Ric's Wine Journal

A unique opportunity arose to taste some very old Spanish wines, in particular the tantalising prospect of a 1967 Vega Sicilia Unico, on 19 April 2016, courtesy of Kenny. I suppose “old” for this venerated estate is somewhat relative, considering that every new release of Vega Sicilia Unico has already seen ten years of bottle age, and Vega Sicilia Unico is truly renowned for its aging ability. Memories of a 1942 Vega Sicilia Unico tasted almost ten years ago are still fresh in  my mind, the wine still unbelievably vibrant, fleshy and delicious. As a prelude, we began with a 1970 Bodegas Riojanas Vina Albina Gran Riserva (courtesy of Hiok) as an aperitif, sporting a dirty faded tone of red but highly aromatic, recalling red roses, peaches and camphor with traces of varnish that seems to accompany all these old wines, still retaining good acidity with further notes of kumquat and tangerines but the fruit was clearly drying out, inevitably short, turning slightly angular an hour later.

We moved to Otto Ristorante to begin the tasting proper, starting with a 1947 R Lopez de Heredia that was paired with the restaurant’s signature dish of foie gras and wagyu beef tagliatelle. This Rioja displayed a dense port-like character on the nose with notes of choco peppermint and some medicinal traces, weighty but alive, full-bodied and balanced, still retaining excellent acidity that imparted a certain tension and a hint of astringency, turning rather pruny and savoury towards the end of dinner. While this wine still has the legs to carry on for some time, it is clearly past its drinking peak.

Cork of the second bottle of 1967 Vega Sicilia Unico Riserva

Next came the highlight of the evening, a pair of 1967 Vega Sicilia Unico that seemed to come from the same batch, bearing serial numbers 10600 and 10605. Both bottles showed a lowish ullage at mid-shoulder level. Twenty years younger than the preceding wine, the 1967 Vega Sicilia Unico possessed effusive red fruits and notes of coffee and mocha shrouded by a mild port-like character without the density, far more open  on the palate where the wine was medium-full with excellent acidity, though the spectrum of flavours was narrowed to strawberries and tangerines. As good as this was, the second bottle (10605) was significantly fresher even though the cork on this bottle was thoroughly soaked through and in danger of fragmenting. Amazingly beautiful, the wine showed a lovely clear ruby with bright red fruits and an attractive earthy pungency, lively and layered on the palate with lightness and delicacy, beautifully feminine, balanced and harmonious, proving once again the age-worthiness of Vega Sicilia Unico. My thanks to Kenny for the kind generosity.

We concluded the evening with a 2005 Markus Molitor Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Beerenauslese (courtesy of Jon) that exuded a smoky tone of pineapple, melons and nectarine laced with petroleum fumes, beautifully intense with controlled sweetness, precision and linearity, developing an irresistible complexity over time. Excellent.

2013 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny Les Haut-Doix 1er (courtesy of Chee Wee), popped and poured at Glen after hours, 01 Apr 2016. Exuding notes of dark cherries and red fruits of excellent purity, this wine is delicate on the nose, yet exerts considerable power and layering on the palate supported by saline minerals and understated acidity, all very well-balanced. Robert Groffier never fails to satisfy. Excellent.

2011 Tobelos Rioja, from the restaurant list of Binomio, 02 Apr 2016. Popped and poured. Forward balance of violets, blueberries and dark currants with splashes of red fruits. Good concentration. Chewy and succulent, slightly lean towards the finish with traces of graphite and new oak still discernible. I enjoyed it.

2004 Château Latour-à-Pomerol, popped and poured at Al Borgo, 05 Apr 2016. After showing well during the first ten years after vintage, this wine appears to be drying out, more woody and pruny on the nose while dusty textures dominate on the palate, lacking complexity and conviction. Disappointing.

2011 Réserve de la Comtesse, popped and poured at Jade Palace, 10 Apr 2016. This wine offers dark currants and black fruits with a vegetal trace characteristic of this estate, appropriately soft with tame tannins to facilitate early drinking. Slightly lean though there is no lack of concentration, enough to convey its Pauillac character.

2010 Château Sociando-Mallet, a half-bottle popped and poured at home after airing in bottle for 45 minutes, 13 Apr 2016. Attractive bouquet of rich dark currants, black fruits and raspberries. Good concentration on the palate, marked by woody and dusty characters, slightly lean, finishing with a peppery trace. Not quite up to the best standards of this estate. Could do with more fat and sumptuousness. May need more time in bottle.

2014 Domaine Seguinot Bordet, 14 Apr 2016 at Au Petit Salut. Pale lemon with a delicate bouquet of morning dew and flint. Stern, dry and minerally at first before turning more crisp, detailed and intense with notes of tropical citrus after being paired with some succulent Alaskan King crab.

2012 Weingut Wilhelm Sitzius, 14 Apr 2016 at Au Petit Salut. Light golden with an intense bouquet of tropical fruits, peaches and seared caramel, caressing the palate with a deep burnished tone, medium-bodied with understated acidity and a slight metallic trace.

2014 A. Cailbourdin cuvee Boisfleury, 14 Apr 2016 at Au Petit Salut. Earthy pungency with aromas of wild flowers and nutmeg, medium-full, crisp with characters of clear citrus, white pepper, icing and vanilla leading to a persistent finish.

2006 Château Bernadotte, 14 Apr 2016 at Au Petit Salut. A very decent effort with notes of mulberries, raspberries, vanillin and ash, supported by earthy minerality with a graphite tone but lacking in true complexity, its tannins yet to be fully integrated.

2014 Moscato d’Asti Zagara, 14 Apr 2016 at Au Petit Salut. Generous in peaches and pears with understated sweetness and acidity. Refreshing but lacking in complexity.

Champagne Charles Hiedsieck Brut NV, at Changi Airport T3 Silver Kris Lounge,  15 Apr 2016. Aromas of pungent citrus. Dry and dense on the palate with some chalky minerality. Too one-dimensional. Needs better resolution.

2013 Domaine William Fevre Chablis Champs Royaux, at Changi Airport T3 Silver Kris Lounge, 15 Apr 2016. Classic flinty minerality with some delicate citrus notes, but too light and unconvincing on the palate. Could do with a more forward fruit balance.

2007 Champagne Taittinger Brut Millésime, on board Singapore Airlines Business Class, 16-17 Apr 2016. Tasted twice in two days. Quite a lovely bouquet of white flowers with some earthy pungency followed by crisp yellow citrus, green apples, understated yeasty tones and stony minerality. Surprisingly gentle within a fairly narrow spectrum though ample enough in concentration. Good potential but yet to develop.

2014 Devil’s Lair Hidden Cave Chardonnay, on board Singapore Airlines Business Class, 17 Apr 2016.  Aromas of white flowers with some cream and mild buttery notes, rather lean with austere citrus on the palate, understated in minerality and acidity.

2010 Château Peyrabon, on Singapore Airlines Business Class,16 Apr 2016. Refreshing notes of ripe wild berries, raspberries and violets, displaying good concentration and well-managed tannins but marred slightly by a sandy texture.

2014 Château Doyac, on Singapore Airlines Business Class, 17 Apr 2016. There is no lack of quality berries and dark currants, pretty decent in concentration with a plummy tone without any vegetal notes but somewhat lean, missing in richness and opulence, slightly dry at the finish.

2012 Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne blanc, popped and poured at Ming Kee Live Seafood, 29 Apr 2016. Displaying appropriate nutty and buttery overtones with substantial chalky minerality, slightly understated on the palate where it finishes with a ferrous trace and notes of bitter citrus. Dependable.

These tasting notes stem from a dinner hosted by the great Dr & Mrs S S Ngoi at their residence on 06 Apr 2016 where Zach (sommelier formerly from Les Amis who also excels in the kitchen) had customised a menu to suit the line-up of wines, all sourced entirely from the great man’s cellar.

2005 Dom Perignon. Good concentration of citrus and green apples with a soft fragrance. Gentle, somewhat lean and slightly stern with further notes of pomelo on the palate. More lifted over time but still short.

2009 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, poured from magnum. Rich gleaming tone of crème de la crème with notes of white roses and fig that blossomed beautifully over time, quite full, layered with stern bitter lemon and traces of varnish, imbued with great acidity and early complexity, becoming more aromatic over time. Superb.

2011 Jacques-Frederic Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny. A village, no doubt, but you wouldn’t have known from the very lovely bouquet suggesting dark roses of wonderful depth, richness and intense fragrance, absolutely fabulous. Medium-bodied, open with good depth and concentration, yet to develop further complexity. Quite the epitome of elegance and understated power. Beautiful!

2006 Comte Georges de Vogue Chambolle-Musigny. From the eponymous producer of Chambolle with the added advantage of bottle age, this is another over-achieving village, possessing an intense bouquet of dark cherries, equally rich and layered on the palate with overtones of tangerines. Lively, vivacious and inviting. Delicious.

2006 Jacques-Frederic Mugnier Musigny Grand Cru. Highly aromatic bouquet with a great sense of depth, expressing red cherries, dark roses and camphor, very well-proportioned on the palate, possessing some fat and opulence with traces of kumquat amidst its gravelly gritty texture, displaying remarkable balance (a consistent feature of all top cru such as DRC Romanee-Conti and Comte de Vogue Musigny) though still somewhat closed. Requires several more years of cellaring but what a privilege it was to have had this tasting opportunity.

2001 Ch Pavie. This wine exudes a lovely earthy pungency with a powerful lifted bouquet of red fruits, mulberries, redcurrants, cinnamon and soy, medium-full in body but imbued with excellent concentration and savoury characters, velvety with subtle intensity, mellowing over time with further notes of chocolate emerging. Sophisticated, detailed and utterly complex. Superb!

2001 Ch Cheval Blanc. Tasted right after the 2001 Pavie, the Cheval Blanc of the same vintage stood its ground, opening with notes of almonds and white chocolate complemented by a superb bouquet of complex red fruits, soy, incense and ash on the palate, medium-bodied, open, lush and very well balanced, the 40% cabernet franc imparting a distinct feminine character to the wine. Outstanding.

2007 Henri Boillot Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru. This wine displays striking proportions of chalky and stony characters, highly minerally (not surprising, considering it is separated from Les Pulcelles by only a lane), matched by complex citrus and pine tree fragrance of great definition and balance, tapering towards a lengthy complex finish with further notes of understated tropical fruits.

Thank you, Dr Ngoi, for your time and generosity.

These notes come from the inaugural Alsace Wine Festival held at the American Club, Singapore, on 05 March 2016, organised by the Alsace Wine & Gastronomy Society of Singapore, graced by the presence of Leon Beyer himself. The AWGS was founded only two years ago and this event would not have been possible without the energy and enthusiasm of its founding President Julian Teoh and the organising committee. Please contact me through this blog if you wish to join the Society.

2014 Leon Beyer Sylvaner. Grassy elements, light-bodied citrus, delicate, refreshing, easy-going.

2011 Leon Beyer Riesling. Great riesling character. Highly aromatic hinting at petroleum fumes. Dry with crisp acidity and generous citrus, lengthy finish. Bouquet is absolutely wonderful. Almost hedonistic.

2013 Leon Beyer Pinot Gris. Gentle with the lifted fragrance of white flowers. Medium-bodied. Great balance. Subtle acidity. Good length.

2013 Leon Beyer Gewurztraminer. Grassy elements with the complex fragrance of lychees, light-medium weight, gentle with understated acidity.

2012 Josmeyer Pinot Gris Auxerrois VV. Understated sweetness. Solid core of tropical fruits and grassy notes, excellent definition, displaying good acidity and attack, great persistence, lingers on long after its finish.

2012 Josmeyer Dragon Riesling. Possesses some classic oily character of rieslings with a hint tropical fruit underscored by saline minerals. Dry.

2011 Marcel Deiss Riesling. Lovely nose. Gentle fragrance of white flowers. Rather dry, austere in demeanour. Short.

2012 Marcel Deiss Riesling.  Understated bouquet, medium-bodied with mild minerality. Not quite as characterful. Underwhelming.

2012 Marcel Deiss Berckem. A blend of several fruit varieties. Lovely nose hinting at nectarine with forward fruit balance and grassy overtones. Good presence. Very pleasant.

2008 Marcel Deiss Burlenberg Pinot Noir. Gentle aromas of dark roses with a mild earthy pungency, light-medium, dry with dusty textures. Not quite distinguished.

2007 Marcel Deiss Altenberg de Bergheim Grand Cru. Medium-bodied, gentle on the palate with floral aromas and subtle sweetness, displaying good delineation.

2007 Hugel Gewurztraminer. Generous aromas of apricot, seared caramel and mild nectarine on the nose and palate. Rounded, open and fairly ample with a burnished tone. Lovely.

2008 Hugel Gewurztraminer. Lovely aromas of a summer garden with flowers in full bloom, rounded with excellent balance and understated sweetness and persistent finish. Beautiful.

2014 Hugel Riesling. Open with grassy elements, rounded, rather minerally and dry at the finish.

Julian loves Hugel. Photo by Peter Wong

2014 Hugel Estate Riesling. Lovely fragrance melons tropical fruit minerally dry good fullness

2013 Hugel Pinot Gris. Lovely bouquet of citrus and lemongrass. Amply proportioned, zesty and vibrant with subtle intensity, displaying excellent definition and linearity. Great mouthfeel. Excellent.

2013 Marc Kreydenweiss Riesling Andlau. Forward bouquet of red apples. Dry and minerally on the palate.

2008 Marc Kreydenweiss Kastelberg Grand Cru. Attractive aromas of minerals and white roses on the nose, but dry and intense on the palate. Stern finish driven by minerals.

2008 Schlumberger Riesling Kitterle Grand Cru. Notes of apricot and subdued nectarine, very minerally on the palate, dry with subtle intensity, finishing with a saline afternote. Attractive.

2012 Schlumberger Riesling Verdanges Tardives. Lovely seductive bouquet of tightly-knit apricot and nectarine, quite ample, displaying excellent linearity and definition, finishing with great persistence. Excellent.

2006 Schlumberger Riesling Ketterle. Lifted aromas, chromatic tone, minerally and stern, softened by understated sweetness.

Photo by Peter Wong

2007 Trimbach Cuvee Frederic Emile Riesling. Lovely riesling character. Abundance of white flowers and petroleum fumes, highly lifted and intense, driven by dry saline minerals on the palate, spicy and tight. Excellent.

2013 Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve. Mild incense, citrus and grassy elements. Good intensity, understated sweetness, smooth lingering finish. Great mouthfeel.

2014 Weinbach Riesling Schlossberg. Fragrance of white flowers. Highly aromatic. Gentle with good presence and understated acidity. Great balance. Excellent.

Even Dr NK Yong is here! Photo by Lyndie Tang

2014 Weinbach Gewurztraminer. Highly aromatic though somewhat subdued on the palate with controlled tones of apricot and caramel, displaying good linearity with subtle intensity.

2009 Zind-Humbrecht Brand Riesling. Very attractive deep bouquet of lychees and tropical fruit, good complexity, sprightly and very well-balanced with subtle intensity and acidity. Excellent.

2013 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer. Aromatic but awkward at this stage, as if it cannot decide between itself and riesling.

Right after the masterclass on Prieure Roch’s Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er “Le Clos des Corvées” at the Tower Club, 15 March 2016, was a full-course dinner featuring other wines of Domaine Prieuré Roch, organised by FICOFI. It was good to meet up again with its brilliant winemaker and co-owner Yannick Champ, who still remembers that wonderful lunch we had together at Aupres du Clocher in Pommard six months ago. Even though this domaine was founded only a relatively short time ago in 1988, it has attained an almost cult-like following.

Yannick & Ric

One obvious reason, no doubt, is because production is so limited. Excluding its monopole Clos des Corvées, the holdings of Prieure Roch amount to only about 9 ha. Or it could also be that the combination of Yannick’s youthful passion, individual philosophy and, perhaps,  – dare I say – rebellious streak against establishment, culminating in wines that exude wonderful purity, grace and power, appeals directly to oenophiles seeking true Burgundian spirit without busting the bank. Where else would one find a “borrowed” Egyptian hieroglyph (the upper yellow eye representing natural forces, the lower yellow one symbolising the human, who with his limited knowledge, sees what’s around, the three different-sized red globes individual grapes which are the building blocks of winemaking, the green leaf representing vegetation and the scribe who records his observations) as the domaine’s logo on its wine labels? Whatever it is, Prieuré Roch is an insider’s wine. To know Prieuré Roch is to gain ascension into a higher realm of oenology. And it must be so, for there were no empty seats at dinner and some members had specially flown in just for this dinner.

We began with a 1989 Henriot Millesime, poured from double magnum. This champagne displayed a very lovely earthy pungency with an abundance of green melons and complex citrus on the palate where it was gentle and still remarkably fresh even though its acidity had become slightly subdued with age, supported by chalky minerality and a dash of cream.

Opening the line-up proper was the 2010 Domaine Prieuré Roch Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Argillieres 1er that exuded a beautiful intense bouquet of red cherries and rose petals, open but slightly darker toned on the palate though its purity is quite excellent, very harmonious, detailed and linear, just a tad short. Next, the 2005 Domaine Prieuré Roch Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots 1er displayed a wonderful floral fragrance, sweet and highly perfumed with overtones of red and dark cherries, most fabulous indeed, elegant and poised on the palate with controlled intensity, definition and excellent ripeness, slightly feminine, structured without being intrusive. Still with the same vintage, the 2005 Domaine Prieuré Roch Nuits-Saint-Georges Vieilles Vignes 1er (average age of vines about 50 years grown on plots rented from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti) was overshadowed by the preceding Les Suchots, displaying a dark quiet intensity amidst aromas of rose petals, more restrained without as much depth on the palate, and more minerally as well.

The next flight saw a 2010 Domaine Prieuré Roch Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots 1er PURE pitted against a conventional bottling. The former has been bottled directly from barrel to bottle without oxygen contact and, hence, 100% free of sulphites, which translated into a very lively wine of dark roses, exuding freshness and lovely fragrance lively with fine acidity, depth and excellent balance. Naturally, this is made in very limited quantities and near-impossible to source on the open market. In contrast, the conventional 2010 Domaine Prieuré Roch Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots 1er displayed a fine balance of red fruits and soil characters, notably quieter on the palate with a bit less soul and depth though it did grow in intensity over time, marked by an earthy tone throughout its length. This exercise goes to show that Yannick is consistently challenging established practices to improve the quality of his wines by avoiding any kind of unnecessary interference.

Photo by FICOFI

To close, the 2005 Domaine Prieuré Roch Chambertin-Clos de Beze Grand Cru was poured, exuding a powerful glow of dark cherries and red fruits of fabulous intensity, structure and concentration on the palate, highly detailed with great definition and linearity, masculine yet elegant enough to avoid overt hedonism. Yet to develop further complexity, this is a fabulous wine that fully justifies its lofty price tag, requiring plenty of patience. The 1999 Domaine Prieuré Roch Nuits-Saint-Georges Le Clos des Corvées 1er monopole came from the same batch served at the Le Clos des Corvées vertical earlier that evening, but it was showing better here, displaying better fruit quality with a stern medicinal tone, a unique wine in its own right but far overshadowed by the outstanding Clos de Beze.

Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV, popped and poured over dimsum at Asia Grand, 13 Mar 2016. Somewhat restrained on the nose, but generous notes of white flowers, ripe yellow citrus and buttery characters dominate on the palate with refreshing zest and vibrancy to match the dryness, well integrated with the stony minerality without much of the usual yeasty overtones.

Napoleon Rose Brut NV, popped and poured at Glen after hours, 16 Mar 2016. Good concentration of peaches and grapefruit. Aromatic but rather dry and steely where the cutting acidity can be obtrusive.

2009 Ch de Marsannay Volnay Clos des Chene 1er (courtesy Chee Wee), popped and poured at Glen after hours, 16 Mar 2016. This wine is surprisingly lovely, boasting the fragrance of rose petals, ample in ripe red and dark cherries of excellent purity and definition, beautifully balanced with gentle tannins and fine acidity. Highly enjoyable.

2012 Saint Pierre Chablis, after hours at Radiology’s reception, Mt Elizabeth Orchard, 17 Mar 2016. Generous in lime and citrus notes, highly aromatic, displaying lively acidity with a crisp minerally finish. Very enjoyable.

2007 Caves Jean & Sebatien Dauvissat Chablis Vaillons 1er, after hours at Radiology’s reception, Mt Elizabeth Orchard, 17 Mar 2016. Lovely floral fragrance with a fine aged quality, driven by ample citrus, crème de la crème and varnish. Good presence. Crisp and persistent finish. Quite excellent.

2011 Weingut Friederich Becker Rechenbacher Spatburgunder, after hours at Radiology’s reception, Mt Elizabeth Orchard, 17 Mar 2016. German pinot noir, sporting an easy-going rosy floral fragrance, rounded with good purity of fruit, missing in real complexity and layering.

2011 Weingut Friederich Becker Sankt Paul Spatburgunder, after hours at Radiology’s reception, Mt Elizabeth Orchard, 17 Mar 2016.Supposedly the flagship pinot of this German domaine. Powerful aromas of rose petals and camphor floated easily, rounded and gentle and detailed with good concentration and a mild intensity. Very enjoyable.

2010 Kistler Hudson River Carneros (courtesy of Dr Robert Kwok) after hours at Radiology’s reception, Mt Elizabeth Orchard, 17 Mar 2016.. Lifted aromas of white flowers, melons and peaches. Excellent in concentration with a rich complex of creme de la crème with an oily buttery texture, caressing the palate with quiet intensity and understated acidity. Excellent.

2011 Domaine Martelet de Cherisey Puligny-Montrachet Hameau de Blagny 1er (courtesy of Dr Robert Kwok), after hours at Radiology’s reception, Mt Elizabeth Orchard, 17 Mar 2016.An enticing nose of peaches and traces of pineapples, quite exciting. Rather dry on the palate where white flowers and incense dominate with some sweet and creamy characters, open but a tad short.

2007 Kistler pinot noir (courtesy of Dr Robert Kwok) after hours at Radiology’s reception, Mt Elizabeth Orchard, 17 Mar 2016. Grown from in California from Burgundy grand cru cuttings with an average age of 20 years, this pinot noir is highly aromatic with a  lifted feminine fragrance, displaying rich dark and red cherries on the palate, rounded with an oily texture but lacking layering and detail.

2014 Argento, popped and poured at Shinyeh restaurant on the 85th floor of Taipei 101, 18 Mar 2016. Deep purple, this full-bodied wine is driven by intense ripe fruit with overtones of raisins, prunes, blueberries, dark currants, enamel and traces of burnt, taking its time to open up, revealing some tarry textures with plummy tones and graphite elements but lacking in complexity.

2012 Yalumba “The Y Series” cabernet sauvignon, popped and poured at Shinyeh restaurant on the 85th floor of Taipei 101, 18 Mar 2016. Open and accessible from the start with predominant notes of red plums, tangy orange, grapefruit, fleshy and chewy on the palate with well-managed tannins amidst traces of tobacco, mocha and earthy tones. Enjoyable but its lack of complexity hits home after some time.

2011 Domaine Emilian Gillet Quintaine, served after about 45 minutes of aeration in bottle at a Japanese restaurant in Taipei, 19 Mar 2016. Delicate notes of white flowers, incense and chalk within a fairly narrow spectrum, slightly tight on the palate, good concentration but short, finishing with gentle minerals. Could do with better fruit definition.

2013 Louis Jadot Macon Villages, popped and poured at Otto Ristorante, 23 Mar 2016. Upfront notes of dense citrus and pomelo with traces of lemongrass and green melons matched by chunky chalky minerals, slightly brusque at the edges and stern at the finish. Good to go with robust seafood.

2003 Ch Pavie Decesse (courtesy of John), decanted on-site at Otto Ristorante, 23 Mar 2016. This is a Saint-Emilion done in the modern style, full-bodied with a warm medicinal glow, concentrated and dense with a certain hardness and a mid-palate that needs further resolution, finishing with an alcoholic trail. Could be better.

1996 Ch Grand Puy Lacoste, a bottle I’ve cellared for many years, decanted on-site at Fleur de Sel (genuine traditional French cuisine along fashionable Tras St, Singapore), 26 Mar 2016. Stunning bouquet of dark roses and dark cherries along with attractive traces of earthy pungency, mushrooms, anise, cassis and ash, densely packed, highly complex and seductive. Beautifully harmonious with a slightly feminine predisposition, this medium-bodied wine is layered with red and dark currants framed by velvety tannins that caressed the palate with growing intensity, underscored by saline minerals, savoury tertiary characters and subdued acidity that suggests this wine still has the legs to carry on for another twenty years, at least. Outstanding.

2001 Robert Mondavi cabernet sauvignon (magnum), decanted on-site for about 45 minutes prior to serving at the Grand Hyatt, Singapore, on the occasion of the EMSS AGM, 29 Mar 2016. This wine offers a fantastic bouquet of roses, raspberries and mulberries, superbly aromatic, almost to the point of intoxication. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, open and layered with very good concentration of red and dark berries, peppered with mocha and spice, framed by silky smooth tannins, well-balanced and elegant, ending with traces of graphite and vanillin at its persistent finish. Highly satisfying. At around SGD106 for a magnum, this is a bargain.

Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs NV, popped and poured at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 30 Mar 2016. Rather reticent on the nose, but ample and remarkably generous in notes of citrus, melons, green apples and honeysuckle to match the searing intensity and dryness of the 100% chardonnay, turning a shade stern and metallic at the finish. Excellent, but may not suit all tastes.

1993 E Guigal La Mouline (courtesy of Samuel), decanted on-site for almost an hour prior to tasting at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 30 Mar 2016. Displaying an evolved rose tint, this iconic wine offers a bouquet of camphor, rose cordial, raspberries and traces of incense, remarkably gentle, smooth and rounded on the palate, almost placid without any notion of heaviness normally associated with syrah, missing in layering and intensity and somewhat short, perhaps reflective of the weak vintage. One yearns for more character. Will not improve with further cellaring. Still, it has been a privilege to have this with a New York steak.

Compared with many other producers in Burgundy, Domaine Prieuré Roch is a relatively young start-up that came about in 1988, started by Henry-Frédéric Roch, nephew of Lalou Bize-Leroy and himself a co-director of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. Through a complicated process of selling vines in Échezeaux and Grands-Échezeaux in order to finance purchases of other plots (while re-leasing the vines they had sold), Domaine Prieuré Roch began at first in Vosne-Romanée, gradually increasing in size to 14 hectares, encompassing plots in Chambertin-Clos de Beze, Clos Vougeot, Nuits-Saint-Georges and Les Suchots 1er in Vosne-Romanée and, now, Henry is assisted by his co-owner and winemaker Yannick Champ.

Photo by FICOFI

Domaine Prieuré Roch is certified biodynamic. While the domaine isn’t entirely hardcore about this, it adopts a minimalist approach to winemaking, utilising natural yeast, minimal temperature control, avoidance of pumping and, naturally, neither filtration nor fining. Interestingly, Yannick prefers to ferment the grapes (which are harvested in full ripeness as far as possible) together with stems, followed by maceration. The wines are aged mostly in 100% new oak, the total élevage lasting about 18 months. I certainly won’t pretend to understand the whole process of winemaking, but when one speaks with Yannick, one senses his total commitment and passion in everything he does and this certainly translates into wines that are, at once, highly individualistic.

Courtesy of http://www.allaboutburgundy.fr

Amongst the domaine’s holdings since 1995 is a 5.2 ha monopole named “Le Clos des Corvées”, the only premiere cru in this tiny commune of Premeaux that is actually, strictly speaking, outside of Nuits-Saint-Georges, being located just beyond its southern boundary. However, as Premeaux per se is not recognised as an appellation d’origine contrôlee, it rides piggyback on Nuits-Saint-Georges, not a bad thing at all. I must admit not having encountered this cuvee before, perhaps because only some 2000-8000 bottles are produced annually, until Yannick conducted a masterclass on this wine at the Tower Club, Singapore, on 15 March 2016 organised by FICOFI. These wines bear the hallmarks of Domaine Prieuré Roch, displaying lightness in color but instilled with generous aromas on the nose, coupled with a unique power and robustness in its youth, yet sensuous and feminine when mature.

Yannick silhouetted against the afternoon light

2010 Domaine Prieuré Roch Nuits-Saint-Georges “Le Clos des Corvées” 1er. Highly aromatic, of cherries and darker tones. Excellent purity of fruit on the palate, dominated by saline minerals, displaying well-controlled tannins and great acidity. Closed up after some time. Carries great promise and potential.

2009 Domaine Prieuré Roch Nuits-Saint-Georges “Le Clos des Corvées” 1er. Distinctly feminine aromas, more of rose petals and camphor. Darker toned on the palate, marked by a certain intensity and richness with dry textures though somewhat tough and slightly awkward now, shutting down after some time.

2008 Domaine Prieuré Roch Nuits-Saint-Georges “Le Clos des Corvées” 1er. Very lovely aromas with a lifted medicinal note, driven by ripe berries with bright characters, superb in concentration and intensity, supported by abundant saline minerals, displaying excellent linearity and definition right down to its lasting finish. Superb.

2007 Domaine Prieuré Roch Nuits-Saint-Georges “Le Clos des Corvées” 1er . Harmonious notes of camphor, red fruits and tangerines with secondary nuances of cinnamon. Expansive and rounded, very open and sensuous with a beautiful feminine glow that was absolutely lovely. Most captivating.

2004 Domaine Prieuré Roch Nuits-Saint-Georges “Le Clos des Corvées” 1er. Lifted tones of floral fragrance recalling roses and tangerines. Fully evolved on the palate where it is highly harmonious and homogenous, rounded with excellent purity and fresh acidity. Excellent.

1999 Domaine Prieuré Roch Nuits-Saint-Georges “Le Clos des Corvées” 1er. Not showing well, unfortunately. Dusty red. Gentle aromas of red and dark roses, open on the palate but backward, too placid in demeanour, not helped by dusty textures that clouded definition, missing in fruit character and rather short.

Barely six months after having had the rare privilege of visiting the cellars of this most revered of all wine estates, the chance came my way again to experience, this time, almost the entire line-up of burgundy from the stable of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. The event was a gala dinner organised by FICOFI in support of the Association De L’Abbaye Saint-Vivant on 24 February 2016 at the Fullerton Bay Hotel, Singapore, the only such event held in Asia aside from another one just a few days apart in Hong Kong, with the co-owner of D.R.C., M. Aubert de Villaine himself, in attendance.

Ruins of the Abbey of Saint-Vivant

The Abbey of Saint-Vivant, located in Curtil-Vergy in the Côte d’Or, is inevitably tied with the history of Burgundy, having been established by the monks of the Benedictine order back in 890 CE. In 1232, the Abbey received a donation of the best vineyards of Vosne-Romanée (ie. the present Romanée-Conti Grand Cru and Romanée Saint-Vivant Grand Cru and their surrounding parcels) from Alix de Vergy, Duchess of Burgundy, and thereafter for 650 years, the Abbey was able to cultivate these prestigious vineyards until the medieval monastery was demolished in 1772 and rebuilt. However, the Abbey fell into ruins again during the French Revolution, and it has remained so until an association was set up in 1999 to conserve the site. From this perspective, it is not difficult to understand the association between the Abbey and D.R.C., and its efforts to contribute to the former’s conservation.

D.R.C. itself was established in 1760 (Mozart’s time, before Beethoven) by the Prince of Conti and, since 1942, has been co-owned by the De Villaine and the Leroy families. The crown jewels in the estate’s holdings are surely its monopoly on Romanée-Conti Grand Cru (1.8 ha, unchanged since the old days) and La Tâche Grand Cru (a later acquisition and now expanded to 6 ha). Apart from these, D.R.C. also holds majority stakes in the other grand crus of Vosne-Romanée (with the exception of La Romanée, a monopoly of Comte Liger-Belair) and Flagey-Échezeaux. Viticulture is biodynamic, yields are low (20-30 hectolitres per hectare, whereas the law permits 42) and the average age of the vines range between 40-50 years.

For this gala dinner, the grand hall of Clifford Pier (now part of the Fullerton Bay Hotel), where coolies and passengers of a bygone era would have departed or disembarked by boat, was transformed into an elegant space as members in black tie and ladies in high fashion mixed around easily to partake in the free flow of canapés, washed down with a free flow of wines entirely from the D.R.C. stable for as long as they were available.

M. Aubert de Villaine holding court

2010 Hautes-Cotes de Nuits Bourgogne. Specially bottled for FICOFI and only one of three whites made by D.R.C. This medium-bodied wine offered notes of straw and lemongrass on the nose, somewhat restrained, coupled with crisp citrus, chalky minerality and fine acidity though clouded by suboptimal definition.

2011 Hautes-Cotes de Nuits Bourgogne. As good as the above was, the 2011 was a far better proposition, much more aromatic with an abundance of tropical fruits, rye, wheat and coconut, excellent in layering and acidity, eventually evolving towards a complex of lemon citrus with plenty of verve and vibrancy. Second time that I’ve had the privilege of tasting this same wine. Superb.

No ordinary Bourgogne blanc!

2009 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Cuvée Duvault-Blochet 1er. A bit of a misnomer here, for this wine is actually made from young vines from various plots of grand cru, declassified as premier cru instead. Gentle aromas of raspberries and dark cherries, highly perfumed, led to an open medium-full wine of great balance, structured with very fine acidity and supple tannins that finished with a persistent glow that was the equal of its wonderful bouquet. Simply outstanding.

2010 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Corton Grand Cru. The bouquet here is absolutely lovely, an explosion of bright red fruits and red cherries, fresh and highly perfumed, distinctly feminine with an added tone of tangerine on the palate that enhanced the sense of delicacy, displaying fine acidity and excellent balance, finishing with a graphite trace that stole a bit of its feminine glow. This is an excellent Corton that reminded me of Domaine Faiveley’s equally beautiful Clos des Cortons Faiveley Grand Cru.

Dr Victor Lim, M. Aubert de Villaine and yours truly

Following these, we settled down to dinner specially prepared by 3-Michelin star chef Christian Le Squer of Le Cinq, paired with the following order of wine. I could not help but notice a certain style of the domaine throughout the whole line-up, wines that consistently displayed remarkable balance, grace and a certain feminine deftness marked by tangerines amidst the ripe berries.

2010 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échezeaux Grand Cru. Well-defined notes of orange peel and lime citrus dominate on the nose, mixing easily with ripe blueberries and raspberries on the palate where the wine is still tight and primal, rising to a mild tannic spine before easing towards a lengthy finish, eventually smoothening out over dinner. Masculine with considerable power, but needs time to unfold.

2010 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Échezeaux Grand Cru. From the same vintage, the step up from Échezeaux is readily palpable, possessing a far more generous bouquet of raspberries and dark cherries with overtones of incense and smoldering ember, displaying remarkable poise and balance and very well integrated. Highly elegant. Far more open and accessible than the Échezeaux in spite of the fuller tone. Very fine.

2004 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru. Notes of tangerines, lime and citrus are discernible amidst rose petals and red fruits with traces of incense, highly supple with an attractive intensity coupled with a dry tone of mushrooms and ash, wonderfully balanced but just a tad short. Very fine.

2000 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg Grand Cru. Further up the pecking order with the added advantage of bottle age, this wine opened with lifted aromas of sweet raspberries, highly perfumed, equally exciting on the palate where, again, overtones of tangerines contributed to a certain sense of lightness, enhanced by velvety tones and lithe supple tannins, displaying great persistence and balance, turning slightly austere towards the end of dinner. Looking at its opaque dusty color, I’d say this wine is at its drinking peak. Excellent.

2000 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru. This great monopole opened with generous aromas of rose petals and camphor coupled with a mild earthy pungency and citrus character amidst the ample red fruits that created a sense of lightness and wonderful tension, displaying great acidity, presence, balance and complexity. Highly poised with controlled power, never imposing, becoming even more lifted over time without fading off. Outstanding.

That’s SGD30 per millilitre

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti Grand Cru. Saving the pinnacle of burgundy for last, the anticipation was palpable. Displaying an evolved crimson, this flagship monopole exuded a delicate bouquet of floral fragrance that was utterly perfumed, absolutely feminine, best appreciated if the wine is served in a huge Baccarat Romanée-Conti crystal glass (which a Japanese guest at my table had specially brought over…arigato, Kashima-san!). Again, there is that semblance on the palate where citrus and orange peel integrate seamlessly with dark cherries and raspberries, quietly intense with subtle concentration, displaying great definition between layering of fruit and the mineral bed that imparted a further sense of delicacy and poise. Supremely balanced, perhaps even aloof almost to the point of being stern but brightening up over time, lingering long after its finish.

2001 D.R.C. Romanée-Conti sitting in a Baccarat Romanée-Conti glass

Would I have recognised it as the Holy Grail of Burgundy if I’d been blinded? Probably not. Don’t expect a voluptuous knockout here. This wine is so beautifully proportioned that it does not call attention to itself, quite the epitome of a sensuous but demure beauty. Not surprising, therefore, that most felt Richebourg the wine most ready to drink in the evening’s line-up.

2009 Ch d’Yquem. This wine presents an overwhelming concentration of nectar, apricot, jackfruit, mangoes and other exotic fruits, brimming with fabulous intensity and matching acidity without tiring the palate, turning slightly steely before finishing with great persistence. Glorious, naturally, but we just killed a couple of cases of the best Sauternes prematurely.

I felt immensely privileged to have been part of this wonderful evening and I can’t wait for it to be repeated next year.

2011 Joseph Drouhin Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru (courtesy of Chee Wee), popped and poured at Jiang Nan Chun, Four Seasons Hotel, Singapore, 4 Feb 2016. Ample with an abundance of peaches, ripe melons and citrus along with a hint of tropical fruits and vanilla well contrasted against the chalky minerality, fairly full, displaying excellent linearity all the way to its crisp finish, gaining in subtle intensity over time.  Yet to develop significant complexity but the potential is enormous.

2008 Ch Lynch-Bages (courtesy of Vic), popped and poured at Jiang Nan Chun, Four Seasons Hotel, Singapore, 04 Feb 2016. Ripe dark berries and black fruits on the nose, distinctly medium-bodied and slightly lean on the palate where the dry Pauillac character turned a tad metallic at the finish, taking time to flesh out with emerging plummy notes.

2006 Vieux Chateau Certan (courtesy of Philippe Capdouze), popped and poured at Jiang Nan Chun, Four Seasons Hotel, Singapore, 04 Feb 2016. This wine opened with an earthy pungency along with some grassy elements on the nose, medium-bodied, harmonious and rounded but notably rich in glorious black fruits and dark currants with traces of soy on the palate where the intensity and excitement are enhanced by supple tannins, gaining further intensity over time. Excellent.

2008 Vina Alberdi, popped and poured from the restaurant list of La Taperia, 05 Feb 2016. This is a lovely wine with a predominant plummy note amidst red fruits and red currants, bright, aromatic and rounded with overtones of camphor and sweet incense. Worth seeking out.

2011 Au Bon Climat (courtesy of Li Fern), popped and poured at S S ENT, 05 Feb 2016. Red cherries and a hint of raspberries of understated intensity and sweetness, displaying excellent purity and balance. Excellent.

Joseph Perrier Brut Rose (courtesy of Hsiang Sui), popped and poured at S S ENT, 05 Feb 2016. Notes of grapefruit with traces of red apples and tangerines. Dry and minerally. Could do with slightly more forward fruit balance.

2008 Ch Leoville Poyferre (courtesy of Vic), popped and poured at S S ENT, 05 Feb 2016. Aromatic bouquet of roses and redcurrants. Fresh, rounded with earthy tones and a mild tarry quality on the palate, displaying fine acidity and definition with slightly dry textures. Excellent balance.

2006 Ch Lynch-Bages (courtesy of Choon Jin), popped and poured at S S ENT, 05 Feb 2016. Attractive earthy pungency on the nose, medium-bodied with a classic Pauillac dryness, somewhat underwhelming, seemingly austere and sullen. Needs more time?

2000 Coonawarra Reserve cabernet sauvignon, popped and poured at S S ENT, 05 Feb 2016. One of my perennial favourites but not slowing well here with predominant vegetal tones, earth and dark plums, awkward and disjointed.

2005 Anamorphosis (courtesy of Hsiang Sui), popped and poured at S S ENT, 05 Feb 2016. Rich in warm ripe Barossa shiraz, dominated by licorice, vanilla and dark chocolate with mild medicinal overtones, rather tense and firm on the palate, ending in metallic finish.

2004 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese, aired in bottle for almost an hour prior to serving at Tunglok Signatures, 05 Feb 2016, on the occasion of Mom’s 85th. This is a bottle that I have faithfully cellared since its release. Somewhat lean initially with aromas of sweet citrus and petroleum, it blossomed beautifully after 60 minutes into a full-bodied complex of pineapples, mangoes, lychees, nectarine and apricot with overtones of sweet incense, highly supple in spite of its fabulous intensity and concentration that trailed all the way to its long lasting finish, the sweetness never getting in the way. Outstanding now, even though I don’t think it is anywhere near full maturity.

2009 Ch Le Doyenne, popped and poured at dinner on the eve of Lunar New Year, 07 Feb 2016. This wine still boasts rich luxuriant ripe blackberries and dark currants but there is now a trace of hardness on the mid-palate that wasn’t present before, its tannins as supple as ever but not gelling as well with the fruit. This may be the start of an awkward period for this over-achieving table wine. Best to let it rest for some time.

2008 Montevertine, decanted on-site at Yan Ting, St Regis Hotel Singapore, 18 Feb 2016. This wine has a lovely glow of cedar and raspberries on the nose with attractive musky overtones though, on the whole, it is rather restrained. Powerful notes of plums and tangerine dominate on the palate although textures are open and relaxed, structured through sweet supple tannins and fine acidity, just a tad feminine. Very fine.

2009 Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches 1er rouge (courtesy of Chee Wee), popped and drunk very quickly at Glen after hours, 22 Feb 2016. This wine is highly elegant, impressing on the nose with aromatic floral nuances while raspberries and camphor dominate on the palate with traces of incense, smooth and rounded, displaying very good depth of fruit and concentration, slightly cedary with some early complexity without the burliness nor vegetal tones that tend to characterise the reds from the Cote de Beaune. Lovely. Located next to Pommard, Clos des Mouches is planted with both chardonnay and pinot noir.

2009 Bethel Heights pinot noir, hand-carried to Singapore by Professor William Young four years ago (where it had lain in my cellar since) and  shared with him at Majestic Bay seafood restaurant, 25 Feb 2016. Aired in bottle for 30 minutes prior. This Oregon pinot displays overtones of seared caramel and raisins, just a bit too flat and one-dimensional, unfortunately, lacking delicacy, freshness and complexity.

2001 D’Arenberg Dead Arm shiraz, decanted for over an hour prior to serving at Majestic Bay seafood restaurant, 25 Feb 2016. My very last bottle from a half case that I have cellared since 2004. Displaying characteristic richness and concentration, this flagship wine offers an abundance of warm ripe shiraz fruit, licorice, dark chocolates, dark currants and black fruits of excellent intensity and balance, cloaked in silky smooth tannins, finishing with mint and a dash of spice. Not at all jammy, and far more sophisticated than usual for a McLaren Vale shiraz. Excellent.

2012 Vincent Girardin Bourgogne blanc, popped and poured over dimsum lunch at Asia Grand, 27 Feb 2016. This is a rather half-hearted effort. Decent notes of cream and chalky minerals are not met by sufficient fruit, resulting in some hollowness that does not equate with delicacy. Disappointing.