A Very Seductive 2000 Charmes Chambertin TVV, Joseph Roty

1 July 2012: Drinking perfectly well now.  Ripe red fruit, layered with smoke, truffle and sous-bois, and some leather notes.  Very compelling and complex bouquet, with an even more compelling palate, with a sweet and rich first impression, expanding into lovely layers of complexity in the mouth and leaving you feeling totally charmed and seduced with its lingering finish.  Drinking well now and will continue to drink well for another 10 - 15 years. This is a very fine example of the 2000 vintage, which many regard as an underperforming vintage. 18/20

A 3-Star Meal at DN-Innovacion, Taipei with 5-Star Wines

Chef Xabier Gutierrez

1 July 2012: A few days ago, Richard and I were kindly invited to a very special meal in Taipei, that would remain for us a very memorable experience.  It was at a Spanish restaurant called DN-Innovación on Songren Road in Taipei. (http://www.dn-asia.com)/

Chef Daniel Negreira



The welcome snack of gorgeous ham and olive-oil drizzed toast



The red squid

The menu was designed and prepared by visiting chef Xabier Gutierrez, the Creative Director at the 3-Michelin starred restaurant Arzak, San Sebastian, Spain.  The executive chef at DN Innovación, Daniel Negreira, completed a stint at Arzak (as well as El Bulli and others) and got to know Xabier well to invite him to come over to Taipei. 


A very tasty mackerel dish, spiced up with a little dried chilli



Boston Lobster on the 'flaxseed' reef



The absolutely fabulous Red Prawn



Line-caught sea bass with leek ashes and truffle juice

All the courses were immaculately prepared and presented, each dish was a unique creation, complete with fresh and intense flavours, colourful and meaningful presentation in 3 dimensions, and original creativity.  In short, they all exuded 3-star quality from beginning to end.  Joe,  our host, added the restaurant's special of Spanish ham and olive oil-drizzled toasted bread at the beginning to get us going.

Smoked Red Tuna with the Smouldering Cinnamon Stick

Black Pork cheek with 'Pineapple'

All the ingredients were imported, except the squid, which was sourced locally in Asia.  The only choice we had to make was in the main course, either Kobe beef cheek or black pork cheek.  We both opted for the pork, which was so richly flavoured and so tender that it almost melted in the mouth. This was accompanied by a 'pineapple' - reconstituted and condensed pineapple juice, shaped as a pineapple.  The red tuna that arrived in a smoking chamber with a cinnamon stick still glowing with its embers was rather spectacular - very tender tuna meat, beautifully smoked, simply gorgeous.  The original menu included a dish called 'Mutant Soup'.  We had it swapped for a piece of crimson Mediterranean prawn, with a fried head and a most tender almost sashimi-like body.  This was divine and paired so well with the 2000 Meursault.

The yummy fruity 'footprint'

We were treated us to the following list of fabulous wines:
NV Jacques Selosse Substance
1996 Salon
1996 Krug Clos du Mesnil
1988 Krug Clos du Mesnil
2000 Meursault Sous Le Dos d'Ane, Leflaive
1976 Meursault Charmes, Charles Bocard
1993 Chambertin Clos de Bèze, Rousseau
1993 Chambertin, Leroy
1993 Chambertin, Rousseau
1991 Chambertin, Rousseau
1959 Chambertin, Rousseau
1962 La Romanée, Leroy
1933 La Romanée, Liger-Belair
1945 Taylor's Port

The selection of red wines

The wine of the evening: 1959 Rousseau Chambertin

The Selosse Substance was our welcome drink, but I think it would pair rather well with the prawn dish! The 1996 Salon stood apart with its purity, class, energy and nervosity.  The youthful bouquet showed citrus, lime zest, green apple, light toast and chalky minerality.  There was something very aristocratic about it, and it's remarkably fresh.  The 1996 Krug Clos du Mesnil by comparison was hefty, rich and mature, and perhaps lacked sophistication, intense with honey, melon, brioche, toast, acacia, nutty and smokey aromas and the palate giving a liquorice aftertaste.  The 1988 Krug Clos du Mesnil very interestingly tasted a lot fresher than the 1996 version, giving the impression of much more energy, freshness and minerality. 

The 2000 Meursault Sous Le Dos d'Ane, Leflaive was nicely well-developed, with a ripe fruit bouquet, layered with cream,  nuts, and mushroom.  Long spicy finish with some torrefaction notes on the finish.  Definitely drinking well now, and for the next 8 - 10 years.  This wine married rather well with the creaminess of the red prawn and provided some needed acidity to balance off the richness of high quality sashimi prawn.

First impression of the 1976 Meursault Charmes, Charles Bocard was an intense and mature bouquet of nougat, honey, caramel, nutty, with some botrytis notes (marmalade, orange peel).  The palate initially lacked weight and intensity to match the bouquet.  After about an hour in the glass, the flavours had intensified and the wine gained sufficient weight to make it much more interesting.  Probably past its peak, but still drinking nicely.

Then 4 rather similar Chambertin wines.  My top wine of this flight of 4 was the 1993 Rousseau Chambertin (19.5/20) - I liked the structure, concentration and velvety mouthfeel, which needed time in the glass to develop.   The 1991 Rousseau Chambertin (19/20) showed more purity of fruit and understated elegance and richness.  The 1993 Leroy Chambertin (18/20) seemed to be a little more savoury and gamey, with a slightly funky character about it.  The acidity was also more pronounced here, but the long finish was rather attractive.  The 1993 Rousseau Clos de Bèze (17.5/20) was somehow less impressive than the others....it seemed a little lacking in concentration and depth and the finish was quite short, even after development in the glass.

The wine of the evening was unquestionably the 1959 Rousseau Chambertin (20/20), which was absolutely drinking at peak now, but with a further drinking window of at least 8 -10 years. Still evident plum and cherry, layered with truffle, leather, smoke, tobacco, star anise, coriander and sous-bois.  We were all astounded by its freshness, structure, complexity and finish.  A wine with an amazing expression of Pinot Noir at its best, from the best terroir, showing an elegance that only the best from Bourgogne could achieve!  The experience of this wine still lingers in our memories.

The 1962 La Romanée, Leroy was harmonious and delicate, with a lovely finish, but perhaps a little weak on the palate compared to the Chambertins.  The 1933 La Romanée was unfortuantely too madeirised to be even called enjoyable. 

Then came the second most memorable wine of the evening.  1945 Taylor's Port.  It was a spectacular port, with a beautiful bright ruby core and a freshness that rather amazed all of us.  Notes of dried cherry, nuts, coffee, caramel.  Spirity finish.  Drinking beautifully now, with a very long life ahead!  Wouldn't be surprised if this port would have another 20 - 30 years ahead, if stored properly!  A classic port, which was simply sensational and impressive!  19.5/20

The evening left us all feeling a little jaded.  We managed our short walk back to the hotel.  I highly recommend the hotel we stayed at: Le Meridien, which literally was across the road from the restaurant, brand new, with very spacious rooms (and bathrooms) and a fabulous gym - it was just missing a proper bar where we could sit to reminisce about the fabulous dinner we just had!  Thank you very much,  Joe! It was a truly memorable experience!

Value for Quality Delicious Burgundy

17 Jun 2012: I just spent a week in the region of Bourgogne (Burgundy), attending a course organised by BIVB (the Burgundy Wine Board).  It was an intensive programme, packed with activities which were designed to immerse the attendees into the wine culture of Bourgogne, starting from the rich and colourful history, the geology that began hundreds of millions of years ago, the climate, the microclimate that would feature as many aspects and exposures as possible in the smallest plot of vineyard, the expressive grape varieties, and lastly but not least the evolution of viticultural and vinfication knowledge and skills from father to son, from generation to generation.  I have always found learning about Burgundy wines a most humbling experience and this sentiment was reinforced in the strongest sense during this programme.  We met many wonderful men and women of Bourgogne, all working with such dedication, passion and conviction about the quality of their wines, and yet they were for the most part, lesser known than the 'big names' we're familiar with in Hong Kong.  We were also introduced to the lesser known communes where fabulous wines were produced, at a sensible price!! 

I brought back home to share with Richard the bottle of welcome gift: 2009 Pernand-Vergelesses Clos de La Croix de Pierre, Louis Jadot.  It was absolutely delicious!  Brilliant and clear, with white gold reflections.  The nose was elegant and expressive, with notes of fresh citrus fruit, pear, lime blossom and almonds.  Further aeration intensified the aromas and rendered more complex notes.  It was a lively and fresh attack on the palate.  Medium body, showing a very good level of acidity, balancing the richness of the vintage, giving a linear structure, highlighting purity of fruit, minerality, tension and lovely complexity.  Lovely dry crisp finish, with a good length.  This youthful village wine can certainly benefit from a couple more years of cellaring but is already drinking very well.  Richard and I totally loved it and we enjoyed it over a dish of deep-fried pomfret with chilli and sweet soya sauce.  Divine! (We had dinner with a representative from Jadot last week and she very kindly brought a just-bottled 2010 Beaune-Bressandes blanc - beautiful!  And we did a comparison between 2001 Beaune Clos des Ursules and Beaune Boucherottes......the Clos des Ursules would be my pick, with a more robust structure, more density, concentration and length - really gorgeous and went beautifully with the confit de canard!).  

I am so in love with the village of Pernand-Vergelesses at the moment.  So many great wines, red and white, reasonably priced, can be found here.  One of the domaines we visited was Domaine Dubreuil-Fontaine where we tasted some excellent 2010 white wines, including Aligoté, Pernand-Vergelesses Blanc, Pernand-Vergelesses Sous Frétille, the monopole Clos Berthet and an absolutely gorgeous Corton-Charlemagne.  We were treated to a nice surprise: a 1976 Pernand-Vergelesses Ile de Vergelesses....the wine was still full of energy and elegantly evolved.  Great address! 

Other communes really worth exploring include: Marsannay (I particularly recommend Marsannay Champ Perdrix, Huguenot), Mercurey (Domaine du Meix-Foulot), Saint-Aubin, Auxey-Duresses, Le Mâconnais (Do try the Pouilly-Fuissé, Pouilly-Vinzelles and Saint-Véran at Domaine Thibert!) and also red Chassagne-Montrachet (we tried a 2009 village by Jouard - really delicious and great with food  - I had been sceptical but there I was convinced about the quality of red Chassagne!). 

I also brought back to share with Richard a bottle of the 2009 Pouilly-Fuissé Les Ménétrières, Thibert.  Domaine Thibert is now run by brother Christophe and sister Sandrine.  This Les Ménétrières is a single vineyard wine. The robe is pale gold, brilliant and limpid.  The first nose was one of purity and elegance, very pleasant with ripe fresh fruit and subtle toasty, spicy notes.  Further aeration enhanced the complexity (pear, exotic fruit, toast, nuts and floral) and gave more weight to the wine. Supple, with very nice viscosity and lively acidity.  Very good freshness for this sun-baked vineyard area.  This is a compelling and expressive wine, with a lingering spicy finish.  Drinking beautifully now with some aeration but will benefit from another 12 - 18 months of cellaring.  Excellent quality.  This would make a lovely pairing with pan-fried foie gras , veal/chicken in cream sauce, or braised abalone in oyster sauce, and not to forget, the Abbaye de Citeaux cheese that I brought back, for example.  I believe this is applying for Premier Cru status and deservedly so!

During the week in Burgundy, we also visited a crémant-producer, Domaine Parigot-Richard and tasted some really high quality crémants, including a beautiful Cuvée Prestige 2009 made with 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir, both from very old vines.  I couldn't resist buying a bottle of the 2008 special bottling of 'OR', a rosé  crémant made from 100% Pinot Noir, saturated with gold leaves!  Simply delightful and it would make someone very happy! 

Drinking good quality Burgundy does not have to be expensive -  we just need to be more open-minded.  But more importantly, we need local importers to help play the part......

I recently enjoyed an article entitled "Affordable White Burgundy" by Stephen Brook in the July edition of the Decanter magazine, where he recommended a number of alternatives to Corton Charlemagne, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet.  While I do not believe in generalising about communes, the article made very interesting remarks about finding value in Burgundy and also gave some very good recommendations.  Such is the rich tapestry of Bourgogne that there is a wine for everyone, and quality and ageworthy wines do not have to be expensive!  Explore and  you shall not be disappointed!!!

1971 Savigny-les-Beaune Les Dominodes, Drouhin

17 Jun 2012: Inspired by my very nice experience of a 1976 Pernand-Vergelesses Ile des Vergelesses, Dubreuil-Fontaine, we thought we would try out the 1971 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Dominodes, Joseph Drouhin, that we've had in our cellar for quite a while.  The label was largely torn, but we managed to tape together what was left. 

Garnet robe, with slightly brick rim. The initial metallic taint dissipated rather rapidly on aeration in the glass.  A most elegant tertiary nose showing leather, wet stones, meaty, mushroom, with plenty of red fruit.   On the palate, supple with a very silky texture.  The wine could be compared to a well-aged old lady, graceful, elegant, with a fine bone structure, red cherry, raspberry, rose petals and truffle.  Lingering finish.   A Burgundian classic, a beautifully-aged wine, with finesse and purity transcending the generations.  Simply gorgeous.  This wine is drinking at peak but will keep drinking well for another 5- 6+ years, depending on storage.   How about steamed chicken with Chinese dried mushrooms or a medley of braised mushrooms in oyster sauce?  Yummy!!

We're totally dumbfounded by how wonderful this wine is showing......18/20

La Conseillante Dinner

29 May 2012:  I attended the La Conseillante dinner organised by the HK Club and Watson's Wine Cellars.  We tasted the vintages of 2007, 2006, 2004, 2000 and 1998.  The best wine of the evening was unquestionably the 2000 vintage, which still tasted very youthful, with plenty of energy and minerality, underneath the notes of plum, black cherry, blackberry, liquorice and smoke. A very elegant effort that seduces with its voluptuous texture and rich aromas, and impresses by its concentration and intensity of flavours.  While we certainly enjoyed the 2000 vintage at this dinner, it would probably benefit from a couple more years of cellaring.  The 2000 vintage included a much higher percentage of Merlot (I believe more than 90%), compared to normal vintages.  However, given the elevated price of the 2000 vintage, the 2006 would offer a superior price-quality balance.  The 2006 was at once seductive and charming, with firm ripe tannins, good acidity and some classic ripe cassis fruit, savoury, spicy and mineral notes.  Drinking very well today, but will definitely benefit from further development. Harmonious balance of texture, structure and fruit concentration.

I liked the 2007 vintage for drinking now, but it had this herbal, slightly herbaceous character which I didn't quite like.  The 2004 vintage seemed a little angular, lacked charm, even though it demonstrated some lovely dark fruit and spicy character.  The 1998 vintage lacked intensity and weight for me.  However, it seems that some of us preferred this to the 2000 vintage - perhaps there was some bottle variation??    

La Conseillante (http://www.la-conseillante.com/) is surrounded by some rather illustrious neighbours, including Pétrus, Cheval Blanc, Vieux Château Certan and L'Evangile.  The vineyard does not completely lie inside Pomerol, and includes around 4 ha in Saint-Emilion.   A typical blend would be 80 - 85% Merlot and 15 - 20% Cabernet Franc.  The château saw some remarkable vintages in 1982, 1985, 1989 and 1990 and then went through a low before returning to form since the turn of the millenium, particularly marked by 2000, 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010 vintages.  The second wine Duo de Conseillante was released from the 2007 vintage.

1924 and 1926 Lafite

31 May 2012: A few weeks ago, we decided to pull the corks of a couple of old Lafite bottles, which had lost their labels (and in today's wine market, probably most of their value!) over the years.  Fortunately for us, they had been properly identified so that we still knew what they were!!  We invited a few good friends to share these bottles with us. Charles said (a couple of days ago) that it was rather unfair of us to open these bottles without warning when he was expecting a casual Sunday supper! Wouldn't life be a little dull if we had looked for too many excuses??!!

We started the evening with a 1979 Ampeau Meursault Perrières.  It revealed a golden robe, with a gloriously ripe and mature bouquet of honey, hazelnuts, fig, guava, building up to spicy notes of liquorice making a marvellously layered complex nose.   We were totally in awe of the agelessly fresh acidity, combined with the layered complexities,  giving a gorgeously lengthy finish.  Superb stuff and great demonstration of the ageability that Chardonnay could be capable of!



Corks from the 24 and 26 Lafite Bottles

After this glorious start, we were well-prepped for the long awaited pair of 1924 and 1926 Lafite.  A very good sign that both corks were pulled with a very promising 'plop' and revealed a very robust form.  And the wines?  The 1924 was unquestionably the 'better-kept' of the two old ladies.  We were all in awe of the rather fruitful character at this grand age - black  and blue fruit, cherries and berries, lifted by some peppery and smokey/earthy notes.  Very well held together in a firm but elegant frame, with lovely acidity and fully-integrated soft tannin.  Though not terribly concentrated, the underlying material was certainly of high quality and ageworthy.  Nice long length.  Certainly drinking very well now at peak........and could continue to give pleasure for a few more years if well-stored!  17/20     

As for the younger sister, unfortunately time hadn't been so kind and the bouquet was decidedly tertiary but still aromatically rather enticing, with leather, dark chocolate, earthy, tobacco, underbrush and musky notes.  Rather bland and hollow mid-palate, which didn't really improve over the course of the dinner, followed by short length and a drying finish.  Well past drinking at its best......and not very exciting.  15/20 

For those of you who have enjoyed a few old bottles, you will appreciate how quickly these wines disappeared!  We had prepared a bottle of 1952 Pétrus as follow-up.  This demonstrated great mature Pomerol notes of prunes, mocha, chocolate and violet.  Lovely weight in a mid-sized frame, still showing great acidity.  Drinking very well at peak now, with a lengthy finish.  17.5/20

Great wines generally leave you speechless.  These were by no means great wines from great vintages, but it was simply mindblowing how gracefully they had aged, in some cases still retaining charming remnants of their more youthful and vigorous selves. 

1955 Haut Brion and 1999 d'Auvenay Criots

26 May 2012: To celebrate our first proper meal at our new home,  we opened something special.  1955 Haut Brion.  This was preceded by a 1999 d'Auvenay Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet.  First the white wine.  A quiet wine, subtle and elegant, in a very elegant and linear frame.  Lime blossom, citrus, spice, and plenty of minerality.  Incredibly fresh for its age, delighting the palate with very pure flavours, much tension and energy, and a lovely finish.  17.5/20

The level of the 1955 Haut Brion was Very Top Shoulder.  Ruby-garnet hue.  A very enticing nose of wet pebbles, tobacco, cigar box, lead pencil, leather and violet.  Very silky palate, with a hint of lovely sweet fruit on entry, now showing a thoroughly harmonious balance, with a very lengthy finish.  Perhaps slightly lacking in intensity, density and weight to reward a higher rating, but nonetheless a remarkable effort for an unfashionable vintage.   18.5/20