Nov 2020: 1985 Château La Conseillante, 1986 Lalande, 1996 Coche-Dury Meursault, 2012 Drouhin Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet, 2004 Château Mouton Rothschild

2018 Wynns Coonawarra Shiraz, 01 Nov 2002. Aired for 5 hours prior. Inky purplish black, imbued with copious black fruits and dark currants tinged with licorice, structured with rounded controlled tannins and tame acidity. Surprisingly accessible.

2015 Domaine Georges Lignier Chambolle-Musigny, popped and poured at Venue by Sebastian, 05 Nov 2020. Dusty red tint, proffering a gentle bouquet of red fruits and rosy hues with earthy saline minerals. Gently layered with understated weight and acidity, exuding lovely feminine presence and freshness. Turned slightly darker and a tad more austere before fleshing out with a deeper note of currants, eventually becoming highly intense and acidic after 90 minutes. Not ready.

2003 Domaine du Pegau Cuvée Réservée, aired well in advance at The Communal Place, Joo Chiat, 07 Nov 2020. Opaque mature red. Opens with dark plummy fruit, currants and tangerines on the nose while the well-integrated medium-bodied palate is appropriately darkish with a juicy succulence, layered with fine presence, intensity and acidity amid mild herbal overtones that culminated in a minty glow at the finish. Drinking well.

2017 Domaine Louis Jadot Macon-Villages. Popped and poured at Ka Soh, 08 Nov 2020. Faint greenish hue. Attractive oily density imbued with white citrus amid some degree of chalkiness on the medium-bodied palate, displaying good clarity and concentration with a trace of floral bloom. Took on a lovely sheen of white minerally tones with understated intensity after 90 minutes. Great quality for SGD39.

2000 Château Prieuré-Lichine, popped and poured at Otto Ristorante, 13 Nov 2020. Deep garnet red. Dark plums dominate with a lovely deep gentle fragrance whilst the palate is structured with soft rounded tannins that offer full appreciation of the glorious bed of dark currants, mulberries and fine acidity that glowed with detailed intensity after an hour. Quite excellent.

2006 Fontanafredda Barolo La Rosa, popped and poured over lunch at Asia Grand, 15 Nov 2020. Dark plums, licorice, herbs and dark currants dominate with surprising warmth and ripeness, displaying lovely supple fullness and intensity. Almost velvety. Finished well with rounded tannins and understated acidity.

2016 d’Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz. Popped and poured at Beng Thin, 21 Nov 2020. Impenetrable dark inky purple. Abundance of classic warm Barossa black fruits and currants tinged with licorice, displaying good weight and agility, not overwhelming in spite of its 15% abv. Certainly approachable but it doesn’t quite possess the rich creamy depth of the old style Dead Arm.

2017 Maison de Montille Saint-Romain. Popped and poured at Crab At Bay, 24 Nov 2020. This wine opens with a delicate minerally clarity, eventually fleshing out with very fine presence of delicious white fruits and nutmeg tinged with grassy elements amid chiseled chalky tones, showing excellent inner definition, balance and verve. Highly under-rated. Brings back memories of a picnic I had at Saint-Romain in November 2017.

Champagne Larmandier-Bernier Rosé de Saignée NV, courtesy of LF at Imperial Treasure Great World, 26 Nov 2020. Deeply coloured. Attractive bouquet of light peaches, intense tangerines and kumquat that led to a clean dry palate, imbued with fine acidity and a hint of austere minerals. Shows good presence and freshness, developing a bit of smoky quality and earthiness after some time. Drinking well.

2015 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Saint-Aubin Les Murgers des Dents de Chien 1er, courtesy of Kieron at Imperial Treasure Great World, 26 Nov 2020. Tasted blind. Pale. Rather shy at first, proffering just whiffs of paraffin and tangerine, showing very fine acidity though the fruit is rather backward. Fleshed out very well as it warmed up to the right temperature with a highly refined white floral fragrance on a bed of understated minerals, becoming a little more Chassagne-like in its white tonal fullness though it quickly receded back to its classic Saint-Aubin character, finishing with good persistence. Excellent.

2012 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, courtesy of Vic at Imperial Treasure Great World, 26 Nov 2020. Dull golden tint. Shy, displaying a subdued chalkiness with recessed fig and apricot. Took its time to develop superb fullness on a base of chalky expanse, imbued with very fine acidity and understated intensity that lend further verve and agility, producing a lovely fleshiness. Excellent.

1996 Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault, courtesy of Sir Bob at Imperial Treasure Great World, 26 Nov 2020. This wine opens with an attractive tinge of reduction amid traces of heated pebbles, marking its entry with a delicate open chalkiness, very well balanced with understated complexity, remarkably refined and elegant in spite of its youthful energy and vibrancy. Became a little more crisp with a rich oily density but the style is distinctly different from the razor-sharp precision of Coche nowadays, appreciably more of restrained nobility and balance than outright exuberance. All the better. Superb.

2000 Château Haut-Bailly, aired for three hours prior at Imperial Treasure Great World, 26 Nov 2020. Deep purple with a bare rim of crimson. Raspberries, mulberries and dark roses dominate with a bit of sweet overtones. Quite fleshy with fairly sharp acidity amid traces of bright minerals, slightly darkish in character at first though it eventually opened up with mellowed intensity, revealing detailed red fruits, haw and mature plummy tones. Still yet to peak.

1985 Château La Conseillante, courtesy of LF at Imperial Treasure Great World, 26 Nov 2020. Tasted blind. Bright crimson. Dominant lift of capsicum amidst dark fruits and currants. Highly agile on the palate, lit by mature red plums and earthy minerals that impart a mellow complexity with delicate balance and fine inner detail. We were spot on in calling it La Conseillante though it gave the impression of a much younger wine. Excellent.

1986 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, courtesy of Vic at Imperial Treasure Great World, 26 Nov 2020. Tasted blind. Displaying a well-evolved crimson, this wine still displays a confident presence of fleshy dark tones that exude a distinct femininity, tinged with a characteristic leafiness (undoubtedly from the petit verdot favoured by this estate in its blend) that gave away its identity, structured with well-defined acidity and supple tannins, developing a further hint of snuff and wood chips towards its fine finish. Very lovely.

2004 Château Mouton Rothschild, courtesy of Bob at Imperial Treasure Great World, 26 Nov 2020. Double-decanted on-site and tasted blind. Deep garnet red tinged with crimson at the rim, displaying a deep intensity of dark berries, red fruits, currants and dark cherries on the nose and palate, imbued with a discernible presence of graphite. Rounded and fleshy though slightly dryish and stern, fairly open and well balanced with very fine depth and wealth of inner detail. Has a certain masculine sophistication, breed and pedigree. We thought a Las-Cases or, perhaps, even a Latour. Excellent.

2017 Domaine du Roc des Boutires Pouilly-Fuissé, popped and poured at home on 30 Nov 2020. Light golden-greenish hue, proffering fairly rich white floral tones with very fine clarity, tinged with darkish minerally undertones. Has excellent presence, acidity and freshness, showing good definition and structure. Compares very favourably with any Côtes de Beaune.