2025 La Paulée de Singapour
The ninth edition (seventh actually, excluding two virtual editions during the Covid-19 pandemic) of the La Paulée de Singapour took place at Capella Hotel, Sentosa, (where Trump met Kim in 2018) on 07 February 2025. It was good to meet up again with winemakers Jacques Devauges, Gregory Gouges, Vincent Bouzereau, Arthur Clair as well as Yannick Champ (who still remembered our last pre-pandemic meeting in Singapore at a private whisky library at Duxton Hill in the wee hours of the morning) whose Domaine Prieuré Roch must surely be a coup for Christophe Cazaux and his boys at Vintage Singapore. At the tasting promenade, almost everyone featured their barrel samples of 2023 which I found to be even better than the already excellent 2022: uniformly generous, integral and superbly balanced with lovely energy and freshness for both reds and whites throughout the Côte d’Or. Despite starting promptly at 1700h, it was still not possible to finish by 1930h, a testament to the quantity and quality available. With the new French ambassador in attendance, dinner quickly got off to a riotous start, punctuated by several rounds of ban burguignon and traditional songs, with a standing ovation for Stéphanie Rigourd’s rendition of Beyond’s Cantonese hit 海闊天空 (Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies). The Capella scored on several fronts: spacious, cool ambient temperatures, proper large stage and excellent stemware though the staff at last year’s Mandarin Oriental showed greater familiarity with wine service (they had decanters). The kitchen had some trouble keeping up with the pace but that failed to dampen the spirit. Vintage must be congratulated for another excellent La Paulée. The next edition in 2026 ought to be even more special, being its tenth, but the dismal yields of 2024 may be challenging for the tasting promenade. I suggest you load up on the abundant 2023s before prices skyrocket. Merci!
2023 Domaine des Lambrays Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Clos Baulet. Classic pinot tint, exuding restrained rosy hues. Open with fullish supple intensity and understated minerality. Great balance. Modest finish. This plot of brownish clay lies right outside the domaine.
2023 Domaine des Lambrays Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Clos Sorbé. Purplish core. Rosy fruit laced with substantial vanillin. Fullish as well, though a little more earthy. Warm and energetic, underscored by firm minerality. Good tension. Also lies directly outside the domaine next to Clos Baulet, comprising reddish iron-rich soils.
2023 Domaine des Lambrays Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er La Richemone. Good colour. The NSG terroir really comes through with distinct sandalwood and earth on the nose while the palate boasts cool ripe raspberries and dark cherries. Well-balanced with poised elegance. About 20% of the vines here were planted in 1924.
2023 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru. Good colour. Aromatic perfumed lift amid overtones of malt and paraffin. Medium presence, boasting layers of cool ripe fruit and slick acidity, structured with supple tannins. Very well balanced, finishing with fine linearity and length. Showing a certain restraint now, but likely to flesh out further in bottle.
2022 Domaine Prieuré Roch Ladoix Le Cloud. Pale golden. Intoxicating nose of glue and diesel though only medium weight. Rounded with fine clarity and understated minerality. Exudes quiet energy.
2023 Antonio Quari Ladoix Les Briquottes Puro. Opaque pale red. Very lovely bouquet of red fruits and haw. Medium presence, displaying a relaxed clarity with fine acidity. Antonio Quari is the winemaker at Domaine Prieuré Roch under the tutelage of Yannick Champ.
2022 Domaine Prieuré Roch Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos des Varoilles. Purplish. Utterly beguiling bouquet of rosy floral hues and soft red fruits. Medium weight. Very seamlessly integrated with fine clarity and supple tension. Modest finish. Compared with the efforts of Philippe Chéron (the previous owner of this monopole), this wine is now more expressive and precise but much more expensive as well.
2022 Domaine Prieuré Roch Nuits-Saint-Georges Vieilles Vignes. Poured from magnum. Good colour. Aromatic lift of red fruits. Supple with lovely tension, underpinned by a dash of salinity within its slender profile. Modest finish.
2023 Domaine Bruno Clair Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Les Jarrons. Good colour. Nose of heated wet gravel and malt. Surprisingly generous, structured with sweetish tannins and slick acidity that impart good attack and focused intensity with a trailing note of tobacco.
2023 Domaine Bruno Clair Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes. Good colour. Distinctly feminine in its rounded contours of soft tannins with plush red fruits. Very elegant and focused. Modest finish.
2023 Domaine Bruno Clair Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru. Good colour. Highly aromatic in red fruits, currants and floral hues, superbly integrated with imperceptible tannins. Impeccably balanced. Good finish. A feminine Clos de Bèze with distinct breed and pedigree.
2023 Domaine Bruno Clair Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru. Good colour, leaping out of the glass with effusive exuberance, boasting superb integration and defined focus with soft tannins. Superbly balanced. Modest finish.
2023 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er La Perrière. Pale. Effusive bouquet of malt and warm summer hay. The aromatic medium palate is layered with cool ripeness, displaying lovely tension and balance. Good finish. A great pinot blanc.
2023 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Village. Great colour. The excellent presence of fruit here is more forwardly balanced, laced with a tint of tobacco, lending superb energy and tension to the fullish palate. Good refinement and balance. Hard to believe this is village.
2023 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Clos des Porrets monopole. Good colour. Rosy hues dominate. The slender palate belies the nervous tension and energy that pervades throughout its sleek length.
2023 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Les Pruliers. Great colour. Highly aromatic with a tinge of tobacco. Fullish with very lovely fruit, showing good sophistication and balance. Modest finish. Has power and elegance in equal measure.
2023 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Les Saint-Georges. Great colour. There is a certain restrained fullness, well layered with refined balance and delicious cool ripeness in a most elegant manner. Modest finish. Rather understated on the whole.
2023 Domaine Yvon Clerget Volnay. Classic pinot tint. Aromatic lift of raspberries and roses. Medium-weight. Well integrated with refined tannins and acidity. Very naturally balanced. Doesn’t try too hard.
2023 Domaine Yvon Clerget Volnay 1er Clos du Verseuil monopole. Classic pinot tint. Very gentle on the nose, exuding a feminine rosiness tinged with tobacco. Absolutely enticing. Equally delicate on the medium palate, boasting great balance and integration with effortless grace and linearity. Modest finish. Highly successful. Even better than a previous tasting from barrel at the domaine six months ago. Totally de-stemmed, vinified in 30% new wood.
2023 Domaine Yvon Clerget Pommard 1er Les Rugiens. Good colour. Effusive with a focused deeper vein of delicious dark fruit. Highly integral, boasting impeccable balance between the fruit, acidity and imperceptible tannins, contained with restrained power.
2023 Domaine Ferrand et Laurent Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Vide Bourse. Pale. Intoxicating nose of glue and nail varnish. Open with excellent density of white fruits, displaying fine detail all the way to its glowing finish.
2023 Domaine Ferrand et Laurent Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Grandes Ruchottes. Very pale, exuding beautifully perfumed floral hues with a tinge of coconut matched by a linear density of fruit that impart excellent mouthfeel and clarity. Modest finish.
2023 Domaine Ferrand et Laurent Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Morgeot. Pale. Nose of morning dew, floral tones and dryish tropical fruits, extending to the medium-full palate where a sense of wet gravel persists amid a lovely density of distilled white tones entirely consistent with its terroir.
2023 Domaine Ferrand et Laurent Pillot Pommard 1er Clos des Verger. Good colour, proffering an aromatic rosiness that belie the dominant acidity on the terse tight vibrant palate. Modest finish.
2023 Château de Chamirey Mercurey 1er La Mission monopole. Pale. Heated wet gravel and summer hay on the nose. Medium-full, imbued with some salinity amid the fine density of fruit supported by a refined minerally spine. Understated and elegant.
2023 Château de Chamirey Échezeaux du Dessus Grand Cru. Good colour. Blueberries and raspberries dominate. Generously proportioned, layered with a deeper vein of dark fruit beneath the taut tension produced by masculine tannins and refined acidity.
2023 Domaine du Roc des Boutires Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Aux Bouthières. Densely perfumed on the nose. Well-balanced with a tight warmth on the medium-weight palate, displaying fine clarity with a dash of glycerin. Good refinement.
2022 Domaine Vincent Bouzereau Meursault. Warm dryish floral tones with a hint of wet gravel. Very good presence of fruit and acidity. Modest finish.
2023 Domaine Vincent Bouzereau Meursault 1er Les Poruzots. Pale. Explosive bouquet of complex citrus and dense floral hues matched by excellent density of white fruits, layered with sublime acidity and undertones of nutmeg, imbued with tremendous verve and power. Highly integral and certainly not the overtly reductive sort, producing sophisticated attack and finish. Outstanding!
2023 Edouard Delaunay Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Aux Argillas. Good colour. Cool ripe tones of cherries and dark currants layered with mint and fine acidity, its terse tannins imparting nervous energy.
2023 Edouard Delaunay Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Aux Combottes. Classic pinot tint. Cool ripe tones of cherries and raspberries. Fullish. Structured with taut intensity supported by a distinct minerally spine, imparting great verve and attack. Huge potential here but needs plenty of time to settle.
2023 Edouard Delaunay Clos Vougeot Grand Cru. Classic pinot tint. Highly aromatic. Medium presence. Fleshy with cool restraint, layered with understated tannin structure. Good power.
And at dinner…
2021 Jerome Galeyrand Gevrey-Chambertin En Billard, courtesy of Edmund. Great colour. Highly aromatic in delicious red fruits. Excellent presence, layered with soft tannins that impart lovely refined tension underscored by a distinct salinity.
2017 Château de Chamirey Mercurey 1er La Mission monopole, courtesy of Kieron. Poured from magnum. Cool glacial tones and floral hues dominate with overtones of nutmeg, boasting sublime acidity and distilled layers of pure white fruits. Excellent.
2019 Domaine des Lambrays Puligny-Montrachet 1er Folatières, courtesy of winemaker Jacques Devauges. Poured from imperial. Wet floral bouquet with some early chalky complexity. Somewhat restrained though the palate is open, very naturally balanced with lovely delineation, underscored by a deeper vein of fruit and chalky tension. Highly elegant.
2020 Domaine des Lambrays Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Les Loups, courtesy of Vic. Good colour, exuding cool ripeness with restrained elegance. Great balance.
2016 La Forge de Tart Morey-Saint-Denis 1er. Glorious deep ruby. Exuberant rosy fragrance of red fruits and cherries. Imbued with great verve. Lovely balance. Made from three plots of young vines within Clos de Tart grand cru (replanted in 1999, 2005 and 2011), declassified as 1er. Tasted together with winemaker Jacques Devauges.
2014 Domaine Jacques-Frédèric Mugnier Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Clos de la Marechale Rouge. Bright crimson. Rather closed though there is a medium presence of soft red fruits with gentle tannins, laced with some salinity. Good balance.
2022 Domaine Yvon Clerget Volnay 1er Santenots, courtesy of Juliette Wahl. Poured from magnum. Clear ruby. Good presence of red fruits, very beautifully proportioned with fine precision and excellent acidity.
2017 Domaine Yvon Clerget Volnay 1er Carelle sous la Chapelle, courtesy of Kieron. Strong note glycerin and varnish on the nose. The palate, though, is wonderfully full and supple, exuding lovely verve and freshness. Highly integral. Good finish.
2005 Domaine de Montille Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Caillerets, courtesy of Stéphanie. Poured from magnum. Pale. Rather minerally with reductive tones amid a full presence of white fruits and nutmeg, imparting fine attack and glorious mouthfeel. This plot of de Montille lies immediately across the road from Montrachet Grand Cru Marquis de Laguiche.
2011 Domaine de L’Arlot Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Clos des Forêts Saint-Georges, courtesy of LF. Bright crimson, lit with ripe red cherries and earthy minerals, showing some age on the nose though still robust and youthful on the palate, slightly leafy (in the positive sense) with fine intensity. An early effort of Jacques Devauges.
2011 Domaine Prieuré Roch Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Clos des Argillières, courtesy of winemaker Yannick Champ. Opaque pinot tint, proffering an earthy nose of iron ore that came through readily. Medium-full. Seamlessly integrated with some salinity, laced with robust acidity. Quite masculine. Has character.
2014 Domaine Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Les Murgers. Bright crimson. Rounded with smooth velvety tannins with a bit of minerally shine around its darkish fruit. Highly integral.
2008 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru, courtesy of Jacques Devauges. Poured from imperial. Beautiful colour, exuding an irresistible fragrance of rose petals, red fruits and cherries with some early complexity amid overtones of incense. Medium-full, boasting lovely fruit and sublime acidity, gently structured with lovely tension. A superlative effort from Thierry Brouin.
2017 Château de la Tour Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, courtesy of Liz Lin. Beautiful ruby. Feminine rosy hues dominate on the nose and palate, dressed in smooth tannins and sublime acidity. Highly integral. Absolutely beguiling.
2007 Domaine Dujac Vosne-Romanée 1er Aux Malconsorts, courtesy of Martin. Evolved pinot tint. Delicious fullish velvety presence though only medium-weight, boasting great refinement and clarity with impeccable balance.
2019 Domaine Henri Gouges Hospices de Nuits Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Les Saint Georges, courtesy of Kieron. Good colour. Good concentration of red fruits, exuding cool ripeness with lovely tension and youthful intensity.
2021 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Les Saint-Georges, courtesy of Gregory Gouges. Poured from magnum. Deep ruby. Restrained bouquet of red fruits and dark cherries that carried well onto the palate with lovely concentration, layered with understated minerality. Exudes tensile verve. Huge potential here.
A bumper crop of tastings to kick off the New Year…
2021 Château La Gamaye Cuvée Prestige. Popped and poured over dinner at the in-laws, 05 Jan 2025. Deep purple. Surprisingly good fleshy presence of quality fruit for a table wine, displaying refined acidity and well-managed but slightly dryish tannins, marked by undertones of wood shavings. Really serviceable.
Champagne Chartogne-Taillet Sainte Anne Extra Brut NV, courtesy of Mr Soo Hoo at Park 90, 08 Jan 2025. Pale. Good lift of yeasty overtones, boasting lovely depth of dense minerally elements and refreshing complex citrus in equal measure within smooth creamy textures. Modest finish.
2009 Domaine Armand Rousseau Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, courtesy of Mr Soo Hoo at Park 90, 08 Jan 2025. Some age is evident from the evolved purple, exuding a highly perfumed bouquet of floral rosy hues and other feminine characters. Medium presence. Highly integral and agile, its utterly seamless layers underscored by striking acidity that impart a touch of exuberance though there isn’t much inner detail beyond its classy elegance. Modest finish.
2021 00 Wines VGR, courtesy of Mr Soo Hoo at Park 90, 08 Jan 2025. Evolved purple. Slightly darkish for pinot, tinged with raspberries and chocolate, displaying controlled restraint though a tad more structured and masculine than the preceding Clos de la Roche. Open with refined clarity and transparency within a slender frame, bringing its dark cherries into greater focus, tempered by ferrous undertones.
2021 00 Wines EGW, courtesy of Mr Soo Hoo at Park 90, 08 Jan 2025. Poured from magnum. Pale, proffering gentle wafts of lime, citrus crème and fig. Creamy smooth and velvety, underpinned by sublime acidity with a tinge of coconut. Fleshed out gradually with excellent concentration of subtle white fruits and polished minerals within its seamless layers, developing a bit of stony chalkiness as it stretched out with subtle persistence. Superbly integral and elegant, so much so that I’d thought it was a Bâtard-Montrachet from the Chassagne side.
2022 Jean-Marie Fourrier Puligny-Montrachet, courtesy of Mr Soo Hoo at Park 90, 08 Jan 2025. Pale. Cool glacial tones amid floral fragrance and green fruits. Quite sharply delineated, accentuated by its high-toned acidity against velvety textures and minerally undertones. Almost reductive.
2017 Roagna Barbaresco Montefico Vecchie Viti, courtesy of Mr Soo Hoo at Park 90, 08 Jan 2025. Evolved crimson. This Barbaresco is highly burgundian in character, proffering delicious red fruits and haw on the nose and medium palate underpinned by refined acidity that impart fine clarity though it’s a tad straightforward, finishing with trailing notes of incense.
2021 Maxime Cheurlin Noëllat Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Feusselottes, courtesy of Monsieur Bernard Delmas at Park 90, 08 Jan 2025. Popped and poured. Rather dark for pinot with a deep crimson core, proffering a forward bouquet of cedar, currants and dark cherries. Well-extracted with a savoury richness and ripe concentration underpinned by a firm minerally spine and pronounced acidity, displaying a controlled restraint in spite of its outsized potential.
2021 Penfolds Max’s Shiraz-Cabernet, aired in bottle for two hours ahead of dinner at the in-laws, 12 Jan 2025. Deep purple. Well-endowed in dark currants and blackberries that offer excellent freshness and fleshy presence with soft tannins and well-integrated acidity. Drinks well.
2021 Domaine Jean Chartron Puligny-Montrachet 1er Clos de la Pucelle monopole. Aired in bottle ahead of dinner at Otto Ristorante, 13 Jan 2025. Pale golden. Pears and tropical fruits dominate on the nose while copious citrus fruits oozed with explosive bloom, painting the concentrated palate with lush density and just the right degree of acidity, developing a bit of chalky shine some time later. Finished with lengthy persistence.
2004 Champagne Dom Pérignon P2, courtesy of MH at Otto Ristorante, 13 Jan 2025. Golden Luminosity. Quite glorious on the nose, boasting fresh citrus and chalky complexity. Beautifully layered with a darkish minerally depth amid dryish yeasty tones, developing an intense expanse of fruit with a rich minerally undertow that stretched with glowing persistence and regal elegance, stamped with impeccable pedigree.
2016 Domaine Pierre-Yvés Colin-Morey Meursault Charmes 1er, courtesy of LF at Otto Ristorante, 13 Jan 2025. Pale, exuding cool glacial tones of white fruits and clear citrus. Quite lush and velvety, caressing the palate with understated intensity and subtle depth. Not as reductive as expected.
2014 Domaine Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos-Saint-Jacques, aired ahead of dinner at Otto Ristorante, 13 Jan 2025. Classic pinot tint. Warm bouquet of red fruits and cherries, wonderfully ripe with a lovely perfumed intensity. There is a bit of earthiness beneath its youthful intensity, layered with a sense of oily density that added further dimension to its refinement. Beautifully balanced with subtle vigour. Moderate finish.
2016 Domaine Clos du Moulin Aux Moines Pommard 1er Clos Orgelot monopole, courtesy of Jimmy at Otto Ristorante, 13 Jan 2025. Purplish pinot tint, proffering a delicious lift of bright cherries and red fruits that matched the forward balance on the tensile medium weight palate. Very well-integrated though on the lean side, structured with velvety tannins that impart understated intensity. I’ve never heard of this producer but it is very good, indeed.
2017 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 1er, courtesy of CHS at Otto Ristorante, 13 Jan 2025. Rather dark and shy on the nose though the medium-full palate is quite lush and lively with refined acidity, giving way after some time to structured dryish tannins tinged with enamel and vanillin.
2012 Domaine François Lamarche Vosne-Romanée 1er Aux Malconsorts, courtesy of Vic at Otto Ristorante, 13 Jan 2025. Classic pinot tint. Fairly full with a lovely warm ripeness, the darkish fruit tinged with earthy characters within a frame of structured dryish tannins that impart a hint of gunmetal flint.
2014 Domaine du Clos Frantin Vosne-Romanée 1er Aux Malconsorts at Otto Ristorante, 13 Jan 2025. Classic pinot crimson. There is some restraint on the nose though the open medium-weight palate boasts lithe agility with a refined intensity of red fruits and fine acidity. Finished well with a dash of medicinal overtones.
2011 Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru, courtesy of Ngoi at Otto Ristorante, 13 Jan 2025. Bright crimson. Very lovely cherries and rosy floral hues on the nose along with other secondary characters. Wonderfully fresh, boasting a delicious intense succulence from the lush layers of fruit that impart superb mouthfeel all the way to its perfumed finish.
1996 Château d’Yquem, courtesy of Sanjay at Otto Ristorante, 13 Jan 2025. Displaying a deep golden lustre, this Sauternes is still remarkably youthful, imbued with tertiary characters of apricot, cinnamon and mandarins that impart a lascivious concentrated intensity amid medicinal overtones. May not have peaked.
2020 Domaine Marc Roy Marsannay Les Champs Perdrix, courtesy of Damien at Jade Palace, 19 Jan 2025. Pale. A high line of delicate citrus and pomelo cuts through the cool glacial tones on the crisp reductive palate, tightly concentrated with a hint of steely austerity. Very cleanly delineated with subtle depth, giving way to a gentle creaminess throughout its unassuming length.
2019 Domaine de la Vougeraie Vougeot 1er Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot. Aired in bottle for three hours ahead of lunch at Jade Palace, 19 Jan 2025. Delicate lime and citrus on the nose. Medium-full, boasting a rounded bloom of white floral tones, structured with sublime acidity that impart focused intensity with excellent verve.
1998 Daniel Moine-Hudelot Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, courtesy of Brian at Jade Palace, 19 Jan 2025. Darkish tint of pinot, delivering a forward bouquet of beguiling fragrance. Highly agile and lithe, still imbued with lovely sweetish fruit at the core with a saline tinge, the superb acidity producing smooth attack. Impeccably balanced. Quite splendid.
2016 Henri et Gilles Remoriquet Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Les Damodes, courtesy of Daniel at Jade Palace, 19 Jan 2025. Deep purplish core, some crimson, producing a fairly sharp lift of plums and abundant red fruits tinged with paraffin. Medium weight and fleshy with structured supple tannins, showing good concentration and detail. Modest finish. Good refinement, but its NSG character doesn’t quite come through.
2003 Château de Fonsalette, courtesy of Alvin at Jade Palace, 19 Jan 2025. Decanted on-site. Evolved crimson. Big and well-developed on the nose with a distinct sweetness. Open with soft tannins, developing supple intensity and lovely tension from the fine acidity with a dash of savouriness.
2013 Domaine Anne Gros Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Les Damodes, courtesy of Alvin and tasted in the presence of Madame Anne Gros at Jade Palace, 19 Jan 2025. Classic pinot tint. Some spice and capsicum amid blueberries and raspberries. Medium presence. Quite fleshy with a distinct salinity though the NSG terroir remains elusive. Modest finish. Only three vintages were produced from 2013-5 before the plot was sold.
2019 Weingut Markus Molitor Graacher Himmelreich Mosel Pinot Noir***, courtesy of Daniel at Jade Palace, 19 Jan 2025. Good pinot tint. Effusive in red fruits and rosy hues with a pointed lift. Medium presence. Quite integral, the fruit unmistakably pinot in character with a dash of minty coolness though one can tell it isn’t a burgundy, not showing much inner detail.
2020 Weingut Markus Molitor Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Kabinett, courtesy of Daniel at Jade Palace, 19 Jan 2025. Decanted on site. Pale golden. Effusive with a distinctive note of diesel. High-toned delicate palate though only medium weight, imbued with fairly crisp acidity and fine definition within a slender profile. Good balance. Fleshy, and not too dry. 10.5% abv.
2007 Kistler Sonoma Coast Les Noseliers, courtesy of Alvin at Jade Palace, 19 Jan 2025. Deeply coloured. Predominance of apricot and medicinal characters on the nose. Distinctly autumnal, where the honeyed overtones are still unable to conceal the fact that the fruit has begun to recede although the acidity is still intact, becoming increasingly dominant in intensity.
2016 Bass Philip Premium Pinot Noir, courtesy of Yvonne at Jade Palace, 19 Jan 2025. Aged pinot tint. Gentle rosy fragrance. Lively with sublime acidity. Fullish and vibrant, displaying lovely restraint and ripeness of raspberries and cherries with a bit of tensile quality within its soft tannins, underscored by an increasing salinity.
2007 Henschke Cyril Henschke, courtesy of WCY at Jade Palace, 19 Jan 2025. Evolved opaque purple, opening with broad swathes of black cherries and dark roses tinged with sweet eucalyptus. The cool fruit is expressed at full ripeness with controlled hedonism on a bed of elegant velvety tannins that impart understated structure and intensity. Modest finish. A Bordeaux blend of 75% cabernet sauvignon.
2012 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Folatieres. Aired for an hour ahead of the family’s CNY lunch at Imperial Treasure Great World, 25 Jan 2025. Luminous. Mandarins and copious citrus fruits dominate with an oily density amid a distinct salinity. Quite sleek and fullish, becoming more minerally over time with a trace of stoniness along with further notes of mature apricot. Drinking very well.
2020 Le Puy Emilien. Popped and poured at the in-laws, 26 Jan 2025. Fairly deep garnet, opening with an unusual reductive earthiness on the nose that didn’t quite go with the weighty palate of raspberries and black cherries underscored by striking acidity. Robust and rustic.
2017 Kenzo Estate Rindo. Aired in bottle for about two hours ahead of dinner at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 27 Jan 2025. Deep garnet. Cool, ripe and delicious with a slightly accentuated nose of red plums and cherries. A tad forward and savoury on the medium-full palate, offering fleshy chewy detail within a framework of smooth refined tannins.
2005 Prince of Hearts, courtesy of Melvin at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 27 Jan 2025. Deep garnet, showing a controlled restraint of dark plums. Fullish with silky smooth textures, beautifully balanced and nuanced with just the right degree of ripeness, developing dryish tones of charcoal ember towards its finish. Almost feminine.
1995 Ridge Monte Bello, courtesy of Russ at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 27 Jan 2025. Deep crimson, exuding a lifted warm earthy pungency expected of a mature cabernet. Very sleek and open with a relaxed gentle presence, dressed in silky tannins that impart a certain plushness. Superb.
2004 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz, courtesy of Kieron at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 27 Jan 2025. Popped and poured after some aeration. Deep garnet. Broad swathes of cool ripe plummy Barossa fruit dominate on a firm base of stony minerals that impart overtones of pochai pills, still laced with substantial vanillin and enamel. Undeniably big and forward but showing controlled hedonism and intensity. Still youthful.
2005 Episode One (Michel Rolland), courtesy of Kieron at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 27 Jan 2025. Decanted on-site. Deep garnet. Came across more like a New World cabernet, displaying an accentuated lift of cedary currants and evolved plummy fruit that lit the open palate with sharp focus, boasting a controlled tensile presence of wonderfully ripe fruit structured with sweet subtle tannins. Highly integral and delicious, its understated intensity adding further sophistication as it evolved with more inner detail. This is the inaugural vintage of a limited production made from a plot within Château d’Arsac (Margaux), each vintage being vinified by a celebrity vigneron.
2020 Château Laffitte Carcasset. Aired in bottle for 3-4 hours prior to dinner at the in-laws, 28 Jan 2025. Deep garnet. There is a huge abundance of deep dark plummy fruit and black currants imbued with a distinct minerally tone that firms up the medium-full palate with a slight austerity, tempered by reasonably supple tannins. Made by the same team from Château Angélus, this is a serious claret that demands years of cellaring.
1998 Penfolds 707 Cabernet Sauvignon & 1988 Henschke Hill of Grace
An impromptu gathering at Kam Boat on 21 January 2025 without any specific theme…
2019 Domaine Jean-Philippe Fichet Meursault Les Gruyaches. Aired in bottle for about two hours prior. Light golden, exuding dense floral hues with minerally elements in equal measure, laced with traces of vanillin. Quite richly textured, almost opulent, in lychees and complex citrus from the excellent concentration of ripe fruit, structured with a tad of oiliness that lend exquisite teasing intensity. Finished with superb length. Certainly not the reductive sort of Meursault.
2018 Domaine Durueil-Janthial Rully, courtesy of Kieron. Pale golden. Lovely restraint of floral hues amid cool glacial tones. Slightly reductive, its minerally spine lending a chiseled structure to the concentrated white fruit, turning a little more buttery over time though it still retained excellent clarity and linearity.
2000 Domaine Didier Dagueneau Pur Sang, courtesy of LF. Deep golden. This Pouilly-Fumé is effusive in lychees with a distinct sweetness though only medium weight, delicate enough to convey fine clarity within its smooth contours. Very well integrated and balanced.
2001 Kistler McCrea Vineyard Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, courtesy of Sir Bob. Fairly deep golden, showing some cool restraint from the fine density of fruit, teasing the palate with refined intensity. Still fresh and lively with understated acidity, stretching out with good length and astonishing intensity over time.
2015 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Rouges, courtesy of Vic. Darkish pinot tint. Dark plums and currants dominate with a warm fleshy salinity. Somewhat forwardly balanced, producing fine attack though the generous expanse of fruit still retains Grivot’s signature elegance and refinement.
2004 Sine Qua Non Covert Fingers, courtesy of LF. Evolved crimson, producing an unmistakable note of eucalyptus form the full-bodied tensile presence of plummy red fruits on a bed of sweet velvety, stretching out with minty length. Not for the faint-hearted.
1998 Penfolds 707, courtesy of Kieron. Displaying an opaque deep garnet, the estate’s flagship cabernet is still bold and massive, concentrated in currants, black fruits and raspberries that impart a very ripe warmth with tertiary overtones of cocoa and dark chocolate within a frame of sweet supple tannins, producing an intense near-monolithic density underpinned by a firm minerally line. This has barely evolved since a previous tasting in November 2018, also courtesy of Kieron.
1988 Henschke Hill Of Grace, courtesy of Sir Bob. Opaque deep brownish-red, imbued with mature red plums and raisiny fruit amid earthy overtones. The fleshy well-endowed medium-full palate is still remarkably fresh and agile, layered with autumnal but vibrant fruit that belies its thirty-seven years. Modest finish. Very elegant. Probably at its best, and likely to hold on for many more years.
The usual suspects gathered at Buona Terra on 09 January 2025 to celebrate Sir Bob’s special day without any specific theme, but we still dug deep. After all, it is only with the man himself that we’d get a chance to taste d’Auvenay and Romanée-Conti and other greats. Many thanks, and many happy returns, Sir!
2012 Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal, courtesy of LF. Dull golden. Fabulous lift of clear citrus and fig, well replicated with excellent density on the lively palate, boasting lovely tension with a tinge of austere minerality within its refined sheen of soft bubbly froth. Very cleanly delineated with fine precision, developing an all-encompassing suave intensity that swept through to its pointed finish.
2018 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er La Perrière, courtesy of Kieron. Luminous gold. The nose suggests an older wine, featuring roasted cashews and apricots set against a recessed chalkiness. It is almost Leflaive-like, highly integral with a gentle lithe except that the predominant white fruits are dryish and a little unusual in their attenuation, producing some fleeting intensity but lacking in detail. I hit the nail, though this pinot blanc is more developed than expected.
2012 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru. Light golden. This wine opens with a focused bouquet of stony minerals and white fruits, matched by a clean open agility that impart a certain feminine lightness in spite of its generous presence. Very well-proportioned and balanced, gradually developing more of minerally undertones that speak of its Chassagne identity. Very classy and unassuming.
2013 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, courtesy of Sir Bob. Light golden, exuding restrained white fruits with a sense of oiliness that belies its lovely verve and pervasive inner detail, supported by a subtle minerally spine. Very beautifully nuanced and balanced. Immaculately proportioned. Not your usual weighty Leflaive.
1996 Domaine d’Auvenay Meursault Les Narvaux, courtesy of Sir Bob. Heavy in colour. The bouquet is absolutely captivating in nutty characters, peaches, apricot and popcorn, rather distant at first but it builds up with growing intensity and momentum, underpinned by a ferrous trace. Very elegantly poised on the palate, distinctly autumnal with a predominance of grapefruit and aged pears, the acidity still in place throughout its linear length. Almost ethereal. Very hard to place, at this age. Fabulous!
2001 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru, courtesy of LF. Displaying a lovely golden lustre, this wine proffers a bouquet of complex orangey citrus with overtones of popcorn. A tad forward and creamy on the lithe medium-weight palate, deliciously rich and smooth, exuding plenty of élan with understated intensity, developing a glowing classy chalkiness that added focused precision to its flinty finish. This is probably Leflaive at its very best.
1985 Château Cheval Blanc, courtesy of Kieron. Displaying an autumnal brownish red, this wine exudes classic characters of a mature claret, positively glowing in capsicum, complex berries and layered currants laced with a medicinal sheen of pochai pills that are well replicated on the luxuriant fleshy palate, its glorious fruit still amazingly fresh and supple, seamlessly layered with a firm minerally line. Wonderfully vibrant, caught at its very best. You wouldn’t have guessed this is a 40-year-old bottle.
2016 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Amoureuses, courtesy of Vic. Evolved crimson. Distinctly feminine in its deep rosy hues, most captivating. The suave medium-weight palate is imbued with striking acidity and generous layers of gloriously ripe fruit that carry great energy with a lithe pointed intensity.
2020 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Vosne-Romanée 1er Cuvée Duvault-Blochet, courtesy of Sir Bob from the restaurant list. Deep purple, proffering a cool exuberance of dark fruits and black currants on the nose and medium-full palate. Quietly vibrant with a predominance of raspberries that impart wonderful freshness on a cedary floor, structured with slightly sweetish tannins. Very well balanced with darkish inner detail. Drinking well.
1994 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru, courtesy of Sir Bob. Displaying an evolved crimson, this wine opens with a predominance of dark fruits, still astonishingly fresh, tinged with pochai amid leathery overtones. The medium palate is still fairly robust though the fruit is clearly receding, giving way to refined acidity that’s a tad prominent, missing in the charm and vibrancy that one may expect from this fine plot. Probably a function of its age and vintage.
2016 Domaine Rollin Corton-Charlemagne, 2006 Henri Bonneau Réserve des Célestins, 2010 Château Rayas
I had the privilege of attending the great SC’s annual ritual, his New Year Eve lunch at Omakase@Stevens on 31 December 2024, where Chef Kazuki Arimoto has taken over from Chef Kubota. Nevertheless, it is reassuring to note that the refined culinary art at this institution is still expertly executed with supreme confidence. As usual, the wines had been carefully curated by SC himself where it is all about balance and good taste to accompany the exquisite cuisine, avoiding any vulgar excesses. Many thanks, Sir, and good health to all in 2025.
1996 Champagne Dom Pérignon Rosé. Poured from magnum. Displaying a deep orangey hue, this wine is still amazingly fresh and youthful, exuding a gentle lift of grapefruit and pears with superb presence and uniform intensity, underpinned by subtle dryish yeasty undertones.
2016 Domaine Rollin Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru. Poured from magnum. Pale golden, opening with a refreshing lift of cool glacial tones that impart excellent clarity amid overtones of vanillin, burnt toast and crème on the medium palate with an undertow of mild salinity, becoming more sharply delineated over time with a poised regal elegance.
2006 Domaine Henri Bonneau et Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins. Poured from magnum. Deep clear ruby with a tinge of crimson. Effusive in black currants, dark plums, cherries and sweet incense though far from hedonistic. Medium presence, displaying lithe agility with striking acidity within a slender profile that’s almost feminine, eventually settling with quiet intensity as it stretched out with glowing persistence.
2010 Château Rayas Réservé. Poured from three bottles. Opaque brownish at the core, proffering a gentle savoury fragrance to complement the sublime acidity on the medium-full palate, exerting fleeting intensity of rosy hues and hawthorne from the seamless layers of glorious fruit throughout its superb length to its glowing minty finish. Outstanding.
Dec 2024: 2017 Drouhin-Laroze Clos de Bèze 2014 Philippe Chéron Gevrey Clos Varoilles 2017 Claire Naudin Clematis Vitalba
2020 Turkey Flat Shiraz. Tasted at home from 5-9 Dec 2024. Deep garnet, boasting ample swathes of plummy red fruits and currants with a sprinkling of cherries that conceal a subtle sheen of vanillin. Wonderfully lithe and agile in spite of the density of fruit that carried an undertow of stems, beautifully contoured with rounded tannins that add immeasurably to its overall elegance and sophistication. Held up very well throughout those five days.
2017 Claire Naudin Clematis Vitalba. Aired in bottle ahead of dinner at Shang Palace, 09 Dec 2024. Dull golden. Elusive bouquet of high-toned citrus and distant floral hues with a restrained lift. The medium-full palate is imbued with a distinct reductive salinity, highly agile with a delicate balance of lychees and Chinese medicinal notes that morphed together with seamless detail and layering, very correctly nuanced with overtones of glazed honeysuckle. Grows on you.
Champagne Roger Coulon Rosé de Saignée Brut NV, from the list of restaurant Riviera, 10 Dec 2024. Dark orangey hues. Predominance of grapefruit with dry refreshing intensity and subtle minerality, the fruit a little more forward and perfumed over time.
2019 Evening Land Seven Springs Pinot Noir. Aired in bottle ahead of dinner at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 16 Dec 2024. Purplish crimson. Brief swathes of delicious dark cherries and currants from the ample presence of darkish fruit structured with pliant supple tannins, shutting down quite quickly on the nose even as it gained further fruity intensity with a bit of savouriness along with a distinct salinity.
2019 Domaine de Montille Saint-Aubin 1er En Remilly. Aired in bottle ahead of dinner at Crab At Bay, 18 Dec 2024. Pale greenish, exuding distant fig and green fruits. Medium-full. Rather steely with a distinct reductive minerality enhanced by its dryish intensity, taking on a chalky shine after a couple of hours without relaxing its tight grip.
2014 Philippe Chéron (Domaine du Couvent) Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos des Varoilles monopole. Aired in bottle for three hours ahead of dinner at Otto Ristorante, 23 Dec 2024. Fairly deep in purple, proffering a delicious restraint of cherries and red fruits on the nose with a hint of balsamic elements. Medium-full, very evenly proportioned with sleek acidity although there is a certain attenuation of depth, leading to a mid-palate shine. Softened after another ninety minutes, becoming a little more velvety with delicate detailed tannins. Still youthful but beginning to turn the corner compared with a previous bottle last year. Bought over and produced by Prieuré Roch from 2020 onwards, costing five times more.
2021 M Chapoutier Crozes-Hermitage Blanc. Aired for two hours ahead of dinner at Liang Kee, 28 Dec 2024. Pale, opening with chiseled white tones matched by a clean minty lift on the zesty medium palate, the fruit set slightly backward in favour of inner clarity, finishing with a dash of salinity.
2017 Domaine Drouhin-Laroze Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru. Aired for three hours ahead of dinner at Imperial Treasure Great World, 30 Dec 2024. Purplish tint of pinot with a predominance of red plums and dark cherries on the nose. Medium-full, showing some restraint at first with overtones of haw though the fruit, acidity and smooth tannins are already well-integrated, imbued with a saline tension that imparted elegant verve. Fleshed out with richer tone over time, proffering a bit of sandy detail amid early complexity.
A simple theme of Grand Cru, all blinded, for my special day on 10 December 2024 at Riviera, One Fullerton, in its spacious private room. Many thanks to all for the wines and to restaurant owner Olivier Bendel for making it possible.
2010 Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Les Gouttes d’Or, courtesy of Kieron. Luminous., proffering distant pineapples from the lovely distilled white fruit underscored by subdued salinity, boasting cool clarity and refinement though without much inner detail. Modest finish.
2015 Domaine Henri Boillot Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru. Pale golden. Too cold initially, proffering a little musty pungency before easing up with delicate floral hues and cool clear citrus that exert an excellent even presence. Very well balanced. Quite lively with controlled intensity, the fruit just a little recessed in favour of a chalky clarity, maintaining an understated demeanour throughout its fine length.
2014 Domaine Guy Amiot et Fils Le Montrachet Grand Cru, courtesy of LF. Lovely golden luminosity. Quite generously proportioned, already developing a certain maturity in its glowing chalkiness imbued with some layered complexity. Beautifully rounded with overtones of cool icing, exuding a gentle regal elegance with a tinge of salinity.
2006 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, courtesy of Kieron. Evolved crimson, proffering an attractive bouquet of orangey fruit with red plums from the deep expanse of fruit already imbued with very lovely tertiary characters. Superbly balanced and integral, structured with slick acidity and exciting tannins that impart tingling intensity though it is still somewhat understated on the whole, finishing with lasting persistence amid a tinge of medicinal powder.
2009 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Clos De Vougeot Près Le Cellier Grand Cru, courtesy of Vic. Classic pinot tint. Only medium weight, though the full ripe darkish fruit here exerts a certain warm exuberance with a focused intensity, underpinned by a ferric earthiness (consistent with its location [photo above] right next to the Château de Vougeot) that lent a touch of austerity and terse tension within its layers. Impeccably balanced.
2005 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Échézeaux Grand Cru, courtesy of Sir Bob. Some age is evident from its classic pinot tint, proffering dark plums, mulberries and cedar with minty overtones. The medium-full palate shows a slightly assertive intensity of earthy minerals, casting a certain austerity to its darkish masculine proportions enhanced by an undertow of stems towards its modest finish.
1993 Domaine Armand Rousseau Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, courtesy of LF. Displaying an evolved crimson, this wine boasts subtle layers of mature red fruits imbued with a warm ripeness that exude fleshy freshness and focus, seamlessly integral with soft tannins and understated ferrous minerals.
An evening with Thibault Liger-Belair & Jean-Michel Chartron
If you have walked around the slopes of Puligny-Montrachet, you would have noticed certain walled-off parcels (Clos de la Pucelle, Clos du Cailleret, Clos des Chevaliers) with arched entrances that spell Jean Chartron. Established in 1859, the domaine used to own the above parcels wholly before having to dispose parts of Cailleret and Chevalier in order to fund inheritance taxes, leaving only the walled sections of Pucelle and Chevaliers still intact as monopoles. It is surprising that a lot of so-called connoisseurs are unfamiliar with this domaine, for I have noted that Jean Chartron is actually well-represented in restaurant lists throughout Burgundy. The wines are superbly crafted with great purity and expression without the lofty price tags that are seemingly fashionable nowadays.
On the other hand, Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair was formed only as recently as 2001 when Thibault took over from his father Vincent at the age of 26, though the vines have been family-owned since the 18th century when its winemaking was a conjoint effort between Claude Marey and Comte Liger-Belair. Although the domaine is based at Nuits-Saint-Georges, its substantial holdings in Vosne-Romanée are the envy of many. Entirely organic without being tied down by biodynamic dogma, Thibault is very precise in his judicious usage of oak, sulphur (very low levels) and stems, adjusting according to the unique quality of each vintage, resulting in wines that are consistently fresh, vibrant and full, still retaining its roots in terroir and tradition without veering into avant-garde.
For this private event at the three Michelin-starred Les Amis, Singapore, on 25 November 2024, both vignerons have generously supplied their wines in magnums (with the exception of the TLB Richebourg), which added further dimension. Particularly as well, Thibault had brought his Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Petits Monts to share around, a wine that he makes only for private consumption (not for sale at all) in view of its very tiny production. That is truly a real privilege. A huge merci beaucoup, gentlemen, for going the distance in everything that you do.
2014 Domaine Jean Chartron Puligny-Montrachet 1er Clos du Cailleret. Poured from magnum. Displaying a golden luminosity, this wine opens with an exuberant chalky depth within a waxy sheen, matched by a highly elegant medium palate of subtle tropical fruits that tease with fleeting intensity, exuding regal refinement and clean precision underscored by sublime acidity, finishing with lengthy persistence. Still barely evolved. Excellent.
2014 Domaine Jean Chartron Puligny-Montrachet 1er Clos de la Pucelle monopole. Poured from magnum. Equally luminous. The bouquet shows a certain restraint of nutmeg and distant floral hues with a sense of oiliness before catching you off-guard with an explosive bloom of glorious white fruits tempered with sublime acidity, sustained by a glowing intensity of chalky white tones that add cohesive tension to the delicate balance. Very impeccably proportioned with a lasting finish. This is easily Grand Cru by any standard.
2014 Domaine Jean Chartron Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru Clos des Chevaliers monopole. Poured from magnum. Surprisingly restrained in site of its lovely luminosity, proffering just a hint of salinity before developing an eventual sharp lift of glorious white fruits with a focused intensity and chalky clarity tinged with capsicum, beautifully rounded with a restrained velvety tension. Very impeccably proportioned, stretching out with a placid regal elegance as it fleshed out with lively acidity. Outstanding.
2006 Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Petits Monts. Poured from magnum. Deep purplish core with some crimson, effusive in ripe raspberries and mulberries with a dash of mint. Early secondary characters are evident of the full velvety palate, laced with lively acidity amid traces of pochai pills that lend a hint of rusticity, turning brighter over time with restrained vigour. From a miniscule 0.1 ha, this wine is declared only in selected vintages (nine so far); even then, only one barrel is produced. Better still, the Les Petits Monts of Thibault Liger-Bélair is NOT FOR SALE, only for the family’s own consumption.
2009 Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Petits Monts. Poured from magnum. Deep purple with a crimson rim. The bouquet here is fresher, a little more exuberant in ripe raspberries and dark currants with a spicy dash. The medium-full palate is sharper as well, superbly delineated with focused precision and definition. Absolutely delicious. Irresistible!
2005 Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair Richebourg Grand Cru. Deep crimson. Open with a lovely expanse of dark fruits and currants, delivering tremendous depth and abundance on the big vibrant palate, structured with rounded dryish tannins that oozed a bit of sweetness. Highly integral but still tight and unyielding. Vinified using whole bunches since that year.
2010 Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair Richebourg Grand Cru. Evolved pinot tint. Compared with the 2005, the 2010 is surprisingly lean and understated, much lighter and fleet-footed in its sleek acidity and fine delineation though there is no lack of focus and balance. Highly integral but a little short.
Champagne Henriot Brut Souverain, courtesy of Vincent and Jimmy Leung at Imperial Treasure Great World, 04 Nov 2024. Pale. Lifted nose of clear citrus in soft focus, matched by excellent concentration of fruit and distant minerally elements that exert reductive tightness with fine clarity, though a little short.
2015 Hospices de Beaune Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru Cuvée Madeline Collignon, courtesy of Dennis at Imperial Treasure Great World, 04 Nov 2024. Good colour, proffering a burnished tone from the excellent concentration of red fruits and cherries undergoing early secondary development, structured with sweet rounded tannins.
2016 Domaine Faiveley Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Les Saint-Georges, courtesy of Sir Bob at Imperial Treasure Great World, 04 Nov 2024. Bright crimson. Already into its secondary development characters with a sweet undertow beneath its rich velvety textures, yielding lovely definition within its chiseled structure.
Champagne La Closerie Les Béguines Extra Brut NV, courtesy of Wong Gang at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Light golden. Fairly effusive in yeast, preserved plums and medicinal overtones. Medium-full. Fleshed out with further notes of olives haw and orange peel with a sweetish undertow.
2017 Hospices de Beaune Meursault-Charmes 1er Cuvée de Bahèzre de Lanlay at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Poured from magnum. Luminous, taking its time to proffer overtones of cool icing amid ripe citrus, fig and honeysuckle with subtle complexity. The medium-full palate is beautifully nuanced with a rounded velvetiness, seamlessly integrated with excellent detail, eventually settling down with glacial elegance and regal sophistication. Yet to develop secondary characters, but this is so irresistible.
2008 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Vergers, courtesy of Gary at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Pale golden, exuding gentle white floral hues amidst capsicum and spicy white pepper. Medium-weight, imbued an oily density and slick acidity that impart fair intensity. Impeccably balanced and proportioned, settling down with the classic glowing white tones of Chassagne that stretched with lengthy persistence. Still astonishingly youthful.
2018 Esprit Leflaive Puilly-Fuissé, courtesy of Isabel at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. The inaugural vintage of this wine displays a relative pallor and understated concentration that bely the controlled intensity of fruit, producing lifted white tones with fine detail against a deeper vein of subdued minerals. Became wonderfully slick as it morphed together with lovely length and restrained elegance.
2013 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Clos des Bouchères monopole, courtesy of Andrew at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Luminous golden. Highly aromatic in complex citrus, brioche and honeysuckle. Medium-weight. Open with supple intensity from its sleek tangy acidity tinged with saline minerals. Beautifully integrated with great precision, turning even more minerally over time.
2015 Domaine Coffinet-Duvernay Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, courtesy of Edmund at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Pale golden. Weighty bouquet of cider and freshly roasted cashews. Much more developed on the medium-full palate than expected where there was a distinct autumnal note, turning more racy over time, developing chromatic tones with a bit of pebbly shine from the saline minerals, underscored by sublime acidity. Moderate finish.
2014 Domaine François Lamarche Grands-Échezeaux Grand Cru, courtesy of Morgan at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Deep crimson. Effusive in bright rosy hues from the generous body of red fruits undergoing early secondary development, framed by dryish tannins that offer good definition, displaying refined balance. Modest finish.
2006 Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Suchots, courtesy of Gary at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Good colour. Generously endowed in red fruits and cherries, imparting glorious lift with a bright supple intensity, layered with a deeper darker vein of currants. Highly integral. Excellent terroir character.
1998 Château Musar, courtesy of Isabel at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Clearly mature in appearance, exuding a powerful plummy glow from the abundant medium-full palate. Remarkably fresh and rounded with lively acidity, its tannins having melted to yield savoury sweetish tones. Reminds me of Tertre Roteboeuf.
2010 Domaine Taupenot-Merme Mazoyères Grand Cru, courtesy of Edmund at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Some age is evident from its bright crimson, proffering red fruits, raspberries and haw with a perfumed lift. Softly contoured with velvety textures, imbued with ferrous elements.
2019 Occidental Running Fence Vineyard Cuvée Catherine, courtesy of Hiok at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Deep crimson. Forward nose of delicious red fruits. Equally full on the palate, cushioned by a certain velvetiness, boasting great purity of fruit within a frame of soft sweetish tannins. Highly integral but short.
2004 Château Cheval Blanc, courtesy of Iqbal at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Deep crimson. This wine proffers a fairly deep bouquet of red capsicum with a hint of nail varnish. Already well into its secondary development, its ample fruit open with inviting supple intensity, the cabernet franc coming into play with overtones of haw, imparting subtle tension of the fullish palate. Yet to reach peak maturity but this is shaping up very well.
2010 Cloudburst Chardonnay, courtesy of Wong Gang at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Light golden. This Margaret River white opens with great sophistication on the nose, so very correctly nuanced with a lovely lift of capsicum and nutmeg. Equally sublime on the fullish palate, imbued with sleek acidity and a certain oiliness that impart a hint of earthy diesel, impeccably integrated with elegant complexity as it finished with lengthy persistence. Highly burgundian. Outstanding.
2013 Domaine Jean-Marc Millot Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru Grand Marpetui, courtesy of Morgan at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Classic pinot tint. Delicious. Softly focused and integral, boasting elegant intensity of red fruits laced with ferrous elements, yielding fine definition and linearity.
2017 Domaine Bruno Clair Chambolle-Musigny Les Véroilles, aired in bottle for couple of hours ahead of dinner at Asia Grand, 19 Nov 2024. Aromatic profusion of red fruits and cherries, lighting up the medium-full palate with classic Chambolle character. Quite fleshy and rounded, displaying excellent ripeness and freshness with understated intensity. Lovely.
2019 Champagne C.H. Piconnet Brut Nature at Les Amis, 25 Nov 2024. Pale golden, exuding brilliant crisp citrus and traces of flint that burst through a mild yeasty sheen, boasting great balance and clarity with further notes of summer hay and floral tones, taking on an even greater flinty intensity. Drinking very well.
2015 Domaine Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Les Genevrières at Otto Ristorante, 26 Nov 2024. Displaying a golden luminosity, this wine was more developed than expected at nine years, opening with an oxidative restraint of honeyed toast, straw and glazed icing. Medium-full and fairly lithe, layered with oily density and slick acidity that gave way to a concentrated chalky shine.
2020 Domaine Yvon Clerget Volnay 1er Clos du Verseuil monopole, courtesy of Vic at Otto Ristorante, 26 Nov 2024. Bright purple. Utterly seductive in its lush expanse of ripe raspberries, very gently oaked with a hint of sweet vanillin, matched by sexy tannins that flatter with seamless supple intensity almost to the point of voluptuousness. Distinctly feminine, and irresistibly delicious.
2018 Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils Chassagne Montrachet 1er Clos Saint-Jean Blanc, courtesy of Sanjay at Otto Ristorante, 26 Nov 2024. Pale. Rather cool and placid at first, displaying light grassy elements with understated intensity, the fruit set a little backward, proffering a little more inner detail over time though its overall restraint remained.
2016 Domaine Faiveley Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru, courtesy of Vic at Otto Ristorante, 26 Nov 2024. Classic pinot tint. Rather unusual note of rhizomes and capsicum on the nose. Medium-full. Open and fleshy with a predominance of red fruits and haw, structured with supple tannins that exert delicious juicy succulence with lovely purity.
2002 Domaine Armand Rousseau Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, courtesy of MH at Otto Ristorante, 26 Nov 2024. Classic pinot tint, proffering delicious red fruits caught at peak maturity where the supple freshness is infused with understated feminine intensity, imparting lovely purity with an undertow of limestone and other subtle minerally elements. Highly elegant, not flashy at all.
2012 Guado Al Tasso, courtesy of CHS at Otto Ristorante, 26 Nov 2024. Very deep purple. Forward bouquet of delicious dark currants and black berries still tinged with vanillin, matched by a full presence of glorious fruit infused with black tea leaves and dry medicinal notes, structured with pliant supple tannins.
2016 Domaine Thibert et Fils Puilly-Vinzelles Les Longeays. Aired in bottle for three hours ahead of dinner at Liang Kee, 30 Nov 2024. Pale. Excellent presence of white fruits and clear citrus supported by a tinge of austere minerally elements. Slightly racy in its focused tangy intensity and fresh but understated acidity, developing a lovely floral bloom over time with a hint of pineapples. Great value.
Rescuing your bottle from cork taint
You bring a prized bottle to the restaurant only to discover substantial cork taint after popping it. Is there any way out of such despair and embarrassment? Fear not, advised the old lady serving us tea at Imperial Treasure Great World, Singapore, when a bottle of 2000 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Amoureuses was found to be affected. She poured the entire bottle into a wide-based decanter, then immersed a square-foot of clear plastic cling wrap into the wine and swirled gently for several minutes, after which she removed the cling wrap using a pair of chopsticks. And, voila, the Les Amoureuses was back to its effusive perfumed self without any tell-tale sign of its previous maladie. It seems the molecules of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) would cling conveniently onto the plastic wrap, ridding the wine of itself. First reported in 2007, it is surprising that few wine afficionados are aware of this little trick. But don’t overdo it, warned the highly knowledgeable old lady: no more than ten minutes.
Ric's Wine Journal 