Ric's Wine Journal

These notes came from a party for about 80 guests thrown by the great Dr S S Ngoi at his residence on 26 March 2017 upon the pretext of having to clear his cellar. New Ubin Seafood was, once again, summoned to cook on-site at the premises, as was Kok Hong as the preferred choice of sommelier who saw to it that the whites were nicely chilled in spite of the sweltering heat while the reds were decanted whenever necessary. Every piece of stemware belonged to the Ngoi residence and they were beyond reproach. One only needed to eat and drink and enjoy the wonderful company of good wines and great friends.

Pago de Tharsys Cava Brut Nature, poured from double magnum. This Spanish sparkling wine is an absolute delight with lifted aromas of delicate citrus and clear fruits with good concentration of fruit and stern minerals on the palate, finishing on a note of  bitter lemon. Very fine indeed.

2008 Domaine Faiveley Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru. Distinct notes of olives, plums and delicate citrus, medium-bodied, rather minerally with limestone characters that imparted some sternness to the overall complexion. Needs time.

2011 Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er. Still closed on the nose though one discerns excellent concentration of white flowers, more minerally than creamy with a particularly rich vein on the mid-palate. Will be excellent in time to come.

2011 Domaine Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, poured from magnum. Dense bouquet of lifted yellow citrus with lovely concentration of fruit on the palate where it is equally lifted, marked by delicate chalky and ferrous elements of good linearity and definition, tapering towards a minerally finish. More characterful than the Faiveley above, albeit from different vintages.

2009 Maison Leroy Bourgogne. Lovely color, exuding an attractive earthy pungency with excellent concentration of raspberries, plums and camphor, structured with recessed tannins. This is easily premier cru quality. Truly a revelation. Superb.

1995 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru. Poured from magnum. Bright tones of raspberries and red fruits dominate on the nose with a feminine quality, rounded with a gentle concentration of classic pinot fruit amidst traces of earth, red plums and cinnamon, not profoundly deep but well-proportioned with growing intensity, utterly seamless, finishing with sweet subdued tannins and overtones of camphor. I wouldn’t have known this is a D.R.C. if blinded, given its fine balance and overall reserve. Will still hold for a number of years.

2011 Domaine Prieure-Roch Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots “Pure” 1er. Lifted bouquet of red fruits with sharp dominant plummy tones leaping out of the glass, while the palate is filled with earthy tones with some attractive pungency, medium-bodied and seamless with a very fresh feel, displaying good presence and acidity, finishing with structured recessed tannins. “Pure” is a very special bottling of this wine where there is zero oxygen contact during the bottling process, resulting in the wine being fresher and more uplifted than standard bottlings of the domaine’s Les Suchots. Unfortunately, this laborious process means that “Pure” bottlings are not available commercially. Somehow, Dr Ngoi had managed to secure a personalised barrel (ie. 300 bottles) of this highly special bottling and we must surely be some of the luckiest people on earth to be able to consume this wine so liberally.

2003 Ch Latour, literally popped and poured. Deep purple, dominated by dark and red fruits in equal measure with plummy overtones, still tight. Medium-bodied, soft and rounded with good concentration of raspberries and blueberries, subtle in acidity but seriously missing in depth and length. The latter appears to be a recurring feature of the clarets of this heat-stressed vintage though, perhaps, it may be best reserve judgement in this instance as the wine had not received adequate aeration.

2003 Ch Lafite Rothschild, literally popped and poured. More reticent on the nose than Latour with subdued red fruits amidst mild plummy tones. Dryish on the palate with fine concentration of raspberries and dark roses with traces of vanilla, more structured than Latour, finishing with good length though one discerns some awkwardness in integration.

1990 Ch Montrose, literally popped, decanted and served, exuding bright accentuated aromas of plums, rose petals, camphor and cherries. The palate is marked by dryish characters of tea leaves with some ferrous elements and vegetal traces of great definition, layered with excellent depth of raspberries and red currants, open with a quiet intensity. May not have peaked. Superb.

1989 Ch Lynch-Bages, literally popped and poured. Purplish rim with a deep garnet core. Amazingly fresh with a delicious glow of dark plums, red fruits and dark currants, layered salty minerals and solid ripe fruit, slightly gritty, gripping the palate with lovely intensity and sweet subtle tannins though its finish is short.

It remains to thank Dr Ngoi for his immense generosity. Merci beaucoup!

1996 Domaine de Montille Volnay Les Champans 1er (courtesy of Fatty), 06 Mar 2017, at the office of Domaine Wines. Tasted blind. Mildly medicinal on the nose with a trace of old leather, displaying good concentration with dryish textures and good acidity feminine on the palate, quite seamless, well-crafted and delicate enough but missing in structure.

2005 Domaine de Montille Volnay Les Taillepieds 1er (courtesy of Alvin), 06 Mar 2017, at the office of Domaine Wines. Tasted blind. Significantly younger than the preceding Montille but remarkably similar in profile though the bouquet displays a bolder tone of rose petals, potentially rich with some plums amidst traces of black pepper, its feminine character enhanced by subtle acidity and seamless integration on the palate, soft and rounded, again missing in structure.

2002 Nicolas Potel Vosne-Romanee Les Gaudichots 1er (courtesy of KG), 06 Mar 2017, at the office of Domaine Wines. Tasted blind. Dark reddish brown, displaying very good concentration and depth particularly on the mid-palate with soft subdued minerals and fine seamless integration, finishing well with plums and warm fruits. More and more lovely on the nose over time. Delicious

2006 Domaine Jean Grivot Clos Vougeot Grand Cru (courtesy of Jonathan Chan), 06 Mar 2017, at the office of Domaine Wines.mature color. Lovely floral fragrance emerging from the excellent ripe fruit, displaying dryish textures with very good concentration and depth supported by ferrous minerals, fresh and exciting but lacking in structure, finishing short with a trace of sweetness.

2004 Domaine Christophe Perrot-Minot Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru (courtesy of Li Fern), 06 Mar 2017, at the office of Domaine Wines. Well evolved with a deep reddish brown, exuding a deep rosy fragrance, rounded with excellent concentration with mild saline minerals and subdued tannins, not much in the way of structure, a tad short.

Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru disgorged July 2013, popped and poured at Ming Kee Live Seafood, 10 Mar 2017. Full-bodied and lively with a forward balance of lime and clear citrus, imbued with a lovely sheen of creme and chalky minerals, not too dry. Very fine.

2012 Clos Saint Jean Chateauneuf-du-Pape, SGD115 from the list of Le Bistrot du Sommelier, 11 Mar 2017. Decanted on-site. Red and dark fruits dominate with rose petals, camphor, black pepper, spice and traces of enamel. Gentle but firm on the palate with high-toned earthy minerals, grippy tannins and excellent concentration of fruit, opening up with further notes of chocolate and a hint of licorice. Surprisingly open and highly accessible in spite of its 16% alcohol!

2004 Belle Epoque Perrier-Jouet (courtesy of Dr Wang KW). Popped and popped at Fat Cow, 14 Mar 2017. Forward with deep lovely aromas of dry toast, citrus, smouldering ember and yeasty overtones, quite lifted with delicate white plums on the palate that displayed good weight and presence, layered with complex minerals amidst bubbles that are very fine. Quite superb in sophistication and complexity.

2013 Domaine Olivier Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Champ Gain 1er (courtesy of Dr Wang KW), poured after  some brief aeration in bottle at Fat Cow, 14 Mar 2017. The nose is enveloped in deep dense floral aromas that led to white flowers and creme de la creme, its gentle chalkiness matched superbly with subdued acidity and a highly elusive minerally palate that grew in intensity over time, displaying great definition,poise and confidence. Excellent.

1991 Paul Aine Jaboulet Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert, poured after some aeration in bottle at Fat Cow, 14 Mar 2017. My second tasting in as many month, with consistent notes. Glorious soft red fruits and rose petals dominate with mild overtones of tangerines at the core, richly layered with black fruits on the palate that is still very fresh with great presence and concentration, finishing well with gentle ferrous elements amidst subdued intensity and acidity from the fleshy soft tannins. Still going strong. Excellent.

1991 Penley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, decanted on-site at Wah Lok, 18 Mar 2017. There is an abundance of aged cinnamon, red plums, balsam and complex sweet herbal tones on the nose, replete with a dash of spice and ginseng, still carrying great concentration and acidity, gaining in port-like character over time, finishing well.

2013 Layer Cake Pinot Noir, at SGD58 from PS Cafe, Paragon Singapore (before SGD30 corkage at the restaurant!), 31 Mar 2017. Forward notes of raspberries, dark currants and red fruits. Imbued with great concentration but surprisingly gentle for a young New World pinot, leaving the palate with traces of burnt and some earthiness but lacking in complexity.

The best steak in Singapore can be found at Bistrot du Sommelier. Truly authentic in the French manner.

5th April 2017 marks the worldwide launch of 2006 Champagne Salon, its 39th vintage. And, for the very first time in its history, Singapore has pipped Japan (traditionally chosen for its large market) as the country for the launch, in no small part thanks to the efforts of M. Christophe-Maleville Cazaux of the Vintage Club. Prior to the official launch, however, was a press conference held at the Atlas Bar, Singapore, this afternoon of 4th April 2017 at 3.00 PM hosted by Christophe in the presence of M. Didier Depond, President of Salon that I was privileged enough to attend, thanks to the kind generosity of the former. Yes, you have understood correctly: I am one of the very first persons in the world to taste this new vintage of Salon before its official launch.

Derived from 100% chardonnay grand cru from the single vineyard of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger of the Cote de Blancs,  Salon produces only one single cuvee, the S de Salon, declared only in exceptional vintages. Thus far, since the start of the new millennium, Salon has been declared only in the even-numbered years (though I can tell you right now there will be a 2007 Champagne Salon next year). The estate does not bother with any other kind of bottling; at any rate, there simply isn’t enough to go around. Only 60,000 bottles of Champagne Salon are produced if a vintage is declared, compared with 800,000 bottles by its sister estate Delamotte (situated side-by-side), while the whole of Champagne produces 320 million bottles annually. That certainly puts things into perspective and Singapore has been allocated only just 600 bottles through its sole distributor The Vintage Club. The extremely limited production of Salon is due, in part, to the severe selection process during the harvest. Whatever that is declassified goes into its sister wine, either the Brut NV or Blancs de Blanc or vintage Delamotte.

For this press conference, Christophe has invited only a very small group representing various interests. The luxurious and spacious Atlas Bar, with its high ceilings adorned with neo-classical art, was certainly apt. We began first with the Delamotte Brut NV, offering a generous bouquet of lime, green citrus and apricot with a forward balance, filling the palate with good concentration and lovely presence amidst gentle bubbles, finishing with a lifted tone of soft ferrous minerals though, ultimately, a tad short. An excellent calling card for this house, nonetheless.

Didier holding the very first bottle of 2006 Champagne Salon to be popped anywhere in the world

We followed up with the Delamotte Blancs de Blanc NV that was initially closed, slowly opening up to reveal aromas of white flowers and incense with a trace of earthiness, rounded on the palate with excellent presence and depth, more minerally but never too dry nor austere, finishing with fine acidity and integration. Excellent as well but this is a wine that demands more time, with food to go along.

And then, finally, Didier gleefully held up the very first bottle of 2006 Champagne Salon to be popped anywhere in the world, having spent ten years on lees before its disgorgement in July 2016. Gentle yeasty tones fill the nose along with a generous glow of green fruits, yellow citrus and dried apricot, quite ample on the palate where it was surprisingly open, deep and inviting with unobtrusive bubbles, imbued with delicate minerals and excellent purity of fruit, exuding lovely presence, deftness and precision that came naturally with the superb balance, finishing with light overtones of mint. Wonderfully elegant. This is a wine that already has everything in place in proportion without calling attention to itself, a trait that I have noticed in all the finest cuvees regardless of colour, such as a Montrachet Grand Cru or a Romanee-Conti. Indeed, the Salon was served in a chardonnay glass, befitting its superb expression of this hallowed grape. With such completeness right off the starting blocks, the 2006 Champagne Salon is set to be a great classic in time to come. Didier felt that it paralleled the 1982. If that’s the case, I don’t have to tell you what to do.

Christophe serving some of the luckiest folks in the world

It leaves me to thank Didier Depond for choosing Singapore to launch this wine, and to congratulate Christophe for doing so well in such a short span. And, in case you haven’t heard, the future release of the 2008 vintage  will only be bottled exclusively in magnums (deemed by Didier as the ideal format for long term ageing), only 8000 bottles available worldwide. I’m glad I got to know Christophe….merci beaucoup!

Yours truly with M. Didier Depond

These are notes from a small gathering at Famous Kitchen where CW was keen to show off the stunning burgundy whites of 2014 and they certainly lived up to expectations: exceptional balance between stunning fruit complexity and sublime minerality with gorgeous acidity and depth to last the distance. And when they are made by the top producers without costing an arm and a leg, you know you simply can’t go wrong. For the uninitiated, I can certainly attest that Famous Kitchen is a superb venue for wine and food lovers: excellent service, great food, BYO, excellent stemware and friendly on your wallet. Worth the long drive to Sembawang.

2000 Champagne Pierre Peters Cuvée Speciale Les Chetillons Blanc de Blancs (courtesy of Te Shan). Nutty with deep toasty notes and yeasty overtones on the nose. Very fine bubbles on the palate where green apples, pear, pomelo and dense citrus dominate with good complexity supported by stony minerals, not too dry, turning slightly stern at its ferrous finish. I have gone through many bottles of this same wine over the past 6 years, seemingly going from strength to strength with each tasting.

2014 Domaine de Villaine Saint-Aubin Les Perrières 1er. Lovely gentle floral lift of light citrus and icing, stuffed with good concentration of delicate white fruits and aged minerals that resonate with a mild resinous quality. At EUR 35, this is unbelievably superb value.

2014 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Saint-Aubin En Remilly 1er. Distinctly minerally, as expected of Ramonet, with more flavours of limestone, coal and smouldering ember amidst some mild earthy pungency that is entirely characteristic of this large premier cru plot that lies upslope to the west of Chevalier Montrachet. Good delicacy, concentration and acidity, but done quite subtly, perhaps just missing in potential complexity that one senses from the classic plots of Meursault or Chassagne.

2014 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Saint-Aubin Les Murgers des Dent de Chien 1er. Adjacent to En Remilly to the north. Shut on the nose. Lovely characters of creme and chalky minerals, displaying good presence with a forward balance of white fruits matched by crisp acidity, somewhat straightforward and a tad short at this stage. More generous than the same wine of Louis Jadot.

2014 Domaine Dujac Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er. Good depth on the nose with a lovely glow of peppermint and tangerines. Creamy, rounded and full with subtle acidity, just a bit short.

2014 Domaine Dujac Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er. More earthy than Les Combettes and more advanced with excellent body, forward in floral notes, crème and subtle chalky minerals, just a  bit short.

2014 Domaine Bernard Moreau Chassagne-Montrachet. Gentle aromas of white flowers with forward balance of tropical fruits, again very gently focused and very well integrated with subtle minerals, displaying understated intensity. Just a village, but absolutely lovely.

2014 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet Clos du Cailleret monopole 1er. This is the inaugural vintage of this new wine from this venerated estate, coming from a special enclosed plot within Les Caillerets. As expected of Ramonet, this wine displays some early complexity in its bouquet of dense citrus and delicate minerals, medium-full, absolutely gorgeous in its precision and focus of gentle tropical fruits and sublime minerality, finishing with plenty of verve, superb integration and length. Outstanding.

2013 Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Procès 1er. Relatively darker than usual in color and tone for pinot, medium-full, featuring good concentration of red and dark fruits with overtones of earth and soil, well-integrated but lacking structure, decidedly more feminine in character.

2007 Champagne Louis Roederer Cristal. Generous overtones of toast, rye, barley and yeasty characters, very lively and deft on the palate with good acidity and subtle minerals, still youthful.

2013 Hirsch Vineyards Reserve Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir (courtesy of Te Shan). Raspberries, red fruits and tangerines dominate on the nose and palate with light airy textures, medium-bodied, displaying good presence but too shy and gentle, lacking distinction.

2011 Domaine Hudelot-Noellat Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru (courtesy of Dr Ngoi). Lifted aromas of delicate red fruits, raspberries and bright cherries, racy with fine concentration, depth and mouth-tingling acidity on the palate supported by highly subtle minerality. Still has some way to go but will be wonderful.

2011 Kracher No. 9 Muscat Ottonel Trockenbeeren Auslese. Glorious tropical fruit with a forward balance, absolutely homogenous, fairly viscous with further notes of passion fruit, caressing the palate with lovely intensity and depth. Excellent.

I had the good fortune of being invited to lunch with Don Weaver, Director of Harlan Estate, on 25 March 2017 at Tunglok Signatures, Orchard Parade Hotel Singapore. Don was en route to Hong Kong and had kindly agreed to stage a mini-vertical at the invitation of M Philippe Capdouze, FICOFI Chairman and Founder. Looking absolutely casual and relaxed, Don related that the land that William Harlan had initially purchased in Napa back in 1984 was actually a forest. Later on, the decision was made to convert part of the land into vines and the rest is history. Due to an outbreak of phylloxera, most of the vines had to be replanted, which accounts for their relatively youthful average age of about 26 years. The selection process is severe. About 50% of the crop is declassified each year such that only 20,000 bottles of the grand vin are produced. Part of the declassified crop goes into its second wine The Maiden, of which 10,000 bottles are produced. The remainder is sold off unmarked. The renowned oenologist Michel Rolland has been consulting at this venerated estate for many years, although Don was quick to point out that Bob Levy and his winemaking team do not necessarily take up the Frenchman’s counsel.

Philippe & Don

Unlike Bordeaux where hail and frost and excessive rain may wreak havoc each year, Napa consistently enjoys good sunshine and predictable Mediterranean-like climate as the winds from the Pacific Ocean reaches the hilly slopes at Harlan. Over the years, the team at Harlan has come to understand the exact full potential of its grapes. As Don says, they have an exact idea how the Harlan grand vin should be: wines of opulence, fullness and integrity with great linearity throughout without any dropouts. These qualities are readily apparent from the tasting where each vintage is consistently rich with silky supple textures, beautifully proportioned and integrated with subtle tannins without any jarring acidity nor the slightest alcoholic trace even though they weigh in at 14.5% abv.

For this lunch, Don has brought generous supplies of the 2006, 2002 and 1996 vintages of the Harlan grand vin. On our part, the great Dr Ngoi, a long-time friend of Don, has contributed a magnum of 1995 Harlan Estate while Philippe has pushed the boat out with the stunning whites. The ever-reliable sommelier Kok Hong was on hand to ensure that the Harlan reds have been properly double decanted for at least 3 hours prior while the Cantonese cuisine of Tunglok, as usual, lived up to our high expectations. The wines are described in the order served.

2004 Champagne Salon Cuvée S de Salon. Absolutely inviting on the nose with an abundance of citrus, lime, pomelo and bitter lemon that led to great presence and concentration on the palate, layered with fine acidity, gentle bubbles, crème and chalky characters, generous in delicate minerals. Highly sophisticated and complete, already hinting at great future complexity. Absolutely gorgeous.

2011 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche Grand Cru, poured from double magnum. From the largest owner of this sacred plot veering towards Puligny, this wine displayed a deep lifted bouquet of complex  tropical fruit with a hint of caramel, raw nutmeg and gentle earthy tones, richly layered with lovely proportions, structured with subtle intensity and lingering acidity, teasing the palate with some early complexity, turning just slightly stern at the finish with ferrous elements. Truly glorious.

2006 Harlan Estate. Very dark. Rich ripe fruit with a great abundance of cassis,  blackcurrants and dark plums though surprisingly subtle in concentration and intensity, tight but opening up, not at all jammy nor hedonistic, quite seamless with superb balance, structured with sweet supple velvety tannins, finishing with a mild medicinal trace. Still very youthful, but the potential is superb.

1996 Harlan Estate. Deep impenetrable dark purple. Ten years older than the preceding 2006, the bouquet here is discernibly more evolved as dark currants, black fruits and minerally elements dominate in equal measure, medium-full, displaying excellent concentration, opening up with notes of graphite, earthy minerals, dried leaves and herbs, structured with subtle velvety tannins that tapered to a lengthy finish. Still youthful after 20 years. For many around the table, this was the wine of the entire flight.

1995 Harlan Estate (courtesy of Dr Ngoi), poured from magnum. Remarkably gentle on the nose, featuring dark seamless tones of toffee, mocha and dried tobacco that went very well with high-toned ferrous minerals on a palate that is still tight, linear and focused, rich in dark currants with some bright spots, saturating the palate with wonderful grip but yet to open, again finishing with sweet understated tannins amidst subtle intensity. This stunning 1995 is, perhaps, the most elegant of the afternoon’s line-up. Hardly past its adolescence, this wine will be super long-lived. Outstanding.

2002 Harlan Estate, poured from magnum. This wine exudes an unique powerful bouquet of savoury characters along with an abundance of warm black fruits and dark currants, full-bodied, richly layered with the lovely intensity of tropical fruits coupled with seamless tannins that guaranteed fabulous mouthfeel, turning a tad dry and minty at the finish.

2005 Ch d’Yquem. Luscious, rich in apricot and nectarine, medium-bodied, surprisingly open and deft in spite of the lovely concentration and quiet intensity, displaying good definition with further notes of seared caramel and ember, drinking so well but still youthful. The 2005 is seemingly the de facto Sauternes of FICOFI, but always a pleasure to return to on each occasion.

Thank you, Don, for your time and generosity; my sincere gratitude too to Dr Ngoi and to FICOFI for the opportunity.

Dr Ngoi, Ric and Don

For reasons best known to Dr Ooi himself, the usual suspects were called to dinner on 23rd February 2017 at Yan, National Gallery Singapore, sponsored by the man himself. Naturally, in the face of such unconditional generosity, we were eager to reciprocate in kind with great wines. A theme of Matured Wines (arbitrarily defined as greater than 20 years for reds and 10 years for whites) was set to match the delectable cuisine while Mr Shek, the restaurant manager, ensured that the big round table in the spacious private room was overflowing with top-notch stemware and that our every need was taken care of by his attentive staff.

1995 Krug (courtesy of Li Fern). Roasted cashews, almonds, clear citrus and toast dominate on the nose, searing the palate with this estate’s signature dry intensity, matched by broad chalky minerals and acidity that is still fresh and vibrant, finishing with bitter lemon and pomelo.

2004 Domaine Paul Aine Jaboulet Le Chevalier de Sterimberg Hermitage Blanc. Dull golden, somewhat underwhelming on this occasion where the palate features receding tones of aged tangerines and chalky minerals with overtones of rye, icing and stern ferrous elements, slightly better over time as more acidity emerged along with faint traces of apricot. Another bottle, popped and poured at Ka Soh on 25 Feb 2017, from the same lot tasted fresher, lively with very good concentration and layering with a bit of laid-back feel from the Rhone white varietals of marsanne and roussanne.

2000 Domaine Louis Jadot Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru (courtesy of KG). Gentle restrained bouquet of white flowers and light resin, medium-bodied with a subdued feel, somewhat underwhelming though it gained some weight over time, fleshing out with further notes of balsam but still short at the finish. Unlikely to improve further.

1991 Domaine Paul Aine Jaboulet Domaine de Thalabert Crozes Hermitage. Inviting bouquet of rose petals, exuding a dark lovely fragrance, well-integrated, displaying good acidity and definition with overtones of paraffin, growing in intensity over time. At its best.

Magnum against double magnum

1975 Ch Cheval Blanc, poured from double magnum, a bottle procured by Dr Ngoi directly from the chateau itself. It is rare (for me, at least), to be treated to an excess of mature Cheval Blanc without having to pay for it (we couldn’t even finish the bottle…?!). Dark dirty red, earthy with some mild pungency amidst mature red fruits, medium-bodied, still displaying great acidity and good concentration against a backdrop of tea leaves and dryish textures, eventually developing a glorious glow with mild overtones of tobacco, chocolate, old leather and gentle graphite elements, becoming quite sublime, holding well all the way till the end of the evening. Highly consistent with a standard bottle tasted ex-cellars at Chateau Cheval Blanc itself in September 2016 (see post), though that was slightly lighter and more feminine with red fruits that appear to be more evolved. Absolutely superb.

1995 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue Musigny Grand Cru, poured from magnum (courtesy of Li Fern). The most famous producer of this exalted plot has lived up to expectations here, producing a wine with a captivating firm bouquet of mature red fruits and rose petals that displayed great balance, proportion and precision, highly subtle in layering and structure with further complexity and camphor pervading through the layers, finishing very well with lingering acidity.

1994 Ch Mouton Rothschild (courtesy of MH). Lifted notes of earth and dark plums fill the nose with enticing aromas, medium-bodied, its lively acidity imparting a high aquiline tone that combined well with the generous spread of dark fruits, blueberries and saline minerals amidst the classic dryish textures of Pauillac. Like Ch Haut-Brion of the same vintage, this wine is severely under-rated. Excellent.

2001 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru (courtesy of Vic). Like all Ramonets, this superb wine just downslope of Montrachet possesses a distinctive aged feel of complex citrus, rye, light grassy elements and dense minerals further enhanced by an attractive earthy pungency, medium-bodied, mellowed with subdued intensity and receding acidity that adds immeasurably to its overall finesse, an elegant demure beauty that doesn’t call attention to itself. Outstanding.

1991 Three Rivers Dry Grown Shiraz (courtesy of Hsiang Sui). Deep bouquet of dense red fruits, dark berries, licorice and enamel that hinted at immense power. But it turned out to be surprisingly open and relatively mellow on the palate with further notes of cocoa, ember and smoked meat, distinctly medium-bodied, displaying good integration and balance. A great privilege to have had the chance to taste this Chris Ringland cult classic that can no longer be found.

1996 Ch D’Yquem (courtesy of Sanjay). Rich, luscious, glowing with great luminosity on the palate where notes of honey and apricot dominate with great balance and precision, aided by great acidity. Still very fresh and alluring. Excellent.

Thank you once again, Dr Ooi, for your generosity and to everyone for their magnificent contributions.

2010 Jean et Sebastian Dauvissat Chablis Vaillons 1er at Parkway Pantai’s Lunar New Year party, Shangri-La Singapore, 02 Feb 2017. Served too cold, somewhat closed, but there is good concentration of citrus and pomelo on the palate, quite deft, but still flinty, lean and austere on the whole.

2013 Domaine Jacques-Frederic Mugnier Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de La Marechale 1er at Parkway Pantai’s Lunar New Year party, Shangri-La Singapore, 02 Feb 2017. Closed. One discerns only a faint fragrance of dark roses and some raspberries, somewhat unsettled on the palate as its strong plummy tone did not sit comfortably with saline minerals, culminating in a dark austere finish.

2004 Vega Sicilia Unico at Parkway Pantai’s Lunar New Year party, Shangri-La Singapore, 02 Feb 2017. Redcurrants and jam dominate on the nose without much development at this stage, while earthy vegetal characters and forest floor coat the palate along with ripe dark berries, becoming richer and more supple over time with notes of smoked meat and caramel, finishing on a spicy peppery tone, still retaining some vegetal traces. A bit awkward now. Needs more bottle age.

2007 Ch Montrose at Parkway Pantai’s Lunar New Year party, Shangri-La Singapore, 02 Feb 2017. Dense with warm vegetal tones, earth, dark plums and wild berries. Not really distinguished, missing in opulence and class, drying out at the finish.

2012 Sassicaia at Parkway Pantai’s Lunar New Year party, Shangri-La Singapore, 02 Feb 2017. Richly layered with red and dark berries, ripe with a faint fragrance , essentially closed though delicious on the palate, displaying very good concentration, acidity and sweet supple tannins, a tad earthy and austere at the finish. Great potential ahead.

2008 Domaine Jean et Sebastian Dauvissat Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru at Parkway Pantai’s Lunar New Year party, Shangri-La Singapore, 02 Feb 2017. Served too cold. Closed and austere, narrow in spectrum with a marked flinty minerality. Not ready.

1999 Ch Latour-a-Pomerol (courtesy of Dr Robert Kwok) at Parkway Pantai’s Lunar New Year party, Shangri-La Singapore, 02 Feb 2017. Vermillion at the rim, exuding lovely fragrance of cedar and redcurrants with excellent purity and acidity, structured with sweet firm tannins, just somewhat short and unresolved at the finish. Nevertheless, still very fine.

1999 Ch Trotanoy (courtesy of Dr Robert Kwok) at Parkway Pantai’s Lunar New Year party, Shangri-La Singapore, 02 Feb 2017. This wine exudes a lovely earthy pungency with a lifted fragrance, open and layered with glycerin and ferrous elements, utterly seamless, displaying great elegance and refinement. Drinking  beautifully. Along with the preceding Latour-a-Pomerol, it goes to show how severely under-rated 1999 is.

2006 Dominus (courtesy of Dr Robert Kwok) at Parkway Pantai’s Lunar New Year party, Shangri-La Singapore, 02 Feb 2017. Delicious with an effusive fragrance of soft floral characters, displaying great acidity and concentration with supple tannins but, unusually for Dominus, missing in layering and complexity.

1994 Ch Haut-Brion (courtesy of Dr Robert Kwok) at Parkway Pantai’s Lunar New Year party, Shangri-La Singapore, 02 Feb 2017. This particular vintage of Haut-Brion has developed a cult-like following. This is a wine of real breed and class, glowing with a deep complex tangerine core accentuated by great acidity, perhaps a little short but more than made up for by its sheer sophistication. Quite superb.

1995 Ch Cheval Blanc (courtesy of Dr Robert Kwok) at Parkway Pantai’s Lunar New Year party, Shangri-La Singapore, 02 Feb 2017. Gentle red fruits with a light tangerine core, quite deft, exuding a lovely feminine fragrance with good acidity, integration and finish but far from ready if you’ve ever tasted a fully mature Cheval Blanc.

2014 Jean Pierre et Alexandre Ellervin Chablis 1er Vaucoupin, courtesy of MH at Oncocare’s party, 04 Feb 2017. Generous bouquet of grassy elements, citrus and honeysuckle, producing a lovely sweet fragrance that went well with the gentle flinty minerals, displaying good presence and subtle acidity.

2009 Ch Simard, courtesy of MH at Oncocare’s party, 04 Feb 2017. Made by Ch Ausone, this wine exuded a stern demeanour with predominant notes of earth, aniseed, ferrous elements and some vegetal tones, displaying good concentration with supple tannins, building up to a minerally finish amidst some gentle intensity. Promising.

2000 Maison Leroy Meursault, courtesy of MH at Oncocare’s party, 04 Feb 2017. Somewhat reticent on the nose but solid on the palate, displaying very good concentration of complex citrus and green fruits with some early complexity, punching well above its weight.

2003 Rubicon Cask Cabernet, courtesy of MH at Oncocare’s party, 04 Feb 2017. Big, deep and rounded with notes of sophisticated dark plums and ripe wild berries, structured with sweet tannins, still youthful.

2010 Ch Beychevelle, courtesy of MH at Oncocare’s party, 04 Feb 2017. Impressions of deep dark currants on the nose, met with dark berries and red fruits, warm and ripe with velvety tannins and excellent concentration, open and supple, quite seamless, mildly intense with good acidity and sophistication. Positively glowing. Excellent.

2006 D’Arenberg Dead Arm, popped and poured at Huat Kee over Mom’s 86th birthday celebration, 04 Feb 2017. Deep dark inky red with herbal tones, licorice and dry mushrooms on the nose while the palate is dominated by a bright plummy tone, finishing on a spicy note.

Deutz Brut NV (courtesy of John), at Yan Ting, St Regis Singapore, 08 Feb 2017. Nutty and yeasty overtones, marked by crisp citrus and chalky minerals on the palate with sweet tannins, quite full, displaying good concentration and depth, just a bit dry. Drinking well.

Louis Roederer Brut NV, at Yan Ting, St Regis Singapore, 08 Feb 2017. Creamy smooth with deep yeasty tones, displaying great presence and acidity, quite minerally as well but very well integrated and balanced. An excellent calling card for this estate.

2013 Inama Vin Soave Classico, from the list of Yan Ting, St Regis Singapore, 08 Feb 2017. Closed, with only gentle minerals and light green fruits discernible on the palate.

2004 Rockford Basket Press, poured after an hour’s aeration in bottle from a pair at Yan Ting, St Regis Singapore, 08 Feb 2017. Consistently good with an abundance of licorice, chocolate and spice, full-bodied with further notes of cedar and cinnamon on the palate, richly layered but not jammy with well-managed tannins and acidity in good balance.

2004 Pol Roger (courtesy of Li Fern) at SS’s lo-hei party, 10 Feb 2017. Deep bouquet with lifted fragrant of citrus and white flowers. Good presence on the palate, displaying excellent depth and grip with toasty characters, resin, cashews and delicate minerals, finishing very well. Excellent.

2004 Belle Epoque Perrier-Jouet  (courtesy of Li Fern) at SS’s lo-hei party, 10 Feb 2017. Very different from the preceding Pol Roger, quite subdued on the nose where green fruits and green apples dominate, while substantial ferrous minerals and pomelo impart a stern demeanour on the palate, not helped by citrus that is recessed with a slight cutting edge though the wine became better integrated after some aeration.

2009 Maison Leroy Bourgogne (courtesy of Li Fern) at SS’s lo-hei party, 10 Feb 2017. Complex and fascinating bouquet of wild flowers with a mild earthy pungency along with heated gravel and wheat. Dry, stern and minerally on the palate, rather unsmiling, displaying good persistence at the finish. This may be a Bourgogne, but it can sit easily at premier cru level.

1999 Maison Roche de Bellene Chambolle Musigny VV (courtesy of Li Fern) at SS’s lo-hei party, 10 Feb 2017. Good fragrance of dark cherries and dark roses, medium-bodied, still retaining good acidity with a ferrous edge, rather rustic in character and somewhat unyielding, which I find typical of this producer.

2001 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 (courtesy of Li Fern) at SS’s lo-hei party, 10 Feb 2017. Quite exciting on the nose with an abundance of lifted camphor and sweet red fruits, medium-bodied, supple and rounded with good acidity  and subdued tannins with a further charge of tangerines after some aeration, finishing well.

2000 Ch Chasse-Spleen, popped and poured at Wah Lok, 18 Feb 2017. A powerful warm plummy tone permeated throughout the nose and palate initially, gradually gaining in depth, layering and intensity as further notes of raspberries and redcurrants developed over time, fleshy and seamless with lively acidity and subdued tannins. Truly a wine to chase away the blues, as the name of this estate implies (apparently after a remark by Lord Byron after visiting the estate in 1821).

2013 Pago de Otazu Chardonnay con Crianza, popped and poured at Jade Palace, 22 Feb 2017. Notes of intoxicating diesel fumes and enamel on the nose, marked by sharply accentuated citrus and lime matched with gorgeous acidity on the palate where further notes of icing, tangerines and olives emerged with creamy textures, creating a tingling mouthfeel that lingered. Good stuff.

Louis Roederer Brut NV, popped and poured over dinner with new CEO at Garibaldi, 28 Feb 2017. Deep bouquet of delicate intense citrus and pomelo with splashes of almonds and walnuts, very good in concentration and feel with subtle smooth minerality, finishing with traces bitter lemon ferrous minerals. Great balance.

Lombard Brut Reference (courtesy of Sanjay), popped and poured over dinner with new CEO at Garibaldi, 28 Feb 2017. This wine opens with a lovely gentle earthy pungency and mixed citrus on the nose, displaying very good presence with a forward balance of complex citrus and sweet green fruits topped with crème and superb acidity, lively but slightly dry, building up to a great intensity and finish amidst some stern minerality. Excellent.

2014 Chateau de Chamirey Mercurey La Mission 1er, popped and poured over dinner with new CEO at Garibaldi, 28 Feb 2017. Tasted second time in as many months with consistent notes. This is a superb white from an unsung domaine, displaying a complex tone of crème de la crème, white flowers and white pepper, strewn with delicate citrus in spite of the high-toned fullness and concentration, subtly intense, supported by great acidity and understated minerality. Very lovely but don’t waste it now.

2007 Pelissero Vanotu Barbaresco, a pair popped and poured over dinner with new CEO at Garibaldi, 28 Feb 2017. The first bottle was off (not corked but flat, probably cooked). The second was highly successful, exuding aromas of red and dark fruits and dark plums with a lovely velvety intensity, quite open and layered with gorgeous acidity, well-integrated, finishing well.

2009 Henri Bonneau Reserve des Celestins Chateauneuf-du-Pape (courtesy of C J), popped and poured over dinner with new CEO at Garibaldi, 28 Feb 2017. Excellent depth red and dark fruits, very plummy with wonderful depth and detail, laden with generous overtones of camphor and rose petals, open with a gentle deftness that’s surprising for a young CdP but definitely most welcome. Yet to gain full complexity but this is drinking so well already. Excellent.

1990 Castello di Ama L’Apparita, popped and poured over dinner with new CEO at Garibaldi, 28 Feb 2017. This 100% merlot from Tuscany is supposedly the poor man’s Masseto though I’d beg to differ, considering that it was priced at SGD 550 from the restaurant list, before taxes. This wine is still dark and masculine, displaying aged sweet medicinal tones with excellent presence and great acidity, structured with sweet supple tannins with further notes of cedar and cinnamon emerging from its depths. Quite fabulous.

I have since learnt to drop everything and follow Dr Ngoi whenever the great man issues a sudden impromptu invitation to lunch. I was glad I did exactly that on 23 Feb 2017 when I found myself being chauffeured to Garibaldi where, to my pleasant surprise, we were joined by M. Philippe Capdouze, Founder and Chairman of FICOFI, and M. Jean-Charles Cuvelier, GM of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti who was in town for the recent DRC dinner and who still remembers my visit to that venerable estate back in 2015. Roberto, chef and owner of this top establishment, was on hand to take charge of the food and, on this occasion, he has surpassed himself, providing generous dollops of Norwegian caviar to go with sea urchin and scallops while the tajima wagyu beef was beautifully tender, melting in the mouth. It turned out a wonderful range of whites had been lined up, matching the exquisite cuisine perfectly. Decadence of utter refinement and elegance. What a way to get a real head-start on the weekend! All wines were popped and poured.

2014 Domaine de Villaine Saint-Aubin Les Perrières 1er (courtesy of Philippe). This wine possesses a lovely feminine essence of white flowers and gentle crème de la crème, open and richly layered with opulent fruit, gorgeous acidity and complex minerals of absolute  sophistication and precision that lingered with great persistence. Truly glorious and, by far, the best Saint-Aubin I’ve had. Marvellous. This wine comes from a domaine in Bouzeron, south of Chassagne, that was bought over in 1973 by Aubert de Villaine, now helmed by his nephew Pierre de Benoist.

2014 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet Clos du Cailleret monopole 1er (courtesy of Philippe). Not to be confused with Les Caillerets, the Clos du Cailleret is a brand new wine in Domaine Ramonet’s portfolio, starting with the 2014 vintage. It hails from a walled section (hence clos) within the excellent 10-ha premiere cru of Les Caillerets. This wine is beautifully made, more forward in white flowers and clear fruits, expressing the typicity of Chassagne with rich minerals that produced textures of crème and icing layered with glorious acidity, displaying excellent linearity and definition all the way to its superb finish. Absolutely delicious. Ramonet has scored a bull’s-eye here. A must-buy.

2008 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er (courtesy of Peter Tan). Dull golden hue, displaying caramel and nutty overtones but initially shut as it was served too cold. It gradually developed an aged feel characterised by recessed fruit with a veiled quality with just traces of lychees and pineapples in the background, aided by subdued acidity and a relatively heavier tint of chalk.

1979 Ch d’Yquem (courtesy of Dr Ngoi). This wine displays apricot, aged honey and caramel that’s quite appropriate for age, still quite fresh and lively with very good acidity, gaining in some medicinal and herbal overtones with time, finishing with great persistence.

Dr Ngoi, M. Jean-Charles Cuvelier and Ric

The inaugural La Paulée de Singapour was held at the Four Seasons Hotel, Singapore, on 20 January 2017, organised by M. Christophe Cazaux-Maleville of the Vintage Club and graced, no less, by the Ambassador of France, His Excellency M. Marc Abensour, just three weeks into his new appointment in Singapore. The La Paulée in Burgundy has its roots back in the 1920s, started by Comte Lafon in Meursault as an event where winemakers would gather to impress one another with their own wines. Nowadays, the La Paulée in Meursault is held at Château de Meursault to celebrate the end of a successful grape harvest. Workers in the vineyard would gather for an evening of food and wine, and each person would bring along a bottle to share with everyone else. For this evening, the Four Seasons ballroom had been transformed into the spirit of the La Paulée, where long rows of tables have been set for dinner. But first, to wet our beaks, was a promenade of wines from various producers featuring exclusively the 2014 vintage, by now widely recognised as being absolutely fabulous for whites – full of delicacy, great acidity and concentration with full potential for utter complexity and longevity – with the reds coming in a close second, delicious, vibrant and sophisticated. Needless to say, the local French community showed up in force and with such abundant free flow of outstanding wines from start to finish to match the excellent cuisine, the La Paulée quickly turned into a riotous evening of great fun and merrymaking. Christophe is to be congratulated for the great success and organisation, and I’m certainly looking forward to next year’s edition. And oh…His Excellency is pretty fluent in Mandarin, so do behave.

2014 Domaine de Montille Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts 1er. Delicious, lovely aromas of red fruits and roses with fine acidity amidst saline minerals, medium-bodied, displaying good harmony and feminine poise. Excellent.

2014 Château de Chamirey Mercurey La Mission monopole 1er. Closed on the nose though the palate is layered with lovely peaches and white flowers supported by rich minerals, displaying great concentration and harmony, finishing well. Excellent.

2014 Château de Chamirey Mercurey Les Ruelles 1er. Soft with camphor and rosy characters, medium-bodied, gentle with subdued tannins and subtle acidity, discernibly showing more new oak but well handled. Very fine.

2014 Domaine de Perdrix Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Perdrix 1er. Great color, matched by a lovely bouquet of red cherries, roses and camphor. Quite minerally on the palate with good acidity and a dash of earth, leading up to an uncomplicated good finish. Quite fine.

2014 Domaine de Perdrix Échezeaux Grand Cru. Generous aromas of red fruits, earth and minerally elements, medium-bodied, rounded with subtle acidity and tannins, slightly ferrous, finishing with good persistence. Very fine.

2014 Domaine Vincent Bouzereau Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er. Lifted with notes of white flowers in full bloom, plump and fullish with great presence and silky textures, layered with understated crème de la crème, complex minerals and lovely acidity. Absolutely beautiful.

2014 Domaine Vincent Bouzereau Corton Clos de Fiètres Grand Cru. Effusive bouquet of white flowers, banana and crème, full-bodied but open and relaxed, displaying excellent presence and fine acidity, finishing well.

2014 Joseph Faiveley Puligny-Montrachet Champ Gain 1er. Rich bouquet of creme and  perfumed white flowers, though somewhat underwhelming on the palate where the fruit is a little too backward and gentle in spite of the fine minerality and acidity.

2014 Domaine Faiveley Clos des Corton Grand Cru. A big wine, deep in notes of forest floor and red and dark fruits, very good in concentration and acidity but tight, spicy and dry at the finish.

2014 Domaine Faiveley Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru. Fleshy and layered with red and dark fruits of excellent depth, integrated with great acidity but still tight. More extracted than past examples of Latricères by Faiveley, but not overdone. Excellent potential.

2014 Domaine du Château de Meursault Les Charmes Dessues Meursault 1er. Served from methuselah by M. Christophe Cazaux, no less. Stern and structured with a great concentration of citrus, tropical fruit and pomelo, quite minerally with good definition, combining well with wonderfully subtle acidity towards a complex finish. Excellent now, but will be even better.

2014 Domaine du Château de Marsannay  Gevrey-Chambertin Bel Air 1er. Abundance of dark fruits with plenty of weight and depth, seamlessly structured with racy acidity amidst earthy tones. Highly attractive.

2014 Domaine du Château de Marsannay Marsannay Clos de Jeu. Delightful rosy fragrance with good weight on the palate, yet rendered delicate enough by the crisp acidity and fine balance, just a tad short at the finish.

2014 Domaine du Château de Marsannay Les Favieres. Smoke, ash, some earthiness, plummy tones and saline minerals combine well to produce classic aromas, replete with lovely acidity though lacking in structure, distinctly feminine in tone.

2014 Domaine du Château de Marsannay Vosne-Romanée En Orveaux 1er. Deep attractive nose of red and dark berries, fairly lifted and complex, coupled with good acidity and concentration with further notes of earthy minerals and dark plums, just a bit short.

Champagne Delamotte Brut NV. Full-bodied with a lovely yeasty pungency, forward in citrus fruits topped by creamy tones with very good presence and delicate minerality that persisted all the way to its finish. Quite excellent.

With His Excellency M. Marc Abensour

2013 Domaine du Château de Meursault Charmes-Dessus Meursault 1er. Compared with the 2014, this wine is relatively shut on the nose though the palate sees some creamy tones and stony minerals with a mild intensity of honeysuckle and caramel, displaying good presence but it lacks layering and complexity, a tad short at the finish as well.

2011 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune Grèves Vigne L’Enfant Jesus 1er (courtesy of Dr Ngoi). Lovely soft earthiness with a rosy glow, medium-bodied and gentle with notes of camphor, earthy minerals and some attractive pungency, just a tad short. Very fine.

2011 Domaine Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er (courtesy of MH). Dark dusty red, large in proportion and well-structured with good acidity as expected of Gevrey-Chambertin, infused with saline minerals with a darker tone of red fruits that tapered to a gentle finish.

2011 Domaine Faiveley Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru. From magnum. Essentially shut on the nose, though the palate is gentle with textures of icing and crème de la crème set in a lovely balance within red and dark currants, more minerally at the finish. Highly subtle in every way. Not ready, but should turn out well.

2014 Domaine du Château de Meursault Puligny-Montrachet Les Champs-Gain 1er. Delicate citrus and complex minerals abound with excellent concentration and balance, rounded and highly supple with some grassy elements. Quite excellent.

2005 Maison Louis Latour Château Corton Grancey Grand Cru. Deep color, displaying lifted notes of red fruits and raspberries, fresh with lively acidity amidst some medicinal tones, quite robust with more than a hint of rusticity.

2007 Domaine Pierre Amiot Clos de La Roche Grand Cru. The bouquet here is utterly mesmerising, most alluring with feminine tones of rose petals, camphor and floral fragrance, soft and rounded with good concentration and intensity of fruit amidst stern minerality with traces of saline, but short. It’s all about the bouquet.

1998 Domiane Louis Remilly Clos de La Roche Grand Cru (courtesy of Steven Koh). Deep in color with well-evolved aromas of dark currants, somewhat disjointed with the palate which is quite full with some forest floor, still tannic with a stern spicy edge, finishing on a minty note.

2014 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 1er. Great transparency, allowing one to appreciate the lovely delicacy, medium-full with lovely acidity and complex minerals, displaying wonderful definition, length and balance with understated elegance. Quite complete. Superb.

Etienne de Montille holding court

2008 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er (courtesy of CJ). Very lovely complex bouquet, glowing right from the start with feminine characters of red fruits, cherries and raspberries, medium-bodied, open with saline minerals, finishing well but missing the structure of the northern Cote de Nuits. Very lovely, nonetheless.

2007 Domaine Meo Camuzet Vosne-Romanée Les Chaumes 1er (courtesy of Khay Guan). Darkish in tone , mainly raspberries and dark cherries against dryish textures of dried mushrooms with a sprinkling of white pepper, its stern demeanour reinforced by a minerally streak along with gravelly tones, tapering to graphite at its gentle finish.

1926 Joseph Faiveley Pommard Les Rugiens 1er. Murky with medicinal tones, almost port like, still quite fresh and full with good concentration and acidity. Sturdy but lacks additional dimension.

Dr C J Ooi in deep discussion with Christophe over a 2011 Bouchard Beaune Grèves L’Enfant Jesus 1er

2011 Château De La Tour Clos Vougeot Grand Cru. Large in proportion, heavy with dark and red fruits, quite earthy, displaying good acidity but not distinctive, the alcohol far too distracting.

1926 Joseph Faiveley Volnay. Murky, rather lightweight now with a minty medicinal character, still showing good acidity but short.

2012 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru. Minerally, beautifully structured with superb presence, has a very correct feel about it with great definition, delicacy and balance, finishing with great persistence. Great stuff.

2009 Louis Roederer Rose, popped and poured over dimsum lunch at Asia Grand, 02 Jan 2017. Opening with attractive notes of grapefruit, plums and a dash of cherries, this wine turned a tad too tannic and dry after some time.

2008 Senorio de Otazu, popped and poured at Jade Palace, 15 Jan 2017. This blend of predominant tempranillo with some cabernet sauvignon opens with sweet aromas of redcurrants, black fruits, earth and aniseed coupled with accentuated plummy notes on the palate that was somewhat of a disconnect with the supporting stern minerals. It was considerably better after further aeration, more weighty, sweeter and better integrated, gaining some attractive biting intensity. Needs time.

2004 Bonneau du Martray  Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, aired in bottle at dinner hosted by Vic at the Tanglin Club Tavern, 16 Jan 2017. This doyen of Corton displays its usual characters of lacquer, dew, resin and wax, closed at first with only a hint of citrus on the nose though the palate is touched by delicate citrus and lime with very good concentration and focus, glowing with defined intensity that eventually tapered towards a stony minerally finish. Still youthful and yet to peak. Excellent.

2002 Domaine Faiveley Latricieres-Chambertin Grand Cru (courtesy of Vic) aired in bottle at dinner hosted by Vic at the Tanglin Club Tavern, 16 Jan 2017. This wine displayed a fairly deep purple, exuding a delicious fragrance of rose petals and ripe cherries with excellent presence, intensity and acidity, finishing with lovely tones of camphor and soft plums but lacking in structure and a tad short. Still, this is very fine.

2002 Meo Camuzet Corton Clos Rognet Grand Cru (courtesy of Vic), aired in bottle at dinner hosted by Vic at the Tanglin Club Tavern, 16 Jan 2017. Darker and heavier in pinot tint, this wine opens with an earthy pungency amidst sweet ripe berries and dark fruits with fresh acidity and excellent concentration of red fruits on the palate, reasonably well-structured though a bit four-square, opening up well to reveal a delicious rich vein with a complex tangerine core. Quite excellent.

2000 Le Petit Cheval (courtesy of Hsiang Sui), aired in bottle at dinner hosted by Vic at the Tanglin Club Tavern, 16 Jan 2017. This wine is quite plummy on the nose with a hint of chocolates, displaying solid red and dark fruits with chewy tannins and fine acidity, fleshy but not plump, finishing well. Carries the traits of its grand vin without the lushness.

2011 Ch Queyron Lartique, popped and poured at the NUSS Guild House Bukit Timah, 18 Jan 2017. Some floral aromas with a faint fragrance from predominant red fruits, better on the palate it has real weight, depth and  concentration, building up to an intense tannic finish with a strong ferrous note. Not bad at all.

2007 Alonso del Yerro, popped and poured at the NUSS Guild House Bukit Timah, 18 Jan 2017. Scores very well on the nose with dense aromas of dark cherries and redcurrants amidst some lovely earthy pungency and smoky tones, quite plump with excellent concentration and crisp acidity underscored by ferrous minerality, ending in a spicy finish. Very enjoyable.

Louis Roederer Brut NV, at John’s clinic opening party, 21 Jan 2017. Excellent concentration of lime and citrus with a forward balance, very much understated in minerality without much of the usual yeasty tones nor complexity.

2009 Chateau de La Tour Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, at John’s clinic opening party, 21 Jan 2017. Rather dark in color and tone, shut on the nose though undoubtedly substantial in proportion on the palate, imbued with good concentration of dark berries and some tangerine though still rather tannic. An undistinguished grand cru.

2006 Casanova di Nero Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto, at John’s clinic opening party, 21 Jan 2017. A big wine with an abundance of cedar, cinnamon and dark plums, excellent in concentration and acidity, well-structured with supple tannins that tapered towards a peppery finish. Very enjoyable.

2007 Forman, at John’s clinic opening party, 21 Jan 2017. This Californian cabernet was essentially closed, revealing only a hint of cedar on the nose, full-bodied with a forward balance of dark berries  and sweet firm tannins amidst graphite minerals, somewhat uneven.

1995 Ch Cos Estournel, at John’s clinic opening party, 21 Jan 2017. Lifted with a lovely earthy pungency, rather dark in tone with a complex of cedar, cinnamon and leather amidst dryish textures, seamlessly integrated with ripe berries, dark currants, subtle ferrous elements and subtle sweet tannins. Drinking beautifully.

2004 Penley Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, decanted on-site at Osteria Art, 21 Jan 2017. Powerful medicinal and herbal aromas dominate on the nose, matched by licorice, earth, mushrooms and dark berries on the palate, medium-full with good acidity and structured with silky tannins, opening up over time to reveal some red fruits and plums. Excellent.

2000 R Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia (courtesy of LF), at SS’s pre-Lunar New Year party at Glen, 25 Jan 2017. Dense diesel fumes with chalky characters and white flowers, very focused within a narrow spectrum of flavours on the palate with good concentration and a lovely deep vein of fruit laced with crisp acidity. Quite lovely.

2002 Pintia Toro (courtesy of LF), at SS’s pre-Lunar New Year party at Glen, 25 Jan 2017.  Earthy medicinal tones with some cedar on the nose, medium-bodied, rather stern with tertiary nuances on the palate, predominantly of earthy minerals and aged plums.

1995 La Rioja Altarnun S.A. Gran Reserva 890 (courtesy of LF), at SS’s pre-Lunar New Year party at Glen, 25 Jan 2017. Bright, well-evolved with red plums, cedar and cinnamon, fleshy with sublime acidity, highly supple, displaying good linearity all the way to its glowing finish. Excellent.

1991 Compania Vinicola del Norte de Espana Imperial Reserva (courtesy of LF), at SS’s pre-Lunar New Year party at Glen, 25 Jan 2017. Abundance of mature red fruits here. Soft, supple and fleshy with great balance and acidity, structured with well-integrated sweet tannins, finishing with a wonderful burst of flavours. Superb finish

2005 Domaine de Chevalier rouge, popped and poured over lunch at Otto Ristorante, 27 Jan 2017. Deep in color, oozing with gorgeous blackcurrants and dark berries, ripe and succulent, youthful with a forward balance, quite earthy and minerally on the palate with fine ferrous elements, medium-full, rounded and fleshy with fine acidity and subtle tannin structure, yet to put on weight. Delicious but would be a waste to drink now. Keep.

2009 Ch Le Doyenne, popped and poured over the family reunion dinner on the eve of the Lunar New Year, 27 Jan 2017. Deep dark purple, loaded with an abundance of blackcurrants, blueberries and ripe wild berries, forward in fruit character amidst earthy dryish textures with graphite elements held in fine balance with well-integrated acidity and supple tannins. Delicious. Supposedly made for early drinnking but this is so good, still yet to peak.