Mar 2019: 2006 Leeuwin Art Chardonnay, 2012 Marcassin, 2014 Bouchard Montrachet, 2011 Georges Lignier Clos-Saint-Denis & 1996 Cos D’Estournel, 2007/2008 d’Yquem, 1995 Leoville Las-Cases

2017 T’Air D’Oc, tasted at Sanofi’s launch of Soliqua at the Sofitel City Centre, Singapore, 01 Mar 2019. Decent bouquet of green fruits and grassy elements, quite lively, showing good concentration of lime and clear citrus with a hint of nutmeg amidst saline minerals. Quite serviceable.

2006 Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay, over dimsum lunch at Asia Grand, 02 March 2019. Luminous glow though reticent with a quiet lift of delicate floral tones and chalk that belies the excellent concentration of green fruits, citrus and lime on the open palate, revealing very fine inner detail within its chiselled minerality, laced with sublime acidity. Superbly balanced and proportioned. Almost Chassagne-like, finishing with a touch of ferric sternness. Highly successful.

2017 Chateau de Tracy, popped and poured at Crab At Bay, 09 Mar 2019. Good density of morning dew and grassy elements amid clean clear citrus on the nose that carried well onto the palate with a keen presence of lemon and yellow citrus, showing very fine acidity and lithe intensity with good transparency, finishing with traces of lychee and sweet pomelo. Surprisingly fine.

Jean Josselin Cuvée des Jean, at the opening of NOVI Health, 09 Mar 2019. This grower champagne displays a forward balance of lime and dense citrus on the nose, matched by mild yeasty tones in the background supported by gentle ferrous minerals on the medium-full palate, revealing fine detail with further notes of green fruits, slightly sweet at the finish.

2017 Domaine du Petit Clocher at the opening of NOVI Health, 09 Mar 2019. This white from Anjou exudes aromas of morning dew, grassy elements and barley on a palate of light green melons and pears, showing fine presence, acidity and layering with gentle depth. Very agreeable.

2017 Brunel de la Gardine at the opening of NOVI Health, 09 Mar 2019. From the Cotes du Rhone. Good density of dark fruits on an earthy floor, fleshy but nondescript. The second wine of Chateau de la Gardine.

2015 Chateau de la Gardine Rasteau, at the opening of NOVI Health, 09 Mar 2019. Far better than its second wine (above), proffering dark currants, ripe raspberries and characters of damp earthy floor, appropriately weighty and succulent on the palate with a forward balance, imbued with excellent acidity and subtle minerals. Very fine.

2009 Ch Le Doyénne, popped and poured over dinner at the in-laws, 17 Mar 2019. This over-achieving table wine opens with generous swathes of ripe wild berries, violets, dark currnats and raspberries, structured with dryish tannins and dense graphite minerals that imparted a lean focus on the palate, finishing on a minty note with traces of sweet. Still yet to peak. At SGD45 off the retail shelf, you cannot really go wrong with a wine already carrying ten years of bottle age from a great vintage.

2017 Wairau River Sauvignon Blanc, popped and poured over dinner at home, 18 Mar 2019. Very pale straw-coloured. This wine carries real concentration of fruit that recalls raw nutmeg, heated gravel, wild grass and heath with some green elements, very correct and confident in its expression of sauvignon blanc, imbued with true layering and rounded elegance without resorting to gimmicky extroversion. Excellent value for money at SGD29.

1996 Ch Cos D’Estournel, decanted on-site at Alma, 20 Mar 2019. Deep garnet core, exuding a gentle fragrance of ripe wild berries, raspberries, dark cherries and dark currants with a faint earthy pungency. Equally darkish in tone on the medium-bodied palate, fleshy and seamlessly integrated with an easy charm amid characters of cool damp undergrowth, developing greater depth with more pronounced acidity and velvety intensity over time, quite glorious at its glowing minty finish. Caught at its absolute peak. Very lovely.

2005 Moss Wood Cabernet Sauvignon, popped and poured at Asia Grand, 21 Mar 2019. Very deep purple. This wine offers generous swathes of rich ripe plummy fruit with abundant raspberries on the nose and palate, still cloaked in substantial overtones of vanilla and enamel. Rather full, structured with juicy sweet tannins that confer some spiciness and warmth but lacking inner detail and real complexity in spite of its 14 years.

Shang Palace, Shangri-La Singapore.

2007 Louis Roederer Cristal, courtesy of Sanjay at Shang Palace, 22 Mar 2019. Dense effusive bouquet of detailed citrus with a highly perfumed complex, quite open with layered chalky minerality amidst very fine bubbles that offered light transparent textures with overtones of smouldering ember, displaying lovely depth and complexity.

2006 Dom Perignon, courtesy of CHS at Shang Palace, 22 Mar 2019. This wine exudes a lovely delicate earthy pungency, open and very gently layered with green fruits and melons amid traces of dark cherries, suffused with supple ferrous elements and fine acidity that combined to produce a lithe attractive presence.

2003 Jean Boillot & Fils PM Clos de la Mouchiere 1er monopole, courtesy of Lui HF at Shang Palace, 22 Mar 2019. Delicate forward lift of green fruits and melons, rather full on the palate, abundant in cool ripe fruit with an oily richness of crème de la crème, displaying lovely inner detail with a very relaxed glow, nuanced with subtle acidity and a hint of paraffin, finishing with lingering persistence and intensity. Excellent.

2008 Domaine Vincent Girardin Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru, courtesy of CJ at Shang Palace, 22 Mar 2019. Complex sweet chalky depth of exotic tropical fruits amidst chiselled minerality. Quite full with distant tones of peaches and pears goaded with a creamy richness but not overdone, displaying great acidity, lovely finesse and elegance, finishing well.

2011 Domaine Georges Lignier Clos-Saint-Denis Grand Cru, at Shang Palace, 22 Mar 2019. Glorious depth of ripe red cherries and raspberries on the nose, forwardly balanced with great purity and a lovely feminine fragrance. Highly supple, displaying juicy succulence with a very lovely fresh mouthfeel, very seamlessly integrated with wonderful verve. Very different from its tight and angular stance two years ago. Excellent.

2011 Domaine Hudelot Noellat Vosne-Romanee Les Suchots 1er, courtesy of MH at Shang Palace, 22 Mar 2019. Deep clear ruby. Open with an abundance of bright red fruits, displaying good definition and transparency with a bit of gassy quality on the palate. Packs tremendous vigour and lively acidity. Very fine.

2008 Domaine Hudelot Noellat Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, courtesy of Vic at Shang Palace, 22 Mar 2019. Brightly lit with a lifted  presence of distilled red fruits, excellent in purity with transparent textures as it exuded lovely intensity throughout its length.

2012 Bloom’s Field Domaine de la Cote, courtesy of LF at Shang Palace, 22 Mar 2019. Tasted blind. Opague vermillion with effusive aromas of dense tangerines, whilst the palate is highly supple, imbued with red fruits with a bright dominant plummy tone, very lively and succulent, yet very subtly proportioned and balanced, just a tad short. It reminded me of a Prieure-Roch.

2012 Marcassin Sonoma County Pinot Noir, courtesy of LF at Shang Palace, 22 Mar 2019. Tasted blind. Brighter, richer and creamier than the preceding Bloom’s Field. Fuller as well on the palate, a little racy in tone with its out-sized depth, sublime acidity and intensity, turning distinctly New World in character over time. Superb.

2014 Bouchard Pere et Fils Montrachet Grand Cru, courtesy of Sanjay at Shang Palace, 22 Mar 2019. Decanted on-site and sat on ice for three hours prior. Its distinct pallor went well with its reserved ethereal poise which belies an immense depth and layering of complex citrus, itself already a kaleidoscope of fleeting intensity tinged with ember and earthy chalkiness, all very subtly presented in gentle feminine proportions with effortless grace and elegance in spite of its fullness, superbly balanced, finishing with a lovely burnished tone. One is truly tasting the distilled essence of Montrachet, really one of the few occasions where its promised magic comes through. Outstanding.

2001 Ch Lagrange, aired in bottle for 30 minutes at Crab At Bay, 27 Mar 2019. Displaying an impenetrable dark purple, this wine proffers effusive notes of deep dense ferrous minerals with subtle earthy tones, fleshy and beautifully nuanced with an excellent fullness of ripe dark berries and black currants, drawing lovely tension and acidity across the palate within a highly supple tannin structure, oozing with traces of sweetness before it tightened with greater intensity. From an OWC of 12, this is, by far, the best 2001 ever from this Saint Julien estate. Still far from ready. Very, very fine.

Kombujime hamachi. Restaurant Ibid.

Squid. Restaurant Ibid.

Chinese bacon porridge. Restaurant Ibid.

2001 Ch Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, decanted on-site at restaurant Ibid, 29 Mar 2019. Deep garnet core, exuding an earthy pungency amid excellent depth of rich dark currants, cassis and black cherries with a dash of tobacco and dried mushrooms on the nose, displaying a luxurious succulence with a rich plummy tone without any greeness that used to emanate from its 15% petit verdot, structured with lovely svelte tannins and superb acidity, oozing sweet sophistication and elegance but still yet to peak. Really excellent. Just like the Lagrange above, it seems now is the right time to pop the 2001s of the Left Bank. Restaurant Ibid is a superb establishment specialising in contemporary Chinese cuisine at Boat Quay, Singapore, helmed by chef Woo Wai-Leong, winner of the inaugural MasterChef Asia in 2015.

2008 Dom Perignon, courtesy of Sanjay over lunch hosted by Mrs Ngoi in honour of Jean-Paul Dumond’s visit at Tunglok Signatures, 30 Mar 2019. Dry yeasty tones amid a dense bouquet of clear citrus, leading to a lovely depth of green fruits with good transparency, initially lighter in texture before gaining further weight with a dry stern minerality of gunmetal flint.

2004 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er, popped and poured over lunch hosted by Mrs Ngoi in honour of Jean-Paul Dumond’s visit at Tunglok Signatures, 30 Mar 2019. This wine exudes a generous tone of dense green fruits and melons, becoming creamier and chalky after some time, displaying placid dryness with fine definition and layering though without the plump opulence of Leflaive’s grand crus, finishing with exciting acidity that imparted a lovely tingling mouthfeel. Tasted alongside the next two whites, the quality of Leflaive’s Les Pucelles is evident, substantially richer in tone and layering.

Alma’s take on kaya toast, a Singaporean classic.

2012 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Champ Canet 1er, courtesy of Vic over lunch hosted by Mrs Ngoi in honour of Jean-Paul Dumond’s visit at Tunglok Signatures, 30 Mar 2019. This wine opens with a delicate soft floral bloom with green fruits, just slightly forward, showing excellent concentration, depth and integration with rounded gentleness on a bed of transparent minerality, finishing with tingling acidity.

2011 Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Mouchiere 1er, courtesy of Peter Tan over lunch hosted by Mrs Ngoi in honour of Jean-Paul Dumond’s visit at Tunglok Signatures, 30 Mar 2019. Rather closed and reticent at first with soft diffuse aromas, snapping into better focus after some time with clear yellow citrus of gentle intensity, gaining in stature although there is some unresolved minerality at the finish.

2009 Domaine Jayer-Gilles Echezeaux Grand Cru, courtesy of BG Tan over lunch hosted by Mrs Ngoi in honour of Jean-Paul Dumond’s visit at Tunglok Signatures, 30 Mar 2019. Dark in colour and tone of dark fruits with a minty cedary glow, remarkably soft and rounded with velvety textures, showing excellent fullness, concentration and integration, finishing with lovely verve and linearity.

2009 Leflaive & Associes Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, courtesy of LF over lunch hosted by Mrs Ngoi in honour of Jean-Paul Dumond’s visit at Tunglok Signatures, 30 Mar 2019. Displaying an opague evolved rim, this wine is equally dark in tone with a powerful deep minty note that evolved into something reminescent of Chinese herbal medicine. Open, fleshy and quite seamless, showing very good depth though its mintiness persisted with a trace of woodiness, slightly short and stern at the finish. Seldom encountered, this is one of two reds by Leflaive (the other a Monthélie 1er Cru Sur La Velle) – decent but not compelling.

1995 Ch Leoville Las Cases, courtesy of Peter Tan over lunch hosted by Mrs Ngoi in honour of Jean-Paul Dumond’s visit at Tunglok Signatures, 30 Mar 2019. Deep garnet core, exuding a profound hallowed glow of tertiary characteristics. Beautifully mellow and succulent, layered with exceptional depth of dark red fruits and understated minerals that traverse the palate with lovely charm and linearity. Doesn’t call attention to its sophistication. Caught at its absolute peak. Superb.

2008 Ch d’Yquem, two bottles contributed by Winfred and CHS over lunch hosted by Mrs Ngoi in honour of Jean-Paul Dumond’s visit at Tunglok Signatures, 30 Mar 2019. Dense bouquest of paraffin and apricot, slightly darker tone on the medium palate but open with controlled sweetness on a bright minerally base, lightening up in texture over time as it took on more smoky characters. Well-layered and firm.

2007 Ch d’Yquem, courtesy of Winfred over lunch hosted by Mrs Ngoi in honour of Jean-Paul Dumond’s visit at Tunglok Signatures, 30 Mar 2019. The superiority of the 2007, an outstanding vintage for Sauternes, is immediately apparent in the form of a denser golden hue with rich smoky density of delicate apricot and nectarine combined with ember and some earthiness on both nose and palate, displaying a certain deftness, transparency and openness that revealed complex indescribable inner detail throughout its entire length, finishing with great linearity and persistence. Outstanding.