Apr 2016: 2014 Domaine Seguinot Bordet, 2013 Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny Les Haut-Doix 1er…

2013 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny Les Haut-Doix 1er (courtesy of Chee Wee), popped and poured at Glen after hours, 01 Apr 2016. Exuding notes of dark cherries and red fruits of excellent purity, this wine is delicate on the nose, yet exerts considerable power and layering on the palate supported by saline minerals and understated acidity, all very well-balanced. Robert Groffier never fails to satisfy. Excellent.

2011 Tobelos Rioja, from the restaurant list of Binomio, 02 Apr 2016. Popped and poured. Forward balance of violets, blueberries and dark currants with splashes of red fruits. Good concentration. Chewy and succulent, slightly lean towards the finish with traces of graphite and new oak still discernible. I enjoyed it.

2004 Château Latour-à-Pomerol, popped and poured at Al Borgo, 05 Apr 2016. After showing well during the first ten years after vintage, this wine appears to be drying out, more woody and pruny on the nose while dusty textures dominate on the palate, lacking complexity and conviction. Disappointing.

2011 Réserve de la Comtesse, popped and poured at Jade Palace, 10 Apr 2016. This wine offers dark currants and black fruits with a vegetal trace characteristic of this estate, appropriately soft with tame tannins to facilitate early drinking. Slightly lean though there is no lack of concentration, enough to convey its Pauillac character.

2010 Château Sociando-Mallet, a half-bottle popped and poured at home after airing in bottle for 45 minutes, 13 Apr 2016. Attractive bouquet of rich dark currants, black fruits and raspberries. Good concentration on the palate, marked by woody and dusty characters, slightly lean, finishing with a peppery trace. Not quite up to the best standards of this estate. Could do with more fat and sumptuousness. May need more time in bottle.

2014 Domaine Seguinot Bordet, 14 Apr 2016 at Au Petit Salut. Pale lemon with a delicate bouquet of morning dew and flint. Stern, dry and minerally at first before turning more crisp, detailed and intense with notes of tropical citrus after being paired with some succulent Alaskan King crab.

2012 Weingut Wilhelm Sitzius, 14 Apr 2016 at Au Petit Salut. Light golden with an intense bouquet of tropical fruits, peaches and seared caramel, caressing the palate with a deep burnished tone, medium-bodied with understated acidity and a slight metallic trace.

2014 A. Cailbourdin cuvee Boisfleury, 14 Apr 2016 at Au Petit Salut. Earthy pungency with aromas of wild flowers and nutmeg, medium-full, crisp with characters of clear citrus, white pepper, icing and vanilla leading to a persistent finish.

2006 Château Bernadotte, 14 Apr 2016 at Au Petit Salut. A very decent effort with notes of mulberries, raspberries, vanillin and ash, supported by earthy minerality with a graphite tone but lacking in true complexity, its tannins yet to be fully integrated.

2014 Moscato d’Asti Zagara, 14 Apr 2016 at Au Petit Salut. Generous in peaches and pears with understated sweetness and acidity. Refreshing but lacking in complexity.

Champagne Charles Hiedsieck Brut NV, at Changi Airport T3 Silver Kris Lounge,  15 Apr 2016. Aromas of pungent citrus. Dry and dense on the palate with some chalky minerality. Too one-dimensional. Needs better resolution.

2013 Domaine William Fevre Chablis Champs Royaux, at Changi Airport T3 Silver Kris Lounge, 15 Apr 2016. Classic flinty minerality with some delicate citrus notes, but too light and unconvincing on the palate. Could do with a more forward fruit balance.

2007 Champagne Taittinger Brut Millésime, on board Singapore Airlines Business Class, 16-17 Apr 2016. Tasted twice in two days. Quite a lovely bouquet of white flowers with some earthy pungency followed by crisp yellow citrus, green apples, understated yeasty tones and stony minerality. Surprisingly gentle within a fairly narrow spectrum though ample enough in concentration. Good potential but yet to develop.

2014 Devil’s Lair Hidden Cave Chardonnay, on board Singapore Airlines Business Class, 17 Apr 2016.  Aromas of white flowers with some cream and mild buttery notes, rather lean with austere citrus on the palate, understated in minerality and acidity.

2010 Château Peyrabon, on Singapore Airlines Business Class,16 Apr 2016. Refreshing notes of ripe wild berries, raspberries and violets, displaying good concentration and well-managed tannins but marred slightly by a sandy texture.

2014 Château Doyac, on Singapore Airlines Business Class, 17 Apr 2016. There is no lack of quality berries and dark currants, pretty decent in concentration with a plummy tone without any vegetal notes but somewhat lean, missing in richness and opulence, slightly dry at the finish.

2012 Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne blanc, popped and poured at Ming Kee Live Seafood, 29 Apr 2016. Displaying appropriate nutty and buttery overtones with substantial chalky minerality, slightly understated on the palate where it finishes with a ferrous trace and notes of bitter citrus. Dependable.