Ric's Wine Journal

2019 Domaine du Roc des Boutires Pouilly-Fuissé Aux Bouthière. Tasted 2-3 Mar 2022. Pale golden. Delicate intensity of clear citrus, green fruits and melons supported by sleek acidity and well-integrated ferrous elements. Rounded with superb tensile presence. Great potential. Deserves proper ageing.

2014 Francoise Chauvenet Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge. Popped and poured from the list of The Tavern, 04 Mar 2022. Light rosy hues against a darker medium-full palate of blueberries, dark cherries and cedar, displaying rounded contours and well-managed tannins with a rustic presence. Developed further density of floral characters and smoked meat with a sweet velvety intensity before shedding its fat, attaining a classic pinot poise with fine definition.

2019 Domaine Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin Les Banc. From the list of 67 Pall Mall Singapore, 05 Mar 2022. Pale greenish. Effusive in morning dew and green citrus, displaying an intense reductive character with gleaming clarity and structured intensity. Superbly refined as it settled down with a delicate dry chiseled quality.

2012 Domaine Philippe Livera Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Village. From the list of 67 Pall Mall Singapore, 05 Mar 2022. Deep crimson. Beautifully integrated and balanced, deeply inviting. Imbued with an abundance of dark plummy fruit laced with sleek understated acidity, revealing darkish inner detail as it traversed the palate with superb length and linearity to a finish marked by early secondary characters of cedar and plums. Excellent, really.

2019 Domaine Jean-Philippe Fichet Bourgogne Blanc Vieilles-Vignes. Popped and poured at Liang Kee, 06 Mar 2022. Pale. Effusive sheen of vanillin with full chromatic white tones. Silky smooth. Developed more of intense yellow citrus and tropical fruits with a certain stoniness before opening up with fine inner detail amid an understated sweet intensity.

2000 Château Sociando-Mallet. Decanted at home, 08 Mar 2022. Dark purple. Raspberries, distant red fruits and dark currants dominate amid strong overtones of capsicum, bramble and woody elements. Medium-full. Fairly rounded, laced with well-defined acidity on a base of ferrous minerals that lent a distinct austerity to the palate, fleshing out only to a certain extent with a glimpse of sweet wild rose petals without going any further. Frustrating, given the vintage’s quality.

2018 Jim Barry Lodge Hill Shiraz, a carafé from the list of restaurant Claudine, 10 Mar 2022. Impenetrable deep garnet, proffering a dense bouquet of cool black fruits and dark currants that’s quite typical of Clare Valley shiraz. Opened up a little with a lovely biting intensity amid glowing tones of mocha, toffee and savoury roast, rounding off with a minty lift.

2018 Vasse Felix Filius Chardonnay, at the Singapore Airlines Krisflyer Lounge, Changi T3, on 11 Mar 2022. Effusive in peaches and fig with a smooth chalkiness. Medium-bodied. Distinctly minerally, imbued with some nutmeg. Fine clarity. Easy finish.

Champagne Jacquart Mosaïque Brut NV at the Singapore Airlines Krisflyer Lounge, Changi T3, on 11 Mar 2022. Clear and yellow citrus dominate with good presence, its very fine bubbles caressing the palate with a smooth dryness that tapered with fine linearity to a gentle flinty finish.

2016 Lyeth Sonoma County Red Wine at the Singapore Airlines Krisflyer Lounge, Changi T3, on 11 Mar 2022. Muted dark currants tinged with earth amid a dash of spice, structured with soft understated tannins imbued with discernible vanillin. A true merlot-dominant Bordeaux blend, but undistinguished.

2020 Schreckbichl Colterenzio Pinot Nero, from the list of Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill, London, on 13 Mar 2022. Fairly effusive in rosy hues. Softly contoured with very good presence of red fruits, cherries and rose petals. Has a certain concentrated depth and youthful intensity. Does its job.

Crémant de Bourgogne Veuve Ambal Grande Cuvée Brut NV, from the list of Rules restaurant, London, 15 Mar 2022. Dull golden. Excellent dry presence. Rather full, layered with complex citrus and fig amid mild yeasty undertones. Distinctly more pungent on the nose over time, developing further notes of grapefruit on the palate. Drinking well.

2014 Rugra Scajeta Monferrato Rossi, from the list of restaurant Majenta, London, on 16 Mar 2022. Predominant red fruits and mandarins with a bright forward presence. Fleshed out with soft supple textures amid a growing understated sweet intensity, imbued with gentle delicious plummy tones with charred elements.

2016 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits-Saint-Georges Vieilles Vignes, from the list of 67 Pall Mall, London, on 17 Mar 2022. Darkish. Weighty in dark fruits and currants. Well-extracted with controlled intensity. Considerably more dryish over time, displaying good structure and precision. Delicious, but requires further cellaring.

2019 Caroline Morey Chassagne-Montrachet Chambrees, tasted by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 23 Mar 2022. Greenish hue with muted green tones and fig on the nose though there is an excellent expanse of green fruits and citrus on the palate, structured with tight intensity at first before settling down with more open detail, supported by a subdued chalkiness. Deserves more time to sort itself out.

2015 Saffron Fields Vineyard Pinot Noir, tasted by the glass at 67 Pall Mall, Singapore, on 23 Mar 2022. Deep crimson. Resolutely shut on the nose. The busy medium-full palate is well extracted with rounded intensity, slightly stern with dominant darkish tones that refused to open up. Doesn’t quite hit the mark for pinot noir.

2020 Shaw & Smith M3 Adelaide Hills Chardonnay. Aired in bottle for three hours prior to dinner at Ka Soh, 27 Mar 2022. Light greenish hue. Morning dew and wet grassy tones dominate on the nose. The palate is imbued with a broad expanse of fruit with overtones of nutmeg, dense minerally elements and white pepper that opened with good clarity before tightening up again with a controlled intensity, revealing some inner detail with lovely precision as it turned slightly chalkier and creamier. Deserves further cellaring.

2017 Château de Chamirey Mercurey La Mission 1er, courtesy of Dr Ngoi at Shinzo, 30 Mar 2022. Poured from magnum. Greenish hue. Effusive in gentle floral tones, light green fruits and citrus. Medium-full. Softly contoured, imbued with characters of preserved plums and nutmeg that convey a warm velvety sweetness with fine detail and understated structure.

2005 Château Gazin, courtesy of Dr Ngoi at Shinzo, 30 Mar 2022. Deep garnet. Effusive glow of mature dark plums and currants. Open, supple textures of cool dark fruits on an understated earthy base that exert exciting acidity, imparting lovely mouthfeel and length. Highly refined and elegant.

2019 Domaine Vincent Bouzereau Meursault at Shinzo, 30 Mar 2022. Pale greenish. This wine opens with delicate white tones and cool icing, teasing with further notes of tropical fruits as it evolved a rounded fullness with gentle depth. Developed an excellent dry presence over time, the palate basking in a long unhurried glowing finish that stretches forever. A real steal.

2006 Joseph Drouhin Montrachet Grand Cru Marquis de Laguiche, courtesy of Dr Ngoi at Shinzo, 30 Mar 2022. Deep golden, exuding a dry laid-back chalkiness with mature autumnal characters, structured with placid white tones and understated acidity that shone with cool regal elegance.

These wines are courtesy of my wonderful hosts in Sentosa island on the evening of 28 March 2022, who also laid on an array of homecooked tempura that easily rivals those Michelin-starred establishments in town. Every dinner there is always a memorable event – a perfect fusion of 色 (colour), 香 (aroma), 味 (flavour) – and this is no exception. Many thanks!!

2006 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rosé. Deeply colored. Dense aromas of apricot, citrus and mandarins tinged with orange peel, flooding the palate with excellent concentration of fruit that exert sweet supple intensity, supported by charred elements that added further dimension.

2014 Château Haut-Brion Blanc. Light golden. Effusive in sleek white floral tones still laced with appreciable vanillin and distant overtones of paraffin. The palate displays a lovely tension from the sublime acidity exerted by the concentration of dense citrus, wonderfully fresh and delicate in its teasing intensity, eventually opening up to reveal fine clarity and early depth. Utterly seamless and understated in structure. Undoubtedly youthful but it does everything right, beautifully poised and elegant with a wonderful perfumed lift. Huge potential ahead. Extremely rare, this is the most sought-after Bordeaux dry white. Only 450-650 cases annually.

1999 Château Haut-Brion. Deep garnet with a bare rim of crimson. Most impressive right from the outset, proffering a superb bouquet of red currants, dark plums and mandarins, the latter an unique hallmark of this estate. The medium-full palate is plush and velvety, beautifully integrated with characters of soy and deep plummy tones caught at optimal ripeness and maturity, underscored by superb acidity that left a lasting impression. Superb by any standard. Probably the best 1999 Haut-Brion that I’ve had.

2014 Domaine Louis Jadot Musigny Grand Cru. Classic pinot tint, exuding a soft feminine glow of rose petals on the nose, amply delivered by a sizzling abundance of ripe red fruits currants on the medium-full palate imbued with sublime acidity and superb purity of fruit. Remarkably cool and elegant, somewhat understated in intensity probably from the contribution of subdued ferrous minerals within that developed further with characters of charred saline elements, glowing with open supple textures. Outstanding.

I had the distinct honour and pleasure of hosting Monsieur Jacques Devauges, the current winemaker of Domaine des Lambrays since 2019, at a private dinner at Imperial Treasure Great World, Singapore, on 26 March 2022. Jacques still recalls our visit to his cellar at Domaine du Clos de Tart four years ago (he had been winemaker there from 2015-18) where he had demonstrated his parcellaire approach to winemaking that involved splitting the entire monopole into eight subplots based on each unique micro-terroir, vinifying each separately before combining the cuvées together again to form the Grand Cru. Based on the mini-vertical that we’d assembled that evening, it is clear that Jacques’ method works, for the 2016 (made by Jacques and which we had tasted from barrel during our visit in 2017 [https://winebyric.com/2017/11/24/understanding-domaine-du-clos-de-tart/] clearly has a certain freshness and articulation that isn’t quite present in the 2012 and 2014. Jacques is so knowledgeable and passionate about his work that one cannot help but feel that Clos de Tart’s loss is Domaine des Lambrays’ immeasurable gain – he even managed to explain how and why biodynamic viticulture works in just five minutes. Thank you once again for honouring us with your presence, Jacques. This dinner will not be forgotten.

2010 Champagne Dom Pérignon. Great open presence of fig and green fruits. Softly contoured, layered with abundant clear citrus that yielded good lift with supple intensity. Superbly proportioned, culminating in a long sweet delicate glow. Highly successful.

2012 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart Grand Cru, courtesy of Dr Ngoi. Darker tinge of red. Fairly generous in red fruits and dark cherries on the nose. Medium-full. Still rather tightly-knit on the palate with more than a hint of austere ferrous minerals, though it softened considerably after two hours, becoming more streamlined and feminine with an emerging dash of violets within a frame of sweet structured tannins.

2014 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart Grand Cru. Dull red. Quite resolutely shut and austere on the medium-full palate. Distinctly sullen. Took a long time to open up with more inner detail tinged with a hint of spice, developing more soil and earthy tones as it became more subtly vibrant. Fleshed out eventually with bright pebbly tones, well-integrated and rounded with restrained purity.

2016 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart Grand Cru, courtesy of Vic. Restrained at first with a stern minerally presence before developing a rounded supple freshness that wasn’t so apparent in the 2012 and 2014. Quite seamlessly proportioned and integrated with a gentle teasing intensity from its abundant layers of red fruits that evoke rose petals, subtly structured with lovely purity. A shy elegant beauty set to blossom with age.

2001 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru, courtesy of Sir Bob. Dull golden. Gentle tones of mature grapefruit, apricot and citrus on the medium-bodied palate that shone with excellent clarity, imbued with superb subtle intensity and laidback secondary characters.

The great SC threw a lovely birthday lunch at Hamamoto on 22 March 2022, along with a couple of specially curated bottles that went along very well with the delicate Kyoto-inspired cuisine of chef Kazuhiro Hamamoto. Both whites exude a certain lightness and restraint that paired very well with the food while who would have imagined that a First Growth would be so utterly feminine and mellow? Many thanks, Sir, for a perfect afternoon.

2002 Champagne Dom Pérignon P2. Light golden, proffering delicate tones of clear citrus and fig on the nose while the medium-full palate exudes a refreshing lightness and clarity, laced with sleek acidity within subtle layers of white fruits and flinty minerals.

2005 Joseph Drouhin Montrachet Grand Cru Marquis de Laguiche, courtesy of Dr Ngoi. Poured from magnum. This wine opens with a delicate bouquet of white floral fragrance, almost shy, that belies the surprising explosion of fruit on the medium-full palate, imparting exquisite mouthfeel and a lovely biting intensity that teased with subtle detail. Unexpectedly extroverted, eventually settling down with regal elegance and restraint amid a dash of salinity though that wonderful tension and length remain undiminished. Excellent.

1990 Château Mouton Rothschild. Poured from magnum. Unfairly cast over the years as being unworthy of this stellar vintage, this claret has finally come into its own, absolutely resplendent in color and tone with subtle shades of soft red fruits on the nose whilst the medium-bodied palate is utterly smooth, its melted tannins allowing the elegant fruit to glow with lovely purity and poise. Distinctly feminine, gradually developing a rosy intensity with a trace of earthiness. Superbly integral. Doesn’t pack a punch but it doesn’t need to. Excellent.

2012 Champagne Roger Coulon Blanc de Noirs Brut Millésimé. Popped and poured, 01 Feb 2022. Great density of pomelo, bitter lemon and clear citrus imbued with an abundance of ferrous elements that cut through the palate with crisp dry intensity, leading to a stern austere finish. Hugely primal.

2017 Meerlust Rubicon. Popped and poured over brunch at Dorothy’s place, 02 Feb 2022. Deep purple. Initial notes of briar, bramble and dark forest characters. Fleshed out with greater suppleness and warmth and with more of deep dark plummy fruit, raspberries and currants to the fore, structured with refined acidity and precision.

2017 Domaine du Roc des Boutires Pouilly-Fuissé. Aired in bottle for more than two hours prior, 3-4 Feb 2022. Light greenish hue, exuding aromas of fig, pears and green fruits that lead to a generous expanse of high-toned citrus, offering good inner detail with tingling acidity that impart great verve and liveliness.

2017 Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet La Cardeuse 1er. Popped and poured at Jade Palace, 07 Feb 2022. This monopole red opens with a beguiling bouquet of rose petals and raspberries in soft focus, distinctly feminine, matching the wonderful freshness of fruit on the medium-weight palate laced with traces of ember, gaining further intensity with a more dominant salinity as it fleshed out with a ripe rounded warmth, unfurling its true pinot character. Beautifully balanced. Excellent.

2008 Champagne Taittinger Brut Millésimé, courtesy of Dr WKW. Popped and poured from the list of One Ninety Bar, Four Seasons Singapore, 09 Feb 2022. Effusive in fig, faint green fruits and honeysuckle, wafting across amid overtones of fresh cool icing. Medium-full, tinged with a distinct salinity at first before blossoming with open clarity, displaying inner detail of peaches and tropical fruits with lovely focus and intensity. Excellent.

2009 Château Malartic-Lagravière. Aired in bottle for more than three hours prior, 13 Feb 2022. Impenetrable deep purple, exuding a nose of black cherries, dark currants and brilliant graphite that is well-replicated on the medium-full palate, structured with supple tannins that impart velvety intensity with enough of the classic earthiness of Pessac-Leognan. Very refined. Still youthful. Excellent effort.

2006 Champagne Krug Brut, courtesy of Russ at San Shu Gong, 16 Feb 2022. Light golden. Very lovely deep burnished tone on the nose amid yeasty undertones with a good lift of cool notes, leading to a palate of complex citrus and pomelo set against a glazed chalkiness, showing signs of early maturity with a lovely dry intensity that seemed destined for a austere finish, to be replaced by delicious sweet tropical fruit. Excellent.

2014 Domaine Pierre Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet Les Cailleret 1er, courtesy of Russ at San Shu Gong, 16 Feb 2022. Pale, exuding buttery characters and brioche amid white tones. Medium-full, imbued with a rich oily density that imparted excellent definition and precision with a rounded lovely presence, finishing with great length and supple intensity. Superb.

2014 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Vosne-Romanée, courtesy of Russ at San Shu Gong, 16 Feb 2022. Classic pinot tint with a lovely bouquet of fresh raspberries and cherries tinged with ember and a hint of earth. Very correct in character, exerting an understated intensity amid subtle supple tannins with a distinct feminine elegance. Drinking beautifully.

2015 Domaine Thibert Père et Fils Pouilly-Fuissé En Chantone, aired for an hour in advance at San Shu Gong, 16 Feb 2022. Pale. Nose of fresh morning dew, matched with a rounded palate of clear citrus laced with a slight salinity. Layered with cool tones, showing some early complexity as it fleshed out with excellent rounded depth.

2005 Château Troplong Mondot, courtesy of Russ at San Shu Gong, 16 Feb 2022. Deep ruby. Intoxicating nose of dark tones, black fruits and bramble with a lovely warm ripeness, displaying excellent detail of charred wood and ash with superb supple intensity within a frame of sweet velvety tannins where a dash of vanillin is still discernible. Excellent.

Champagne Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve NV, at 67 Pall Mall Singapore, 17 Feb 2022. Poured from magnum. Generous in lime and pomelo, displaying superb lift and freshness with cool presence as it traversed the palate with smooth intensity. Not too dry.

2020 Shaw & Smith Adelaide Hills M3 Chardonnay, at 67 Pall Mall Singapore, 17 Feb 2022. Faint diesel, olives and earthy minerals dominate with pliant suppleness, displaying lovely glowing intensity with superb detail and precision. A busy wine with plenty of buzz but it is beautifully proportioned and correct in every way. Perhaps even better than the 2019. Excellent.

2020 Two Paddocks Pinot Noir, at 67 Pall Mall Singapore, 17 Feb 2022. Deep ruby. Delicious lift of ripe cherries and red fruits. Structured with pliant supple tannins amid dryish textures, glowing with excellent purity, length and intensity. More rounded and introspective over time.

2019 Stargazer Derwent Valley Chardonnay, at Burnt Ends, 18 Feb 2022. Very pale, but deeply floral on the nose with faint traces of lychee. Exerts lovely smooth intensity with a distinct saline acidity on the palate, underscored by a deep vein fruit with characters of nutmeg and summer hay. Good finish. From Tasmania.

Champagne L’ascendant, at Burnt Ends, 18 Feb 2022. Darkish shades. Open exotic nose of fresh berries with a reductive dryness. Very controlled, displaying an understated intensity of pineapples amidst an oily density laced with lovely smooth acidity, proffering excellent clarity and persistent length. Really good. From Grand Cru grapes of Verzy.

2007 Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Madonna del Piano at Burnt Ends, 18 Feb 2022. Deep garnet. Full-bodied. Well-extracted with a warm ripeness, exerting tensile presence with good integration and length. Still youthful.

2008 Black Puma Shiraz at Burnt Ends, 18 Feb 2022. Impenetrable red. Prunes, black currants and ripe dark berries dominate. Well-extracted with a rounded fullness, displaying a velvety warmth amid overtones of mocha and chocolate within a frame of dryish supple tannins, finishing with distinct alcoholic heat. This is controlled hedonism pushed to the limit.

2008 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz at Burnt Ends, 18 Feb 2022. Very dark, exuding cool ripe berries with remarkable restraint in spite of its obvious fullness. Rich and smoothly contoured, structured with svelte sophisticated tannins that impart sweet juicy succulence, displaying lovely balance and proportion. Excellent.

2006 Penfolds RWT at Burnt Ends, 18 Feb 2022. Very dark. Medium-bodied. Open with a dark restrained warmth, showing some early development amid a certain earthiness with undertones of diesel. Still far from ready.

2015 Domaine Georges Lignier et Fils Chambolle-Musigny. Popped and poured at Corner Grill, 22 Feb 2022. Generous bouquet of raspberries and dark cherries with a dash of earthy salinity, displaying a soft ample presence with lovely ripeness and rounded contours. Appropriately darkish for Chambolle, delivering good depth as it finished with sweet understated intensity. Quite excellent.

2009 Château La Tour de Mons. Popped and poured at Ka Soh, 27 Feb 2022. Rather thin at first with a pronounced acidity, fleshing out eventually with deeper tones of dark currants and raspberries that produce a certain graphite sparkle with a little more of the Margaux fragrance.

Champagne Piper-Heidsieck Brut NV. Popped and poured at Asia Grand, 01 Jan 2022. Sharp lift of intense yellow citrus amid gleaming chalky tones. Settled down with cool clear crystalline quality, yielding a light yeasty pungency before picking up in dry intensity, tightly structured with fine acidity.

2014 Domaine Pierre Damoy Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Tamisot. Popped and poured at Imperial Treasure Great World, 02 Jan 2022. Opaque dull purple. This village monopole exudes dark rosy hues and red fruits on the nose with a tinge of tobacco. Medium weight. Fleshy with supple intensity, laced with a trace of salinity. Well extracted. Developed further notes of dark cherries and bramble as it grew tighter with structured dusty tannins. Still not quite ready.

2005 Château Barde-Haut. Aired for almost an hour in bottle prior on 04 Jan 2022. Attractive red fruits and dark currants on the nose, seemingly delicious, though the medium-full palate has a certain powdery medicinal quality laced with tight high-toned acidity that rendered a somewhat disjointed angular mouthfeel, not helped at all by fruit that is a tad distant. Disappointing.

2004 Joseph Drouhin Grands Échézeaux Grand Cru. Popped and poured at Spring Court, 07 Jan 2022. Classic pinot tint. Restrained rosy fragrance. Softly contoured, imbued with dark fruits and earthy tones. Structured with fine precision and acidity but somewhat nondescript.

2014 The Otazu Bond at Spring Court, 07 Jan 2022. Comprises 60% cabernet sauvignon, 25% tempranillo and 15% merlot, blended by yours truly at Bodega Otazu and bottled in 150 magnums. Deep garnet, exuding delicious dark currants and early cedar with some bright spots. Medium-full, layered with abundant fruit still tinged with vanillin. Structured with supple intensity, developing softer contours after a couple of hours but still tightly coiled, turning a little austere towards the finish. Still not ready.

Champagne Krug Rosé NV, courtesy of MH at Spring Court, 07 Jan 2022. Popped and poured. Lifted earthy tones and grapefruit dominate with a rosy fragrance, exuding a fresh bright supple presence supported by subtle ferrous elements with emergent notes of sweet pomelo. (M).

2007 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny, at Spring Court, 07 Jan 2022. Classic pinot tint. Effusive nose of cherries and rose petals. Medium weight. Good presence and structure though somewhat firm and squarish, finishing with good linearity.

1998 Tenuta dell’Ornellaia Ornellaia, courtesy of John at Spring Court, 07 Jan 2022. Deep garnet. Cedar and dark fruits dominate with a tinge of vanillin and capsicum. Medium weight. Full and sleek, open with structured intensity, displaying excellent linearity with a cool minty persistence.

2018 Le Petit Cheval Blanc. Popped and poured at Spring Court, 07 Jan 2022. Very pale. Sweaty aromas amidst clear fruits. Rather light and delicate at first, fleshing out with some early tropical fruit whilst maintaining its highly subtle feminine intensity. Not truly distinctive at this stage though another bottle tasted on 28 Jan 2022 is more characterful, deliciously understated in petroleum vapour and orchard fruit with a highly refined controlled intensity of delicate white tones, not too dry, developing a distinct salinity while the fruit remains largely recessed. Still in its shell but this has the makings of a great Bordeaux white.

2006 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, courtesy of Dato’. Decanted on-site at Spring Court, 07 Jan 2022. Deep purple. Classic Bordeaux glow of dark fruits, gravel, capsicum and complex herbal elements. Medium-full. Open with rounded soft contours. Layered fleshiness, quite seamlessly integrated with fine acidity and cool characters. But probably best to wait another five years.

2008 Domaine Thibert Pouilly-Fuissé Les Ménétrières, courtesy of Vic at Spring Court, 07 Jan 2022. Popped and poured. Clear golden. White tones and vanillin dominate with cool open presence. Subtly structured with recessed minerality, displaying fine clarity with a chiseled complexity that gave way to a lovely warmth of lifted mandarins. (M).

2019 Shaw & Smith Adelaide Hills M3 Chardonnay. Popped and poured at Liang Kee, 09 Jan 2022. Pale. Quiet bouquet of cool ripe tropical fruits. Rather restrained at first on the palate before fleshing out with a subtle supple intensity of peaches, green fruits and tropical fruits, structured with cool precision and sublime acidity. Reminded me very much of a Roulot. Excellent, but it really deserves plenty of time and serious pairing.

2000 Château Sociando-Mallet. Aired in bottle for an hour prior at Ka Soh, 15 Jan 2022. Dark. Rather restrained on the nose, not revealing much. Full-bodied. Cleanly structured but rather terse, imbued with overtones of cedar and dry wood shavings on a backdrop of austere dusty tannins. Took another hour to develop more supple textures, eventually fleshing out with suave intensity and refined acidity. Still remarkably youthful, far from peaking. Clearly belongs at the same table as classified growths.

2014 Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot Bourgogne Blanc. Popped and poured at home to go with Beluga caviar, 16 Jan 2022. Pale greenish hue. Ample in tangy citrus and white fruits amid chalky undertones, developing further notes of brioche and glazed honeysuckle. Very correctly proportioned and seamlessly integrated with refined acidity without really calling attention to itself. One is really drinking the vintage.

2017 Domaine Philippe Livera Gevrey-Chambertin En Champs. Popped and poured at Burlamacco (East Coast), 25 Jan 2022. Quite darkly coloured. Good extraction of cool ripe fruit, revealing excellent supple presence of dark roses, black cherries, raspberries and currants with refined acidity and underrated intensity. Very subtly structured, evolving with a certain feminine grace and restraint towards its true pinot character with a trace of salinity, displaying lovely purity. A village, no doubt, but it commands respect.

2018 Domaine Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin La Princée, courtesy of Dato’ at Praelum, 27 Jan 2022. Light golden hue. Fresh clean notes of crème de la crème and white tones. Subtly layered with delicate intensity, tapering with fine linearity to a glowing finish of white pepper.

SAS Rouget Père et Fils Crémant de Bourgogne Brut, courtesy of Dato’ at Praelum, 27 Jan 2022. This sparkling wine exudes a lovely nose of melons and green fruits with mild yeasty tones. Somewhat lean but cleanly structured, caressing the palate with soft smooth bubbles, displaying good refinement and clarity with a tinge of austere minerals and a discernible hint of darker fruit, more rounded with time. From the négociant arm of Emmanuel Rouget; probably the only thing from Rouget that’s affordable.

2010 La Gibryotte Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, aired in bottle at Praelum, 27 Jan 2022. Darkish bouquet, promising a well-extracted palate of warm ripe berries, dark plums, currants and bramble that exert supple intensity, structured with succulent tannins. Developed drier textures of medicinal herbal elements tinged with spice box over time. Still rather infantile. From the négociant arm of Claude Dugat.

2002 Champagne Dom Pérignon, courtesy of Vic at Praelum, 27 Jan 2022. Deep dull golden tint. Appropriately mellow with a relaxed feel of apricot, apples and grapefruit on a bed of mature chalkiness. Still wonderfully fresh and full, its sheen of very fine bubbles ensuring a soft layered intensity over a subtle deeper vein of fruit, displaying excellent definition with bright clear chromatic tones.

1990 Château d’Yquem, a half bottle courtesy of Dato’ off the list of Praelum, 27 Jan 2022. Amazing deep orangey hue, crystal clear, proffering deep luscious nectar, chromatic tones, aged honey, ember and mandarins of tremendous purity that radiate bold brilliance with a lifted burnished quality, evolving further oriental medicinal elements with a tinge of ash as it tapered with fine linearity to a quiet finish. Superb.

2000 Champagne Krug Brut, courtesy of Dr Ngoi, 28 Jan 2022. Restrained chalkiness, proffering green fruits with good intensity of lime and citrus amid gentle yeasty tones. Surprisingly delicate. Doesn’t have the depth and extension of the best vintages. Austere minerally finish. Drink up.

2013 “Y” d’Yquem, courtesy of Dr Ngoi, 28 Jan 2022. Gentle crème de la crème and vanillin dominate with a soft exuberance. Medium-bodied, imbued with expansive white tones and floral characters with controlled intensity and refinement, revealing excellent inner definition with cool teasing depth. Excellent.

2016 Cos d’Estournel Blanc, courtesy of Dr Ngoi, 28 Jan 2022. White tones with traces of vanillin, showing good textural clarity largely because its fruit is far too backward at this stage. Considerably restrained and shut. Not ready.

2018 Blanc de Lynch-Bages, courtesy of Dr Ngoi, 28 Jan 2022. White tones and floral elements dominate with fairly dense minerals in equal measure, resulting in considerable austerity.

2013 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc, courtesy of Dr Ngoi, 28 Jan 2022. Predominant white tones, largely those of sweet vanillin oak. Medium weight. Subtly layered with rounded intensity, displaying fine attack but it seems unsettled.

2014 Domaine Charly Nicolle Chablis Mont-de-Milieu 1er, courtesy of Dr Ngoi, 28 Jan 2022. Soft floral expanse, underpinned by a distinct salinity. Brightly lit though attenuated in depth and intensity, short as well.

2019 Domaine de Montille Saint-Aubin En Remilly 1er, popped and poured at Otto Ristorante, 31 Jan 2022. Beautiful rounded bouquet of crème de la crème amid a broad expanse of white fruits and floral notes. Very sleek. Richly layered with subtle intensity, revealing superb inner detail of brioche, honeysuckle and pineapples with a glorious deep vein of distilled essence. Very beautifully contoured and controlled, settling down with a bit more minerally chalky presence. Excellent. Truly, the whites of 2019 are every bit on par with 2014 and 2017.

Sir K hosted an inspired theme of Burgundy monopoles to go with a delightful dinner helmed by chefs Juliana Ng and Joe Leong from V-ZUG’s Gourmet Academy prepared entirely, of course, on V-ZUG equipment at his bespoke residence on 21 January 2022. In spite of the very best top crus being stratospherically priced out of reach, we still managed to put up an excellent line-up without much forward planning. Thank you, Sir!

2012 Champagne Philipponnat 1522, courtesy of Sir K. Very pale. Wonderfully fresh. Well endowed with pomelo and clear citrus with traces of bitter lemon that impart a slight steeliness, finishing with an attractive austerity.

2009 Champagne Philipponnat Clos des Goisses Extra Brut, courtesy of Sir K. Luminous golden hue, exuding pungent yeasty characters and smoke with a chalky gleam. Open with regal sophistication, displaying superb balance and suppleness. Highly integral. Doesn’t quite possess the same depth and dimension as the 2008, but this is drinking very well. Clos des Goisses is a 5.5 ha walled monopole sited on a very steep slope with a 45-degree incline facing south, planted with both chardonnay and pinot noir in a ratio of about 40:60.

2015 Domaine de L’Arlot Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de L’Arlot 1er monopole, courtesy of Russ. Pale. Lightly toned but deceptively effusive in white floral notes and clear citrus with a welcoming warmth though the palate is initially too cautious with a laid back politeness, fleshing out eventually with full intensity and fine clarity.

2016 Domaine Hubert Chavy-Chouet Meursault Clos des Corvées de Citeau, courtesy of Sir K. From a monopole of 0.96 ha, this wine displays a lovely luminosity with an alluring sweetness of pears and figs. Rather delicate and restrained on the medium-bodied palate, becoming more introspective over time as it developed greater fullness and tension. This wine is all about its fabulous nose at this stage.

2011 Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de la Marechale 1er monopole, courtesy of Russ. Good colour, proffering a rosy fragrance of distant red fruits amid some earthiness. Medium weight. Well integrated with structured supple intensity, displaying the classic sandy Nuits-Saint-Georges character of earthy ferrous minerals. Excellent.

2015 Domaine Faiveley Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley Grand Cru, courtesy of Sir K. Deep ruby. Well extracted and full, ample in bright plummy red fruits and dark currants still substantially laced with enamel. More open after some time with rounded supple tannins though still wound with tight intensity. Best to lay down for another decade. At its best, Faiveley’s famous monopole is capable of rivaling Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s Corton Grand Cru.

2013 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart Grand Cru monopole. Deep crimson, exuding a delicious swathe of ripe cherries and raspberries. Medium-full. Generously stuffed with ripe darkish fruit and ferrous elements in equal measure, cleanly structured with dryish textures within a condensed narrow spectrum though this vintage misses the fabulous depth and layering of the best Clos de Tart.

2011 Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte Grand Cru, courtesy of Sir K. Luminous hues. Bouchard’s little-known monopole is effusive in cool white tones with a cool chalky gleam though its austere mid-body is distinctly minerally, structured with fine precision amid a tinge of salinity. Opened up with regal presence to reveal intense white tones with tremendous clarity, superbly balanced with fine vigour. Outstanding.

The usual suspects kicked off the New Year with a bang at Imperial Treasure Great World on 20 January 2022. “Great Wines” was the theme…

2008 Champagne Bollinger La Grande Année Brut. Pale. Rich lifted bouquet of lime, tangy citrus and tropical fruits bathed in  fresh morning dew. Full-bodied, displaying lovely tension and intensity with fine detail tinged with minerally austerity amid overtones of flint and gun smoke. Fleshed out with juicy depth and creamy smoothness after some time, maintaining great precision.

1988 Champagne Krug Brut, courtesy of LF. Distinctly mature on the nose, exuding nutty characters and burnt ends. Almost pungent. Still amazingly fresh and full, gently caressing the palate with refined soft bubbles. Open with quiet intensity, displaying regal presence. One is really drinking its distilled essence.

2019 Shaw & Smith Adelaide Hills M3 Chardonnay, courtesy of Kieron. Aired for two hours in advance. Tasted blind. Pale. Profusion of cool tones on the nose while the medium-bodied palate is imbued with white fruits and citrus that exude sheer delicate intensity on a velvety bed of white tones with fine tension and superb precision, lingering with a soft glow of nutmeg at the finish. Everyone thought it was either Coche-Dury or Roulot. Shows real class and sophistication.

2004 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, courtesy of Sir Bob. Luminous golden hue, proffering a recessed chalkiness with an unusual note of fluoride that lead to a placid expanse of cool tones on the palate. Surprisingly soft, medium weight, fleshing out with ripe tones of yellow fruit before giving way to a full classic Puligny chalkiness underpinned by an unique salinity. Normally available only for tasting within the cellars of D.R.C. (ie. never for sale), Aubert de Villaine had gifted a bottle to Sir Bob. What a privilege!

1993 Domaine Leroy Vosne-Romanée Les Beau Monts 1er, courtesy of Sir Bob. Lovely colour with a slight crimson rim, exuding a lovely fragrance of crushed red fruits, haw and rose petals. Open and seamlessly structured with superb understated intensity, displaying a rich mid-palate of ferrous elements and minerals tinged with a dash of saline. Caught at its peak and will last for many more years. Outstanding.

1990 Château Pichon Longueville Baron. Deep garnet. Still astonishingly fresh and full with a juicy suppleness though its innate masculinity is evident, imbued with a superb density of black fruits and dark currants that ran deep into its core, yielding fine inner detail though its Pauillac character is less immediately obvious.

1998 Penfolds Grange, courtesy of Kieron. Deep impenetrable purple. Its New World trait is immediately obvious, characterised by forward density of dark currants, black fruits and raspberries still yet to shake off its coat of varnish and enamel. Full-bodied, displaying sweet plummy tones with a juicy velvety suppleness. Powerfully structured with controlled hedonism, yet pliant enough. Quite impeccably proportioned and balanced. Worthy of its reputation but still far from peaking.

1985 Château Haut-Brion, courtesy of Vic. Deep purple, exuding a classic glow of capsicum, haw, herbal elements, currants and dark cherries only possible from a well-aged claret. Equally captivating on the velvety palate where vibrant cool ripe fruit and dark rosy characters dominate with amazing freshness and seamless integration, seemingly younger than its age. I’d thought it to be a ’95. What lovely maturity! At its peak, and will hold.

1934 Marqués de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Logroño Especial Rioja, courtesy of LF. Good colour. Clearly aged with a really rustic Old World heaviness but still imbued with a full expanse of warm ripe fruit that is distinctly sweet and pruny, its acidity still unexpectedly robust amid overtones of traditional medicated powder. Into its eighty-eighth year, and still holding on. Amazing!

The great SC hosted his traditional New Year’s Eve lunch at Omakase @ Stevens on 31 December 2021 with an outstanding line-up to end the year with a bang. Thank you, Sir!

1995 Champagne Dom Pérignon Rosé. Orange hue, proffering an alluring bouquet of mature grapefruit and tangerines. Slightly leathery on the palate with a strong suggestion of lychees, fullish with subdued dryness, fleshing out with excellent depth and freshness.

2017 Hospices de Beaune Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru Cuvée Madeleine Collignon. Vinified by Joseph Drouhin for Lisa and Henry Tay. Deep rosy tint, exuding a delicious rosy fragrance with rich plummy tones. Medium-full. Highly supple with a lovely warmth and intensity of fruit on a base of subtle earthy elements, superbly balanced. Good finish.

1999 Château Lafleur. Deep ruby. Alluring aromas of deep dark fruits and currants with some bright spots. Surprisingly full and fleshy for the vintage, imbued with a warm abundance of ripe wild berries and capsicum laced with sublime acidity. Seamlessly integrated with moderate complexity. Finished well. Highly successful.

2008 Domaine Armand Rousseau Chambertin Grand Cru. Mature pinot tint. Surprisingly open with lovely orangey tones of mandarins and tangerines amid overtones of summer hay. Structured with rounded pliant tannins that exert exquisite intensity with subtle complexity, laced with very fine acidity. Almost feminine. This is an alluring beauty caught at its prime.

1998 Château Rayas. Light orange hue. Complex effusive bouquet of glycerin, rose petals, tangerines, haw, red fruits and cherries that is highly alluring and seductive, displaying a gentle layered depth of smouldering ember with a savoury trace amid darkish undertones. Open with fine clarity and supple feminine intensity, maintaining its haunting complexity and beauty in the glass. A real seductress. Outstanding!

Messrs Yu père et fils, once again, very kindly organised dinner on 28 December 2021 at Imperial Treasure Paragon, providing an outstanding line-up as well to round off the year. While clarets are best drunk well after twenty years, it appears the 2004s have rounded the corner, entering their peak drinking period. Many thanks and good health to all!

1996 Champagne Bollinger R.D., courtesy of Russ. Slightly dull golden. Fabulous bouquet of glazed mature tones, recalling aged honey with a complex of apricot and light nectarine. Full presence of tight citrus with a recessed chalky gleam, exuding superb freshness with dry intensity, oozing slick acidity at the finish tinged with subtle ferrous elements. Excellent.

1996 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste. Mature dull red, proffering a soft rosy fragrance from a fleshy depth of ripe dark berries and black currants caught at peak maturity. Highly supple with a lovely feminine intensity, developing further subtle vegetal elements as it morphed into an elegant seamless entity with superb glow and fragrance, impeccably balanced and proportioned. One is truly drinking the vintage. Outstanding.

1985 Château Le Tertre Roteboeuf, courtesy of Kieron. Deep garnet. Rather restrained on the nose, proffering some cedary notes. The medium-bodied palate is firm and minerally, gradually fleshing out with a rounded delicious fullness along with distinct savoury characters, displaying fine linearity and length.

2004 Château Pétrus, courtesy of Raymundo. Deep ruby. Superb bouquet of dark cherries and deep rosy characters. Wonderfully pure, displaying an opulent mid-palate of complex dark fruits, ripe black berries and earthy clayey elements that exert supple intensity all through its delicious length. Impeccably proportioned, stamping its class in this classical vintage. Outstanding.

2004 Château Latour, courtesy of Raymundo. Deep ruby. Smooth expanse of delicious dark fruits and ripe berries. Medium weight. Open with surprising feminine supple intensity within a rather condensed narrow body though what comes through is absolutely classical Left Bank, seamlessly layered with understated acidity and structure, displaying early secondary characteristics. Excellent.