April 2023: 2005 Château Duhart-Milon, 2021 Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Blanc, 2020 Garaudet Monthelie Sous Le Cellier, 2014 Philippe Chéron Clos des Varoilles 1er, 2004 Carpineto Vigneto Poggio Sant’ Enrico

2020 Domaine Florent Garaudet Monthelie Sous Le Cellier, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 01 April 2023. Light greenish with a profusion of attractive floral fragrance matched by very good presence of tangy citrus with a bit of biting intensity on the palate, eventually developing a gentle delicate tension, shining with refined clarity and freshness towards a glowing finish. Good finesse. Very correct.

2010 Château Cissac, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 01 April 2023. Deep garnet. Excellent density of dark plums, currants and wild berries tinged with menthol. Fairly aromatic. Medium-bodied. Structured with tightly knit tannins, slightly angular though neither gruff nor abrasive. Good acidity and grip, developing a bit of delicious coolness but still not quite ready.

2021 M Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Blanc, aired in bottle for two hours ahead of dinner on 02 April 2023, Crab At Bay.  Luminous hues. Bold in upfront white pepper, spice, nutmeg and white tones. Structured with smooth power and excellent density, developing cool icing and vanillin with further depth and layering, imbued with a distinct salinity. Great value!

2010 Château Chasse-Spleen, tasted 4-5 Apr 2023 at home. Deep opaque purple, featuring ripe raspberries, mulberries and currants. Highly aromatic, layered with very fine presence and depth of fruit, structured with dryish tannins that added to its inner definition. Fairly masculine. Good finish.

1999 Domaine Robert Ampeau et Fils Auxey-Duresses Ecusseaux 1er. Aired in bottle three hours ahead of dinner at Otto Ristorante, 06 April 2023. Mature red fruits and boiled plums on the nose with a distinct note of heated gravel and burnt cane sugar. Very lively on the medium-full palate, the fruit slightly at risk of being overwhelmed by the pronounced acidity before fleshing out with even supple intensity, yielding fine inner detail amid further notes of briar and wild berries.

2018 Domaine Bertrand Bachelet Maranges La Fussière 1er, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 14 Apr 2023. Darkish colour and tone. Fairly attractive nose of dark fruits and plums amid overtones of briar and bramble. Medium-full. Structured with fine acidity with a clean feel. Still rather tight.

Champagne Taittinger Brut Reserve NV, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 14 Apr 2023. Notes of burnt toast and wisps of gun smoke on the nose amid an effusive icy glow, boasting very good density of clear citrus that cut through with refreshing crispness and clarity, finishing with a tinge of bitter lemon.

2005 Château Duhart-Milon at David’s residence, 15 Apr 2023. Deep purple. Delicious dark berries, currants and tobacco on the nose, replete with the classic Pauillac signature. Fullish with fleshy supple intensity, already developing early notes of cedar and cinnamon. Structured with refined tannins, slightly sweet. Good finish.

1996 Château Lynch-Bages, courtesy of MH at David’s residence, 15 Apr 2023. Deep garnet core. Mature glow of green capsicum and earth with a certain elusive charm. Very open with a relaxed feel on the medium palate, softly contoured with an even moderate intensity of dark fruits.

1996 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, courtesy of Alan at David’s residence, 15 Apr 2023. Deep garnet core. Distant herbaceous notes amid darkish characters on the nose. Seamlessly structured with supple fleshy intensity, displaying an open ripe plummy warmth. Good balance though there isn’t much depth, the fruit beginning to fade a little.

2004 Carpineto Vigneto Poggio Sant’ Enrico Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Aired in bottle prior to dinner at home, 17 April 2023. Deep purple. This wine appears to have turned the corner, the tannins now considerably softer and gentler, yielding true sangiovese tones of raspberries and rose petals in soft focus on a base of sandy gravel, open with delicious subtle detail. At its best.

Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut NV. Poured from magnum at Solo Ristorante, Singapore, on 18 Apr 2023. Pale. Highly aromatic in dense citrus, lemon and pomelo that is well-replicated on the palate with refreshing zest and fine detail, oozing with great verve and intensity before settling down with glacial tones and subtle buttery characters.

2015 Domaine Thibert Père et Fils Pouilly-Loché En Chantone, aired in bottle ahead of dinner at Crab At Bay, 23 Apr 2023. Generous nose and body of lime and clear citrus laced with crisp cutting acidity laid on a dense minerally base. Fleshed out with more of ferrous elements amid pears and white fruits. Well-balanced with refreshing zest.

2014 Domaine Philippe Chéron Gevrey-Chambertin Clos des Varoilles 1er. Aired in bottle for three hours ahead of lunch at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 24 Apr 2023. Slightly darkish in tint and tone. Medium-full. Rounded with good presence of mulberries and wild berries, its acidity fairly pronounced at first before morphing into a refined supple entity, fleshing out with a deep dark rosy intensity, well-integrated with substantial power. Long minty finish. Excellent potential. No wonder Prieuré-Roch has bought over this entire monopole, its inaugural vintage of 2020 jacked up to SGD800 per bottle.

2016 Domaine Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin Mes Cinq Terroirs. Popped and poured from magnum at A Symphony of Passions Gala Dinner, 29 Apr 2023, at Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore. Opaque purple. Nose of raspberries, dark cherries and wild berries. Suitably ripe, exuding rose-scented aromas. Surprising soft and rounded in spite of the large format bottling, displaying refined presence of fruit with understated acidity underpinned by sweet subtle tannins.

2016 Domaine Lucien Muzard et Fils Santenay Maladière 1er Rouge. Aired for ninety minutes prior to dinner at Liang Kee, 30 Apr 2023. Attractive soft floral aromas of dark roses and cherries amid some briar. Nicely rounded and supple, structured with unobtrusive smooth tannins that exert mild intensity, displaying good depth and layering with a dash of stems. Drinking well.