2006 Liger-Belair La Romanee, 2002 Robert Groffier Amoureuses, 2001 Comte de Vogue Bonnes-Mares, 2010 Henri Boillot Pucelles, 1988 Salon ‘S’, 2001 D’Yquem…

Little did we realise, less than a month after we had first met Mme. Delphine Tronchon, CEO of FICOFI Paris, at Vosne-Romanee, that we would have a chance to play host to her for dinner at Tunglok Signatures, Orchard Parade Hotel, Singapore, on 20 October 2015 where, as usual, Dr Ngoi had arranged a delectable 5-course menu in its private room. An all-Burgundy line-up was planned and I must say that the Tunglok staff surpassed themselves this time, making sure that each different wine was poured into a new glass. As we settled down, a 2004 Dom Perignon (courtesy of Dr Ngoi) was poured. This turned out to be rather shut on the nose but open on the palate, displaying notes of white flowers and citrus, minerally and well-balanced with good intensity, not overly crisp but yet to develop further complexity.

Dr Ngoi had also brought along a 2006 Comte Liger-Belair La Romanee Grand Cru, quite a rarity, which he insisted that we taste first before our palates become influenced by food. Displaying quite a bit of bricking and evolution, this wine possessed a most beautiful bouquet, initially of floral notes, camphor and a mild medicinal sweetness before being dominated by a high note of plums more than an hour later, highly elegant on the palate with open textures, fully harmonious with recessed tannins, finishing with great persistence and excellent mouthfeel. Truly feminine. Not quite as structured as other reds up north but this is a wonderful wine and what a privilege it was to have tasted it.

We moved back to the whites for the first course of shark’s fin, a 2009 Domaine de la Pousse d’Or Puligny-Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er (courtesy of Sanjay) that was creamy smooth and restraint, growing in intensity on the palate with notes of white flowers over time, yet retaining an appealing lightness of being. This was paired with a 1988 Salon Cuvee ‘S’ Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs (courtesy of Hsiang Sui), fully matured with complex characters of yeast, toast, honeysuckle and caramel cast in a burnished tone, yet still youthful with fresh acidity and excellent depth of fruit. Truly marvellous.

This was followed by a pair of reds to go with the next dish of baked chicken, a 2008 Meo Camuzet Vosne-Romanee (courtesy of Miah Hiang), intense in color and bouquet, dominated by notes of earth, rich red fruits and dark berries of excellent depth, structured, balanced and refined, a wine of great finesse that belies its village status. Drunk alongside, the 2006 Prieure-Roch Vosne-Romanee Les Suchots 1er (specially sent over for us by its winemaker Yannick Champ and carried by Delphine herself) was highly individualistic with an attractive earthy pungency amidst high-toned minerality, tangerine and red fruits, settling down eventually with refined intensity, just a tad short. The next course of hairy crab was paired with a 2010 Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er, displaying great typicity with its fabulous complex of intense minerality, apples and crème de la crème with a slightly forward balance, developing more fat with an oily texture and a dash of coconut after some time, ending with great persistence. Superb.

Another pair of reds was drunk with the noodles that followed. The 1999 Prieure-Roch Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru (courtesy of Li Fern) again displayed a characteristic high plummy tone from a wine that is clearly well-evolved, displaying great harmony with a spicy finish. Next to it, the 2003 Armand Rousseau Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru (courtesy of Vic) exhibited a most attractive pungency on the nose with a predominance of red fruits and redcurrants, displaying a good level of complexity and depth although, expectedly from this climat, a wine that is less structured compared with other benchmark grand crus of Chambertin.

The final pair of reds was drunk on their own, representative of some of the best of Chambolle-Musigny. The 2002 Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er (courtesy of Eddy) displayed a wonderful fragrance of red cherries, camphor and traces of dark berries, a wine of great purity, concentration and balance that truly harmonises power and finesse, better than a younger Faiveley that we had last month at Ma Cuisine. As good as that was, the 2001 Comte Georges de Vogue Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru (courtesy of Hsiang Sui) truly lived up to its exalted status, sporting rich red and dark berries of fabulous intensity, power, depth and structure, its sophisticated tannins imparting a wonderful mouthfeel without heaviness nor fatigue. A complete wine. To wrap up, a 2001 Ch D’Yquem was proffered (courtesy of Hsiang Sui), exhibiting an indescribable high-toned complex of nectar, bright citrus and ripe tropical fruits with overtones of incense, crème de la crème and a dash of graphite at the finish, burnished and uniformly intense throughout its length, a complete Sauternes with a long, long life ahead. This evening will not be easily forgotten. My sincere thanks to everyone for their generosity.