May 2019: 2014 Antikythera, 2015 d’Yquem, 2012 Solaia Annata Diversa, 1996 Esmonin Clos Saint-Jacques

2005 Sociando Mallet, popped and poured at Ka Soh, 01 May, 2019. Delicious depth of black currants and dark ripe berries, layered with characters of soy and refined minerals that impart slightly dryish textures. Undeniably rich with very fine subtle acidity though missing in outright opulence. Still youthful. Very fine.

2011 Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay, popped and poured over dinner at home, 05 May 2019. This Yarra Valley white (James Halliday’s flagship) exudes dense oily textures with a smooth creaminess, richly imbued with earthy minerals that confer a certain chiselled stoniness, yet displaying fine transparency amid gentle overtones of raw nutmeg, finishing with a trace of sternness. Still youthful.

Moet et Chandon Imperial Brut NV, popped and poured over dimsum lunch at Asia Grand, 11 May 2019. Deep toasty characters allied with crisp citrus and pomelo, gently aromatic with a firm dry graphite tone, creamier in tone over time.

2015 Domaine Paul Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets 1er, popped and poured over dinner at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 13 May 2019. Gentle grassy elements, morning dew and delicate flinty minerals dominate, opening up over time with further notes of cinnamon and tropical fruits laced with sleek understated acidity that teased the palate with very finely-knit intensity, revealing lovely inner detail but just a tad short. Quite excellent.

1996 Domaine Esmonin Michel et Fille Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er, courtesy of Sanjay at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 13 May 2019. Popped and poured. Lovely gentle fragrance of violets and raspberries with a certain salinity in its seamless balance, displaying very fine presence and concentration with a feminine grace at its soft tangerine core, finishing with svelte velvety tannins. Quite excellent, caught at its best.

2014 “Y” d’Yquem, tasted at a GEH party, 17 May 2019. Closed, gradually opening up with a gentle lift of icing, pears and light apricot, displaying good presence and quiet elegance.

2014 Otazu Bond, decanted for five hours prior from magnum at a GEH party, 17 May 2019. This wine is really gelling together now, proffering characters of smoke, licorice and bramble with a dash of Asian spices and herbs. Structured with good concentration, refined tannins and understated acidity, revealing some gritty inner detail over time on a cedary floor.

2015 Domaine Ponsot Morey-Saint-Denis Clos des Monts Luisants 1er  tasted at a GEH party, 17 May 2019. Closed on the nose, though the palate is suffused with dense earthy minerals, intense bright cherries and red fruits with overtones of rye, held together with sleek controlled acidity, forwardly balanced with excellent presence.

2016 Laurent Ponsot Chambolle-Musigny Les Charmes Cuvee du Tilleul, tasted at a GEH party, 17 May 2019. Notes of earthy forest floor and dark currants dominate on the nose and palate, interspersed with splashes of bright cherries. Full, fleshy and forwardly balanced.

2014 Alter Ego de Palmer, tasted at a GEH party, 17 May 2019. Cool dark fruits and currants dominate, rounded with good even tone and concentration, rather genteel in character but it felt rather nondescript, lacking the distinction of the 2010.

2001 Artadi Pagos Viejos, tasted at a GEH party, 17 May 2019. This wine is deeply layered with vibrant dark currants beneath a sheen of delicate vanillin, caressing the palate with very fine inner definition and velvety intensity. Quite excellent.

2015 Ch d’Yquem, tasted at a GEH party, 17 May 2019. Effusive in characters of rye, dense nectarine and honey. Surprisingly open with transparent intensity and fine acidity, coating the palate with easy charm.

2014 Ch Haut-Gaussens, aired in bottle for three hours prior over a home-cooked dinner, 20 May 2019. Enticing bouquet of dark currants, violets and raspberries, showing good concentration and depth of dark plums on the palate with good levels of ripeness and detail amid some earthiness, turning more acutely intense and structured as it sat in the glass. Very fine for a Medoc.

Forget-Brimont Premier Cru Brut, 23 May 2019 at Four Seasons, Singapore. Full tight presence of dense green fruits and citrus, dry and forwardly balanced against a broad expanse of stony minerals. Rather sharply-accented but the palate soon adjusts to it.

2018 Pinical Estate Family Reserve Chardonnay, tasted at the Silver Kris lounge, Bangkok International Airport, 26 May 2019. Very clean and precise presence of raw nutmeg and grassy elements, rather full with a slightly sharp but refined acidity.

2017 St Martin Reserve Pays D’Oc Rouge, tasted at the Silver Kris lounge, Bangkok International Airport, 26 May 2019. Notes of earthy forest floor, vegetal elements and wild berries dominate. Full but undistinguished.

2009 Ch Fontenil, popped and poured at Ka Soh, 26 May 2019. Deep purple, saturated with dense blueberries and blackcurrants with an abundance of graphite minerals. Rather intense and stern without much secondary development at this stage. Still very youthful.

2015 Domaine Louis Jadot Puligny Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er, courtesy of Dr Ngoi at Kai Garden, 28 May 2019. White floral tones and delicate grassy elements dominate on the effusive nose with a lovely creaminess on the palate, its sleek subtle acidity and early complexity evoking wonderful tension and mouthfeel. Quite superb.

2010 E Guigal Ex Voto Ermitage, courtesy of Dr Ngoi at Kai Garden, 28 May 2019. Heavier dull golden hue, laden with characters of gasoline, ginger and herbal aromas, rather exotic, replete with waxy overtones amidst warm floral tones, finishing on a racy spicy glow with a tad of sternness. Might appeal more to afficionados of Rhone whites.

Egly-Ouriet Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru, courtesy of Ooi CJ at Kai Garden, 28 May 2019. Delicate tones of light green melons amid very fine graphite elements, complemented with very fine bubbles amid dryish textures, finishing with a toasty glow.

2014 Domaine Thibert Pouilly-Fuisse Les Cras, popped and poured at Kai Garden, 28 May 2019. Glow of morning dew with lime and clear citrus, its taut acidity and concentration imparting sleek intensity with delicate precision. Still too young to be popped.

2009 Maison Leroy Vosne-Romanee, courtesy of Sanjay at Kai Garden, 28 May 2019. Murky opaque red, exuding a lovely glow of dense raspberries, dark plums and red fruits. Open with lovely acidity, intensity and suppleness. Caught at its best. Excellent.

2014 Antikythera Point Noir, courtesy of CHS at Kai Garden, 28 May 2019. Generous expanse of red fruits and currants, excellent in concentration and purity. Open with superb presence and suppleness. Excellent.

2002 William’s Selyem Pinot Noir, courtesy of LF at Kai Garden, 28 May 2019. Darker in tone and color. More racy than usual with powerful overtones of tangerines, camphor and haw flakes on an earthy floor, giving off an illusion of fizz with more than a hint of peat. Quite excellent, if you don’t mind big-boned pinot.

2013 Sea Smoke Southing Pinot Noir, courtesy of LF at Kai Garden, 28 May 2019. Broad swathes of violets, blueberries and raspberries dominate with lovely ripeness, rather full, still imbued with traces of vanillin. A tad more forward and more brightly lit. Excellent.

1993 Ch Latour, courtesy of Dr Ngoi at Kai Garden, 28 May 2019. Had to be decanted on-site as its friable cork disintegrated on opening. This premier cru exudes an enticing earthy pungency amid dark fruits and blackcurrants, medium-bodied and supple with fine transparency on the palate though the spectrum of flavours is rather narrow, lacking in true opulence and layering.

2012 Solaia Annata Diversa, courtesy of Vic at Kai Garden, 28 May 2019. An unusual bottling. Normally a blend of various cabernet with 20% sangiovese, the words annata diversa will appear in vintages where sangiovese has been omitted. This youthful Solaia is generously imbued with glorious ripe black fruits and currants that evoke characters of mocha, dark plums and dark chocolate. Still predictably full and tight at this stage, structured with pliant tannins and sleek acidity. Should develop well.