Mar 2023: 2015 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc 2006 Meo Camuzet NSG Aux Boudots 1er, 2006 Emmanuel Rouget Nuits-St-Georges, 2008 Potinet-Ampeau Volnay Clos Chênes, 2005 Comte de Vogüé Les Amoureuses 1er, 1996 Château Lynch-Bages

2017 Gran Moraine Chardonnay, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 02 Mar 2023. Luminous. Notes of delicate citrus with distant minerally tones, developing more detail of tropical fruits with a teasing quality underscored by a controlled but intense cutting acidity. Good fullness, but a tad short.

2012 Château Haut-Marbuzet, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 02 Mar 2023. Deep garnet. Forest characters, capsicum, bell hoppers and dark plums on the nose, marking its entry on the palate with a sharp attack. Still very tight with rustic intensity, somewhat constricted as well.

2019 Jean-Luc Colombo Les Petites Abeilles Blanc from the list of Chapter 1, 08 Mar 2023. Comprising 80% clairette with 20% roussanne, this Rhône white exudes delicate green fruits and floral characters that explode with excellent inner detail of capsicum, spice and nutmeg on the full, chiseled palate, displaying good weight and density with a crisp freshness, turning more introverted with greater intensity of its Rhône character over time, settling with cool glacial tones that lent a touch of austerity. Very good value.

Champagne Veuve Clicquot Brut NV, by the glass at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden, on 13 Mar 2023. Pale light golden hue, proffering bitter lemon, wildflowers and green melons on the nose with mild yeasty tones. Shows good definition and fullness with a cultured intensity, not too dry.

2016 Château Perron, at £78 off the list of The English Grill at The Rubens at The Palace, London, on 16 March 2023. Deep crimson, opening with aromatic red fruits and rose petals with some early secondary development, displaying very fine presence of fruit and acidity on the medium-full palate, shaping up with silky intensity and attack. Structured with refined tannins that yield chewy gritty detail with a deeper vein of blueberries and currants, tapering to a spicy finish with traces of shiny ferrous minerals.

Arcobello Prosecco Brut NV, by the glass at the Krisflyer Lounge, Heathrow Airport, 17 Mar 2023. Very pale. Attractive nose of green fruits and melons with a very clean presence, showing good balance and dry intensity, just a little minerally as it finished on a note of bitter lemon.

2020 Château Le Roc, by the glass at the Krisflyer Lounge, Heathrow Airport, 17 Mar 2023. Light medium, fleshing out with raspberries and wild berries but the fruit is set too far backward with a greater prominence of tensile acidity.

Champagne Charles de Cazanove Brut NV, on board SQ317 from LHR-SIN, 17 Mar 2023. Full presence of clear citrus and lime with a splash of ferrous elements, oozing with a trace of sweetness amidst the dry intensity. Drinking well.

2021 Oyster Bay Chardonnay, at the wedding of Jensen & Bea at JW Marriott, Singapore, on 18 Mar 2023. Pale, proffering morning dew and grassy elements with a distinct chalkiness that imparted a bit of glare on the medium palate, imbued with saline minerals.

2019 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Seventy Six Shiraz Cabernet, at the wedding of Jensen & Bea at JW Marriott, Singapore, on 18 Mar 2023. Deep garnet. Delicious sweet dark plums and currants dominate, underpinned by bold acidity. Easy forward balance, its potential heaviness offset by silky smooth tannins.

2009 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Vaucrains 1er, courtesy of Vic at Imperial Treasure Great World, 22 Mar 2023. Classic pinot tint. Subdued nose, more minerally with ferrous elements. Good presence of cool raspberries on the medium palate, well integrated with subtle acidity but lacking real depth. Moderate finish. I’d expected more.

2015 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, courtesy of Dr Ngoi at Imperial Treasure Great World, 22 Mar 2023. Pale. Very lovely bouquet of perfumed floral fragrance along with early notes of cedar and tropical fruit. The medium palate is highly refined and beautifully integrated with excellent clarity and precision, boasting elegant aromatic white tones and nutmeg that linger with controlled intensity, tinged with traces of salinity. One of the very best examples of this wine. Superb.

2017 Hospices de Beaune Beaune cuvée Maurice Drouhin, courtesy of Dr Ngoi at Imperial Treasure Great World, 22 Mar 2023. Good colour. Rosy fragrance of red fruits and summer hay on the nose, though the fruit is decidedly backward on the medium palate, resulting in some reticence not helped by its dryish tannins. Fleshed out with greater fullness and lovely balance after a couple of hours with a distinct note of mocha.

2015 Domaine Francois Lamarche Échezeaux Grand Cru, courtesy of Dr Ngoi at Imperial Treasure Great World, 22 Mar 2023. Good colour. Raspberries and dark rose petals on the nose with a dash of incense. Medium-bodied. Surprisingly backward, though the unobtrusive tannins add up to good refinement and delineation. But it really can do with more fruit.

2008 Domaine Potinet-Ampeau Volnay Clos des Chênes 1er at Imperial Treasure Great World, 22 Mar 2023. Classic pinot tint. Good lift of perfumed rosy fragrance tinged with cedar and cinnamon, while haw and plummy red fruits dominate amidst a high-toned acidity on the medium palate, displaying excellent freshness and refined detail. Distinctly feminine.

2006 Domaine Meo Camuzet Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Boudots 1er, courtesy of Boon at Imperial Treasure Great World, 22 Mar 2023. Classic pinot tint. Lifted in red fruits, plums and haw that came from a medium-full presence of cool ripe fruit imbued with velvety warmth. Wonderfully, whole, displaying lovely elegance and balance all the way to its gentle lingering finish. Very classy.

2003 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Perrières 1er, courtesy of Boon at Imperial Treasure Great World, 22 Mar 2023. Classic pinot tint. Haw and ferrous elements on the nose whilst red fruits dominate on the medium palate with gentle intensity and supple freshness, missing real depth and complexity as it drew up to a short finish though there is no sign of heat stress.

2006 Domaine Emmanuel Rouget Nuits-Saint-Georges, courtesy of Boon at Imperial Treasure Great World, 22 Mar 2023. Classic pinot tint, proffering a rosy fragrance that took on greater aromatic lift over time, leading to a medium palate imbued with cool ripe fruit that exude a wonderfully controlled intensity and freshness, structured with excellent refinement and precision. Moderate finish. Very lovely.

2013 Domaine Faiveley Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru, courtesy of Dr Ngoi at Imperial Treasure Great World, 22 Mar 2023. Good colour. Subdued rosy fragrance. Quite fleshy, structured with good refinement and clean definition though the fruit is far too backward for a grand cru, rather narrow as well, lacking depth and dimension. Developed a little more presence after some time but it remained short.

2013 Domaine Faiveley Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, courtesy of Dr Ngoi at Imperial Treasure Great World, 22 Mar 2023. Great colour. Effusive floral fragrance with fine intensity of fruit on the medium palate, though lacking true depth and layering, invariably short as well. A far cry from its 2009 and 2010.

1996 Château Lynch-Bages, courtesy of MH at Imperial Treasure Great World, 22 Mar 2023. Deep crimson. Effusive complex of capsicum, blueberries, violets and black currants amid an attractive barnyard pungency, exerting supple intensity on a fleshy medium palate imbued with sleek velvety tannins and refined power. Impeccably proportioned with lovely elusive charm. Doesn’t call attention to itself. Thoroughly superb, caught at its absolute peak.

2005 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er, courtesy of John after hours, 24 Mar 2023. Deeper pinot tint. Powerful bouquet of plummy tones, red fruits and menthol with an early note of sur-maturite. Medium-bodied. Highly supple and fleshy, structured with very refined tannins and sleek acidity, softly contoured with good inner detail. Doesn’t really plumb the depths but the balance is quite impeccable, consistent with its subdued intensity that adds to its feminine stance. Quiet finish. Approaching its peak.

2019 Nicole Lamarche Bourgogne Rouge. Aired in bottle for ninety minutes prior to dinner at Sin Chao Garden, 24 Mar 2023. My second bottle in as many months. Purplish hue. Faint fragrance of roses, cherries and raspberries. Softly contoured. A tad too relaxed and laidback at first before gaining traction as it warmed up with an attractive intensity of mulberries and currants, showing fine detail and purity with unobtrusive tannins. Distinctly feminine. Demands plenty of time and proper stemware.

2016 Château Carbonnieux Blanc, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 25 Mar 2023. Light greenish. Keen bouquet of complex citrus with a perfumed floral fragrance from a dense body of fruit, displaying excellent fullness and acidity with a teasing intensity, yielding good detail and precision before giving way to an emerging austere minerality, basking in a glowing lingering persistence. Good stuff.

2015 Château Nenin, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 25 Mar 2023. Deep garnet. Attractive nose of cocoa, mocha, dark currants and sweet black berries. Surprisingly supple, structured with soft but tightly knit tannins that exert lovely biting intensity with understated acidity on the darkish palate, finishing with refined length and linearity. Approachable though best to lay down for another 8-10 years.

2019 Domaine Jean-Philippe Fichet Meursault Vieilles Vignes Bourgogne Blanc. Aired in bottle for ninety minutes prior to dinner at home, 29 Mar 2023. Pale greenish hue. Soft floral characters and morning dew on the nose while frangipani and clear citrus dominate on the palate with a warm rounded fullness, coloured with buttery créme de la créme in the background that exude gentle sweetness, very beautifully integrated with lovely freshness and acidity. Drinks well above its classification.