Vega Sicilia: An evening with Pablo Alvarez
My dining experience went up another notch on 26 July 2015 when I was invited to dinner at Nicolas, now having moved a short distance from Keong Saik Road to Teck Lim Road. It is not that I have never been to Nicolas, but to be able to dine there on a Sunday when it is normally closed, opened just specially for our private function, and with the proprietor of Vega Sicilia present to pour his wines is another thing altogether. 
It is little wonder, therefore, that the man behind it all was none other than the great Dr S S Ngoi, celebrating the occasion of his daughter’s great success. As we gathered, the 2002 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Elisabeth Salmon Brut Rose was poured liberally, a dull golden glow with a rosy tint, displaying good intensity with an abundance of yeasty tones, dry but balanced, not too biting although it was not quite as layered as I’d expected.
As we settled down to dinner, the 2006 Bodegas Alion was poured from a double magnum, where half the tempranillo fruit is sourced from Vega Sicilia’s Valbuena vineyard and the other half from its own. Dusty red, this wine possessed a lifted bouquet of dark fruits and currants laced with exotic spices, succulent herbs and cedar, soft, medium-bodied and slightly backward for what is usually a robust wine, quite mellow in fact, finishing with mild tannins. A good wine, but immediately overshadowed by the 2010 Benjamin De Rothschild Vega Sicilia Macan Clasico that came next, again a 100% tempranillo but from older vines, which accounts for its dark opague purple with oversized medicinal overtones and other notes of sweet incense and cedar with remarkably open textures without being jammy in spite of its intensity.
As good as the preceding two wines were, the 2010 Vega Sicilia Tinto Valbuena No.5, a single vineyard tempranillo, was distinctly more sophisticated, proffering notes of camphor, dark chocolate and sweet dark berries with traces of graphite and game, robust but quietly intense, very open and layered, tapering towards a lasting finish. ![20150623_131434[1]](https://winebyric.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/20150623_1314341.jpg)
This was the perfect build-up to the piece de resistance, a pairing of Vega Sicilia Unico Gran Reserva. The 2007 Unico truly lived up to its reputation, displaying generous seductive aromas of sweet ripe berries, plummy red fruits and dark currants of fabulous intensity and complexity on the palate, beautifully structured, the excitement heightened by supple tannins of infinite length. Truly outstanding. In contrast, the 1987 Unico could only offer a delicious, evolved and open bouquet of red fruits and cherries but failing to live up to its promise on the palate where it was unexpectedly stern and almost bitter, quite devoid of sophistication, joy and complexity. Still, it had been a great privilege to be present at Nicolas to partake in the wonderful camaraderie that evening and I can only extend, once again, my deepest appreciation to Dr S S Ngoi.
July 2014: 2001 Rockford Basket Press, Bruno Paillard NV, 2013 Miani Friulano, 2007 Tignanello, 2012 Bastianich Friulano…
Bruno Paillard Brut NV, generously served as the aperitif for the entire ballroom at the 110th anniversary dinner of the NUS Faculty of Medicine, Fairmont Hotel, Singapore, 03 July 2015. Ample in notes of lime, pomelo and yellow citrus of fabulous intensity with mild yeasty overtones and outstanding minerality all adding up to a lovely complex, well-balanced and smooth without any edginess, displaying excellent linearity and length. Excellent.
![20150721_190606[1]](https://winebyric.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/20150721_1906061.jpg)
2008 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin, poured from magnum at the 110th anniversary dinner of the NUS Faculty of Medicine, Fairmont Hotel, Singapore, 03 July 2015. A medium-bodied proposition of dark cherries, strawberries and a dash of wild berries supported by subtle earthy notes and gentle tannins, generally reliable but not yielding much in terms of complexity. Might have been better if the ambient temperature had been cooler.
2007 Raphael et Vincent Bereche Cote champagne (disgorged 2014), popped and poured at La Barca, 8 July 2015. Powerful yeasty overtones, very nutty as well with characters of roasted oak and complex citrus on the palate, dry but balanced, generous, minerally and long. Very enjoyable.
2004 Ch Latour-a-Pomerol, aired in bottle for close to an hour at La Barca, 8 July 2015. More than ten years post-vintage, this wine has settled considerably, less racy, more open with the generous fragrance of red roses and redcurrants. Delicious, medium-full, classically balanced, rounding off with a dominant ferrous tone. Not an exciting wine but highly satisfying, nonetheless.
2010 Vincent Fuisse Morgon, popped and poured over a dim sum lunch at Imperial Treasure T3, 12 July 2015 and again on 15 July 2015 at Prive. To be honest, I hadn’t realised this was a Beaujolais when I had bought a case of this cheaply for only SGD20 per bottle, for the ignoble gamay has never rocked my boat. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality here, the wine, though slender in body, was considerably darker and much more weighty than any Beaujolais I’ve ever had, imbued with characters of tangerine and ripe wild berries with further notes of plummy red fruit emerging after some time, supported by firm earthy minerality with tannins that are well-managed, balanced and structured. A fine table wine. I actually enjoyed it.
2012 Peccavi “No Regrets” Sauvignon blanc/Semillon, bought at SGD80 off the list of Luke’s Oyster Bar & Chop House, 13 July 2015. I thought this may be something limpid, seeing that it’s the cheapest item on the wine list. However, it turned out to be rather fine, medium to full-bodied with generous notes of white flowers, morning dew, melons and citrus, highly lifted on the nose, crisp, clean and lively on the palate with a semblance of complexity. Surprisingly good.
2001 Rockford Basket Press Shiraz, decanted on-site for about 45 minutes prior to serving at Luke’s Oyster Bar & Chop House, 13 July 2015. I remembered purchasing this directly from the cellar door upon its release in 2004 and having cellared it since. As expected, this is a classic example of Barossa Valley shiraz at its finest, the wine exhibiting powerful medicinal and herbal aromas with an abundance of dark currants and raspberries amidst overtones of enamel and mint on the palate, dense but layered with great linearity all the way to its finish. I used to like this style of shiraz but, nowadays, I tend to find them far too immediate and upfront in spite of bottle age.
![20150721_191855[1]](https://winebyric.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/20150721_1918551.jpg)
2013 Miani Friuli Colli Orientali Friulano from the restaurant list of Buona Terra, 21 July 2015. Aromas of white flowers, morning dew, intense lime, citrus and chalk combine to produce a delicious wine that’s highly attractive and complex right from the outset, just a trace steely at the finish. Excellent.
2007 Tignanello, decanted on-site at Buona Terra for more than an hour prior to serving, 21 July 2015. Displaying a lovely purple with open textures, this wine is layered with generous notes of raspberries and tangerine allied with a certain plumminess from the predominant sangiovese, framed by sweet gentle tannins, attractive and succulent with traces of rose petals contributed, no doubt, by the minority cabernet franc. Excellent now, but still yet to peak.
2009 Ch Le Doyenne, popped and poured at Jade Palace, 25 July 2015. Deep purple, displaying a solid core of gorgeous ripe black fruits and dark currants with traces of graphite within the supple tannins, becoming sweeter and more open over time, producing a highly sophisticated mouthfeel that far exceeds any expectation at this price. I must have drunk at least a half dozen over the past year and it just gets better and better. Superb.
2013 Kerlann Chablis, at Crystal Wines megasale tasting, 25 July 2015. Surprisingly generous in floral and grassy notes with plenty of sweet citrus and lime, well-balanced, supple and rounded. Very good.
2013 Hawkes Bay Chardonnay, at Crystal Wines megasale tasting, 25 July 2015. Typical of entry-level New World chardonnay, this wine features notes of grassy elements and citrus with some suggestion of cream and biscuits, soft and simple.
2014 Grewacke sauvignon blanc, at Crystal Wines megasale tasting, 25 July 2015. Light and lively with an earthy feel and a strong note of barley in the mid-body. Very good acidity, not overzealous but slightly short.
2012 Usseglio Lirac, at Crystal Wines megasale tasting, 25 July 2015. Quite an abundance of raspberries and roses supported by earthy minerality, slightly bitter with a prominent tannic spine. Doesn’t quite gel.
2010 Pierre Henri Morel Chateauneuf-du-Pape, at Crystal Wines megasale tasting, 25 July 2015. Ripe dark fruits and sweet tannins interspersed by notes of forest floor, carrying good weight, ending with a leafy trace. Still, this is good stuff.
2012 Domaine Varenne Chateauneuf-du-Pape, at Crystal Wines megasale tasting, 25 July 2015. Good blend of red and dark berries, surprisingly rounded and approachable for such a young CdP.
2010 Ch Larmande,at Crystal Wines megasale tasting, 25 July 2015. Surprisingly attractive and full aromas of red and dark fruits, sweet plums and brandied cherries, almost complex, but let down by a one-dimensional somewhat vegetal palate.
2007 Ch Bernadotte, at Crystal Wines megasale tasting, 25 July 2015. Possesses an earthy pungency on the nose but this wine is too lean on the palate.
2012 Ch Boutillot, at Crystal Wines megasale tasting, 25 July 2015. Simple notes of earth and vegetal notes. Don’t waste time here.
2012 Bastianich Vini Orsone Friulano Colli Orientali del Friuli, at SGD65 off the list of Rubato at the Hillcrest area. Forward in character with an abundance of yellow citrus, jackfruit, bitter lemon and traces of morning dew and grassy elements, full-bodied and lively with refreshing acidity, just a tad stern towards the finish.
2012 Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne, popped and poured at Ming Kee Live Seafood, 31 July 2015. Medium to full-bodied with qualities of intense citrus and lemon with buttery overtones supported by firm minerality. Generous and well-proportioned but undeveloped at this stage.
Majella
Majella was one of the Coonawarra estates that I came to know of and love back in 2003 when I spent a sabbatical year in Adelaide, South Australia. Managed by the highly affable Brian Lynn (a.k.a. The Prof), Majella wines combine the typical heft and brawn of Aussie reds with a high level of sophistication in the winemaking. I had missed out on last year’s dinner and was glad to discover that he was back again from a whistle stop on 09 June 2015 at Meat Smith, organised by Bob Rees. 
The short notes below follow the exact order of the wines served.
Majella Sparkling Brut NV. Fresh and lively with an abundance of citrus and lime of excellent intensity, well-balanced against the clear minerality without yeasty overtones. Very successful.
2008 Majella Sparkling Shiraz. Good depth of sweet raspberries with overtones of licorice, medicinal herbs and a trace of liquer, linear and attractive without any pretensions. Very enjoyable but the complexity of its Rockford counterpart.
2012 Majella Musician cabernet shiraz. Straightforward with notes of forest floor and heated stones, predictably spicy and finishing in an alcoholic trail.
2003 Majella Shiraz. In spite of significant bottle age, this cool region shiraz is still peppery and spicy, perhaps a reflection of the heat wave that year, packed with glorious fruit of excellent concentration with traces of enamel.
2009 Majella Shiraz. The wine is infinitely better on the nose where notes of vanilla and ripe wild berries and cherries dominate, rich and spicy but still undeveloped on the palate.
2013 Majella Shiraz. Surprisingly open for a current vintage with less of vanilla than expected, spicy and polished, lacking true distinction at this stage.
2003 Majella cabernet sauvignon. Supposedly the calling card of this estate, but the 2003, whilst ripe with notes of tangerine, plums and spice, is significantly leafy in character as well with alcohol levels that are too easily discernible. Not particularly distinguished. Disappointing.
2009 Majella cabernet sauvignon. Very smooth with notes of redcurrants, bramble and wild berries of good weight, but it lacks depth and layering, still undeveloped and primal. Needs time.
2013 Majella cabernet sauvignon. Unfortunately, recent vintages of Majella’s cabernet seemed a bit too generic, featuring ripe black fruits, warm and smooth with notes of creamy enamel, earthy forest floor and vegetal traces but lacking in layering. Needs more character.
1998 Majella Malleea. This is the estate’s flagship cabernet/shiraz blend in almost equal proportions. Surprisingly, I could not coax anything out of the 1998, still coming across as undifferentiated, hot and spicy, most unlike the straight cabernet of the same vintage (below). Disappointing.
2003 Majella Malleea. Notes of forest floor, wild berries and bramble with good concentration of fruit, spicy at the finish but, somehow, unable to shake off a distinct vegetal trace that seems to pervade the majority of these wines.
2010 Majella Malleea. This wine is much more successful than its preceding peers, bursting with ultra-ripe dark fruits in a state of controlled hedonism, yet to shed its vanillin oak, warm and seamless and linear all the way to its great plummy finish. There’s a great future ahead for this wine. .
To cap the evening, I decided to donate a bottle of the 1998 Majella cabernet sauvignon to those on my table, including The Prof and Bob, my only remaining bottle of this wine that I had cellared for the past ten years. True to form, it demonstrated a different style of Majella that seems to be rather elusive nowadays, featuring glorious dark fruits and currants of excellent depth from that fabulous vintage in Coonawarra, now imbued with cedar, smoke and other secondary nuances, framed by well-defined tannins that seemed to indicate that this wine, amazingly, has yet to peak. Truly a beautiful example of what can be achieved with this terra rossa terroir.
2004 Henri Abele, popped and poured over dim sum at Jade Palace, 01 June 2015. With a lovely luminous glow, this champagne displayed an initial forward balance of intense citrus, lime and green melons, firm and minerally with an appropriate degree of dryness. It took another hour before it developed further depth and complexity with powerful aromas of toasty oak, yeast and malt coming on. A bargain at SGD70.
2012 Domaine Sylvain Cholet Bourgogne, aired in advance at Tunglok Signatures, Orchard Parade Hotel, courtesy of Dr S S Ngoi, 02 June 2015. Highly attractive bouquet, positively glowing with plenty of floral characters with the fragrance of white flowers and lovely soft citrus on the palate. Zesty and lively. Well-priced at SGD38, which is very good value for such an excellent vintage.
2000 Domaine Potinet-Ampeau Mersault “Charmes” 1er, aired in advance at Tunglok Signatures, Orchard Parade Hotel, courtesy of Dr S S Ngoi, 02 June 2015. Another good ‘un, fairly pungent on the nose with sweet floral notes by the side, displaying silky textures with an attractive richness on the mid-palate that’s sometimes missing in so many of the wines of this commune, imparting a sophisticated mouthfeel. Quite excellent but pricey.
2013 Domaine Jouard Chassagne-Montrachet “Chaumees – Clos Truffiere” 1er, aired in advance at Tunglok Signatures, Orchard Parade Hotel, courtesy of Dr S S Ngoi, 02 June 2015. Muted on the nose although traces of enamel and sweet incense are discernible. However, this wine is too linear and one-dimensional at this stage, somewhat thin and lacking in personality. Needs plenty of time to develop.
2008 Domaine Potinet-Ampeau Mersault “Les Rougeots”, aired in advance at Tunglok Signatures, Orchard Parade Hotel, courtesy of Dr S S Ngoi, 02 June 2015. Not premier cru but a named village wine, rich and minerally with a hint of apricot and traces of vanilla, supple and pliant, finishing with great length and finesse. At SGD70, not exactly a bargain though.
2008 Jean & Sebastien Dauvissat Chablis “Les Preuses” Grand Cru, aired in advance at Tunglok Signatures, Orchard Parade Hotel, courtesy of Dr S S Ngoi, 02 June 2015. You would not have known this is a grand cru if it had been tasted blind, for this wine came across as flinty and firm, its aromas clouded by dense smoky incense, lacking in complexity and depth. At SGD108, it makes the preceding Mersault “Les Rougeots” (above) from the same vintage seem like an absolute bargain.
2008 Domaine Jacques Cacheux Echezeaux Grand Cru, aired in advance at Tunglok Signatures, Orchard Parade Hotel, courtesy of Dr S S Ngoi, 02 June 2015. Sounds promising, but the initial impression was seriously off-putting, thanks to powerful aromas of anti-septic, most unusual, coupled with notes of red cherries within a medium-bodied wine that was lacking in weight. I was about to write off this wine when it took on a significant transfiguration, becoming more feminine and elegant although I’m still unconvinced that it deserves to be an Echezeaux.
2011 Domaine Jacques Cacheux Echezeaux Grand Cru, aired in advance at Tunglok Signatures, Orchard Parade Hotel, courtesy of Dr S S Ngoi, 02 June 2015. This more recent vintage of Echezeaux from the same domaine, priced even higher, is no better – far too medicinal in flavour and too bland in character. I’m not impressed.
2006 Paixia Mencia, aired in advance at Tunglok Signatures, Orchard Parade Hotel, courtesy of Dr S S Ngoi, 02 June 2015. A full-bodied blockbuster, bursting with ripe raspberries and wild berries with a plummy afterglow, still youthful with traces of enamel.
2011 Macan, aired in advance at Tunglok Signatures, Orchard Parade Hotel, courtesy of Dr S S Ngoi, 02 June 2015. Deep purple. I thought this would be another huge effort, but it was surprisingly open with notes of violets and ripe blueberries and raspberries though somewhat characterless on the palate, tapering off too quickly, a case where the wine is better on the nose.
2005 El Belisario, aired in advance at Tunglok Signatures, Orchard Parade Hotel, courtesy of Dr S S Ngoi, 02 June 2015. Deep purple. Another blockbuster loaded with ultra-ripe fruit and overtones of heated gravel and dew, its vanillin oak still discernible even after ten years, imparting some sweetness in the tannins at the short finish. Almost hedonistic.
2007 Domaine Potinet-Ampeau Puligny-Montrachet “Champ Gain” 1er, aired in advance at Tunglok Signatures, Orchard Parade Hotel, courtesy of Dr S S Ngoi, 02 June 2015. Surprisingly good, offering good concentration of pungent citrus, firm and minerally, lingers at the finish. Still undeveloped.
2011 Pigaro Amarone della Valpolicella (courtesy of Ben), popped and poured at Otto Ristorante, 10 June 2015. As expected, this is a full-bodied red saturated with dark fruits and black currants with some bright notes, almost dense, coating the palate with broad swathes of vanilla and cedar, supported by firm ferrous minerality that imparted a steely finish.
1994 Ch Angelus, decanted on-site at Edge, Pan Pacific Hotel Singapore, 11 June 2015, on the occasion of our 21st anniversary. This was a bottle personally autographed by M. Hubert De La Forest several years back when he visited Singapore. Still displaying a fairly deep purple, this wine gave off a most attractive pungency on the nose amidst other aromas of sweet meat, almost complex in itself. Very good levels of raspberries and dark currants saturate the palate with open textures, well-matched against the salty minerality, framed by velvety tannins with just a hint of rusticity that left a puckered sensation on the tongue, a tad short at the finish, missing in opulence and voluptuousness. A classic example proving how the deficiencies of 1994 have been overblown. Quite excellent.
2013 Pio Cesare Gavi (courtesy of Vic) from the restaurant list at Pasta Brava, 16 June 2015. Made from cortese grape in Piedmonte, this wine displayed an abundance of citrus, apples, melons and morning dew, fairly intense and aromatic and lively on the palate, more forward with further notes of honeysuckle after some time. Very good.
2004 Carpineto Vigneto Poggio Sant’ Enrico Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, decanted on-site at Pasta Brava, 16 June 2015. Though somewhat reserved on the nose, this single vineyard offering is generous with an abundance of black fruits and dark plums of fabulous intensity, structured with sweet ripe controlled tannins, yielding some early complexity with traces of smoke and wild berries coming on later. Excellent.
1999 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, tasted blind at Ubin Seafood, 18 June 2015. Dull golden and reserved with just traces of vanilla and white flowers. It took quite some time before it began opening up, showing some bite and intensity, more ample in body, delicate in minerality, displaying good acidity and balance, ending with a mild steely finish. Not quite as lush nor racy as I’d have expected. In fact, slightly disappointing. Desmond got it right.
2005 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet “Les Folatieres” 1er (courtesy of Zhuo Neng), tasted blind at Ubin Seafood, 18 June 2015. Luscious gold, displaying excellent balance, acidity and structure right off the blocks with notes of caramel, honeysuckle and almonds enhanced by the clear minerality, mellow at first but gradually building up to excellent intensity. Almost everyone guessed its origin correctly although the relatively recent vintage took us by surprise.
2005 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits-St-Georges “Les Roncieres” (courtesy of Hsien Min), tasted blind at Ubin Seafood, 18 June 2015. Dull red with a gentle pungency, dominated by cherries and dark berries that exuded powerful notes of rose petals and camphor with a quiet intensity, ample and fairly masculine on the palate, developing some racy bright spots and plummy notes over time. Excellent. Desmond nailed the commune.
1997 Dominique Laurent Clos de la Roche Grand Cru (courtesy of Elizabeth), tasted blind at Ubin Seafood, 18 June 2015. Brownish red. A complex of sweet ripe berries and cedar, remarkably open and sweet, wonderful aromas on the nose, generous but soft and feminine on the palate, its power having mellowed over time but still retaining excellent acidity and balance. Delicious. Most of us got down to the commune.
2004 Louis Jadot Clos-Saint-Denis Grand Cru (courtesy of Desmond), tasted blind at Ubin Seafood, 18 June 2015. Probably the least commonly encountered amongst the four grand crus of Morey-Saint-Denis. This wine was already much evolved, exuding a floral bouquet of rose petals, tangerine and kumquat along with red cherries. However, it seemed rather reserved on the palate, suitably complex with dominant notes of mulberries and red fruits but feminine and shy. I called Clos des Tart, which is just immediately adjacent.
2002 Pol Roger Extra Cuvee de Reserve (courtesy of Andrew), tasted blind at Ubin Seafood, 18 June 2015. Dry, balanced, yeasty, its excellent acidity offset by the firm minerality, somewhat stern at the finish.
2011 Coldstream Hills Reserve chardonnay, popped over pizza delivery at home, 21 June 2015. This highly-rated Yarra Valley chardonnay offers floral notes on the nose, predominantly of pomelo citrus, whilst it is still firm, minerally and tight on the palate, its crisp acidity imparting stern steely demeanour. Pitted blind against a burgundy, it may measure up to a Chassagne-Montrachet premiere cru. Needs time.
2008 Vieux Chateau Mazerat, popped and poured at Prive, 23 June 2015. This turned out to be surprisingly good, conjuring up notes of mint, violets, red fruits and dark berries against the classic dry backdrop of a claret, carrying excellent depth of fruit with open textures, slightly racy, well-balanced and rounded, delicious and succulent, finishing with great length. Very fine indeed. Snap this up if the price is right.
2005 Winemaker’s Collection Episode One, popped and poured at Foster’s, 27 June 2015. This was the inaugural vintage for a parcel of vines of Ch D’Arsac from the Margaux commune to be specially vinified by Michel Rolland, and I had previously drunk through an entire case with great satisfaction. Ten years on from vintage, this wine carries a leading note of violets on the nose and cedar on the palate, medium-bodied, supple and fairly well-integrated, suitably structured with eventual notes of red plums, mushrooms and tea leaves filtering through, neither lush nor deep but, thankfully, without any oakiness. But, to be honest, I was hoping for more depth of fruit and concentration, given the outstanding vintage and the credentials of the winemaker.
2000 Ch Malescot St-Exupery (courtesy of John), decanted on-site at Otto Ristorante, 30 June 2015. Dark and saturated with ripe dark berries but rather unsettled during the first 30 minutes, medium-bodied, somewhat uneven and finishing with a bold ferrous character, most unlike a Margaux. It broadened out over time, becoming more expansive and even, acquiring a rich plummy tone, very good in concentration and depth, slightly dry, but still lacking in ultimate distinction.
Chambolle-Musigny & Morey-Saint-Denis Grand Cru
It’s definitely harder for everyone to meet up these days as family and work commitments seem to take precedence over social life, as evidenced by the fact that only 6 of us could make it for what was only Bacchus’ second meeting for the year on 26 May 2015 at Yan Ting, St Regis Hotel, Singapore, where the excellent Bruce Lee had customised a menu for us in its spacious private room.
We began the evening with a Clos du Chateau De Bligny, Cuvee 6 Cepages, a unique champagne made from a blend of six grapes: pinot noir, chardonnay, arbane, pinot blanc, petit meslier and pinot meunier. Light golden with yeasty overtones and a clear minerally base, this wine was significantly lighter in body compared with the usual suspects for champagne, stern and steely, lacking in extended depth and layering. It eventually gained some weight over time, smoothening out, becoming more nutty with a rich tone of almonds. An unusual champagne that may not be to everyone’s liking. ![20150526_222520[1]](https://winebyric.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/20150526_2225201.jpg)
We followed on with a 2002 Louis Latour Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru that was suitably rich in lime and yellow citrus with a top note of creme de crème, displaying further notes of caramel and nutmeg on the mid-body, surprisingly ample for a Louis Latour without its signature leafy elements although I’d say it is still a notch below the efforts of Leflaive.
We kicked off the reds with a rare gem courtesy of Chris, a 1969 Domaine Grivelet Chambolle-Musigny 1er, still very much alive, displaying a fully-evolved nose of menthol and herbal characters allied with dark roses, cherries and sweet incense, gentle, rounded and pure on the palate, holding on till the end of dinner. Truly remarkable.
Staying with Chambolle, a pair of 1996 Comte de Vogue was pitted against each other, a Chambolle-Musigny “Les Amoureuses” 1er versus a Chambolle-Musigny Bonnes Mares Grand Cru, both sourced directly from the cellars of this venerable estate, courtesy of Li Fern. True to character, the Amoureuses, in spite of its wonderful fruit of rich dark cherries, was more feminine, sporting aromas of rose petals and camphor, medium-full and supple with traces of spice, a tad short at the finish. In contrast, the Bonnes Mares was a bigger wine altogether, the aromas of ripe red cherries more powerful, distinctly darker, deeper and more penetrating on a bed of salty minerality, finishing with great length. Truly masculine. A fascinating study.
Moving north to the tiny commune of Morey-Saint-Denis, we paired the 2001 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Grand Cru (courtesy of Kieron) with the 1998 Clos des Tart Grand Cru (courtesy of Pipin). Again, true to form, for it is northmost and closest to Gevrey-Chambertin, the Ponsot Clos de la Roche was arresting in its floral aromas, possessing great depth, power and structure from the ripe fruit with notes of redcurrants, cherries and tangerine, very well integrated, masculine and youthful still. Simply glorious. ![20150526_222800[1]](https://winebyric.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/20150526_2228001.jpg)
In contrast, the famous monopoly of Clos des Tart, at the extreme southern end of Morey-Saint-Denis, was narrower in spectrum although it boasted a fabulous bouquet of camphor, incense and vanillin allied with great power, linearity and intensity on the palate, less structured and, hence, more feminine. Wonderful stuff.
As usual, someone would get it all wrong, and so we ended up with an oddity in the form of a 2007 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru (courtesy of Hiok) but no one is complaining, for this wine demonstrates why Clos de Beze is on par with Le Chambertin: glorious fruit of ripe cherries and raspberries and redcurrants, wonderful in depth, power and intensity with overtones of glycerine, smoke and traces of burnt, structured with ripe tannins, just a dash ferrous and minerally at the finish. And, to end, a 1983 Ch D’Yquem (courtesy of David) that displayed a heavy honeyed tone, rich in apricot and nectar, lush with immense intensity and concentration of tangerine and orange peel, its fresh acidity ensuring many more years of life ahead.
I was all set to attend a mouth-watering programme of Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra coupled with Holst’s The Planets by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra on 8 May 2015 when the invitation came from the great Dr SS Ngoi to attend a FICOFI tasting of Rhone verticals by Jaboulet, Chapoutier and Ch Beaucastel that same evening. What should one do in such a dilemma? The answer was clear. Make no mistake, the SSO is really excellent but I’ve never had the chance to attend an official event by FICOFI, an organisation I’ve heard so much of. Founded by M. Philippe Capdouze, FICOFI is one of the most exclusive wine clubs in existence. Limited only to those who can afford its princely membership fee, FICOFI manages a wine portfolio for each member (which has to be regularly maintained…get the drift?) and organises exclusive visits, lunches, dinners and tastings at the very top estates in France, principally in Bordeaux and Burgundy. 
As I know membership will forever remain beyond my reach, I had no hesitation ditching the concert (sorry SSO!), showing up instead at the Mandarin Oriental just across the road at 7.00 PM. I was among the earliest to arrive and the sight of seemingly endless number of bottles being aerated in neat rows made me glad that I hadn’t driven that evening. The supporting staff of FICOFI was out in full force, M. Capdouze duly appeared, and it was good as well to see Robin Soh manning the Jaboulet vertical. It took quite a while to dawn on me that the emphasis is entirely about tasting. Food was entirely secondary, consisting of a simple but well-anointed Asian buffet of fried rice and succulent beef and lamb chops that matched the wines perfectly. I headed straight for the Jaboulet vertical, hosted by the estate’s prestige account manager M. Jean-Luc Chapel, so aptly named, for he actually resides just a stone’s throw away from the famous chapelle at the summit of Hermitage, followed by the wines of M Chapoutier as I sat down for dinner before rounding off the evening with the heavier wines of Ch de Beaucastel. So, here goes the long list…
2011 Paul Jaboulet Aine Chevalier de Sterimberg Hermitage Blanc. Poured from a double magnum, this uncommon white from Hermitage, a blend of roussanne and marsanne grapes, was highly perfumed with the sweet fragrance of tropical fruits, recalling jackfruit and mangoes, well matched with complex citrus on the palate. Most refreshing and vibrant.
2012 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle. Very earthy, sporting a demeanour of dark roses, briar and bramble with traces of spice, well-balanced but short in spite of its weight and intensity.
2009 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle. Beautiful deep ruby with a wide expanse of rose floral, raspberries and red fruits, lighter in texture and weight, beginning to shut down, finishing with minty overtones. Most feminine.
2007 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle. Rather earthy with a sharper note of charcoal, dominated by redcurrants on the palate to match its darker hue, generous and full-bodied with some early complexity coming through.
2003 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle. Medicinal and herbal overtones dominate on the nose with an abundance of dark fruits on the palate, laced by leafy characters, tinged with a distinct alcoholic trace. A wine of extremes, perhaps reflective of the heat wave across the country that year.
2001 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle. Medium-full, dominated by dark currants and ripe berries, plummy in character, well-proportioned and poised, still very much on the ascendency, yet to develop secondary nuances.
1995 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle. This iconic wine is slow to evolve and it is only from here, 20 years post vintage, and beyond that the classic ripe tangerine character of mature Old World syrah becomes obvious, the 1995 displaying a tinge of enamel as well, placid and smooth though somewhat lean on the palate.
1991 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle. Powerful earthy aromas coupled with notes of sweet incense, red cherries amidst overtones of orange peel, displaying great depth and complexity of fruit, fully evolved and quietly intense. A complete wine. A glorious example of the best of Hermitage at its absolute peak and will continue to hold for many more years.
1991 Paul Jaboulet Aine Domaine de Thalabert Crozes-Hermitage. Belonging to this estate since 1834, this wine is made from vines aged 20-40 years (at that time of harvest in 1991) from the appellation of Crozes-Hermitage, a huge area that surrounds the tiny plot of Hermitage itself. Just like the flagship La Chapelle, this “village” version (it helps if you think of it in the Burgundy way) of 1991 is also pretty glorious, displaying a heady blend of red plums and sweet incense marked by open textures and lush intensity, a stunning tribute to the outstanding vintage and superb craftsmanship of Paul Jaboulet Aine. No wonder many consider the Domaine de Thalabert of this producer to be way ahead of all the other wines of Crozes-Hermitage.
1990 Paul Jaboulet Aine Domaine de Thalabert Crozes-Hermitage. This 1990 top-of-the-pick of Crozes-Hermitage offers a fantastic bouquet of earth, smoke and old leather, incredibly fresh even after all these years, the usual hallmark characters of orange peel and tangerine further enhanced by toffee and snuff. Exuberant, complex and exciting, finishing with great length. Wonderful! Is it better than the 1991? I’d say the 1990 is at its absolute peak, while the 1991 still has the legs to move higher.
1989 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle. Glowing ruby, deeper and weightier than the 1988, ripe, offering great purity of fruit with plenty of fat in the mid-body underscored by further notes of dark currants that still excites the palate. Utterly seamless. Another superb example of La Chapelle at its peak.
1988 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle. Powerful earthy aromas, almost pungent, fully evolved, its distilled essence a seamless core of kumquat and bright citrus. Likely to hold further but why wait?
1983 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle. Just when I thought things cannot get any better, the 1983 turned out to be a stunning surprise, exuding pure characters of red fruits and cherries of glorious intensity and complexity, the wine still displaying great acidity, structure and length that belies its 32 years. Fantastic!
1982 Paul Jaboulet Aine Hermitage La Chapelle. I suppose this is how some of the preceding wines at their peak would mellow into – a beautiful hallowed glow leaping out of the glass with notes of glazed honey, caramel and dried plums, placid and relaxed with a quiet intensity. Beautiful.
After Paul Jaboulet Aine, I moved to its closest rival in Hermitage, featuring the stable of reds from Michel Chapoutier are offered in identical vintages of 2012 and 2006, but first starting with its white…
2012 M Chapoutier Ermitage De l’Oree Blanc. Made from marsanne grape derived from old vines aged 60-70 years, this Cote-Rotie white is excellent with forward notes of dense citrus and morning dew, exuding an oily texture with plenty of fat in the mid-body. From an excellent vintage, this wine has the potential for eventual greatness.
2010 M Chapoutier Ermitage De l’Oree Blanc. Pretty outstanding as well as a vintage, the 2010 is copious in notes of coconut flesh and sea salt caramel, minerally and slightly ferrous in its finish, imparting a stern demeanour on the palate. Potentially very complex.
2005 M Chapoutier Ermitage De l’Oree Blanc. From an excellent vintage as well, this wine seems to be going through a transitional stage, fairly resinous along with notes of bitter lemon and some ferrous quality, again stern in character. Awkward at this stage. Best to allow it time to develop further.
2012 M Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon. Fruit forward and dense with fresh enamel from the oak, complete with a smoky trace. Awkward on the palate, lacking in definition. Not particularly distinguished at this stage.
2006 M Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillon. Dominated by notes of forest floor with ripe wild berries, savoury with a touch of game, developing some complexity but lean and dry at the finish.
2012 M Chapoutier Ermitage l’Ermite. Expectedly still primal at this stage, displaying great pungency on the nose with dominant notes of forest floor, earth, dark currants along with a vegetal trace.
2006 M Chapoutier Ermitage l’Ermite. Compared with Le Pavillon of the same vintage, the l’Ermite is still quite unevolved, forward in character with a significant degree of unresolved vanilla, firm and minerally on the palate.
2012 M Chapoutier Ermitage Le Meal. A big wine with arresting earthy pungency and an abundance of ripe dark berries and red currants, rich and intense, excellent in definition with a suggestion of heated stones, wonderfully proportioned in spite of its hedonistic quality. Will turn out to be a great wine if you can wait.
![20150508_193223[1]](https://winebyric.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/20150508_1932231.jpg)
2006 M Chapoutier Ermitage Le Meal. Deeply flavoured with a forward balance, saturated with dark and red fruits, slow to evolve with splashes of vanilla still readily discernible, its sophisticated tannins imparting great structure and a succulent puckered mouthfeel. Great stuff, easily rivalling the 2012.
2001 M Chapoutier Ermitage Le Meal. What was supposed to be a more mature Le Meal is still a tightly coiled proposition, the sweet ripe fruit creating a dense, spicy and almost hedonistic complex that is still far from peaking.
And, finally, to end the evening before I got properly hammered, I managed to taste the following from this bastion of the southern Rhone, its vintages laid out in odd-numbered years, reminding me of the great Beethoven symphonies…
2009 Ch de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape. From an outstanding vintage, this wine has yet to evolve, dense and forward with notes of forest floor, ripe wild berries and ripe dark plums tapering towards a spicy finish.
2007 Ch de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape. This wine is seamless but one dimensional at this stage, offering an expanse of ripe wild berries with a vegetal trace.
2005 Ch de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Powerful medicinal and herbal aromas that also dominate on the palate with a firm grip, extending all the way beyond the finish.
2003 Ch de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape. This hot vintage has produced a racy wine with notes of earth, forest floor, black fruits and ripe wild berries, seamless and balanced, fairly exciting but yet to unravel fully.
The tasting line-up ended with a Miraval Provence sticky but, by then, my palate was too worn to appreciate any further. A big thank you to Dr S S Ngoi and to FICOFI for the impeccable organisation.
Champagne Trouillard 1961 Cuvee Leong See Odd, popped and poured at the re-opening of Heart Partners, 09 May 2015. Fruit forward on the nose with attractive notes of lime, green melons, pomelo and pineapples of good concentration, slightly sweet but marred by a disproportionate brazen dryness across the palate although it did mellow down after two hours.
2005 Weingut Muller-Catoir Gimmeldinger Mandelgarten Riesling Spatlese, popped and poured at the re-opening of Heart Partners, 09 May 2015. 
A bottle that I have cellared for many years, this wine offers an abundance of apricot, ripe melons, tropical fruits and nectarine coupled with clear minerality, beautifully proportioned and balanced without being over-the-top, appropriately sweet yet subtle and understated, finishing with great length. A connoisseur’s drop.
2008 Domaine Faiveley Corton Clos Des Corton Grand Cru (courtesy of Li Fern), popped and poured at the re-opening of Heart Partners, 09 May 2015. In spite of its classification, this wine could only boast of rose petals and cherries that failed to live up to its Grand Cru status on the palate, the medium-bodied wine lacking in presence, depth and richness. Disappointing.
2008 Domaine Faiveley Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuees 1er, popped and poured at the re-opening of Heart Partners, 09 May 2015. This is my second bottle of this wine in 3 months, again courtesy of Li Fern, tasted with consistent notes. Dark, with an abundance of red fruits and dark cherries, excellent in concentration and intensity, generous in depth of fruit. Very fine.
1995 Château Gruaud Larose (courtesy of Vic), decanted for some time before tasting at the re-opening of Heart Partners, 09 May 2015. Notes of raspberries, wild berries and dark fruits with overtones of tangerine and orange peel dominate, but this medium-bodied wine is quite seriously lacking in depth and layering, not helped by the short finish. There is a real danger of it starting to dry out soon. Disappointing.
1995 Château La Gomerie (courtesy of Hsiang Sui), popped and poured at the re-opening of Heart Partners, 09 May 2015. This is the inaugural vintage for this wine that started a revolution in the garagiste wine movement but, unfortunately, this bottle was dank and significantly corked.
2010 Domaine Louis Jadot Bourgogne Rouge, popped and poured at Imperial Treasure Peking Super Duck at Paragon, 12 May 2015. Beautiful clear ruby with an expanse of rose-scented fragrance on the nose coupled with ripe cherries and redcurrants on the palate, much more intense than what one would normally expect from a Bourgogne, finishing with well-managed tannins. Excellent value at below SGD40.
Champagne Pierre Paillard NV Brut, tasted blind at Praelum, bought by the group off the bistro’s list, 14 May 2015. No relation to Bruno, this champagne possesses a forward balance of zesty citrus and subtle notes of yeast and toast, a tad dry and sharp, supported by firm flinty minerals, putting on some malt with a sweet intensity later. Lively with plenty of presence, leading us to think that it might be a Bollinger. A blend of 60% pinot noir and 40% chardonnay. I enjoyed it. 
1990 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Caillerets (courtesy of Hsien Min), tasted blind at Praelum, 14 May 2015. This wine has a lovely golden hue with an earthy pungency, developing notes of apricot, nectarine and cinnamon as it warmed up to the right temperature, perhaps more attractive on the nose than on the palate where it was decidedly more delicate and slim with a suggestion of white flowers and incense. The group was split between Mersault and one of the grand crus of Montrachet.
1993 Henri de Villamont Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Pucelles (courtesy of Bok of Fine Wines SG), tasted blind at Praelum, 14 May 2015. We were at a lost, to be honest, the wine displaying a deep luminous hue but closed, not giving much away, flat and uninteresting at first, lacking weight, before developing some notes of apricot after some time amidst good levels of acidity but I sense the fruit to be drying out.
1981 Vieux Château Certan (courtesy of Elizabeth Lin, director of Praelum), tasted blind at Praelum, 14 May 2015. There was a significant bottle stink that blew away, revealing a wine of earthy pungency with a predominance of attractive red fruits amidst a core of kumquat. Sweet, seamless and spicy, moderate in length, distinctively feminine, seducing the palate with velvety tannins. Bok correctly picked out Pomerol but this VCC from an “off” year is quite a revelation.
1994 Château L’Evangile, tasted blind at Praelum, 14 May 2015. Dusky red, this wine opened with heavy medicinal aromas, at once rustic, weighty and somewhat one-dimensional before developing a more savoury character with notes of soy and heated stones, easing up on the menthol. It got better and better as dinner wore on, far from being on its last legs, proving this vintage to be grossly under-rated.
1994 Domaine Weinbach Gewurztraminer Furstentum Cuvee Laurence SGN Grand Cru, tasted blind at Praelum, 14 May 2015. Lush, with upfront notes of apricot, grapefruit, smoke and nectar, slightly lowish in acidity but still quite marvellous. The usual suspects were entertained but nobody thought of Alsace.
2004 Champagne Henri Abele Brut, at an open tasting at Crystal Wines, 16 May 2015. Lovely overtones of yeast, malt and roasted oak, glowing powerfully, coupled with clear citrus on the palate, suitably intense, well balanced against the firm minerality with just the right degree of dryness. Will develop further. Quite excellent.
Champagne Henri Abele Blanc de Blancs NV, at an open tasting at Crystal Wines, 16 May 2015. Compared with the 2004 above, this NV is rather squarish and one-dimensional on the palate, although there is an abundance of intense citrus and toast, slightly steely and dry on the palate.
2010 Pierre Henri Morel Gigondas, at an open tasting at Crystal Wines, 16 May 2015. Dusky red in color, this Cotes du Rhone offers notes of forest floor and dark berries, even and smooth on the palate with a satisfying mouthfeel, not leafy at all, finishing with sweet subdued tannins.
2012 Château de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape, at an open tasting at Crystal Wines, 16 May 2015. As expected, this flag bearer of the southern Rhone is pretty intense on the nose and palate with notes of anise, spice and black pepper amidst dark fruits and earthy characters, ending in a herbal menthol finish in an act of controlled hedonism. Fans of CdP will not be disappointed but it needs to be left alone for at least a decade.
2011 Château Duhart Milon, at an open tasting at Crystal Wines, 16 May 2015. Managed by Lafite Rothschild, this wine has a pretty dense bouquet of dark fruits and smoky characters, displaying good concentration on the palate with overtones of dried mushrooms and tea leaves but it is not compelling, not helped at all by the short finish.
1998 Château Sociando Mallet, at an open tasting at Crystal Wines, 16 May 2015. I remember this very wine to be available at Carrefour back in 2002 for only SGD68 and I used to have 3-4 bottles stashed beneath my office table, only for the professor to pop a couple open at an office party when I was away. This wine is now well into its secondary development with a powerful glow of cedar and earth, featuring leafy elements and ripe wild berries on the palate, fairly full and delicious, but still yet to peak. Expensive now at about SGD140.
2005 Château Bernadotte, at an open tasting at Crystal Wines, 16 May 2015. A perennial favourite of mine, it is good to see that this wine is developing very well, highly aromatic with notes of cedar and dark berries, its developing complexity heightened by structured sweet tannins with good definition, medium-bodied but short.
2004 La Reserve de Leoville Barton, at an open tasting at Crystal Wines, 16 May 2015. This second wine of Leoville Barton turned out to be a revelation, possessing a seductive sweetness and a complex of spice and some dry characters, ripe and structured, displaying excellent linearity and length. Really good.
2012 Château du Couvent, tasted at Oaks Cellars warehouse sale, 24 May 2015. Dark and weighty, this Pomerol features notes of forest floor, earth, bramble, dark currants and wild berries, velvety on the palate, well-balanced and structured. Surprisingly good.
2005 Domaine Faiveley Chablis Grand Cru Le Clos, popped and poured at Otto Ristorante, 27 May 2015. Light golden, rather shut on the nose, medium-bodied, eventually developing some light nutty characters amidst chalk and buttery notes, somewhat minerally and firm. I kept yearning for greater complexity and depth but the Faiveley house style seems to miss that.
1993 Carpineto Vino di Nobile Montepulciano Riserva, decanted on-site for over an hour before serving at Otto Ristorante, 27 May 2015. This is the last of 15 bottles that I’ve had, and certainly the best. Soft, fleshy, open with overtones of earth and forest floor and secondary nuances of sweet cedar, spice, menthol and red currants, slightly dry at first before gaining in weight and velvety intensity, positively singing with floral notes.
Valdo Prosecco, popped and poured at Wine Connection, I12 Katong, 29 May 2015. Notes of green melons and lime along with grassy elements, forward in balance, not too dry, finishing with a dominant pomelo note that imparted a steely trace. Quite agreeable at SGD30 from the wine list.
Champagne Laurent Perrier Brut NV, poured from magnum at the party of Baldev & Ong, 30 May 2015. Less of the usual yeasty overtones and more of citrus, malt and green apples, forward in balance with excellent intensity, not too dry, finishing with an attractive sweetness.
2013 Yalumba The Scribbler, popped and poured at the party of Baldev & Ong, 30 May 2015. A successful blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, the wine is full-bodied, generous in ripe dark berries, dark currants and a dash of dark plums and forest floor, well-balanced and peppery in its finish.
Carpineto Grandi Vini di Toscana
These notes came from a SMA Wine Chapter dinner at Gattopardo on 05 May 2015, featuring the wines of Carpineto Grandi Vini di Toscana with its proprietor Antonio Mario Zaccheo, who had founded this estate in 1967, in attendance. Carpineto prides itself in wine-making that expresses the terroir truthfully instead of trying to please the palates of wine judges, and I must admit to having a soft spot for this estate. 
We began with the 2013 Carpineto Dagojolo Bianco, made from a blend of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and grechetto, grassy with notes of morning dew, white flowers and soft citrus, not too crisp, easy on the palate but suitably intense in the mid-body, its balanced acidity tapering towards a lasting finish. I found it refreshing without being too straightforward.
Once we’re seated at the table, the 2008 Carpineto Brunello di Montalcino was poured, made from 100% sangiovese aged 3 years in barrel. This wine was dark purple with an attractive earthy pungency on the nose that yielded a good concentration of ripe raspberries and wild berries with traces of enamel and camphor and a dash of forest floor, its tight velvety tannins gripping the palate with controlled intensity right through to its spicy finish. Predictably though, this Brunello is still very youthful and will, no doubt, develop very well by the end of this decade. Keep. Next up was a 1997 Carpineto Chianti Classico Riserva, poured from magnum, featuring sweet medicinal aromas with herbal overtones and leafy elements from the ripe fruit, stern in demeanour, evolving towards notes of tangerine and orange peel after a couple of hours, finishing with a dash of spice and sweet tannins. ![20150505_202336[1]](https://winebyric.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/20150505_2023361.jpg)
This would be drinking very well on its own but, paired with the powerful Brunello in this instance, it was somewhat underwhelming and four-square.
Next came the highly-anticipated highlight of this evening, the series of wines from the famous Vino Nobile di Montepulciano of this estate, led by a single vineyard bottling of the 2004 Carpineto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Vigneto di Poggio Sant’ Enrico. Deep purple, this wine possessed a lovely complex bouquet that was highly aromatic, delivering a wine of immense concentration and fabulous intensity, structured and taut with a lovely tension on the palate, displaying excellent definition, linearity and wonderful length. Still remarkably youthful, worthy of many more years of patient cellaring. After this, the 2009 Carpineto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva exhibited superb pungency with an abundance of redcurrants, darkcurrants and dark roses, naturally tight and intense at this stage but beautifully structured and long, promising plenty of potential for the long haul. The 1997 Carpineto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva was dark and seamless, featuring a beautiful bouquet with black fruits of glorious depth and intensity, sparkling with spots of graphite, superbly structured. A wine of great length and power at its absolute peak, simply marvellous, earning my vote for Wine Of The Night. On the other hand, the 1988 Carpineto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva was very open and mellow with a seductive beautiful glow that’s only possible from the Old World, its acidity and structure still intact although the fruit was somewhat uneven across the palate, suggesting that it has passed its peak. The evening concluded with a 1996 Carpineto Farnito Vinsanto del Chianti, lowish in acidity, almost port-like in texture with copious notes of cinnamon and peaches. Many thanks to the SMA Wine Chapter and to Ms Jo Hung of Oaks Cellars for making this evening possible.
1970 Vina Albina Bodegas Riojanas Cenicero Gran Riserva (courtesy of Hiok) at Prive, 01 Apr 2015. Dusty dirty brown. Pretty decent nose of heavy medicinal and herbal aromas typical of Ryoja but there is hardly any fruit remaining, just a shell of citrus and acidity. Dying.
2009 Pauillac by Wine Society UK (courtesy of John) at Prive, 01 Apr 2015. Dark, medium-full, slightly tarry, saturated with ripe dark berries of excellent intensity and concentration, linear with traces of enamel and cedar, developing further notes of heated stones and violets over time, but lacking in lushness. Very enjoyable, nonetheless.
1999 Ch Angelus, popped and poured at Otto Ristorante, 03 Apr 2015, on the occasion of Monster’s 16th. Deep purple, displaying a complex nose of plum, cassis, bramble, sweet wild berries, spice and blueberries. Distinctly medium-bodied, good concentration on the palate with a fair bit of intensity, cloaked in supple tannins but cannot hide the wet harvest robbing it of lushness and charm before it regained confidence, putting on considerable weight and fullness after some time with a burst of cedar and sweet dark currants.
Laurent Perrier Brut NV, over lunch with old friends at Iggy’s, 17 April 2015. This champagne is quite excellent, delivering notes of smoky toast and sweet citrus with great definition, aided by crisp acidity against a background of firm minerality, generous in fruit of excellent depth.
2005 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru (courtesy of D), over lunch with old friends at Iggy’s, 17 April 2015. This classic white was slightly leafy with notes of fresh morning dew on the nose although it seemed rather restrained and shut initially. It blossomed into a lovely expanse of perfumed white flowers with time, distinctly medium-bodied but layered with an attractive oily texture in the mid-body. Likely to develop at a glacial pace. Best to leave alone another 5 years, at least.
2011 Ballot Millot et Fils Mersault Charmes 1er Cru, a glass offered by Iggy himself for blind-tasting over lunch with old friends at Iggy’s, 17 April 2015. I deduced correctly from the extreme pallor, leafy characters and narrow spectrum of citrus that it was likely to be a Mersault premier cru. Delicate in poise but could do with greater fullness.
2000 Domaine Serafin Pere et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru (courtesy of D) over lunch with old friends at Iggy’s, 17 April 2015. Fully evolved, slightly lowish in acidity, generous in blueberries and red fruits with lovely complexity and understated minerality, sweet at the sides, almost lush, quietly vibrant and intense.
1995 Michel Gaunoux Beaune, at Pudong Kitchen, 24 April 2015. Rose scented, displaying highly satisfactory aromatics and good level of fruit, very minerally, veering towards saltiness and plummy characters, seamless and open but thinning towards the finish. Apparently a declassified premier cru, but I’d say it has slipped past its peak and will not improve further.
2012 Bruno Clavelier Vosne Romanee La Combe-Brulee 1er Cru, at Pudong Kitchen, 24 April 2015. Displaying a darker profile with an attractive pungency, delivering excellent depth of fruit with the fragrances of tropical fruits and lychee, most unusual in that aspect but well-integrated. Quintessentially burgundian. Quite excellent.
2012 Bruno Clavelier Vosne-Romanee Les Beaux Monts 1er Cru, at Pudong Kitchen, 24 April 2015. Again darker with a youthful exuberance, proffering an exotic bouquet of roses, dark fruits and a tinge of green, ripe and warm on the palate with overtones of smoke, gravel and spice adding immeasurably to a highly satisfying mouthfeel. Nevertheless, I still preferred the La Combe-Brulee above.
1997 Michel Gaunoux Pommard Grands Epenots 1er Cru, at Pudong Kitchen, 24 April 2015. Earthy and vegetal with inadequate plummy fruit, rather uneven, showing up the deficiencies of the weak vintage that even the sweet tannins cannot quite help.
1998 Michel Gaunoux Pommard Grands Epenots 1er Cru, at Pudong Kitchen, 24 April 2015. Compared with the 1997, the following vintage produced a fuller and sweeter wine that is mildly medicinal on the nose but rather flat and devoid of character on palate.
2001 Michel Gaunoux Pommard Grands Epenots 1er Cru, at Pudong Kitchen, 24 April 2015. Still dark in color with fruit that reflects tangerine, kumquat and red plums, underscored by notes of cedar and firm minerality, slightly angular and lacking true complexity.
1995 Michel Gaunoux Pommard Rugiens Les Rugiens Bas 1er Cru,at Pudong Kitchen, 24 April 2015. Minerally with a slightly sweet medicinal note and stuffed with plummy fruit that seems to be a regular feature of this estate’s wines, finishing on a stern note. On the whole rather placid and undistinguished.
2001 Michel Gaunoux Corton Renardes Grand Cru, at Pudong Kitchen, 24 April 2015. Oh dear…the fruit here is drying out badly, imparting a rather dry character. Avoid.
2007 Michel Gaunoux Pommard Rugiens 1er Cru, at Pudong Kitchen, 24 April 2015. Alarmingly evolved in color and tone for its relative youth, the wine a one-dimensional concoction of sweet incense and rose cordial. Undistinguished.
1994 Dominus (courtesy of S S Ngoi) poured from magnum at Pudong Kitchen, 24 April 2015. This beautiful wine displays an attractive pungency with a fabulous intensity of dark tangerine, dark fruits and blueberries framed by lithe supple tannins that lead to an open, complex and spicy finish. Yet to peak. Superb.
2010 Ch Guiraud (courtesy of S S Ngoi), at Pudong Kitchen, 24 April 2015. Highly promising, saturated with peaches, melons, pineapples and other tropical fruits, quite and placid at the moment. Clearly yet to develop and may shut down soon. Keep.
1982 Joseph Perrier Fils et Cie (courtesy of Augustine Kum), poured from magnum at Jade Palace, 25 April 2015. It was good to bump into Auggie again and very kind of him to give me a generous pour of this fabulous champagne that’s apparently only bottled in large format, all the better for this 33-year-old is still remarkably fresh and vibrant with complex flavours of frangipani, barley, rock melon, pomelo and clear citrus against a backdrop of subdued minerality and other yeasty overtones, finishing with an attractive steeliness. No wonder William and Kate chose it for their wedding. Outstanding.
2000 Ch Bellisle Mondotte, popped and poured at Jade Palace, 25 April 2015. Deep dark purple with notes of graphite and dark berries with a vegetal trace, oozing with attractive sweet tannins at the side, becoming more aromatic and plummy over time with emerging notes of cedar. Very good, but still tight and far from peaking. Has a long life ahead.
2009 Charles Joguet Chinon Les Varennes du Grand Clos, popped and poured at Prive, 28 April 2015. From one of the top biodynamic producers of Loire Valley, this wine displayed a deep dark red saturated with ripe raspberries and dark currants and a dash of wild berries with overtones of cedar and mild herbal characters, medium-full and firm on the palate with good depth of fruit that is forward yet pliant, framed by sweet tannins. A good drop.
2009 Ch Le Doyenne, popped and poured at Jade Palace, 30 April 2015. This must be my fourth or fifth bottle over nine months, all tasted with consistent notes. Very dark, saturated with ripe black fruits and layered with redcurrants topped with a sprinkling of graphite, displaying solid depth and concentration yet open and supple in texture without being monolithic, all for only SGD45. Punches way above its weight. Excellent.
An evening with S S Ngoi: 1998 Angelus, 2000 Pichon Baron, 1982 Leoville-Poyferre, 1988 Clos de Tart, 1982 Leoville Las-Cases…
Thanks to the generosity of Dr S S Ngoi again, I was invited to a dinner hosted by him at Tunglok Signatures at Orchard Parade Hotel, Singapore, on 27 April 2015 that included M. Philippe Capdouze, Founder and Chairman of FICOFI. Almost all wines were provided by the great Dr Ngoi himself, making sure that they were aired or decanted well in advance and that there was more than enough to go around the big table of twelve.
We began with a magnum of Verve Cliquot Brut Yellow Label which must have benefitted from the large format bottling, for this champagne displayed far greater depth and balance than I have encountered before from this label, forward in zesty citrus and ripe melons that balanced nicely against the moderate degree of dryness, enhanced by lovely notes of toast and yeasty pungency, appropriately steely towards the finish. 
This was followed by a pair of 2012 Ch Cos D’Estournel Blanc, made predominantly of sauvignon blanc and a splash of semillon. This youthful white exuded an abundance of glycerin, coconut and petroleum fumes that I found particularly attractive, smooth and rounded with further notes of seared caramel emerging much later that went very well with the caviar-topped lobster and shark’s fin soup.
We kicked off the list of distinguished reds with a pair of 1994 Ch Leoville Poyferre, displaying a beautiful hallowed glow of red fruits and darker currants so fabulous that one could simply go on without sipping the wine. On the palate, this medium-bodied wine was seamless and open with the graphite tone of Saint Julien being particularly prominent, just lacking in lushness and short at the finish. This is a red that will do very well at any meal, showing just how severely under-rated 1994 is.
Next up was a magnum of 1988 Clos de Tart Grand Cru, procured by Philippe directly from the cellar of this famous domaine and transported personally to our dining table. 
This stellar wine, just one of nine monopole grand crus in Burgundy (according to the Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne), proffered a glorious bouquet of red fruits and rose petals coupled with great purity of fruit and depth on the palate, its power mellowed by the passage of time to be replaced by wonderful finesse and balance, its acidity still holding up very well, just slightly short at the finish, providing a taste of what the best of Morey-Saint-Denis can achieve.
We moved back to Bordeaux, albeit the Right Bank, with a pair of Ch Angelus from the outstanding vintage of 1998, displaying a deep inky purple, loaded with a generous abundance of ripe merlot of fabulous intensity, its velvety supple tannins imparting great structure to the wine, achieving excellent linearity and definition all the way to its lasting finish. Yet, the impression is that this wine is still far from peaking. Superb.
Hopping back across the Dordogne, we moved on to a pair of the 2000 Ch Pichon Longueville Baron, very dark in color, displaying loads of blueberries and dark currants, now starting to develop some early complexity with notes of cinnamon and dark plums, medium-full, beautifully structured and masculine, still laced with traces of enamel that painted a stern finish without much of the dryness of Pauillac.
And, finally, a pair of delectable Saint Julien. The 1982 Ch Leoville Poyferre gave off a powerful earthy pungency on the nose (some thought the wine corked but it definitely wasn’t) that blew off after some time, revealing a medium-bodied wine that was utterly seamless although this bottle seemed much more evolved than previous examples of the 1982 Poyferre that I’ve had, much lighter in texture and weight than before. Is this an issue of poor provenance or is it really beginning to thin out? Will reserve judgement here. Suitably though, the piece de resistance was provided by the 1982 Ch Leoville Las-Cases (courtesy of Miah Hiang), a deep garnet red rimmed by vermillion, having mellowed significantly from a previous bottle tasted six years ago, much softer than before but still imbued with the graphite and ferrous quality of its famous terroir with notes of ripe raspberries and the indescribable complexity of aged Bordeaux, quietly masculine in character with great purity and definition. Some commented whether it really merits 100 points but, like I’ve mentioned before, it is what is in the bottle that truly matters and, as far as I’m concerned, Leoville Las-Cases belongs under premier cru, bringing the evening to a wonderful end. Thank you again, Dr Ngoi.
Ric's Wine Journal 