July 2014: 2001 Rockford Basket Press, Bruno Paillard NV, 2013 Miani Friulano, 2007 Tignanello, 2012 Bastianich Friulano…

Bruno Paillard Brut NV, generously served as the aperitif for the entire ballroom at the 110th anniversary dinner of the NUS Faculty of Medicine, Fairmont Hotel, Singapore, 03 July 2015. Ample in notes of lime, pomelo and yellow citrus of fabulous intensity with mild yeasty overtones and outstanding minerality all adding up to a lovely complex, well-balanced and smooth without any edginess, displaying excellent linearity and length. Excellent.

2008 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin, poured from magnum at the 110th anniversary dinner of the NUS Faculty of Medicine, Fairmont Hotel, Singapore, 03 July 2015. A medium-bodied proposition of dark cherries, strawberries and a dash of wild berries supported by subtle earthy notes and gentle tannins, generally reliable but not yielding much in terms of complexity. Might have been better if the ambient temperature had been cooler.

2007 Raphael et Vincent Bereche Cote champagne (disgorged 2014), popped and poured at La Barca, 8 July 2015. Powerful yeasty overtones, very nutty as well with characters of roasted oak and complex citrus on the palate, dry but balanced, generous, minerally and long. Very enjoyable.

2004 Ch Latour-a-Pomerol, aired in bottle for close to an hour at La Barca, 8 July 2015. More than ten years post-vintage, this wine has settled considerably, less racy, more open with the generous fragrance of red roses and redcurrants. Delicious, medium-full, classically balanced, rounding off with a dominant ferrous tone. Not an exciting wine but highly satisfying, nonetheless.

2010 Vincent Fuisse Morgon, popped and poured over a dim sum lunch at Imperial Treasure T3, 12 July 2015 and again on 15 July 2015 at Prive. To be honest, I hadn’t realised this was a Beaujolais when I had bought a case of this cheaply for only SGD20 per bottle, for the ignoble gamay has never rocked my boat. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality here, the wine, though slender in body, was considerably darker and much more weighty than any Beaujolais I’ve ever had, imbued with characters of tangerine and ripe wild berries with further notes of plummy red fruit emerging after some time, supported by firm earthy minerality with tannins that are well-managed, balanced and structured. A fine table wine. I actually enjoyed it.

2012 Peccavi “No Regrets” Sauvignon blanc/Semillon, bought at SGD80 off the list of Luke’s Oyster Bar & Chop House, 13 July 2015. I thought this may be something limpid, seeing that it’s the cheapest item on the wine list. However, it turned out to be rather fine, medium to full-bodied with generous notes of white flowers, morning dew, melons and citrus, highly lifted on the nose, crisp, clean and lively on the palate with a semblance of complexity. Surprisingly good.

2001 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz, decanted on-site for about 45 minutes prior to serving at Luke’s Oyster Bar & Chop House, 13 July 2015. I remembered purchasing this directly from the cellar door upon its release in 2004 and having cellared it since. As expected, this is a classic example of Barossa Valley shiraz at its finest, the wine exhibiting powerful medicinal and herbal aromas with an abundance of dark currants and raspberries amidst overtones of enamel and mint on the palate, dense but layered with great linearity all the way to its finish. I used to like this style of shiraz but, nowadays, I tend to find them far too immediate and upfront in spite of bottle age.

2013 Miani Friuli Colli Orientali Friulano from the restaurant list of Buona Terra, 21 July 2015. Aromas of white flowers, morning dew, intense lime, citrus and chalk combine to produce a delicious wine that’s highly attractive and complex right from the outset, just a trace steely at the finish. Excellent.

2007 Tignanello, decanted on-site at Buona Terra for more than an hour prior to serving, 21 July 2015. Displaying a lovely purple with open textures, this wine is layered with generous notes of raspberries and tangerine allied with a certain plumminess from the predominant sangiovese, framed by sweet gentle tannins, attractive and succulent with traces of rose petals contributed, no doubt, by the minority cabernet franc. Excellent now, but still yet to peak.

2009 Ch Le Doyenne, popped and poured at Jade Palace, 25 July 2015. Deep purple, displaying a solid core of gorgeous ripe black fruits and dark currants with traces of graphite within the supple tannins, becoming sweeter and more open over time, producing a highly sophisticated mouthfeel that far exceeds any expectation at this price. I must have drunk at least a half dozen over the past year and it just gets better and better. Superb.

2013 Kerlann Chablis, at Crystal Wines megasale tasting, 25 July 2015. Surprisingly generous in floral and grassy notes with plenty of sweet citrus and lime, well-balanced, supple and rounded. Very good.

2013 Hawkes Bay Chardonnay, at Crystal Wines megasale tasting, 25 July 2015. Typical of entry-level New World chardonnay, this wine features notes of grassy elements and citrus with some suggestion of cream and biscuits, soft and simple.

2014 Grewacke sauvignon blanc, at Crystal Wines megasale tasting, 25 July 2015. Light and lively with an earthy feel and a strong note of barley in the mid-body. Very good acidity, not overzealous but slightly short.

2012 Usseglio Lirac, at Crystal Wines megasale tasting, 25 July 2015. Quite an abundance of raspberries and roses supported by earthy minerality, slightly bitter with a prominent tannic spine. Doesn’t quite gel.

2010 Pierre Henri Morel Chateauneuf-du-Pape, at Crystal Wines megasale tasting, 25 July 2015. Ripe dark fruits and sweet tannins interspersed by notes of forest floor, carrying good weight, ending with a leafy trace. Still, this is good stuff.

2012 Domaine Varenne Chateauneuf-du-Pape, at Crystal Wines megasale tasting, 25 July 2015. Good blend of red and dark berries, surprisingly rounded and approachable for such a young CdP.

2010 Ch Larmande,at Crystal Wines megasale tasting, 25 July 2015. Surprisingly attractive and full aromas of red and dark fruits, sweet plums and brandied cherries, almost complex, but let down by a one-dimensional somewhat vegetal palate.

2007 Ch Bernadotte, at Crystal Wines megasale tasting, 25 July 2015. Possesses an earthy pungency on the nose but this wine is too lean on the palate.

2012 Ch Boutillot, at Crystal Wines megasale tasting, 25 July 2015. Simple notes of earth and vegetal notes. Don’t waste time here.

2012 Bastianich Vini Orsone Friulano Colli Orientali del Friuli, at SGD65 off the list of Rubato at the Hillcrest area. Forward in character with an abundance of yellow citrus, jackfruit, bitter lemon and traces of morning dew and grassy elements, full-bodied and lively with refreshing acidity, just a tad stern towards the finish.

2012 Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne, popped and poured at Ming Kee Live Seafood, 31 July 2015. Medium to full-bodied with qualities of intense citrus and lemon with buttery overtones supported by firm minerality. Generous and well-proportioned but undeveloped at this stage.