Azurmendi wine pairing

Dinner at the Azurmendi / Aziamendi pop up at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental.

Grosset Brut Excellence - not a bad way to start the evening... Nice and a little toasty.

Truffled martini - this was meant to go with the truffled egg, although I didn't get the pairing right...  Made with 1½ shots of Belvedere, lime juice, apple juice, egg white, rosemary and basil.  Then add a dash of truffle oil and sprinkle with pepper.  This was OK I guess, although I didn't really understand why the pepper was only on one side.

I can't remember what went into this drink, but it was very fruity, refreshing, and no doubt deceptively alcoholic...

2011 Laurenz V Grüner Veltliner Singing Laurenz and Sophie - toasty, a little flinty, lemon citrus, a little ripe on the nose.  A little bitter on the finish, perhaps a little overripe.

2012 Robert Weil Riesling Kabinett Trocken - very floral, with lots of white flowers and some white pepper.  Very dry on the palate.

2011 Domaine Leflaive Mâcon-Verzé - a little ripe, with lemon citrus notes.  Reasonable acidity balance.

2009 Haegelen-Jayer Nuits-Saint-Georges - still very tannic as it's a young wine from a big vintage.  A little ripe and jammy, with forest pine, potpourri and some metallic and mineral notes.

Louis Perdrier Brut Rosé - prominent nose of strawberries, although I found the nose also a tiny bit pungent.  Certainly paired well with the dessert!

Full post on dinner is here.

Wines for Le French GourMay

Dinner at Akrame.

1995 Krug - very toasty, with coffee notes.  Ripe on the palate with an acidic finish.

2002 Raveneau Valmur - initially too cold so the nose didn't show, with a hint of lemon citrus and flint.  Later on as it warmed up, it only showed a little better, with a little more ripeness.

2002 Rayas - popped open the cork and the wine was ready immediately.  Sooooo amazingly floral, with unmistakable rose, and sweet fruit like lychees.  This was like Pierre Hermé's Ispahan - with rose, lychees and raspberries - just in a glass of wine!  Later on it also showed a little bit of pine needle.  What an absolutely beautiful wine!

1990 La Dame de Montrose - classic Left Bank.  A little minty, earthy, brett, and a little bit of barnyard manure.  Leaner, without the sweet fruit that should have been here.

Full post on dinner is here.

MNSC Dinner - Derby Restaurant

MNSC dinner at the Derby Restaurant of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, hosted by Dr. Poon.

1982 Joseph Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche - really ripe and sweet, with marmalade, mineral and grassy notes on the nose.  Ripe on the palate, short finish.

First pair: opened 30 minutes and decanted 10 minutes prior to serving

1975 Trotanoy - pretty farmy, bacon fat, a little sharp alcohol in the nose.  A little smoky and plummy, a little savory, and slightly exotic towards the end.  94 points.

1975 La Conseillante - sweet, ripe, a little earthy, smoky, pencil lead.  A leaner wine compared to the Trot.  92 points.

Second pair: opened 2½ hours prior to serving but not decanted

1982 Palmer - smoky, a little sharp alcohol, savory on the palate with some ripe fruit.  92 points.

1982 Latour a Pomerol - smoky, pencil lead, a little farmy, smoky and coffee notes.  Really opened up after 3 hours. 94 points.

Third pair:

1991 Chapoutier Le Pavillon - sweet fruit, a little farmy on the nose.  94 points.  I've tasted this wine (and other Chapoutier wines given 100 points by Parker) and I've never rated it anywhere close to 100 points...

1991 Vogüé Bonnes-Mares - a little dusty, very savory, black olives, a little vanilla and coconut later on.  94 points.

Full post on dinner is here.

Billecart-Salmon Sous Bois

Dinner at Tim's Kitchen.

Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois - very noticeable toasty notes, ripe on the nose and the palate, a little sweet on the palate.  Round, smooth and a lovely wine to drink.  With remnants of century eggs still in the mouth, this tasted very sweet, and ripe, and brought out the minerality.

Full post on dinner is here.

Magnum bday

Dinner at Gough 40.

1982 Lanson en magnum - toasty nose, surprisingly fresh given the age, slightly higher acidity than I expected.  Very delish.

1999 Chapoutier L'Orée en magnum - a little oxidized as expected, but thankfully not dead.  Very ripe, sweet, marmalade and honey.  Long finish.

2010 Felton Road Chardonnay Block 2 - fresh, lively, some toasty oak, a little sweet nose, ripe and fruity.

1999 Prieuré-Roch Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Corvées en magnum - really sweet and lots of ripe, jammy berries, but with a surprisingly and obvious undertone of toasted and almost burnt oak.

1982 Calon-Ségur en magnum - star anise, Asian spices, smoky, a little earthy.  Drinking really well.

1970 Trotanoy - smoky, pencil lead, so smooth on the palate.  A little sweet vanilla on the nose later.

2011 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spälese VDP auction in magnum - flinty, a little sulfur, mineral, a little sweet with good acidity balance.  A lovely wine.

This was from the VDP auction.

Drinks at Ronin.

Kozaemon Tokubetsu Junmai Shinano Miyama Nishiki (小左衛門 特別純米美山錦) in issho-bin - very full flavors of fermented rice, good balance between sweet and dry.  Seimaibuai (精米歩合) of 55%.

Full post on dinner is here.

Born Chogin

Dinner at Tenku RyuGin.

Born Chogin Junmai Daiginjo (梵 超吟 純米大吟醸), 24BY - incredibly fine seimaibuai (精米歩合) of just 20%.  Alcohol was a little sharp, perhaps because it wasn't as cold as it should have been for the first pour.  Pretty full-bodied sake, with very rich and deep flavors, or what Japanese would call "コクがある."  On the palate, it was sweet on the attack, but turned dry and slightly bitter on the finish.  Very much full-on fermented rice flavors.

Full post on dinner is here.

Leflaive, Cos and Sadie

Dinner at On Lot 10.

2003 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles en magnum - familiar nose of toasty oak, very nice on the nose.  Slightly flat on palate at first, with some sweet ripeness but short finish.  Relatively thick and viscous in texture, rounded on the palate.  Pretty enjoyable wine.

1996 Les Pagodes de Cos - smoky, minty, a little earthy, a little brett, pencil lead.  Drinking exactly as it's supposed to.

2012 Sadie Family 'T Voetpad - a very interesting blend of Semillon, Palomino, Chenin Blanc and Muscat de Alexandrie, from old vines planted between 1900 and 1928.  Cleaner and leaner on the palate, with lemon citrus and good minerality.

Full post on dinner is here.

2012 Pierre Sparr

Dinner at San Xi Lou.

2012 Pierre Sparr Riesling Réserve - alcoholic, a hint of ripeness but dry on the palate, with some minerality.