Nov 2019: 2017 Albert Morot Les Aigrots, 1997 Rochioli East Block, 2000 Haut Bailly, 2014 Pierre Labet Coucherias…

2017 Domaine Louis Moreau Chablis, a half bottle at La Taperia, 02 Nov 2019. Excellent richly detailed bouqet, gleaming with finely chiselled chalky expanse amid excellent depth of white fruits. Very good concentration and presence, layered with deep streak of saline minerals that revealed fine inner definition. Lovely rounded elegance and transparency, developing greater intensity of citrus over time. Persistent finish of white pepper. Quite excellent, proving that you cannot go wrong with any 2017 Burgundy white.

2016 Henri Magnien Gevrey-Chambertin, popped and poured at Otto Ristorante, 09 Nov 2019. Very dark for pinot. Lovely fragrance of ripe raspberries, mulberries dark berries and haw amid traces of smoke. Medium-bodied. Well-structured with lively acidity and understated ferrous elements, softly cushioned with abundant delicious dark fruits and currants. Almost velvety in its inner detail with a dark intensity but not imposing, developing a more effusive glow of red fruits over time with a little more salinity. Gentle finish. Quite fine.

2016 Ch Ducasse, from the list of restaurant Wolfgang on 14 Nov 2019. Dark deep purple. Nose of warm gravel and dark currants with some earthiness, slightly savoury. Good concentration of ripe dark fruits and wild berries underscored by gravelly minerals, with a cleanly defined intensity, not too tight, finishing on a note of distinct ferrous elements.

2017 Albert Morot Beaune Les Aigrots 1er, at a GEH party on 22 Nov 2019. Luminous, exuding a high-toned gentle chalky creaminess. Medium-full. Very good concentration of fruit with characters of spiced pear, opening up with fine minerality and intensity, finishing well with a white floral bloom.

2017 Chardonnay by Farr at a GEH party on 22 Nov 2019. Faint greenish hue, displaying dry chalky tones with good definition and focus. Very good in density and concentration, spiced with traces of white pepper.

2017 Cervaro by Antinori, at a GEH party on 22 Nov 2019. Good colour. Fresh faint minty hues. Fleshy, showing very fine concentration of fruit and acidity amid traces of green capsicum and nutmeg. Good definition. Full but open.

1995 Château de Beaucastel (courtesy of Annabelle), at a GEH party on 22 Nov 2019. Deep garnet core with evolved rim, proffering a distant earthy medicinal nose amid ample tones of dark cherries, raspberries, wild berries and currants. Open, fleshy and rounded with a relaxed feel, showing good concentration and acidity with tremendous verve on  a minerally floor, finishing with spicy length. Quite excellent.

2016 Ch Peyrebon Lagravette, poured from magnum at a GEH party on 22 Nov 2019. Shut, proffering only glimpses of mulberries, bramble and  briar with a faint earthiness. Darkly intense. Ample in dark fruits and blackberries with just a vegetal trace, structured with taut acidity and sophisticated sweet supple tannins. At only SGD90 (for a magnum!) off the shelf, this is great value though it will benefit from another few more years of cellaring.

Putien

Champagne Egly Ouriet Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru, courtesy of Ooi CJ at Putien (Kitchener Rd), 22 Nov 2019. Sharp definition of grapefruit, aged tangerines and apricot with a dense floral fragrance on the nose. Dry, displaying intense clear and yellow citrus with overtones of burnt toast amid hints of dark fruits and longans. Finished with a superb lift of stern ferrous minerals.

2008 Champagne Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill, at Putien (Kitchener Rd), 22 Nov 2019. Green fruits, fig and nutmeg dominate on the nose, exuding subtle intensity and lift with a suggestion of early complexity. Open with lovely dryness though somewhat stern and narrow in white fruits and dense minerally tones. Needs to flesh out.

2010 Domaine des Comte Lafon Meursault-Groutte d’Or 1er, courtesy of Vic at Putien (Kitchener Rd), 22 Nov 2019. Shut, proffering just faint notes of green fruits. The palate is dominated by a fairly rich minerally tone, open with dry intensity. Best to re-visit after another five years.

2006 Kistler Vine Hill Vineyard, courtesy of CHS at Putien (Kitchener Rd), 22 Nov 2019. Fullish creamy chalkiness on the nose. Very well layered on the palate with a slight dominance of green elements, showing good transparency with very fine inner detail, fleshing out over time with excellent tone of pomelo and stern citrus.

2014 Williams Selyem Eastside Road Neighbors Pinot Noir, courtesy of LF at Putien (Kitchener Rd), 22 Nov 2019. Deep impenetrable purple. Deep intense bouquet of blackberries and currants that led to a pronounced tone of cherries and mulberries on the palate, richly layered with fine intensity. Open, soft and rounded. Yet to develop complexity.

2000 Ch Haut Bailly, at Putien (Kitchener Rd), 22 Nov 2019. Deep garnet red with some early evolution. Effusive glowing earthy pungency, imbued with rich layers of black fruits and currants, laced with sleek acidity and very fine ferrous elements. Beautifully open.

2012 Ch Pichon Baron Longueville, courtesy of MH at Putien (Kitchener Rd), 22 Nov 2019. Impenetrable deep purple, imbued with dense concentration of sweet dark berries, black currants and early cedary characters. Open with the classic Pauillac dryness but far from ready.

2005 Domaine de la Solitude Reserve Secrete, courtesy of CHS at Putien (Kitchener Rd), 22 Nov 2019. Deep garnet red, layered with very fine concentration of sweet blueberries that exude fabulous dry intensity.

Putien

Champagne Bollinger RD 1996, courtesy of CW at Jade Palace, 25 Nov 2019. Lovely luminosity. Distinct diesel fumes on the nose, lifted with clean precision on a palate of solid chalky tones with scattered fig, displaying superb freshness, intensity and complexity amidst attractive oxidative notes, finishing with good linearity. Excellent.

2009 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, courtesy of Dr Ngoi at Jade Palace, 25 Nov 2019. Faint light grassy elements on the nose. Equally restrained on the palate with subdued acidity and subtle graphite minerals that produce a certain translucency. It snapped into focus much later with more detail and delicate citrus to the fore along with a greater depth of jackfruit. Best to lay down further.

2006 Anne et Jean-Francois Ganevat Cotes du Jura Cuvée Prestige Savagnin, courtesy of CW at Jade Palace, 25 Nov 2019. Powerful pronounced note of malt, peat and kerosene that pervaded throughout its length. Still incredibly full, tight and frighteningly intense, underscored by striking acidity. Not for the faint-hearted.

2014 Chateau de Marsannay Chambertin Grand Cru, at Jade Palace, 25 Nov 2019. Deep plummy colour with a dominant tone of red cherries. Highly supple with very good concentration and fullness, displaying excellent purity, smoothness and definition though without the opulence and plumpness, layered with subtle minerals. Grew in brilliance over time as it began gelling together. Great value.

1997 J Rochioli East Block Pinot Noir, courtesy of CW at Jade Palace, 25 Nov 2019. Made from vines planted at the northern edge of Russian River Valley in the late 1960s. Dark reddish-brown. Powerful minty nose of medicinal tones, dark plums and menthol. Full, rounded and supple. Displays greater immediacy and warmth than usual for pinot with lovely purity of fruit, layered with deeper streaks of dark currants. Still remarkably youthful. Excellent.

2001 Ch Cheval Blanc, courtesy of Dr Ngoi at Jade Palace, 25 Nov 2019. Deep impenetrable purple, exuding some earthy pungency amid abundant dark fruits and currants that is well-replicated on the palate. Full with ripe open intensity, infused with darker notes of soy and bramble. Rounded with lovely suppleness, displaying some early maturity with a slight earthiness towards the finish but this is still a young wine. Don’t waste it.

2001 Ch Margaux, courtesy of CW at Jade Palace, 25 Nov 2019. Deep impenetrable crimson, exuding fabulous aromas amid herbal undertones of dried mushrooms. Rounded with great fleshy suppleness, very seamlessly integrated though it lacks inner detail and opulence. Nevertheless, this is a classic claret in every way, taking on a great hallowed glow as it sat in the glass. Excellent.

2004 Ch Leoville Poyferre, popped and poured at restaurant Ibid, 26 Nov 2019. Deep impenetrable purple, proffering a lovely glow of cinnamon, mulberries, raspberries and dark currants. Beautifully ripe. Very good concentration of fruit, rather darkish in character with a deep plummy tone, structured with dryish dusty tannins on a cedary floor, developing with fine acidity and intensity over time. Drinking well

Bruno Paillard Cuvée Premium NV, served at the preview of 67 Pall Mall, 27 Nov 2019. Dry toasty characters on the nose, matched with a juicy palate of intense lime, citrus, apricot and grapefruit that imparted a bit of stern demeanour though there is a distinct sweetness at the finish.

2015 Domaine Pierre Labet Meursault Les Tillets, served at the preview of 67 Pall Mall, 27 Nov 2019. Effusive in sweet tropical fruits, pineapples and apricot. Unashamedly forward with great presence, detail and acidity, developing a glazed quality on the palate after some time.

2016 Domaine Leflaives Macon-Verze, served at the preview of 67 Pall Mall, 27 Nov 2019. Lovely aromatics with a forward balance of green fruits and melons, generously layered with tropical fruits and pineapples on the palate, displaying fine presence with subdued acidity against a backdrop of recessed minerals.

2014 Domaine Pierre Labet Beaune 1er Coucherias, served at the preview of 67 Pall Mall, 27 Nov 2019. Darker shade of pinot, exuding an attractive lift of delicious dark fruits and berries with a lovely floral fragrance. A little more forward in dark cherries on the palate but the overall balance is quite impeccable, opening up after some time to reveal excellent concentration and intensity but never threatening to overwhelm. Good refinement.

2011 Ch Gazin, served at the opening of AVHC, 30 Nov 2019. Quite brightly lit with characters of warm gravel, plummy fruit, dark currants and wild berries. Fleshy and rounded though without much detail nor complexity.

2010 Ch Phelan Segur, served at the opening of AVHC, 30 Nov 2019. This wine opens with a lovely lifted earthiness, imbued with layers of ripe dark fruits, berries and black currants that impart excellent fullness and presence, highly detailed with a graphite sparkle. Very seamlessly integrated with sleek acidity and fine intensity, finishing with velvety sophisticated tannins. Excellent.