Ric's Wine Journal

The following wines were drunk over an omakase dinner at Akashi, Paragon Singapore, 28 June 2016. Jon had proposed an ’80s theme which turned out well. All wines were popped and poured on-site over 3 hours, with the exception of the Montrose which had been double-decanted. All wines were tasted blind.

1986 Ch Ausone (courtesy of Jon). This wine was rather backward and relaxed at the first pour, displaying predominant red fruits, rather bright with a mild medicinal tinge, still carrying good levels of acidity, soft and subtly structured. Over time, it fleshed out with notes of old leather and red plums with an easy elegance, gaining in gradual intensity with a trace of sweetness, rather delicious, certainly not in danger of drying out, cloaked in feminine tones with an eventual note of soy. Unmistakably Right Bank. Like all top crus, this wine doesn’t call attention to itself, neither voluptuous nor a stand-out. An understated Ausone on song. Thank you, Jon!

1985 Ch Montrose (courtesy of Hiok). The bouquet here is marked by an earthy pungency with overtones of dried mushrooms, rounded with understated acidity but solidly structured, developing a plummy glow and emerging tone of sweet dark currants against a backdrop of dried leaves and snuff that hinted strongly at Pauillac, though it turned out to be its its neighbouring commune St Estephe. It stayed this way throughout the evening, mellow, harmonious and structured without any hint of drying out. An excellent Montrose.

1986 Ch Gruaud Larose, a bottle I’d cellared for the past ten years. Powerful tones of plums and tangerines dominate on the nose and palate, coupled with an attractive earthy pungency. Infinitely masculine and harmonious, subtle in structure at first, eventually developing a glorious tone and fabulous intensity from the ripe dark fruits that belied its 30 years. Still incredibly youthful, this has the legs to carry on for the next decade, at least. Superb.

2009 Ch Bernadotte, popped and poured after hours at Glen, 03 June 2016. Displaying a brilliant ruby, this wine is beginning to open up, offering excellent concentration of ripe dark berries, blueberries and dark currants with some bright spots, layered and structured with sweet supple tannins, achieving a level of sophistication usually not encountered in unclassified Haut Medoc. Certainly the best Bernadotte ever. Buy.

1988 Ch Leoville Las-Cases, decanted on-site over dinner  with the wifey at Saint-Pierre, 06 June 2016. A bottle that I’ve cellared for several years, this wine displayed an evolved crimson with an initial bouquet of predominant red fruits amidst some true earthy pungency and some faint musty odours (but in a most positive manner), firm and fleshy with a lovely tension that teased the palate with its fresh and gorgeous acidity. It rapidly evolved to develop a powerful glow of aged mushrooms on the nose with further notes of plums and balsam before establishing a dominant tone of complex tangy citrus of subtle intensity, absolutely harmonious with exciting depth and concentration. This wine is at its drinking peak where it is likely to hold for several more years. Superb.

2000 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru (courtesy of Vic), over lunch at Les Amis, 10 June 2016. This wine is akin to a beautiful sensuous woman who reveals herself bit by bit. Somewhat reticent and reserved at first, this wine blossomed with lovely aromas of sweet white flowers and crème de la crème, richly layered with complex citrus, almonds and nutty nuances supported by subtle chalky minerality and understated acidity, gaining a lovely accentuation that led to a fabulous intensity over time, turning somewhat stern and minerally at the finish. Drinking superbly.

2007 Pierre Amiot Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru, aired in bottle over lunch at Les Amis, 10 June 2016. Lovely aromas of rose petals and dark cherries dominate, fairly generous, displaying very good concentration and acidity, building up to quite an intensity with sweet tannins and smoky overtones, measured and elegant though not quite the last word in complexity. Perfect for lunch, nonetheless.

2011 Prunotto Barolo, from the restaurant list of Cantinetta Antinori, Firenze, Italy, 11 June 2016 and decanted on-site. Forward in ripe wild berries, raspberries and redcurrants with a after note of burnt sugar. Medium-full with good definition, power and concentration, still tight with well-managed tannins.

2014 Tenuta Ca’ Bolani Friuli Pinot Grigio Superiore, a half bottle over lunch at the Uffizi, Firenze, Italy, 12 June 2016. Notes of lemongrass and morning dew dominate on the nose, matched by green apples and melons on the palate with subdued acidity. Easy and refreshing.

Ca’ Percotta Millesimato Vino Spumante Brut, a half-bottle over a pizza lunch in Pisa, Italy, 13 June 2016. Dry with an abundance of green apples and lime citrus, highly inviting with a lovely intensity, somewhat stern at the finish with a mild graphite character.

2011 Tenuta Lidola Nuova Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano, over a grilled ribeye in Firenze, Italy, 13 June 2016. Ripe wild berries and blueberries dominate with sweet plummy tones of fair intensity and an after note of burnt sugar on the palate, inviting with good presence.

2013 Poggio dei Gelsi, a half bottle over dinner at La Martinicca, Firenze, Italy, 14 June 2016. This wine offers an abundance of lime and bitter citrus with an understated floral fragrance, minerality and creme de la creme, generously proportioned with excellent intensity and a bit of smoky sheen, finishing with superb length. Sophisticated and classy, way above its restaurant price of EUR16. Excellent.

2005 Farnito Camponibbio (courtesy of Antonio), over lunch with Antonio Zaccheo of Carpineto at La Casina in Chianciano, Italy, 15 June 2016. Made by Antonio’s Carpineto from 100% cabernet sauvignon, this wine displays characters of blueberries, cinnamon and dark currants within a masculine structure, fairly ample and rounded on the palate with decent layering and a dominant plummy tone after some time. Quite perfect with the Tuscan bistecca.

Valdobbiadene Lagioiosa Et Amorosa Prossecco, a bottle off the list of San Desiderio, a superb charming restaurant in Siena, Italy, 16 June 2016. This sparkling wine possesses an abundance of lemongrass, morning dew, green apples, melons and clear citrus, ample on the palate with excellent intensity, body and concentration, and not too dry. At EUR15, this is highly satisfying.

2014 Ferghettina Curtefranca Bianco, a half bottle over lunch at Lake Como, Italy, 18 June 2016. Made from 80% chardonnay and 20% pinot bianco, this inexpensive wine from Lombardy exudes impressive aromas of white roses and creme de la crème marked by attractive chalky minerality and rich intense citrus on the palate with smoky textures that imparted an excellent mouthfeel, highly lifted and lengthy at the finish, punching well above its weight. Quite excellent.

2015 Montressor Valpolicella at La Baita, Milan, Italy, 18 June 2016. Bright red plums and cherries dominate with overtones of tangerines and burnt sugar, displaying good intensity. Open but straightforward. A decent quaffer.

2009 Zind Humbrecht Brand Riesling, popped and poured at Ming Kee Live Seafood, 24 June 2016. This wine exudes attractive aromas of green melons, lemongrass and nectarine with overtones of petroleum fumes so classic of these Alsace rieslings, laced with understated sweetness and layered with impressive concentration and stony minerality, slightly stern at the finish. Not quite really open at this stage and will really need more time before it develops true complexity. One for the long haul.

2001 Vina El Pison (courtesy of Kenny), popped and poured at Akashi, 28 June 2016. Dark deep purple, saturated with ripe dark fruits and dark currants with some bright spots, dense and concentrated on the palate with a sweet edge though it is still somewhat unresolved, tapering to a powerful spicy finish. Almost hedonistic but certainly not over-extracted, recalling the likes of Macan and Pingus.

2004 Ch Bernadotte, popped and poured at Foster’s Steakhouse, 09 May 2016. Rustic and somewhat four-square with notes of wild berries, briar, sandalwood and licorice, quite robust but drying out a little on the palate with dusty tannins, ending in a spicy minty finish. Will not improve further. Drink up. The 2005 and 2009 are much more substantial.

2005 Ch Calon Segur, popped and poured at Chef Kang’s on the occasion of Huey’s birthday, 11 May 2016. Showing a deep garnet red, this wine is rich and smooth with a lovely intensity, effusive in aromas of dark berries and dark currants with a hint of warm gravel, licorice and chocolate, layered with glorious black fruits, fine acidity, saline minerals and framed by sweet supple tannins, finishing with good length. Still very much on the ascendency and yet to fully open up on the palate. Needs another 5-10 years of cellaring, at least. Clearly one for the long haul.

1990 Ch Saint Pierre (courtesy of WCY), popped and poured at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. Powerful earthy pungency on the nose with dominant plummy and raisiny tones on the palate along with traces of tangerines, soy and metallic notes towards the finish. Rounded and rustic, displaying good tension from the crisp acidity, but lacking in complexity compared with the top estates.

1996 Ch Saint Pierre  (courtesy of WCY), popped and poured at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. Almost as pungent as the 1990, medium-bodied and stern in demeanour with an overall tone of dark fruits, becoming more relaxed over time with traces of sweetness emerging.

2008 Ch Les Ormes de Pez, a house pour offered at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. Dark and muted on the nose. Rounded and quite seamless with a dash of spice though somewhat unresolved on the mid-palate, yet to open up.

2008 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er, at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. Notes of bright red fruits, cherries and strawberries exuding an overtone of camphor, displaying good intensity and suppleness, ending in a spicy finish with a vegetal hint.

2009 Jacques-Frederic Mugnier Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de la Marechale 1er (courtesy Andrew Chin), popped and poured from magnum at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. Expectations were high and JF Mugnier doesn’t disappoint. The bouquet is dominated by an abundance of bright cherries and rose petals with overtones of varnish, highly aromatic, leading to a gentle entry on the palate where it is satiny smooth and superbly integrated, generous with ample depth, already hinting at some early complexity at the finish. Highly feminine and elegant. Very lovely.

2002 Ch Pavie (courtesy of WCY), popped and poured at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. Lifted aromas of red fruits, violets and dark currants, racy with excellent tension on the palate, exciting but still tight, highly detailed with fine acidity and linearity. Excellent.

2002 Ch Mouton Rothschild (courtesy of WCY), popped and poured at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. Deep garnet red, still rather youthful with subdued dark berries and plums still shrouded by vanillin. Rounded, medium-full and appropriately dry from the Pauillac terroir, finishing with excellent length but yet to develop layering and complexity. Needs time. .

2001 Ch L’Evangile (courtesy of Ms Romanee Lee), popped and poured at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. A full-bodied complex of ripe dark berries and black fruits and currants, oozing with sweet tannins and high-toned minerals, displaying excellent depth and harmony though, true to form for Pomerol, this wine is difficult to place.

1988 Ch Suduiraut, popped and poured at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. Luscious with an abundance of nectarine and apricot, though the receding acidity and stony minerality led to some awkwardness.

2002 Faiveley Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley Grand Cru, popped and poured at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. This monopole grand cru is rich in dark cherries, raspberries and redcurrants, full-bodied and dry with excellent depth and fine tension but rather stern and somewhat one-dimensional, lacking real complexity.

2008 Faiveley  Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley Grand Cru, popped and poured at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. No lack of ripe red cherries and strawberries in this medium-bodied proposition with slightly dry textures, still unresolved and short.

2009 Ch Le Doyenne, popped and poured at Jade Palace, 16 May 2016. Seven years post-vintage, this overachieving Saint Emilion possesses quite a fabulous bouquet of aromatic dark cherries, raspberries and violets, though somewhat attenuated on the palate where this medium-bodied effort seemed to have hit a ceiling. Over time, however, the dusty textures and raw edges gave way to a broad expanse of ripe raisiny extract, marked by dominant notes of licorice almost akin to a New World cabernet sauvignon. This is still a very good wine for the dollar.

2013 Le Caveau des Capucins, popped and poured over lunch at Prive Grill, 18 May 2016. Displaying a crimson hue, this Pays D’oc is surprisingly supple and fleshy with a fairly generous plummy tone and overtones of burnt sugar, possessing enough fruit to match the saline minerality. Quite agreeable.

Maison Leroy Fleur de Vignes NV, popped and poured at Asia Grand and shared with Antonio Zaccheo, proprietor of Carpineto (of Montepulciano), 20 May 2016. A non-vintage dry white, this wine displays attractive aromas of clear fresh citrus and other floral characters, lightly perfumed, matched by delicate minerality and understated acidity on the palate, very fine in balance , highly elegant and unpretentious, not at all heavy. Perfect to go with lunch on a warm midsummer day.

2002 Maison Leroy Montagny (courtesy of Li Fern), popped and poured at S S ENT, 20 May 2016. An abundance of green apples and melons on the nose, matched by intense crisp clear citrus with great acidity, ending in a finish of mild bitter lemon. Lovely.

2005 Domaine Gros Frere & Soeur Vosne-Romanee (courtesy of Li Fern), popped and poured at S S ENT, 20 May 2016. This village displayed an evolved red with powerful aromas of raspberries, ripe plums and caramel, quite full on the palate with saline minerals, earth and spice but a tad heavy with unresolved tannins and short at the finish.

2002 Georges Comte de Vogue Chambolle-Musigny (courtesy of Li Fern), popped and poured at S S ENT, 20 May 2016. Highly perfumed with notes of bright red fruits,  cherries, roses and camphor, excellent in depth, layered with earth, understated minerals and sweet tannins. Yet to peak. Goes to show that a village can be absolutely satisfying from a top producer in a top vintage.

2006 Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny Les Sentiers 1er (courtesy of Choon Jin), popped and poured at S S ENT, 20 May 2016. Lifted aromas of rose petals and cherries, open and elegant with well integrated minerality, showing some complexity and great persistence. Lovely.

2005 Noon Reserve Shiraz, popped and poured at S S ENT, 20 May 2016. Very ripe and barely evolved in spite of bottle age, saturated with intense notes of varnish, enamel, sweet plums, medicinal characters, licorice and burnt sugar. Rounded and opening up. A huge wine but balanced, not at all hedonistic.

1998 Vincent Girardin Corton Renardes Grand Cru (courtesy of WCY), popped and poured over dinner in Hong Kong, 22 May 2016. Displaying substantial bricking, this wine is fully evolved with a dominant plummy tone with overtones of bright tangerines, still crisp in acidity but the fruit was rather backward at the start, as if threatening to dry out. However, it gained in intensity over time, more open with the emergence of red fruits and ripe plums that added some depth and layering. Drinking well but unlikely to improve further.

2014 Valentin Zussler Orschwihr Riesling (courtesy of Christophe Cazaux-Maleville of the Vintage Club), over dinner at One Farrer Hotel, 25 May 2016. Its unmistakable Alsace character comes through with attractive petroleum characters on the nose, matched by fresh melons, tropical fruits, mild sweet citrus and smoky overtones, generous and very well balanced with subdued minerality, understated acidity and some early complexity. Very enjoyable.

Valentin Zussler Cremant D’Alsace NV Brut Zero (courtesy of Christophe Cazaux-Maleville of the Vintage Club), over dinner at One Farrer Hotel, 25 May 2016. This sparkling wine opens with an attractive bouquet of grassy elements, clear citrus and some mild yeasty pungency that hinted at excellent depth. Open with good definition, fullness and concentration and understated minerality at just the right degree of dryness, finishing with notes of lemongrass and malt. Very good indeed.

2013 Valentin Zusslin Bollenberg Pinot Noir (courtesy of Christophe Cazaux-Maleville of the Vintage Club), over dinner at One Farrer Hotel, 25 May 2016. Camphor, dark roses and saline minerals dominate in this Alsace pinot, slightly darker than usual, open with good depth and acidity, though lacking in terroir specificity and true complexity.

Louis Roederer Brut NV, popped and poured over dimsum at Asia Grand, 29 May 2016. Forward in citrus, tropical fruit, melons and peaches at the first pour with excellent depth, giving way to stony minerality with notes of graphite, yeasty overtones, walnuts, almonds and understated creamy characters before the dryness eventually caught up, developing into a wine of robust intensity and substantial complexity. A very fine example of Louis Roederer’s calling card.

This mini vertical of this famed Second Growth of Saint-Estephe was kindly sponsored by Dr Wong Chiang-Yin at the annual SMA Dinner at the Raffles Town Club, Singapore, 14 May 2016. None of these hail from vaunted vintages and, in fact, one or two may be labelled as so-called “off years” but, even then, Cos D’Estournel of the last century has a certain easy nuance and expression that is no longer quite apparent in the vintages of the past decade as it pushed for greater sophistication and intensity. All wines were popped and poured over 2-3 hours.

1993 Ch Cos D’Estournel. Gentle aromas of raspberries and dark cherries, rounded, smooth and pleasant on the palate with sweet tannins. Desperately missing in charm and complexity even though it gained some mild intensity over time. Drink up.

1997 Ch Cos D’Estournel. Mild earthy pungency with overtones of sandalwood, aged plums and burnt toast, finishing with some mint and graphite that imparted a sense of sternness, missing in complexity.

1988 Ch Cos D’Estournel. A sense of heated gravel on the nose with ripe berries, mocha and raisins supported by saline minerals and fine acidity. Harmonious with an attractive feminine intensity that produced some lovely tension though lacking in layering and sheer complexity.

1998 Ch Cos D’Estournel. The best of this mini-series of Cos, where lifted earthy pungency on the nose is matched by rounded fleshy tones on the palate, marked by mature dark berries, plum and ash with traces of graphite, displaying good concentration and depth of fruit, slightly more forward with time, ending in a spicy minerally finish. Just missing the last ounce of opulence. Very fine.

Photo courtesy of Dr Wong Chiang-Yin

Thanks to the generosity of M. Christophe Cazaux-Maleville of the Vintage Club, I was invited to the first ever en primeur tasting of selected chateaux of 2015 Bordeaux in Singapore held at the Tower Club, 27 May 2016. The vintage of 2015 has been touted as the best of the current decade after 2010, marked by early flowering and fruit set in June followed by very fine dry conditions in July, average rainfalls in August and, again, warm days and cool nights in September (with the exception of the Northern Medoc) that allowed full ripening of the grapes before harvesting took place under excellent conditions. Though not quite as homogenous as the very best vintages (2005, 2009), experts have commented that most of the clarets of 2015 possess the structure and elegance of the best years though with less power. Certainly, in my tasting of the limited line-up, all the wines (already bottled as the finalised blend) were already highly accessible, rounded and generous in aroma and fullness without any jarring edges, some being distinctly feminine and elegant although one has to be mindful that these wines will actually spend another year or more in barrel before bottling takes place in 2018.

Ch Pape Clement blanc. Bouquet of grassy elements and morning dew. Excellent presence on the palate, generous in lifted floral notes with traces of sweet, well-integrated acidity and understated minerality.

Ch Fombrauge. Fresh oak and earthy tones dominate on the nose, rounded on the palate with ripe dark fruits, wild berries and traces of vanillin, slightly stern, finishing on a minty note.

Ch Pape Clement. Rather restrained on the nose where there are notes of barley and grassy elements. Rounded, dry and fairly rich in mocha and dark berries, showing good definition and linearity, developing further tension and structure over time from the excellent acidity and well-integrated tannins.

Ch La Tour Carnet. Dark roses and raspberries on the nose along with morning dew and earthy tones. Medium-bodied, smooth and harmonious with ripe tannins and fine acidity, rather high-toned and somewhat narrow in spectrum.

Ch Clos Haut-Peyreguey blanc. Sweet lemongrass and fresh morning dew dominate. Very generous and ample on the palate with controlled sweetness and fine acidity. Lengthy finish. Highly attractive.

Ch Olivier blanc. Clear citrus and grassy elements with a certain lightness, fairly generous and well-integrated with fine acidity and a trace of sweetness.

Ch Olivier. An abundance of earthiness and heated gravel on the nose, displaying very good concentration on the palate with ripe sweet tannins and understated acidity. Harmonious but short at this stage.

Ch Beychevelle. Highly lifted with floral notes, fresh roses and camphor. Fairly full with excellent concentration, layering and acidity with traces of grassy elements that doesn’t detract. Feminine, elegant and structured without calling attention to itself. Highly successful with great potential here. This wine was the highlight of the tasting.

Ch Beauregard. Gentle with an abundance of floral notes. Rounded, smooth and generous with excellent depth, understated richness and acidity, ending in velvety finish. Pomerol has been blessed in this vintage. Excellent.

Ch Lafon Rochet. Consistent with growing conditions of this vintage, this wine of the Northern Medoc seems rather shut on the nose with a narrow spectrum of cooked meat and ripe wild berries with sweet tannins and crisp acidity without much depth.

Ch Labegorce. A perfumed bouquet of floral characters and camphor, leading to predominant red fruits and mulberries, rather fruit forward in balance with a gentle elegance and lovely acidity, rounded and structured, finishing with some persistence. This will be a most astute buy.

Ch Marquis D’Alesme. From the same management as Ch Labegorce, this Margaux is distinctly feminine with floral characters of rose petals, sweet raspberries and violets, replete with 10% petit verdot that added further depth and dimension, medium-full with fresh acidity that’s very well-integrated. Very lovely.

Ch de Lamarque. Earthy tones, wild berries and wheat. Forward in fruit balance. Ample and rounded with understated acidity, just a tad short.

Ch Laroque. Rounded with a soft fragrance, good linearity, concentration and acidity with traces of sweet.

Ch Guiraud. An abundance of apricot, nectarine and peaches of controlled sweetness and intensity, medium-bodied with good acidity and presence, finishing on a gentle note of tropical fruits, not at all overbearing. Very fine.

Domaine Faiveley is a major negociant-cum-producer with a vast portfolio. That Georges Faiveley (4th generation owner of Faiveley) was a co-founder of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin demonstrates amply the importance of Faiveley in the history of Burgundy over the last couple of centuries. Established in 1825 and still family owned, now with massive holdings of 120 ha, it is simply not quite possible for anyone with some interest in wine not to have tasted Faiveley before. Wine produced entirely from vines under its direct holdings are labelled under the Domaine, while wine produced from grapes bought from growers come under Joseph Faiveley. Now helmed by its seventh generation owner M. Erwan Faiveley since 2007, this estate has gone from strength to strength, having added the great whites of the Cote de Beaune to the domaine’s portfolio since 2008: Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru and Puligny-Montrachet La Garenne 1er.

It was good, once again, to meet up with Erwan at this FICOFI event held at Golden Peony, Conrad Centennial Singapore, 13 May 2016, where Erwan still remembered about our visit to his cellars last September. Quality at Faiveley has improved over the years through strict pruning of the vines, hand sorting of grapes at harvest and prolonged vatting times. Whereas previously the wines of Faiveley, in my opinion, tended to be somewhat backward, I have noticed that Faiveley now seems to understand the different individual pieces of terroir better and the wines now do reflect very well their origin with no lack of vibrancy and vigour.

2014 Joseph Faiveley Puligny-Montrachet Champ Gain 1er. Dry with an attractive earthy pungency, slightly grassy, rounded and satiny smooth with a hint of peaches. Very agreeable.

2014 Joseph Faiveley Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot 1er. Exuberant and highly aromatic, of melons and white roses, quite racy and exciting, excellent in supple intensity, matched by  chalky minerals, ending in a persistent finish marked by exotic tropical fruits. Excellent.

2014 Domaine Faiveley Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru. Gentle aromas of morning dew sprinkled on white flowers, gleaming with glorious creme de la crème, medium-bodied, already quite open and minerally, very well-proportioned and balanced, slightly stern a the finish. Structured and poised. Not as outwardly muscular, unlike the Batard of Joseph Drouhin, but very correct, nonetheless. A wine of great nuance and promise. Excellent.

2014 Domaine Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er. Great color and intensity with an abundance of red and dark cherries, rounded with plenty of presence, excellent acidity and linearity. Bold and crisp at the moment but likely to develop excellent complexity over time. Excellent potential.

2014 Domaine Faiveley Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru. Deep ruby with extended notes of cherries and mulberries and traces of ash. Structured and firm with lovely intensity and tension from the fine acidity, long and minty at the finish. Excellent.

2014 Domaine Faiveley Chambertin-Clos de Beze Grand Cru. Great bouquet of dark cherries, raspberries and camphor, slightly darker in tone. Surprisingly open on the palate, the fruit set a bit backwards to favour a more minerally balance, very well proportioned and somewhat understated. Doesn’t call attention to itself. Needs time to flesh out. Excellent potential.

2014 Domaine Faiveley Clos Vougeot Grand Cru. Quite an intense bouquet of raspberries and dark cherries, smooth, rounded and ripe with a tinge of sugar burnt that doesn’t disguise the fact that this wine lacks dimension and layering, consistent with Clos Vougeot in general.

2014 Domaine Faiveley Corton Clos des Corton Faiveley Grand Cru. One of only nine grand cru monopoles in Burgundy. This wine possesses great layering and intensity, medium-full and already quite open with bright fruits supported by a rich vein of dark currants, rounded and well-balanced, never overwhelming. Far richer and more sumptuous than Corton in general without any vegetal trace. Consistent with a previous tasting from barrel last September in Faiveley’s cellars.

2011 Domaine Faiveley Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru. Rather restraint on the nose but the complexity is unmistakable, displaying an abundance of coconut, fig, white flowers and supported by chalky minerality with traces of icing. Excellent in definition, layering and balance. Quite full but not showy. Excellent, but I think the 2014 will surpass this in time to come.

2011 (left) and 2014 Joseph Faiveley Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru

2011 Joseph Faiveley Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru. Superb bouquet here. Beautifully aromatic, deeply intense and highly captivating, matched by notes of white chocolate, varnish, coconut, fig and full creme de la creme with understated minerality and cutting acidity that creates a fine tension across the palate, medium to full-bodied, fabulous in intensity and concentration though yet to develop further complexity. This is a confident and luscious beauty, a wine that’s truly singing. Outstanding.

2010 Domaine Faiveley Latriceres-Chambertin Grand Cru. Clear ruby, displaying intense dark cherries, raspberries and some smoke, opening up on the mid-palate where it is layered but lacking in structure and detail.

2010 Domaine Faiveley Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru. Feminine, as expected from this growth. Pleasant and solid with a forward balance of raspberries and mulberries as if to make up for the lack of layering and complexity.

M. Erwan Faiveley (standing, fourth from right)

2007 Joseph Faiveley Pommard Les Rugiens 1er. Darker in tone and colour with dark cherries and raspberries of great intensity, matched by firm acidity and lovely tension on the palate. Robust but unevolved.

2007 Domaine Faiveley Clos Vougeot Grand Cru. Cool ripe fruit, distinctly autumnal, with good harmony and linearity but lacking in distinction.

1995 Domaine Faiveley Clos Vougeot Grand Cru. Perhaps it is the vintage but this is a much better Clos Vougeot. Deeper with excellent fruit at just the right degree of ripeness, still fresh, open and layered with far greater complexity and detail, finishing on a minty note. Still youthful.

Many will not admit to this, but the fact is most oenophiles in love with Burgundy tend to view negociant-growers with some condescension, claiming that the range of wines offered are usually far too extensive and that it is not possible, under such circumstances, to fully understand each terroir, resulting in a tendency to regress towards a “house” style that robs the wines of individuality and identity, qualities that define Burgundy above all else. And, of course, there is that romantic underdog notion of small independent domaines struggling to survive against the big boys that appeal so much to oenophiles, as is the scarcity of highly-coveted wines made by these indies. These assertions may well be true to quite an extent, but to generalise every negociant-grower likewise is to miss out on some absolute gems that embody the glory of Burgundy. This was amply shown up at a promenade and dinner of Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils and Domaine Joseph Drouhin, both of which I have had the good fortune to visit in Beaune last autumn and it was good, once again, to meet up with M. Jean-Paul Dumond, Sales Director of Joseph Drouhin, as well as M. Luc Bouchard, both of whom were in attendance at this FICOFI event on 04 April 2016, held at Aura at the top of the fabulous new National Gallery, Singapore.

Bouchard Père et Fils was established in 1731 and, through gradual acquisitions, it has become the largest domaine in the Côte d’Or, boasting a grand total of 130 ha of vines, 12 of which are grand cru and 74 premier cru, and its ownership of Montrachet Grand Cru can be traced back to 1838. The wines are transferred by gravity and vinified at a state-of-the-art facility at Savigny-lès-Beaune. A visit to Bouchard’s massive cellars of Château de Beaune is definitely a must, where a bottle of 1846 Meursault Charmes is still lying there. Comparatively younger, Domaine Joseph Drouhin, founded in 1880, has 73 ha of vines, two-thirds of which are grand cru and premier cru, favouring higher density plantings with low yields. Throughout the tasting, I was consistently impressed by the structure, complexity and balance of Joseph Drouhin, how “correct” they all seemed to come across on the palate, and by the delicacy and complexity of the whites of Bouchard Pere et Fils that are certainly on par with, if not better than, other benchmark producers.

2000 Champagne Henriot Millésime. Attractive earthy pungency and toasty oak on the nose with complex citrus, green melons and fine acidity on the palate, slightly short at the dry finish.

2011 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru. Roses and red fruits dominate amidst some earthy minerality with an attractive pungency. Soft and rounded with good concentration and acidity but lacking in structure, imparting a feminine impression, aided by further notes of camphor and ash.

2011 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Clos de la Roche Grand Cru. Darker in tone and weight with a lovely satiny texture imparted by an abundance of dark roses and raspberries of subtle intensity, medium-bodied, rounded and very well balanced.

2011 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru. Highly aromatic, dominated by a rich complex of violets, dark currants and dark cherries of excellent intensity. Structured and masculine. Almost lush.

2011 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru. Highly lifted aromas of dark cherries, raspberries, violets and mulberries enhanced by a beautiful earthy pungency with plenty of fat on the mid-palate. Voluptuous with a lovely balance, structured by velvety tannins and fine acidity, finishing with great persistence. A complete wine.

2011 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Musigny Grand Cru. Whereas the Bonnes-Mares may be a tad showy, this pinnacle of Chambolle is a study in absolute balance where the classical beauty seduces with the perfumed fragrance of incense and camphor from the rich complex of dark roses and ripe dark cherries, yet maddeningly poised with a quiet elegance, almost aloof, glowing with subtle intensity. Beautiful.

2011 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Chambertin-Clos de Beze Grand Cru. Generous in rosy characters, a wine of great exuberance and flamboyance and highly refined as well through velvety tannins, oily textures and very fine acidity, offering plenty of structure, suppleness and presence. Fat, succulent and persistent. Excellent.

2013 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Marquis de Laguiche Montrachet Grand Cru. Lying firmly on the Puligny side of Montrachet (ie. more northerly), this flagship white is blessed with generous lifted aromas of white flowers, pines and peaches with a faint suggestion of sweetness that hinted at delicacy and harmony, matched by a gleaming tone of gorgeous minerality, incense, supple creme de la creme and understated acidity, open and almost ethereal with great purity and precision, finishing with excellent mouthfeel. Wonderful.

2012 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Marquis de Laguiche 1er, served from double magnum. Highly aromatic, recalling exotic fruits, pineapples, white flowers and other tropical fruits, displaying good balance though slightly more fruit-forward for a Chassagne. Rather placid on the palate with subdued acidity, lacking the last ounce of divinity that would elevate it into grand cru.

2011 Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru. Complex, perfumed bouquet of fig, white flowers and seared caramel. Harmonious and beautifully balanced but tight with traces of tropical fruits at the finish, just a tad short.

2011 Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils Montrachet Grand Cru. Highly lifted floral complex on the nose, matched by excellent concentration of gentle pomelo, clear citrus and minerals that exuded lightness and real delicacy with a lovely feminine balance and proportion, still tightly-knit with a bit of sternness that enhanced the complexity. Although Bouchard’s 0.89 ha of Montrachet lies on the Puligny side, it is actually bordering on the Chassagne side of this hallowed plot, and this is very well reflected by the wine’s minerally balance. Consistent with my memories of a similar bottle tasted within the domaine’s cellars last year. Superb.

Side-by-side: 2011 & 2014 Bouchard Pere et Fils Montrachet Grand Cru

1976 Bouchard Père et Fils Le Corton Grand Cru, poured from magnum. Displaying a dusky red with a mild medicinal glow of licorice and raisins on the nose, this wine is still amazingly alive with notes of dried mushrooms, ash and prunes with a trace of sweetness, not at all heavy.

2009 Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune Greve Vignes de L’Enfant Jesus 1er. A monopole of Bouchard named after Maugerite du Saint Sacrement who predicted the birth of King Louis XIV even though his mother, Anne of Austria, was supposedly sterile. Somewhat reticent and backward, medium-full, marked by vanillin oak with a spicy edge. Not distinctive.

2014 Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils Montrachet Grand Cru. Grassy tone with an overlay of morning dew. Again, there is something inherently feminine about Bouchard’s Montrachet, an expansive floral beauty, full-bodied yet highly enticing with great acidity and a wonderful sense of lightness from the open minerality and delicate intensity, unceasingly teasing, drawing one in sip after sip. Superb and, with time, may surpass the 2011.

With M. Luc Bouchard

2014 Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru. Lovely aromas of white flowers and grassy elements dominate on the nose, leading to a rich, exuberant full-bodied wine, laced with acidity and delicate minerals. A Corton-Charlemagne to match the best of Bonneau du Martray. Excellent.

2014 Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru. Lovely bouquet of white pepper, mild grassy elements and white flowers with fabulous concentration and great acidity, very fresh and vibrant. Supple, focused and detailed. Almost on par with Montrachet. Outstanding.

2014 Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault Les Genevrières 1er. Lifted with top-notch crème de la crème. Well-proportioned, rich, yet delicate with understated chalkiness. Highly attractive.

2014 Bouchard Père et Fils Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru. Nose of earthy red fruits with tangerines. Medium-full, crisp, racy and exciting on the palate, slightly forward in fruit balance but a tad short in structure and finish.

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.