Feb 2020: 2015 Eileen Hardy Chardonnay, 1993 Leroy Pommard Vignots, 1994 Ausone, 2009 Georges Roumier Clos de la Bussière, Sociando-Mallet 2001 & 2005, 2002 Caymus Special Selection…

2003 Ch Pape Clement, popped and poured at Venue by Sebastian, 01 Feb 2020. Deep garnet red, exuding copious dark fruits, blackberries and blackcurrants with distinct overtones of tobacco snuff amid traces of dry earthiness. Excellent in concentration. Silkily structured with very fine acidity that exert lovely tension across the smooth sleek palate, developing a further complex of ferrous elements, light cedary tones, cinnamon and orange peel, finishing with persistent tingling mouthfeel. Quite excellent.

Champagne Ruinart Blancs de Blanc NV, courtesy of Sir Robert at his residence, 06 Feb 2020. Pale greenish. Delicate minerally tones of clear citrus and green fruits that immerse the palate great freshness, clarity and gentle rounded presence. Appropriately dry; just a tad short but excellent.

1991 Maison Leroy Meursault, courtesy of Sir Robert at his residence, 06 Feb 2020. Delicate tones of recessed fruit and citrus that tend to accentuate the sharp acidity within, glowing with raw nutmeg and spice over time in the glass. Medium-bodied. Harmonious but a bit short.

1991 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, courtesy of Sir Robert at his residence, 06 Feb 2020. Highly delicate and shy on the nose. Distinctly aged in feel on the palate, displaying a rather full pervasive expanse of white tones and exotic floral overtones amid recessed chalkiness, highly subtle and harmonious. Developed a further gentle complex of spice, green capsicum and white pepper that grew with sharp intensity and character over time. Quite consistent with a similar bottle tasted in December 2019 at Iggy’s, also courtesy of Sir Robert.

1994 Ch Ausone, courtesy of Sir Robert at his residence, 06 Feb 2020. Decanted for three hours prior. Still rather dark with some evolution, exuding a classic glow of mature claret with a very fine peppery quality amid traces of ferrous elements and capsicum. Medium-bodied. Supple with a very relaxed feel, imbued with very good concentration and purity of dark fruits and wild berries with emerging notes of red fruits over time. Delicious. Charming in its own way even though it doesn’t quite possess the layering and opulence of the best vintages.

1993 Domaine Leroy Pommard Les Vignots 1er, courtesy of Sir Robert at his residence, 06 Feb 2020. Beautiful deep ruby, exuding a bit of funky earthy pungency that gave way quickly to broad swathes of delicious red fruits and rose petals that was simply quite beguiling. Still rather full and fleshy, subtly structured with excellent definition and detail, laced with ferrous elements that imparted a certain sternness before becoming sweeter over time. Superb.

2005 Domaine de Chevalier Rouge at Zafferano, 08 Feb 2020. Deep purple. Cool raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries and red currants dominate on the nose, superbly ripe. Beautifully supple and rounded. Very well proportioned and harmonious on a bed of velvety tannins, developing fine intensity. Finished with good linearity amid overtones of rye. Excellent.

2005 Ch Sociando-Mallet, popped and poured at Asia Grand, 14 Feb 2020. Deep purple. Richly layered with dark currants and dark cherries, lined with graphite elements that lend trace of austerity. Highly supple, displaying excellent presence with a hint of dryness. Rounder and richer over time with a mouth-puckering intensity along with early notes of cedar. Still not quite ready.

2001 Ch Sociando-Mallet, popped and poured at Venue by Sebastian, 15 Feb 2020. Deep purple. Malt, smoke and mulberries on the nose. Excellent presence of marmite, Chinese herbs, black fruits, dark currants, earth and grape must, exuding lovely ripeness and brilliance. Highly supple and fleshy, imbued with seamless gorgeous acidity. Grew in intensity over time, eventually gelling with a dominant plummy tone. Still youthful. Belongs clearly within the league of classified growths.

2012 Joseph Drouhin Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er, popped over lunch at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 17 Feb 2020. Good color. Excellent concentration with a dense minerally presence though the fruit is rather shy initially, the wine almost austere in demeanour. Developed more of crème and icing over time, displaying good transparency with further notes of delicate peaches amid a mild salinity but it refused to be hurried, requiring plenty of patience in the glass. Best to cellar another 2-3 years.

2002 Caymus Special Selection, courtesy of Kieron, decanted on-site over lunch at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 17 Feb 2020. Deep garnet red. Imbued with abundant dark currants and blackberries, superbly ripe and delicious with some early secondary development and cedary characters. Warm and supple with discrete minty and vegetal undertones, glowing with a slow gentle intensity of dark plums that grew tighter over time with excellent linearity, rounding off beautifully on a bed of sweet velvety tannins. Excellent though it may not have peaked.

2001 Bass Philip au Jardin Les Amis, courtesy of Sir Robert over lunch at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 17 Feb 2020. Tasted blind. This wine displays an evolved red with a delicious rosy fragrance, still reasonably fresh with excellent acidity and adequate fruit on the palate, seamlessly rounded with a deep core of tangerines.

2006 Fontanafredda La Rosa Barolo, popped and poured at Otto Ristorante, 20 Feb 2020. Crimson at the rim. This wine is highly fleshy and supple, exuding red plummy tones with a certain rounded feminine character, highly harmonious with well-managed tannins. Developed more depth and lift over time with more exciting intensity, yielding more inner detail with some early cedar and cinnamon along with a trace of earthiness. Still youthful.

2015 Hardy’s Eileen Hardy Chardonnay, popped and poured at Yoshi, 21 Feb 2020. Explosive nose of crème and chalk with rich upfront vanillin. Very clean and highly focused on the palate, displaying excellent concentration of white tones on a floor of subtle minerals with a trace of steeliness. Opened up with more tropical fruits and nectarine, rather plump and elegant as it finished in a minty glow with excellent refinement.

2017 Château de Chamirey Mercurey Blanc, popped and poured at Ka Soh, 22 Feb 2020. Broad expanse of gleaming white tones tinged with a peppery glow. Medium-full. Layered with very good concentration and transparency with fine inner detail, showing traces of green capsicum and nutmeg with a hint of salinity towards the finish.

2011 Domaine Henri Boillot Pommard, a half-bottle from the list of Gunther’s for SGD65, 24 Feb 2020. Darker tint of pinot, exuding a high toned rosy fragrance with delicious red fruits and cherries. Quite fleshy and full, imparting very fine acidity and tension, developing deeper darker undertones with a bit of charcoal quality before giving way to dominant plummy tones framed within sweet subtly structured tannins. Finished well.

2009 Peay Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, courtesy of Kieron over a long lunch at Alma, 28 Feb 2020. Blinded. Dull golden, appearing older than it actually is. Shaved apples and pears on the nose, rather shy, though fairly robust on the palate with dominant medicinal tones (not unlike the Chinese traditional cough remedy pipagao) and tight reductive fruit. Very fine in acidity, becoming more homogenous over time as it lightened up though neither creamy nor chalky, culminating in a warm fullish finish.

2017 Vincent Dancer Chassagne-Montrachet Tete du Clos 1er, courtesy of Tim over a long lunch at Alma, 28 Feb 2020. Pale. Powerful sweet citrus on the nose with a hint of sour plums. Quite full. More forward in fruit and clear citrus without the usual white tones of Chassagne. Opened up after some time to reveal a bit more minerally detail though its balance remained unchanged, exuding a delightful fruity glow as it tapered to a quiet finish.

2014 Domaine Thibert Pere et Fils Pouilly-Fuissé Les Cras, over a long lunch at Alma, 28 Feb 2020. Pale. Delicate clear citrus dominate on the nose with a bit of sharp acidity but not overdone, opening up with an expansive even tone on the palate with a light teasing quality. Highly harmonious, maintaining its delicate elegance throughout the afternoon.

2012 Domaine Duroché Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Etelois, courtesy of LF over a long lunch at Alma, 28 Feb 2020. Displaying a deep dull red with some early evolution, this village proffers a lifted bouquet of delicious dark fruits, saccharine and dark cherries, developing further complex earthiness over time. Quite fleshy and rounded with distinct saline minerals that confer lovely tensile mouthfeel.

1992 Williams Selyem Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, courtesy of LF over a long lunch at Alma, 28 Feb 2020. Blinded. Dull dusty red, exuding an evolved glow of dark fruits and currants. Very fleshy, soft and open, revealing even more red fruits with a mature plummy tone supported by excellent minerality with a trace of salinity. Finished well with good linearity and great subtle acidity, though just a tad short.

2009 Domaine Georges Roumier Morey-Saint-Denis Clos de La Bussière 1er, courtesy of Kieron over a long lunch at Alma, 28 Feb 2020. Very deep dark pinot. Gently delicious. Fleshy and very evenly toned, exuding a highly-refined intensity. Harmonious with lovely detail. Highly elegant. Its impeccable pedigree is evident.

2014 Maison Leroy Chorey-les-Beaune, courtesy of Sir Robert over a long lunch at Alma, 28 Feb 2020. Superb clear ruby but shut at this stage, though the palate is open with a very even tone, layered with lovely acidity.

2005 Ch Barde-Haut, popped and poured at Rubicon, 29 Feb 2020. Deep garnet red, lighting up the palate with rich tones of dark currants, cedar and ripe berries with a brilliant sparkle. Shows excellent concentration of fruit with very fine depth and acidity, turning more savoury over time. Still brimming with youthful intensity. Delicious.