1991 Clos de L'Arlot Premier Cru, Domaine de L'Arlot

25 Aug 2013: When a bottle of well-priced Bourgogne wine hits the perfect pitch, it's simply irresistible. I found this last bottle of 1991 Clos de L'Arlot Premier Cru, Domaine de l'Arlot with a label that probably saw better days, somewhere in our rack at home and thought we might give this a try, expecting the worst. Yet, it opened to reveal a most alluring Burgundian bouquet of prune, undergrowth, wet earth, tea leaves and Asian spices, with a hint of sauvage character. The palate went on to surprise us, such silky texture, delivering a lively freshness and an intensity and richness of flavours, that would make some Grands Crus seem pale in comparison! Maturity, harmony, balance, complexity and length all came together in perfect expression, delivering a most complete and memorable experience. If you see a case of this with good provenance, grab it! I would guess this would be well within GBP 100/HK$ 1200 a bottle? 18/20

Super Tuscans

25 Aug 2013: Earlier this week, a group of us got together for a Super Tuscan evening.  We didn't really set the vintage parameters, but it was nice to see a showing of some older vintages, from 1988 and 1990. The staff at Messina Il Ristorante at The Harbourfront Landmark looked after us really well, from quality of food to the wine service.  I highly recommend the burrata cheese ravioli with Pachino tomatoess (perhaps better without the anchovies that were adorning the dish) as one of the starters and the crispy suckling pig, braised Castelluccio lentils and onion marmalade as main course.

As for the wines, we organised them into 3 flights, based on either grape varieties, producers or stylistic similarities.

Flight 1: 

Tignanello: 1995, 1997, 2003

Solaia: 1988, 1998

Flight 2:

Ornellaia: 1990

Sassicaia: 1998, 2002, 2005

Flight 3:

Galatrona: 2006, 2007

Masseto: 1993, 1998, 2007

I only managed to write a few brief notes on the wines, but there were a few key points that were established from this tasting:

1) 2002 Sassicaia was the biggest surprise of the evening.  It was still showing a deep ruby colour.  The nose revealed some vigourous notes of blackcurrant, cedar, tobacco, hint of tar and mineral character. While not opulent or powerful, there was good concentration and intensity of flavours coating the palate.  Nicely integrated tannin giving a silky texture, with good acidity.  Very elegant and classy, almost Saint Julien like?  There's no hurry to drink up this wine, given the energy, depth and complexity it's showing at the moment. Drink now and over next 6 - 8+ years. 17.5/20

2) Vintage 1998 was on cracking form now.  If we were to rank the 3 1998 wines here, we would probably all agree that they would  go like this (starting from the top performer): Masseto, Solaia and Sassicaia.  The Masseto was a total stunner. Voluptuous and lush on the palate. Layers and layers of rich flavours of plum, chocolate, black fruit preserve, with some gamey notes, kept coming back to seduce, the sensation intensifying with time in the glass.  The richness and fullness was matched with vibrant acidity, giving the wine a very fine balance and delineation. An utterly sensational expression of the Merlot grape from the soils of Tuscany!  Drink now and over next 10 - 12+ years.  19/20

The 1998 Solaia also showed a deep ruby colour.  Here the notes were dark fruit, liquorice, earthy with hints of mint.  Velvety texture, lovely balanced density.  A very classy showing.  Drink now and over next 8 - 10 years.  18/20

The 1998 Sassicaia seemed a little weak, compared to  the other 2.  Medium-bodied, and lacking in weight and substance on the mid palate.  Cedar and herbaceous notes dominate here.  Drink now and over next 5 - 6+ years. 16.5/20

3) The best of the Tignanellos was the 1997 Tignanello.  Deep garnet.  Bouquet of dark chocolate, cherry,  leather, smoke and some capsicum notes.  Velvety texture, still maintaining a nice firm structure, with impeccable balance.  A very commendable effort, that delivers harmony, elegance and finesse that is quite old worldly. A touch of astringency on the finish. Drink now and over next 5 - 6 years.  17.5/20

The 2003 Tignanello by comparison showed notes of liquorice, earthy, dusty, tobacco with some meaty notes.  There was just a whiff of grreen-ness.  Robust ripe tannin with firm acidity. Quite a meaty wine.  Enjoy now and over next 6 - 8 years.  17/20 

The 1995 Tignanello and 1988 Solaia had probably seen better days, based on these 2 bottles.

Then the rest of my impressions are:

The 1990 Ornellaia was very variable because it was poured from 3 different bottles, decanted individually. The best showing delivered a wine that had a mature bouquet of roasted herbs, cedar, leather and sweet tobacco notes, with a generous mouthfeel. An elegantly aged wine, now showing at its peak. There was no dryness at all on the finish.  18/20

The 2007 Galatrona kind of shut down in the glass, after about an hour.  It was nicely rich and concentrated but perhaps lacked the finesse, precision and minerality of the 2007 Masseto, which only went from strength to strength in the glass, while retaining a much more floral and restrained style than the flamboyant 1998.  I would give the Masseto 2007 score of 18.5/20 and the Galatrona 17.5/20.

The 2006  Galatrona showed gobs and gobs of very ripe fruit, layered with nuances of chocolate, plum and tobacco.  Full-bodied, very lush, but there was sufficient freshness to carry this weight forward and for a long time coming.  18/20

The 1993 Masseto was a little disappointing.  It showed notes of tea leaves and vegetal.  It seemed a little weak compared to the usual Masseto.  Drink now.  16.5/20

The 2005 Sassicaia was an understated effort....a nice bouquet of black fruit, roasted herbs, tar and smoke.  Drink now and over next 8 - 10+ years.  17.5/20  Perhaps it could turn out to be a nice surprise like 2002?

A most educational evening, thanks to everyone's generosity in sharing!  

A Couple of 2002 Le Montrachets

18 August 2013: We've had such mixed luck with these supposedly top white Burgundies...but at least we found one that dazzled us...and it's from the 2002 vintage!

2002 Le Montrachet, Fontaine-Gagnard: If there was any doubt whether this fell victim to white Burgundy's nemesis of premature oxidation, tasting it side by side the 2002 Blain Gagnard, immediately confirmed this. The colour was medium gold. Notes of roasted hazelnuts, fig, toast, smoke and spice, with wihiffs of caramel adorning the bouquet. Though rich and unctuous with a relatively full body, the flavour intensity was weak, lacking in fruit, and did not support the complexity on the nose. Finishes short. This simply didn't have the class of the Montrachet! Better with cheese. 16/20

2002 Le Montrachet, Blain Gagnard: Medium lemon colour. Still very reserved on the nose: lime zest, green apple, green pear and some white flowers. This is classy juice, dazzling with tons of minerality, precision and mouth staining flavours on the palate. First rate. As youthful as this bottle shows now, I wouldn't wait too long to enjoy this, given the inconsistency we have found with this wine (an earlier premoxed bottle from the same case). Better enjoy now with some aeration! Such a contrast with the 2002 Le Montrachet, Fontaine-Gagnard. (Note that we opened a bottle of the same wine, from the same case, a year ago and it was totally oxidised!) 19.5/20


Plus we had this recently.....

2007 Meursault Les Poruzots, Henri Boillot: Medium lemon colour. A relatively reticent nose of lime zest, green apple with some toasted almond note coming through. Very tightly wound on the palate, all muscles and not much flesh at the moment, with mineral and spice dominating the palate. This needs time to develop the middle palate and add some weight. Persistent finish. 17.5/20

1955 Petrus

17 August 2013: Special Saturday treat from Richard: a nice supper of pot-roasted chicken and a bottle of 1955 Pétrus!

1955 Pétrus: Level into neck. It was a spectacular evolution in the decanter, with a crescendo of aroma/flavour complexity, finesse and grace, even over 4 hours after it first opened. Medium garnet core. After about an hour of decanting time, there was a whiff of soya sauce on the nose and some acidity poking through the finish. As the wine developed in the decanter (and the glass) over the next 3 hours, the transformation took us quite by surprise. A gracefully matured fine bouquet of blueberry and plum fruit, intermingled with sweet spices of cinnamon and nutmeg, layered with mocha, leather and smokey notes, culminating into a most seductive bouquet, matched with intensity of flavours that caress the palate. Medium bodied, with a silky texture. A very long and fine finish. In a word, sublime and classy, and totally not expected! 18/20

A Vosne Premier Cru Gathering

13 August 2013: First up, a disclaimer: we were merely scratching the surface of this grand theme - Vosne-Romanée Premiers Crus! We would need to organise a more comprehensive tasting to understand better the different expressions of Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru climats. Therefore, limited by our tiny selection of climats, producers and vintages, our tasting notes only reflected our impressions of how the bottles showed this evening, and we were rather lucky to lose one bottle to cork taint.
We started with a 2001 Montrachet, Bouchard. This wine is still amazingly primary - it has hardly evolved, quite a nice change from the premature oxidation that we have been so used to. The nose was citrus, green apple, with some floral, toasty and nutty notes. Very precise winemaking here. Finishes long, saline and almost chalky. 18/20

The first wine was unfortunately corked - a 2000 Cathiard Reignots. So we began with the 1999 Bichot Malconsorts. A lovely Vosne nose of raspberry, cherry, nutmeg, earthy and underbrush. The wine slowly took on a little more weight in the glass, and showed great freshness still but it remained lacking in concentration, quite lean. Dryness on the finish. A lightweight effort for a vintage known for heftier structures. Drink now and over next 4 - 5+ years. 16/20

The next wine was 1999 Cathiard Suchots - this was the star of the line-up this evening. Dark fruit, black cherry and blackberry compote, coffee bean, spicy, with some herbal notes. Some sappy character initially on the palate. Firm backbone of lively acidity, combined with well-integrated tannin and ripe fruit and intense flavours, culminating into a voluptuous mouthfeel, and a lingering finish. Very fine and very seductive. Loved it! Drink now and over next 6 - 8 years. 18/20

The 2003 Cathiard Malconsorts that followed was expressive of the hot vintage - over-ripe plum and black cherry, dried fruit, fruitcake, and chocolate notes. Fleshy and flamboyant, well balanced, very ripe tannin and the rich fruit material filling out the voluptuous texture, with some minerality showing through the lowish acidity. Probably better with food. Drink now and over next 6 - 8+ years? It will be interesting to see how this wine evolves......17/20

The 2004 Cathiard Malconsorts was also expressive of the vintage: redcurrant, resin-like, herbal tea, with a sappy feel on the palate. Tasting this immediately after the 2003, this wine seemed lacking in generosity in the mouthfeel and finish. A little astringent on the finish. Acidity seemed a little on the low side. Drink now. 16.5/20

2004 Perrot-Minot Les Beaux Monts was very interesting. Quite muscular and angular initially. Time in the glass opened up the wine. The oak was still evident but it married well with the intense character of the flavours. Good concentration for the vintage. This may not be the most elegant Beaux Monts but it was a worthy effort for the vintage, avoiding the green and resiny character. Drink now, with aeration, and over next 6 - 8 years. 17.5/20

We finished with 2002 Potel Gaudichots. Still quite closed on the palate, even after 2 hours of decanting. A little lean at the moment but pure cherry fruit with lovely Vosne spice, followed by a mineral-driven palate. Not a big and muscular wine, but there was depth and a very pure Vosne core about it. A fine effort. I would probably go back to try this again in 2 - 3 years time to see if it eventually opens up. 17/20

That these wines all showed class and breed was unquestionable.....I just wish we were able to stay longer to see how these wines developed over a few hours, or better still years!

Go go go: Vinous Portugal

Sardinhas Assadas

11 Aug 2013: This summer we spent a couple of weeks exploring Portugal.  I had never been to this country before and my culinary expectations had been limited to: the famous Portuguese custard tart (Pastéis de Belém), bacalhau, fresh sardines and piri-piri chicken ('frango piri piri').  Well, we ticked all these boxes and accomplished much more. The trip opened my eyes to a very interesting culinary scene in Portugal that seems to be evolving at a very exciting pace. Some of the top restaurants we dined at, including DOP in Porto (together with sister restaurant DOC in a town called Folgosa, near Pinhão), Ocean at Vila Vita and Vila Joya, with the latter two in the Algarve, were turning out some really creative and classy dishes deserving of their existing or expectant Michelin stars,all using fresh local produce.

Dusk in the Algarve

Tomato and mozarella at Vila Joya

How about the wines?  Well, the wine scene was even more exciting - before I set off, I had done a little research and made myself a wish list of the wines that I would like to try while in Portugal.  In the end, we tried so many interesting wines (mainly through dining at restaurants, with some tastings at wineries) and we had barely scratched the surface of this list!  I hadn't been too impressed by the espumantes (sparkling wines) that I tried, but the reds and whites really showed some great quality and promising potential.  Below is a list of the wines that we had tried (and made a note of) and would recommend (please excuse the brief notes as I was mostly writing on scraps of paper or paper napkins):

The following wines have been ordered in alphabetical order.

White:

2011 Branco, Quinta dos Avigados, DOC Douro
An elegantly made, nicely balanced Douro white, very reasonably priced!


2012 Quinta da Aveleda, DOC Vinho Verde, 11.5% 
(60% Loureiro, 30% Trajadura, 10% Alvarinho)  Bright and fresh.  Floral, lime zest, grapefruit and peach. Some mineral complexity on palate.  Good acidity, well-balanced. Crisp finish.  And at a lowish alcohol of 11.5%, this makes an excellent aperitif or pairing with seafood, light starters. For early drinking.  This is my type of wine for picnics and Lamma Island outings!

2009  Quinta dos Carvalhais Colheita Seleccionada, DOC Dão
Almost white port like, waxy texture, full-bodied, lowish acidity.  Nutty and caramel. A wine for cellaring.

2010 Conceito, DOC Douro, 13.5% abv 
(Rabigato, Códega do Larinho, Códega, Viosinho, Gouveio)  Barrel fermented and part barrel aged.  Creamy palate, lots of spice and oak, but lovely fruit underneath.  Good complexity and concentration. Almost like a white burgundy. A wine to cellar.  

2010 Vinho Branco Reserva, Herdade do Esporão, Alentejo 
(Arinto, Antão Vaz, Roupeiro, Semillon) Apple, citrus (lime and tangerine), floral notes, with some toasty character from barrel fermentation and ageing. Well balanced, creamy texture. Quite rich.  A food wine.  I had enjoyed this with padron peppers, prawn tempura and deep fried sushi at Bica do Sapato (Lisboa) - another restaurant I highly recommend.

2011 Private Selection, Herdade do Esporão, Alentejo, 14.5% abv
(Semillon, Antão Vaz) Pale golden colour.  Honey, lanolin, peach, honeysuckle, lemon curd, with notes of toast and grilled almond.  Medium-full bodied, very firm acidity.  Voluptuous on the palate. Well balanced. Lush mouthfeel, but not cloying. Quite alcoholic though. Great with food.

Bacalhau a Lagareiro

2012 Herdade dos Grous Vinho Branco Reserva, Alentejo, 13.5% abv 
(Verdelho, Antão Vaz, Viognier)  Aged and fermented in 225 litre barrels.  Honeysuckle, apricot, nutty, with vanilla notes.  Racy acidity to balance the richness.  Good acidity.  Finishes long.  Very good food wine.  Perfect with 'Bacalhau à Lagareiro', a traditional oven-roasted bacalhau dish. (Also can go with red wine!)

2012 Wine and Soul Guru, DOC Douro 
(Viosinho, Rabigato, Códega do Larinho and Gouveio)  From old vines grown on schist and granite soil, at altitude 550 metres. Barrel fermented and aged in new French oak barrels for 5 months.  Pale lemon. An intense and expressive bouquet of toast, herbal, citrus peel, with grilled almond notes. The generous palate, bolstered by zesty acidity, slowly leaves you with impression of chalk, wet stones and savoury aftertaste. Linear, precise, and elegant. A remarkable effort (and a tiny production!). (We tasted this with winemaker Jorge Serodio Borges.)

Check out the fresh goat cheese and olive oil bread!

2008 Vinho Branco Reserva, Quinta da Maritávora, DOC Douro
Field blend, from old vines, mainly Códega do Larinho, Rabigato, Viosinho.  Where freshness meets richness, very well judged balance here.  Not heavy at all.  Grapefruit, honey, lanolin, herbal, with some toasted almond notes. Saline finish.  Purity of fruity, winemaking precision, elegance embodied in richness, here's a wine to last for a very long time. (Owner Manuel Gomes Mota served this wine, with the most delicious fresh goat cheese I had ever tried! And you have to have this cheese with an olive oil bread! Heavenly!)



2011 Vinho Branco Colheita, Quinta da Maritávora, DOC Douro
Freshness and vigor are the signatures of this white Douro wine.  Perfect with steamed prawns (camarão) and clams cooked in garlic, parsley and white wine sauce!  Divine on a summer day, with a seafood platter!!!

2010 Pêra Manca Fundação, Eugénio d'Almeida, DOC Alentejo 
(Antão Vaz,Arinto)  Also quite honeyed, with spicy notes of ginger and nutmeg.  Medium bodied.  Well structured and balanced...finishes long.

2012 Vinho Branco Reserva, Quinta de Saes, DOC Dão, 13% abv 
(60% Encruzado, 40% Sercial)  Perfumed nose.  Lime blossom, lime, green apple and white peach.  Lively acidity, flavour complexity building into layers of minerality on the palate.  Medium bodied. This went beautifully with the tomato and mozarella dish at Vila Joya!









2010 Quinta de Soalheiro Primeiras Vinhas, DOC Vinho Verde Alvarinho, 13% abv
One of our favourite Alvarinhos on this trip.  Substance, elegance and freshness, all in one!


2012 Vinho Branco, Quinta de La Rosa, DOC Douro
A honeyed and herbal nose, with notes of grapefruit, spice and lanolin coating the palate, finishing with minerality.  Medium acidity. Rounded mouthfeel. A wine for drinking now and in the medium term.  Full of character and complexity.


Red:

2006 Aneto Grande Reserva, DOC Douro, 13.5% abv 
(50% Tinta Roriz, 50% Touriga Nacional)  Sweet and spicy notes of plum, mulberry, violet, liquorice, cloves, incense, tobacco and vanilla. Savoury on the palate. Velvety texture, very suave and elegant.  Medium bodied,vibrant acidity.  A recommendation by the sommelier at Vila Joya.


2004 Touriga Nacional, Quinta dos Carvalhais, DOC Dão
A Sogrape winery.  Deep ruby hue. Plum, blackberry, violet, earthy and smokey. Medium frame.  A very fine effort, very elegant, but perhaps without the depth, concentration nor length of the other red wines that we tried on this trip. Perfect for drinking now. 

2010 Quinta do Crasto Reserva, DOC Douro
70-year-old field blend. 16 months in French and American oak.  Juicy and chewy right now. Quite retrained on the nose, but supple and lush on the palate.  Almost sweet on the finish.  Needs time though.

2010 Vinho Tinto Reserva, Herdade do Esporão, DOC Alentejo
Plum, cherry, with hints of violet and tobacco.  Medium bodied.  Quite high in tannin. 

2009 Quinta do Francês, Odelouca River Valley, Algarve 
(Aragonês, Trincadeiro, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah)  Aged 14 months in new French oak.  Deep ruby.  Smokey, plum, black and blue fruit notes, blackberry, blueberry, black pepper notes. Elegant and lush, mouthcoating, complexity building on the palate, with long finish, hard to imagine as coming from hot and dry Algarve (probably thanks to the heat resistance of Trincadeiro)!

2000 Grande Escolha, Lavradores de Feitoria, DOC Douro, 13.5% abv 
(Touriga Nacional, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Cão)  Lavradores de Feitoria is a joint venture formed by a group of producers.  This bottle came from Vila Vita's underground cellar.  Still a fresh bouquet of violet, tobacco, plum, fruitcake, with stoney minerality.  Well-integrated supple tannin and medium level of acidity captured in a mid-weight frame. Drinking at peak now and will continue to hold for 4 - 5 years.  Slight dryness on finish.  


2009 Meruge, Lavradores de Feitoria, DOC Douro 
(80% Tinto Roriz, 20% old vines)  Plum, smokey, earthy, spicy, coffee bean, and black pepper, nutmeg and cloves. Supple tannins.  A very fine effort, that marries concentration with freshness, quite stylish, and reasonably priced for the quality. Drink now and over next 5 - 6 years. A very stylish barbecue wine!

2007 Três Bagos, Lavradores de Feitora, DOC Douro
Red cherry, plum, earthy, violet and spicy notes.  Supple tannin, giving velvety texture.  Ripe fruit, well balanced.  We had this at DOP restaurant!  Great recommendation by the sommelier!

Bacalhau dish at Largo

2010 Primeira Escolha, Luis Pato, DOC Bairrada 
(50% Baga,50% Touriga Nacional)  Very elegant and emphasis on finesse, freshness and purity of fruit.  Fine structure. Perfect with roasted fish, such as salmon, bacalhau and tuna (such as the above dish at Largo, Lisboa!)


2012 Quinta do Manoella Vinhas Velhas, DOC Douro
From hundred year old vines.  Cherry, blackberry, violet notes, with dusty, minerally undertones.  Loved the elegance and freshness here......very precise and linear.  


2007 Vinho Tinto Reserva, Quinta da Maritávora, DOC Douro
From the quinta's cellar.  Tasting very fresh, cherry, plum, spicy and smokey notes, with some floral character. Tannin still to be integrated for this warm vintage but it is drinking very well now with a robust structure.  Good acidity.  Can do with some bottle age.


2008 Vinho Tinto Reserva, Quinta da Maritávora, DOC Douro, 14% abv 
(Field blend: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, and others.) Winemaker Jorge Serôdia Borges (also Wine and Soul). Aged in French oak 18months.  Warm black cherry, spicy notes, within a dense and concentrated structure.


2011 Vinhas Velhas Grande Reserva, Quinta da Maritávora, DOC Douro
Tasted from tank, weeks before bottling.  100% new oak. Aged 18 months.  An excellent effort, full of finesse, precision, purity and depth.  Very precise and fine.  A wine for the cellar!  

2008 Quinta da Pellada, Alvaro Castro, DOC Dão, 13% abv 
(Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz) Beautifully balanced, harmonious, drinking beautifully now.



2011 Wine and Soul Pintas, DOC Douro
80 year old vines.  Coffee, violet , mineral, wet stones, overlaid with blackberry and plum notes.  Plush, voluptuous, ripe tannin and firm acidity coating the palate. Muscular power nicely wrapped within the velvety texture.  Dense but very elegant.  2011 was a hotter vintage than 2012.  

2012 Wine and Soul Pintas, DOC Douro
Quite a different style from the 2011 vintage.  More reserved and classic.

2004 Vinho Tinto Reserva, Quinta de La Rosa, DOC Douro, 15% abv
From the Quinta's own cellar.  This was a brilliant effort.  Still very taut, full of energy and tension, within a robust and firm structure of ripe tannin and plenty of concentration.  Violet, blueberry, plum, cherry, roses and spices. Vibrant acidity complementing the balance with plenty of freshness.  A wine for the cellar!


2009 Vinho Tinto, Quinta de La Rosa, DOC Douro
Aged in seasoned oak of 2, 3, 4 and 5 years.  Notes of dried raisin, plum, mulberry and violet.  Nice concentration, with balance, harmony and a fine structure.  Very elegant.  A wine to be enjoyed now and for drinking over 8 - 10 years.  (And the Reserva is highly recommended if you can find it!)

This is by no means an exhaustive list and I look forward to going back to Portugal to try more of these characterful and elegant wines!

The captivating landscape of the Douro

1997 Roumier Bonnes Mares

11 Aug 2013: After 2 bottles of prematurely oxidised white Burgundies and a short discussion, we treated ourselves (decadently) to a bottle of 1997 Roumier Bonnes Mares. Beautiful garnet ruby core. A very pure and intense bouquet of dried strawberry, truffle, savoury, humus and undergrowth. Silky on entry, delivering seamless harmony and balance in a mid-weight frame, right through to the lingering finish, which is just showing a hint of dryness.  Lithe, elegant, complex, with plenty of finesse within a balanced and still intact structure. A wine that is drinking at peak now, and over next 3 - 4 years.  17.5/20  

Clos de La Roche: 1985

9 Aug 2013: We picked the Rainbow Restaurant at Hotel Indigo, Wanchai as our venue for the 1985 Clos de La Roche show-down between Ponsot and Dujac (the bottles!).  For a Friday night, the Rainbow Restaurant was not too busy, but this served us perfectly well, as we could have a larger table to accommodate our bottles and glasses!  Service was friendly and professional at the restaurant.  There was generally good glassware but perhaps they could invest in a few Burgundy glasses for future visits!

Signature Prawn Dish

Food was rather tasty.  I had ordered the signature prawn dish, which I spotted in the SCMP write-up a few months ago....it was elegantly presented and the prawn tasted very fresh but the sweet and tangy sauce made the pairing with our wines rather challenging - this would have gone better with a late harvest Riesling or Riesling Grand Cru from Alsace for example.  The rest of the dishes worked better with our wines: roast pork belly, with crispy skin and very succulent meat, with the fat melting in your mouth!  Crispy salt and pepper frog's legs were also well executed. The sweet and sour pork was also a highlight - pork pieces not too fatty, coated with a light batter, was not oily at all, and married perfectly with the traditional sweet tangy sauce and pineapple.  The spring onion and soya sauce chicken was really tasty - the chicken meat was tender, and soaked up the spring onion and soya sauce in every bite!  I had ordered a wild mushroom and Angus beef stir fry - also nicely done.  For vegetables, the restaurant offers a choice of local vegetables or Australian organic vegetables.  I went for the stir fried Australian organic spinach.  It was really delicious, full of taste and also still retaining the crunchy texture.  We finished with deep fried noodles and pork - again the chef perfected this with a most delicate touch - it did not taste greasy at all, just very crispy noodles with nicely flavoured sauce.

As for the wines, we started with 1995 Leflaive Puligny Montrachet Les Pucelles. Medium gold in colour. Initially I thought the wine tasted a little dull and uninteresting, amid suspicions of oxidation. However, it perked up with aeration.  Nutty, liquorice, white chocolate, fig, honey and quince.  Still retaining a good dose of acidity to keep the balance against the richness.  Rich, still well structured, perhaps a little heavy for some. I would probably advise drinking up. 17/20

The 1999 Raveneau Chablis Les Clos was a modest pale lemon in colour.  Expressive on the nose, especially when it had arrived a little warm, with notes of lime blossom, citrus, green apple, white peach and almond.  A little more austere on the palate, steely and racy, with more saline and minerally notes appearing at the finish.  Nice concentration for the vintage.  This opened up further during the course of dinner.  Drink now and over next 5 - 6+ years.  18/20

The 1985 Ponsot Clos de La Roche Vieilles Vignes was much more evolved than we had expected.  The mature bouquet of prune, animal, savoury, mushroom and humus notes, with some blackberry notes,was added a hint of caramel and even nail varnish, according to Richard.  Seductive, velvety on the palate, with very lush and dense flavours.  There was less vigour and freshness on the palate, than expected.  A wine to be drunk now.  There might not be much upside and it seemed to be showing some signs of decline at this tasting. (Storage might have accounted for this bottle variation because the last bottle that Richard had was not like this, even if it was only a couple of years ago.) 17/20

The 1985 Dujac Clos de La Roche was quite different altogether. A much fresher bouquet, consisting of floral, truffle and savoury notes, still with the hint of caramel.  Much more delicate than the Ponsot, in terms of structure and intensity of flavours.  Less generous on the palate.  A little dryness on the finish.  A nicely mature wine, still showing some finesse, but perhaps not one to hold out for much longer.  Drinking up would be recommended.  16.5/20

One of our friends sneaked in a 1990 Leroy Clos de La Roche.  This was a much more robust and structured wine, without the finesse of the other 2 wines.  Dense and intense flavours of black fruit and spice.  Initially, there was even a slight metallic note which blew off after a while. Quite austere still. Could do with a little bottle age or aeration.  Finishes long.  18/20

This tasting seems to be me rather inconclusive.  We should look at doing a more comprehensive tasting of 'Clos' wines over a period to get a better sense of the Morey Saint Denis Grands Crus.

1989 Bordeaux: Consistently Delicious

10 August 2013: Our hosts provided the perfect settings for a tasting of 1989 Bordeaux (thanks to everyone's generous contribution).  1996 Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame decapitated (by sabre) at the edge of the swimming pool, against a backdrop of a lazy summer sun slowly retiring over the Hong Kong waters, a few yachts hurrying back to the marina at the end of a beautiful day at sea.  The starter was a cold gaspacho of green tomato, avocado and crab meat, mixed with shrimp bisque  This was nicely accompanied by a very elegant and refreshing 2008 Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet Les Ruchottes in magnum: already showing an open bouquet of citrus, lime blossom and toasted almond notes, with some mineral complexity and richness lingering on the mouthcoating palate, and very fine long finish.  A very fine effort (17.5/20), and why wait!  (The incidence rate of premature oxidation for white Bourgogne wines has become rather alarming for us that we have decided to drink them much earlier than we would normally!)

Duo of Risotto

This gaspacho was followed by a yin-yang risotto: squid ink with duck meat risotto and the most intensely flavoured, slightly spicy tomato risotto, topped with a couple of prawns.  This was just sensational!  (The tomato sauce that went into the risotto was apparently an adaptation of Heston Blumenthal's spaghetti bolognese recipe! It's one of those recipes that required the reduction of so many ingredients!)  No wonder a few of us went back for seconds!  Main course was a wood-fired oven roasted whole baby lamb which weighed 8 kilograms, with an array of vegetables.  One of us also brought along some delicious Chiu Chow marinated goose from Sang Kee!

Here's a list of the 1989 Bordeaux wines that we tasted, unfortunately a little skewed towards the Left Bank, but we shall make it right on a future occasion!

1989 Bahans Haut Brion: This second wine totally surprised us all with how well it had held up!  An almost heady Graves bouquet of sweet tobacco, cigar box, leather, savoury, roasted thyme, and stoney notes.  On the palate, the entry was almost sweet and juicy, with a fleshy texture in a medium frame. Acidity was low-ish, but the structure still very much intact. Finishes long.  A very pretty wine!  17/20

1989 Léoville Las Cases: A little dusty, with notes of leather and blueberry.  Quite lean on the palate. Lacking in tension, energy, weight and concentration to merit a higher score.  Low acidity. Drying on the finish.  Probably the weakest 1989 in this line-up.   I would drink up this wine.  16/20

1989 Léoville Poyferré (in magnum): A very expressive bouquet of cedar, tobacco, leather, even mint, with notes of plum and raspberry and blackcurrant.  There was great depth, freshness and concentration in the velvety texture of well-defined structure and fine balance.  There was still more than a hint of the firm tannin which could take some years to resolve.  Definitely a wine with a long future ahead.  Drink now or over next 10+ years. 18/20

1989 Montrose: This was the star of the line-up.  Probably the deepest colour of the line-up as well.   A very plush bouquet of dark chocolate, sweet cigar tobacco, cedar, violet and graphite.  With time in the glass, notes of game and leather became more apparent.  Lovely concentration and depth on the palate, firm but ripe and velvety tannins still present in the structure.  Harmonious and finely balanced, though without the more precise definition and profundity of the 1990.  18.5/20

1989 Lynch Bages: A very Pauillac nose, cassis, tobacco, with just a hint of mint, bell pepper and pepper. Medium bodied.  Fine tannin. A slightly chalky, bitter and peppery finish.  17/20 (perhaps there was some bottle variation?)

1989 Pichon Baron: This seemed to be at a different point of development compared to the others.  Quite vigorous and youthful still.  Blueberry, tobacco, cedar and almost herbal/medicinal notes of bell pepper and mint.  Still displaying a firm structure, with refreshing acidity.  Medium framed.  Lacked charm, rather aloof!  Wonder how this will evolve in 10+ years time...... 17.5/20

1989 Angélus: Sweet preserved plum, fruitcake, chocolate, liquorice, with savoury notes.  Almost full-bodied, seductively lush on the palate.  Could do with a touch more acidity to avoid being a little on the 'soupy' side.  Drinking beautifully, at peak now.  17.5/20  

1989 Cos d'Estournel: There was some resemblance with the Montrose: plum, liquorice, earthy, violet and stoney/graphite.  Medium bodied, smoothed out tannins.  Fine acidity, giving nice freshness to this weighty effort.  Did not quite have the concentration and depth of the Montrose, but very fine and harmonious too. There is no hurry to drink up this wine.....drink now or over next 10+ years.  18/20

Our hosts surprised us with a 1989 Vouvray Moelleux Clos du Bourg Moelleux 1er Trie by Huet.  Lovely notes of honey, quince and marmalade.  Luscious but not heavy on the palate, still preserved quite a bit of freshness. Sweet tangy finish.  A lovely accompaniment to the cheese platter.  

We finished with a 1983 Climens......which I didn't get round to as I was too busy with the pear tart (this came from Monsieur Chatté - I highly recommend - one of the best I've ever had!!!) 

What a great tasting and the best thing was that largely the wines were very consistent, most with still a way to go!  Thank you everyone for your contributions!  We look forward to the next!

James Suckling's Top 100 Wines in 2013 from the Douro!

9 Aug 2013: We just came back from a trip to Portugal (more later)......and was really happy to see some of the wines we really liked featured in this latest report by James Suckling (including Quinta da Maritávora, Churchill's, Quinta de La Rosa,Wine & Soul Quinta da Manoella, Quinta do Vale Meão, Conceito, Lavradores de Feitoria, Quinta do Vallado, Quinta do Passadouro)!  So many hidden gems, not just in the Douro Valley, but also in Bairrada, Dao, Alentejo and even Algarve! - we were so impressed by the consistent quality amongst the top wines!

Tasting Report: My Best 100 Wines in 2013 From Portugal's Top Winemaking Region – Douro | Wine ratings, Wine reviews, Wine tasting notes & Wine videos