2006 Jacques-Frederic Mugnier Musigny, 2001 Pavie, 2001 Cheval Blanc…

These tasting notes stem from a dinner hosted by the great Dr & Mrs S S Ngoi at their residence on 06 Apr 2016 where Zach (sommelier formerly from Les Amis who also excels in the kitchen) had customised a menu to suit the line-up of wines, all sourced entirely from the great man’s cellar.

2005 Dom Perignon. Good concentration of citrus and green apples with a soft fragrance. Gentle, somewhat lean and slightly stern with further notes of pomelo on the palate. More lifted over time but still short.

2009 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, poured from magnum. Rich gleaming tone of crème de la crème with notes of white roses and fig that blossomed beautifully over time, quite full, layered with stern bitter lemon and traces of varnish, imbued with great acidity and early complexity, becoming more aromatic over time. Superb.

2011 Jacques-Frederic Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny. A village, no doubt, but you wouldn’t have known from the very lovely bouquet suggesting dark roses of wonderful depth, richness and intense fragrance, absolutely fabulous. Medium-bodied, open with good depth and concentration, yet to develop further complexity. Quite the epitome of elegance and understated power. Beautiful!

2006 Comte Georges de Vogue Chambolle-Musigny. From the eponymous producer of Chambolle with the added advantage of bottle age, this is another over-achieving village, possessing an intense bouquet of dark cherries, equally rich and layered on the palate with overtones of tangerines. Lively, vivacious and inviting. Delicious.

2006 Jacques-Frederic Mugnier Musigny Grand Cru. Highly aromatic bouquet with a great sense of depth, expressing red cherries, dark roses and camphor, very well-proportioned on the palate, possessing some fat and opulence with traces of kumquat amidst its gravelly gritty texture, displaying remarkable balance (a consistent feature of all top cru such as DRC Romanee-Conti and Comte de Vogue Musigny) though still somewhat closed. Requires several more years of cellaring but what a privilege it was to have had this tasting opportunity.

2001 Ch Pavie. This wine exudes a lovely earthy pungency with a powerful lifted bouquet of red fruits, mulberries, redcurrants, cinnamon and soy, medium-full in body but imbued with excellent concentration and savoury characters, velvety with subtle intensity, mellowing over time with further notes of chocolate emerging. Sophisticated, detailed and utterly complex. Superb!

2001 Ch Cheval Blanc. Tasted right after the 2001 Pavie, the Cheval Blanc of the same vintage stood its ground, opening with notes of almonds and white chocolate complemented by a superb bouquet of complex red fruits, soy, incense and ash on the palate, medium-bodied, open, lush and very well balanced, the 40% cabernet franc imparting a distinct feminine character to the wine. Outstanding.

2007 Henri Boillot Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru. This wine displays striking proportions of chalky and stony characters, highly minerally (not surprising, considering it is separated from Les Pulcelles by only a lane), matched by complex citrus and pine tree fragrance of great definition and balance, tapering towards a lengthy complex finish with further notes of understated tropical fruits.

Thank you, Dr Ngoi, for your time and generosity.