Jan 2018: 1989 Cos D’Estournel, 2002 Salon, 1998 Angelus, 2014 Blanc de Lynch Bages, 2013 Araujo Eisele, 2009 Sauzet Perrieres

2002 Veuve Fourny et Fils Cuvee du Clos Notre Dame 1er, over dimsum lunch on New Year’s Day, Jade Palace. Forward balance of zesty lime and citrus, showing good expanse with a dry deep tangy presence, rather stern initially as stony minerals dominate, exuding greater elegance with understated tones over time, glowing with lovely depth and toasty characters. Excellent.

2010 Bodegas Lan Reserve, plucked from the list of La Taperia over dinner, 05 Jan 2018. Shut on the nose though the palate is infused with dark cherries, raspberries, charcoal, earth and plums. Soft, rounded, fleshy and open, carrying good weight and balance. Very attractive.

Delamotte Blancs de Blanc Brut NV, poured from jeroboam, courtesy of Kieron at his clinic opening party, 06 Jan 2018. Open with good concentration of green apples, lime and clear citrus supported by crystalline minerals, displaying fine presence with some degree of delicacy. Drinking well.

1989 Ch Cos D’Estournel, poured from double magnum, courtesy of Kieron at his clinic opening party, 06 Jan 2018. Displaying a deep crimson with some evolution, this wine exudes dark plums, cherries and dark currants amidst dry earthy textures on the nose and palate, beautifully open and fleshy, still laced with fine acidity, structure and freshness that indicates plenty of life still ahead for this under-rated vintage of Cos. Not the most profound in terms of complexity but highly compelling as a whole, inviting sip after sip. Excellent.

1995 Ch Leoville Poyferre, poured from double magnum at Kieron’s clinic opening party, 06 Jan 2018. Still dark. The bouquet here is ruined by a mild but distinct whiff of cork taint that imparted a plasticky note though it seemed fine on the palate, robust with good concentration of black fruits, blueberries and dark currants, well structured with fine acidity and pliant tannins but lacking in that extra compelling dimension shown by the Cos D’Estournel above.

2005 Domaine Faiveley Chablis Le Clos Grand Cru, courtesy of Kieron at his office after hours, 09 Jan 2018. Quite evolved in colour, showing good concentration of clear citrus with flinty minerals held together in fine balance and delicacy, almost crisp, somewhat narrow in spectrum but its tone and character is unmistakable for Chablis. Very fine.

2012 La Clarte de Haut-Brion, courtesy of CW at Jade Palace, 11 Jan 2018. Closed, showing just a hint of sweetness while ferrous minerals, grassy elements and icing dominate on the palate, creamy rich with crisp acidity and cool quiet intensity, finishing over overtones of spicy nutmeg. Quite excellent.

2010 Didier Dagaeuneau Blanc Fume de Pouilly, courtesy of Tristan plucked off the list  at Jade Palace, 11 Jan 2018. Glorious bouquet of fresh lychees, glowing with raw nutmeg and rich minerally tones on the palate, tightly coiled with cool quiet intensity, opening up gradually to reveal great suppleness with a persistent minerally streak. Excellent.

2012 Domaine Georges Noellat Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Aux Boudots, courtesy of CW at Jade Palace, 11 Jan 2018. Deep colour with an abundance of intense dark fruits on the nose and palate. Tight, brooding, tense and angular. Not ready.

2013 Araujo Eisele Vineyard, courtesy of CW at Jade Palace, 11 Jan 2018. Deep impenetrable red. Expectedly, this is a big tannic wine with fine detail and biting intensity of dark fruits and blackberries on a backdrop of graphite minerals, quietly hedonistic, displaying wonderful depth and weight, oozing with dark sweet tannins, finishing on a stern dark medicinal tone.

2005 Ch Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, tasted at the re-opening party of GI Associates, Gleneagles Medical Centre, Singapore, 13 Jan 2018. Dark and brooding, reserved on the nose though the palate is imbued with a rich tone of dark plums, carrying excellent weight and concentration, structured with firm tannins and pliant acidity. Best to lay down.

2014 Domaine du Chateau de Meursault Meursault Les Charmes-Dessus 1er, tasted at the re-opening party of GI Associates, Gleneagles Medical Centre, Singapore, 13 Jan 2018. Shy with a hint of creme and chalk. Far more expressive on the palate, though, where rich clear citrus and earthy minerals vie for attention, displaying good delicacy and purity. A perenial over-achiever. Excellent.

2009 Ch Pontet Canet, tasted at the re-opening party of GI Associates, Gleneagles Medical Centre, Singapore, 13 Jan 2018. Very dark. Rather reticent and brooding in character though there is a good lift of dark plums on a palate dotted with excellent detail, structured with pliant supple tannins that culmibate in a long velvety finish. Yet to evolve any Pauillac signature. Enormous potential here but truly one for the long haul.

2012 Christophe Vaudoisey Volnay 1er Les Caillerets, tasted at the re-opening party of GI Associates, Gleneagles Medical Centre, Singapore, 13 Jan 2018. Dark in tone and rather reserved. Equally denser in tone on the palate with a forward balance of ripe dark fruit and wild berries, exuding powerful plummy tones with fine intensity amidst supple seamless tannins, showing good linearity through to its lengthy finish. Excellent.

2010 Domaine Chanson de Brialles Corton Les Bressandes Grand Cru, tasted at the re-opening party of GI Associates, Gleneagles Medical Centre, Singapore, 13 Jan 2018. Correct pinot color and tone, open with excellent presence of succulent red fruits amidst earthy tones, seamlessly integrated with fine acidity and subtle intensity. Excellent.

2007 Domaine Grand Veneur Chateauneur-du-Pape,  tasted at the re-opening party of GI Associates, Gleneagles Medical Centre, Singapore, 13 Jan 2018. Opague rusty red, exuding powerful characteristic earthy tones amidst plummy red fruit, fleshy and rounded with some medicinal hint and licorice amidst sweet supple tanins, culminating in a gentle long spicy finish. Highly enjoyable.

2007 Poggio Antico Brunello di Montalcino Riserva, tasted at the re-opening party of GI Associates, Gleneagles Medical Centre, Singapore, 13 Jan 2018. Showing some evolution of colour and secondary nuances of cedar, red currants and dark fruits, quite sublime in acidity, finishing with a long fabulous intensity of flavours. A Brunello in technicolor.

2012 E Guigal Chateauneur-du-Pape, tasted at the re-opening party of GI Associates, Gleneagles Medical Centre, Singapore, 13 Jan 2018. Mild earthy cedary tones with sandalwood, deliciously open with good intensity, displaying a lovely feminine elegance.

2012 Ch La Mission, a wine from Lalande-de-Pomerol, popped and poured over dinner at Asia Grand which, IMHO, serves the best Peking duck in Singapore, 20 Jan 2018. Displaying a deep crimson, this wine exudes aromas of dark plums, black fruits and dark currants, well-structured with fine concentration and gentle graphite minerals in spite of its fullness, oozing with delicious sweet tannins. Very fine.

2009 Domaine Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Les Perrieres 1er, from the list of Ma Cuisine, Singapore, 24 Jan 2018, just newly-opened by Mathieu Escoffier, son of Fabien of the same famous Ma Cuisine in Beaune. Fabulous bouquet of fresh morning dew and grassy elements that led to great concentration and depth of citrus and lime, caressing the palate with a lovely fluid intensity, displaying superb layering and length with an absolutely gorgeous lingering mouthfeel, turning more delicate over time with emerging chalky tones. Has that added intangible dimension that places this wine right up there at the very top. Outstanding.

2007 Domaine Jacques-Frederic Mugnier Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de la Marechale 1er Blanc, from the list of Ma Cuisine, Singapore, 24 Jan 2018, just newly-opened by Mathieu Escoffier, son of Fabien of the same famous Ma Cuisine in Beaune. Grassy elements dominate on the nose with a sharper minerally tone, displaying good acidity and zest from the excellent concentration of fruit though it is slightly narrow in spectrum.

2014 Domaine Anne et Hervé Sigaut Chambolle-Musigny Les Sentier 1er, from the list of Ma Cuisine, Singapore, 24 Jan 2018, just newly-opened by Mathieu Escoffier, son of Fabien of the same famous Ma Cuisine in Beaune. Deep ruby. Rather shy though the palate is lit by generous swathes of bright red fruits and cherries, rounded with good concentration and a hint of tangerines amidst traces of raw intensity that eventually turned a little too astringent as the ambient temperature warmed up. Huge potential but I don’t think we did it justice.

Mathieu Escoffier of Ma Cuisine, Singapore.

2011 Domaine Armand Rousseau Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, from the list of Ma Cuisine, Singapore, 24 Jan 2018, just newly-opened by Mathieu Escoffier, son of Fabien of the same famous Ma Cuisine in Beaune. As usual with Armand Rousseau, this wine proffers a glorious plummy tone of ripe red fruits and dark cherries, beautifully rounded and fleshy, saturating the palate with a lovely deep searing intensity. Excellent.

2015 G D Vajra Barbera D’Alba, tasted at the 15th anniversary party of Asian American Liver Centre, Gleneagles Medical Centre, Singapore, on 25 Jan 2018. Good concentration of red fruits with dark plummy tones, a little too dry and earthy and vegetal though imbued with fine acidity, finishing with a spicy glow. Unremarkable.

2016 Monte Del Fra Soave Classico, tasted at the 15th anniversary party of Asian American Liver Centre, Gleneagles Medical Centre, Singapore, on 25 Jan 2018. Good concentration of clear citrus with light grassy elements and subtle chalky notes. Highly serviceable.

2011 Les Tours de Charmail (courtesy of Dr Lee KH), tasted at the 15th anniversary party of Asian American Liver Centre, Gleneagles Medical Centre, Singapore, on 25 Jan 2018. Deep inky color, rather muted on the nose, showing good concentration of black fruits and ripe wild berries on the palate with dryish textures along with early cedary characters and graphite minerals.

2008 Carpineto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva, decanted on-site at Otto Ristorante, 27 Jan 2018. Bright purple, rather muted initially but imbued with very good concentration of raspberries, dark wild berries and black currants on the palate with overtones of ash and stern earthy minerals, showing good focus and definition, growing brighter over time with fine intensity though lacking in outright opulence.

2002 Champagne Salon (courtesy of Peter Tan), over lunch hosted by Dr Ngoi at Garibaldi to honour the visit of Jean-Charles Cuvelier of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, 30 Jan 2018. This wine exudes a clear crystalline tone with gentle toasty characters, open with lifted notes of lime and citrus amidst smoky tones and subdued minerality, displaying fine definition, finishing with traces of bitter lemon. Excellent.

2014 Chateau Chamirey Mercurey La Mission 1er monopole (courtesy of Dr Ngoi), over lunch hosted by Dr Ngoi at Garibaldi to honour the visit of Jean-Charles Cuvelier of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, 30 Jan 2018. Good colour. Quite reserved on the nose although one discerns delicate tones, layered with superb concentration of fruit on the palate that recalls cinnamon and peaches with subdued chalk and crème de la creme. Huge potential here. A perennial favourite of mine.

2014 Blanc de Lynch Bages (courtesy of Dr Ngoi), over lunch hosted by Dr Ngoi at Garibaldi to honour the visit of Jean-Charles Cuvelier of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, 30 Jan 2018. Complex lifted bouquet of smouldering ember, longans and exotic tropical fruits amidst gentle earthy tones and grassy elements, showing great concentration of fruit and detail with superb transparency. Quite unique and outstanding.

2009 Ch Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (courtesy of Dr Ngoi), over lunch hosted by Dr Ngoi at Garibaldi to honour the visit of Jean-Charles Cuvelier of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, 30 Jan 2018. Deep purple, exuding lifted tones of earth and ripe wild berries, superb in concentration, highly supple with a slight vegetal trace towards the back palate that imparted some degree of sternness. Elegant but aloof. Most regal. Not ready at all.

1998 Ch Angelus (courtesy of Dr Ngoi), over lunch hosted by Dr Ngoi at Garibaldi to honour the visit of Jean-Charles Cuvelier of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, 30 Jan 2018. Deep crimson, proffering lovely tones of earth and aged leather with lifted notes of delicious dark currants and dark cherries, excellent in concentration, layered with early complexity and gritty details. Excellent.

2010 Ch Rieussec (courtesy of Dr Ngoi), over lunch hosted by Dr Ngoi at Garibaldi to honour the visit of Jean-Charles Cuvelier of Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, 30 Jan 2018. Copious notes of nectarine and apricot are evident but, on the whole, rather reserved with quiet acidity.

Jean-Charles Cuvelier