A spot of white in Chianti - a horizontal tasting of two vintages of white Burgundy (2008 and 2011)

13 Sep 2018: James and Ellen, our friends and hosts at Panzano, very generously opened their cellars and organised a special tasting of white Burgundy wines for the producers of Panzano and us! It was a tasting of two vintages: 2008 and 2011. To accompany the fine wines, they had organised some nibbles catered by Enoteca Baldi (a very good address in town for the best spaghetti with tomato and basil!)

Yinghsien Tan MW ensuring all in order! Giampaolo Motta tempted by the snacks.

Ellen talking to Josephin and Jarkko of Candialle at the back of the room

Under the supervision of "resident" MW, Yinghsien Tan, the wines were organised into four pairs. Despite a difficult growing season, the 2008 whites were to a large extent saved by the drying northerly winds from mid September that produced ripe fruit with minerality and freshness to accompany for the early pickers and opulently rich fruit for the later harvesters.   2011 is generally regarded as an early-drinking vintage with the whites delivering balance and aromatic charm.  As usual, the date of picking was critical for both vintages.

From my conversations around the room, the producers seemed happy to be part of this unusual tasting in Chianti. I spoke to many about the potential for white grape planting in Panzano. Many told me that they did not have the right terroir for white grapes. Some of the producers make a rosé wine to compensate for the lack of white wine. However, there are notable exceptions. For example, we tasted the complex white blend from Castello dei Rampolla, which is an unusual mix of Trebbiano, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Traminer. Imagine pairing with a lovely goat cheese! There is also the Sauvignon Blanc wine from Fontodi, Meriggio, an IGT Colli Toscana Centrale. Giampaolo Motta of La Massa also revealed that he had plans for Chenin Blanc on some of his schist soils. With different exposures, soils and canopy management, it is not inconceivable that the potential for whites can be further explored.

On the terrace, James, Ellen and their guests enjoying our favourite glass (instead of spitting!)

Richard and Johnny Goedhuis 

Laura Goedhuis in deep converation with Giovanni Manetti of Fontodi

Here are my brief tasting notes from the white Burgundy tasting:

First Pair:



2011 Jean-Paul & Benoît Droin, Chablis Montée de Tonnerre

Fleshy but vibrant with a tight mineral core and expressive salinity. The wine still needs some time for the discreet wood to integrate and for the wine to develop further its complexity.  However, the harmony, subtle power and persistence today are already very promising.  To enjoy now and over next 6-8 years.  17.5/20


2011 Billaud-Simon, Chablis Montée de Tonnerre
A very different expression from the Droin version. The focus here is on freshness, purity, and bright green fruit accompanied by floral notes. The delicate balance is achieved with a mineral core throughout the palate. A very classy Chablis Premier Cru.  Already very approachable. To be enjoyed over next 4-5 years. 17.5/20







Second Pair:




2011 J.M. Boillot, Puligny-Montrachet La Garenne
Clean and harmonious. A linear structure. Focus on vibrancy and minerality and less on an overt fruit character.  There was still a hint of reductive character from the bottle I tried. Loved the persistent saline finish, but it could be a little austere for some!16.5/20


2011 Etienne Sauzet, Puligny-Montrachet Champ Gain
A much more aromatically opulent bouquet with ripe yellow fruit, pear, toast and nutty notes. The expression is rich, with a creamy palate and rounded mouthfeel, while retaining sufficient freshness to balance the ripe fruit. A well-measured saline finish. Finishes long. 17/20








Third Pair:



2008 Billaud-Simon, Chablis Montée de Tonnerre
A well-matured Chablis, with a firm structure. Developed bouquet of honey, nougat and stewed pear. Some of us found it very attractive. I thought it would be great with an aged Parmesan. (I suspect there would be some bottle variation amongst the case for this wine.) 16/20


2008 Lucien Le Moine, Chassagne-Montrachet Caillerets
Ambitious winemaking is very evident here.  Opulent bouquet of vanilla, toast, honey and peach. There was still a hint of reductive character. Muscular and rich with a fleshy texture. The presence of crisp acidity kept the wine well balanced, leaving with a persistent finish. 17/20






Fourth Pair:



2008 J.M. Boillot, Puligny-Montrachet Champ Canet
Linear and mineral. A wine of tension and depth showing precise winemaking and well-crafted balance and elegance. A glorious expression of this climat from Puligny. Still very youthful depending on the bottle. Sadly there was much bottle variation amongst the three bottles.  18/20


2008 Lucien Le Moine, Corton Blanc
Very fine and mineral. Linear. Vibrant. Gained complexity and weight in glass to open. Saline finish. Long. Further cellaring time would probably reward a greater appreciation of its full potential. At this moment, I felt that the winemaker's presence rather overwhelmed the appellation's expression. To be approached in the next 3-4 years. 17.5/20





As if we were not enough spoilt by such wonderful spread of fine wines, our hosts dazzled us at dinner with two red Burgundies that went down like a treat: 2002 Clos des Lambrays and 2001 Clos de La Roche, Dujac, the latter in magnum. This was followed by a 1834 Malvasia Madeira by Barbeito, which was extremely vibrant without the weighty richness of Malvasia.  Could there be a more special way to end a very fine day?!

2002 Chambertins

1 Sep 2018:

The dinner described earlier also consisted of a pair of magnums of red Bourgogne wines:
2002 Chambertin, Trapet versus 2002 Chambertin Clos de Bèze, Bruno Clair


2002 Chambertin Clos de Bèze, Bruno Clair
Medium garnet. Mushroom, forest floor, violet, dried blossoms, dried raspberry. Balanced. Silky texture, suave, elegant, with forest floor note on finish. Drinking very well now and over next 5-6 years. 17.5/20


2002 Chambertin, Trapet
Less evolved on nose. Forest berries, sous bois, firmly structured with velvety texture and bold tannins that have mellowed. Lovely acidity, very youthful still. Ready to drink now, but will further develop over next 8-10 years. 18/20


2010 Puligny Montrachet Clos de La Mouchère, Henri Boillot

Pale lemon. Citrus, pear, nutty, smokey notes. Bright acidity, fresh and long finish. A very classy wine. (Note that not every bottle in this case was like this.) 17.5/20

I did not taste the other bottles in this photo - so no notes from me on them!!

A mini vertical of Rousseau Chambertin across 4 decades

19 Jul 2018:
On a torrential rainy evening in Hong Kong, we organised a mini vertical tasting of Rousseau Chambertin.

The line-up

 ​
1981 Krug
Amber/gold robe, with nuances of butterscotch, gingerbread, cinnamon, pear, apple compote and nougat. Delicate mousse and lively acidity greeted the palate, with the flavours unfolding and culminating in a long candied apple finish. 18/20 (Thank you, John!)

1995 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne
A pale gold colour. Almond, marzipan, with some bruised apple notes. Although showing oxidative notes, I did not find them unpleasant at all. The structure of the wine was still intact. I kept some back for the cheese course, it was actually not a bad complement at all. 16/20

2005 Rousseau Chambertin
Notes of plum, prune, nutmeg, sous bois and coffee. The vibrant acidity balanced the fleshy and succulent texture of the ripe tannins and the structure was impeccable. Great concentratation. It was an outstanding wine, powerful, structured, and a veritable benchmark for Chambertin. 20/20

1989 Rousseau Chambertin
The bouquet showed dried shiitake, wet leaves, forest floor, prune and leather. The silky texture was nicely balanced with fresh acidity. Finish was long if slightly drying. 19/20

1978 Rousseau Chambertin
Some VA had begun to creep into this delicate wine. An aromatic mature bouquet, if slightly marred by the acetaldehydes. The palate had a nice lift for the same reason, but for me, this bottle was past its peak. 16.5/20

1964 Rousseau Chambertin
Beautiful aromatics, with layers of leather, cardamom, cinnamon, truffle, earth and coffee. Harmonious, with a silky texture and bright acidity and a persistent finish that was almost mesmerising. A truly seductive wine. 20/20

The levels of the bottles

I took votes of everyone's best and second best wines of the evening. The 1964 had everyone's unanimous vote as best wine of the evening, followed by the 2005 as the second best for most, and a couple of us had the 1989 as their second best.

The staff at the Long Room of the Hong Kong Cricket Club did an amazing job with the wine and food service. Look forward to returning for another dinner.

A Valentine's Day Special with 2004 Ramonet and 1993 Musigny

14 Feb 2018:

A Valentine's Day special for us and two dear friends - we decided to venture out to Kowloon Bay to be pampered by Chef Edward Voon's creative culinary skills at Le Pan.

We started the evening with a glass of the menu champagne which was a Dhondt-Grellet Premier Cru Rosé NV, before we moved onto the main wine characters of the evening.

The two 2004 Ramonet wines were such contrasts that made them so perfect throughout the entire menu. We darted between them to find the best pairing with Chef Edward's dishes.

 

The 2004 Ramonet Bienvenue-Bâtard-Montrachet was infused with bright minerality, lovely citrus and yellow fruit and frank purity, balanced with freshness and character. The caviar with langoustine tartare delivered a very just pairing with the Bienvenue, with the saline character of the caviar complementing the minerality of the Bienvenue and the acidity of the wine pairing very well with the richness of the langoustine tartare. The Bienvenue did an equally fine job pairing with the next course of oyster in a watercress velouté, with lemon compote.

 

Royal Oscietra caviar, Nordic langoustine tartare

Fine de Claire oyster, watercress veloute, lemon compote

The 2004 Ramonet Montrachet was initially very tight but slowly opened up in the glass to reveal depth, richness and an immense structure, with an exceptionally long finish. I found it an excellent complement with the opulent crab ravioli with sea urchin dish in an intensely savoury flavoured Vermouth sauce.

 

Atlantic brown crab ravioli, Savoy cabbage, sea urchin, Vermouth

The next course of Brittany lobster with the Granny Smith emulsion and the tartness of the crispy green apple slice, returned me to the Bienvenue which delivered the better pairing, in my view.

Brittany blue lobster, artichoke, Granny Smith apple emulsion

There was no question that the Ramonet Montrachet divinely showed off the chicken main course, with the crispy wafer-thin chicken skin atop a piece of perfectly executed Bresse chicken breast with black truffle and Albufera sauce. The pairing was exceptional.

 

Perigord black truffle, Bresse chicken, celeriac, Albufera sauce

I would have very happily stopped here with the tasting of the two sensational white Bourgogne wines. I guess for many a dinner would not be complete without a dash of red. Given it's a special occasion, we allowed ourselves to be a little indulged. We tasted two bottles of 1993 Musigny, although initially not quite side by side. The second bottle was opened rather as a second thought, seeing how urgently the first bottle was depleted.

 

The first bottle was a 1993 Louis Jadot Musigny. The second bottle was a 1993 Jacques Prieur Musigny which probably should have been opened earlier to benefit from aeration and appreciation over a longer period. The Louis Jadot Musigny had aged gracefully, showing predominantly tertiary character amid a lithe and still elegant structure, but the legendary understated power of Musigny was replaced by a mature but dignified languor. On the contrary, the Jacques Prieur still boasted abundant ripe blackberry and preserved prune fruit notes. While it was lush and opulent with the class and power dominating the mid palate and finish, it did not quite have the finesse of a benchmark Musigny.  We should have reversed the order of serving these two wines. For me, I would sip the Louis Jadot Musigny to contemplate life, but I would turn to the Jacques Prieur Musigny for immediate hedonistic pleasures. I think the Prieur could benefit from further cellaring (3 - 4 years) to fully unravel its layers of complexity.


Based on these two bottles, I would score the 1993 Jadot Musigny 16/20 and the 1993 Prieur Musigny 17.5+/20.

Harder to score the two 2004 Ramonets as they were both excellent in their own styles. I would give 18/20 to the Bienvenue and 19+/20 to the Montrachet.


Chef Edward's cooking has given fine dining a new definition in Hong Kong. A self-taught chef from Singapore, each dish was executed with talent, care and instinctive innovation.  Here's the menu to remind us of our indulgence:

Royal Oscietra caviar, Nordic langoustine tartare

******

Fine de Claire oyster, watercress velouté, lemon compote

******

Atlantic brown crab ravioli, Savoy cabbage, sea urchin, Vermouth

******

Brittany blue lobster, artichoke, Granny Smith apple emulsion

******

Périgord black truffle, Bresse chicken, celeriac, Albufera sauce

******

Rosette

Rosette (so divinely light!)

2014 Domaine Leflaive: So irresistibly enjoyable now but keep some for cellaring!

9 Feb 2018:

At a media tasting of the 2014 vintage organised by Watson’s Wine, Domaine Leflaive’s exclusive agent in Hong Kong for 10 years, 4th generation family member Brice de La Morandière explains his vision for the venerable Burgundy family estate dated 1717 and the challenges he faces in ensuring its future succession and consistently top quality for its wines. During a visit to his former home city as CEO of a multinational company, de la Morandière also leads a frank conversation covering topics of premature oxidation, sustainable pricing versus demand and “corporate” Burgundy.

 

Appointed as the General Manager of Domaine Leflaive in 2015, de La Moranidière, nephew of the late Anne-Claude Leflaive, was quick to rise to his key challenges of preserving the domaine from one generation to the next, while ensuring the quality of the wines lived up to market expectations. Domaine Leflaive was a pioneer in biodynamics in Burgundy, with trials starting as early as 1990. One of De La Morandière’s first initiatives was to invite Pierre Vincent, formerly of Domaine de La Vougeraie, a young and talented winemaker, committed to biodynamics, to join the team. He further initiated the project to renovate the cellar to extend and to improve insulation. De La Morandière’s other challenge was to tackle the issue of premature oxidation in bottled wines. Extensive improvement to the soil helped restore the health of vines, enabling them to be more resistant to climatic hazards within the framework of biodynamics. In the winery, apart from longer and more gentle pressing to incorporate more oxygen into the juice before fermentation, they also aim to retain more “bourbes” (gross lees after pressing) which have strong antioxidant qualities. To minimise oxygenation during vinification, new and more effective pumps have been installed. But de La Morandière’s ultimate innovation to tackle the issue head-on was to change all closures from natural cork to Diam in order to eliminate or minimise bottle variation. The domaine now uses Diam 10 for Bourgogne and Village level wines, and Diam 30 for all Premier Cru and Grand Cru wines.

He cautioned that certain care had to be taken when preparing wines bottled with Diam. For example, all the wines tasted were double-decanted 3 hours before the tasting, to aerate the wines.

The media tasting showcased 5 wines from the 2014 vintage: starting with Bourgogne, Puligny-Montrachet village, followed by two premier cru wines, Clavoillon and Les Pucelles, and finishing with a Grand Cru, Bâtard Montrachet. 2014 vintage was the first vintage to be closed with Diam closures and the bright acidity and mineral character in all the wines was testament to the efficacy of the closures as well as the outstanding quality of the vintage.

 

De La Morandière said that the 2014 vintage whites were drinking so well now that he was concerned that buyers would not wish to take the risk of holding back some for cellaring.

The wines from such an illustrious domaine do come at prices that many may find unattainable. De La Morandière accepted that “scarcity” was a factor in ensuring that the domaine’s wines were less than accessible to most. However, he quickly pointed out that the pleasure in wine could not be equated to pricing. Nevertheless, “I don’t want to make wines for billionaires”, he retorted. He sympathized that the Leflaive wines were not for everybody given the prices but equally, the premium wines were not meant for every occasion. He encouraged wine lovers to start with their Bourgogne which retails at around EUR 45 a bottle (ie one-tenth of the retail price of the domaine's Bâtard Montrachet) but certainly delivers a taste of what the domaine offers, even at this entry level. With 24 hectares in Puligny, the Leflaive Bourgogne accounts for 4.3 ha, with a similar area dedicated to Puligny-Montrachet village. 10.8 ha is for the Premiers Crus and 4.8 ha for the Grands Crus. To prove that Chardonnay expresses itself in places other than Puligny, the domaine also has 20 ha of vineyards in the Mâconnais since 2004, producing the two appellations of Mâcon-Verzé and Pouilly-Fuissé in the philosophy of Domaine Leflaive. De La Morandière jokingly said that their Mâconnais wines had to be the cheapest fine wines of the world. 

De La Morandière is the only family member currently living in Puligny. Recent purchases of Burgundian domaines by large corporates and entrepreneurs have highlighted the fragility of family succession in this historic French winemaking region. He wishes to encourage the family’s next generation members to join the business, but he retains a practical outlook about the future of Burgundian domaines.

When asked if he would expand to other winemaking regions in France or beyond, his comment was “One step at a time.”

An American's Road to Burgundy - 8 years on

7 June 2016: As part of the Winemaker Dinner Series at Crown Wine Cellars, a small group of HK’s collectors, trade and media professionals had the opportunity to meet Ray Walker, owner and winemaker of Maison Ilan and author of “The Road to Burgundy” that documented the extraordinary story of an American falling in love with Burgundy wine, convincing his then pregnant wife that they should abandon life in the US, his job and salary at Merrill Lynch to move to Burgundy to make wine, when he only had one harvest experience under his belt and nothing else. It was a captivating story – a page-turner that kept you fascinated, and made you want to meet Ray and try his wines!

Almost 3 years after reading this book, I finally had the opportunity to meet Ray Walker. 2016 would be his 8th vintage in Burgundy, having launched his first wines from the 2009 vintage. Since writing the book, Ray has now complemented his hands-on experience with some technical training. He believes in minimal intervention, likening his wine to ‘sashimi’, not even ‘sushi’ with garnishes of rice, mirin, sesame and seaweed – just plain good quality fish, served ‘naked’ without any embellishments. In his minimalist cellar, he only has a destemmer, some hoses, fermentation vats (stainless steel tanks) and seasoned barrels. You will not find new barrels at Maison Ilan. Ray typically uses 2 or 3 year oak barrels to age his wines. Older barrels are used too for extended ageing: an example was his 2011 Chambertin, which he aged in barrel for 27 months. Having experimented with stems in 2009, he now only practices whole berry fermentation but not whole clusters.

No stems, no oak, no additions (except sulphur) and gentle extraction form the framework of his modus operandi. High temperature tends to over-extract. So he keeps the temperature to a moderate level, while only punching down 3 times in total during fermentation/maceration, rather than the traditional practice of 2 – 3 times, for 10 – 14 days. He adds nothing to his wine, except sulphur - all yeast and lactic acid bacteria are ambient. Instead of the usual topping-up of barrels during ageing, he drops marbles into the barrels to replace any empty head space. The minimalist approach involves just one racking, before bottling.

So how were the wines? We tasted 2 bottles from his first vintage 2009: Morey-Saint-Denis Les Chaffots and Chambertin. One could say this was the first Chambertin made by an American! Also tasted were samples from 2011, 2012 and 2013 vintage.

 

Ray Walker and the wines he served at Crown Wine Cellars

Ray had them served in this order:

2013 Volnay 1er Cru Les Robardelles

2013 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Monts Luisants

2013 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Chaffots

2013 Mazoyères-Chambertin

2013 Charmes-Chambertin ‘Aux Charmes Hauts’ (to differentiate from Charmes Bas)

2011 Chambolle-Musigny Les Feusselottes (from a parcel of 85-year-old massale selection vines)

2011 Morey-Saint-Denis Les Chaffots

2011 Chambertin

2009 Chambertin

2009 Morey-Saint-Denis Les Chaffots

2012 Chambertin (2 bottles were shown, with noticeable bottle variation)

The group was evenly split between those who liked Mazoyères and others who were partial to Charmes. Ray said people could get very emotional about his sauvage and sinewy Mazoyères and commented that its followers were usually also lovers of truffle – the umami factor? The Charmes showed precision, purity, finesse, depth of character, with a velvety texture.

 

To be the minimalist he is, Ray needs access to high quality fruit. The quantity of fruit he bought since he started has grown from 10.5 barrels of the 2009 vintage to 30 barrels of the 2015 vintage. He went back to 18 barrels with the small-crop 2012 vintage. The prices keenly reflect the demand for high quality fruit in Burgundy – Ray is now paying double what he paid when he started buying in 2009.

According to winesearcher.com, his 2011 Charmes Chambertin Aux Charmes Hauts is about GBP 100 a bottle and his Chambertin 2011 about GBP 85 a bottle.

Ray admitted to earlier challenges with logistics and distribution, but he believes there is now a much more organised and efficient system to allow him to focus on other projects, including a TV production sequel to his book. Fans of his first book would need to wait quite a bit longer for the second volume.

Birthday Wines

27 September 2015: This month, we were invited to a couple of important birthday celebrations.....and here are the wines our hosts served - I made a note against the ones I particularly enjoyed:

40th birthday party at Dine Art:
1996 Salon ***
2004 Meursault-Perrieres, Roulot ****
2001 Batard-Montrachet, Ramonet
2002 Griotte-Chambertin, Fourrier *****
1999 Romanee-Saint-Vivant, Sylvain Cathiard
1999 Grands-Echezeaux, Rene Engel


60th birthday party at Nicholini's:
2000 Krug Clos du Mesnil *****
2007 Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet, Henri Boillot
2004 Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet, Leflaive ****
2008 Meursault-Caillerets, Coche-Dury *****
2001 Clos de Vougeot, Leroy ****
1988 Lafite-Rothschild ****
1989 Lafite-Rothschild

What treats we had!

2008 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne

23 Sep 2015: 2008 Corton-Charlemagne, Coche-Dury. Richard picked this very special bottle to celebrate my very low-key birthday.  Pale lemon hue.  Intense bouquet of buttered toast, hazelnut, smoke and lemon peel. A powerfully structured and delineated wine, with pronounced acidity to give the wine an incredible lift, balancing the sumptuous richness, layers of complexity, volumes of energy and tension filling the minerality-laden palate. Immaculately balanced, seamlessly integrated, with the most persistent finish, that brings out such purity and lineage.   A distinguished wine that has yet to fulfill its full potential, but why wait?  It's already so delicious!  20/20

Volnays

7 August 2015:

Totally by accident, with just the theme of Volnay being circulated, our small group each brought a Premier Cru bottle from the south of Volnay village, adjacent to Meursault, including Clos des Chênes, Champans and just across the border in Meursault, Les Santenots. Champans and Santenots were already valued as the finest vineyards by successive historians, including Rodier and Lavalle, but Clos des Chênes wasn't recognised for its outstanding quality until much later. Champans (11.2 ha) is typically stony, with marly limestone offering good drainage, over hard Oxfordian limestone. Clos des Chenes (15.4 ha) has two parts, one part (and generally regarded as the better part) above the road D973, with reddish iron-packed soil, well-drained, the other part is higher up, cooler, steeper, with more white limestone marl. Les Santenots, across the border in Meursault, has more clay in the soil, contributing to fleshy body, richer texture and more robust structure, and in the best hands, they share the same velvety quality of tannins as the rest of Volnay. Les Santenots-du-Milieu is the heartland plot, about 8.8 ha within the larger 29 ha of Santenots. Lafon has 3.8 ha of the 8.8 ha.

Source: www.bourgogne-wines.com

My brief tasting notes as follows:

1999 Volnay Champans, Marquis d'Angerville: There was a distinct metallic whiff and taste. Though there was a good level of acidity, the mid-palate tasted ungenerous, lacking in fruit quality or richness of texture, with an astringent finish.


2002 Volnay Santenots-du-Milieu, Comtes Lafon: this was my wine of the evening. Beautiful aromatics of cherry stone, redcurrant, cardamon, suggesting purety and ripeness. The intense flavours, balancing acidity and velvety tannins coated the palate, lingering for a very long time, leaving a sense of seamless harmony and perfection. This was utterly more-ish. I could have been drinking this all night! A very long life ahead.


1998 Volnay Clos des Chênes, Michel Lafarge: sadly cork taint got the better of this bottle


2002 Volnay Clos des Chênes, Michel Lafarge: earthy, sage, cherry aromas dominated, a slow burner, gradually developing more depth and character as it evolved in the glass, while the vibrant acidity keeping up the freshness. A classic Volnay for both nose and palate. A long life ahead.


1969 Volnay Clos des Chênes, Remoissenet: this was a really pleasant surprise, how well it was holding up. Totally tertiary, but gracefully held together. Finished long.


1966 Volnay Clos des Chênes, Potinet-Ampeau: Sadly this was corked too. What are the chances of getting 2 bottles out of 6 with cork taint??!!


Not quite sure what I concluded from this tasting, but these are certainly very elegant wines, with distinct aromatics, a silky and suave texture and delicate structure that's so different from the Côte de Nuits wines......these are wines that make you reflect...... for me, they are quintessentially Bourgogne.

It would be quite fun to do a tasting of the wines from the Village, the centre of Volnay, and then from the vineyards closer to Pommard, to complete our education on Volnay!

1989 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne and 1959 Palmer

7 March 2015:

1989 Coche-Dury Corton-Charlemagne: Golden robe.  Mature bouquet suggesting musk, hazelnuts, shortbread, preserved ginger, liquorice, honey and sherry notes.  The suave palate flaunts richness and intensity, with a lush weight balanced by freshness, without any heaviness.  Very long honeyed and spicy finish.  A wine with plenty of depth and character, but firmly into the tertiary phase of its development. I think this bottle needs drinking now, unless advanced sherry character is your cup of tea, and will probably hold up for another 3 - 4+ years if stored properly. 18/20  (It went rather well with cheese, especially the very mature Brie de Meaux!)

1959 Palmer (half bottle): Beautiful garnet robe. Leather, violet, coffee, wet stones and earthy. Old spice.  Slight drying sensation on the finish.  Probably just off peak of its drinking but still holding its structure relatively well.  A classy mature claret, if only lacking in vigour. 17/20

A Pair of 1947 magnums: La Mission Haut Brion and Clos Fourtet

18 Feb 2015:

A couple of special magnums to welcome the new Lunar year. The 2004 Perrier-Jouët Belle-Epoque Rosé was a perfect quencher. A pale onion skin colour, it delivered a nice fruity and refreshing start to the evening. Some spicy salami did a good pairing. (The 2002 Perrier-Jouët Belle-Epoque Blanc de Blancs we had last week showed a lot more verve, complexity and persistence on the finish. Toast, russet apple, pear, almond, with hints of orange blossom on the nose. The bubbles pirouetted on the palate, flaunting savoury and spicy notes amongst a creamy mousse. Beautifully balanced, fabulous energy, this was a beauty. 17/20)

Next we had the 2000 Bienvenues-Bâtard Montrachet, Leflaive while waiting for the 1996 Salon to chill. The 2000 Leflaive Bienvenues was singing! Medium lemon, with golden highlights. It was a fine example of the minerality, depth, finesse and complexity of a classy Grand Cru from Puligny. I found ginger, liquorice, hazelnut, acacia and pear notes. The creamy palate took the experience to a new height. It needed time though. I went back to it almost 3 hours after it was poured into the glass. What richness, strength and persistence it showed. Marvellous. (I actually went back to it with the cheese.) 18/20

The 1996 Salon was a star. Such a magnificent bouquet. Almond, shortbread, buttered toast, and lemon peel appearing in layers, coating the palate, and lingering on the finish. Vibrant acidity keeping the richness and tension in perfect balance.  Such precision. It was a very fine Salon and still so youthful. 19/20

Next came the 2 magnums. 1947 Clos Fourtet, level was upper mid shoulder (we had lost the original label!). The colour was deep garnet but it was limpid. Plenty of complexity and it kept evolving: caramel, coffee, chocolate, dried fruit, plum, cigar box, leather. There was a welcoming freshness on the rather lush palate. Seamlessly integrated in a still firm and fleshy structure. A very fine example of a well aged Saint Emilion. I probably enjoyed the nose more than the palate. In this format, still plenty going for this wine. Drink now or over next 8 -10 years. 18.5/20

The level of the 1947 La Mission Haut Brion in magnum was into neck. It was a medium garnet colour, but less limpid. The nose was unmistakable Graves: smokey, gravelly, ash, tobacco. Very tertiary. More delicate frame, fresh and elegant. A very refined example of gracefully aged Graves. I particularly loved the delicate way it crossed the palate and how flavours lingered. Slight dryness on the finish that would suggest earlier drinking than later. A close call between the two, but I was rather drawn by the more classy and suave style of the La Mission Haut Brion. In this format, drink now and over next 3 - 5 years, would be my guess based on this sample. 18.5/20

We finished with 1963 Fonseca. Deep garnet. Bright dark cherry fruit, plum, walnut, date, raisin. Luscious, mouthcoating but well balanced by firm acidity. Well-integrated tannin. An excellent Fonseca port and it slipped down rather well. Spirity finish. 17.5/20 (I had paired this with egg tarts from Tai Cheong, vanilla ice cream and a light caramel sauce, not quite the Portuguese pasteis de nata but it did the job well!)

Those magnums were sadly our last but there is no doubt the memory of their magnificence will last a very long time!

Roumier Bonnes Mares and Bouchard Montrachet

17 Feb 2015: It was a special day to open and share such rare bottles.

2002 Montrachet, Bouchard was monolithic, powerful and muscular. I had it decanted 30 minutes before. (Probably longer would have been better!) Lemon, apple, pear, almond, overlaid with a waxy character. A taut minerality and vibrant acidity threaded through the palate. Smokey and butterscotch notes appeared after some more aeration. The sheer power and phenomenal complexity of the wine was stunning. Saline finish. I think this could wait a couple more years yet to deliver more of uts potential.  (Richard commented that the 2002 Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche, Drouhin that we tried last year (?) was more elegant, lush and less restrained than the Bouchard.) 19/20

A pair of Bonnes Mares, Georges Roumier followed. The 1999 showed vibrant energy, fine-detailed tight structure and great precision. A very fine expression and incredibly harmonious. Plum, animal, savoury and mushroom notes. Still some astringency on the finish. A very long life ahead. Very stylish and suave. 19/20

The 1997 also showed very similar character of animal, savoury, mushroom, as well as leather, coffee and liquorice, and a hint of torrefaction. Much more developed than the 1999 but it still retained the hallmark of the wine, albeit in a more approachable style. Less precise on the palate, and less concentration/intensity than the 1999. It had a lovely supple character, balanced with mellow but sound level of freshness and the velvety tannin was totally integrated. A wine of classy breed and perfect for drinking now. 17.5/20

We finished with 1980 Dow's Vintage Port. A vibrant ruby garnet colour. Brilliant fruit intensity with dark cherry, bing cherry, date, figs, brown sugar on the nose. Plenty of vibrancy. A Port of muscular dimensions but showing great harmony. Loved the clean and long mellow finish. A beauty but still very youthful. 17+/20

Musigny Dinner

24 October 2014: Special bottles are to be shared and what better way to share than to arrange a BYO dinner around the theme of Musigny.  It was a real privilege to be included in this dinner.

We started with 2 champagnes:

Selosse Version Originale.: (From the vineyards of Avize and Cramant, on the hillsides.) A medium golden robe. Mature oxidative nose of toast, shortbread, pear preserve, honey and acacia. Some spicy richness on the texture.  Finishes a little abrupt, not so exciting. 16/20

1980 Dom Perignon: Also golden in colour.  Ginger shortbread, liquorice, toast, honey and mineral, with a lovely saline quality on the palate. Mature, but still retaining a good energy level and very engaging this evening.  Medium body, finishes very long. A fine mature champagne without being outstanding. 17/20

2000 Bourgogne Blanc, de Vogüé: Minerality dominates the still firm palate, complemented by nuances of almond, toast, ripe pear, apple and citrus. Medium body, well-delineated, a nicely rounded mouthfeel, with weight to match and crisp acidity to balance.  Finishes long. Very fine effort for the vintage. Definitely drinking well now!  17.5/20

1971 Remoissenet Musigny: Pale garnet.  Notes of dry leaves, rose petals and nutmeg. Silky palate, with a lovely texture and some weight. Structure and balance impeccable for the age. Medium finish. An excellent example. 18.5/20

1978 De Vogüé, Musigny: unfortunately suffered from cork taint!

1979 De Vogüé, Musigny: Some noticeable volatile acidity on finish.  Still showing lovely complexity of sous-bois, earth, truffle and tea leaves.  Elegantly presented. Finishes a bit dry. To be drunk now. 15.5/20

1987 De Vogüé Musigny: A light weight version of the wine, but still featuring the hallmarks of Musigny.  Silky palate and beautiful balance and aromatics, if you do not mind the slight bretty character. Overall impression, a little rustic in style, lacking in charm, but well made for the vintage and nicely aged. 16/20

1985 Roumier Musigny: Sensational in one word. Savoury, freshness, plum, spice, mushroom. Silky palate, bright acidity, very long finish. Utterly harmonious. A very stylish and expressive wine crafted to perfection with a long life ahead. Drink now and over next 15+ years. 20/20

2003 Prieur Musigny: It is so unfair to try this immediately after the 1985 Roumier.  Very plum like, black cherry, some cloves and nutmeg spice. An opulent style, still quite muscular......though this might seem a bit brutish immediately after the super-elegant and captivating 85 Roumier. 16/20

1996 De Vogüé Musigny: Still showing lovely cherry fruit, good concentration, still youthful, try again in 4-5 years time, when the elements are more in harmony with each other. 17.5/20  (Interestingly, on the red capsule of this bottle, it actually said Bonnes Mares.....but we had checked with the domaine....which confirmed that if the cork said Musigny, this was definitely Musigny....just a labelling error!)

To finish, 

2005 L'Extravagant, Doisy Daëne (half bottle): (65% Semillon and 35% Sauvignon Blanc)  This was very rich and intense, but beautifully balanced and did not leave you with a heaviness on the palate. Extraordinary effort. 19/20

2002 Leroy Savigny Les Narbantons hitting the perfect note!

19 October 2014:

2002 Leroy Savigny-les-Beaune Les Narbantons
Garnet hue. Pure intense bright pinot fruit of raspberry and violet, sous-bois, truffle, cinnamon, nutmeg, five spice and tea leaves. Silky and supple palate, vibrant acidity, but already very harmonious and attractive. An exceptional Savigny Premier Cru that has aromatic complexity, depth and character, and a lovely mid-length finish, showing just a hint of dryness. Drinking at peak now and over next 5 - 6+ years. 17.5/20

2003 Corton Charlemagne, de la Vougeraie
Golden colour. Honey, braised pear, roasted hazelnut, with ripe tropical pineapple and mango notes and acacia flowers. A rich luscious style, lowish acidity, finishes long with honeyed liquorice nuances. Great with foie gras or a rich creamy lobster dish.  Drink now. 16/20

1993 Corton-Renardes, Leroy

21 August 2014:

1993 Corton-Renardes, Leroy

Medium garnet. Sauvage, truffle, damp autumn leaves, earth, Asian spices of cardamom and cinnamon, plum fruit. Silky, elegantly structured, with freshness underscoring the mellow tannin. All this embracing ripe and mature fruit. Drinking beautifully now, and will continue to deliver at this level over next 6 - 8+ years. Medium finish. 18/20

2010 Corton Charlemagne, Olivier Bernstein
Pale golden robe.  Honey, apricot, ripe pear and ginger. Fleshy and harmonious but started to show signs of maturity. Drinking very well now, not restrained at all. Though not showing signs of premature oxidation, this bottle seems to indicate an accelerated path of development.  (This is the first bottle of 6 that we tried....so I would try another one soon to see if these signs are present.) Medium finish.  I would drink earlier rather than later. 16.5/20

Village delights and a couple of mini M's!

10 Aug 2014: It would be awfully boring if one only experienced Grand Cru Bourgogne all the time.....to get the whole picture of the place, it is important to try the range of appellations from regional to village, Premier Cru and then Grand Cru. There are Bourgogne wines perfect for everyday purposes while others are ideal for convivial occasions with a few good friends.....then there are those more entitled to special celebrations. Here are some interesting examples we tried recently that we recommend:

2012 Bourgogne Chardonnay, Chanterêves: behind this new micro-négoce is Tomoko Kuriyama and Guillaume Bott. Tomoko is originally from Japan, and she was the winemaker at Weingut Altenkirch between 2007 and 2011. Guillaume has been the winemaker at Domaine Simon Bize since 2002, prior to that he was winemaker at Etienne Sauzet (1995 - 2002). Intrigued by this new micro-négoce, I bought a couple of bottles of Bourgogne Chardonnay to try. I was very impressed by the quality - a genuine authentic expression of regional Bourgogne (the 100% organically and biodynamicallly grown grapes for this vintage had come from Maranges), use of wild yeast, no bâtonnage, and only seasoned oak was used in the vinification process (3 to 10-year barrels), no fining and only light filtration before bottling. It showed elegance, purity, clear sense of place and expression of the vintage and the grape, balance and a well-defined structure. I would be very happy to have this as house wine! Drink now and over next 4 -5 years. Retailing at HK$ 220 in Hong Kong, It probably cost a bit more than a New World Chardonnay, but that sense of place and the inimitable Bourguignon finesse was worth the extra dollar (in my view)!

Another commendable white is a village white from Marsannay, Côte de Nuits.  It is 2011 Marsanny Les Champs Perdrix, Domaine Marc Roy.  At just 12.5% abv, this wine surprises with a mid-weight frame, with a creamy vinous texture, balanced richness, lively freshness and a crisp finish.  It ticks all the boxes for a more serious house white, perfect with the Sunday dim sum lunch with your family.  Exotic fruit on the nose, overlaid with citrus, toasty and slightly smokey notes. Not too heavy on the palate, but there is a nice smooth texture, with some weight, balanced by a good level of acidity (apparently only 50% malolactic fermentation). Crisp finish. It does not have the depth nor concentration worthy of a higher rating, but the balance and elegance definitely make this a very pleasurable wine at a reasonable price. Retails at HK$ 290 a bottle. Drink now and over next 4 - 5 years. 15.5/20

 

2004 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Prieur, Marc Roy: this was my first bottle from this domaine, now run by 4th generation Alexandrine.  Minimal intervention and sustainable viticulture are practiced here. The grapes from this bottle came from the village part of Clos Prieur (which also had an upper portion declared as Premier Cru), a vineyard below Mazis-Chambertin. The lower part of Clos Prieur has heavier clay soil. Garnet robe. Already a mature bouquet of farmyard, earth, savoury, leather notes, with some spicy (nutmeg, cardamon, cloves) nuances, prune, autumn leaves, slight sappy note. Made in a classic rustic style, but the wine has now reached its plateau of maturity, showing a smooth medium-bodied texture, with a richness and elegance perhaps not quite expected of 2004, but without the concentration and depth of character worthy of a Premier Cru. Medium length finish.  Drink now and over next 2 - 3 years. Retails at HK$ 490 a bottle. I would score this 16/20.

 

2006 Chambolle-Musigny, Roumier: This village wine contains some premier cru Fuées juice. Fresh acidity, silky texture and refined elegance are distinct features of this wine. Some tertiary notes have started to appear: mushroom and earth accompanying the classic pure and ripe red fruit notes of raspberry and plum. Medium bodied, some concentration on palate and good length. Drink now and over next 6 - 8 years.  Medium length finish.  Retails at HK$ 1170 a bottle!  16.5/20

And for those special occasions this week, we tried 2 vintages of Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru, Comte Georges de Vogüé. The Chambolle Premier Cru from this domaine is typically made with young Musigny vines, usually up to 25 years of age.  The 2002 definitely showed the hallmark features of Musigny, with sublime elegance, precise detail and classy firm structure delivered in lightish frame, lacking the concentration and weight for the real stuff.  The tannins can still do with more time to resolve, leaving the wine with a chewy texture still.  Full of vigour and energy, and packed with pure red and black fruit appeal.  I would leave this for 12 - 18 months before trying again.  Drink over next 8 - 10 years!   The 2001 is definitely ready for drinking now but it does not quite have the same fruit appeal and suppleness as the 2002. It is more classic in style, but the detail and harmony are very evident. I would score the 2002 higher than the 2001. I would score 17.5/20 for the 2002 and 17/20 for the 2001.

Celebrating the 1964 Vintage

24 Jun 2014: Turning the corner at 50....is the man worthy of the wine??!! We're here to find out with a couple of friends at this particular hallmark!

The original label for the 64 Figeac had disappeared with age....hence a handwritten one!

Here's proof that it was a Figeac!

1995 Krug: Golden colour. An intense bouquet of honeycomb, toast, pear tart, hazelnut and white flowers. Creamy texture, and the bubbles very fine indeed. Still cherishing lively acidity. This is definitely a rich style...opulent and succulent. Saline mineral finish.....and very long. 17.5/20

2002 Corton Charlemagne, Simon Bize

A lemon colour. Toast, spice, lemon and a precise minerally finish. Such finesse and such delineation! Very classy and very expressive of the terroir. Finishes extremely long. 18/20


1964 Cheval Blanc: A garnet hue. A powerful and intense bouquet of mocha, dark chocolate and blackberry, and with aeration, taking on layers of cedar, violet and leather. Full bodied with a robust structure, underneath a veneer of velvet, succulent with just some remnants of unresolved tannin. Perfectly balanced with refreshing acidity. This needed time to wake up, after 1.5 hour. Simply gorgeous and utterly opulent. Glad to know that there is promise of a long life! 19/20


1964 Figeac: A garnet hue. For a few of us, this remained the darling of the evening until the Cheval Blanc woke up and we had to concede that the Cheval Blanc had just that extra bit of power and mileage! Cedar, violet, blackcurrant, blueberry, tobacco. Medium bodied, with beautifully integrated tannin and lively freshness. Fragrant and very elegant, almost like a ballerina! 18.5/20


1991 Tokaji Aszu, 5 Puttonyos, The Royal Tokaji Wine Company
A deep amber colour. A very musty whiff initially. Raisin seed, balsamic, toffee, walnut, rye bread. Luscious, but firm acidity. Full bodied but not heavy at all. Finishes nicely, quite elegant. 17/20

Well, the man was certainly worthy of the wine!  And vice versa!

1999 JN Gagnard Batard Montrachet - irresistibly moreish!

22 Jun 2014:
A friend came round for Sunday supper. We were totally bowled over by these 2 bottles for our evening:

We had started with a NV Vallée de La Marne Rive Gauche, Extra Brut, Bereche et Fils. 100% Pinot Meunier on a north-facing slope of clay-limestone soil - the parcel of 'Les Misy' planted in 1969. The base wine for this bottle was 2009 vintage and this bottle was disgorged in January 2013. Dosage was 3g/litre. Slow and spontaneous fermentation using ambient yeast, with no malolactic fermentation. First impression of this champagne was very yeasty and toasty on the nose, with notes of lemon, almond, apricot and pear to accompany. Mousse was creamy and bubbles were persistent. Though made in an Extra Brut style, you could still taste the very plump fruit.  We felt that it could do with perhaps a bit more precision/minerality on the palate? Long finish. An impressive effort with this very ripe vintage! 16/20

1999 Bâtard Montrachet, Jean Noël Gagnard
Lemon robe, with just some glints of gold. A very expressive bouquet: smokey, toast, ripe pear, peach, apricot, apple tart, shortcrust pastry, over lemony and spicy notes, ginger and cardamom. Full-bodied, voluptuous and velvety mouthfeel, caressing the palate, delivering the complex and concentrated flavours in layers and layers, balanced by a good level of acidity. This wine is in a state of fine equilibrium and harmony. Finishes extremely long, well over a minute! Utterly sensational and a very fine example of Bâtard. Drink now and over 8 - 10+ years. (I think it will last even longer!) 19/20 (I think this would be very good with a rich poultry dish, such as chicken in a creamy sauce.)

1985 Vosne-Romanée Aux Reignots, Bouchard
Garnet colour. A totally seductive bouquet: coffee, plum, mocha, spice, tobacco, earthy and leather. Silky texture, medium bodied, with perfect acidity holding up the fine structure. A wine that displays finesse, elegance and harmony. Long finish. Sublime!  This is drinking at peak now. I would drink this over the next 4 - 5 years. 18/20

Not bad for a casual Sunday supper!