May 2016: 2005 Calon Segur, 2002 Pavie, 2001 L’Evangile, 2002 Mouton Rothschild…

2004 Ch Bernadotte, popped and poured at Foster’s Steakhouse, 09 May 2016. Rustic and somewhat four-square with notes of wild berries, briar, sandalwood and licorice, quite robust but drying out a little on the palate with dusty tannins, ending in a spicy minty finish. Will not improve further. Drink up. The 2005 and 2009 are much more substantial.

2005 Ch Calon Segur, popped and poured at Chef Kang’s on the occasion of Huey’s birthday, 11 May 2016. Showing a deep garnet red, this wine is rich and smooth with a lovely intensity, effusive in aromas of dark berries and dark currants with a hint of warm gravel, licorice and chocolate, layered with glorious black fruits, fine acidity, saline minerals and framed by sweet supple tannins, finishing with good length. Still very much on the ascendency and yet to fully open up on the palate. Needs another 5-10 years of cellaring, at least. Clearly one for the long haul.

1990 Ch Saint Pierre (courtesy of WCY), popped and poured at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. Powerful earthy pungency on the nose with dominant plummy and raisiny tones on the palate along with traces of tangerines, soy and metallic notes towards the finish. Rounded and rustic, displaying good tension from the crisp acidity, but lacking in complexity compared with the top estates.

1996 Ch Saint Pierre  (courtesy of WCY), popped and poured at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. Almost as pungent as the 1990, medium-bodied and stern in demeanour with an overall tone of dark fruits, becoming more relaxed over time with traces of sweetness emerging.

2008 Ch Les Ormes de Pez, a house pour offered at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. Dark and muted on the nose. Rounded and quite seamless with a dash of spice though somewhat unresolved on the mid-palate, yet to open up.

2008 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er, at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. Notes of bright red fruits, cherries and strawberries exuding an overtone of camphor, displaying good intensity and suppleness, ending in a spicy finish with a vegetal hint.

2009 Jacques-Frederic Mugnier Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de la Marechale 1er (courtesy Andrew Chin), popped and poured from magnum at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. Expectations were high and JF Mugnier doesn’t disappoint. The bouquet is dominated by an abundance of bright cherries and rose petals with overtones of varnish, highly aromatic, leading to a gentle entry on the palate where it is satiny smooth and superbly integrated, generous with ample depth, already hinting at some early complexity at the finish. Highly feminine and elegant. Very lovely.

2002 Ch Pavie (courtesy of WCY), popped and poured at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. Lifted aromas of red fruits, violets and dark currants, racy with excellent tension on the palate, exciting but still tight, highly detailed with fine acidity and linearity. Excellent.

2002 Ch Mouton Rothschild (courtesy of WCY), popped and poured at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. Deep garnet red, still rather youthful with subdued dark berries and plums still shrouded by vanillin. Rounded, medium-full and appropriately dry from the Pauillac terroir, finishing with excellent length but yet to develop layering and complexity. Needs time. .

2001 Ch L’Evangile (courtesy of Ms Romanee Lee), popped and poured at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. A full-bodied complex of ripe dark berries and black fruits and currants, oozing with sweet tannins and high-toned minerals, displaying excellent depth and harmony though, true to form for Pomerol, this wine is difficult to place.

1988 Ch Suduiraut, popped and poured at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. Luscious with an abundance of nectarine and apricot, though the receding acidity and stony minerality led to some awkwardness.

2002 Faiveley Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley Grand Cru, popped and poured at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. This monopole grand cru is rich in dark cherries, raspberries and redcurrants, full-bodied and dry with excellent depth and fine tension but rather stern and somewhat one-dimensional, lacking real complexity.

2008 Faiveley  Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley Grand Cru, popped and poured at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. No lack of ripe red cherries and strawberries in this medium-bodied proposition with slightly dry textures, still unresolved and short.

2009 Ch Le Doyenne, popped and poured at Jade Palace, 16 May 2016. Seven years post-vintage, this overachieving Saint Emilion possesses quite a fabulous bouquet of aromatic dark cherries, raspberries and violets, though somewhat attenuated on the palate where this medium-bodied effort seemed to have hit a ceiling. Over time, however, the dusty textures and raw edges gave way to a broad expanse of ripe raisiny extract, marked by dominant notes of licorice almost akin to a New World cabernet sauvignon. This is still a very good wine for the dollar.

2013 Le Caveau des Capucins, popped and poured over lunch at Prive Grill, 18 May 2016. Displaying a crimson hue, this Pays D’oc is surprisingly supple and fleshy with a fairly generous plummy tone and overtones of burnt sugar, possessing enough fruit to match the saline minerality. Quite agreeable.

Maison Leroy Fleur de Vignes NV, popped and poured at Asia Grand and shared with Antonio Zaccheo, proprietor of Carpineto (of Montepulciano), 20 May 2016. A non-vintage dry white, this wine displays attractive aromas of clear fresh citrus and other floral characters, lightly perfumed, matched by delicate minerality and understated acidity on the palate, very fine in balance , highly elegant and unpretentious, not at all heavy. Perfect to go with lunch on a warm midsummer day.

2002 Maison Leroy Montagny (courtesy of Li Fern), popped and poured at S S ENT, 20 May 2016. An abundance of green apples and melons on the nose, matched by intense crisp clear citrus with great acidity, ending in a finish of mild bitter lemon. Lovely.

2005 Domaine Gros Frere & Soeur Vosne-Romanee (courtesy of Li Fern), popped and poured at S S ENT, 20 May 2016. This village displayed an evolved red with powerful aromas of raspberries, ripe plums and caramel, quite full on the palate with saline minerals, earth and spice but a tad heavy with unresolved tannins and short at the finish.

2002 Georges Comte de Vogue Chambolle-Musigny (courtesy of Li Fern), popped and poured at S S ENT, 20 May 2016. Highly perfumed with notes of bright red fruits,  cherries, roses and camphor, excellent in depth, layered with earth, understated minerals and sweet tannins. Yet to peak. Goes to show that a village can be absolutely satisfying from a top producer in a top vintage.

2006 Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny Les Sentiers 1er (courtesy of Choon Jin), popped and poured at S S ENT, 20 May 2016. Lifted aromas of rose petals and cherries, open and elegant with well integrated minerality, showing some complexity and great persistence. Lovely.

2005 Noon Reserve Shiraz, popped and poured at S S ENT, 20 May 2016. Very ripe and barely evolved in spite of bottle age, saturated with intense notes of varnish, enamel, sweet plums, medicinal characters, licorice and burnt sugar. Rounded and opening up. A huge wine but balanced, not at all hedonistic.

1998 Vincent Girardin Corton Renardes Grand Cru (courtesy of WCY), popped and poured over dinner in Hong Kong, 22 May 2016. Displaying substantial bricking, this wine is fully evolved with a dominant plummy tone with overtones of bright tangerines, still crisp in acidity but the fruit was rather backward at the start, as if threatening to dry out. However, it gained in intensity over time, more open with the emergence of red fruits and ripe plums that added some depth and layering. Drinking well but unlikely to improve further.

2014 Valentin Zussler Orschwihr Riesling (courtesy of Christophe Cazaux-Maleville of the Vintage Club), over dinner at One Farrer Hotel, 25 May 2016. Its unmistakable Alsace character comes through with attractive petroleum characters on the nose, matched by fresh melons, tropical fruits, mild sweet citrus and smoky overtones, generous and very well balanced with subdued minerality, understated acidity and some early complexity. Very enjoyable.

Valentin Zussler Cremant D’Alsace NV Brut Zero (courtesy of Christophe Cazaux-Maleville of the Vintage Club), over dinner at One Farrer Hotel, 25 May 2016. This sparkling wine opens with an attractive bouquet of grassy elements, clear citrus and some mild yeasty pungency that hinted at excellent depth. Open with good definition, fullness and concentration and understated minerality at just the right degree of dryness, finishing with notes of lemongrass and malt. Very good indeed.

2013 Valentin Zusslin Bollenberg Pinot Noir (courtesy of Christophe Cazaux-Maleville of the Vintage Club), over dinner at One Farrer Hotel, 25 May 2016. Camphor, dark roses and saline minerals dominate in this Alsace pinot, slightly darker than usual, open with good depth and acidity, though lacking in terroir specificity and true complexity.

Louis Roederer Brut NV, popped and poured over dimsum at Asia Grand, 29 May 2016. Forward in citrus, tropical fruit, melons and peaches at the first pour with excellent depth, giving way to stony minerality with notes of graphite, yeasty overtones, walnuts, almonds and understated creamy characters before the dryness eventually caught up, developing into a wine of robust intensity and substantial complexity. A very fine example of Louis Roederer’s calling card.