1966 Cheval Blanc

21 Sep 2014:

1966 Cheval Blanc:
Garnet core, lacked limpidity. Bouquet marred by whiffs of volatile acidity and brett initially but dissipated or the underlying character became stronger after a couple of hours. There were notes of coffee, cigar box, caramel, cedar, earth and a stoney minerality. All tertiary, with hardly any fruit quality on the palate. Finishes dry and short. Lacks charm. 16/20

2002 Mugnier Musigny and 2002 Pierre Peters Les Chetillons

16 Sep 2014: It was celebration time. A good friend just got through the MW Tasting Paper. On this occasion, we opened 3 bottles from the 2002 vintage. The 2002 Pierre Péters Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons was awesome! (Fruit came from the lieu-dit of Les Chétillons in Le Mesnil, made only in the best vintages.) It packed intense flavours of citrus pith, lime, pear, toast, honey, gingerbread, with just a hint of mushroom-like umami flavours, altogether with a chalky mineral quality. The persistent fine bubbles delivered incredible freshness and energy with every sip, leaving an incredibly long saline finish. Still quite taut, but it was extremely well-delineated, pure, precise and racy. We loved it! 19/20

The 2002 Meursault-Bouchères, Roulot was very well presented with an expressive nose, but it did not quite have the depth nor precision expected of a Meursault Premier Cru. On the palate, it seemed a bit characterless, albeit a well-made wine and one that went beautifully with smoked salmon starter. 16.5/20

The 2002 Musigny, Mugnier was sensational, in one word. It hit all the right notes....the aromatics were hauntingly beautiful, gorgeous pure black and red fruit followed by spice, displayed with such intensity. Palate was simply silk, woven with remarkable freshness, depth of flavours and precise winemaking. I loved the way it expanded to fill the mouth, leading to one lengthy mineral-laden finish. A very serious wine that you could fall in love with rightaway! This is textbook Musigny! 19.5/20

Mature Bordeaux: Recorked versus Original

18 Sep 2014: The theme of 'Recorked versus Original' was a rather original idea...but we soon realised that the tracking down of these precious recorked bottles proved quite a challenge. So we relaxed the theme a little to include some original bottles from the 50's and 60's.  Yu Lei Restaurant (part of the K.O. Dining Group) at Harbourfront Landmark, Hung Hom, was our chosen venue for this momentous tasting and dinner. Opened in 2012, K.O. Dining (K.O. for Kazuo Okada) is a restaurant complex that features 3 types of cuisine: Japanese, Chinese and Italian, in a 25,000 sq ft space, offering harbour view and a wine cellar that boasts 10,000 bottles! Our room featured a dramatic and exuberant chandelier cascading glistening strands of yellow gold, against a backdrop of wall painting of a giant bright pink peony on both sides of the room. The wine service, overseen by Akihiko Nosaka and his team, was impeccable. No decanters were used, except for the port at the end. Every bottle of mature Bordeaux was carefully handled and poured without agitating the sediment at the bottom. We were able to keep all our glasses throughout to check the evolution. It was extraordinary to learn that Executive Chef Miki Imagawa acquired his culinary skills in Chinese cuisine in Japan!! I was particularly impressed by the Pei Pa duck and the grilled eggplant with minced pork and mushroom served with Chinese bun.  (And if you're not bothered by food and wine pairing, a must try is the sweet and sour pork, made using 3 types of vinegar!)

The Pei Pa duck, marinated with homemade sauce

We started with a magnum of 1989 Krug (served with parma ham from Messina, the Italian restaurant at K.O. Dining). A lovely pale gold colour. An alluring nose exuding toasted hazelnut, lemon confit, ripe pear, preserved ginger, honey and shortbread, with hints of hickory smoke. Creamy in texture, with gentle fine bubbles delivering intense flavours, still laced with lively freshness, across the palate, leaving a smokey and almost saline aftertaste that lasted a couple of minutes. Truly sensational. The 750 ml format would probably require earlier drinking whereas for well-stored large formats, this was nowhere close to the declining path. 19/20

1989 Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet, Ramonet: a deeper shade of gold here than the Krug. A mature nose of marzipan, ripe pear, liquorice, butterscotch and nougat. There was still sufficient acidity to give the wine the necessary structure and balance against the richness on the palate. On the palate, it was creamy and lush, with a lingering aftertaste. The pairing with stir-fried Boston lobster with creamy sauce was definitely a good recommendation by Chef Miki. 17.5/20


The first pair of recorked versus original was the 1945 Cheval Blanc. The 'recorked' bottle was fitted with a new cork in 1985, without any topping up. The level of the original bottle was about mid shoulder. The original bottle started to show bricking at the rim, and the core lacked limpidity. On the nose, if you could get past the very noticeable volatile acidity, you could find notes of coffee, plum, leather, tobacco, dried fruit and caramel. As one of us noted, it was almost Amontillado-like! There seemed more flesh and weight on the palate than the recorked version. This deteriorated rather rapidly with aeration, and about 45 minutes later, the VA almost dominated the palate, to render this unpleasant. 15/20


As for the recorked bottle, there was also VA on the nose, but there was perhaps more freshness and brighter fruit accompanying the notes of coffee, leather, plum, nutmeg and cinnamon. It felt more silky on the palate, a bit more elegant than the original version...sadly this bottle also succumbed to the aggression of VA in about the same amount of time. 15.5/20


Next pair was the 1953 versus 1959 Latour,both original bottles. The 1953 Latour, though not a blockbuster vintage, held its own rather well in the line-up. Garnet core. It offered notes of leather, earth, plum, with hints of blueberry and violet. It was rather attractive, though in a more delicate frame. Lovely finish. Like a gracefully aged gentleman, still charismatic and distinguished, even though the passage of time has left its indelible mark. A charming wine, definitely drinking now....and probably should drink within the next 3 - 5 years. 16.5/20 (This paired so well with the Pei Pa duck!)


Even though well within expectation, the contrast with the 1959 Latour still took a little while to adjust to! This was youthful in every sense, from colour to the palate. There was hardly any sign of bricking at the rim here. It was power and strength in the glass. Cooked blackberry fruit and liquorice spice, layered with leather, cedar and tobacco notes. A strong tar and meaty character came through with aeration in the glass. All the elements were seamlessly integrated, giving a robust structure, if lacking charm today. A masculine wine that finished very long. Drink over next 10 - 15 years. 18.5+/20

The amazing line-up, thanks to everyone's generous contribution

Then we had the pair of 1959 Lafite, recorked versus original. The recorked bottle had come from a private collection in Bordeaux, which had been recorked and topped up with the same wine at the château in 2010. I had spotted a high dose of VA and some brett on the nose. If you could look beyond this, then you would find the unmistakable Pauillac nose of sweet tobacco, cedar and black fruit. The VA lent an exaggerated lifted vibrancy to the finish. 16/20


I thought that the original bottle had also suffered from the attack of VA, but to a much lesser extent. The nose showed much more cassis than the Latour, and complemented by notes of tobacco, blackberry, leather, mint and hints of savouriness. Silky on the palate, with more definition and charm than the Latour. A classy mature Pauillac. Finishes very long. Drink now and over next 8 - 10 years. 18.5/20 (marked down for the VA)


The next flight was the 1961 Margaux, recorked versus original. The original bottle showed a limpid garnet core. I was immediately seduced by the fragrant bouquet of cedar, sweet tobacco, some forest floor, earthy, plum and bilberry fruit and a hint of violet. The palate was silky and wonderfully balanced, delivering an abundance of finesse and charm. A very harmonious wine and a glorious Margaux. This was the wine of the evening for me. This wine is for drinking now...I probably would drink over next 6 - 8 years, to capture this sense of elegance and harmony. 19/20


The recorked bottle came from the cellars of Mähler-Besse in Bordeaux and the bottle had been recorked and topped up at the château in 2008. The colour was an intense garnet, but lacked limpidity. Apart from the noticeable VA, the nose bore much resemblance to the nose of the original bottle, but the palate showed just a bit more density and weight compared to the original bottle. 18/20


Unfortunately, the 1964 Margaux in the last flight was corked. So we only had the 1964 Haut Brion which put up a very good showing. Bright garnet core, with good limpidity. There was a sweet fruit entry, followed by olive, leather and stoney mineral notes. Medium bodied, nicely balanced. A quiet and unassuming wine, but a very decent drop for the vintage! Drink now.....but will not hold out too much longer. 16.5/20


This we paired with a baked Iberico pork rib with a very very mild spicy sauce.....I find a little bit of spice probably helped lift the palate a little, without detracting from the enjoyment of these fine bottles!


We finished with a 1963 Warre's Vintage Port. This tasted so fresh: dried date, prune, walnut and a hint of balsamic. This was beautifully harmonious, with no sharp edges at all, even if it didn't have the concentration of some of its peers....and so easy to slip down.....loved the way the fresh finish lasted so long in the mouth. We could still taste it the following day! 17.5/20


The port went very well with the baked egg tart and lotus seed paste pastry, which was presented like a peony flower in full blossom!

Such as special evening, thanks to everyone's generous contribution and the outstanding wine service.....I think it would be difficult to draw any useful conclusions on these bottles, as so much depended on the storage conditions throughout their lives and the vintage conditions.....but suffice to say, you need time and patience with great Bordeaux bottles......do not drink them in a hurry!

 

The dramatic chandelier!

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

2000 Pavie and 2000 Montrose

23 August 2014: Another lovely dinner at Upper Modern Bistro....great modern bistro dishes, friendly staff and a lively ambiance. To accompany our 2006 Mount Mary Chardonnay, we shared smoked salmon toast with cauliflower puree and avruga caviar, mini sausage rolls and my favourite pig's trotter dip (sadly none of my friends shared my passion for this - so more for me!!). 

The Mount Mary Chardonnay from Yarra Valley was definitely a cool climate style Chardonnay, now in its 7th year, showing notes of lemon, ripe pear and apple, lightly ginger-spiced, and the faintest hint of oak influence (30% new oak and the rest in older or larger barrels). A linear structure, beautifully balanced and precise, nice weight on the palate, without being heavy, and a minerally finish. Still very much in its youth....can be enjoyed now and over the next 8 - 10+ years. 17/20  (The label of this bottle specially added a note of commemoration of Dr. John Middleton, the founder of Mount Mary Vineyard who died in 2006.)

We continued with starters of lobster salad, 63 degree egg with sauteed mushroom, crab meat and bellota ham. Then for our main courses, we had the two 2000 Bordeaux side by side.

2000 Montrose (opened and double-decanted 4.5 hours earlier )
63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 31% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot. 12.5% abv.
Deep ruby. Cassis, dried herbs, blackberry, cedar, violet, hint of smoke, lead pencil, stoney, cool minerality, initially a hint of herbaceousness. Firm tannin, sense of freshness and coolness dominates the robust structure, powerful but not fleshy. Medium bodied. Muscular, firm and classic St Estephe. Still very youthful. Needs time to resolve. Continued to develop in the glass, took on more weight and the flavours more concentrated. Drink 2018+. A long life ahead. At least 20 years. 18/20


2000 Pavie (opened and double-decanted 2.5 hours earlier)
60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. 13.5% abv.
Deep ruby. Seductive nose of plump blackberry fruit, dark chocolate, hint of cedar over the liquorice and vanilla notes. Almost port-like. Fleshy and opulent, lush fruit and ripe but firm tannin dominating the texture, viscous and concentrated, still retaining a good level of balancing freshness. This is a wine generous in every sense! You can enjoy it now but I would wait 5 - 6 more years for a more harmonious experience. A very very long life ahead! Tonight, I preferred the less over-powering and more harmonious Montrose, as the Pavie seemed a bit too full-on! I do think the Pavie has an extremely long life ahead and will live up to its legendary status with the right amount of bottle age. 18+/20

We finished with Jeremy's selection of cheese, washed down with a half bottle of 2001 Suduiraut from the restaurant's wine list. Jeremy Evrard never fails to impress with his incredible knowledge of cheese and his stories about individual cheesemakers......For me, this is always a highlight at Upper Modern Bistro!

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.

1990 La Tache

1 Aug 2014: On the back of a very disappointing experience of a seriously out-of-condition magnum bottle of this wine, we decided to try a bottle of this, from the same US importer, Wilson Daniels, to see if the magnum was a singular aberration from the reputed quality of this wine.

1990 La Tâche: Deep garnet robe. An intensive bouquet of red fruit and floral notes greeted the nose, with aromas of raspberry, blueberry, violet and dried rose petals......overlaying some earthy, mushroom and spicy nuances. With extended aeration, the tertiary character kind of gave way to the dominance of an intense pinot perfume of raspberry. The tannins initially still showed a firm quality, together with the concentration and depth of flavours, lending a robust and powerful structure to the wine. The tannins slowly evolved in the glass and delighted the palate with such fleshy and velvety texture, and the flavours clinging onto the tastebuds. There was a very impressive freshness about this wine. Here the incredible balance and understated finesse transcended the apparent richness and opulence. The finish went on for a very long time.

A totally sublime expression! I think this could do with a couple more years of cellaring and watch out for further stunning transformation.......drink from 2016+. 19.5+/20