Lucien Le Moine duo

Dinner at Neighborhood.

2012 Lucien Le Moine Corton Blanc - the palate seemed a little too ripe at first, which was not a surprise given the history of the wine. Definitely got that buttery profile on the nose. The acidity gradually came out as the wine got chilled further, and this ended up drinking just fine.

Bought from Sotheby's for HKD 612.

2010 Hospices de Beaune Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Rousseau-Deslandes, mis en bouteille par Lucien Le Moine pour MNSC - meaty and a bit toasty on the nose, but nowhere near how powerful it was a couple of years ago. The wine has definitely softened a lot more, and is currently much more rounded and elegant.

Bought from Altaya for HKD 590.

Full post on dinner is here.

95 Dominique Laurent

Drinking at home.

1995 Hospices de Beaune Corton Cuvée Charlotte Dumay, élevé par Dominique Laurent - started drinking a few minutes after decanting. Big nose of juicy black fruits like black plums and cassis, with more developed and secondary notes. Some 45 minutes later we have some leather on the nose, with acidity getting a little higher on the palate. An hour in the wine showed a little grilled meats, and another 15 minutes later there were plenty of woodsy notes and some spices. Acidity was getting pretty high on the palate now, and not so enjoyable together with some grippy tannins. The wine definitely peaked around 1 hour in and fell off a cliff at the 2-hour mark.

Bought from Christie's for HKD 774.

2008 Sonoma Coma

Drinking at home.

2008 George Sonoma Coma - served after decanting. Nose of ripe black blums with some nice spices along with leather for a really fragrant nose. Good level of acidity on the palate. Almost 2 hours in there was some cotton candy and almost a little vanilla on the nose.

Bought from Mayfair for HKD 454.

2004 Turley

Drinking at home.

2004 Turley Zinfandel Duarte - started drinking right after decanting. Initially a little sharp and alcoholic on the nose. Notes of cedar, cassis, and a hint of grilled meats. Also some red plums with their juicy acidity, a hint of vanilla, and some Asian spices. Almost 1½ hours later the wine was very fragrant.

Champagne and Cali

Dinner at Noble Imperial.

La Closerie Ampersand - a little yeast on the nose. There's good acidity balance with good depth on the palate.

2008 Sine Qua Non Kolibri - 2/3 roussanne, 1/3 viognier. Started drinking 30 minutes after opening. Initially the wine was too warm, but showed lemon and vanilla on the nose while it was sweet and ripe on the palate. It was also very sweet on the nose thanks to the vanilla, and almost some pineapple. Very buttery. Got so much better after chilling.

Bought from Andromeda for HKD 2,250.

Henri Giraud MV Rosé, dégorgée le 15 Juin 2022 - served a little too warm, but it's got good depth on the palate with some bitterness starting mid-palate and carried to the finish. Nose of strawberries, as one would expect.

2002 Araujo Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard - double-decanted and stoppered for 2½ hours before popping the cork again. Minty with a nice whiff of smoke, there's some nice and ripe fruit along with coconut butter. Very smooth on the palate but still got the concentration, very much in its prime.

Bought from Zachys for HKD 1,860.

Full post on dinner is here.

Prüm and Lucia

Dinner at Metropole.

2011 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese, from magnum - this was sweeter than expected on the palate. On the nose there were notes of white flowers and flint, and some polyurethane.

Bought from HK Wine Vault for HKD 838.

2010 Lucia, from magnum - a little smoke, a decent amount of cassis and black fruits. Smooth on the palate with good concentration.

Bought from Mayfair for EUR 74.

J'En Veux et Encore

Dinner at Yung Kee.

Charles Dufour Bulles de Comptoir #11 Terrine et Jardin, dégorgée Novembre 2021 - nice acidity on the palate here. Very smooth and elegant.

2011 Anne et Jean-François Ganevat J'En Veux - the color was very, very light... basically a cloudy pink with a touch of ruby, but that would be the result of having white varietals in the blend. The nose was really fragrant and lovely, with floral and sweet fruit notes. So alluring... The palate displayed a higher level of acidity after tasting the preserved pork. The nose also showed some leather. The palate was also showing some light levels of stewed fruits. This bottle was just drinking really well, and I'm still dreaming about the bouquet.

Bought from Ginsberg + Chan for HKD 400.

2016 Anne et Jean-François Ganevat J'En Veux Encore - the color was much darker thanks to the dominance of gamay in the blend. The nose was definitely more pungent, with leather and animal notes dominating. Very toasty, too.

Bought from Ginsberg + Chan for HKD 300.

Full post on dinner is here.

Three Italians

2015 Valentini Trebbiano d'Abruzzo - the wine was showing a nice and toasty fragrance, which also seemed a little fat. The palate was kinda rounded but still got a nice amount of acidity for balance. Drinking well.

Bought from Andromeda for HKD 1,700.

2007 Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste - the nose was really fragrant and lovely, very floral, and nice and sweet like candy, but this was also a little sharp and alcoholic at first. The palate was showing ripe and stewed fruits that would be typical of a wine that is much older, and we've definitely got the acidity on the palate as one would expect. Pretty nice.

2008 Sassicaia - decanted for an hour before putting back in the bottle, then triple-decanted about 1½ hours after first opening. Started drinking nearly 3 hours after opening. This was smoky, minty, meaty, and really fragrant. Classic Sassicaia. Soft enough on the palate but still got the concentration.

Full post on dinner is here.