Barolo and Portela

Drinking at a friend's home.

2007 Rocche dei Manzoni Barolo Vigna Cappella di S. Stefano - very fragrant, very ripe stewed prunes, but also a little chalky and a bit smoky. Still got the tannins, and the acidity is definitely there.

2019 Alberto Orte A Portela - tasted 1½ hours after opening. Really ripe and kinda exotic.

2005 Pax Kobler

Drinking at home.

2005 Pax Syrah Kobler Family Vineyard - started drinking 25 minutes after decanting. Very, very jammy, ripe, and sweet on the nose. Medium acidity on the palate, balanced by the sweetness that still remained. Still full-bodied and the tannins were kinda there. A little metallic on the nose. Almost 1 hour in this was soooo fragrant and woodsy. So nice!

Champagne, Burg, and Rôtie

Dinner at Wing.

La Closerie Grand Cru - the nose was nice and toasty, and showing some notes of straw. The wine had really good depth on the palate, with good acidity but not too lean. This was beautiful.

1995 Krug Collection, N°534 - pretty nice with lots of vanilla on the nose. Also lovely marmalade on the nose thanks to a good amount of age, which has made it very elegant but still retained freshness. The acidity was on the high side and almost a little grippy on the palate.

2023 Dugat-Py Bâtard-Montrachet - the nose was like those banana rolls I grew up eating. This was definitely fruity and sweet on the nose, almost like bubblegum... with only a hint of toasty popcorn. Definitely got that classic sweet and buttery feel on the palate. Later on the nose also turned a little flinty.

2005 Georges Mugneret Clos-Vougeot - lovely nose of eucalyptus and mint, a little oak, with lovely fruit like black cherries and a bit of smoked meat. Still a pretty big wine with plenty of tannins on the palate.

2020 Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Clos-Vougeot - served around 4 hours after opening. This was much more closed, but showing some sweet fruit like blueberries. Pretty nice and open after another 1½ hours and beyond.

1999 Guigal La Turque - tasted about 45 minutes after opening without decanting. This was really fragrant with tons of coconut butter, which was pretty surprising. Stoppered for about 1½ to prevent the wine from over-breathing, but unfortunately it became muted even with the cork stuck back in. I blame this on the restaurant sommelier insisting to pair this wine with the goose dish, but actually serving this only after the dish had been served.

Bought from Bordeaux Index for GBP 300.

1995 Comte de Vogüé Musigny - served more than 5 hours after opening. There was a little toast and some eucalyptus on the nose.

Full post on dinner is here.

Le Jaja du Ben

Dinner at Cheong Gor Cantonese Cuisine.

2016 Anne et Jean-François Ganevat Le Jaja du Ben, en magnum - pretty meaty nose with leather, with floral notes underneath. Also pretty big and toasty. Acidity was on the high side.

Bought from Christie's for HKD 321.

Dewazakura Karesansui

Dinner at Sushi Zinc.

Dewazakura Tokubetsu Honjoso Karesansui 1990 (出羽桜 特別本醸造 枯山水 悠久の風), H2BY - seimaibuai of 55%. While there were some savory, oxidative notes that comes from aging, this was surprisingly fresh and clean. Naturally very, very smooth on the palate.

Full post on dinner is here.

99 Dead Arm

Drinking at home.

1999 d'Arenberg The Dead Arm - started drinking 5 minutes after decanting. First whiff showed very sharp alcohol on the nose, along with very, very ripe fruit like cassis and stewed prunes. This all melded well with fragrant woodsy notes, and was so lovely in the mouth. The acidity was slightly on the high side now. About 30 minutes in the nose was showing more vanilla, and the palate got sweeter. About 2 hours in the nose got a little minty. To be honest this wine is now a little bit past its peak, but still very enjoyable to drink.

Bought from Wine Cave for HKD 557.

Brochet Benoit

Dinner at Leela for the collaboration with Biryani Osawa.

Emmanuel Brochet Le Mont Benoit - very tasty with good depth on the palate. The pinot meunier flavors came through.

Full post on dinner is here.

70 Mouton

Dinner at Molino de Urdániz in Taipei.

2019 Gramona Imperial, disgorged June 2025 - this was kinda bland, to be honest. It was easy drinking but not particularly interesting.

1970 Mouton-Rothschild - decanted 10 minutes after opening, and served after 30 minutes in decanter. This was still fragrant and really woodsy, and still got cassis and black fruits. About an hour after opening we got some coffee, and after an hour and a half lots of tobacco smoke came, which was just classic Pauillac. So soft on the palate now at this age, and this bottle drank better than the last 2 or 3 I've opened.

Bought from Sotheby's for HKD 3,075.

Full post on dinner is here.