June 2019: 1991 Château Montelena Estate, 1990 Lafite Rothschild, 1998 Krug…

2000 Champagne Dom Perignon Second Plenitude, courtesy of CW over lunch with Frederic Faye of Ch Figeac and Marielle Cazaux (Ch La Conseillante) at Shinzo, 01 Jun 2019. Quiet on the nose. Even gentle minerally tone with a smooth dryness, exuding lovely charm and transparency. Not the most profound of Dom but its balance is impeccable, developing superb presence of delicate green fruits and citrus over time.

2015 Domaine Thibert Pere et Fils Saint-Verain Champ Rond, over lunch with Frederic Faye of Ch Figeac and Marielle Cazaux (Ch La Conseillante) at Shinzo, 01 Jun 2019. Bit closed on the nose though the palate is imbued with a generous expanse of delicate white fruits and citrus that teased with fleeting concentration and intensity. Rounded and smooth. Very well balanced with understated charm, energy and sleek controlled acidity, developing wonderful depth with a gentle open intensity over time. Excellent.

1991 Ch Montelena Estate, courtesy of CW over lunch with Frederic Faye of Ch Figeac and Marielle Cazaux (Ch La Conseillante) at Shinzo, 01 Jun 2019. Deep garnet red. Intense bouquet of briar, bramble, raspberries and delicious currants. Still amazingly fresh on the palate, displaying superb concentration and ripeness with smooth velvety tannins. Sublime in acidity, integration and balance with an understated red plummy tone, slightly earthy. An absolute winner, very much on par with any Bordeaux premier cru. Outstanding.

2005 Ch D’Aiguilhe. Popped and poured at Crab At Bay, 02 Jun 2019. Deep dark impenetrable red. Abundant dark fruits, blackberries and blackcurrants on the nose with a sweet plummy tone. Open with excellent fullness and suppleness. Ample in rich ripe fruit laid on an earthy floor with dusty textures. Very fine acidity. Rather understated in structure for its proportions. Austere ferrous finish. Decent length. Still youthful.

2003 Pavillon Rouge du Margaux, popped and poured over lunch at Otto Ristorante, 04 Jun 2019. Deep garnet red. Delicious bouquet, leading to very good concentration of black fruits and red currants, slightly earthy, within a very well-defined slim profile. Lively acidity. Mellowed quite quickly with relaxed charm, developing exciting tertiary nuances with open biting intensity amid soft velvety textures. Still youthful. On par with a classified growth. Excellent.

2004 Domaine Vincent Girardin Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru, courtesy of Vic at Summer Pavilion, 04 Jun 2019. Gentle sleek white floral tone with light citrus on the nose and palate, showing superb integration, balance and precision with sublime acidity. Fine open intensity, fleshing out very well with a lovely transparent chalky tone, finishing with overtones of walnuts. Excellent.

2014 Domaine Faiveley Clos des Cortons Faiveley Grand Cru, at Summer Pavilion, 04 Jun 2019. Silky tangerines and light rose petals dominate with gentle presence, slightly more minerally and stern. Opened up well with some lovely intensity but still a little tight. Fine balance. Distinctly feminine without the lush succulence and velvety plushness of the 2016.

1990 Domaine Drouhin-Laroze Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru, courtesy of LF. Good colour. Imbued with good concentration of warm ripe fruit and dark plums amid well-developed characters of cedar and cinnamon, exuding fine intensity, slightly earthy and stern with overarching acidity.

2015 Katgully Cabernet Sauvignon, at Dorothy’s place 09 Jun 2019. Softly focused aromas of gentle red plums on the nose. The medium-full palate features ample warm ripe fruit with a deeper vein of dark currants, undergrowth and mocha with traces of marmite in its minerality, more forwardly balanced. Rounded with controlled intensity and understated acidity. Very fine. From Margaret River, Western Australia.

1998 Champagne Krug, popped and poured at Saint-Pierre on 11 Jun 2019 to mark our Silver Jubilee. Gently perfumed. Very subtly suffused with characters of toast and yeasty, exuding a lovely delicate fragrance. Suitably dry with a sheen of very fine bubbles, the perfect counterfoil for the layers of intense citrus, bitter lemon and grapefruit though it doesn’t quite truly plumb the depths. Finished with lasting persistence.

1990 Ch Lafite Rothschild, decanted on-site at Saint-Pierre on 11 Jun 2019, our Silver Jubilee. Deep purple with only slightest hint of evolution. Enticing complex bouquet, a hallowed deep glow of ripe red plums, soy and black cherries with a hint of smouldering ember. Beautifully open with velvety textures amid sublime acidity, seamlessly layered, exuding great charm and feminine elegance as it stretched out with superb definition and intensity. Just like an earlier bottle from the same case tasted in March 2019, this wine has been caught at its peak and will last. Outstanding.

2011 Champagne Pierre Peters Cuvée Speciale Les Chetillons Brut, popped and poured to mark the clinic re-opening, 13 Jun 2019. This blanc de blancs is considerably lighter in texture, distinctly delicate and feminine, an impression reinforced by its very fine gentle bubbles. Ample in pomelo and lime amid traces of bitter lemon, layered with gentle yeasty tones. Lively presence though somewhat narrow in spectrum. Doesn’t quite plumb the depths.

2002 Ch Cos D’Estournel, popped and poured to mark the clinic re-opening, 13 Jun 2019. Raspberries, mulberries and wild berries dominate with good density, slightly cedary and earthy, distinctly darkish in tone and demeanour. Supple with fine transparency and rounded tannins but it lacks real distinction, missing in charm and succulence.

2012 Domaine William Fevre Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru, popped and poured at Ming Kee Live Seafood, 15 Jun 2019. Excellent presence. Notes of tangy citrus and nutmeg. Good transparency, suffused with saline minerals amid ferrous elements. Creamer over time with a gentle presence of green apples along with some chalkiness, laced with fine subtle acidity. Drinking well. Alas, Ming Kee has ceased its business after 25 June 2019.

2008 Lucien de Moine Richebourg Grand Cru, courtesy of John Law, 18 Jun 2019 at restaurant Ibid. Darker tint of pinot. Rather shut, hinting at only dark currants with some fragrance. Far more powerful on the palate, exuding an intense plummy tone with notes of forest floor, cranberries and bramble. Taut with quite an acidic spine, yielding raw intensity of fruit. MIssing true pinot character.

2014 Domaine Dominique Mugneret Vosne-Romanee Cuvee Alliance des Terroirs, courtesy of Edmund Wong at Otto Ristorante, 19 Jun 2019. Good color. Quite ample in ripe raspberries and red fruits with a tight plummy tone, exuding lovely fragrance. Slightly acidic.

1999 Champagne Phillipponnat Clos des Goisses Brut, popped and poured at Otto Ristorante, 19 Jun 2019. Deep complex bouquet of white flowers, vanilla, creme and minerals. Opened with a rich minerally glow amidst deep toasty nutty overtones, supported by crisp intense citrus with acidity that’s still remarkably fresh and lively, finishing with traces of green pepper.

2010 Domaine Jacques Prieur Volnay Clos des Santenots 1er, courtesy of Vincent at Otto Ristorante, 19 Jun 2019. Good color. Gentle rosy hues with undertones of dark cherries. Medium-full, supple and fleshy, displaying superb ripeness, succulence and length with excellent subtle acidity, finishing with traces of snuff.

2005 Ch Rauzan-Gassies, popped and poured at Wah Lok, 21 Jun 2019. Deep impenetrable purple. Displays a certain richness and fullness of fruit and dark currants against plush cushioned velvety textures with traces of sweet. Still incredibly infantile and barely evolved. Opened up more over time with further notes of smoke, cedar and soy, highly supple, coming together at the last pour with stunning intensity. Excellent.

2006 Champagne Piper Heidsieck Millesime Rare, tasted at the Krisflyer First Class Lounge of Changi Airport T3, 23 Jun 2019. Light golden hue. Deep toasty nutty complex with yeasty tones on the nose. Generous expanse and concentration of pomelo and yellow citrus amidst very fine gentle bubbles. Excellent vigour and intensity, finishing with gentle graphite minerals.

2016 M Chapoutier Les Meysonnieres Crozes-Hermitage, tasted at the Krisflyer First Class Lounge of Changi Airport T3, 23 Jun 2019. Notes of forest floor and dark fruits dominate within a light-medium lean profile. Well balanced with fine acidity but not distinctive.

2009 Champagne Dom Perignon, tasted at the Krisflyer First Class Lounge of Changi Airport T3, 23 Jun 2019. Lighter-textured with a gentle perfumed fragrance of clear citrus, showing great clarity though within a rather narrow spectrum. Distinctly feminine. Short.

2006 Ch Rauzan-Segla, on board Singapore Airlines SQ336 from SIN-CDG, 24 Jun 2019. Very shy on the nose, just able to discern some dark currants. Equally introverted on the slim palate, hinting at dark fruits and blackberries beneath rather than outright opulence although its concentration and fine acidity is beyond reproach, tinged with ferrous minerals.

2008 Louis Latour Corton Grand Cru, on board Singapore Airlines SQ336 from SIN-CDG, 24 Jun 2019. Good concentration of wild berries and plums. Medium-bodied. Very fine acidity, showing good integration and balance with a slightly vegetal tone that conferred a certain rusticity, finishing with traces of incense.

LaCheteau Cremant de Loire Brut, at the Star Alliance lounge of CDG, 29 Jun 2019. Gentle floral aromas with yeasty tones, slightly toasty with a broad expanse of intense clear citrus and lime. Suitably dry.

2016 Cru de la Maqueline, at the Star Alliance lounge of CDG, 29 Jun 2019. Dark currants, raspberries and plums dominate with a distinct ferrous minerality on the mid-palate, displaying decent fullness, depth and length.

Creation of restaurant Saint-Pierre, Singapore.