Aug 2022: 2016 Daniel Rion NSG Pruliers, 1995 Paul Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle, 2019 Larue Saint-Aubin En Montceau 1er, 2003 Lafite Rothschild,

Vincent Bouzereau Crémant de Bourgogne NV, at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 02 Aug 2022. Gentle yeasty tones amid a bright minerally shine on an expansive dry palate, imbued with very fine presence of brilliant yellow citrus tinged with a dash of sweetness. Drinking well, though it doesn’t quite have that extra dimension of utter finesse and sophistication to measure up to champagne.

2018 Domaine William Fevre Chablis Vaillons 1er at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 02 Aug 2022. Pale. Shy, just a hint of pebbly warmth and summer hay. Medium-bodied with subdued white tones, exuding a quiet placid presence with an understated slick acidity. Evolved with cool icing and subtle detail, developing a growing intensity over time with a stony elegance.

2017 Maison Leroy Bourgogne Blanc, a glass courtesy of Don Roberto at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 02 Aug 2022. Cool clean presence of lifted summer hay, leading to an elegant medium-full palate of distilled nutmeg, olives and grassy elements, showing superb balance and sleek linearity.

2017 Domaine Marquis d’Angerville Volnay Caillerets 1er, at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 02 Aug 2022. Darkish tint. Ripe wild berries, bramble, dark cherries and currants on the nose. Medium-bodied. Supple with a fleshy svelte intensity, structured with soft sweet velvety tannins, just a tad short.

2017 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny Les Hauts Doix 1er by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 02 Aug 2022. Classic pinot tint. Cleanly defined bouquet of youthful red fruits, slightly reductive. Medium-full. Rather tight presence of darkish characters, structured with dryish lean precision that tapered to a slightly austere finish.

2016 Domaine Daniel Rion Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Hauts Pruliers 1er. Aired in advance for two hours prior to dinner at Otto Ristorante, 04 Aug 2022. Predominant red fruits and cherries on the nose. The medium-full palate is quite brightly lit, exuding a slightly forward delicious glow from the ample fruit within whilst the usual NSG ferrous floor is distinctly muted. Very well balanced, gaining in supple intensity as the evening wore on. Reminds me very much of Hudelot-Nöellat’s NSG. Excellent.

1998 Champagne Henri Giraud Ay Fut de Chene, courtesy of Hoi Leong at Lady Boss Fine Dining, 06 Aug 2022. Opaque hue. Firm minerally palate of bitter lemon and pomelo. Rather stern and unsmiling but structured with great precision. Became more deft and agile in the glass, evoking a sense of distilled essence with a tinge of grapefruit.

2016 Thomas Morey Puligny-Montrachet La Truffière 1er, courtesy of Barrie at Lady Boss Fine Dining, 06 Aug 2022. Pale. Restrained, exuding cool tones with just a tinge of saline. Very smooth and easy on the palate with a bright clean clarity. More nuanced after some time though remaining generally subdued even as it added a minerally dash at the finish.

1995 Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle at Lady Boss Fine Dining, 06 Aug 2022. Aired in bottle for three hours prior. Deep crimson. Mature plummy tones on the nose tinged with smoke. Medium-full, imbued with a moderate presence of red fruits amid a distinct note of iron filings that impart dryish textures. Still a tad angular at first before mellowing beautifully with smooth supple intensity.

2007 Domaine Emmanuel Rouget Nuits-Saint-Georges, courtesy of Hoi Leong at Lady Boss Fine Dining, 06 Aug 2022. Classic pinot tint. Surprisingly reticent, though the medium-bodied palate shows a very refined presence of ripe dark berries, perhaps just a tad spicy but still very correctly nuanced with lovely purity and definition, finishing with a dash of earthiness befitting its NSG character.

2009 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes, courtesy of Barrie at Lady Boss Fine Dining, 06 Aug 2022. Restrained with the classic Gevrey signature of pink roses, wild berries and raspberries on the medium-bodied. Surprisingly more delicate than expected for the vintage, showing good integration.

2018 Domaine Coquard-Loison-Fleurot Vosne-Romanée, courtesy of Barrie at Lady Boss Fine Dining, 06 Aug 2022. Deeply coloured. Dark cherries, red fruits and currants dominate with ample presence, layered with velvety detail that excite with supple intensity. Superbly balanced with lovely freshness.

2016 Domaine Hudelot-Nöellat Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Bas de Combes. Aired in bottle for ninety minutes ahead of dinner at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 08 Aug 2022. Deep ruby. Delicious lift of ripe red cherries and currants, carrying well onto the medium-bodied palate layered with a subtle ferrous floor, structured with sophisticated tannins within a fleshy supple warmth. Drinking very well.

Champagne Roger Coulon L’Hommee 1er Brut NV. Popped and poured at Corner Grill, 09 Aug 2022. Alluring smoky hues tinged with ferrous tones on the nose, boasting excellent density of yellow citrus and lime that exert biting dry intensity, oozing with delightful sweetness.

2019 Shaw & Smith Adelaide Hills Shiraz. Aired in bottle for ninety minutes prior to dinner at home, 11 Aug 2022. Dep purple, exuding aromas of dark roses and dark plums that carried well onto the medium-bodied palate, imbued with cool ripe fruit and darkish tones within a frame of smooth tannins, proffering a bit of early detail. Drinking well but not really distinctive.

2020 Shaw & Smith Adelaide Hills M3 Chardonnay. Aired in bottle for almost four hours prior to dinner at home, 14 Aug 2022. Very pale greenish hue. Wild grassy elements, summer hay and clear citrus dominate amid overtones of raw nutmeg while the medium-full palate boasts an intense concentration of fruit supported by lively acidity, subtly topped with a layer of crème. Plenty going on but it needs to loosen up a little.

2015 Domaine Georges Lignier et Fils Morey-Saint-Denis Clos des Ormes 1er, aired in bottle for three hours prior to dinner at Rubicon Steak House, 17 Aug 2022. Correct pinot tint, proffering darker shades of rosy hues on the nose with a rounded medium-full velvety palate, beautifully integrated with a predominance of ripe raspberries laced with subtle acidity, gaining in supple intensity over time. Obviously still youthful but this is excellent stuff.

2019 Domaine Vincent Bouzereau Meursault, aired in bottle for an hour prior to dinner at Wah Lok, 19 Aug 2022. Luminous hues, exuding highly refined chalky creamy tones with elegant tension amidst a rounded body of cool ripe tropical fruits. Very well proportioned and balanced, showing excellent clarity and detail with great sophistication, developing a slight minerally tinge with a dash of bitter lemon towards its finish. A great buy.

2016 Meerlust Rubicon, after a brief aeration at home, 21 Aug 2022. Deep purple. Classic cabernet notes of violets, raspberries, black fruits and currants, structured with slightly dryish tannins on the medium-bodied palate. Adequately fleshy and supple with a fine presence of cool ripe fruit. Drinks like a Médoc.

2018 Domaine Belargus Treilles. Popped and poured at Wagyu Jin, 22 Aug 2022, courtesy of Russ. Displaying a clear golden luminosity, this chenin blanc from the Loire exudes cool icing and refined crème de la crème that leads to an unusual note of varnish on the slick perfumed mid-palate, richly imbued with a forward balance of longans that oozed with a distinct note of glycerin. It turned lighter after some time, very cleanly structured with clear precision though there is just that lingering tinge of paraffin at its finish. An astute choice.

2002 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Chambolle-Musigny Les Feusselottes 1er. Popped and poured at Wagyu Jin, 22 Aug 2022, courtesy of Russ. Slightly darker tint of pinot, proffering a delicious bouquet of haw and rose petals with a fine expanse of dark plummy fruit and currants that exert supple intensity on the medium-full palate. Quite generously proportioned, displaying youthful charm and agility. May not yet have peaked but it is drinking very well.

2003 Château Lafite Rothschild, aired for two hours prior to dinner at Wagyu Jin, 22 Aug 2022. Bright purplish rim, exuding a restrained deep fragrance with early tertiary characters amid some earthy pungency. Medium-bodied. Surprisingly soft, imbued with a mild minerally presence within its slick supple velvety textures, yielding fine transparency and linearity throughout its moderate length. Distinctly  feminine. Almost the quintessential Lafite.

2019 Domaine Larue Saint-Aubin En Montceau 1er, aired for three hours ahead of lunch at Otto Ristorante, 24 Aug 2022. Pale greenish hue. Delicate nose of lime and yellow citrus, fairly ample with lovely oily density and intensity on the palate that is almost sexy. Settled down with food to reveal subtle darkish shades within its layers that eventually opened up with superb clarity and clean precision. Excellent value.

2016 S de Suduiraut, popped and poured at Imperial Treasure GWC, 26 Aug 2022. Pale. Rounded nose of peaches, lychees and icing with mild overtones of paraffin. Medium-bodied. Exudes a bright pebbly glare with a deeper ferric vein, opening up with teasing intensity.

2016 Domaine Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin Mes Cinq Terroirs, aired for two hours ahead of dinner at Imperial Treasure GWC, 26 Aug 2022. Deep purplish core, proffering a dark rosy fragrance. The medium-full palate displays an uneasy forward balance of dark plummy characters with a minty lift, structured with sweetish tannins that exert youthful intensity. Surprisingly big for village. Not quite ready.