DuMol Estate Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

1 August 2015: Bright ruby. Intense aromatics, characterised by bright and ripe fruit, with nuances of black cherry, violet, sage, hint of sous-bois. Silky fine-grained tannin and vibrant acidity giving the wine a balanced structure, against the substantial richness of bright fruit. Slightly warming alcohol at finish (14.3% abv). Finishes long. Drinking very well now and over the next 5 - 6 years.


Michael Verlander and Kerry Murphy started DuMol in 1996, driven by a keen passion for Burgundy wines. Since 2000, they had been joined by winemaker and viticulturist Andy Smith who also became Partner of the business in 2005. Smith came with a strong CV, with prior experience under Neil McCallum (Dry River, Martinborough), Ted Lemon (Littorai) and Paul Hobbs. This bottle we tried was an Estate Vineyard bottling, from vines in the Green Valley appellation. Russian River Valley is endowed with substantial daytime warmth (Region III according to UC Davis Degree-Days scale), but is sufficiently moderated by cool nights and morning fogs to ensure slow ripening, an aspect extremely beneficial for Pinot.


2011 would be the fifth vintage of this estate bottling. Pinot clones Calera, Swan, Pommard, 667 and 777 have been planted in the estate vineyard. Burgundian stylistically. Natural yeast and natural MLF. Aged 14 months in approximately 50% new French oak barrels, before bottling unfiltered.

A couple of bright stars from 1974!

9 July 2014:

We did the 1964s earlier....now it's the turn for 1974s......and thank you to the birthday boy for bringing them to dinner at Upper Modern Bistro!

1974 Louis Roederer: Amber gold colour. On the nose it was caramel and honey, toffee apple-like, with notes of roasted hazelnut. We had it served in a white wine glass. Delicate mousse, creamy texture, with a long caramelised finish. Almost like dessert...There was a good deal of complexity, coming in layers on the palate but it didn't quite have enough acidity to give it that extra dimension and lift! 16/20


2004 Chablis Les Preuses, William Fèvre: Pale gold hue. Nose of lemon peel, almond, pear, herbal, lightly spicy. Rich in texture, almost full-bodied. Crisp long complex saline finish. Great detail, precisely structured with such purity. Very classy. 18/20

1974 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, Simi Winery: (I did not look at the back but I guess this would be predominant Cabernet Sauvignon, with a minor percentage of other Bordeaux blend grape varieties?) Deep garnet colour. Mineral graphite note, paired with earthy, cherry, plum, with a slight herbaceous note which surfaced with extended aeration in the glass. Medium bodied, delivered great freshness, intensity of flavours and silky tannin. An excellent effort for the vintage! 16.5/20

1974 Cabernet Sauvignon, Inglenook: (Francis Ford Coppola purchased this winery in 1975 intent on restoring the former glory under Gustave Niebaum the founder and his grandnephew John Daniel Jr - so this would have been the last vintage made by its previous owner which was Hublein Incorporated.) Started off being slightly maderised but settled down a little with some aeration. On the palate, it was rich, fleshy, layered and chewy still. The fruit, still very much present, was very ripe (probably over-ripe), dried fruit and cooked prunes, with some dusty and liquorice notes. I didn't like so much the lowish acidity....found it a little cloying and uninspiring. 14.5/20

2001 Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto Riserva, Bruno Giacosa: (This bottle was opened at 3 pm, double decanted after opening, and then decanted at the restaurant from 8 pm till about 10 pm.) Deep garnet colour. Hot tar, tobacco, plum, redcurrant, earthy, liquorice spice on the nose. On the palate, it showed an opulently smooth texture, with perfectly balancing acidity. A powerful wine of immense structure, but rather elegantly presented and nicely proportioned. The finish was exceptionally long! An awesome wine (but I really think it should wait another 6 - 8 years before we enjoy it again)! 18.5+/20

1983 Hermitage La Chapelle, Jaboulet: (Decanted for an hour and a half before we tried it) This seemed rather subdued when served next to the Giacosa! A very attractive bouquet of red fruit, black pepper, herbs, leather, violet, with savoury and earthy notes. Really gorgeous, silky smooth on the palate, with wonderful acidity keeping the palate refreshed, Plenty of finesse and depth. Not a particularly long finish but I did not sense any dryness at the finish. Not a huge Hermitage, but a very elegant one it was and nowhere near its decline. Drink over next 5 - 6 years. 17.5/20

What a treat! The food was totally on form last night....I got my favourite pig's trotter dip, smoked salmon toast and artichoke macaroni. Those who went for the meaty main courses said that the chicken main course was really good! And of course, you cannot miss Jeremy's selection of cheese - I picked for us Comté 48 months, Coulommiers, Abbaye de Tamié, Fourme d'Ambert, a cheese like Saint Félicien but called Petit Mosellan and a couple others slipped in by our very friendly waiter (think one was Colombier). Absolutely delicious...and definitely worth saving room for it!

1985 Vintage

14 February 2014: This would go down in my book as a very memorable Valentine's Day. 7 of us (less one who couldn't make it last minute) came home for supper. A friend kindly donated a 1985 Salon (and a 1991 Dominus) to dinner and this inspired me to organise the red wines around the theme of 1985 vintage around the world.....or as much as possible.

1996 Bollinger La Grande Année Rosé: Lovely salmon colour. Raspberry, dried strawberry, candied fruit, toast, a hint of savoury and earthy note at the finish. Creamy mousse caressing the palate, with the gentle prickling of fine bubbles. Gorgeous ripe fruit, balanced by a vibrant freshness. Persistent finish. Very impressive! Drink now but certainly can hold for a long while yet....6 - 8+ years, properly stored. 17/20

1985 Salon: Medium gold. A mature bouquet of coffee, caramel, nougat, honeycomb, shortbread, and hints of smoke. Some minerality on the palate. Creamy texture, with very fine bubbles. Still displaying an elegant vibrancy. Long finish. Classy! 17.5/20

1985 Clos Saint Denis, Dujac: Medium garnet. Notes of coffee, mushroom, dried flowers. Its refined structure still held extremely well within a mid-weight frame, with silky texture. A wine of unequivocal finesse and charm. This bottle would suggest that it still has cellaring potential for a while (5 - 6 years?)...if well kept. 18/20

1985 Backus Vineyard, Joseph Phelps: Deep garnet. Notes of dried fruit, black cherry, herbal, liquorice, with a distinct stoney minerality on the palate. Medium bodied, with the backbone of bright acidity and fine moderate tannin. Still showing tremendous balance and harmony, in a subdued manner. We were all taken by how elegant it stood up next to the Bordeaux! 18/20


1985 La Conseillante: A deeper colour than the Backus. A rich and intensive bouquet of over-ripe fruit, prune, mocha, kirsch and plum. The full and voluptuous body flaunted a lush and rich texture, laden with intense flavours. Lowish acidity. Well balanced but quite a boisterous wine, leaving not much to the imagination! A big and powerful wine that falls short on finesse. 17.5/20

1985 Vega Sicilia Unico: The epitome of elegance, harmony and completeness. Beautifully proportioned in every aspect. Gorgeous aromas of red fruit, black cherry, spice with earthy and savoury notes. Medium-bodied. Still sufficient acidity giving a refreshing lift to the finish. Plenty of character and verve. A very complete wine! This bottle didn't suggest a need to drink up soon....18.5/20

1991 Dominus: Deep ruby. This did not seem to have aged very much! Still lots of primary fruit character of cassis, sun-kissed bing cherry, kirsch, herbal and liquorice. Full-bodied, intensely flavoured, concentrated, with a mouthcoating texture of firm but very ripe tannin. Fresh acidity, but the wine clearly needs another 8-10 years of cellaring time. There was a bit left over in the bottle and it was still drinking very well the following day! This was not a charmer at this stage, perhaps my rating would be improved in a few years' time when this wine had settled into middle age! 17.5/20

1963 Fonseca: A rusty ruby/tawny colour. Bright cherry fruit, with nutty and savoury notes on the palate. Medium bodied, just a slight spirity finish, to an otherwise very harmonious port. Drink now or over 10 - 15 years. 17/20

What this tasting missed was a representative of the vintage from Australia! But overall impression of 1985 now, the best still have many years ahead and it certainly was a very good all round vintage, at least in the Northern Hemisphere!

Happy Valentine's Day, 2014!

A Pre-Christmas Get-Together: 1996 Dom Perignon Oenotheque best wine of the evening!

15 December 2013: A pre-Christmas dinner with a few drinking buddies. Our venue this time was The Coterie, a private kitchen/Swiss wine specialist partnership between Damien Fleury and chef Jacques Kägi. The Coterie recently featured in the 2013 Louis Vuitton guide as a recommended private kitchen in HK. We all had the Louis Vuitton Tasting Menu.

As aperitif, we had a 2004 Cuvée des Caudalies, de Sousa. A Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs, vinified in oak, and with malolactic fermentation. Pale lemon. Very fine bubbles. Toast, honey and pear notes on the nose, with mineral nuances to match on the palate. Racy acidity, fine balance and vigour, delivered with the creamy mousse. Finishes long and almost salty. Much better served in a white wine glass. This would be perfect with caviar or oysters! Not bad too with the salmon tartare (half of us had the salmon tartare and the other half the Welsh lamb tartare). 18/20

Salmon tartare

Welsh lamb tartare

Next wine was the 1999 Chevalier Montrachet, Etienne Sauzet. Pale gold. Toasted almonds, pear, smoke and honey on the nose. Plenty of freshness and energy on the slightly waxy palate. Long minerally finish, with just a hint of astringency. This is drinking very well now and will continue to drink over next 8 - 10+ years. 18/20

Gooseliver Chawanmushi with Sea Urchin

1996 Dom Perignon Oenothèque: An awesome champagne, that has so much detail, precision, power and elegance. Served in a white wine glass, the seductive bouquet was toast, nutty, lemon confit with savoury notes. There is a superbly refine structure underneath the medium/full body, vibrant acidity, minerality that is reminiscent of crushed stones, and bubbles of such finesse. Still tasting very youthful and full of tension. A mesmerising experience. This went beautifully with the '‘Gooseliver “Chawanmushi” with Sea Urchins " - warm foie gras 'custard', topped with a serving of very fresh sea urchin. Divine! 19.5/20

Bretagne blue lobster "sous-vide", beurre noisette, with Schabziger

Then we compared a pair of Lafites: 1966 (half) and 1978. I only got a tiny sip of the 1966 but I found it too musty and very weak in structure - past its peak. 14/20 The 1978 Lafite showed a very mature bouquet of leather, tobacco and cedar, with some remnants of red fruit. Almost sweet on entry. Rather light frame, but still retaining a reasonable structure and silky texture, though drying finish. This was a good effort for the vintage, but from this experience, I would drink this up pretty soon! Perhaps the larger formats could see through their 40th birthday!  Nonetheless a fine old-styled claret.  15.5/20

After the cauliflower, truffle soup, the next course was "Bretagne Blue Lobster “Sous vide”, Beurre Noisette with Shabzieger" - lobster cooked sous-vide with tomato and Schabziger cheese (a cow milk cheese made with skimmed milk and a herb called blue fenugreek). Very intense flavours here, and great lobster texture. Beautifully executed. We tasted the 2003 Richebourg, A-F Gros. This had been decanted for about an hour but could probably do with more bottle age before trying again. Today, this was not a good expression of the Burgundian terroir - it did not deliver the finesse and elegance one normally expected of Bourgogne wines, but the signs of the vintage were all there. The nose was very ripe black cherry, earth, fig, with some sweet spice. Almost full bodied, lowish in acidity, with a slight bitterness at the finish.  16/20

Iberico pork, potatoes dauphinois, with racelette

The main course of "Iberico Pork, Potatoes Dauphinois with Raclette" was tasty but perhaps a touch over-cooked? The meat was a little tough. A slower temperature and just pink might be better for the pork. For the wines, we compared the 1997 Henschke Hill of Grace with 1989 Penfolds Grange.

1997 Henschke Hill of Grace: Very ripe fruit filled the bouquet of bramble pie, black cherry, blackberry, dried fruit, roasted herbs and sweet spices. Full-bodied, very ripe soft but chewy still tannin. For me, this lacked a bit of acidity. I would wait a few more years before trying again....Drink now and over next 10 - 12+ years. (On reflection, this might have benefitted from some decanting time.) 17/20

1989 Penfolds Grange: 91% Shiraz, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. This showed some signs of maturity: meaty and savoury notes, slowly revealing layers of sweet boiled fruit, black pepper and spice. Fleshy but firm structure, with grippy tannin and a good dose of refreshing acidity. Drink now and over next 10 - 12+ years. 17.5/20

2006 Opus One: 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec. Aged in new French oak for 17 months. Decanted for almost 2 hours. Blackcurrant, blackberry, bramble, liquorice, roasted herbs, with chocolate and mocha notes. A bold and masculine wine, with ripe chewy tannin and medium acidity. Not an elegant expression, rather a big structured wine that would benefit from more years in bottle. Drink now and over next 15+ years. 17.5/20

We all had a wonderful and indulgent evening and it was a great discovery of venue too! I highly recommend The Coterie if you are looking for an unassuming yet sophisticated intimate venue - only 2 private rooms! Very friendly chef Jacques who is Swiss-Chinese and he even comes out to greet us in Cantonese! Damien and his wife looked after us extremely well! (And he has a very good stock of Swiss whites for your next fondue/raclette party as well as some delicious Syrahs (Cayas) by Jean-Rene Germanier and his divine dessert wine called Mitis. Damien's website is: www.theswisswinestore.com) Just one tip: if you're planning to serve some old bottles, it might be a good idea to bring your own Durand.....

Ageability of Californian Wines

7 Jun 2013: I am in unfamiliar territory when it comes to Californian (and more broadly, USA) wines. I had in the past tried a few examples of recent vintages (by recent I meant late 90's to 2004) in the past but I had found them either too big, powerful and jammy for the reds or too flabby and cloying for the whites. So, thanks to everyone's contribution, this was a very educational tasting for me because not only were we able to compare and contrast examples from some revered AVA's and wineries, we even tasted some examples with some age, which demonstrated to us the ageability of Californian wines. This tasting took place at The Chairman Restaurant, and we were extremely well looked after - full marks for food quality, portion size (just perfect), wine service and friendliness and efficiency of staff.


We started with a couple of Chardonnays by Kistler. Kistler is a family-owned winery, founded in 1978. It now produces around 25,000 cases of single varietal wines, from Chardonnay or Pinot Noir, using Burgundian techniques and respecting the terroirs of their single vineyards. Native yeast is used. The Chardonnays are typically barrel fermented, with ageing on lees between 11 and 18 months in French barrels tailored to the winery's specifications, before bottling without any fining or filtration.

We started with the 2008 Les Noisetiers. Les Noisetiers is a blended wine from different vineyards based on the sandy goldridge soils in western Sonoma County (Sonoma Coast). The winery believes that the goldridge soils give a very distinct mineral and earthy toe to their wines. Then we had a 2007 Vine Hill Road Vineyard from Russian River Valley. This wine has been in production since 1991 and the vineyard surrounds the winery. Poor free-draining sand forces the vines to go search deep for resources and energy. This wine speaks of energy, tension, minerality and a high natural acidity.

2008 Les Noisetiers, Kistler: Golden hue. The nose was dominated by tropical fruit and candied fruit notes of paw-paw, dried mango, with hints of ripe pear, toast and smoke, with some stoney, earthy nuances. I would have preferred a bit more acidity to give some lift to the rich and smooth texture. A wine perhaps better enjoyed in its youth.

2007 Vine Hill Vineyard, Kistler: Medium lemon hue with some golden highlights. A more expressive nose of peach, roasted hazelnuts, with nuances of fig, spices, toast and yoghurt. Full bodied, creamy textured, balanced by vibrant acidity. Finishes long and complex. Drink over next 6 - 8+ years.

Then we started the range of reds.



Most of the Reds are here, just missing the BV and the Araujo

 1978 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23. This is from the Stags Leap AVA in Napa Valley. First established by Warren Winiarski in 1970, and now owned by a joint venture by Chateau Sainte Michelle of Washington and Antinori. The 1973 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars SLV Cabernet Sauvignon (made with vines of 3 years old at the time) was the wine that changed the wine world by taking first prize in the Judgement of Paris in 1976, beating Bordeaux's first growths. The flagship Cask 23 was created in 1974, using a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon fruit from SLV (alluvial soil) and Fay (volcanic) vineyards. Cask 23 is only produced in years deemed to have the right quality of fruit. Hallmarks of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars: elegance, structure and ageability and expressiveness were all evident in the 1978 sample that we had. More than a mere resemblance to the best from Bordeaux (Left Bank and quite possibly Margaux!). Garnet core. Bouquet of plum, violet, coffee, leather, with earthy, stony notes. The fine structure still very much apparent, and enhanced with a gracefully mature elegance and harmony. Fine finish.


1986 Private Reserve, Beaulieu Vineyard. From the Rutherford AVA, of which the sedimentary gravelly sandy and alluvial soils endow the wines with a distinct dusty,earthy character about them - the Rutherford dust. Beaulieu Vineyard is one of the historic wineries from Rutherford, established in 1900 by Georges de Latour and his wife Fernande. A little tired perhaps this bottle, with more than a whiff of coffee, caramel and dried fruit......a remnant of that dustiness was perceived, somewhere amongst the drying finish.



Next was a vertical flight of 3 vintages from Heitz Cellar Martha's Vineyard. Joe Heitz made the first vintage in 1966. Martha's Vineyard is situated on the western side of Oakville AVA, on a 34-acre gentle fanning slope on the alluvial foothills of the Mayacamas, soaking up the morning sun. The fertile alluvial soil is atop with gravelly particles washed down from the Mayacamas Mountains, thus providing good drainage. The location is not too inland for some maritime influence from San Pablo Bay to moderate temperature. The vineyard is planted with eucalyptus trees at its edge and it is said that this gives the wines a distinct minty aroma and flavour profile. Martha's Vineyard has been owned by the May family since 1963, and named after Tom's wife Martha!

This was my favourite flight of the evening:

1979 Martha's Vineyard, Heitz Cellar: very Bordeaux-like....earthy, leather, savoury, hint of herbaceous/mint with an underlying all-spice note. Finishes very long. Like an old Saint Estephe?


1981 Martha's Vineyard, Heitz Cellar: a wine complete in every sense - fine backbone, freshness, flavour intensity matched by a depth of character, fine balance and harmony, complex and long finish. A beautifully crafted wine, that delivers power, elegance, finesse and ageability.


1993 Martha's Vineyard: this is richer, with a more velvety texture. Will continue to evolve.


Then we had 2 different vintages of Ridge Monte Bello. Monte Bello vines were first planted near the top of the Monte Bello Ridge (about 700 metres above sea level) in the Santa Cruz Mountains in 1885 but the vineyards lay abandoned until it was bought by 4 engineers in 1959. Ridge Vineyards was establised in 1962, with Paul Draper as winemker since 1969. The 1971 Monte Bello came 5th in the 1976 Judgement of Paris. Ridge Monte Bello is now a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Here the soil is limestone, not alluvial.

1994 Ridge Monte Bello (in magnum): This was a blend of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 9% Petit Verdot, aged in seasoned American oak. Very primary still.....Lots of plum, blackberry, black cherry, liquorice and tobacco, with nuances of eucalyptus. Medium bodied, with velvety well-integrated tannin and a nice balancing acidity. Nice complex finish. Expressive, understatedly lush, quite stylish and mouthcoating, distinguished by its flavour profile, which was quite different from the other wines we tasted thus far. Even better the second day, as we only drank half the magnum during the dinner! Drink now till 2023+. (And at a restrained level of alcohol at 12.5%, this was really refreshing!)


1980 Ridge Monte Bello: this was quite Bordeaux-like... Plum, spices, leather and earthy notes. Beautifully matured....drinking at peak but there is no hurry to drink up...


We finished with the 2 youngest reds: 2003 Shafer Hillside Select and 2007 Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

2007 Araujo Eisele Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: from the famed historic Eisele Vineyard, a 38-acre vineyard east of Calistoga, which had successively seen the craftsmanship of Paul Draper and Joseph Phelps. Bart and Daphne Araujo bought this vineyard in 1990 and set to work to renovate the existing buildings and to create a new winery and cellar. Improvements were also made to the vineyards. Beautiful and pure cassis fruit, layered with nuances of herbs and spices. Medium-bodied, velvety texture. A rather subdued showing for this bottle.


2003 Shafer Hillside Select was big, powerful, and dense. Very smooth mouthcoating texture of intense and lush fruit - prune, dried berries,blueberry preserve, graphite and liquorice. You could enjoy this now, but I would probably wait another 5 - 6 years.....this will drink well until 2030+. We should have opened this wine at least 12 hours earlier to aerate and open up! Founded in 1972 by John Shafer, Shafer is located in the Stags Leap AVA. 210 acres. Annual production for Shafer Vineyards Hillside Select is about 2,000 cases. So different from the Cask 23 from Stag's Leap Wine Cellars......although from same AVA, and 25 years apart.


This was indeed a very interesting for us -such diversity in terms of styles and AVA's (Rutherford, Oakville and Stags Leap are side by side inside Napa Valley, as is Calistoga AVA, with Stags Leap being the most southern and Calistoga furthest north) and the ability to taste Californian wines with age. Thank you so much, everyone! It will be very interesting to see how the recent bigger, more alcoholic styles will fare in 30 years' time.

1982 GPL and Figeac



Chicken with pumpkin and chick pea stew!

 1 May 2013:  We were given a huge pumpkin so I had a pumpkin day on Labour Day.....chicken with pumkin and chick pea stew, served with couscous and lightly curried pumpkin soup.....enough to feed an army.  Also joining this exotic theme was some smoked baby lamb from Patrick's stone oven and a Moroccan style chicken cooked sous-vide with confit of lemon and bay leaves....the wines were less exotic though.......!

2006 Pavillon Blanc du Chateau Margaux (in magnum)

Very expressive nose of fig, nutty, guava, mango, lemon, honeysuckle, with a lanolin note. Rich and viscous on the palate, but deftly balanced by vibrant acidity. Finishes long. 18/20

1982 Grand Puy Lacoste (in magnum)
A marvellous example of the classiness and ageability of 1982 Bordeaux. Cassis, blueberry, cigar box, cedar and leather notes. Medium body, with velvety texture and beautifully integrated tannin. Long complex finish delivering freshness and complexity. There is no hurry in drinking this up at all.  Drink now till 2030+. 18.5/20

1982 Figeac (in magnum)
Plum, blackberry, dried fruit, cedar with chocolate and liquorice nuances. Medium body, with mouth-coating texture. Almost liquoreux on the finish. Drying finish. 17.5/20

Our surprise wine was a 2009 Yao Ming!  (Thank you, Debra!)  Well-balanced wine, elegantly crafted, with a bouquet of cedar, blackberry, and some jammy notes.  Good level of acidity keeping the wine in harmony and balance. It did benefit from aeration, but I was too busy in the kitchen to have the opportunity to come back to this.  Would be interesting to try this again.   

And we topped up the red wine selection with a 2006 Pontet Canet.  We did not have time to decant this but it was already very expressive with lovely aromatics of cedar, cassis, blueberry, plum, blackberry, violet, liquorice with some graphite and leather notes.  Medium level of firm and ripe tannin, velvety and mouthcoating texture, medium acidity - just enough to give the wine a lift of freshness. You could tell there's a very robust structure in the wine, but totally enjoyable now and would continue to evolve over the next 20 - 30 years!  18/20

Then we finished with a 1992 Noble One, Botrytis Semillon from Australia.....the colour of which was an orange-tawny, but the palate still tasted fresh.

Beauties from Central Italy

16 Aug 2012: Wine tasting dinner earlier this week and the theme was 'Anything Red but Bordeaux'. We went to Zhejiang Heen (very tasty food!!)  The food was Shanghainese (or nearby) cuisine, with all the usual favourites, such as braised meatballs, honeyed ham sandwiches, stir fried chicken and pine nuts in a rice crispy cone, smoked fish, and crispy eel, etc. Given the theme, the wine selection was rather eclectic amongst the 16 people who attended.  There were some rather big and powerful wines, such as the inky dark monolithic 2008 Joseph Phelps Insignia, with painfully intense aromas and flavours of cassis liqueur, blackberry jam, liquorice and tar, packed into an unctuous texture with ripe but very toothsome tannins. Great concentration, lengthy finish but it really wasn't ready, even with the 2.5 hours of decanting time.  Try again in 5 years time.  The 2005 Chave Hermitage was equally backward and needed every bit of the 2.5 hour of decanting time that we gave it.....but it could do with tons more. Compared with the 2003 that we had recently, this was made in a slightly more austere style (earthy, herbal and spicy notes) with quite angular tannin and bright acidity, quite extracted, which would require a lot more patience to mellow to display its superior heritage.  Should give it another 8 - 10 years before enjoying again, with a very long life ahead.

What really impressed me and what really went so well with the food were the Italian wines!  I was particularly impressed by the magnum of 2001 Sportoletti Villa Fidelia, a Bordeaux blend mainly consisting of Merlot with some Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, from Umbria.  Made by the Sportoletti family, with advice from Riccardo Cotarella.  Lovely cedar, graphite, blackberry, blueberry and liquorice notes, with velvety tannins and marvellous intensity and balance. A very charming wine, an absolute pleasure to drink now and went amazingly well with the braised meatballs and honeyed ham sandwiches! Drink now and for next 6 - 8+ years for optimum enjoyment. 17.5/20

The other wine I really liked and which I thought went beautifully with the crispy eels (and other dishes!) was the 2003 Isole e Olena Cepparello (100% Sangiovese from the estate's best sites in northern Chianti Classico, aged in French barrels for about 18 - 20 months).  I loved the gorgeously classic bouquet of floral, plum, cherry, spicy liquorice and some earthy notes, with a most elegant structure and balance of acidity and ripe velvety tannin.  There was this wonderful definition of generous ripe fruit and balance that gave the wine much elegance and poise, without any signs of over-ripeness from the hot vintage.  A beautifully crafted wine with a very long finish, bravo to the proprietor Paolo de Marchi.  Drink now and for the next 10 - 12 years. 18/20

The 2004 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino was a little muted on this evening.  It could have done with a bit more aeration to flaunt its elegance and finesse. There was some hint of ripe fruit but it lacked depth and intensity on the palate.  

While on the subject of Italian beauties from Central Italy, I enjoyed a bottle of 1998 Falesco Montiano last night with a few friends and was absolutely delighted by a most charming and elegant wine, fashioned out of 100% Merlot from Lazio, aged in French oak barrels.  A mature bouquet showing black cherry, plum, chocolate, liquorice, tobacco and some hints of leather.  The palate was a very smooth, cashmere-like texture of silky tannin, with just sufficient acidity to give the wine a very harmonious structure to pair with the eggplant parmigiana that I made.  Gorgeous effort (the wine and my eggplant parmigiana).  Loved the long finish! 18/20

Syrah and Shiraz

19 Feb 2012:  The theme was a very broad one: Syrah or Shiraz.  No vintage or region was specified.  So the bottles that everyone brought did cover a wide scope but what was interesting was that after all said and tasted, all displayed a true expression of variety and regional characteristics.  Wines from  cooler climate regions faithfully showed more peppery character and a less chunky frame and those from warmer climate regions something a little more beefy and a more hefty structure and richer texture.

All the wines were served blind (except they were known to the owners of the bottles).  To keep us focusing on the wine, I had kept the food simple: steak, lamb chops and sausages on the barbie, with some eggplant curry, spicy chickpeas and salad.  Everyone had to say something about each wine, before the owner revealed the identity of the wine.

1992 Hermitage Blanc, Guigal: Still showing an unmistakable Marsanne nose of honey, quince, grilled nuts and a hint of marzipan. Not much acidity left, hence a slightly cloying feel on the palate endowed with richness and weight. Still drinkable but past peak.

1990 Seppelt Show Sparkling Shiraz: First time trying a sparkling shiraz with such age.  (I've never really quite understood sparkling shiraz, so it was very interesting for me to try this sparkling shiraz with age!)  I didn't know what I was expecting, but probably something like leather and spice. Still showing a lovely creamy mousse and persistent bubbles, the immediate impression was how youthful this tasted, displaying such sweet plum and blackcurrant fruit, with hints of pepper and liquorice. Karen and I both thought it was rather like a sparkling blackcurrant fruit juice!

1990  Underhill Shiraz, Yarra Yerring: From Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia.  100% Shiraz.  Made from vines planted in 1974, from soils with a high clay content.  Use of stalks prevalent for this cuvee from Yarrra Yerring.  A lovely herbal garden perfume of garrigue, brushland, earthy, with leather and savoury nuances complementing some dark cherry notes. Elegant and graceful, harmonious, within a medium body with well-integrated fine tannin and mild acidity.  Drinking very well now and for another 10+ years.  (http://www.yarrayerring.com/)

1996 Reserve Syrah, Kathryn Kennedy Winery: From Saratoga Santa Cruz, California, USA. (Thank you, Vernon, who dutifully decanted the wine at home before getting into the taxi!) This really was lovely. Harmoniously rich in texture and intense in flavour, with a depth of character, that belied its New World identity.  Dark fruit, pepper, liquorice and floral. Soft ripe tannin.  Loved the chewy texture and freshness on palate. Not particularly high in acidity.  A very fine example of extremely high quality Syrah from the New World. (http://www.kathrynkennedywinery.com/)

1971 Penfolds Grange, reconditioned in 2004: Strictly this did not qualify, as it was 87% Shiraz and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon.  A blend of grapes from Kalimna Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Magill Estate, Adelaide, Clare Valley and Coonawarra.  As it was reconditioned by the Recorking Clinic in 2004, David said it could have been topped up with the 1998 vintage. Menthol, spicy and peppery, but rather dominated by baked blackberry fruit and raspberry preserve.  Given how "this was always considered one of the great vintages of Grange" (best since 1955), this was a little disappointing in complexity and character.  There was a good display of medium firm tannin and a good level of acidity in the robust structure, but what seemed to be missing was some tertiary character (smoke, savoury, earthy) to give credibility to its age. I wonder how much of the more recent vintage was used to top up.  Could it have been topped up with the same wine from the same vintage, rather than tweaking with a younger vintage?? (http://www.penfolds.com/)

2005 The Laird, Torbreck: A 100-pointer wine from the Wine Advocate.  First vintage of this brandnew wine from David Powell.  From a single 2 hectare vineyard of Shiraz in the Marananga sub-region in Barossa planted in the 1960s. Aged for 3 years in new French oak barrels. 14.8% alcohol. A powerful wine, harmonious and elegant at the same time.  Loved the sweet and opulent nose of plum, dark cherry, fruitcake, black pepper, roses, herbal and menthol with savoury nuances.  A good dose of acidity, giving freshness to the rich texture of very ripe and velvety tannin. Mouthfilling, with plenty of concentration and complexity.  A wine with everything in sync, leaving you not asking for much more!  Finishes extremely long.  Better enjoyed with a few more years of bottle age.  From 2015, with another 15 - 20+ years ahead! (http://www.torbreck.com/)

2000 Côte Rôtie La Landonne, Guigal:  100% Syrah.  Pepper, plum,  blackberry, liquorice, kirsch-like, with some earthy, leather and mineral notes.  Elegantly structured.  Rather simple and much less interesting when compared to the far more superior 1999 vintage (which we were rather generously treated to by Stephen just 2 days before this dinner - Stephen had his wine decanted for about 3 hours before we tried it).  Perhaps it would have benefitted from a longer decanting time.  Not a hit with us.  Definitely drinking well now and for the next 6 - 8+ years.  (http://www.guigal.com/)

2004 Poker Face, Sine Qua Non: A 100-Parker pointer wine.  96% Syrah, 2.5% Mourvedre, and 1.5% Viognier.  Vines from  the Eleven Confessions, White Hawk, Alban, Bien Nacido, and Alta Mesa vineyards in Santa Barbara.  At 15.5% alcohol, it was more like a fortified wine to me than a wine.  In fact, I left it to pair with the chocolate brownie dessert.   Dark chocolate, raisin, dried prune, fruitcake, blackberry, very dark cherry jam, kirsch with some nutty and toasty oak character (reminiscent of a black forest gateau).  Totally explosive on the palate, mouthfillingly unctuous, totally intensely flavoured ripe fruit character.  Mind-boggling purity, intensity, concentration and density (only wish there were less alcohol!).  Dense and opulent, this wine deserved a much longer decanting time than we had given it......in fact, if I had a bottle (which I don't), I would probably leave it for 5 - 6 years before trying again! 

1969 Dom Perignon Oenotheque: George introduced to us this concept of 1969 Dom Perignon Oenotheque and Pu-Erh tea to cleanse our palate (and our head) before leaving the party!  Honey, yeasty, marzipan, dried apricot, slightly spicy, and Chinese liquorice, with that very particular bitter-sweet quality analogous to the flavour of really good quality Pu-Erh tea (unfortunately, our supply at home was not of this quality). A fully mature wine and to be drunk now!  A rather nice way of ending what was a most indulgent and educational evening. 

It was a wonderful way to share bottles!  I was most impressed by the Kathryn Kennedy bottle which for me gave the best balance of style, character, elegance and power.  The sheer power and concentration of The Laird and Poker Face rendered most of us speechless but I would prefer to try them again in 4 - 5 years' time.   Thank you so much to our friends who brought all these great and interesting bottles!  (Next time, we should start an hour or two earlier, so that we would have more time to finish the bottles!)

 

Dinner at Stonehouse

11 Jan 2012: Last week, we were invited to dinner at Stonehouse by Kelly.  Stonehouse used to be a one-table private kitchen in a three-storey colonial house with red lanterns hanging from the door. It has recently moved into more spacious and less romantic settings at the Cosmo Hotel, Wanchai.  The signature dish is the roasted suckling pig, which arrived with delicious crispy skin, succulent, tender and flavoursome meat.....gorgeous! The restaurant staff served up the rack and trotters afterwards after the skin had been served.  Those were the best bits, I thought....so full of flavours!


Really yummy suckling pig


I was also very impressed by the soup made with hundreds of chicken feet - check it out!  The collagen from the chicken feet has been nicely extracted and given the soup a rather smooth and viscous texture.....so yummy!


A mound of chicken feet!

For the wines, we started with a 1996 Veuve Clicquot, followed by two vintages of Chassagne Montrachet Les Chenevottes, Michel Niellon: 1989 and 1992.  The 1989 showed to be a more substantial wine, with fuller body, but less acidity.  A lovely bouquet of mango, fig, honeysuckle, liquorice and mineral.  15.5/20  The 1992 for me seemed better balanced and more delineated, with firm acidity and a bit more energy.....giving lift to the bouquet of guava, pineapple, white flowers and mineral.  16.5/20 

We then tasted a 2008 Ma Belle-Fille, Peter Michael.  Butterscotch, honey, nectarine, sweet lemon tart and spicy.  Rich and unctuous, with a decent amount of balancing acidity. Almost dessert-wine like with its 15.4% alcohol.....the wine continued to develop in glass and it took about 2 hours of aeration to open up.  A monster of wine - like a very intense version of Condrieu!  More homework for me on Californian wines.....not quite getting this. 16+/20

1971 Richebourg, Camille Giroud: Garnet core.  Red fruit, tea leaves, autumn pot pourri, truffle and forest floor......sweet caramel note on entry, but quickly fading into an ungenerous palate, with lean fruit and a drying finish.  Past its peak!  14.5/20

1999 Vieux Chateau Certan (in magnum): 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.  Deep ruby.  A layered bouquet of black cherry, liquorice, coffee, chocolate and violet.  Elegant and velvety textured, displaying pure fruit and layered texture.  Tannin beginning to soften but still evident.  Not the richest and most opulent of Vieux Chateau Certan, but a very fine effort for this vintage.  17/20

2000 Rayas: Pale garnet. A very animale and tawny port-like nose......kirsch, herbal, strawberry, red berries, raisin, fruitcake, smokey and caramel.  The silky texture, fruit-packed palate and fleshy mouthfeel belie the whopping 15.2% alcohol.  Without the support of firm and fresh acidity, it tasted vinous (liqueur-like) and rather unflattering, but seductive all the same with its jammy charm. I had never tasted Rayas this young before....perhaps this will develop into greater things??  Not a favourite of mine today. 16/20

1997 Querciabellia Chianti Classico Riserva (in magnum): Mostly organically-grown Sangiovese, with some addition of Cabernet Sauvignon.  The estate has been biodynamic since 2000.  Deep ruby.  Herbal, sour cherry, berries, earthy, mineral, smoke and plenty of violets. A little weak on mid-palate and finish, but still showing a reasonably firm structure and good acidity. Great with food....if this wasn't tasted blind, then I would have picked this to go with the suckling pig!  Drinking at peak now, without showing signs of fatigue....can probably drink well for another 2 - 3 years.  16.5/20

The private room came complete with karaoke set.  Dawn saved the day, quite literally, with her beautiful singing!  I definitely got the best seat at the table.....next to Mr. Xiong who authored "Appreciation of The World's Top 100 Great and Rare Wines" and I even got him to autograph it for me!   

Napa Valley's Liquid Gold

17 Sep 2011: Dinner chez Martin and Tayma.  Martin cooked a sumptuous feast!  We started with oysters and 1990 Krug.  Toasty, brioche, grilled hazelnuts. Very mature. Drinking at peak now.

The delicious platter of lobster with marie-rose sauce, avocado and fresh crab meat, tomato with tarragon and salad was brilliantly accompanied by the2002 Batard Montrachet, Pernot. Lemon, quince, fig, almonds, honey and jasmine. Good acidity.  Weighty, well-structured and balanced.  Still very youthful, but already very enjoyable. Very high quality.

Main course was a very succulent and tender piece of beef, seared before slow-cooked in the oven for 9 minute, served with a rich truffled sauce (and bearnaise sauce). This was served with a 1982 Leoville Las Cases in magnum. Mature bouquet of violet, cloves, cinnamon, leather and tobacco. Silky, with a lengthy finish.  Very more-ish but not as generous as we would have expected.

The 1983 Hermitage Chave slowly opened up to offer a bouquet of chocolate, cinnamon, spices and vanilla. I just love mature Syrah, somewhat exotic, with a romantic undertone! Drinking very well now, and for the next 6 - 8 years, I expect.

Still rather thirsty, we returned to Bordeaux with 1998 Haut Bailly.  Very deep hued. Rather rich and concentrated, with a rounded character, showing ripe but well-textured tannins and good acidity.  Plum, blackberry, liquorice and spicy oak.  An under-valued estate that delivers on harmony and consistency.

Before wrapping up the evening, Martin introduced us to Dolce, a late harvest wine from Napa.  It's made in the style of Sauternes, with a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, affected by noble rot.  Harvest would take place over 6 weeks, and only picked by hand and carefully sorted.  Fermentation in oak barrels is a very slow event, usually taking up to 6 months.  Maturation in 100% new French oak, for up to 3 years.  The final blend is decided during the 3rd year.  I did not see the vintage for this Dolce, but it was full-bodied, balanced by mouthwatering acidity, with the unmistakable nose of dried apricot, orange peel, ripe peach and honey.  Very easy to please with its intense fruitiness and nectar-like quality, but this wine could also benefit from additional bottle age to take on some tertiary complexity and maturity.

Thank you Martin and Tayma for a most delicious evening!

Pre-New Year's Eve Dinner

30 Dec 2010: It's quite an achievement that Richard and I finally managed to find an evening in between the last two cricket tests to have dinner by ourselves (not quite joking!).  We managed to get a last-minute table at the lastest addition to the food scene in HK, Gold by Harlan Goldstein. 

2010 has been a rather destabilising and challenging year in many ways, so many developments and changes, bringing some times joy and elation and other times despair, sadness and frustration.  The comparison to a rolling stone resounds well and leaves me with emotions of under-achievement and frustration.  Anyway, we got "here" and to mark the year coming to an end, we thought we would drink a bottle of one of our favourite wines: 1988 Vosne-Romanée Cros Parantoux, Henri Jayer - a wine that would evoke memories of a wonderful holiday in la belle France.  We last drank this wine at the restaurant Michel Bras in the Auvergne, a long time ago.  We decided to try it again to relive those magical sensations that we felt when we last drank this wine.  We probably should have decanted it to let some of the old bottle mustiness escape and let the wine pull itself together in the decanter.  Richard thought it was just as "imperial" as he remembered it.  I rather thought there was just a very faint hint of bretty character in this bottle, which over the course of the dinner, became less and less evident.  I also thought the wine tasted perhaps a little fragile on this occasion.   I should hasten to add that perhaps my food was not a good match for the wine and such a great wine deserved a more appropriate match and perhaps more importantly, a more intimate setting.    

My tasting note: A garnet ruby core.  After a bit of aeration to refresh the bouquet (and shaking out some of what I thought was bretty character) and to give the wine time to recover from the shock of pulling the cork, we were treated to an intense and mesmerizingly enchanting bouquet of animal saddle, farmyard hay, leather, earthy and rose petal notes, complemented by some soft red cherry character.  On the palate, the wine tasted very fresh and full of energy.  An elegant and balanced wine, made in a classic style, showing a very fine structure and silky texture, this wine could still be evolving for another 3 -5 years to reach its absolute peak.  Drinking very well now, and will be drinking well for another 10+ years.  19/20

The first birthday celebration this week

11 August 2010: Technically, it's a pre-birthday celebration for our friend Pin, as the actual day is on 19th August, but his fellow connoisseurs of fine wine and cuisine came all the way from Singapore to Hong Kong to pre-celebrate Pin's birthday at Otto e Mezzo in Central.

We kicked off with a Cristal 2002. A ripe fruit nose of pear, apple puree, custard tart, is enriched by notes of brioche, honeysuckle and honey. Medium-bodied, very fine mousse, the very embodiment of elegance and power. Probably drinking a little too young, will benefit from further bottle age. 18/20

Then followed the Gaja Rossj-Bass 2008. 100% Chardonnay. The citrus and lime blossom character was very apparent in this young wine, supplemented with lusciously rich notes of marzipan, honeysuckle, spicy oak, toast and vanilla. Full-bodied, rich and characterful. A little light on the acidity for my personal preference but still a very well-made wine. Good length. Would be interesting to try older vintages of this wine to see how it develops. 16/20

Served side by side for comparison was the 2000 Patrick Javillier Cuvée Speciale Corton-Charlemagne. It needed decanting time of 1+ hour and further time in the glass to develop. When it eventually opened up, it was a grand vin and went particularly well with Chef Bombana's signature dish of poached egg in artichoke puree sprinkled with delicious winter black truffle from Australia. Initially slightly closed nose (also because of over-chilling!). Complex bouquet of pear, melon and passion fruit, overlaid with butter, toast, spice, vanilla and mineral. Richness on the palate is well-balanced by a good level of acidity and youthful vigour. Benefitting from time in the glass, the wine opened up to reveal its complex, intense and rounded character, with immense concentration of flavours. A lingering finish. Perfect for drinking now, but will continue to evolve and drink well for another 6 -8 years. 17.5/20

Then came a pasta dish and Pin arranged for us to have a "small" portion of the lamb with rosemary pasta. We then served two reds, allowing them to further develop in the glass.

We tasted the 1993 de Voguë Bonnes Mares first (already decanted for 1 hour). Bright ruby colour. A most alluring and intense perfume of red fruits and floral aromas, raspberry, red cherry and violets, layered with spicy, mineral, tobacco, chocolate and tea leaves. Seamless integration of acidity and fine tannins, giving this wine a silky textue yet a vigorous structure. An elegant and sensuous wine, exuding extreme sophistication, classic beauty and leaving me with the memory of a great wine, showcasing Burgundy at its best. Finishes long and sweet. Drinking extremely well now and will continue to drink well for 10+ years. 19/20

Next we tasted the 1999 Gaja Conteisa. The ‘conteisa’ was the medieval quarrel between the zones of La Morra and Barolo over the prime vineyard land of Cerequio. Not entirely classic Barolo. It's 92% Nebbiolo with 8% Barbera, benefitting from the added freshness contribution from the higher acidity Barbera. (Hence the Langhe DOC.) Deep garnet-ruby. The wine had been decanted for 1.5 hour. A beautifully warm bouquet of rose, violets, mushroom, earthy, sweet spices, chocolate, prune and dried fruit rose to greet the nose. An extremely well-made wine, with a lively acidity, smooth tannins, velvety texture, concentrated fruit character, depth of character and a very fine structure. Lingering finish. A very fine wine indeed! 18/20

Seeing the last drops of Gaja Conteisa being emptied from the decanter, our palate yearned for another red. The 1999 Joseph Phelphs Insignia was called into action, but first it needed to be double-decanted. Predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon (71%), 21% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Malbec. Deep ruby. A complex and classic bouquet of blackberries, black cherries, bell pepper, sweet spices, cedar and tobacco. Full-bodied, rich mouthfeel and a long and powerful finish. Drinking well now, but will definitely benefit from further bottle ageing for another 5 - 6 years. 17/20

Pin and his friends had lamb for the main course. Richard had a rich beef dish! I had the turbot, which was delicious but I didn't quite get the red wine sauce as was mentioned on the menu! Wondered what sort of red wine Chef Bombana used for this reduction!

We finished the evening with the second 2002 Cristal. A rosé this time. A lovely pale salmon pink colour. Savoury and fruity character, redcurrant, strawberry, frangipane, with hints of thinly baked apple tart. Just a very elegant wine with great poise, concentration and finesse and a perfect conclusion to our evening! I liked it slightly more than the blanc. 18.5/20

Chef Bombana came at the end to join us for a few drops of our wine (he kind of got there a bit late!). Richard and I told him about how a taxi driver in Positano had heard about his famed truffle cooking and showed us a magazine in Italian with an article on the chef. The chef looked quite bemused about how far his reputation travelled! Found out that Chef was from Lombardia. Perhaps after our discussion last night, we might find more Valtellina and Valtellina Sforzato on the wine list at Otto e Mezzo! We all thought Chef Bombana's cooking was superb and was definitely of 1 Michelin star quality!

Thank you very much, Pin, for inviting us to join in your pre-birthday celebration! I can't wait to hear what you will be drinking on the actual day!

An impressive array of wines!

31 July 2010: Richard and I had invited my former WSET Diploma classmates (and their spouses) to our home for dinner. Each person was supposed to bring a bottle or two of something interesting. I had prepared some simple snacks as starters followed by two joints of roast beef, mashed potato with black truffle and grilled vegetables.

Our list of wines for the evening read like this:

Alain Thienot Brut NV: our house champagne for the moment!

Equipo Navazos La Bota de Fino No. 15 (saca June 2008): a very elegant fino, with all the characteristic notes of sea salt, iodine, lemon, herbal, camomile and almonds, and piercing acidity and a long finish. Still tasting quite fresh, but I fear that we should drink our remaining bottles with relative speed to retain this freshness. Drinking at peak now. (I just wish more people would share our love for fino sherries!)

Pavillon Blanc de Chateau Margaux 1999: previous bottles had been oxidised and not very pleasant. This one was just perfect. Medium bodied, good level of acidity, notes of honey, lanolin, herbaceous, mineral and grilled nuts. Good length.

Fattoria Petrolo Galatrona 2007 (in magnum and with 1.5 hour of decanting time): Intense ruby colour. On the nose, red cherries, blackberries, plums, chocolate, Mediterranean herbs, liquorice, spices and smoke. Medium-bodied, balanced soft tannins and acidity. Good length. 100% Merlot. Very small production. Drinking well now, will evolve over next 4 - 5 years.

Latour 1999 (in magnum, with 1 to 1.5 hour of decanting time): Deep ruby colour. A complex nose of blackcurrant, blackberries, violet, cedar and tobacco. Took a while to open up. Very lively acidity, with firm but very fine tannins. Lingering finish. Drinking well now, will evolve over next 6 - 8 years.

L'Ermita 1999 (also benefitted from 1.5 hour of decanting): 80% Garnacha, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cariñena. A wine of immense elegance, richness, complexity, concentration and depth. A intensely perfumed nose with notes of raspberries and red cherries, layered with crème caramel, vanilla, dried fruits, sweet spiciness and smokiness. A true beauty with a very long and memorable finish. Really impressed by this wine by Alvaro Palacios. Would have gone better with a gamey dish, such as duck, goose, venison, or even roast leg of lamb, or lamb tagine. Also great with the comté cheese. Drinking beautifully now, will evolve over next 8 - 10 years.

Harlan Estate 2004 (with 1.5 hour of decanting): a wine of immense richness and concentration, with black fruits, sweet spices, vanilla and some jammy character which some found less appealing at the wine's youthful stage of development. Definitely not ready yet and will need much more bottle time to evolve and reveal its potential. Another 8+ years bottle age to be ready for drinking?

Talbot 1982: Bouquet of leather, tobacco and violet. A very elegant drink, with well-aged maturity and finesse. Drinking at peak now.

Shafer Estate Hillside Select 1998: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Complex bouquet of blueberries, blackfruits, violet, bell pepper, tobacco, cedar and a brûlée character. Lively acidity, firm but fine tannins. A very fine drink with a very long finish. We had it double-decanted. Just wish we had given it more time to be appreciated. Drinking well now, but will evolve over next 6 - 8 years.

Weingut Fritz Windisch Spätburgunder Weißherbst Eiswein 2007, Asheimer Sonneberg, Rheinhessen: All I remembered was a very well-made eiswein with an unusual grape variety - pinot noir! I thought it was a perfect dessert on its own, but I still had my share of almond tea made with TLC by Angel! (I saved Maria's Chinese herbal sweet soup for breakfast the following morning and it was very nice too!) By the way, Weißherbst (or Weissherbst) is a special pink wine made from a single variety, and it may be at either QbA or Prädikatswein quality level.

I think we all had a really good time! I shall be savouring the aftertaste of the L'Ermita for months to come! What a treat!!