Oct 2015: 2009 Teyssier, 2006 Emmanuel Rouget Vosne-Romanee, 2002 Fontaine-Gagnard Croits-Batard-Montrachet, 2009 Leflaive Clavoillon, 2004 La Conseillante, 2011 Ponsot Morey-Saint-Denis Alouettes

2013 Flametree chardonnay, popped and poured at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 05 Oct 2015. This Margaret River white is excellent value, ample in buttery characters, tropical fruits and chalky minerality well matched with vibrant acidity, intense yet open on the palate.

2002 Charles Melton shiraz, decanted on-site at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 05 Oct 2015. Full-bodied with an abundance of warm ripe Barossa fruit imparting notes of red plums, toffee, mocha and a dash of licorice, rounded and open, possessing good depth and sophistication without any astringency. Excellent.

2002 Fontaine-Gagnard Croits-Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru, a glass courtesy of Peter Wong at Chef Kang’s, 07 Oct 2015. Tasted blind. Notes of caramel, apricot, white roses and traces of honey, obviously aged and, hence, more leaden than vibrant but still possessing good fragrance, and acidity, supported by flinty minerality. I guessed quietly a Chassagne-Montrachet which is actually quite correct, for Croits-Batard-Montrachet lies just within Chassagne, instead of Puligny. Very fine.

2009 Hubert Lignier Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru (courtesy of Alvin Seah of Domaine Wines), aired for 30-45 minutes in advance at Chef Kang’s, 07 Oct 2015. Roses, dark cherries and a dash of soy. Minerally. Ripe and almost lush with a quiet intensity. Delicious but somewhat short and lacking in structure, which is not unexpected of Charmes-Chambertin. Drinking well now and will hold.

2007 Henri Boillot Saint Aubin Pitangeret 1er, aired for 30 minutes in advance at Chef Kang’s, 07 Oct 2015. Lifted aromas of white flowers and crème, slightly attenuated on the palate at first before blossoming quite nicely after another hour, its clear citrus fruit enhanced by attractive acidity. Quite full-bodied and supple. Excellent value.

1996 Maison Roche de Bellene Clos de la Roche Grand Cru (courtesy of WCY), aired for 45-60 minutes in advance at Chef Kang’s, 07 Oct 2015. Rounded with a good concentration of rose petals and redcurrants though not quite distinctive enough for a Grand Cru, pleasant but uninteresting. Could do with greater depth and complexity.

1990 Ch Pavie. Out of nowhere came another glass from Peter’s table, tasted blind at Chef Kang’s, 07 Oct 2015. Clearly an aged claret, soft, earthy with prominent medicinal aromas (actually both Alvin and I thought it was corked) and a note of soy, fully matured, finishing with dusty tannins, still hanging on. I guessed a Right Bank, but had absolutely no idea that it was an old-style Pavie.

1997 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Combottes 1er, again a blinded glass from Peter’s table at Chef Kang’s, 07 Oct 2015. Marked by chalky minerality and crisp intense citrus in spite of its age, not quite as layered as its fullness would imply, still somewhat unresolved and lacking in definition though its pedigree is unquestionable.

2006 Emmanuel Rouget Vosne-Romanee (courtesy of WCY), aired in advance for over an hour at Chef Kang’s, 07 Oct 2015. An abundance of red fruits and dark berries of fabulous intensity, almost tarry but well-defined, spicy with structured sweet tannins. Yet to evolve. A rare treat. Excellent stuff.

1988 Ch Rieussec (courtesy of Barrie Tan), a glass tasted blind at Chef Kang’s, 07 Oct 2015. Dull golden with notes of orange, grapefruit, tangerine and glazed apricot, slightly dipping in acidity, rather placid, just holding station, lacking in that extra dimension and verve of a DÝquem. I guessed aloud a 1989 Rieussec. Almost spot-on.

2009 Ch Le Doyenne, popped and poured at Jade restaurant, Hotel Royal, 11 Oct 2015. Regular readers will know I’ve had several bottles of this wine, with consistent notes: rich in dark currants and black fruits, almost tarry, with a dash of graphite in the minerality, fairly open with structured well-managed tannins. Now discounted to SGD35. I bought another case.

2006 Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque Rose (courtesy of Li Fern), popped and poured at New Ubin Seafood, 14 Oct 2015. Notes of tangerine, sweet citrus and toast. Medium-full, dry, finishing with a dash of pomelo. Lacks complexity.

2005 Domaines Leflaive Macon-Verze (courtesy of Hsiang Sui), popped and poured at New Ubin Seafood, 14 Oct 2015 A perennial favourite but shut on this occasion with subdued creme and chalky notes although it grew in intensity after some time in the glass. Still youthful. One for the long haul, in spite of its modest origins.

2005 Tortochot Gevrey-Chambertin Les Champeaux 1er, aired for 30 minutes prior to serving at New Ubin Seafood, 14 Oct 2015. Dark cherries with a muted fragrance, rounded, slightly backward in fruit, quite evolved and minerally, gentle and distinctly feminine, a tad short at the finish. Delicate. Could it be because its winemaker is a lady? I’d prefer a slightly more immediate presence.

2006 Comte de Vogue Chambolle-Musigny (courtesy of Hsiang Sui), aired for 30-60 minutes prior at New Ubin Seafood, 14 Oct 2015. Great bouquet of sweet red fruits and redcurrants. Medium-bodied and rounded, darker in tone as always with Chambolle-Musigny from this great estate, just a tad short at the finish. Nevertheless, a glorious village.

2011 Kistler Russian River Pinot Noir (courtesy of Li Fern), aired for 30-60 minutes prior at New Ubin Seafood, 14 Oct 2015. Ample dark cherries, producing powerful lifted aromas of great fragrance and fabulous intensity on the palate, covered with sweet velvety tannins in a state of controlled hedonism without going over-the-top. Excellent.

2009 Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Clavoillon 1er (courtesy of Miah Hiang), aired for 60 minutes prior at New Ubin Seafood, 14 Oct 2015. An abundance of crème de la crème with chalky minerality and exciting citrus characters, full-bodied and youthful, already imbued with substantial complexity. Yet to really evolve. A wine of great potential.

2006 Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru (courtesy of Sanjay), aired for 60 minutes prior at New Ubin Seafood, 14 Oct 2015. Forward balance of cream and a dash of coconut, bright and buttery with fairly good complexity but, as usual with Louis Latour, there is an overall sense of reticence coupled with a mild leafy undertone.

2011 Domaine Ponsot Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cuvee des Alouettes (courtesy of Li Fern), aired for more than 60 minutes prior at New Ubin Seafood, 14 Oct 2015. Saving the best for last, this wine offers generous notes of cherries, strawberries camphor and sweet incense with a quiet intensity, irresistibly complex, displaying great balance, depth and exuberance throughout its length. Burgundy in the best tradition from a great producer.

2009 Ch Larrivet Haut-Brion (courtesy of John), popped and poured at Prive Grill, 23 Oct 2015. One of my favourite estates from Pessac-Leognan, this wine is highly delicious, saturated with an abundance of ripe blueberries, dark currants and dark cherries, oozing with sweet tannins, excellent in depth and concentration, structured, well-balanced and highly accessible, turning just a tad stern and metallic at the finish but this could not detract the enjoyment. This astute buy will turn out to be a long-lived wine. Excellent.

2004 Ch La Conseillante, drunk over two hours at Absinthe, 24 Oct 2015. A considerable amount of bottle taint was evident at the start, imparting a dull sullen demeanour to the wine, raising fears that this bottle could be corked. Thankfully, this seemed to disappear with subsequent pours and notes of tarry red fruits, dark berries and black fruits became more forthcoming, quite excellent in depth and concentration, growing in intensity as other notes of soy and dark plums emerged, somewhat stern at the finish but this seemed to recede as the wine opened up. This bottle is notably tighter and more intense than a previous tasting note some 4-5 years ago where it was fleshy and open. Obviously still some way to go before it peaks. A considerably good buy if below SGD150.

2009 Wolff Blass Black Label, drunk at the Racquet Club Hospitality Suite of the WTA Finals, Singapore, 29 Oct 2015. Deep dark purple with aromas of ripe dark fruits, raisins, wild dark berries and vanilla, full-bodied, oozing with sweet tannins and overtones of mocha, rounded and smooth. Very well crafted, yet to develop any secondary nuances but the potential is huge.

2012 Wolff Blass Gold Label Chardonnay,  drunk at the Racquet Club Hospitality Suite of the WTA Finals, Singapore, 29 Oct 2015. Forward balance of citrus zest and white flowers, overflowing with flinty minerality as well. Medium-bodied. Pleasant.

Moet & Chandon NV,  drunk at the Racquet Club Hospitality Suite of the WTA Finals, Singapore, 29 Oct 2015. This ubiquitous champagne is actually drinking well, displaying a light luminosity with flavours of lime, yellow citrus, a dash of rock melons and undertones of yeast, toast and crackers. Well-balanced, slightly angular but not overly crisp.

2009 Ch Teyssier, popped and poured at Beng Thin Hoon Kee restaurant, OCBC Centre, 30 Oct 2015. Displaying a deep purple, this Saint-Emilion punches way above its weight with enticing aromas of dark raspberries, blueberries, dark cherries and traces of red plums, balanced, ample and delicious on the palate where the ripe finely-knit tannins are almost silky smooth and velvety, excellent in weight, layered with early traces of cedar. 2009 is a truly fabulous vintage and Ch Teyssier has a winner here. Buy.