Ric's Wine Journal

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.

Domaine de Montille is not a name familiar to all Burgundy lovers but there is absolutely nothing lacking in its quality or breed. The estate pre-dates the French Revolution, but the name Montille only came about in 1863 through the marriage of Marie Eleonore Chauvelot de Chevannes and Etienne Joseph Marie Leonce Bizouard de Montille. It has remained within the family since but it was really through the work of Hubert de Montille (the grandson) in the past few decades that the wines have become better known and more sought-after. Occupying 17 hectares, mainly in the Cote de Beaune (with some parcels in Nuits-Saint-Georges and Vosne-Romanee), the estate has practised biodynamic viticulture since the 1980s but truly certified only in 2012. Today, the estate is helmed by Etienne de Montille who famously holds opposing views on his preferred style of wine from his father Hubert, preferring greater purity of expression with greater precision whilst retaining the character of the unique terroir of each plot.

For this evening on 19 Jan 2017 at the Four Seasons Hotel, Singapore, Etienne has organised a tasting focusing on three cool vintages in Pommard, followed by three warm vintages of Volnay, culminating in a final trio of Corton grand cru. The progression turned out to be absolutely spot-on as the initial delicacy gave way to bigger wines, finishing with wines that are structured, robust and masculine. Throughout the tasting, Etienne proved to be the master educator, infinitely knowledgeable, honest and immensely likeable. A real masterclass.

2008 Domaine de Montille Pommard Les Pezerolles 1er. Classic pinot tint with feminine aromas of delicate red fruits, camphor and red plums, very seamless and slightly sweet on the palate where earth and red fruits dominate with good concentration and great linearity, seducing the senses with subtle power. Excellent. Situated at the northen end of the Pommard commune (just beyond the southern boundary of Beaune), Les Pezerolles is considered an aytpical Pommard, more feminine than Les Rugiens or Grands Epenots.

2007 Domaine de Montille Pommard Les Pezerolles 1er. More lifted than the preceding 2008 with aromas of sweet red fruits, medium-bodied, displaying good delicacy and very lovely acidity, less plump. Drinking well.

1998 Domaine de Montille Pommard Les Pezerolles 1er. From a later harvest, hence exuding darker tones of earth and forest floor, medium-bodied, soft and understated, somewhat nondescript with dryish textures and palpable tannins, not really burly, short finish. Definitely from an older style. I’m not sure if this will improve with further cellaring.

2009 Domaine de Montille Volnay Les Taillepieds 1er. Sandwiched between Pommard to the north and Mersault in the south, the domaine’s stronghold of Volnay is appreciably more robust than the preceding trio of Pommard, structured with subtle red fruits and silky tannins that exude floral fragrances infused with tangerines, well integrated with good concentration and balance, finishing with a persistent glow, becoming better with time. Very fine.

2005 Domaine de Montille Volnay Les Taillepieds 1er. Quite dark with a restrained bouquet, not showing much. Similarly reticent on the palate though it is well structured and integrated with good acidity, its tannins still tight, somewhat short at the finish. Many liked this but I’d prefer to cellar it longer.

1999 Domaine de Montille Volnay Les Taillepieds 1er. This wine opens with a gentle fragrance, soft and open with light tannins and gentle characters of earth, camphor and red berries, medium-bodied, displaying good definition, acidity and persistence. Excellent.

2012 Domaine de Montille Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru. Corton is yet again very different, much bigger in proportion and structure compared with the preceding premier crus. This particular vintage exuded a great earthy pungency with distinct tobacco notes, displaying good concentration and depth with the fruit and acidity well integrated though essentially still a young wine that has yet to develop.

2010 Domaine de Montille Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru. Shut initially, only to develop a sudden burst of glycerin and ripe red and dark berries along with dark plums and tangerine, still tight with flavours confined within a fairly narrow spectrum, yet to put on fat, delicious with subtle intensity but not ready.

2006 Domaine de Montille Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru. Notably darker with a lovely sweet fragrance, medium-bodied with excellent concentration and acidity, robust and masculine though its tannins are supple and subtly structured. Very successful.

After the masterclass, we moved on to a delectable dinner at Jiang Nan Chun, complemented by a different selection of wines…

2006 Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs. Attractive bouquet of dew, crème de la crème and chalk, forward in fruit concentration and minerality with mild characters of toast and yeasty tones, not too dry.

2014 Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet Saint-Aubin En Remilly 1er. Lifted aromas of morning dew and gentle malt lead to superb concentration and definition with crisp acidity that yielded excellent mouthfeel, fullish with a mild sternness towards the minerally finish, replete with some sweetness at the edges. Excellent.

2013 Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatieres 1er. Sweet floral fragrance, displaying crisp acidity with good concentration and intensity, quite open, more minerally in balance, coming together very well but slightly short.

2006 Domaine de Montille Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru. From magnum. Made from young vines planted only in 2005 on soil composed of yellow marl, brown clay and small gravel, this wine was shut initially, gradually revealing some dew and morning air, much better on the palate where there is good concentration of white flowers, icing and lemongrass accentuated by crisp acidity, tapering towards a gentle finish. May need more time.

2011 Domaine de Montille Pommard Les Pezeroilles 1er. Gentle nose of red and dark fruits, rounded and accessible, well integrated but nondescript, finishing short.

2011 Domaine de Montille Pommard Les Rugiens-Bas 1er. Dark in tone and color. Very good in concentration, displaying deep notes of dark plums with a mild medicinal quality supported by stern minerals, fleshy and very accessible, finishing well.

2002 Domaine de Montille Volnay Les Taillepieds 1er. From magnum. This is a big and robust wine with an abundance of red and dark fruits, layered with excellent concentration, very well integrated and fresh. Still youthful. Long life ahead.

2002 Domaine de Montille Volnay Les Champans 1er. From magnum. Saving the best for last, this wine exuded fragrant aromas, medium-bodied, quite open with crisp acidity and good concentration, medium-bodied, displaying good linearity towards its gentle finish. Quite understated in character with plenty of life ahead. Excellent. My favourite of the evening.

FICOFI kick-started the year early with a masterclass of Château Haut-Bailly vertical, followed by dinner, on 10 January 2017 at Tunglok Signatures, Orchard Parade Hotel, Singapore, with Mlle. Veronique Sanders, the château’s President & CEO, in attendance. Château Haut-Bailly has always been one of my favourite estates of Pessac-Léognan, its wines always reflective of the unique terroir of Graves without resorting to superficial gimmickry while still remaining reasonably priced. This estate came about in 1630 when it was founded by a banker, Firmin Le Bailly, who lent his name. But it was only in 1872 that Château Haut-Bailly gained true prominence through the stewardship of Éric Bellot des Minières, known as the “King of Vintners” in those times, as quality rose to rival premier cru estates. In particular, Bellot des Minières resisted grafting his French vines with phylloxera-resistant American rootstock, a widespread practice then. Till this day, about 4 hectares of the so-called Old Vines (more than 100 years) are still present on this 30-ha estate which instils the blend with understated power, subtlety and structure.

After the inevitable neglect caused by the two World Wars, Château Haut-Bailly was resurrected by Daniel Sanders in 1955. Today, whilst the estate has since been sold, the excellent work of Daniel is continued by his grand-daughter Veronique, who has literally lived her whole life at the estate. Looking highly elegant this evening, Veronique was in her absolute element as one quickly sensed a fount of knowledge and wisdom from her vast experience and, perhaps, it isn’t surprising that the wines of Château Haut-Bailly from the modern era has always exuded a certain feminine poise, elegance and refinement.

1998 Champagne Dom Pérignon P2, served as the aperitif for the evening. Just released by the estate, where this is a fresh bottling of wine that has been left on lees all along. There is a fresh lovely bloom on the nose, rich in citrus characters, open and succulent with fine minerality amidst toasty characters and ferrous elements, very lovely in acidity, displaying great persistence with a gentle glow. Excellent.

2012 La Parde Haut-Bailly. Deep color with good concentration of red plums and dark currants. Silky, rounded and very accessible, exposed to only 20% new oak, displaying good presence and sophistication with subtle acidity, slightly short. Second wine it may be but I will happily drink this. Started in 1967, La Parde is derived from the same plots as the grand vin, going through the same selection control and vinification.

2012 Château Haut-Bailly. Closed on the nose though it is appreciably richer with greater depth on the palate with velvety textures, very good in concentration, balance and acidity, quite seamless, a wine of great finesse and elegance. Almost feminine. Excellent potential ahead.

2006 Château Haut-Bailly. Fairly evolved at ten years with dryish textures of earth and dried mushrooms, medium-bodied, displaying good balance with an easy presence, finishing short. Nothing cerebral here. Tasted again at dinner with consistent notes. Start drinking up.

2000 Château Haut-Bailly. Highly attractive bouquet of dried tea leaves and earth, fleshy with an abundance of dark currants, very open with lovely acidity and subtle depth but it is all very understated, finishing well with great persistence. Tasted again at dinner with consistent notes. Will be wonderful in another ten years. Excellent.

1996 Château Haut-Bailly. This wine harks back to an older style of winemaking that is immediately apparent, exuding great earthy pungency and glow of an aged claret, still very fresh on the palate, displaying excellent definition, structure and layering with textures of aged tea leaves and gravel, very classic, yet subtle with lovely acidity and understated power. Outstanding.

1982 Château Haut-Bailly. Simply quite glorious, exuding a lovely glowing bouquet of sweet berries with cedar, cinnamon and aged plums on the palate, deep and expansive with a particularly rich finish. Absolutely singing. Some members, however, felt differently (bottle variation?) and so a second bottle was popped, which I’m certainly not complaining. The latter was tighter, displaying greater precision and linearity with an added dimension of mocha and chocolate but somewhat stern and minerally towards the finish. Not necessarily better than the former, which I preferred.

1990 Château Haut-Bailly. Tasted only at dinner. Gentle aromas from the sweet bouquet, fleshy and open with wonderful depth and complexity recalling chocolate, plums and earth, positively glowing with controlled intensity. Splendide!

2005 Château d’Yquem. FICOFI must have tons of this. My fourth tasting in as many months with consistent notes. Great concentration of nectarine, apricot and honeysuckle with traces of earth, creamy smooth with rich textures, displaying some early complexity with understated sweetness throughout its length. Excellent.

The great man threw a great party to celebrate his most significant big round number at his residence on 08 January 2017 where his cellar was generously open. I arrived to find all the appropriate stemware already neatly arranged with no less than Kok Hong himself (who usually presides over FICOFI events) taking charge of the wines. A wonderful buffet catered by New Ubin Seafood had been set up on the verandah with an on-site kitchen that prepared their signature chilli crab, black pepper crab and beef steak with the obligatory heart-attack fried rice on demand. Dr Ngoi has touched and changed the lives of so many around him so much for the better that it would be difficult to imagine otherwise.

We began with a magnum of Pago de Tharsys Cava Brut Nature, sourced directly from Requena, Spain, by Dr Ngoi who knows its owner. This bubbly was rather shut on the nose, but the palate features generous tones of light citrus, lime and some pomelo, medium-bodied with good intensity, fairly robust with good length, just a tad stern at the finish but perfect for a balmy evening. Dr Ngoi had also strewn an entire case of 2012 Château Pape Clement blanc, all appropriately chilled and ready. This wine proffered an enticing bouquet of incense and jasmine, blooming with white flowers and paraffin with surprising gentleness on the palate, displaying apricot and subdued acidity. Good stuff but this wine is really all about its fabulous bouquet.

We kicked off the reds with a magnum of 2011 Château La Fleur-Pétrus, displaying earth, morning dew and light tangerine on the nose, medium-bodied with abundant dark plums and dark cherries, already accessible with subdued intensity and good acidity amidst dryish textures from the mild ferrous minerality, somewhat lean but it suits the overall profile very well. A jeroboam of 1986 Château Léoville Las-Cases had been promised but the keen anticipation was dashed by unmistakable whiffs of cork taint that robbed the wine of its freshness, a great pity as the dark fruits and currants that lay beneath was certainly rich in concentration and layering with good acidity to match the leathery supple tannins.

The disappointment was redeemed by the next wine, a double magnum of 2011 Domaine Prieuré Roch Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots “Pure” Sing Shang Ngoi 1er. Our eyes almost popped out when we saw that it was labelled after the great man, no less!! This wine displayed a forward balance of cedar and red fruits with a beautiful tangerine core, exuding great fragrance with an open easy quality, fleshy and superbly integrated with lovely acidity. Very classy and absolutely fabulous. Notice the word “Pure” at one corner? That meant bottling was conducted without the wine coming into contact with free oxygen, as explained by its winemaker M. Yannick Champ when he hosted the Prieuré Roch masterclass last year at the Tower Club, a special technique reserved for only a very small number of bottles and certainly not available off the shelf. This translates into additional freshness and definition compared with standard bottling. In fact, this wine was so good that it remained unsurpassed by the 2007 Domaine Prieuré Roch Chambertin-Clos de Beze Grand Cru, featuring barbecued smoked meat and some tangerines with a lacquered texture, displaying good concentration and depth with great acidity, lovely balance and intensity. Excellent.

A series of Right Bank greats took over the limelight, beginning with a 2000 Château Pavie that recalled scorched earth, ferric elements and graphite minerals, still quite reticent on the nose though the palate is generously endowed with sensational rose petals, red currants and ripe dark berries, yet to really hit its stride for what should really be a very long-lived wine. The 1986 Château Tertre Roteboeuf that followed was caught at its peak, slightly musty with some earthiness, bright with an abundance of rose petals, camphor and predominant red fruits, rounded soft and gentle with excellent presence and well integrated acidity. In contrast, the 1998 Château Angelus, fleshy, delicious and fullish, imbued with gorgeous black fruits and currants with overtones of graphite and white pepper, was far from ready, requiring at least another decade of cellaring.

To close the evening, a 2001 Château Mouton Rothschild was popped for the pièce de résistance, displaying some mild earthy pungency with lovely characters of dark currants, tangerines  and blueberries, medium-full with racy acidity, showing some early complexity as it sat in the glass but it is still early days for a classically structured claret that should last the full distance.

All these would not be possible without the kind generosity of Dr Ngoi, to whom we shall always remain indebted. Many happy returns!!

These are notes from a FICOFI event held at the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong on 06 November 2016. Les Climats du Coeur is a charitable organisation founded in 2009 when a group of producers in the Cote d’Or decided to band together during that highly successful and plentiful harvest to donate generously to charities in Burgundy, hence continuing a long tradition dating back to 1453 with the Hospices de Beaune. These producers include Domaine Leflaive, Maison Louis Jadot, Maison Joseph Drouhin, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Domaine Faiveley, Domaine Dujac, Domaine Roulot and Maison Louis Latour.

For this evening in Hong Kong, a long promenade for pre-dinner tasting had been set up, many with the respective estate owners in attendance, and I think I managed to complete almost the entire line-up. Most producers have brought their whites of 2014, 2013 and 2009, and the evening reinforced my view that the 2014 whites are truly exceptional. Readers are well advised to stock up as many of these as possible whilst they remain available. Of the rest, those of Ramonet and Dujac were, predictably, outstanding while the Nuits-Saint-Georges of Henri Gouges punched well above their weight.2004 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet. Great concentration of complex citrus, creme and sublime acidity with attractive oily textures, slim in profile but certainly not lean, finishing with stern austerity from its ferrous minerality. Drinking well.

2004 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Clavoillon 1er. Compared with the preceding village, this wine possesses a similar profile but with greater depth and concentration of complex citrus and white flowers, displaying excellent precision and definition, more ferrous at the finish which imparted a slightly stern posture. Excellent.

2009 Les Climats du Coeur Puligny-Montrachet 1er, a magnum vinified, aged and bottled jointly by Domaine Leflaive and Maison Louis Jadot. This interesting bottling displays rich oily textures with plenty of opulence, highly aromatic on the nose with a minerally dominance on the palate culminating with a bit of sharp accentuation towards the finish. Will be great but needs time.2013 Domaine du Chateau de Meursault Les Charmes-Dessus Mersault 1er, poured from magnum with M. Stephen Follin-Arlebet in attendance. The first vintage of this wine exudes generous aromas of white flowers and vanillin with plenty of fat, crème de la crème and minerals, displaying exciting intensity and great acidity. Excellent.

2014 Jean-Claude Ramonet Saint-Aubin Murgers des Dents de Chien 1er, with the beautiful Mlle Anne-France Ramonet in attendance. This under-rated commune is truly shining here, rich in minerals and crème de la crème, displaying excellent presence, layering and integration between the delicate fruit and minerals. A wine of great precision. Very refined and classy. Just proves time and again that the producer matters most in Burgundy.

2014 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Porrets Saint-Georges 1er monopole, poured from magnum with M. Gregory Gouges in attendance. This wine exudes aromas of red berries and incense with a mild earthiness classic for Nuits-Saint-Georges, displaying good concentration, tannic structure and acidity, just a tad firm. Excellent potential.2014 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche Grand Cru. Deep nutty flavours with overtones of wild berries and white pepper, excellent concentration and harmony with very fine tannin structure and definition amidst dryish textures. Lovely.

1998 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, served from jeroboam. Evolved in color and tone with a generous floral fragrance while tangerines, kumquat, ash and incense combine in a lovely complex that is open and seamlessly layered, exuding great finesse and elegance. A classic in every sense. Superb.

2014 Domaine Dujac Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er. Minerally on the nose with overtones of crème de la crème and white pepper, displaying gentle but excellent concentration of citrus and complex minerals with great subtlety, ending in a mild peppery finish. Very fine.

2014 Domaine Dujac Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatieres 1er. More forward with chalky minerals, clear citrus and white flowers, quite rounded, layered with excellent concentration and displaying good early complexity. Excellent.2013 Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Boudots 1er. Forward in glorious concentration of dark roses, camphor and dark red fruits along with generous saline minerals, rounded with subtle acidity and structure. Very fine.

2013 Domaine Jean Grivot Clos Vougeot Grand Cru. Good poise and balance with good concentration of classic pinot flavours but, like most wines from this oversized and over-rated Grand Cru, lacks distinction.

2005 Maison  Louis Jadot Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru. Mild earthiness amidst a generous offering of raspberries and dark roses, medium-bodied with traces of hardness and mint, subtle in acidity but a tad short.

2013 Maison Louis Jadot Beaune Clos des Ursules 1er, poured from jeroboam. Classic pinot aromas with a dash of earth, gentle and rounded in body with good concentration, displaying great subtlety and harmony. Very successful.

2009 Maison Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet Les Referts 1er, poured from jeroboam. Great bouquet of icing, vanillin and ash, displaying good intensity, definition and concentration of complex citrus, developing some early complexity, finishing on a persistent minty note with a dash of nutmeg. Excellent

2005 Domaine Faiveley Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru. Displaying an evolved red with notes of incense and some earthy pungency, structured and masculine with a broad expanse of camphor, dark roses and dark fruits, medium-full with subtle acidity and intensity, yet to peak. Excellent.2014 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet Le Clos du Caillerets 1er Monopole. This wine displays a great concentration of wonderful fruit, deep and minerally with a generous complex of intense citrus, lime, white flowers and chalk, already quite open with great definition, linearity and gentle acidity, slightly nutty and glowing with great persistence. Wonderful stuff.

2012 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet Le Clos du Caillerets 1er Monopole. More evolved than the preceding 2014, more minerally with graphite and flint and minty overtones, displaying again great linearity and concentration of sublime fruit. Excellent. While 2011 and 2012 are excellent for whites, I’ve always opined that 2014 surpasses them all.

2009 Maison Joseph Drouhin Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeots Marquis de Laquiche 1er. Closed at this stage, revealing some mint and minerals and creme with a gentle icy presence. Needs time.

2011 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Pruliers 1er. Gentle aromas are all one could discern from a wine that is essentially closed, though the palate is subtly structured and poised with classic pinot characters and saline minerals, oozing traces of sweetness with subdued acidity. Will turn out well.

This was followed by a superbly crafted dinner (where I was honoured to be seated next to M. Gregory Gouges) featuring lobster, foie gras, beef tenderloin and an exquisite selection of cheese from the Fromagerie Quatrehomme, and more wine:

2004 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Puligny-Montrachet Champs-Canet 1er. Quite effusive in earthy pungency and icing, minerally with great concentration and quiet intensity, layered with good complexity, displaying plenty of vigour, structure and elegance, ending in a gentle finish. Most lovely.

2004 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatieres 1er. Some gentle earthy pungency dominate on the nose, minerally and tightly-knit on the palate with lovely acidity and great balance. Very fine.

2011 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru, poured from magnum. Minerally and crisp with a lovely concentration of clear complex citrus, fabulous in intensity and sophistication, ending again with a tone of graphite minerals. Excellent.

M Gregory Gouges et moi

2011 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Saint-Georges 1er. Open and attractive, still youthful, almost seductive with its gentle bouquet, displaying good presence with a deep vein of darker fruits, medium-full, not heavy at all, superbly balanced. Very lovely.

2010 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanee Les Beau Monts 1er. Deep and effusive floral fragrance from the excellent concentration of red fruits and dark berries, seamlessly supported by saline minerals, turning a tad stern towards the finish with some early complexity. Excellent, with a long life ahead.

2009 Domaine Louis Jadot Corton-Pougets Grand Cru. Gentle with an abundance of bright red fruits and great acidity with traces of citrus, displaying excellent presence and persistence. Excellent.

1995 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, poured from magnum. Quite an ardent bloom of dark fruits on the nose with a teasing fragrance. Open and delicious with a certain deftness on the palate, displaying a rich body of gorgeous fruit with a tangerine core, structured with great complexity and acidity. Superb!

2005 Ch D’Yquem. Nectarine, apricot, cedar, toast and cider vie for attention on the crowded palate, richly layered, complemented by aged acidity and creamy textures, highly aromatic and placid.