Aug 2023: 2016 Jean Chartron St-Aubin 1er, 1990 Vega Sicilia Unico, 2016 Chasse-Spleen, 1999 Robert Ampeau Auxey-Duresses 1er, 2019 Pierre Gelin Fixin, 1995 Krug

Champagne Christopher Mignon ADN de Meunier Brut Nature NV, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 03 Aug 2023. Luminous golden hue. Zesty bouquet of citrus and mandarins with mild yeasty overtones. Fine density of ripe grapefruit and pineapples that exert refreshing dry intensity, yielding delectable inner detail of nectarine.

2019 Domaine Pattes Loup Chablis Vent D’Ange, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 03 Aug 2023. Golden greenish hue. Fairly effusive in longans and tropical fruits. Medium-full. Quite lively with a lovely rounded teasing intensity, imbued with good inner definition and refined acidity. Gelled together with sleek intensity.

2019 Maison Morey Blanc Saint-Romain Sous le Château, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 05 Aug 2023. Greenish golden. Quite effusive in clear citrus, lime and fresh morning dew, producing good lift. Cleanly structured with refined clarity and definition, very well integrated with controlled intensity of fruit. Great value.

2016 Château Chasse-Spleen, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 03 Aug 2023. Dark crimson. Some early secondary development is evident amongst its excellent expanse of dark plums and wild berries, showing very good refinement without any jarring edges. Quite seamlessly integrated with rounded elegance. Excellent value.

Champagne Bollinger PN TX17 Extra Brut, courtesy of Russ at Jade Palace, 07 Aug 2023. Lovely golden luminosity, displaying full presence of intense clear citrus with light overtones of lemongrass coupled with a yeasty pungency. Brightly lit with cool refreshing zest. Not too dry, fleshing out very well with rounded tones. Excellent.

2019 Domaine Jean Chartron Saint-Aubin Murgers des Dents de Chien 1er, courtesy of Russ at Jade Palace, 07 Aug 2023. A little shy at first, opening with recessed cool white tones that boast fine transparency and clear acidity. Gained traction after an hour, gradually increasing in intensity and detail of pineapples and lychees. Great value.

1990 Vega Sicilia Unico, courtesy of Dolly at Jade Palace, 07 Aug 2023. Decanted on-site. Opaque brownish-red, exuding a deep minty glow laced with a sharp attack of spice. Rather tight and disjointed initially as its crisp acidity cut through the medium-full palate with rasping intensity. Took quite a while to gel together, fleshing out with a lush warm ripeness, boasting a deep core of dark plums and cedary characters. Patience is required.

2002 Château Léoville Las-Cases, aired in bottle for ninety minutes ahead of dinner at Otto Ristorante, 08 Aug 2023. Deep garnet. Rather leathery on the nose along with black truffles and cedar. Medium-full rounded presence, structured with svelte tannins that oozed with some sweetness, displaying sleek intensity from its darkish depth with undertones of mocha and dried mushrooms. Probably at its drinking best.

Rockford Black Shiraz (2012 disgorgement). Popped and poured over dimsum at Wah Lok, 10 Aug 2023. Deep syrah character of ripe dark plummy fruit and black currants in that unmistakable warm Barossa signature. Wonderfully fresh and rounded with just the right level of dry intensity, layered with overtones of raspberries, enamel and that fabulous note of liqueur within a sheen of soft refined bubbles. Better than a previous encounter from the same carton.

2019 Jean Pascal et Fils Auxey-Duresses, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 12 Aug 2023. Deep greenish hue, glowing bouquet of floral aromas, distant green fruits and clear citrus. Good rounded presence, layered with a deeper distilled intensity of fruit and controlled acidity that impart subdued tension.

2017 Xavier Monnot Beaune Les Toussaints 1er, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 03 Aug 2023. Darkish color. Medium rounded presence of cherries and raspberries, softly contoured with a delicious relaxed charm, just a little forward in vibrant fruit, drinking very well with just a tinge of herbaceous inner detail.

2019 Louis Jadot Macon-Villages over dinner at home, 13 Aug 2023. Very fine presence of peaches, green melons and light tropical fruits laced with understated acidity and ferrous elements, displaying cool ripeness with a rounded elegance.

2016 Domaine Rolet Père et Fils Crémant du Jura Coeur de Chardonnay Brut, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 26 Aug 2023. Light greenish hue. Inviting floral elements tinged with nutmeg, preserved olives, lemon and pomelo. Very good rounded fullness, boasting a sheer sheen of very fine bubbles with understated acidity and intensity. Not too dry. Good length.

2019 Domaine Pierre Gelin Fixin, by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 26 Aug 2023. Beautifully deep pinot tint. Attractive nose dark plums and rose petals with a savoury dash, delivering excellent presence of cool dark berries within a frame of tightly knit sweetish tannins. Superbly integrated, yielding fine detail though its depth is somewhat attenuated, tapering with excellent linearity to a glowing minty finish. Really excellent.

1999 Domaine Robert Ampeau et Fils Auxey-Duresses 1er Ecusseaux, aired in bottle for ninety minutes ahead of lunch at Imperial Treasure Great World, 27 Aug 2023. Evolved crimson. Quite richly imbued with delicious red fruits and plums with darkish verve, its slick acidity still imparting excellent freshness and tension. Very well balanced with sleek tannins that yield fine definition in a harmonious glow. Much better than a previous bottle tasted in April this year.

1995 Champagne Krug, courtesy of KC at San Shu Gong, 30 Aug 2023. Deep golden. Highly alluring nose of mature citrus, its gently reductive yeasty tones contrasting well against a glazed chalkiness, leading to an open palate marked by lively acidity and freshness of fruit that display refined cohesion and understated intensity within a sophisticated sheen of very fine bubbles. Excellent.

2015 Domaine Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc, courtesy of SCo at San Shu Gong, 30 Aug 2023. Fullish oily presence of olives, nutmeg and pineapples, developing early secondary characters. Well structured with a bit of peppery finish.