post on dinner is here.

76 Schönborn Auslese

Lunch at The Eight in Macau.

1976 Schloss Schönborn Hattenheimer Nußbrunnen Riesling Auslese - nose of polyurethane, honey, marmalade and acetone.  Sweet on the palate, slightly bitter mid-palate, with good acidity balance.  Flint and petrol notes showed up after about an hour in the decanter.  A very lovely wine.

Full post on lunch is here.

A pair of Portuguese

Dinner at Guincho a Galera in Macau.

2010 Bacalhôa Chardonnay Cova da Ursa - big nose of toasty oak, mineral, lemon, ripe, a little sweet with a hint of vanilla.  Not bad at all.

2008 De Pancas Touriga Nacional Reserva - sweet, ripe, plummy, forest, dried herbs, pine and cedar.  A little sharp and alcoholic.

Full post on dinner is here.

1995 Bruno Paillard NPU

Lunch at Robuchon au Dôme in Macau.

1995 Bruno Paillard Nec Plus Ultra - aged for 11 years before disgorging in October 2006.  This was an absolutely beautiful wine!  Showing caramelized, oxidized (the way I like it) nose with sugarcane, salty, mineral, preserved plum (話梅) notes, along with marmalade later.  I'd be happy to drink a bottle of this any day…

2007 de la Janasse Terre d'Argile - this Côte-du-Rhône Villages was chosen by Mathieu to go with my lièvre.   Showed nose of blueberries, mint, pine, potpourri, very ripe and almost jammy fruit.  Not bad.

Full post on lunch is here.

Courtesy of Bonham's

Wines tasted at Bonham's auction in Hong Kong.

2010 Guigal La Doriane - floral, lovely, aromatic, so typical of Viognier.  Nose was killed by the intense air freshener inside the Shangri-La Hotel.  Slightly flat on the palate, and a little bitter on the finish.

1978 Ardbeg - peaty, caramel and very floral.  Very nice.

1986 Cheval Blanc - ripe fruit, sweet, smoky, soy sauce, tea and cedar notes.  Smooth and velvety, and very lovely.

Léclapart L'Artiste and Montrachet

Dinner at On Lot 10 in Hong Kong.

David Léclapart Cuvée L'Artiste - mineral, marmalade, nose was a little sweet on the edges.  Acidity was relatively high, and a little ripe on the palate.  This was an extra-brut blanc de blancs.

1997 Baron Thénard Montrachet - decanted on arrival at the restaurant, which wasn't really enough time.  At one point the temperature got a little too warm, so the palate got too bitter.  Nose of orange marmalade, smoky, toasty, with some sweetness later on.  Got better when we cooled it down.  Disappointing compared to the last bottle.

Full post on dinner is here.