July 2021: 2017 Chamirey Mercurey Blanc, 2005 J P Belle-Terroir, 2019 Schloss Lieser Thomas Haag Bernkasteler Doctor Spätlese

2011 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Bourgogne, courtesy of Yang at Mid-View City, 04 July 2021. Tasted blind. Dusky appearance. Gentle fragrance of red fruits and cherries but rather restrained. Medium-bodied. Slightly darkish in tone though well-delineated with clean understated intensity on a bed of firm tannins cushioned by sleek acidity, not overtly structured. Drinking well with an overall sense of feminine restraint.

2007 Domaine Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin Clos de la Chateniere 1er, courtesy of Yvonne at Mid-View City, 04 July 2021. Tasted blind. Luminous glow of exotic white fruits, white flowers and intense citrus. Rather high-strung on the medium-full palate, displaying excellent tension and fine acidity that still managed to convey a sense of delicate transparency. This has barely evolved. Still far from ready.

2009 Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot Chambolle-Musigny Derrière La Grange 1er, courtesy of Alvin at Mid-View City, 04 July 2021. Tasted blind. Evolved brownish red. Rounded bouquet of red fruits and briar of fair intensity, exuding lovely fragrance with very fine concentration and intensity of fruit, showing clean definition. Still highly primal.

2014 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny Les Chatelots 1er, courtesy of WCY at Mid-View City, 04 July 2021. Tasted blind. Lovely pinot tint. Open with an attractive fragrance. Medium-full. Very fine rounded presence, structured with refined silky tannins that impart a clean feel. Carries good weight with supple clarity, just a tad short.

2009 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Porrets St-Georges 1er at Mid-View City, 04 July 2021. Aired in advance for three hours. Good color. This monopole exudes a restrained fragrance of red fruits with darkish undertones, marking its entry with a controlled gentle intensity that proffered fleeting glimpses of layered darkish fruit. Very well-integrated and structured with an understated forwardness, just a tad short. Drinking well.

2019 Weingüt Schloss Lieser Thomas Haag Bernkasteler Doctor Riesling Spätlese, courtesy of Jonny at Mid-View City, 04 July 2021. Rounded tones of cool icing emanate from its pale hues with a controlled sweetness, leading to a lovely velvety palate of crystalline textures and ripe tropical fruits laced with lively acidity at just the right degree of fullness. Thoroughly seamless and open and beautifully balanced throughout its length, taking its time to unravel its delights with a dash of aloofness. Absolutely superb but rare, available only at auction.

2017 Château de Chamirey Mercurey Blanc. Popped and poured at Wah Lok, 10 July 2021. White floral bloom with fairly dense chalky aromas and textures. Medium-bodied, displaying predominant white tones with fine acidity and dense minerally detail amid a slight hint of rye, developing further notes of morning dew and cool icing over time. Truly excellent in its own right. Superb value.

2005 Winemaker’s Collection No.1 (Michel Rolland). Aired in bottle for two hours prior on 11 July 2021. Dark cherries and currants dominate amid a certain darkish earthiness with a tarry quality, the fruit somewhat subdued within soft fleshy textures. A tad too austere and seemingly past its prime although another bottle popped on 25 July 2021 and aired for 90 minutes prior was drinking very well with some attractive intensity, quite generously layered with rounded velvety dark plums and cherries with cedary characters. But I wouldn’t keep any longer. The cork of every single bottle that I’d popped from this case, save one, had disintegrated badly.

2017 Domaine du Roc des Boutires Pouilly-Fuissé. Popped and poured at Asia Grand, 14 July 2021. Luminous glow of light citrus, lemons and pomelo. Superbly concentrated and tight with an oily density on the mid-palate, lit by a minerally polish that conferred good transparency with a sense of delicacy. Distinctly different from the chardonnay of Côte de Beaune. It’s a bit of an acquired taste but, given the outrageous pricing of Meursault and Puligny nowadays, one must start exploring the Mâconnais and Côte Chalonnaise.

2014 Jean-Marc Pillot Bourgogne. Popped and poured at Ka Soh, 18 July 2021. Delightful nose of crème, nutmeg and frangipani with chalky overtones laced with traces of sweet vanillin, leading to an excellent concentration of white fruits and clear citrus that exert superb tension and intensity. Opened up with good tangy detail, clarity and layering, displaying superb balance between its agile acidity and delicate elegance. Highly irresistible.

2009 Château Sociando-Mallet. Popped and poured over lunch at Corner Grill, 20 July 2021. Impenetrable deep purple, proffering attractive aromas of abundant ripe black berries, cassis and dark currants matched by lovely swathes of exciting fruit on the palate that display great density and detail with some early suppleness, structured with subtle ferrous elements and chewy tannins that confer a dash of austerity. Quite excellent but best to cellar another 5-6 years.

2005 J P Belle-Terroir. Popped and poured, 23 July 2021. Displaying an impenetrable garnet red with a unique nose of toasted oak, this Chris Ringland wine is layered with superb density of ripe Barossa shiraz characterised by savoury red fruits, currants and dark berries amid shades of cinnamon and plums that splashed the palate with intense deep velvety textures, structured with ultra-smooth sophisticated tannins laced with sublime acidity. Very sleek and slick. Drinking superbly and not at all hedonistic. Perfect with barbie.

2018 Coldstream Hills Chardonnay, drunk over 24-25 July 2021. Good concentration of clear citrus supported by lively acidity, producing a tense high-toned palate that reminded me of a Pouilly-Fuissé, not yielding much detail, turning more austere over time.

2018 Meerlust Chardonnay. Popped and poured, 31 July 2021. Tangy citrus, olives and spicy nutmeg dominate with good definition and clarity on a bed of subtle earthy minerals, displaying plenty of presence and vigour with pointed acidity.