Ric's Wine Journal

It was Vic’s turn to celebrate his big round number with a fine dinner at Shang Palace, Shangri-la Singapore, on 09 July 2019. Quite unusually, the number of wines drunk that evening was considerably less than usual but what mattered most was quality, the birthday boy himself springing a pleasant surprise with a couple of 1969s, no less. Nobody minds pushing the boat out for Vic’s special occasion. Many happy returns!!

2008 Philipponnat Clos des Goisses Extra Brut, poured from magnum. Smooth, dry but reticent. Full-bodied yet exuding a feminine feel in its delicate fleeting concentration of citrus, pomelo and melons, replete with mild toasty characters amid yeasty overtones. Developed a deeper tone over time with further depth but without any significant complexity. I felt this champagne wasn’t quite as exuberant as a magnum tasted last year at a FICOFI event. May be shutting down a little. Perhaps best to lay down for a few more years.

1999 Domaine de Montille Puligny-Montrachet Le Cailleret 1er, courtesy of MH. Poured from magnum. Somewhat reserved on the nose though complex white floral characters are clearly discernible, but this wine fans out very beautifully on the palate with a gentle glowing intensity of pears, nutmeg and aged chalk, imbued with a lovely delicate density amid traces of earthy pungency. Still fresh and youthful, layered with subtle nuances as it took on a elegant sheen of creme de la crème over time, becoming almost ethereal. Very close in character to a Montrachet Grand Cru, which isn’t surprising at all as de Montille’s plot of Le Cailleret is immediately closest to that Holy Grail of whites on exactly the same north-south line. This is where the smart money should be.

2003 Domaine Faiveley Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru, courtesy of Sanjay. Bright vermillion. This wine exudes a deep aromatic bouquet of red and dark plums and red cherries that promised tremendous verve on the palate, tautly drawn with exciting acidity and tension, highly supple, amply layered with ripe fruit amid traces of earth as it finished on a note of ferrous ore. Excellent.

1997 Ch Margaux, courtesy of CJ. Deep garnet core with vermillion at the rim, proffering a delicious deep fragrance of violets, blueberries and dark currants. Medium-bodied. Softly rounded, displaying superb suppleness, transparency and complexity with a distinct limestone lift amid a dominant plummy tone, developing further notes of snuff and tea leaves although it seemed to lose a bit of linearity towards the finish.

1969 Ch Pichon Baron Longueville, courtesy of Vic. Poured from magnum. Recorked in 2002. Deeply colored. Medium-bodied. Still imbued with excellent freshness, proffering gentle medicinal aromas with a mild earthy pungency that led to a palate of dark fruits, mulberries and soy. Highly supple, showing good concentration and intensity with acidity that’s still remarkably fresh. Quite excellent.

1969 Ch d’Yquem, courtesy of Vic. Deeply coloured, exuding a rich bouquet of apricot and honey meringue of great complexity amid gentle medicinal tones whilst the fruit is distinctly laid above a tarry base of graphite minerals, still imbued with enough freshness and acidity. Not drying out. What a privilege!

This tasting was inspired by our recent visit to Tertre Roteboeuf in June this year where we had spent a most captivating afternoon with its founder and proprietor Francois Mitjavile. It so happened that my half-case of 2005 Roc de Cambes had just arrived from Bordeaux Index London (bought for only £30 per bottle about six years ago…can you believe that?!) and, with that masterclass of masterclasses still vividly fresh in our minds, it was only logical that we organised a dinner based on the wines of Francois Mitjavile. Mr Ho had us set up nicely in a private room at Jade Palace on 23 August 2019 with the restaurant’s signature cold Alaskan crab to match some excellent whites as a preamble. The actual line-up for the Tertre Roteboeuf turned out to be most enticing, a consecutive trio of 1993-95 topped by a stunning 1998. Best of all, they all hailed from the last century, meaning we’d be catching the wines at their peak. Many thanks, everyone, for your generous contributions.

2007 Valandraud Blanc. Aired in bottle for an hour prior. Straw coloured. Waxy aromas with overtones of green melons and toasty notes, quite intense and effusive. Took on a well-developed deeper chromatic tone supported by subtle chalkiness, imbued with very fine concentration of white citrus amid traces of nutmeg and sweet incense that imparted a relaxed open feel before tapering to a spicy glowing finish. Quite excellent.

1999 Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal, courtesy of Russ. Superb on the nose, boasting of toast, complex citrus, honeysuckle and fig. Still imbued with wonderful freshness on the palate, displaying excellent dry intensity, definition and linearity with inner crystalline tones that conferred great brilliance, finishing with glowing persistence. Still very youthful. Superb!

2010 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er, courtesy of Kieron. Closed at first with a bit of bottle stink that eventually blew off, revealing good concentration of delicate citrus with overtones of preserved tangerines on an open palate though still rather placid and reserved, not helped at all by the recessed chalkiness. Gained some subtle intensity but still not giving away much. One has to put up with considerable bottle variation often associated with this estate.

2005 Roc de Cambes, aired in bottle for two hours prior. Deep inky purple. Good lift of ripe black berries, blueberries and dark currants, highly delicious with a touch of snuff amid savoury traces. Beautifully layered on the palate with attractive intensity where that note of savoury sweet meat is more pronounced and unmistakable, in turn giving way to robust fruit, gloriously ripe with subtle structured tannins that exude fabulous intensity and acidity, superbly integrated with lively balance. Quite outstanding but still youthful.

1993 Château Tertre Roteboeuf, courtesy of D. Deep purple. Highly lifted, again with that signature savoury character of barbequed meat that continued with superb linearity onto the palate. Delicious, savoury and concentrated with very good fruit quality, very smooth and evenly layered, imbued with very fine acidity and intensity. Almost delicate, finishing well, hanging on for about three hours before it began to fade a little. Unbelievable for a 1993. Excellent.

1994 Tertre Roteboeuf, courtesy of Tim. This wine opened with a whiff of bottle stink that persisted although it wasn’t enough to obscure the abundance of dark fruit and plummy characters beneath, displaying excellent presence with open supple intensity but somewhat opaque, missing inner detail and complexity. Quite emphatically upstaged by the 1993. Interestingly, the word “Château” has been omitted from the label from this vintage onwards.

1995 Tertre Roteboeuf, courtesy of Kieron. Some vermillion at rim, proffering a gentle lift of heated gravel amidst heaps of dark fruit and currants. Still rather tightly coiled with a deep core of ripe berries, exuding seamless intensity as it finished with fine linearity and persistence. At its best and will hold for many more years.

1998 Tertre Roteboeuf, courtesy of Russ. Saving the best for last, the 1998 exceeded all expectations. Displaying an evolved purple with open lifted tones of dark currants, roast, tea leaves and soy, this wine has developed some early tertiary complexity, exuding fabulous intensity from its glorious depth of fruit, fleshy and beautifully rounded with svelte tannins and graphite minerals that added immeasurable excitement. Brilliant!

These are notes from a small blinded tasting organized by Benjamin after hours at his office on 04 July 2019. The theme was 1996 Bordeaux. Each of us, of course, knew what we’d brought but after the bottles were covered with identical socks and shuffled, we became none the wiser.  It was supposed to be a quartet but a 1996 Ch Palmer was unfortunately corked, leaving us with a trio that still provided plenty of intrigue and fun. Many thanks, everyone, for your contributions, especially to Benjamin for the immaculate preparation.

2017 Domaine Faiveley Batard-Bienvenues-Montrachet Grand Cru, courtesy of Benjamin. Cask sample, popped and poured. Effusive in delicate chalkiness underscored by a light creamy presence with  clear citrus some grassy elements, already good early complexity with excellent presence, transparency and definition on a base of graphite minerals. Very well-layered balanced, finishing well. Excellent but way too young.

Red #1. Darkly coloured. Distant aromas of sweet red fruits and currants, displaying an even richness on the medium-bodied palate. Fleshed out with attractive acidity and smoked characters with a tinge of dryness and burnt coal, just a tad short as it finished with ground minerals. A 1996 Clos du Marquis, courtesy of Benoit.

Red #2. Deeply coloured and savoury with a dominance of delicious dark currants and mocha on the nose, highly inviting. Quite full and fleshy, more minerally at first before giving way to dark plums and dark cherries with a bit of racy intensity, distinctly savoury and meaty amid traces of bellpepper though rather understated in acidity and finish. I thought a Saint-Emilion – perhaps a Tertre Roteboeuf – when, in fact, it was the 1996 Château Pontet-Canet that I’d brought. Most unusual, as I could not discern any of the expected Pauillac dryness.

Red #3. Raspberries, dark and red currants dominate on the nose with sweet delicious overtones. The palate was tinged with a touch of dryness amidst an abundance of earthy ferrous minerals that recalled cordite, concentrated in dark fruits with a certain sternness, turning more velvety with some lovely juicy sweetness as it gained further depth and intensity. Utterly delicious. Clearly not from the Left Bank. Kind of difficult to place, perhaps Pomerol. I thought it was La Conseillante. Instead, it was a 1996 Château Ausone….what a surprise! Merci Damien!

After the Bordeaux trio had been unblinded, Benjamin threw in a mystery red, tasted blind. The bottle shape gave it away as a Burgundy. Popped and poured, exuding a distinct earthy pungency on the nose, not unlike egg yolk. Some evolution has taken place, the wine delectably open, fleshy and highly supple with delicious red fruits and cherries that exude wonderful freshness and lift, very subtly structured with a deep core of tangerines that oozed with lovely sweetness. Carried great vigour and optimism all through to its minerally finish. All of us got it correctly: a 1996 Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches Rouge 1er. Excellent.

2016 Jim Barry Cover Drive, from the list of Wooloomooloo 05 Jul 2019. Clear purple. Fruit forward with good concentration of dark berries and raspberries, highly supple. Well balanced and lively. Opened up with good even intensity on a minerally floor, finishing on a slightly earthy spicy trace.

2016 Penfolds Bin 407, courtesy of Mr Thu at Restoran Public, Kota Tinggi, on 07 Jul 2019. Dense dark fruits and currants dominate amid traces of forest floor and dusty tannins, quite even in concentration. Finished with fine intensity of blackcurrants.

2015 Domaine Bruno Clair Chambolle-Musigny Les Veroilles, popped and poured at Otto Ristorante, 12 Jul 2019. Lovely deep pinot tint. Ample expanse of rose petals, red cherries, camphor and haw flakes on the nose and palate. Quite plump and fleshy, displaying good intensity and extraction with excellent ripeness. Highly supple. Snapped into focus after 30 minutes, becoming rounder and warmer and more seamless, layered with a deeper vein of fruit amid traces of saline minerals, finishing with a bit of coiled tension. Very fine. Great value.

2000 Champagne Henriot Cuvee des Enchanteleurs, popped and poured at Jade Palace, 13 Jul 2019. Deep lustre with a deep yeasty pungency. Medium-bodied, fleshy and dry. Lightly layered with crisp clear citrus, lime and green melons. Better developed with more presence and depth but this is never the most profound of champagne.

2014 Domaine Bernard Moreau Chassagne-Montrachet, popped and poured at Jade Palace, 13 Jul 2019. Superbly layered with chalky creaminess, not apparent at first but it gradually opened up to reveal some early complexity amidst a light minerally tone, developing further depth and richness with a lovely transparency and roundedness, finishing with wonderful length.

1986 Ch Leoville Las-Cases, popped and poured at Jade Palace, 13 Jul 2019. Deep garnet red. Powerful developed bouquet of Chinese tea leaves, deep currants and violets. Highly supple with great sublime acidity, still imbued with superb presence and layering that exuded great precision with a fabulous controlled intensity, developing a sweet velvety tannin structure over time as it finished with a wonderful hallowed glow amid traces of mint. At its peak but still amazingly youthful, this wine can easily last another few more decades.

1996 Ch Mouton Rothschild, courtesy of Meng, popped and poured at Jade Palace, 13 Jul 2019. Deep garnet core with a trace of vermilion at the rim. Highly supple, fleshy and open. Deeply layered with cool ripe fruit and dark currants amid overtones of dried mushrooms and tea leaves that underscores its terroir. Understated in complexity, it displayed great linearity as it finished with growing power in that unmistakable Pauillac signature tone.

1998 Ch Cheval Blanc, courtesy of WKW, popped and poured at Jade Palace, 13 Jul 2019. Deep crimson. Imbued with slightly darker shades dark plums and soy that caressed the palate with a lovely velvety richness. Open and highly supple, fleshing out with further notes of tea leaves as it exuded a lovely youthfulness that lasted the whole night. However, knowing the potential greatness of mature cabernet franc, I’d say this wine is still far from peaking.

2000 Ch D’Aiguilhe, popped and poured at Tunglok Signatures, 15 Jul 2019. Deep purple, exuding powerful aromas of dark currants, cherries and dark plums on the nose and palate with great concentration. Still tannic with taut tension underscored by ferrous undertones, culminating in a spicy lengthy finish.

Veuve Cliquot Brut, popped and poured at Tunglok Signatures, 15 Jul 2019. Dense bouquet of green citrus with a gentle yeasty pungency, dry and bright with good concentration lime and pomelo that imparted a slightly stern minerally tone.

Veuve Fourny et Fils Oertus Premier Cru Brut, popped and poured at Tunglok Signatures, 15 Jul 2019. Toasty yeasty characters dominate amid layers of fig, pine, green melons and lime, displaying excellent depth and concentration. Excellent.

2009 Ch Le Doyenne, popped and poured at Ka Soh, 21 Jul 2019. Early evolution, proffering dense aromas of blueberries and violets with excellent fullness, presence and layering on the palate, slightly dryish. Developed a persistent sandy earthy tone over time, rather unlike the graphite intensity previously encountered with this wine, fleshing out very well with an almost Pauillac-like character with a lovely biting open intensity that conferred superb mouthfeel.

2017 Domaine Chanson Bourgogne Rouge, from the list of Taratata Brasserie, 26 Jul 2019. Rosy hues, dark cherries and wild berries dominate on the nose beneath a sheen of paraffin. The palate is marked by prominent salinity and dry crisp acidity, showing good concentration of dark plummy fruit, developing some biting intensity over time but still generally undistinguished.

2003 Ch Lagrange, popped and poured, 28 Jul 2019. Clear purple, exuding notes of capsicum and austere green elements on the nose. Good intensity of ripe wild berries, mulberries and currants on the palate, grippy with tight acidity. Opened up very well to reveal a great fleshy presence with a delicious core. Perennially under-rated but this Saint-Julien is good value if you can find it below SGD100.

2009 Carpineto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva, popped and poured at Crab At Bay, 31 Jul 2019. Deep garnet red. Shy, not revealing much on the nose though the palate is concentrated with ripe dark berries and dark plums amid ferrous elements, open with supple intensity. Still youthful.

Another casual dinner on 18 July 2019 threw up a wonderful line-up given that no theme had been set. The Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck at Paragon Singapore is truly an outstanding venue for refined Cantonese cuisine. Try ordering some off-the-menu items (very nicely arranged for this occasion by LF): glutinous duck rice, salted fish tofu in claypot, and the razor clam cooked side-table in superior broth (pictured left).

2005 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Luchets. Light golden lustre. Rather shy, proffering only white fruits and floral mint with some mild salinity. Rapidly gained depth and body as it warmed up, developing lightly peppery tones with traces of nutmeg as it gradually blossomed with fine detail and delicate intensity, taking on a more distinct saline minerality whilst maintaining its subtle richness as it tapered to an open minerally finish. This is Meursault at its finest, amazingly from a village.

2014 Peter Michael Belle Cote, courtesy of Kieron. Lovely luminosity. There is an attractive hint of oiliness on the nose matched by lifted tones of bell pepper and dense morning dew from the solid concentration and depth of fruit, revealing excellent sophistication and detail as it stretched over time to an extended chalky finish before receding beneath a waxy sheen. Excellent.

2014 DuMOL Finn Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, courtesy of LF. Deep ruby. There is a faint trace of paraffin amid the delicious expanse of red cherries on the nose. The palate is rounded and open, revealing a deep intense core of ripe fruit that exuded lovely charm and elegance with excellent linearity. Very well-balanced and integrated, finishing with youthful vigour and richness.

2009 Domaine Armand Rousseau Mazy-Chambertin Grand Cru, courtesy of Kieron. Glowing irresistibly with glorious red fruits, rosy hues and ripe strawberries, this wine is superbly open with great inner definition, revealing shades of gravelly minerals and sweet structured tannins that impart great feminine charm with fine subtle intensity, fleshing out very well with great roundedness and sophistication. Excellent.

1969 Ch Lafite Rothschild, courtesy of Vic. Displaying an almost pinot tint, this Lafite is still imbued with excellent fullness in spite of its rounded mellowed softness, yielding a lovely lifted pungency from its core of aged plummy fruit and sweet melted tannins. What a wonderful surprise for a casual dinner! One cannot ask for more from this wine nor from its generous owner.

August kicked off with a wonderful dinner organised by K at Origin Grill, Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore, on 01 August 2019 where Sir Robert was in a particularly generous mood, especially given that no specific wine theme had been set. Head sommelier Britt Ng saw to it that we were properly looked after with fresh stemware for each wine. I was particularly impressed by the Montelena Estate, given that I just had the 1991 just two months earlier. The 1990 here was equally stunning. When properly blinded, there was nothing to give it away as a Napa. Many thanks guys, for your friendship and generosity.

2000 Ch d’Yquem “Y” Ygrec, courtesy of Robert Kwok. Light luminous golden hue. Reticent at first, only proffering traces of icing, vanilla and paraffin. Much more forthcoming on the palate where tropical fruits and notes of honeysuckle dominate with very fine body and layering, laced with understated acidity. It took on a gentle rounded complexity over time, developing further tones of eau de cologne, slightly minty, never at all heavy as it tapered to a gentle glowing finish. Excellent.

2005 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc, a bottle personally autographed by proprietor Olivier Bernard in Singapore many years ago. Very shy on the nose. Very delicate and lightly shaded with a bright minerally shine, revealing great clarity and transparency as it developed lovely acidity and rounded intensity against a backdrop of understated minerals. Superb refined elegance.

1982 Ch Talbot, courtesy of Robert Kwok. Tasted blind. Deep garnet red, exuding a great deep earthy pungency that immediately called to mind the terroir of Pessac-Leognan. Medium-bodied. Softly rounded, fleshy and open, filled with an ample expanse of mature red fruits and cherries, beautifully integrated with understated depth and intensity. Gained lovely purity as the initial pungency receded after some time but, still, there’s no way one would have imagined this to be a Saint-Julien. Excellent.

1990 Ch Montelena Estate, courtesy of Robert Kwok. Tasted blind. Still amazingly dark and youthful. I thought this showed a classic Saint-Julien nose of heated gravel with delicate graphite tones amid a superb deep fragrance of cool ripe blueberries and dark currants. Open with great suppleness and quiet intensity, very subtly structured. Can easily last another couple of decades. Superb.

1982 Ch Cos D’Estournel, courtesy of Kieron. Gentle but pronounced earthy pungency on the nose. The palate is slightly austere with a predominance of very fine graphite elements within mature tones of dark berries, violets and blueberries. Beautifully rounded, developing a rich complex of cedary notes, cinnamon, plums and tangerines at its core. Quite glorious, at its absolute best.

2004 Ch Clinet, courtesy of Vic. Violets and blueberries dominate with a lovely fragrance, fairly dense and deep, quite full but not overwhelming, opening up well  with a fleshy biting intensity before settling into a more gentle seductive tone on an understated graphite base.

2000 Champagne Dom Perignon Second Plenitude, courtesy of CW over lunch with Frederic Faye of Ch Figeac and Marielle Cazaux (Ch La Conseillante) at Shinzo, 01 Jun 2019. Quiet on the nose. Even gentle minerally tone with a smooth dryness, exuding lovely charm and transparency. Not the most profound of Dom but its balance is impeccable, developing superb presence of delicate green fruits and citrus over time.

2015 Domaine Thibert Pere et Fils Saint-Verain Champ Rond, over lunch with Frederic Faye of Ch Figeac and Marielle Cazaux (Ch La Conseillante) at Shinzo, 01 Jun 2019. Bit closed on the nose though the palate is imbued with a generous expanse of delicate white fruits and citrus that teased with fleeting concentration and intensity. Rounded and smooth. Very well balanced with understated charm, energy and sleek controlled acidity, developing wonderful depth with a gentle open intensity over time. Excellent.

1991 Ch Montelena Estate, courtesy of CW over lunch with Frederic Faye of Ch Figeac and Marielle Cazaux (Ch La Conseillante) at Shinzo, 01 Jun 2019. Deep garnet red. Intense bouquet of briar, bramble, raspberries and delicious currants. Still amazingly fresh on the palate, displaying superb concentration and ripeness with smooth velvety tannins. Sublime in acidity, integration and balance with an understated red plummy tone, slightly earthy. An absolute winner, very much on par with any Bordeaux premier cru. Outstanding.

2005 Ch D’Aiguilhe. Popped and poured at Crab At Bay, 02 Jun 2019. Deep dark impenetrable red. Abundant dark fruits, blackberries and blackcurrants on the nose with a sweet plummy tone. Open with excellent fullness and suppleness. Ample in rich ripe fruit laid on an earthy floor with dusty textures. Very fine acidity. Rather understated in structure for its proportions. Austere ferrous finish. Decent length. Still youthful.

2003 Pavillon Rouge du Margaux, popped and poured over lunch at Otto Ristorante, 04 Jun 2019. Deep garnet red. Delicious bouquet, leading to very good concentration of black fruits and red currants, slightly earthy, within a very well-defined slim profile. Lively acidity. Mellowed quite quickly with relaxed charm, developing exciting tertiary nuances with open biting intensity amid soft velvety textures. Still youthful. On par with a classified growth. Excellent.

2004 Domaine Vincent Girardin Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru, courtesy of Vic at Summer Pavilion, 04 Jun 2019. Gentle sleek white floral tone with light citrus on the nose and palate, showing superb integration, balance and precision with sublime acidity. Fine open intensity, fleshing out very well with a lovely transparent chalky tone, finishing with overtones of walnuts. Excellent.

2014 Domaine Faiveley Clos des Cortons Faiveley Grand Cru, at Summer Pavilion, 04 Jun 2019. Silky tangerines and light rose petals dominate with gentle presence, slightly more minerally and stern. Opened up well with some lovely intensity but still a little tight. Fine balance. Distinctly feminine without the lush succulence and velvety plushness of the 2016.

1990 Domaine Drouhin-Laroze Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru, courtesy of LF. Good colour. Imbued with good concentration of warm ripe fruit and dark plums amid well-developed characters of cedar and cinnamon, exuding fine intensity, slightly earthy and stern with overarching acidity.

2015 Katgully Cabernet Sauvignon, at Dorothy’s place 09 Jun 2019. Softly focused aromas of gentle red plums on the nose. The medium-full palate features ample warm ripe fruit with a deeper vein of dark currants, undergrowth and mocha with traces of marmite in its minerality, more forwardly balanced. Rounded with controlled intensity and understated acidity. Very fine. From Margaret River, Western Australia.

1998 Champagne Krug, popped and poured at Saint-Pierre on 11 Jun 2019 to mark our Silver Jubilee. Gently perfumed. Very subtly suffused with characters of toast and yeasty, exuding a lovely delicate fragrance. Suitably dry with a sheen of very fine bubbles, the perfect counterfoil for the layers of intense citrus, bitter lemon and grapefruit though it doesn’t quite truly plumb the depths. Finished with lasting persistence.

1990 Ch Lafite Rothschild, decanted on-site at Saint-Pierre on 11 Jun 2019, our Silver Jubilee. Deep purple with only slightest hint of evolution. Enticing complex bouquet, a hallowed deep glow of ripe red plums, soy and black cherries with a hint of smouldering ember. Beautifully open with velvety textures amid sublime acidity, seamlessly layered, exuding great charm and feminine elegance as it stretched out with superb definition and intensity. Just like an earlier bottle from the same case tasted in March 2019, this wine has been caught at its peak and will last. Outstanding.

2011 Champagne Pierre Peters Cuvée Speciale Les Chetillons Brut, popped and poured to mark the clinic re-opening, 13 Jun 2019. This blanc de blancs is considerably lighter in texture, distinctly delicate and feminine, an impression reinforced by its very fine gentle bubbles. Ample in pomelo and lime amid traces of bitter lemon, layered with gentle yeasty tones. Lively presence though somewhat narrow in spectrum. Doesn’t quite plumb the depths.

2002 Ch Cos D’Estournel, popped and poured to mark the clinic re-opening, 13 Jun 2019. Raspberries, mulberries and wild berries dominate with good density, slightly cedary and earthy, distinctly darkish in tone and demeanour. Supple with fine transparency and rounded tannins but it lacks real distinction, missing in charm and succulence.

2012 Domaine William Fevre Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru, popped and poured at Ming Kee Live Seafood, 15 Jun 2019. Excellent presence. Notes of tangy citrus and nutmeg. Good transparency, suffused with saline minerals amid ferrous elements. Creamer over time with a gentle presence of green apples along with some chalkiness, laced with fine subtle acidity. Drinking well. Alas, Ming Kee has ceased its business after 25 June 2019.

2008 Lucien de Moine Richebourg Grand Cru, courtesy of John Law, 18 Jun 2019 at restaurant Ibid. Darker tint of pinot. Rather shut, hinting at only dark currants with some fragrance. Far more powerful on the palate, exuding an intense plummy tone with notes of forest floor, cranberries and bramble. Taut with quite an acidic spine, yielding raw intensity of fruit. MIssing true pinot character.

2014 Domaine Dominique Mugneret Vosne-Romanee Cuvee Alliance des Terroirs, courtesy of Edmund Wong at Otto Ristorante, 19 Jun 2019. Good color. Quite ample in ripe raspberries and red fruits with a tight plummy tone, exuding lovely fragrance. Slightly acidic.

1999 Champagne Phillipponnat Clos des Goisses Brut, popped and poured at Otto Ristorante, 19 Jun 2019. Deep complex bouquet of white flowers, vanilla, creme and minerals. Opened with a rich minerally glow amidst deep toasty nutty overtones, supported by crisp intense citrus with acidity that’s still remarkably fresh and lively, finishing with traces of green pepper.

2010 Domaine Jacques Prieur Volnay Clos des Santenots 1er, courtesy of Vincent at Otto Ristorante, 19 Jun 2019. Good color. Gentle rosy hues with undertones of dark cherries. Medium-full, supple and fleshy, displaying superb ripeness, succulence and length with excellent subtle acidity, finishing with traces of snuff.

2005 Ch Rauzan-Gassies, popped and poured at Wah Lok, 21 Jun 2019. Deep impenetrable purple. Displays a certain richness and fullness of fruit and dark currants against plush cushioned velvety textures with traces of sweet. Still incredibly infantile and barely evolved. Opened up more over time with further notes of smoke, cedar and soy, highly supple, coming together at the last pour with stunning intensity. Excellent.

2006 Champagne Piper Heidsieck Millesime Rare, tasted at the Krisflyer First Class Lounge of Changi Airport T3, 23 Jun 2019. Light golden hue. Deep toasty nutty complex with yeasty tones on the nose. Generous expanse and concentration of pomelo and yellow citrus amidst very fine gentle bubbles. Excellent vigour and intensity, finishing with gentle graphite minerals.

2016 M Chapoutier Les Meysonnieres Crozes-Hermitage, tasted at the Krisflyer First Class Lounge of Changi Airport T3, 23 Jun 2019. Notes of forest floor and dark fruits dominate within a light-medium lean profile. Well balanced with fine acidity but not distinctive.

2009 Champagne Dom Perignon, tasted at the Krisflyer First Class Lounge of Changi Airport T3, 23 Jun 2019. Lighter-textured with a gentle perfumed fragrance of clear citrus, showing great clarity though within a rather narrow spectrum. Distinctly feminine. Short.

2006 Ch Rauzan-Segla, on board Singapore Airlines SQ336 from SIN-CDG, 24 Jun 2019. Very shy on the nose, just able to discern some dark currants. Equally introverted on the slim palate, hinting at dark fruits and blackberries beneath rather than outright opulence although its concentration and fine acidity is beyond reproach, tinged with ferrous minerals.

2008 Louis Latour Corton Grand Cru, on board Singapore Airlines SQ336 from SIN-CDG, 24 Jun 2019. Good concentration of wild berries and plums. Medium-bodied. Very fine acidity, showing good integration and balance with a slightly vegetal tone that conferred a certain rusticity, finishing with traces of incense.

LaCheteau Cremant de Loire Brut, at the Star Alliance lounge of CDG, 29 Jun 2019. Gentle floral aromas with yeasty tones, slightly toasty with a broad expanse of intense clear citrus and lime. Suitably dry.

2016 Cru de la Maqueline, at the Star Alliance lounge of CDG, 29 Jun 2019. Dark currants, raspberries and plums dominate with a distinct ferrous minerality on the mid-palate, displaying decent fullness, depth and length.

Creation of restaurant Saint-Pierre, Singapore.

Château Cheval Blanc is, perhaps, best known for espousing the virtues of cabernet franc as the main grape varietal in its blend although it is, by no means, the only chateau to do so. Ch Ausone has a similar blend but whereas it only produces 15,000 bottles annually, the output for Ch Cheval Blanc is far greater at 100,000 bottles, laying claim to pole position as far as its association with cabernet franc goes. Comprising 39 hectares in one single block (subdivided into 45 plots), Ch Cheval Blanc is planted with 60% cabernet franc, 35% merlot and 5% cabernet sauvignon, the latter on exactly the same sort of pebbly soil as neighbouring Ch Figeac with which it abuts. The soil is a mixture of gravel and clay. Apart from the grand vin, another 20,000 bottles of the second label Le Petit-Cheval are produced. Since 2014, this estate has also begun producing a dry white, a classic blend of semillon and sauvignon blanc from 6 hectares of vines that is most appropriately and confusingly named Petit-Cheval Blanc. The stylish low-lying futuristic-looking chai, just a stone’s throw away from the purple monobloc of Ch La Dominique, was built in 2011.

The 2012 Ch Cheval Blanc we tasted on the warm afternoon of 26 June 2019 was popped and poured. Displaying a beautiful deep ruby, this wine had not been afforded the time to blossom on the nose, just proffering a hint of dark plums. The palate, however, was layered with a wonderful depth of ripe dark fruits, earth and currants tinged with exotic spices and green pepper, quite sublime in acidity with a lovely glowing intensity, very elegantly integrated into the sheen of very fine soft silky tannins that tapered to a quiet finish. Accessible as it is, Cheval Blanc is not a wine to be drunk young. Made with substantial extraction, the wine is best drunk when the tannins have melted (at least 30 years post-vintage) whereupon the glorious rosy hues of its cabernet franc take on an almost Burgundian complex that gives Ch Cheval Blanc its deserved fame. No, I’ve never tasted (and probably will never ever have the chance) the 1947 nor 1961, but the glorious 1975 tasted twice (a standard bottling over lunch at the chateau itself in 2016, and a double magnum courtesy of Dr Ngoi in 2017) has been etched indelibly in my memory.

See Ch L’Evangile just yonder?

Since 1892, Château Figeac has been owned by the Manoncourt family for four generations, with the fifth generation now ready to step up to the task. With 40.5 hectares under vines at the north-western tip of Saint-Emilion abutting on Ch Cheval Blanc, Ch Figeac has the second largest holdings in this commune after Ch Fombrauge. Nobody really knows why the pioneers at Ch Figeac opted to plant a substantial portion of vines with cabernet sauvignon but one of the reasons put forward is that the deep gravelly soils that originated from volcanic rocks offer excellent filtration for excess moisture, which suits this grape varietal very well. The current proportions are 35% cabernet sauvignon, 35% cabernet franc and 30% merlot. Whatever it is, this unusual make-up for a Right Bank property has contributed to a cult-like following for Ch Figeac which, surely, cannot be at all bad. The average age of the vines is about 40 years. About 100,000 bottles of the grand vin are produced annually while the declassified grapes make up another 40,000 bottles of the second label. The estate has also absorbed neighbouring La Grange Neve since 2012. The grapes are 100% de-stemmed during vinification. Cold maceration takes place over six days while alcoholic fermentation is kick-started with selected yeast. No pumping over is done. The wine is aged in 100% new French oak with a substantial amount of pressed wine added. Racking is carried out every five months with nitrogen gas. Fining with egg whites takes place before bottling.

When we visited on the hot morning of 26 June 2019, a huge amount of construction work was being carried out next to the old chateau building. Due for completion in 2021, this modern structure will house the new chai, cellars, laboratories, offices and tasting facilities. For the time being, the barrels are all housed in a temporary above-ground air-conditioned shelter where we tasted both the 2011 grand vin and the second label.

2011 Petit-Figeac. Good colour. Lovely fragrance of red and dark fruits along with some gentle earthiness. Medium-bodied and fleshy, showing good presence and suppleness with very fine acidity, exuding relaxed charm through its seamless detailed tannins, just a tad dusty in texture. Good sophistication throughout, finishing with excellent lift and mouthfeel. Quite excellent in its own right.

2011 Château Figeac. Appreciably darker and deeper on the nose, the grand vin exudes rich layers of dark fruits and dark cherries amid overtones of hot gravel. Nicely rounded, displaying very good definition of early cedary characters against dense dark plums and cassis of excellent concentration with seamless transparent textures. Distinctly feminine in its gentle length and finish, developing a lovely growing intensity over time. Highly consistent with a similar bottle also tasted at the château in September 2016. Excellent.

While this hasn’t been quite the ideal time to visit Château Figeac, I can’t wait to return when the new building is up and running properly. Many thanks, Gwen, for your time and for your expert insight into one of my favourite estates.

The Jürade de Saint-Émilion du Singapour descended on the commune itself during the last week of June 2019 to partake in the festivities marking 20 years of Saint-Émilion as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Apart from château visits, there was plenty of wining and dining, as expected. There are always plenty of new wines to discover in Saint-Émilion that would not be found outside of the commune due to highly limited production. In particular, thanks to his acute business acumen, the wines of Jean-Luc Thunevin are highly visible in several retail stores where we got to taste some uncommon stuff, including an unexpected vertical of Château Valandraud. Even within such a large commune, one can find plenty of excellent burgundy in restaurant lists in Saint-Émilion, contrary to popular belief. After a long hard day of tasting, it’s always a pleasure to dive back into burgundy for dinner.

2010 Axelle de Valandraud, tasted at Thunevin Girondins on 24 Jun 2019. Only one of its kind. Dull opaque purple, exuding dark fruits and mulberries with a hint of rye. Big, taut and concentrated with ample swathes of raspberries, mulberries and currants, imbued with a fabulous controlled acidity amidst further notes of mahogany, only revealing just a bit of early evolution. Excellent. This is only the second vintage of this wine after the inaugural 2000. Made from a blend of two plots totaling 1.5 ha that was part of the overall blend for 2010 Ch Valandraud.

2014 Château Valandraud, tasted at Thunevin Girondins on 24 Jun 2019. Quiet on the nose, while violets and dark currants dominate on the palate with lovely suave acidity. Big, concentrated and intense but not overdone. Persistent finish.

2011 Château Valandraud, tasted at Thunevin Girondins on 24 Jun 2019. Deep impenetrable purple. Big and concentrated with  tight acidity, ample in fresh raspberries and wild berries. Excellent ripeness, just a tad short.

2009 Château Valandraud, tasted at Thunevin Girondins on 24 Jun 2019. Great colour. Exudes gentle delicious fragrance with fruit of excellent ripeness, resulting in a wine of compelling intensity and presence, imbued with superb acidity amid svelte velvety melted tannins. Outstanding.

2007 Valandraud Blanc, tasted at Thunevin Girondins on 24 Jun 2019. Delicate tropical fruits on the nose. Minerally and expressive on the palate with clear citrus that is a little more recessed, displaying very good definition and superb acidity. Excellent.

2012 Château Moulin Saint-Georges, tasted at Thunevin Girondins on 24 Jun 2019. Medium-bodied. Open and fleshy with a minerally earthiness amidst a generous spread of mulberries and ripe wild berries. Good finish. Still needs time.

2008 Château Mangot, tasted at Thunevin Girondins on 24 Jun 2019. Big but rounded. Deeply layered and dark fruits and currants. Structured with svelte exciting tannins that impart fabulous acidity and intensity.

2010 Château Le Clos Du Beau-Pere, tasted at Thunevin Girondins on 24 Jun 2019. This full-bodied Pomerol carries an abundance of ripe red fruits and dark currants cloaked within rich creamy textures, nicely rounded, layered with stern earthy minerals. Perhaps a tad too much of extraction. Still highly youthful.

2008 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, at Le Tertre on 24 Jun 2019. Decanted on-site. Some early complexity is discernible on the nose whilst the palate is layered with red fruits, delicious currants and tangerines, darkly textured with good depth and quiet intensity, finishing well with traces of sweet.

Champagne Jacques Selosse Brut, at L’Envers du Decor, 25 Jun 2019. Deep golden lustre, proffering a generous lift of apricot and tangerines, imbued with lovely oxidative characters amid some yeasty tones on a minerally base. Quite smooth and even. Drinking well.

2013 Château Monbousquet Blanc, at L’Envers du Decor, 25 Jun 2019. Luscious with a gentle floral fragrance along with traces of nectarine. Medium-bodied, displaying a lovely lightness with an overlay of crème amid delicate ferrous minerals, finishing well.

1998 Château Gombaude-Guillot, at L’Envers du Decor, 25 Jun 2019. This Pomerol exudes dark roses and currants amid earthy textures, imbued with a gentle sweetness. Quite seamless and well-integrated. Subtly nuanced, finishing with good linearity.

2015 Château De La Grenière, at La Maison du Vin., 25 Jun 2019. Comprising 70% merlot, 10% cabernet franc and 20% cabernet sauvignon. Displaying a deep garnet core, this wine from the satellite region of Lussac Saint-Émilion proffers an aromatic lift of violets, lilac and glycerin, highly supple and full on the palate with exciting acidity. Very well balanced. Almost lush with further emerging notes of dark plums and mocha. Quite fabulous in intensity, though finishing with bit of alcoholic trail.

2015 Château Mauvinon, at La Maison du Vin, 25 Jun 2019. Quite a generous bouquet of mulberries and dark fruits laced with vanillin. More forward in fruit balance though slightly lighter in texture. Warm, ripe and supple but less developed towards the finish where some vegetal trace is evident. 75% merlot, 20% cabernet franc and 5% cabernet sauvignon. Annual production of 85,000 bottles.

2007 Château Cadet-Bon, at La Maison du Vin, 25 Jun 2019. Deep garnet red. Comprising 85% merlot and 15% cabernet franc, this grand cru classé proffers a deep delicious bouquet of dark fruits and currants, quite open and lush on the palate with superb suppleness, displaying a certain cool ripeness with great acidity and integration. Gently structured with lovely balance, finishing well with good mouthfeel. Quite excellent.

2011 Domaine Long-Depaquit Chablis Vaudesir Grand Cru, 25 Jun 2019 at Logis de la Cadene. Pale. Wonderfully delicate bouquet of light citrus and lime. Very lively, displaying seamless transition between its layers and its lengthy persistence of white flowers and nutmeg, gradually developing in expanse with glowing depth, power and fine intensity. Excellent.

2014 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Porrets Saints-Georges 1er, 25 Jun 2019 at Logis de la Cadene. Somewhat shy, though showing well on the palate with fine presence of gentle dark cherries and rose petals underscored with a dash of mild salinity. Fleshy, open and seamlessly integrated, developing a lovely subtle intensity over time, finishing well with great linearity.

2014 Domaine Trapet Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Prieur 1er, 25 Jun 2019 at Logis de la Cadene. Darker in colour tone. Medium-full with a dominant dark plummy tone. Rounded but still tight. Subtly structured.

1999 Château La Dominique, at La Terrasse Rouge, 26 Jun 2019. Still very darkly coloured. Generous bouquet of dark and red plums, red currants and dark fruits. Still beautifully fresh and delicious, displaying excellent concentration and depth with superb suppleness. Very subtly structured with svelte velvety tannins, evolving further notes of mocha and black currants, finishing with lovely charm and sophistication. Excellent!

Champagne Henriot Blanc de blancs NV. From the restaurant list of Hostellerie de Plaisance, 26 Jun 2019. Exciting lifted bouquet of clear citrus underscored by gentle yeasty overtones. More forwardly balanced with lovely depth and concentration, imbued with crisp intensity but not too dry. Became more delicate after some time, broadening with a creamy sweetness, finishing well.

2009 Domaine Francois Carillon Puligny-Montrachet Les Referts 1er. From the restaurant list of Hostellerie de Plaisance, 26 Jun 2019. Delicate bouquet. Decidedly more plump on the palate, imbued with excellent concentration and intensity of white flowers, clear citrus and chalk. Very ripe and full, showing good definition and linearity all through to its exciting finish.

2010 Domaine Francois Carillon Puligny-Montrachet Les Referts 1er. From the restaurant list of Hostellerie de Plaisance, 26 Jun 2019. Compared with the 2009, the 2010 is even more lifted and more delicate on the nose while the palate is imbued with excellent transparency and sublime acidity, yielding superb definition of elegant white fruits and complex minerals. Highly expressive and lively. Has tremendous verve. Fabulous.

2010 Domaine Georges Noellät Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Boudots 1er. From the restaurant list of Hostellerie de Plaisance, 26 Jun 2019. Deep colour. Exudes lovely rosy hues. Medium-full. Superbly open with lovely intensity and purity of red fruits. Very subtly layered with transparent textures amid distinct ferrous elements and traces of earth. Excellent.

2010 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Vaucrains 1er. From the restaurant list of Hostellerie de Plaisance, 26 Jun 2019. Deep colour, exuding fragrant red fruits and roses. Highly open and supple, displaying excellent concentration and depth marked by a subtle saline sharpness. Developed a distinct NSG character of soil and earthy minerals along with a silky intensity. Excellent.

2000 L’Interdit de V********d, tasted at Maison des Vins du Libournais on 28 Jun 2019. Deeply layered on the nose, exuding lovely aromas of dark roses and red currants. Softly rounded and open, imbued with fine concentration of delicate red fruits and haw flakes that tapered to a gentle finish. Almost burgundian in character. Caught at its best. Made from 100% merlot without quite adhering to strict A.O.C. regulations (plastic sheets were used to drain off excess water during viticulture), hence its unique name.

2016 L’Interdit de Valandraud, tasted at Maison des Vins du Libournais on 28 Jun 2019. Deep garnet red. Deeply aromatic with notes of green pepper, Asian spices, savoury cold cuts and ripe cherries. Medium-full and fleshy, showing good transparency through its placid but lifted mid-body. Understated in character and balance. From 100% merlot.

2010 Château Valandraud, tasted at Maison des Vins du Libournais on 28 Jun 2019. Deep garnet red. Lovely deep aromas of dark plums and currants. Dense and fleshy. Beautifully layered and structured with great acidity, finishing with wonderful length and linearity.

2016 Château Valandraud, tasted at Maison des Vins du Libournais on 28 Jun 2019. Deep impenetrable purple. Highly aromatic, densely layered with raspberries, mulberrries, dark cherries and currants, still shrouded in overtones of vanilla and crème from the new oak. A huge wine, fleshy and highly supple with a very clean feel through its striking acidity, perhaps a tad too much of that as the fruit is somewhat obscured.

2001 Château Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarosse, from the excellent list of Cafe Saigon, 28 Jun 2019. Significantly evolved with a rusty tone, exuding lifted aromas of earth, herbal and medicinal flavors along with that of seasoned red fruits and tangerines, imbued with striking acidity through its seamless body, supported by saline minerals on a cedary floor. Drinking well but I wouldn’t keep any longer.

2010 Château La Rose Côtes Rol, tasted at the château’s open house hosted by Pierre Mirande, 28 Jun 2019. Poured from magnum with its caves. Deep garnet red, exuding a sweet savoury nose. Medium-full. Excellent in concentration, weight and depth with plump savoury characters, finishing with a slight acidic trace, slightly short.

2005 Château La Rose Côtes Rol, tasted at the château’s open house hosted by Pierre Mirande, 28 Jun 2019. Poured from magnum with its caves. Well-defined bouquet of rose petals, raspberries and red fruits. Softly rounded and fleshy, excellent in concentration with expressive purity amid ferrous minerals. Highly supple and flavorful. Good finish. Quite excellent.

1985 Château La Rose Côtes Rol, tasted at the château’s open house hosted by Pierre Mirande, 28 Jun 2019. Poured from magnum with its caves. Open with some mild bottle stink that blew off, giving way to effusive notes of red currants and dark roses though the fruit is surprisingly recessed on the medium-bodied palate, showing more of ferrous dominance. Doesn’t quite have the depth and layering, short as well. Past its best.

2015 Château La Rose Côtes Rol, 28 Jun 2019. Closed, proffering only glimpses of violets and raspberries. Good concentration with sleek acidity and graphite overtones, structured with dusty tannins. Fleshed out better with good intensity after some time. Lively finish.

2015 Château Mangot, 28 Jun 2019. Deep purple. Closed. Imbued with abundant dark fruits, showing very good presence and depth. Cloaked in dusty tannins and a tad stern.