Cave drinking

Dinner at a friend's man-cave.

Delamotte Blanc de Bancs - surprisingly ripe on the palate and not that acidic.  Pretty enjoyable.

2010 Colin-Deléger Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Demoiselles - pretty ripe and sweet on the nose, with citrus, a bit of orange and minerals.  Ripe on mid-palate with acidity coming up on the finish.

1999 Gaja Costa Russi - smoky, ripe fruits, a little stewed, a hint of spices.

2009 Geantet-Pansiot Charmes-Chambertin - big nose of forest, pine needle, sweet but very cool fruit.  Still a little sharp and will need more time to soften, but pretty enjoyable.

Full post on dinner is here.

Vogue, Fourrier and Clinet

Drinks at Watson's Wine Cellars.

2003 Vogüé Bourgogne Blanc - pretty sweet on the nose, bubble gum, oxidized, cane sugar, very much like a Marsanne, ripe with straw notes.

2004 Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques - farmy, pretty open nose, nice and sweet.  Nose of forest, black cherries, cool fruit.  Very lovely.

1988 Clinet - animal, smoky, earthy, some fruit, pencil lead.

90 Clos Ste Hune and 01 Maiden

Dinner at the Workers' Stadium branch of Da Dong in Beijing.

1990 Trimbach Riesling Clos Sainte Hune - nose of polyurethane, petrol and minerals.  Surprisingly fresh and not oxidized at all.  Very nice acidity balance.  Nose wasn't as big and powerful as I expected, but this was very elegant with a long and lovely finish.  The 14% alcohol was hardly noticeable.

2001 Harlan The Maiden - aired in the decanter for a while.  Still a little alcoholic on the nose.  A little smoky, which worked well with the smoky flavors of the Peking duck.  Could use a little more aging, but starting to drink pretty well.  This may not be a classic Pauillac, but in a blind tasting I'd be hard pressed to pin it as a Californian, as there's none of that extracted, super-ripe fruit or heavy oak.  Much more French than your typical Cali Cab.

Full post on dinner is here.

"Unusual" lineup

Dinner at Sup 1.

1996 Pascal Doquet Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Sur Oger - nose of minerals, ripe, sweet like sugarcane, a little metallic and mature.  Later on a little toasty.  Slightly ripe on the palate.

1995 Spring Mountain Vineyard Miravalle-Alba-Chevalier - ripe but not overly sweet, dried herbs, smoky, oak, potpourri.  Later on a little more sweet, minty, black fruits, almost herbal medicine.

2001 Trimbach Riesling Clos Sainte Hune - huge nose of petrol, minerals, acetone, polyurethane, white pepper.  Beautiful.

1994 Henschke Hill of Grace - a little smoky, some fruit, slightly ripe and stewed.  Smooth on the palate.

2004 Dom Pérignon - heavy toast, nutty.  Very nice.

Full post on dinner is here.

Champagne, Cali and Loire

Dinner at On Lot 10.

Françoise Bedel Cuvée Origin'elle - pretty interesting to drink this blend made mostly of Pinot Meunier.

Lewis Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, vintage unknown - really alcoholic and ripe, tannic, sweet on the palate, sharp enough to burn the nostrils.  A hint of coffee.

2009 Domaine le Briseau Les Mortiers - very minty, with lots of herbs, pine needle and potpourri.  Not my usual shit but pretty nice.

Full post on dinner is here.

A pair of '97 Shiraz

Dinner at Mirror in Hong Kong.

1997 Penfolds RWT - ripe on the palate but not too sweet.  Fruity, plummy, vanilla, coconut, a little smoky.  Could be from the Right Bank.  After 1½ hours the nose became really sharp and alcoholic, and also acidic.  Smoothed out and drank nicely after 2 hours.  I don't think I would have guessed this "Baby Grange" was a Shiraz... Not quite tasting as it should.

1997 d'Arenberg The Dead Arm - sweeter on the nose and palate compared to the RWT.  Also some coconut here as well as coffee.  More concentrated on the palate.  This is more like it!

Full post on dinner is here.

10 Bouzeron Tessons

Drinks at Watson's Wine Cellar.

2010 Bouzeron Meursault Les Tessons - toasty, ripe on the nose, nice acidity on palate.

A pair of 86s

Dinner at Fook Lam Moon.

2002 Cristal - very toasty and yeasty nose, caramelized and sweet.  Good acidity but also ripeness on the palate, showing nice balance here.  Very enjoyable.

1986 Cos d'Estournel - sous bois, a little smoke, minty with nice fruit in the nose.  After a while smoke got heavier, with earthy and tobacco notes.  Drank well right after decanting, and plateau'ed out after a while.

1986 Palmer - minty, a little smoky, and a little bit stewed fruits.  Took a little time to open up.  Nice on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.