Dec 2019: 1991 Leflaive Bâtard-Bienvenues, 1979 Veuve Cliquot Rosé, 1969 Vega Sicilia, 1990 Cos D’Estournel, 2004 La Conseillante, 2007 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche VV, 2017 Château de Chamirey Mercurey Blanc…

2004 Ch Latour-a-Pomerol, popped and poured at Ka Soh, 01 Dec 2019. Dark cherries and ripe wild berries dominate with very good concentration and presence against a backdrop of dusty textures, structured with sweet tannins. Darkly delicious, finishing with very fine acidity and intensity.

1991 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, courtesy of Sir Robert at Iggy’s, 03 Dec 2019. Tasted blind. Deep dull golden hue. Restrained, almost shut on the nose though there is a fine presence of delicate lithe citrus on the palate amidst dominant graphite minerals, almost stern. Became even more minerally over time as the fruit became more recessed, softening with an emerging white floral glow with traces of mint and capsicum, showing fine acidity. I hit the absolute bull’s eye. Perfect to drink up now.

Iggy’s

1979 Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin Rosé, courtesy of Sir Robert at Iggy’s, 03 Dec 2019. Very dark orangey hue, proffering burnt toast, aged grapefruit and dried mushrooms amid Chinese medicinal tones and ferrous elements. Still rather full, imbued with excellent concentration of distant red fruits, acidity and dry intensity within a body of very fine bubbles that tapered to a firm confident finish. Still astonishingly youthful. Excellent.

1999 Domaine du Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru at Iggy’s, 03 Dec 2019. Aged tint. Reticent in recessed chalk. Equally reserved with distant fruit on the medium-bodied palate, displaying more overtones of green capsicum and white pepper, seamlessly integrated with subtle intensity as it finished with white floral tones.

2001 Kistler Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, courtesy of Sir Robert at Iggy’s, 03 Dec 2019. Tasted blind. Darker shade, delivering delicious ripe dark cherries and currants with a fleshy juicy presence, displaying very fine acidity and intensity, slightly more forwardly balanced, underscored by a deeper streak of dark fruits and glycerol. Just a tad short. Again I guessed it correctly.

1990 Domaine Jacques Prieur Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, courtesy of LF at Iggy’s, 03 Dec 2019. Beautiful crimson hue, exuding a gentle earthy pungency. Medium-bodied, displaying very fine fruit quality with some gritty inner detail and subtle acidity but not distinctive enough. Bit short.

2007 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru, courtesy of Kieron at Iggy’s, 03 Dec 2019. Great colour. Superb presence of red cherries that display great purity and transparency, medium-full, very subtly concentrated and lithe with a bit of smoky intensity, revealing great inner detail though still fairly tight. Absolutely harmonious. Delicious.

1969 Vega Sicilia Unico, courtesy of Vic at Iggy’s, 03 Dec 2019. Glorious deep crimson. Astonishing freshness and purity of red fruits, mulberries and currant. Rounded and fleshy with lovely velvety textures, still imbued with excellent concentration and layering. Open with superb detail, traversing the palate with great linearity to its long persistent finish amid traces of charcoal. Outstanding.

Labyrinth

De Bortoli Family Selection Semillon Chardonnay, tasted at Changi Airport T3 Gold Lounge, 05 Dec 2019. Generous attractive bouquet of peaches, lime and tropical fruits. Good presence and transparency, underscored by chalky ferrous minerals. Slightly stern. Very decent.

2005 Ch D’Aiguilhe, popped and poured at Asia Grand, 12 Dec 2019. Very deep impenetrable purple. Dense bouquet of dark plums, black currants and liquorice with mild medicinal and menthol tones. Full-bodied, displaying great concentration of black fruits with overtones of bush, briar and bramble on a rich cedary floor, structured with well-managed sweet tannins. Imbued with superb acidity and sleek graphite minerals, developing some early complexity. Finally becoming approachable.

2005 Ch Les Carmes Haut Brion, decanted on-site at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 16 Dec 2019. Deep garnet red. Some initial bottle stink that, thankfully, gave way to glowing dark plums, ember, pine and other savoury characters. Medium-bodied, displaying clean and controlled presence of dark fruits with fine acidity, fairly open and supple with a bit of gentle biting intensity, fleshing out with more Pessac character of earthy forest floor over time although it could not quite totally expel that bit of funkiness that still pervaded. Not quite the most pristine of bottles, I’m afraid.

Champagne Louis Roederer NV, a pair from the list of Labyrinth, 20 Dec 2019. Dense bouquet of smoky characters and yeast. Imbued with excellent concentration of lime and citrus that imparted great intensity, zest and freshness, finishing with notes of pomelo, bitter lemon and firm graphite elements. Very fine.

2008 Domaine Jean & Jean-Louis Trapet Gevrey-Chambertin, popped and poured at Labyrinth, 20 Dec 2019. Evolved orangey crimson that exuded tangerines, soft red fruits and cherries. Medium-bodied. Bright and supple with clean focused acidity, gently layered with ferrous minerals. Good intensity, linearity and finish. Still youthful.

Limited edition label of 2004 La Conseillante

2004 Ch La Conseillante, a pair from the list of Labyrinth, 20 Dec 2019. Glorious deep garnet red, proffering a luxuriant dark plummy glow with overtones of soy, dark cherries and currants. Great concentration and suppleness, layered with sublime acidity and delicious depth on a floor of subtle ferrous elements, showing some early complexity at the finish. This wine has fleshed out with more presence, depth and character than previous encounters in 2010, 2012 and 2015. Still far from peaking. Excellent.

2017 Château de Chamirey Mercurey Blanc, popped and poured at Gattopardo, 23 Dec 2019. Flinty gentle minerally characters on the nose and palate. Lovely delicate tones, becoming more lifted and brighter over time as it fleshed out with greater intensity of clear citrus. Very good acidity and refinement, fanning out with expansive white floral tone and chalk along with emerging apricot, pineapples and tropical fruits before tapering to a finish of green capsicum, nutmeg and exotic spices. Hard to believe this is just village. Outstanding value.

Champagne Egly-Ouriet Blanc de Noirs Grand Cru, popped and poured over lunch at Otto Ristorante, 24 Dec 2019. Gentle attractive yeasty bouquet. Excellent fullness and concentration, layered with complex citrus and pomelo with an attractive minerally depth, fleshing out with dry intensity.

2011 Coldstream Hills Reserve Chardonnay, popped and poured over lunch at Crab At Bay, 25 Dec 2019. Pale. Good presence of lean citrus, very cleanly delineated with sharp precision on the palate, layered with stony minerals and dry ferrous elements that added further austerity.

Bak chor-mee by Labyrinth

2008 Reynella Basket Pressed Shiraz, popped and poured over dinner, 25 Dec 2019. Dark impenetrable red. Open, fleshy and supple with a predominance of warm ripe dark plummy fruit, currants and liquorice that impart mild medicinal tones. Grew tighter with greater intensity over time, laced with ripe cedary characters. Not ready.

2002 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er, courtesy of MH at Tang Yun, 27 Dec 2019. Luminous, proffering a hint of old leather and recessed chalk on the nose though open with sweet expanse on the palate, very lively in its sublime acidity with controlled zest that imparted excellent mouth-puckering excitement, mellowing after some time with gentle white floral tones. Lovely.

2012 Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de La Maréchale 1er Rouge at Tang Yun, 27 Dec 2019. Dark in colour and tone with characters of taut dark cherries and earthy dusty textures. Open with lovely suppleness though still rather intense, underscored by stern ferrous minerals, relaxing a little over time as it developed a glowing minty finish.

2000 Ch Branaire-Ducru, courtesy of Vic at Tang Yun, 27 Dec 2019. Deep garnet red. Great bouquet of dark red plums. Fleshy with a glowing concentration of fruit amid characters of tea leaves. Well-layered. Very sleek and lithe, not the opulent sort. Caught at its drinking peak. Lovely.

1995 Ch Calon Segur, courtesy of MH at Tang Yun, 27 Dec 2019. Deep garnet red. Rather laconic in feel even as it exudes dense characters of petroleum fumes on the nose. Medium-full. Very good presence of fruit with warm plummy tones. Quite rich, almost succulent, developing a superb earthy pungency amid traces of smoke as it opened up with good tannin detail.

Labyrinth

1999 Ch Clos L’Eglise, courtesy of Sanjay at Tang Yun, 27 Dec 2019. Dense bouquet of dark fruits with a bit of medicinal characters marked by deeper undertones of soy. Medium-bodied. Highly fleshy and supple. Drinking well.

1986 Ch Cos D’Estournel, courtesy of John Law over lunch at The Vineyard, 29 Dec 2019. Deep crimson core. Darkish in tone, imbued with wild berries, dusty tannins and a distinct earthiness amid oxidative traces. Rather backward in fruit though its acidity is still quite fine. A little gruff. Time to drink up.

1990 Ch Cos D’Estournel, courtesy of John Law over lunch at The Vineyard, 29 Dec 2019. Opaque red with a dusky tinge but don’t let the colour fool you for this wine is drinking superbly, proffering a complex of earth, cedar, dark plums and currants within a sleek seamless body of very good concentration and depth, displaying lively acidity and great balance as it traversed the palate with superb confidence, poise and complexity. This is Cos at its very best. Outstanding.

1995 Ch Cos D’Estournel, courtesy of John Law over lunch at The Vineyard, 29 Dec 2019.  Deep garnet red, exuding a classic glow of mature claret. Still quite richly endowed with fresh vibrant fruit and sleek intense acidity with cedary overtones, structured with svelte tannins. Drinking very well.

2009 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Porrets-St Georges 1er monopole, popped and poured at Mak Hong Kee, 29 Dec 2019. Dull red with some evolution, displaying a full palate of ripe raspberries, dark cherries and currants. Structured with intense acidity though without the plumpness nor succulence of Les Pruliers or Vaucrains. Still far from ready though.

2003 Ch Lagrange, popped and poured at Imperial Treasure Fine Teochew, 30 Dec 2019. Superb supple concentration of dark cherries, currants and raspberries with overtones of tobacco and dry earth, open with fine acidity, lovely intensity and detail, quite seamless. Very harmonious and balanced. Developed richer tones of ripe blackberries over time, cloaked within svelte sophisticated sweet tannins. Highly successful.