Oct 2021: 2010 Malescot Saint-Exupery, 2014 Ch de Chamirey Mercurey La Mission, 2019 Domaine Roc Boutires Aux Bouthières, 2003 Pontet-Canet…

Rockford Black Shiraz (2008 disgorgement). Popped and poured at Eastern House of Seafood, 02 Oct 2021. Deep crimson. Classic glow of warm Barossa shiraz at just the right level of ripeness, appropriately plummy with a dash of licorice that developed darker shades over time as the wine took on greater weight. Open with subtle tannins and acidity within a sheen of soft gentle bubbles, superbly balanced, imbued with a certain deft agility underscored by that fabulous liqueured depth. Still very fresh. May not have peaked but drinking beautifully. Excellent.

2017 Louis Jadot Mâcon-Villages. Popped and poured at Crab At Bay, 07 Oct 2021. Still consistently good, opening with a superb expanse of white fruits and high-toned citrus, displaying refined acidity with excellent minerally depth and clarity. Very well-integrated and balanced.

2014 Château de Chamirey Mercurey La Mission 1er. Popped and popped over dimsum at Wah Lok, 10 Oct 2021. This monopole opens with dense chromatic white tones that glowed with lovely warmth, exuding great refinement in its minerally depth with sleek tensile acidity. Became more relaxed after an hour, revealing subtle detailing and texture with characters of cool icing, fleshing out with controlled power amid an understated salinity. Almost Chassagne-like, on the brink of secondary development. Superb.

2011 Domaine Roblot-Monnet Volnay Santenots 1er, courtesy of Kieron at his residence, 14 Oct 2021. Good colour. Very fine lifted clarity of ripe raspberries. Open with easy charm, imbued with subtle verve and acidity that exert a lithe tensile agility. Very well-balanced. Drinking well.

2018 Mt Difficulty Bannockburn Pinot Noir, courtesy of Kieron at his residence, 14 Oct 2021. Classic pinot tint. Distinctive nose of tobacco, gunmetal and volcanic ash matched by an ample palate of cool supple raspberries. Medium-bodied, displaying great integration with sleek acidity. Finished well. Highly burgundian.

2010 Château Malescot Saint-Exupery. Popped and poured at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 18 Oct 2021. Deep dark garnet. Delicious depth of dark currants and black cherries. Medium weight. Rounded with very good sophistication and tightly-knitted detailed tannins, dotted with brilliant graphite and white incense. Great balance and integration, displaying early secondary characters with lovely exuberance. Excellent value.

2016 S de Suduiraut. Popped and poured at Otto Ristorante, 21 Oct 2021. Light pale greenish hue. Fresh white tones with icing amid a gentle hint of nectarine. Well layered with exotic floral notes, increasingly creamier over time as it developed a lovely complex of green fruits and understated minerals on a chalky base, displaying excellent clarity in spite of its biting intensity. Glowing finish. Highly compelling.

2003 Château Pontet-Canet. Decanted on-site at Imperial Treasure Great World, 23 Oct 2021. Deep garnet. Highly attractive bouquet of complex red fruits, dark plums, cherries and raspberries. Exerts lovely velvety fullness and intensity, its silky sleek acidity and lithe sexy tannins imparting superb tensile mouthfeel with an understated ferric earthiness. Developed further notes of coffee and mocha after some time, finishing with a glowing distilled Left Bank character though without the Pauillac dryness. At its peak and will hold.

2005 Winemakers’ Collection Cuvée No.1 (Michel Rolland). Popped and poured at home, 24-25 Oct 2021. The cork again broke but the wine was very fine, probably the best example of the many I’ve had, displaying very good concentration of currants and ripe raspberries laced with understated graphite minerals. Medium weight. Very well-balanced, fleshy and fresh. Another bottle (my final one) was tasted on 26 Oct 2021 with consistent notes.

2019 Domaine du Roc des Boutires Pouilly-Fuissé Aux Bouthières. Popped and poured at Ka Soh, 30 Oct 2021. Pale straw-colored. Effusive bouquet of pears and apricots. The palate is marked by superb ripeness with striking intensity and acidity underscored by an understated earthy salinity. Developed subtle detail with an attractive floral core that is distinctly feminine, glowing with cool white tones at the finish. Very beautifully proportioned with excellent refinement. Superb. Aux Bouthières has been assigned premier cru status with effect from the 2020 vintage. Now already more expensive than it usually is, expect prices to go up further.