Feb 2019: 2006 Drouhin-Laroze Clos d Beze, 1996 Ponsot Gevrey-Chambertin L’Abeille, 2000 Ducru Beaucaillou, 1996 La Mission

2012 Leth Roter Veltliner Klassik, a glass at Humpback, Singapore, 02 Feb 2019. This Austrian white sports aromas of light lemon and clear citrus on the nose with a gentle floral lift. Quite generous in green fruits on the palate, showing lovely deftness and delicacy with good weight, becoming more expansive in the glass, finishing with a lasting tangy presence. Very fine.

1997 Carpineto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva, decanted on-site over lunch at Otto Ristorante, 04 Feb 2019. Deep vermillion, exuding powerful earthy aromas with characters of mushrooms, ripe grapefruit and dark plums, layered with gentle medicinal and herbal overtones on the nose and palate. Medium-full. Fleshy and rounded with lively acidity, structured with smooth supple exciting tannins that impart lovely gentle intensity, finishing well amidst traces of sweet. Quite excellent.

2014 The Otazu Bond, popped and poured over Lunar New Year dinner at home, 05 Feb 2019. Magnum. Made from top-quality grapes classified as Pago appellation and blended by yours truly, this wine appears to have turned the corner, having finally shed its sheen of vanillin emulsion, revealing deep layers of black cherries, dark currants, dark plums and raspberries, very well concentrated with fine purity, subtly structured with good cohesion, focus and linearity. Quite excellent.

2003 Champagne Henriot Millesime, popped and poured at Yan, 06 Feb 2019. Magnum. This wine exudes excellent freshness and transparency in spite of its rich presence of green fruits and clear citrus, layered with crystalline tones amid subtle ferrous minerals and acidity, growing in intensity over time with a smoky granite density as it yielded further yeasty characters. Excellent.

2004 Mount Mary Quintet, popped and poured all too quickly at Dorothy’s place, 09 Feb 2019. Magnum. Darkly coloured. Ample in dark fruits, blackcurrants and graphite with a ripe dark plummy tone on the palate that opened up nicely with rich layers, oozing with sweet dark chewy tannins throughout its length. Quite excellent.

2018 Frontera Sauvignon Blanc, tasted at Krisflyer Gold lounge, Changi Airport T3, 10 Feb 2019. This Chilean white excites the senses with rich earthy tones amid dense white floral notes, slightly peaty. Plump and very amply layered, revelling in its excellent fullness peppered with raw nutmeg, finishing with gentle intensity. Very fine.

2017 La Cazal Minervois, tasted at Heathrow Airport T2 Silver Kris lounge, 13 Feb 2019. Bright plummy tone on the nose while the full palate is imbued with dense dark fruits, forest floor and bramble amid traces of licorice. Rather straightforward.

Rodier Pere et Fils Brut NV, tasted at Heathrow Airport T2 Silver Kris lounge, 13 Feb 2019. Bold intense yellow citrus dominate on the bouquet, coupled with dry intensity of dense stony minerals on the palate amid yeasty tones, finishing with stinging persistence. Quite serviceable.

All home-made…Yang can certainly cook.

Champagne Bonnaire Rosé, courtesy of Yang over dinner at her residence, 16 Feb 2019. Tasted blind. Deep colour. Reticent initially, gradually evolving with notes of grapefruit and mandarin orange on a backdrop of dry tensile minerality, displaying good depth and fine gentle intensity. Elegant. Resembles a Billecart-Salmon rosé.

2016 Domaine Arnaud Ente Bourgogne, courtesy of Yvonne over dinner at Yang’s residence, 16 Feb 2019. Tasted blind. Good colour. Slightly reductive at first, revealing only delicate grassy notes before it began blossoming with intense clear citrus layered with lovely minerality and teasing acidity that imparted some mouth-puckering intensity, well rounded and feminine with fine detail and transparency, finishing with gentle length but missing in persistence, eventually receding back into its shell as the wine became shrouded with recessed chalky tones. Undeniably attractive but not ready, even for a bourgogne.

2010 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Vaucrains 1er, over dinner at Yang’s residence, 16 Feb 2019. Tasted blind. This wine opens with a gentle rosy fragrance that overlay a deeper tint of ripe cherries, slightly earthy as well. Highly supple and sleek, imbued with orangey tangerines that exuded very refined feminine tannins that imparted lovely delicacy and acidity, finishing with moderate length but fabulous open intensity. Excellent.

1999 Domaine Faiveley Clos des Corton Faiveley Grand Cru, courtesy of Yang over dinner at her residence, 16 Feb 2019. Tasted blind. Deep colour with some evolution, exuding beautiful gentle aromas of earth, cedar, deep cherries, currants and violets. Rounded with lively acidity, fabulous depth and intensity on the palate within a lovely gentle tannin structure, underscored by a great ferrous linearity throughout its length. Excellent.

2008 Domaine Jacques-Frederic Mugnier Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de la Marechale 1er Rouge, courtesy of Roger over dinner at Yang’s residence, 16 Feb 2019. Tasted blind. This wine displays a heavier mature tint, exuding a spicy bouquet of chives whilst coating the palate with a broad expanse of dark berries and black currants amidst light medicinal and licorice overtones, its weighty tone nicely offset by intense acidity, eventually mellowing with lovely presence and great suppleness.

2006 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, courtesy of Alvin over dinner at Yang’s residence, 16 Feb 2019. Tasted blind. Lovely nose, featuring deep feral tones amid gentle dark plums and currants with a bare vegetal trace. Open with attractive depth of delicious dark berries. Full, vivacious and well balanced with good levels of ripeness and detail supported by a narrow spectrum of rustic ferrous minerals, taking on a waxy sheen with some secondary nuances as it sat in the glass. Excellent.

2006 Domaine Drouhin-Laroze Chambertin-Clos de Beze Grand Cru, courtesy of Alvin over dinner at Yang’s residence, 16 Feb 2019. Tasted blind. Very correct colour and tint, displaying quite an intoxicating bouquet of dark cherries and red currants with lovely purity, rather racy in its bold swagger and fragrance yet managing to stay poised and controlled, highly supple with a lovely gentle presence. Absolutely on song.

2001 Domaine Ponsot Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru, courtesy of WCY over dinner at Yang’s residence, 16 Feb 2019. Tasted blind. Unmistakably aged in feel, evident in its evolved opacity with mature earthy tones amidst orangey tangerines that has receded too far behind such that its acidity has turned distinctly angular, difficult to ignore in spite of its feminine softness.

2005 Ch D’Aiguilhe, over dinner at the in-laws, 17 Feb 2019. Big, bold and tannic, displaying an ample tone of ripe black fruits on a rich cedary floor amid traces of herbs, spice and licorice. Fleshy and structured, finishing with moderate length. Unashamedly modern, appearing to evolve at a glacial pace.

2009 Louis Roederer Brut, from the list of Summer Pavillon, Ritz-Carlton Singapore, 21 Feb 2019. Bright minerally shine, well balanced against gentle yeasty tones with light traces of kumquat and smoky incense. Layered with good concentration of sweet fruit, not too dry, developing some early complexity as it finished with intense notes of pomelo and bitter lemon. Very fine.

2014 Domaine Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin Derriere Chez Edouard 1er, from the list of Summer Pavillon, Ritz-Carlton Singapore, 21 Feb 2019. Slightly reductive initially with an attractive earthy pungency, revealing  subtle acidity with very lovely nuances on a minerally base. Rounded with good density and layering, superbly balanced and integrated with an eventual warm caramelised tone.

2014 Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot Chassage-Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er, courtesy of Marc at Summer Pavillon, Ritz-Carlton Singapore, 21 Feb 2019. Lightly coloured. Belies the aromatic lift of floral fragrances amidst gentle rich creamy overtones, carrying over with a lovely density of complex minerals and white flowers in the mid-body, revealing excellent transparency and purity within its lean elegant profile. Excellent.

2000 Ch Barde Haut, at Summer Pavillon, Ritz-Carlton Singapore, 21 Feb 2019. Deep garnet core, opening with menthol and licorice with a spicy hint on a cedary floor. Quite fleshy and supple, very subtly structured, finishing with mild intensity. Drinking well.

2001 Ch La Conseillante, courtesy of Kieron at Summer Pavillon, Ritz-Carlton Singapore, 21 Feb 2019. Deep purple. Exudes gentle dark currants and raspberries on the nose. Medium-bodied. Fleshy and rounded with great suppleness, developing more of red fruits and bright cherries that imparted a quiet feminine intensity, slightly stern as it finished with good linearity though just a tad short.

2001 Vieux Chateau Certan, courtesy of Russell at Summer Pavillon, Ritz-Carlton Singapore, 21 Feb 2019. Deep purple, still carrying a hint of enamel and varnish. Nicely supple and lithe, displaying great succulence and fine detail in its deep layering of dense dark fruits and soy underscored by graphite minerals that lent a bit of austerity, finishing with great linearity in a long lasting glow. Excellent.

2000 Ch Ducru Beaucaillou, courtesy of Melvin at Summer Pavillon, Ritz-Carlton Singapore, 21 Feb 2019. Delicate lift of graphite, raspberries and sweet dark currants marked by a lovely earthy pungency. Beautifully open with gentle intensity and concentration, very lively and deft with plenty of layering. Excellent.

1996 Ch La Mission Haut Brion, courtesy of Sandy at Summer Pavillon, Ritz-Carlton Singapore, 21 Feb 2019. Deep clear crimson. Shy and reticent but undoubtedly beautiful on the palate, very polished and poised with great open transparency, developing a very gentle feminine intensity as it tapered to a minty finish. Excellent.

1989 Ch Talbot, courtesy of KC at Summer Pavillon, Ritz-Carlton Singapore, 21 Feb 2019. Lovely rosy aromas with a slight earthiness on the nose. Medium-bodied. Possesses a sleek seamless profile with a lovely oily density, gently structured with detailed gritty tannins as it evolved with further notes of mocha and chocolate. Excellent.

2000 Domaine Zind Humbrecht SGN Roten Wintzenheim Pinot Gris, courtesy of Stephen at Summer Pavillon, Ritz-Carlton Singapore, 21 Feb 2019. Very deep colour with an appropriately deep burnished tone of dense honey and aged nectar, still imbued with lively acidity and concentration as it coursed through the palate with a discernible medicinal hint, just a tad short. Quite excellent.

2017 Coldstream Hills Chardonnay, popped and poured over dinner at home, 24 Feb 2019. This wine delivers on its promise of frangipani, clear citrus, cashews and moderate crème on the nose with a satisfying medium-full palate, showing good presence with a certain oily density in the mid-body before evolving with further notes of raw nutmeg, cane and wild flowers, taking on a bolder stance. Excellent value, not far off in quality from this estate’s “Reserve”. Very fine.

2004 Ch Latour-a-Pomerol at Crystal Jade Paragon, 26 Feb 2019. Perennially under-rated, this wine opens with a delicious deep bouquet of dark currants and black fruits, marked by brilliant quicksilver acidity that I’ve never encountered before from this estate. Quite excellent in concentration and fullness, developing quite a rich plummy tone with very fine depth and weight, structured with a subtle minerally base that imparted a certain stern demeanour over time. Very, very fine.

2014 Francois Carillon Puligny-Montrachet, courtesy of Kieron at Park90, Singapore, 27 Feb 2019. Pale, proffering a gentle minerally glow with traces of tangerines, slightly bright on the palate. Took quite a while to open up with a lovely expanse of complex grassy elements amid white floral tones supported by a chalky density, showing good detail, becoming more minerally over time as it finished with a long stony persistence. Quite excellent.

2012 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet Boudriotte 1er, courtesy of Kieron at Park90, Singapore, 27 Feb 2019. Delicious aromas of nutmeg and mint tinged with saline minerals. Very good presence on the palate with rich creamy textures that eventually transformed into transparent fleshy textures with the classic Ramonet signature of complex white flowers and lovely detailed minerals, finishing with gentle persistence. Excellent.

2010 Domaine Perrot-Minot Chapelle-Chambertin, courtesy of Kieron at Park90, Singapore, 27 Feb 2019. Generous tone of red cherries and dark plums with traces of marmite, softly rounded. Structured with great suppleness, revealing excellent depth of gentle dark currants, very well layered though slightly short.

1996 Domaine Ponsot Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvee de L’Abeille, courtesy of RK, 27 Feb 2019. Rich tone of tangerines and red cherries, beautifully mellow and supple, infused with subtle ferrous and saline minerals along with lively acidity, exuding very fine presence and purity. You’ll never realise it’s a village. At its absolute peak and holding well.

2012 Garofoli Grosso Agontano Riserva, decanted on-site at Jade Palace, 28 Feb 2019. Intense raspberries, black fruits and dark currants on both nose and palate, laced with stern ferrous elements. Full-bodied, very bold and  lively, mellowing quite a bit after an hour with more open fruit though it is still brimming with quiet savoury intensity. Not ready.

Koi (Oil on canvas by Chua Mia-Tee, 2008)