July 2023: 2000 Domaine de Chevalier, 2002 Margaux, 2002 La Mission Haut-Brion 2015 Didier Dagueneau La Mont Damné, 2000 Sociando-Mallet, 2010 Château Cissac, 2004 Pichon Longueville Comtesse Lalande

2014 DuMol Lia Russian River Vineyard Viognier, courtesy of LF at Long Ji Zi Char, 04 July 2023. Pale golden. Powdery white tones of vanilla on the nose. Medium weight, imbued with some creaminess, displaying good clarity underpinned by distinct austere minerals.

2016 Domaine Paul Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet La Romanée 1er, courtesy of Vic at Long Ji Zi Char, 04 July 2023. Pale. Classic Chassagne signature lift on the nose. Excellent presence of clear citrus that impart delicate teasing intensity with good transparency.

2009 Kistler Cuvée Catherine Occidental Italien Vineyard, courtesy of Bob at Long Ji Zi Char, 04 July 2023. Deep garnet. Powerful glossy sheen of dark fruits splashed with vanillin enamel. Generously layered with a bold dark presence, structured with ultra-smooth spicy tannins. Not for the faint-hearted.

2019 Domaine Philippe Livera Gevrey-Chambertin En Champs at Long Ji Zi Char, 04 July 2023. Very deep impenetrable crimson. Forward balance of delicious deep currants, dark cherries and ripe raspberries on the nose and medium-full palate. Well-extracted with plummy fruit and early cedary characters that exert smooth supple intensity, underpinned by just a trace of stern minerality. Surprisingly New World-ish in character. Not ready. The 2017s are drinking better at this stage.

2010 Kapcsándy Family Winery Endre State Lane Vineyard, courtesy of LF at Long Ji Zi Char, 04 July 2023. Cabernet blend from Napa. Very deep crimson. Glossy bouquet. Medium-full with a very ripe fleshy warmth, structured with velvety sweet tannins producing saturated mouthfeel.

1998 Bannockburn Pinot Noir, courtesy of CHS at Long Ji Zi Char, 04 July 2023. Clearly displaying some age, proffering a very lovely glowing bouquet of mature fruit with seamless layers of mocha, cinnamon and tea leaves of medium intensity. Still wonderfully fresh.

2000 Domaine de Chevalier Rouge. Aired in bottle for ninety minutes ahead of dinner at Wah Lok, 07 July 2023. Deeply coloured. Lifted aromas of currants, herbs, dark roses, spice and soy. Medium-full fleshy presence, still generously imbued with cool dark fruits laced with cutting acidity, supported by distinct earthy minerals that lend a darkish austerity. Fleshed out with lovely depth, weight and intensity, becoming more seamlessly integrated over time. Yet to peak.

2018 Domaine Jean et Sebastien Dauvissat Chablis 1er Vaillons, from the list of Centurion Haus, Singapore, over lunch on 08 July 2023. Dull golden. Nose of green fruits, dried plums and peaches, though more recessed and distant on the medium palate with a dryish presence. Fleshed out with refined presence with a tinge of salinity, more rounded and plump than usual for Chablis.

2014 Domaine Valentin Zusslin Riesling Pfingstberg Grand Cru, from the list of Centurion Haus, Singapore, over lunch on 08 July 2023. Dull golden. Intense bouquet of diesel fumes. Medium-full, open with ripe maturing citrus laid on a minerally bed, imparting a tinge of austerity amidst fairly crisp acidity, yielding good definition.

2002 Château Margaux, courtesy of Sir Bob over lunch at Centurion Haus, Singapore, on 08 July 2023. Tasted blind. Some age is evident from the colour and nose, a distant complex of mulberries, ripe wild berries and dark currants that immediately suggests Margaux. Quite sleek on the medium palate with rounded warmth, well balanced with a lovely controlled intensity. Fleshed out with very good presence amid overtones of pochai pills, just missing the charm, depth and layering of the very best years.

2002 Château La Mission Haut-Brion, courtesy of Sir Bob over lunch at Centurion Haus, Singapore, on 08 July 2023. Tasted blind. Deep ruby at the core. Restrained nose of distant red fruits. Medium weight with a distinct pebbly warmth that impart a bit of glare. Quite seamlessly integrated with restrained intensity, displaying fine definition and robust acidity, tapering with good linearity towards a moderate finish. Has a certain rustic feel.

2005 Château Lascombes, courtesy of LW at Imperial Treasure Great World, 10 July 2023. Deep purplish crimson. Alluring glow of rose petals, dark plums and red currants amid secondary characters of capsicum. Medium-full, structured with sweet svelte pliant tannins that offer cushioned intensity, showing good refinement and intensity with further notes of tea leaves and cedar. Drinking well, though it doesn’t quite possess the pedigree of a true deuxième cru.

2015 Domaine Didier Dagueneau Sancerre Le Mont Damné Chavignol, courtesy of Vic at Imperial Treasure Great World, 10 July 2023. Pale luminosity. This Loire opens with distant tropical fruit and cinnamon on the nose, a little reticent and light initially though excellent in clarity. Developed greater structure after an hour with a deeper vein of longans and crisp minerality tinged with a dash of saline, eventually fleshing out with delightful dry intensity.

2000 Château Sociando-Mallet at Imperial Treasure Great World, 10 July 2023. Deep garnet. This wine opens with whiffs of high-toned minerality leading to an open fleshy palate that exudes a distinctly relaxed feel almost to the point of nonchalance before rebounding with a gentle understated intensity. Fully mature in every way though the fruit has yet to start its autumnal decline, holding up well with a prominent note of capsicum. Has class, but just a little short. Another bottle tasted at Beng Thin on 23 July 2023 was appreciably better, absolutely correct in its mature tones, layered with well-developed fruit that is still fresh and fleshy, not drying out at all. At its best and will not improve any further.

Champagne Edouard Duval Noir D’Eulalie Brut NV, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, 12 July 2023. Delicate luminosity. Excellent nose of grapefruit, dense citrus and brioche leaping out of the glass, displaying superb zest and freshness with the cushioned intensity of very refined soft gentle bubbles on the richly-layered palate, developing a greater minerally presence over time. Finished well. Excellent.

2017 Evening Land Seven Springs Estate Chardonnay, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, 12 July 2023. Light greenish. Shut on the nose, proffering only glimpses of distant lime, citrus and green fruits on the medium palate with an equally minerally presence. Finished with a trace of sweet vanillin.

2020 Domaine Ballorin & F Marsannay Les Echezots, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, 12 July 2023. Very dark. Restrained nose of dark fruits and black currants. Well-extracted with generous proportions, its density of eucalyptus and mint (most unusual) almost saturating the palate with trailing spicy overtones.

2010 Château Cissac, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, 12 July 2023. Deep garnet. Muted on the nose but there’s no denying the density of black fruits and currants beneath, exuding just a tinge of peachy fragrance. Medium-full, featuring dark plummy fruit superbly integrated with pliant tannins and acidity that exert a lovely tensile presence. Excellent balance. Very sleek, slightly minerally, settling down with softer tones amid a tinge of capsicum. Evolving at a glacial pace. Very fine.

2003 Les Forts de Latour, decanted on-site at Origin Grill, 14 July 2023. Delicious cherries, red fruits and currants on the nose leading to a fresh supple intensity on the medium-full palate, infused with earthy elements that impart a distinct austerity. Structured masculine presence, exuding a lovely effusive glow of cedar, capsicum and tobacco that eventually morphed into the classic Pauillac signature, finishing on a note of exotic spices. At peak maturity. Has class and pedigree.

2020 Domaine Laroche Chablis Fourchaumes 1er, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, 15 July 2023. Greenish hues, delivering green fruits and dense yellow citrus with a floral accent on the medium palate with a delicate high-toned intensity. Structured with striking acidity and clarity. Good linearity and finish.

2020 Domaine de la Vougeraie Côte de Beaune Le Pierres Blanches Rouge, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, 15 July 2023. Darkish characters of black fruits tinged with bramble. Well-extracted and full, imparting a bit of rasping intensity on the floor, eventually smoothening out with fine tensile presence. A very modern approach.

2005 Château Haut-Marbuzet. Aired in bottle for three hours prior to dinner at the in-laws, 16 July 2023. Fairly deep garnet, proffering generous swathes of black fruits and dark plums on the nose and palate with robust masculine proportions, imbued with exotic spices that fill its finish with minty glow. Almost New World in style.

2021 Coldstream Hills Chardonnay, drunk over 19-20 July 2023. Pale greenish hue. Excellent presence of delicate citrus and white fruits with a distant floral accent underscored by refreshing acidity. Not too dry, displaying good inner definition. Another bottle drunk over dinner at Eastern House of Seafood, 29 July 2023, displayed even greater detail and delineation, infused with a very well integrated minerally presence that contrasted beautifully against the high-toned citrus fruit. Worth every penny whenever it’s on offer at only SGD27.

2004 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, decanted on-site at Brasserie de Saveurs, St-Regis Singapore, on 22 July 2023. Deep crimson. Highly attractive bouquet of plums, fresh cherries and red fruits tinged with tangerines. Classically structured with soft tannins, the cool ripe fruit already showing early autumnal characters with a distinct note of capsicum, stroking the medium palate with lush supple intensity underscored by a deeper vein of dark currants that taper to a gentle spicy glowing finish. At its best and will hold for several more years.

2003 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz. Double-decanted ahead of dinner at Asia Grand, 24 July 2023. Deep crimson. Dollops of warm ripe fruit on the nose and palate still laced with enamel and medicinal overtones, saturating the palate with a glowing minty freshness that truly belies its twenty years. Boldly structured with lively acidity, layered with mandarins and dense plummy fruit that is classic Barossa in every way, evolving at a glacial pace. Like a true syrah, this wine will probably need another twenty years before it’s anywhere near ready.

2021 M Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage, aired in bottle ahead of dinner at Long Ji Zi Char, 25 July 2023. Golden luminosity. Very fine presence of white tones, peaches, distant olives and nutmeg that impart excellent Rhône character. Well-balanced with refined clarity, finishing with traces of vanillin. Doesn’t try too hard. Satisfying. Great value at SGD27.

2016 Frédéric Magnien Morey-Saint-Denis Blanc Les Larrets, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 26 July 2023. Quite deeply coloured. Greenish hue. Rather shy, proffering just distant notes of chrysanthemum and tea leaves. Good presence of yellow orchard with a bit of oily density on the mid-palate. Very well delineated, fanning out with even chromatic tones laid on darkish undertones.

2017 Camille Giroud Vosne-Romanée Les Chalandins, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 26 July 2023. Darkish colour and tone. Inviting warm ripeness, proffering a perfumed floral fragrance lit with plummy overtones. There’s some discernible vanillin oak and enamel imparting a certain plasticity though that disappeared quite quickly as the fullish palate transformed into a lush expanse, structured with smooth unobtrusive tannins, developing true pinot character.

2020 Shaw & Smith M3 Adelaide Hills Chardonnay. Popped and poured over sushi at home, 30 July 2023. Light greenish hue. Excellent chardonnay character of dense white fruits and tangy citrus superbly integrated with sleek acidity and subdued minerals, laced with a dash of salinity. Beautifully fresh and energetic.