2002 Kay Brothers Amery Block 6 shiraz, shared with some colleagues at Table At 7, Mohd Sultan Rd, Singapore, on 2 Aug 2011. Aired in bottle for about an hour, but it didn’t seem to help. This is a full-bodied monster, loaded with licorice and warm plummy fruit, fully extracted, with other notes of bitter chocolate, vanilla and raisins, framed by a sharp tannic attack and, of course, that 15.0% (yes!) alcohol that prevented anything from gelling together. 
This wine isn’t going anywhere at the moment, and I’m not sure how it will shape up with further cellaring. Can someone remind me not to touch my remaining two bottles for the next 10 years?
2004 Domaine Faiveley Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru, shared with the wifey at Pete’s Place, Grand Hyatt Singapore, 6 Aug 2011. Double-decanted for 40 minutes at home. Notably darker in color, and heavier on the palate than usual for a burgundy. There’s plenty of stuffing – strawberries and red cherries with a plummy hint amidst some glycerin – but the wine lacked the delicacy, power and opulence of a real top-flight Clos de Beze. The acerbic and tannic finish didn’t help either, and even though the wine eventually did settle down after 90 minutes, it still wasn’t quite convincing as a Grand Cru, for there’s too much that’s still unresolved, missing in real sophistication. I thought it had shown better at a previous tasting at Absinthe in July 2010 (see Aug 2010 post). I’m not sure if another 5 years will help improve matters.
2003 Charles Melton Nine Popes (a gift from Prof Karen Horowitz that I’d carried back from Adelaide last year), shared with the wifey on 7 Aug 2011 at Foo House. Knowing I can’t finish the whole bottle, I’d poured the first half immediately into an empty half bottle in the fridge, bringing only the remaining half to the restaurant after airing it for 90 minutes. Very dark. Heavy with notes of fresh dark berries, principally of warm Barossa shiraz, some licorice, plum, herbal greenness and smoked meat, enveloped in powerful sweet medicinal aromatics, savoury and saturated with extraction. And so it remained without further development throughout the next hour of dinner. 
Good with game and flavourful Asian dishes, I suppose, but it could easily wear your palate down.
1989 Domaine de Chevalier, over a wagyu ribeye at Le Pont de Vie with the wifey, located along Kandahar St, of all places, on 8 Aug 2011. Finally, something that put the smile back. Double decanted briefly for 30 minutes and aired thereafter in bottle for a further 75 minutes en route to the restaurant. A dull ruby red that belies a bouquet of predominantly red fruits and cherries, and that unmistakable character of a truly mature claret, a hallowed glow of pine and roses that grew in intensity over time. Medium-bodied, soft but still retaining excellent structure and substantial fat in the mid-body that has, perhaps, more breadth than depth with excellent purity of fruit. Very lovely. At its drinking plateau now and will easily hold for many more years.
2003 Moss Wood cabernet sauvignon, at Saint-Pierre on 12 Aug 2011, popped and poured. Although labelled as a straight varietal, it’s actually a blend of 86% cabernet sauvignon, 6% cabernet franc and 8% petit verdot, which perhaps account for the wonderful complexity that emerged from the crimson depths. There’s plenty of blackcurrant supporting the lifted notes of red cherries and raspberries that gave off a rosy fragrance, a hint of glycerin and a touch of sancha, the richness almost threatening to create an opague sheen at one point before receding away for the better, the wine becoming more transparent and expansive. Beautifully balanced, yet imbued with excellent structure and understated power. In fact, if blinded, one would be hard-pressed to say it’s anything other than a classified growth from Margaux. Very lovely indeed.
2001 Ch Leoville-Barton (courtesy Ben), at a ward dinner at Foo House, 12 Aug 2011. Popped and poured. Rather dark red. Dense with a full-on approach of ripe dark berries that almost overwhelmed the underlying minerality, in a way robbing away some sense of terroir, powerful, structured and tight. Hardly ready, a wasted pop. Wait another 5 years, at least.
2001 Ch Montrose, at Foo House, 12 Aug 2011. Popped and poured. Very dark as well. Not much of the clayey character of St-Estephe, but compared to the Leoville-Barton, this is a lot more open in texture, weighty without being dense, showing off plenty of dark berries and blackcurrant, classically structured and poised with nothing in excess, yet to develop secondary nuances. Very promising, but it’s a pity I don’t have any more remaining.
2005 Clos du Marquis (courtesy LW), at Foo House, 12 Aug 2011. Also popped and poured. Contrary to popular belief, this isn’t exactly a “second wine” but, rather, it is made from a separate parcel within the clos of Leoville-Las-Cases. I was curious to know how this would turn out, as I have almost a half-dozen stashed away and I have read and heard good things about it. But nothing prepared me for this: a huge, bold monster, super-saturated with over-ripe fruit, almost jammy with a glowing alcoholic trail. A “fruit bomb” would be apt, as would be if the words Barossa Valley had been printed on its label. I have never tasted a Clos du Marquis such as this. Will reserve judgement.
2005 Lacoste Borie at an impromptu happy hour, 17 Aug 2011. Popped and poured. Lovely purple glow. Light-medium in density, quite generous in ripe berries that went reasonably deep, showing early signs of evolution. A good drop.
2006 Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste, a magnum poured at my 20th anniversary class reunion at the Conrad Centennial, 20 Aug 2011. Bright purple with forward characters of ripe fragrant blueberries and blackcurrants without any hint of oak, soft at the edges, already fairly accessible at this stage, medium-bodied with good concentration, leading to some tannic sharpness at the finish. Could do with better density and depth.
2008 J J Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr auslese (courtesy GPP) over lunch at her home, 21 Aug 2011. Superb definition on the nose and palate with opulent flavours of lychees, a heady mix of tropical fruits, apricot, laced with nectar and petroleum fumes, imbued with outstanding density, culminating in an oily richness that glided effortlessly down the hatch in a long persistent finish. Simply wonderful.
1998 Ch Pape Clement, over lunch at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 22 Aug 2011 with Vic and KP. Decanted on site. This wine is coming along very well. A very beautiful deep purplish core that exuded a lovely waft of fresh dark fruit; soft, fleshy and quite open on the palate with a good deal of earthiness initially. It gelled together after 45 minutes, developing greater depth and a wee bit more intensity, but the balance remained quite impeccable throughout. Highly elegant. A wine that’s obviously still on the ascent, but some people like to catch it at this stage where the wine, already well-developed, still excites the palate. Excellent.
2005 Pahlmeyer chardonnay (courtesy PS), over dinner at Jade Palace 22 Aug 2011, on the occasion of David’s farewell. An intriguing bouquet of green citrus, straw, dry grass, green melons and a dash of pineapple with a smoky nutty core, just a tad hollow initially. But it simply grew and grew in complexity, fleshing out with a flinty layering, becoming more full-bodied, so much so that I’d be hard put to identify it as a New World chardonnay if I’d been blinded. Outstanding.
1996 Ch Madelaine (courtesy David), at Jade Palace, 22 Aug 2011. Dull dusty red. Didn’t impress initially in spite of having been aired in bottle for almost an hour, the wine producing a one-dimensional note of dark berries with some musty and green overtones. It underwent quite a dramatic change within the hour, transforming into a traditional St-Emilion with a lovely glow of blueberries, orangey citrus, mushrooms and tobacco, seamless and elegant, tasting like a much more mature Bordeaux. Excellent.
2006 Kracher No.8 Traminer trockenbeerenauslese, at Jade Palace, 22 Aug 2011. Not much of apricot, but it simply oozes layer upon layer of pure nectarine and honey of the highest order with splashes of tropical fruits, melons and other worldly exotica counter-balanced by dark deep minerality and subdued acidity that held the sweetness firmly in check. A classy beauty that abhors any display of vulgarity. Outstanding.
2008 Talbott Sleepy Hollow chardonnay, over lunch at Hinoki with David, 23 Aug 2011. Rather similar to the Pahlmeyer above, but more subdued, with grassy characters and notes of green melons more to the fore, full-bodied on the palate with quite a degree of biting intensity, with other notes of cream, butter and vanilla very much recessed in the background.
2008 L’Hospitalet de Gazin, a half-bottle all to myself over lunch at Prive, 31 Aug 2011. Popped and poured, showing a very lovely clear ruby red. Notes of redcurrants and raspberries on the bouquet and palate, together with some toasty and a hint of vanilla, slightly lean in body initially but, by no means, thin. It rapidly fleshed out within minutes, becoming fairly homogenous and harmonious, decent in concentration and quality fruit. I’ll buy a case of this if the price is right.
1999 Angelus, 1994 Haut-Brion & 1986 Pichon Baron
The following notes came from a dinner I co-hosted with some colleagues for the entire Division on 13 July 2011 at Otto’s private dining hall. Save for the De Fieuzal and Pichon Baron, all the wines were contributed by yours truly, and the maitre’d Paolo was kind enough to waive corkage entirely.
The evening began with a series of canapes that was washed down with half a case of Ca Del Bosco Cuvee Prestige NV, a superb sparkling wine that would be very difficult to tell apart from a true champagne, such was its balance and complexity, gaining further in concentration of citrus and minerality as the bubbles dissipated. As we settled down for dinner, four bottles of 2000 L’Hospitalet de Gazin, from a case that I’d purchased recently at Caveau’s mid-year sale for only SGD42 per bottle, were popped and liberally poured for the 24 guests. I suppose you can’t really miss the mark with any Bordeaux – even a second wine – from the outstanding 2000 vintage, and this was absolutely spot-on. Medium-full with an abundance of raspberries, red cherries and other red fruits on the nose and palate, slightly burgundian, imparting a lovely rosy fragrance, suitably structured and weighty, finishing with a citrusy trail. This is a great bargain.
Andrew contributed a 1996 Ch De Fieuzal that was popped and poured. Consistent with most Left Bank cabernet of that vintage, this is a big wine, very dark in color and tone, full on the palate with notes of graphite, earthy minerality and a solid core of dark fruits. Still tight, backward and unresolved but, obviously, this has great potential.
Then came the highly-anticipated trio of reds, starting with the 1999 Ch Angelus, from a case of six that I’d imported from Bordeaux Index, London. Aired further in bottle for about an hour. Deep dark red, reticent on the nose but surprisingly weighty and dense on the palate, though lacking in layering and complexity initially, rather short and stern at the finish, very austere in demeanour. 
Things took a much more favourable turn after 60 minutes, becoming more flavoursome with plenty of red fruits emerging amidst tight tannins, continuing to grow in power and intensity until, by the last pour, the layering came through. This is very fine indeed for a ’99 – astonishing, in fact – and I’d not open another for at least 3-4 years.
Next, a First Growth had been promised and I obliged with a 1994 Ch Haut-Brion, a single bottle imported from Bordeaux Index, London. There was some bottle stink that blew off after 60 minutes of double-decanting, and aired further for another hour. Still retaining a deep violet glow and, typically for this estate, there was a good deal of earthy, ferrous minerality balanced against a core of violets and blueberries, well integrated with good density and concentration, rather seamless, finishing with a citrusy trail. Another prime example of how Haut-Brion never makes a bad bottle. This has the legs to hold for many more years.
And finally, a glorious 1986 Ch Pichon Longueville Baron (courtesy Hiok) to round off the evening. Double decanted for 60 minutes, and aired further in bottle for another 90 minutes. Still very dark in color with a huge core of blackcurrants and sweet dark berries, still tight and backwards with intense dark tannins although it was more forthcoming after some persistent coaxing, eventually becoming more aromatic and lifted at the finish. Yet to settle into a seamless whole and I’d imagine another 10 years of cellaring is in order before re-visiting this wine. Solid!
2007 Peter Michael Ma Belle Fille & 1999 Chateau L’Evangile
These notes were taken from a customised dinner at Garibaldi on 20 July 2011, the final instalment of a series of serious dining that month. I’d deliberately kept the wines simple, just an exquisite chardonnay and a Bordeaux red that ought to be drinking well. We began with an identical pair of 2007 Peter Michael “Ma Belle Fille” chardonnay, purchased some time ago from Asia Pacific Fine Wines. 
Light golden, opening with creamy floral notes, highly complex. The minerality was rather subdued on the palate, less flinty than expected for a young chardonnay, but notably heavier and deeper at the rear. With time, it became lighter in texture, opening up with layers of craggy minerality and a splash of tropical fruits, melons and pineapples, greater in intensity, superb in delineation, eventually developing a slightly opague sheen. However, as excellent as this was, I still don’t think you could mistake it for a Montrachet Grand Cru, which is infinitely more profound in depth and expression.
We followed with an identical pair of 1999 Ch L’Evangile, from a half-dozen that I’d brought in from Bordeaux Index, London. Rather deep in color still, with a very impressive bouquet of red and dark berries, well-extracted and suitably dense with a touch of soy and the inimitable glow of aged claret giving off notes of dry leaves, herbs and mushrooms. Not a great vintage, of course, but I always believe every wine has an optimum drinking plateau that’s capable of providing a good experience. This wine is a good example at this stage.
2004 Leeuwin Estate Art Series chardonnay, at Jade Palace, 2 July 2011. Popped and poured. A bit underwhelming initially. But after warming up to the right temperature with 60 minutes of airing, one appreciates the remarkable balance between the lavish flavours of peach, lime sorbet, melons, green citrus and the clean minerality that can stand up to any Puligny-Montrachet premier cru, perhaps just missing the last ounce of depth that only a true Burgundy can summon. Excellent.
2000 Les Pagodes de Cos, a bottle presented to me by PS some 5 years ago, then drunk with PS after work on 4 July 2011. Deep impenetrable red with an early hint of evolution towards the rim. Already quite impressive on the nose when it was initially decanted, but the real quality kicked in an hour later as the initial impression of forest-floor gave way to an abundance of dark fruits, sweet plums, cassis, anise and soy that emerged from the cool ripe fruit, weighty and bold, remarkably complex, so much so that, if served blind, you won’t even realise that you’re drinking “only a second wine”. Quite superb.
2001 Ch Sociando Mallet (courtesy Jessica) at Prive, 8 July 2011. Aired briefly in bottle. Deep ruby with some early signs of evolution. Soft at the edges, fleshy, plenty of blackcurrants, dark cherries, cedar, laced with bit of sweetness. But the most impressive thing about this wine is the bouquet, a gorgeous and complex blend of fruit and minerals amidst a powerful glow of earthy pungency – I could keep nosing it the whole day. If blinded, you may have thought it’s a First Growth under your nose. Excellent.
2006 Fontanafredda Barolo (courtesy of Ben), at Morton’s Steakhouse, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 8 July 2011. Popped and poured. A lighter shade of red, with predominant notes of red cherries and raspberries, gaining weight very nicely after an hour, along with some spicy tannins. Not bad at all.
2007 Ch Les Carmes Haut-Brion, a half-bottle at Etoile, 5 July 2011. Surprisingly good. Deep vermilion, quite open with notes of dark cherries, chocolate, a dash of citrus laced with a tinge of sweetness and just a hint of the earthiness of Pessac-Leognan, the solid bed of well-extracted fruit gaining weight over time. Just lacking in charm and layering. 
Nevertheless, a very good accompaniment to any meal.
1999 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, from a case imported from a London merchant by KP. The first bottle at Jade Palace on 18 July 2011 was distinctly corked (much to my embarrassment as I’d specially brought it along for PS’s benefit), the wine itself awkward in every way. KP was kind enough to open another bottle the next evening on the 19th, when we met for mahjong. I didn’t recognise it as a BdM initially, for KP had served it blind and it’d seemed to me more like a village white, the green citrus and understated minerality failing to make an impact, not helped by the opague accentuated finish. It opened up nicely after warming up in the glass, the honeyed melons and caramelised layer of fine minerality eventually appearing, gaining in complexity towards the finish but, somehow, it doesn’t quite possess the unmistakable stamp of BdM’s Corton-Charlemagne, missing in definition and delineation, somewhat unresolved.
2003 Ch Rieussec, a half-bottle at Jade Palace on 18 July 2011. Clear golden, lowish in acidity and laden with intense notes of nectar, apricot and vanilla, rather heavy with sweet incense at this stage of evolution, finishing with a bit of steeliness. Only SGD70, off the restaurant list.
2005 Ch Malartic-Lagraviere, 15 July 2011 at Bedrock Bar & Grill. Decanted on site and drunk over an hour. Compard to a previous tasting in 2008 when it had just been bottled, this wine seemed to have shed most of its vanilla coat, more open and rounded at the edges, soft with accessible notes of red cherries and raspberries tapering to a more concentrated, heavier finish dominated by glycerin. Probably needs another 3-5 years to sort itself out better, but it’s good value if you can find it for under SGD100.
2003 Ch Pouget (courtesy Jessica), 25 July 2011 at Jade Palace. Decanted on-site. I must admit I’ve not heard of this Margaux estate before, let alone taste it, but it’s absolutely lovely. Deep glowing red. 
Bouquet of violets and blueberries with forward notes of fresh red fruits, soft and rounded, settling down quickly into a supple, highly homogenous wine of medium-bodied density and concentration, suitably feminine with imperceptible tannins. Quite excellent, really.
1988 Ch Latour-a-Pomerol, at Jade Palace, 25 July 2011. Decanted on-site. Reticent at the beginning and almost nondescript on the palate, but it opened up after 30 minutes with a fairly powerful glow of mature sweet berries that was replaced after some time by notes of tea-leaves, slightly dry, whilst gaining greater intensity, power and concentration, the tannins having receded completely. Perhaps not the last word in profundity nor complexity in spite of the age, consistent with most wines of this vintage, but at least it doesn’t harbor any such pretension. Excellent, considering I paid less than SGD150.
Chateau Margaux 1985 & 1999
PS and I hosted an exclusive private dinner at Au Petit Salut, helmed by the ever reliable Karl, on 22 June 2011 for some close friends, spouses included, to mark our respective career milestones. As PS would be bringing a 1985 Ch Margaux, I decided to match it with a 1999. Before all that, we began with a 1996 Henriot Cuvee Des Enchanteleunes (courtesy PS) that was very lovely with plenty of perfumed smoky fragrance, complex yet subtle in minerality, coupled with excellent presence and balance in the mid-body that’s typical of this outstanding vintage for Champagne. It was difficult to compartmentalise the wine, truly a case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Superb. 
The 2002 Domaine Louis Jadot Meursault les Charmes 1er Cru (courtesy Kieron) that followed was clear golden with a generous bouquet of apples, white roses and citrus laced with sweet tropical fruits, somewhat earthy with a mild musty pungency on the palate, supported by stony minerality. It developed greater depth over time, becoming more buttery, broadening and gaining weight, highly complex at the finish.
The 1999 Ch Margaux was very lovely, deep ruby in color with an earthy pungency punctuated by the floral fragrance of violets and roses, well replicated on the palate where blueberries and dark cedar dominate, perfectly balanced against the salty minerality, framed by tightly-knit tannins, finishing with a bit of burn. A wine of great finesse and elegance in spite of its concentration and depth. Compared to the 1999 Ch Palmer, also possessing similar traits with a tad more exuberance, the 1999 Ch Margaux is more understated in power, where less is, indeed, more. Superb.
The 1985 Ch Margaux (courtesy PS), equally deep in color but a tad more evolved, exhibited a highly developed glow of blueberries and violets on the bouquet and palate that still retained wonderful ripeness and freshness even after a quarter of a century, underscored by a trace of sweetness. Very similar to the 1999 in style, but as a fully mature wine at its peak, I fancy it possessed more power and precision, fully developed and infinitely complex with a salty note of minerality in the mid-body. Perhaps not quite as complete a wine as the 1983, but it is the epitome of finesse, elegance and refinement. Outstanding.
We ended the evening with a 2005 Gunderloch NP Riesling Auslese Gold Kap (courtesy PS). Clear golden with a placid bouquet of apricot and nectar but concentrated with an explosion of colors of tropical fruits on the mid-palate, the subdued acidity allowing the lovely complexity to shine. A glorious end to a lovely evening.
Notes from America: 2002 Silver Oak, 2006 Dominus
I always make it a point to drink only American wines whenever I find myself in the States, such is the abundance of good wines made in the USA. My only gripe is that prices have risen over the past decade, and that the wine service in most American steakhouses, while efficient, lack refinement – don’t expect your wines to be automatically decanted, the pour level is way too high for each glass (but of course…so that the customer is obliged to open another bottle), the stemware highly variable. The following wines were all drunk off the restaurant list during a brief trip to San Diego, CA.
2007 Arrowhead Saralee’s vineyard viognier, at Blue Point restaurant, San Diego on 24 June 2011. Light golden. If I hadn’t been told, I’d have thought this to be a chardonnay, such was the expansive spread of stony, flinty minerality on the palate, rich with the floral fragrance of white flowers and tropical fruits, creamy and buttery, generously layered. The greener notes from the ripe viognier developed only much later, adding further depth to the wine. Quite superb.
2002 Silver Oak Alexander Valley cabernet sauvignon, USD120 (before taxes) from the list at Blue Point restaurant, San Diego on 24 June 2011. Popped and poured. Deep red with generous notes of violets and red berries, supported by a bed of darker fruits, promising a big wine. Instead, what came across was highly elegant and supple with early secondary nuances emerging from its depths without any tannic or alcoholic astringency, ending in a mild spicy finish. Excellent.
2006 Dominus, at Chianti, San Diego, 25 June 2011. Priced almost at cost at USD175, the vintage listed was for the 2001. However, as the restaurant had run out of that, they offered us the 2006 with a 10% discount, which we gladly accepted. Popped and poured. Deep dark red, highly prodigious on the nose with red and dark berries as well as orange peel and kumquat along with a deeper note of soy, smoke and sweet incense, promising a great deal of complexity ahead. It certainly lived up to that on the palate, revealing excellent layering and depth, with a distinct sense of terroir seldom found in other run-of-the-mill Californian cabernet even at this primary stage of the wine. Excellent.
2009 Caymus Conundrum, at Truluck’s (supposedly the best restaurant in San Diego, but the stemware is woeful), 26 June 2011. Made from a blend of various white grapes that are not identified at all on the label. Languid dull golden. Generous bouquet of sweet fragrance, the underlying greenish note reminding one of the fresh morning dew dripping off white flowers, with notes of vanilla and sweet melons, rather grassy but undoubtedly attractive. Impressive as well on the palate, fairly broad and expansive with an illusion of fizz, tapering to a peculiar finish of tropical fruits with a mild pungency, reminding me of durians. 
Made for easy drinking but much, much more substantial than your usual quaffer. Very good.
2008 Duckhorn merlot, at Truluck’s. Deep ruby red. Forward characters of red fruits coated with glycerin and vanilla, with a substantial degree of petroleum-like fullness in the mid-body. A bit four-square and straightforward but it’s drinking quite well. A good accompaniment to the outstanding centre-cut beef fillet.
Notes in brief (June 2011): 1990 Cos Labory, 1994 Cos D’Estournel, 2006 Sylvie Esmonin “Clos St-Jacques”…
2005 Ch La Tour Carnet, at Foo House on 02 June 2011. Popped and poured. Deep purple. Compared to a previous experience 3 years back, this is a lot more open, fleshy and less woody. Nevertheless, one can’t help but notice the relatively high level of extraction, bringing about more raisiny notes with echoes of licorice, the ripeness imparting greater warmth to the fruit, the absence of the typical Medoc toughness and greeness probably the result of the winemaker’s preference for longer fruit hang and extraction. Needs another 5 years to sort itself out, at least.
2005 Lacoste Borie, at Moomba. Decanted on site, and drunk over the next hour. Dark red, producing a high-tone minerality on the bouquet that gradually opened up to reveal more of blueberries, blackcurrants and a dash of red fruits, fleshing out over time, nicely integrated and elegant. Very good indeed. Only SGD42 from the recent Caveau sale.
1994 Ch Cos D’Estournel, at Imperial Treasure T3 on 9 June 2011 with the wifey on the occasion of our anniversary. Opened on site and drunk over the next 90 minutes. Dark purple, impressing at once with the St Estephe terroir of gravel, heated stones and high toned-minerality coming through with arresting aromas of great fragrance, suggesting a wine of great breadth and depth. However, it didn’t quite turn out this way on the palate initially, being more reticent and less immediate with more than a hint of rusticity, but it developed very well over time with food, the well-extracted fruit gaining in concentration and intensity even if it didn’t quite plumb the depths nor achieve the sophistication of Cos in its best years. Nevertheless, this is still a very good traditional Cos, before it became too “international”.
1990 Ch Cos Labory, at Hinoki on 15 June 2011. Aired in bottle for two hours. An evolved dull dusty red, producing a prominent glow of orange and dried preserved fruits on the nose, and other notes of aged Bordeaux that defies proper description. Medium-bodied, smooth, the fruit still relatively tightly-knit, holding on with good concentration, coated with velvety tannins. Not the last word in depth nor complexity. But at only SGD115, nobody is complaining.
2007 Mr Riggs Piebald shiraz-viognier, over a wagyu steak at Jaya Grocer, Empire Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur. Popped and poured. Very deep, impenetrable purple. Notes of warm ripe shiraz with other characters of raisins and blackcurrants, heavy in texture with some aromas of fortified spirits, the 5% viognier producing a mild floral lift. Fairly broad and even on the palate. Good stuff for fans of Aussie reds.
2006 Ch Corbin, a half-bottle at Prive on 17 June 2011. Ruby red. Significantly brighter in color and taste compared to the 2004 vintage, with primary notes of raspberries, red fruits, glycerin, vanilla and almonds. Not much depth, but decent.
2006 Sylvie Esmonin Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru “Clos St-Jacques” (courtesy LW), at Ben’s BBQ. Popped and drunk, much under suboptimal conditions in the sweltering heat of a balmy evening, 17 June 2011. Dull dusty red. The initial notes were totally off but after chilling it to a more appropriate temperature, it began opening up with the classic Chambertin flavours of red cherries and raspberries, layered with some saccharine, fairly substantial in the mid-body (some call it “fat”), moderate in length. I fancy this wine is capable of leaving a far better impression if properly aired in advance and drunk under optimal conditions. Will reserve judgement.
2007 Ch Les Carmes Haut Brion, my second half-bottle of this wine in as many months, from a half-dozen bought during the recent Caveau sale, but this was corked, unfortunately.
Singapore Airlines Business Class (June 2011)
As I had alluded to before, the best way to enjoy the trappings of Singapore Airlines’ Business Class travel is to fly on one of its long-range non-stop flights, typically between Singapore and New York or Los Angeles, especially on the Boeing 777ER or the Airbus A345. The wining and dining begins at the Silver Kris lounge at Changi Airport T3, where the current wine selection seems to have improved significantly:
2010 Yalumba Unwooded chardonnay. From the remaining half of an opened bottle. Pale. Lots of lime and citrusy flavours but somewhat hollow in body with inadequate fruit to match the crisp acidity, although it seemed better after some food, expanding more on the mid-palate.
2009 Penny’s Hill Cracking Black shiraz. From the last third of an opened bottle. A big wine, deep red with notes of dark cherries, ripe red apples, anise and vanilla laced with a tinge of sweetness at the edge without the usual licorice nor medicinal aromas, generous in body giving the impression of decent depth, peppery and spicy at the finish. Managed to appear more sophisticated than it is. A very well-crafted McLaren Vale shiraz.
2008 Rubio San Polo Montalcino. From the last third of an opened bottle. Deep red, highly attractive on the nose with generous notes of red and dark berries, possessing that easy balance and elegance on the palate that’s unmistakably Old World as opposed to the sculpted New World of Penny’s Hill. Tend to fade a little at the finish but it’s a very good table wine. I’ll happily drink these two reds with every meal.
On board SQ38 to LAX, I sampled the entire range on offer:
Champagne Bollinger Special Cuvée NV. Attractive complex glow of toasty oak, complemented by peat, almonds and echoes of apricot and mandarin orange. Highly attractive on the nose, although it felt somewhat superficial on the palate – too straightforward. One would have expected more depth and development.
2008 Cuvaison chardonnay, Napa Valley Carneros. Surprisingly good! Medium-toned crystalline minerality. More creamy and buttery on the palate than suggested from its bouquet. Generously concentrated.
2008 Dr Loosen Riesling Kabinett, a perennial feature on board SQ Business Class, and it’s not difficult to understand why. Luminous pale. Rather vague bouquet. There’s plenty of fruit but it eludes characterization, something of a mix of yellow melons, a hint of honey, some tropical fruits. Medium-bodied with appreciable sweetness. Better defined on the palate where pineapples dominate, with a touch of bitter citrus and understated acidity, becoming highly perfumed later. Some people tend to be snooty about the ubiquitous Dr Loosen, but it held up well to scrutiny.
2007 Château Paloumey. I had my doubts about this initially, but the actual tasting blew me away, showing just how much negative bias may be created just by knowing the identity of the wine. Dark red with lifted aromas of dark fruits, graphite, preserved dates and traces of vanilla, a case where the slight oakiness contributes to the wine, rather than detract from it. Medium-full with excellent mouthfeel and concentration, dominated by brighter, fresher flavours rather than the dour greenness one normally associates with Haut-Medoc wines. I enjoyed it.
2007 Tenuta al Castiglioni. This Toscana is rather fruit-forward and considerably lighter in texture than the preceding Bordeaux. A tad simple and lacking in depth.
How about the wines at the Star Alliance lounge at Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX? Of course, it isn’t exactly a 100% SIA lounge, and it shows – decidedly cheap-looking. The 2009 Estancia chardonnay from Monterey County, supposedly one of the best-value whites in this month’s Wine Spectator magazine, was decent – substantial notes of chalky minerality with the usual butter and cream, more intense on the palate than nose. The 2009 Rutherford Vintners chardonnay from Napa was less chalky, more of green melons laced with a fair level of sweetness. The 2009 Silver Ridge cabernet sauvignon was far too simple, just a touch of earth without any structure. The 2009 Laurier cabernet sauvignon from Alexander Valley was much better, stuffed with chewy red fruits and licorice, fairly linear right to its finish.
Haut-Brion: 1999, ’98, ’95, ’88 & 1986
The self-proclaimed group of elitist diners – better known as Bacchus – met only for the second time this year at Les Amis on 7 June 2011 (sans Danny who was away) to give Kieron a proper send-off before he leaves for sabbatical. As per our usual arrangements, being on first -name basis with the right people at the restaurant, we dined very comfortably in its private room adjacent to the kitchen (the very same room that still held memories of that wonderful lunch 3 years ago with the Directors of Bordeaux Index London – ’85 Cos & ’96 GPL, if you really must know), with a menu of customised items not to be found in the restaurant’s usual menu to match the Haut-Brion vertical that was about to unfold.
As usual, we had a white to start things off, a 1994 Domaine Leflaive Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru (courtesy Kieron). Pale, with a bouquet of stern stony minerality, peaches and a hint of apricot, somewhat light and tentative on the palate. 
It became more weighty with time, developing a caramelly sheen, substantially richer with more fat in the middle but still lacking the intensity, depth and concentration of Leflaive in the best years.
We drank the Haut-Brion in two flights. The first began with a 1999 Ch Haut-Brion (courtesy Vic) which excelled on the nose, where the deep purple wine gave off lovely notes of red fruits, raspberries and blueberries and a hint of medicinal aromas. However, the medium-bodied wine was clearly missing in layering and charm, even though it gained in intensity over time. Still, one can appreciate that this is a very fine wine, but the lack of dimension renders it rather four-square in character. This was tellingly shown up by the 1998 Ch Haut-Brion (courtesy Hiok), a vintage that favoured Graves. Although its bouquet was less exuberant, the 1998 was significantly richer and deeper, glowing with deep layers of intense fruit that has yet to evolve, the wine becoming more accentuated and weighty with time, framed by structured supple tannins indicating that the wine is still far from maturity. Don’t touch any of this, not for even 10 years. 
The 1995 Ch Haut-Brion (courtesy Kieron), a deep impenetrable red with some bricking at the rim, had, by far, the most developed nose of the night, the classic signature kumquat of this estate combined with some cinnamon and orange peel in a powerful complex. Medium-full with great concentration, quite velvety and sexy, full on the finish, mellowing beautifully over the course of dinner. Superb.
The 1988 Ch Haut-Brion (courtesy LF), on this occasion, was a lot more substantial and livelier than I remembered from a previous tasting at Iggy’s in December 2007. Bright cherry red, very lively on the nose with a forward impression of red fruits, more mellow with less intensity on the palate than promised from the bouquet, becoming appreciably richer over time, developing more layers of smoky sweet incense. Excellent. And, finally, the 1986 Ch Haut-Brion, probably the third time I’ve had this over the past 8 years but it is always such a pleasure to re-visit this wine. Still holding up very well and remarkably similar to the previous tasting in August 2006. Deep ruby with effusive earthy pungency. One appreciates that it has mellowed somewhat over the past 25 years, but this wine is still rather full-bodied, possessing great layering and concentration, slightly backward (typically of 1986s), topped by sexy lithe tannins dancing across the palate, immeasurably complex with a liquered note at the finish. Still unbelievably youthful. At current prices of about SGD600+, it may still be considered a relative bargain. Outstanding, but only one other bottle remaining in my cellar.
As this dinner goes to show, there’s no such thing as a bad or poor Haut Brion. For long, it has remained the bargain basement of the First Growths, but from the recent pricing trend, I fear no longer so. Better snap up the real bargains while they last. Oh…and lest I forget, in true Bacchus fashion, we ended dinner with a 2000 Disznoko Tokaji Aszu 6 Puttonyos, a bottle specially meant for Kieron with the compliments of Les Amis!! So you see, it really pays to dine with the right people. Clear golden with rich intoxicating flavours of peaches, apricot and honey, possessing excellent depth supported by superb acidity, a hedonistic pleasure for the olfactory senses for all time, bringing dinner to a truly outstanding conclusion.
1982 Ch Clerc-Milon
Elegance isn’t something normally associated with Ch Clerc-Milon, being usually more stern and vegetal, requiring years to turn the corner. On this occasion, however, the 1982 
(decanted with delicate care on site at Bedrock Bar & Grill and drunk over a long lunch on 11 June 2011 with the wifey celebrating our anniversary), still displaying a deep purple in spite of all its 29 years, is obviously fully matured, the wood and tannins having dissipated totally. Typically for this estate, the bouquet is somewhat underwhelming, but the purity of fruit is quite excellent, the wine medium-bodied, glowing with decent acidity and depth, though lacking in layering of the best ’82s, completely seamless and linear and fairly lengthy. Thoroughly enjoyable with the excellent sirloin steak. Only SGD168 from French Wine Cellars.
Ric's Wine Journal 