Clos Fourtet 2003/1996, 1996 Montrose, 2010 Pichon Baron, 1995 Château Margaux, 1998 Château La Gomerie

An evening of Bordeaux with The Professor at Ying, SICC, on 06 May 2026. The 1990s are really coming into their own now, having hit the 30-year mark, still holding up very well. Many thanks!

2023 Sandhi Central Coast Chardonnay, courtesy of Hiok. Pale. Effusive in green fruits and resinous hues though a little lean with moderate intensity, showing good focus and precision with a tinge of salinity.

2021 Domaine Jean-Chartron Puligny-Montrachet 1er Clos de la Pucelle. This monopole exudes a classic Puligny nose of sublime chalk and white floral hues from its glorious luminosity, very generously layered in citrus and pomelo that impart overtones of lemon bitters amid a glacial coolness.

2003 Château Clos Fourtet, courtesy of The Professor. Deep crimson, exuding a funky earthy pungency that I really like. Medium-full. Generous in mulberries and ripe wild berries, still imbued with lively acidity with a robust minerally base, displaying a bit of rustic character. From a super-hot vintage.

1996 Château Clos Fourtet, courtesy of Hiok. Opaque reddish brown. Quite reductive on the nose, while the ample palate shows a predominance of darkish forest notes with a smooth velvety sheen, structured with firm tannins that impart a bit of austerity. More integral after some time, finishing with a dash of mint.

2010 Château Pichon Baron Longueville, courtesy of KP Hui. Deep purple, boasting generous swathes of dark currants, raspberries and some red fruits but not heavy at all on the palate, highly integral with soft refined tannins that confer fine intensity and lithe supple succulence. One senses a certain pedigree but it is difficult to place at this stage, somewhat deceptive as it doesn’t quite show the classic Pauillac character.

1998 Château La Gomerie. Deep crimson. This wine exudes a lovely rosy fragrance, matched most appropriately by a feminine intensity and sublime acidity on the velvety palate. Wonderfully succulent and integral, glowing with impeccable balance. Someone thought it was a Lafite. It’s really that good.

1996 Château Montrose, courtesy of Vic. Evolved crimson. Very lovely on the nose, full of lively verve that carried fleshy layers of mature red fruits, dark currants and cinnamon underscored by fine tension and acidity that gelled together beautifully. Very impeccably proportioned and refined. Wonderfully integral yet unlikely to have peaked. Quite outstanding.

1995 Château Margaux, courtesy of WCY. Deeply coloured. This wine opens with an exuberant fragrance of supple darkish characters. Wonderfully lithe and fleshy within very finely-grained tannins that impart sustained tension, imbued with a deeper core of black fruits that deliver swathes of sweet dark currants. Beautifully balanced, making up for its modest length. Highly captivating.