Nov 2023: 2020 Château Laffitte Carcasset, 1995 Charles Heidsieck Blanc Millenaires, 2005 J J Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Aus, 2010 Domaine de L’Arlot V-R Les Suchots, 2016 Weingut Rings Kallstadter Steinacker 2001 Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet

2020 Château Laffitte Carcasset. Double-decanted three hours ahead of dinner at Crab At Bay, 02 Nov 2023. Very deep purple. Restrained nose of dark currants, black cherries and mulberries. Well-crafted with very fine sophistication, boasting refined tannins with ample depth of fruit and youthful intensity, imbued with graphite minerals that added lovely tension. Impeccably balanced without any jarring edges. Great ageing potential. A real steal at SGD45 all-in.

2005 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste. Aired in bottle for four hours prior, followed by additional decanting at The Astor Grill, St Regis Singapore, 04 Nov 2023. Fairly deep garnet. Raspberries and mulberries dominate with a cool delicious freshness. Well developed with leathery textures and svelte tannins, displaying refined attack and supple intensity with a deep plummy glow of early tertiary development though I find the acidity a little too striking, resulting in some angularity despite all that aeration.

2003 Domaine Leflaive Bourgogne, courtesy of Stephen at The Four Seasons, Singapore, 08 Nov 2023. Dull golden. Evolved tones of mature chalk and glacial mint, slightly recessed and creamy. Good balance but short.

2001 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru, courtesy of Sir Bob at The Four Seasons, Singapore, 08 Nov 2023. A little dull in colour, but the nose is beautifully lifted with golden fruit and lychees that confer cool glacial tones amid distant chalk. Very refined and elegant with subtle depth, developing further notes of rye and white fruits. Immaculately proportioned. Superb.

2005 Weingut Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese Goldkap, courtesy of Kieron at The Four Seasons, Singapore, 08 Nov 2023. Deeper tint of gold, exuding attractive diesel tones that contrasted beautifully against the controlled sweetness of apricot and nectarine on the medium palate, boasting slick acidity and fluid detail. Highly elegant.

2015 Weingut Markus Molitor Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett Riesling, courtesy of Hak Mien at MH’s party, Orchard Residences, 12 Nov 2023. Pale. Fair dense bouquet of petroleum fumes. Very good presence of complex lime, citrus fruit and peaches, showing excellent lift and acidity with a controlled sweetness.

Champagne Roger Coulon Heri-Hodie 1er Extra Brut NV, courtesy of Clarissa at MH’s party, Orchard Residences, 12 Nov 2023. Light golden. Lovely sharp lift of flint, gun smoke and pomelo matched by a full supple presence of dense citrus with sweetish undertones supported by a subdued minerally base. Drinking well.

2012 Horst Sauer Escherndorfer Am Lumpen Silvaner Grosses Gewachs, courtesy of Yuh Shan at MH’s party, Orchard Residences, 12 Nov 2023. Dull golden. Warm flinty lift of lemon and dense citrus amid overtones of heated gravel, saturating the palate with intense presence of fruit and austere ferrous elements.

2014 Champagne Bollinger La Grande Année, courtesy of Vivien at MH’s party, Orchard Residences, 12 Nov 2023. Dull golden. Subdued reductive characters with alluring deeper tones, displaying excellent balance with sharp definition and fine precision. Lovely refinement.

1995 Champagne Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires Brut, courtesy of Lincoln at MH’s party, Orchard Residences, 12 Nov 2023. Superb reductive pungency, exuding an elusive alluring complexity. Medium depth, slightly darkish. Highly integral with a refined understated acidity, boasting elegant lift and intensity.

2012 Château Bourgneuf at MH’s party, Orchard Residences, 12 Nov 2023. Deep garnet. Love lift of plummy red fruits and dark currants. Softly contoured with supple tannins tinged with a dash of varnish. Good clarity. Excellent merlot character.

2010 Château Beychevelle, at MH’s party, Orchard Residences, 12 Nov 2023. Deep purple. Medium-full. Warm darkish intensity of supple black fruits underscored with sweet sandalwood within an understated tannin structure. Good Saint-Julien character.

2017 Far Niente Cabernet Sauvignon, courtesy of Yuh Shan at MH’s party, Orchard Residences, 12 Nov 2023. Deep garnet. Very deep dark intensity of ripe black fruits and currants amid undertones of smouldering ember. Generously proportioned with masculine tannins. Not ready.

2017 Château Rauzan-Segla, courtesy of Thomas at MH’s party, Orchard Residences, 12 Nov 2023. Deep purple. Open with supple tannins, generously endowed with ripe wild berries and currants. Good balance though there is a certain attenuation in depth, resulting in a bit of glassiness.

2014 Silver Oak Alexander Valley, courtesy of LF at MH’s party, Orchard Residences, 12 Nov 2023. Poured from magnum. Very deep purple, exuding overtones of malt, menthol and rye with a restrained cool ripeness. Very even presence of fruit dressed in silky smooth tannins though only moderate in depth.

2014 Otazu Bond, courtesy of MH at his party, Orchard Residences, 12 Nov 2023. Poured from magnum. Deep garnet. This personal wine of ours has definitely turned the corner, proffering warm gravel cushioned by a velvety fullness while early secondary characters dominate on the open palate, structured with delicate tannins that lend lean definition and fine inner clarity amid a gentle splash of licorice.

2017 Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de la Marechale Blanc 1er monopole, courtesy of Alvin at Jade Palace, 17 Nov 2023. Sheen of cool icing amid peaches, fig and pines. Fairly full, displaying excellent presence and depth with clean textures and sharp acidity.

2017 Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de la Marechale Rouge 1er monopole, courtesy of Alvin at Jade Palace, 17 Nov 2023. Looks more evolved in colour than it actually is. Gentle feminine lift of red fruits, lightly perfumed. Medium weight. Highly integral and seamless without the usual sandy trait of NSG. Short finish.

2008 Champagne Louis Roederer Blanc de Blancs, courtesy of Alvin at Jade Palace, 17 Nov 2023. Pale. Cool glacial tones with an inviting minerally depth, providing great contrast against the brazen dry intensity of clear citrus and bitter pomelo. Almost Krug-like.

2002 Champagne Dom Pérignon, courtesy of Sir Bob at Jade Palace, 17 Nov 2023. Pale golden. Open with supple intensity of light melons and gentle citrus that impart moderate depth. Highly integral. Still remarkably youthful and lively.

2016 Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chaumes 1er Clos de la Truffière, courtesy of Raymond at Jade Palace, 17 Nov 2023. Good colour. Distinct overtones dried orange peel on the nose whilst distant white tones dominate on the medium palate with refined intensity and clarity, turning a little more minerally over time.

2018 Domaine Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet Les Perrières 1er, courtesy of Sir Bob at Jade Palace, 17 Nov 2023. Pale golden. Restrained fruit. Inviting cool glacial depth. Slightly reductive on the medium-full palate, displaying clean lean definition with subtle inner detail and intensity. Good refinement but still tight.

2016 Weingut Rings Kallstadter Steinacker Spätburgunder, courtesy of Alvin at Jade Palace, 17 Nov 2023. Tasted blind. This wine exuded a highly refined glow of glorious red fruits and plums, already hinting at some early complexity. Softly contoured with superb suppleness, impeccably balanced with just the right degree of acidity and tannin structure. Has poise and pedigree. We all thought it was a burgundy grand cru.

2010 Domaine François Lamarche La Grande Rue Grand Cru, courtesy of Alvin at Jade Palace, 17 Nov 2023. Crimson tint. Deep intoxicating bouquet of alluring ripe cherries, currants and haw. The high-toned mid-palate is quite richly endowed with refined fruit that impart very fine definition and supple intensity, structured with tannins not yet fully resolved. Surprisingly short.

2006 Champagne Leopoldine, courtesy of CHS at Jade Palace, 20 Nov 2023. Dull golden. Slightly burnished tone of brioche and honeysuckle, displaying excellent fullness and refreshing intensity of clear and yellow citrus. Decent weight, developing some glazed secondary characters.

2012 Champagne Boërl & Kroff, courtesy of CJ at Jade Palace, 20 Nov 2023. Pale. Reductive pungency with dense flinty overtones. Full palate of complex of ripe tropical fruits and intense citrus, utterly delicious, underscored by high-toned acidity with moderate yeasty undertones, settling down eventually with a cool placid expanse.

2015 Domaine Henri Boillot Meursault Les Genevrières 1er at Jade Palace, 20 Nov 2023 Pale golden hue, evoking delicate grassy elements and nutmeg with distant cool tones. Medium-full, displaying slick oily density and acidity, showing excellent clarity and cohesion. Perhaps just a little more expressive on the nose whereas the mid-palate took on a bit of shiny glare after some time, laced with traces of vanillin and saline.

2005 Domaine de Montille Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, courtesy of Sanjay at Jade Palace, 20 Nov 2023. Pale. Surprisingly muted on the nose though the medium palate offers fine clarity and definition of fruit, more reductive than plump, exuding a glacial coolness with dryish intensity and further notes of malt. This is the inaugural vintage of Montille’s Corton-Charlemagne, where a magnum tasted over lunch at the domaine in 2017 was truly memorable.

2019 “Y” d’Yquem, courtesy of Chee Fong at Jade Palace, 20 Nov 2023. Pale. Faint notes of banana and brioche on the nose. Far more expressive on the palate where mangoes, preserved pineapples and a distinct note of durians dominate with an exquisite slick fullness, capped with mint and green capsicum amid a dash of oiliness, developing a glowing glacial coolness towards its finish. Superb.

2012 Marcassin Sonoma Pinot Noir, courtesy of LF at Jade Palace, 20 Nov 2023. Darkish colour and tone, consistent with the heavier bouquet of glycerin and menthol. Medium weight. Supple with velvety tannins and ripe plummy tones, oozing a trace of sweetness. Good balance. Minty finish.

2012 Kosta Browne Koplen Vineyard, courtesy of LF at Jade Palace, 20 Nov 2023. Darkish colour. Well extracted, imbued with dark plummy fruit tinged with a hint of burnt and ember, boasting supple intensity with a menthol lift at its finish. Still rather tight.

2012 Domaine Bertagna Corton Grand Cru Les Grandes Lolieres, courtesy of Jimmy at Jade Palace, 20 Nov 2023. Deep purplish. Full but darkish characters dominate, though the palate exudes a certain brightness from the intense supple tannins. A little short as well.

2010 Domaine de L’Arlot Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots 1er, courtesy of Vic at Jade Palace, 20 Nov 2023. Evolved crimson. Superb bouquet of red fruits and cherries that carry well onto the medium palate. Wonderfully fresh and delicious, structured with pliant tannins that offer great clarity.

2010 Château Coutet, courtesy of Sanjay at Jade Palace, 20 Nov 2023. Surprisingly darkish in colour. Lifted burnished tone of nectarine, apricot and aged honey. Excellent cohesion. Still amazingly fresh with youthful intensity, supported by a slight minerally base.

Champagne Piper Heidsieck Essentiale Extra Brut NV at Changi Airport T3 Silver Kris Lounge, 21 Nov 2023. Light golden hue. Fullish dry intensity of lemons and clear citrus that cut through with crisp clarity, producing a bit of ferrous glare. Distinctly reductive.

2021 Domaine Louis Latour Pouilly-Fuissé, on board SQ279 Business Class SIN-ADL, 21 Nov 2023. White floral notes dominate amid overtones of nutmeg and earthy diesel. Medium weight. Slightly lean and terse but imbued with lovely freshness and clean textures. Reductive finish.

2016 Château Clos du Moulin, on board SQ279 Business Class SIN-ADL, 21 Nov 2023. Earthy. Medium weight. Softly contoured with cool ripe fruit that is slightly darkish with charred elements, proffering good detail. Highly serviceable.