1994 Ch Beau-Sejour Becot
Restaurant Week came round again this week, which prompted a return to Garibaldi again, with the wifey and a bottle of the 1994 Ch Beau-Sejour Becot which the manager Paolo Colzani was kind enough to waive the corkage after I’d ensured that he and Raj, who was serving us, each had a glass to enjoy. 
Decanted on-site, where the dark and opague wine immediately exuded an attractive bouquet of blueberries and sweet blackcurrants, medium-bodied, soft and fleshy on the palate, saturated with fruit of surprisingly high quality that provided decent depth and body. With time, some of classic dryness of Bordeaux crept in with notes of dry leaves and mushrooms, the wine actually thinning out slightly. But with further aeration after an hour, it regained its fullness with further extension in depth and expanse, the wine still remaining remarkably fresh amidst emerging notes of earth, tar and a hint of raisins, fairly complex without any hollowness. 1994 is highly under-rated and, I suspect, is just beginning to come together after all these years. Quite excellent, for only SGD91 at Carrefour.
Notes in brief (Sep 2011): 2001 J J Prum Bernkasteler Badstube, 1995 Leoville-Barton, 2005 Rockford Basket Press…
2005 Domaine Patrick Javillier Savigny-les-Beaunes “Les Serpentiere” 1er Cru, over dinner at Jade Palace, 3 Sep 2011. Opened and drunk over the next 90 minutes. Shade of dusty red that’s entirely appropriate for pinot. Good concentration of red fruits and cherries, slightly oily in the middle, shrouded within a thin layer of saccharine. Elegant and balanced with decent depth, if not the power of top-flight burgundies. This is drinking a lot better than a previous occasion last year. 
At only SGD53 from Le Benaton, it’s very good value.
2006 Ch Corbin, at Asia Grand over some excellent wagyu beef. Popped and poured from a half bottle. Compared to previous tastings, this wine finally seems to be putting more weight now, the forward fruit quality well-balanced against chewy tannins with a hint of soy. Not bad at all.
2005 Ch Reignac, after hours with colleagues on 7 Sep 2011 over cheese and crackers. This came from a half-dozen bought as en primeur. Dark red with a vermillion tint. In spite of having been decanted for 4 hours prior, this wine still came across as a bit of a monster, extracted to the hilt, heavy with notes of licorice, raisins, toast and vanilla, still primal in character, becoming more tannic as the evening wore on. Absolutely far from ready. May turn out to be better with proper food, but I’m gonna shove my remaining 4 bottles into cold storage.
2005 Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair Nuits-St-Georges “Les St-Georges” 1er Cru, at Etoile, 9 Sep 2011. Decanted on site. Much darker in color for pinot, translating into a big heavy wine with notes of very ripe blueberries and dark cherries, almost as if suffering from overhang, replete with toasty oak, tasting much like a New World pinot although I fancy the best ones from the New World may display more subtlety and grace. 
Not to my liking, I’m afraid. Perhaps it needs another 7 years, I’d imagine.
2009 Domaine Christian Moreau Chablis 1er Cru “Les Vaillon”, over a meal of KFC and pizza on 10 Sep 2011. I’d taken the trouble to decant this for almost 90 minutes, which proved to be most beneficial as an abundance of dense sweet minerality engulfed the nose and palate, rather crisp at the edges, supported by understated notes of cream, butter and biscuits. Of course this is way too young at this stage, but its rich tone suggests that it has the legs to last the distance in the cellar. Very good.
2004 Petaluma Coonawarra, over dinner at Prive with a couple of my Residents, 13 Sep 2011. This is actually a blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Decanted on site and drunk over the next 2 hours. Purplish red with notes of dark cherries and bitter chocolate amidst deeper layers of ferrous minerality, imparting a somewhat angular and austere demeanour initially. It took another 90 minutes to open up, revealing a rich core of ripe fruit with layers of raspberries and blueberries, grippy but much softer at the edges, tinged with lasting sweetness that became more and more impressive with each sip. Excellent.
2001 Joh. Jos Prum Bernkasteler Badstube spatlese riesling (courtesy Ben) at a private dinner at the Tanglin Club, 15 Sep 2011, hosted by Ben and LW. Very impressive right from the start with peaches, apricot, nectar, melons and a mix of tropical fruits of excellent concentration, depth and balance, the substantial sweetness countered by bitter citrus at the edges and finish, totally seamless. Highly inviting. Excellent.
1989 Ch Chauvin, a magnum bottling at the Tanglin Club, 15 Sep 2011. Aired in bottle for an hour, showing an evolved red that’s still fairly concentrated in color. 
A high-tone salty minerality with a hint of soy was obvious on the nose. On the palate, however, the wine was somewhat uneven initially, slightly hollow on the mid-palate although the fruit concentration and density was readily apparent at the periphery. After some food and with further aeration, it morphed into a fairly homogenous wine that covered any prior hollowness, very even with echoes of kumquat and orange peel, although not particularly deep. At SGD150, however, I’m not complaining.
1995 Ch Leoville Barton (courtesy Ben), at the Tanglin Club, 15 Sep 2011. Aired in bottle for almost 2 hours. Deeper and richer in color, marked by ferrous minerality, possessing excellent depth and density if not the layering one expects from this renowned estate, framed by fine supple tannins but prefers to put on a rather unsmiling and stern demeanour particularly towards the finish, the dry ferrous quality again rearing its head. It clearly needs more time in bottle. Rather unusual for a 1995, but then again, Saint-Julien wines do take a long time to turn around.
2008 Ch Citran, at the in-laws on 18 Sep 2011, only SGD35 at a promotional price from Carrefour. In spite of being aired in decanter for an hour, the initial impression wasn’t favourable, the wine utterly nondescript with plummy fruit that could certainly do with more stuffing and extraction. Things improved after an hour and after some food, gaining some biting tannins but this Haut-Medoc doesn’t seem to aspire to be a Sociando Mallet.
2005 Rockford Basket Press, over a tomahawk steak at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 23 Sep 2011. Double-decanted for almost 3 hours and aired further in another decanter in the restaurant. Dark red with a vermillion tint. Apart from some herbal medicinal aromas and hefty tannins on the palate with a hint of warm Barossa fruit and licorice, it remained rather shut and tight. It only opened up much later at the last pour, but what a glorious transformation: softer, the unctousity giving way to a much more transparent texture that revealed complex layers of ripe fruit that ran deep, finishing with an uplifting touch of liquer and roses. This is one for the long haul. Excellent.
2007 Brokenwood Mistress Block shiraz, at L’Entrecote on 27 Sep 2011. Popped and poured. This is a single vineyard shiraz that demonstrates the qualities of Hunter Valley shiraz – there’s plenty of primary flavours from the generous fruit, lots of raspberries and red fruits, and less of the typical flood of warmth and licorice and plumminess that one associates with Aussie shiraz, bold but very finely balanced with understated tannins, leaving your palate unscathed. Just a notch below the estate’s famous Graveyard shiraz, but it’s very good.
Daniel’s wedding: 1990 Gagnard-Delagrange Montrachet, 1994 Haut Brion, 1970 Margaux, 1987 Mouton-Rothschild,1982 Montrose…
Danny boy finally tied the knot in a lavish reception at the Ritz-Carlton Millenia, Singapore, on 16 Sep 2011. Danny had seated me amongst a group of serious oenophiles whom, hitherto, I’d never met and, as such, we didn’t coordinate the wines. 
But great minds think alike, for the lineup turned out to be the most astounding that I’d ever encountered at a Chinese wedding dinner. All wines were opened on-site.
First off was a 2002 Paul Bara Brut (courtesy Hsien Min), chilled on site (the Ritz-Carlton staff are marvellous). Pale in color, but this champagne impressed immediately with a deep burnished tone of yeasty characters, malt, rye and some toast amidst an indescribable halo of intense complexity, the minerality completely understated and unobtrusive. As the bubbles faded, it grew even more intense with emerging rose-scented aromas, yet never weighty, remaining perfectly balanced throughout. Fantastic.
Peter then produced a white that was blinded. But from the golden hue, it was obvious that this is a well-aged wine, giving off powerful earthy barnyard aromas right from the first pour. This blew off quickly, allowing the true flavours of vanilla, cream, butter, bittersweet citrus and overtones of apricot to emerge, shrouded with caramel, highly complex with great density in the mid-body, yet lithe on the palate without being weighty, glowing in this manner throughout dinner. Peter made us play a guessing game. Most of us felt it was likely to be one of the Montrachet Grand Crus, but none expected it to be Le Montrachet itself, from Domaine Gagnard-Delagrange, 1990!! Truly outstanding!!
The first of the reds was the 1995 Ch Calon-Segur, a wine of low acidity that was smooth and easy on the palate, highly understated and almost nondescript. It took almost two hours to open up, with eventual notes of dried leaves and tobacco, gaining greater weight with a more savoury character, although the St-Estephe terroir remained elusive. Following on was a 1994 Ch Haut-Brion that I’d promised Danny, one of his favourite wines, which still appeared to be remarkably fresh and lively with fragrances of roses and red berries and notes of orangey citrus, supported by excellent density and depth, framed by understated tannins, the earthy minerality of Pessac-Leognan only appearing much later. This had more character than a bottle I’d brought to Otto in July 2011 (see post).
We drank the next pair together. Kelvin had brought a 1987 Ch Mouton-Rothschild. Compared with a previous tasting during a Bacchus Mouton vertical in January 2011 (see post), the present bottle was even more impressive from this unlikely vintage, exuding a lovely deep rose-scented bouquet of red fruits underpinned by a slightly prominent minerality. Fully mature, of course, yet it is still holding on very well with very good density in the mid-body, the wine totally seamless throughout, only lacking in real opulence and complexity, but it never faded. The 1982 Ch Montrose (courtesy Hiok), seemed like a real First Growth. Still deep in color, very open on the nose, the glorious fruit still retaining all its richness, minerality and concentration, remarkably youthful and very lovely to drink. If blinded, it’d have been difficult to place it as a St-Estephe, for it felt more like a Pauillac. Superb.
And just when we thought we’d completed the lineup, Peter produced another blinded red that still retained very deep color with pleasant overtones of red fruits and some forest floor on the bouquet. However, it was clear that this wine was well over the hill, missing in critical acidity, true complexity and nuance, just a bland monotone of wood and greenness with faint echoes of its past glory. A real pity, for it was a 1970 Ch Margaux, another one of Danny’s favourites. As they say, there are no great old wines, only great bottles. Nevertheless, what a glorious evening it had been, and thanks to all for their generosity.
1990: Cos Labory, Clos de L’Oratoire, Sociando Mallet & Les Ormes de Pez
I returned to Table At 7 (run jointly by Eugenia and Karl, the partnership that also runs private dining at Au Petit Salut) on 11 Aug 2011, barely a week after my first visit there. Hiok had arranged dinner that was to be sponsored by F. As a matter of principle, I never turn down any offer of a free meal and, by pure coincidence, most of us had brought along a 1990 Bordeaux each.
We began with a 1983 Ch Grand-Puy-Lacoste (courtesy KP). Popped and poured. Dusty red. There were fears that this wine would exhaust itself in no time, but it gave a gutsy display of sweet rosy fragrance and lovely mature red fruits, grippy and strong on glycerin but rather four-square, finishing short with biting tannins. Suitably complex but still has unresolved fruit. 
The initial exuberance settled down after about 45 minutes when it began fading on the nose, but it remained soft and seamless right till the end of dinner, still well and alive.
We drank the next pair together. The 1990 Ch Clos de L’Oratoire (courtesy Chris), aired in bottle, was dark dusky red, producing powerful sweet medicinal aromas not unlike Chinese cough mixture, complete with a sense of thickness, difficult for other flavours to penetrate through. For sure, it was dense, almost unctuous and hedonistic, most unlike a Bordeaux even for a modern-day Saint-Emilion and I don’t think it’ll turn out to be anything else even with further cellaring. Next to this, the 1990 Ch Cos Labory, also aired in bottle, was still remarkably fresh and youthful, open, soft and harmonious with a dark citrusy trail and a glow of orange peel and kumquat, although somewhat reticent and austere at the corners. Fully mature and elegant without possessing outright power, eventually developing great concentration and grip at the end of dinner with mouth-puckering intensity. This was the most evolved of the three St Estephe wines, and showing better than a recent tasting in June this year (see post). Excellent value at SGD115, a recent purchase from Crystal Wines.
As good as the above wines were, the next pair actually raised the bar further. F produced a 1990 Ch Les Ormes de Pez, most appropriately, as my introduction to fine claret had begun with a half-bottle of the same wine at Saint-Pierre, also courtesy of F, back in 2003. This wine was simply quite gorgeous, dark in color, exuding a superb bouquet of rich ripe fruit, medium-bodied, excellent in concentration with grippy velvety tannins, ending in a long lasting finish. 
Still seemingly youthful in character, becoming more full over time yet retaining great transparency. Quite astonishing from this cru bourgeois estate. To match this outstanding red was the equally outstanding 1990 Ch Sociando Mallet (courtesy Hiok) that had been decanted from home and brought to the restaurant. The waiter, unfortunately, accidentally knocked a hole in Hiok’s decanter, spilling some of the precious wine but we managed to rescue most of it. It displayed a deep luxuriant red, throwing off an attractive powerful earthy pungency with other subtle tertiary characters, very opulent, lush and open with a touch of green and a hint of gravel, not gaining in intensity, just simply holding ship throughout the whole course of dinner.
This tasting goes to show that you don’t need to bust the bank for a memorable 1990. My thanks to all for their generosity.
1999 Ch Angelus
My second bottle in 3 months, from the case of half-dozen imported from Bordeaux Index London, over dinner at Moomba, 10 Sep 2011. Decanted on site. 
Deep red with a bouquet of blueberries, other darker fruits and a note of soy. In spite of what was, supposedly, a wet vintage, the fruit is remarkably fresh and ripe, just missing in charm and outright opulence after the initial pour, rather stern in demeanour. After 20 minutes, it took on greater intensity with some biting tannins before settling into a smooth harmonious wine that was in no way hollow, though without much sparkle. But after an hour, it transformed into a wine of great concentration, becoming a lot weightier, opening up to reveal more layering in the mid-body, lingering in its finish, performing better than my previous note (July 2011). Although I admit to having a soft spot for any 1999 (a significant year for myself), this is an excellent wine by any standard.
Notes from Salzburg
I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Salzburg, primarily to attend its famous summer Festival. To me, it seemed most people were there to be seen rather than knowing anything substantial about the music. The champagne served at the Festival Halls (there are three, all housed within a single complex) is the Möet & Chandon NV at €13 per glass, pale with dominant notes of citrus, lime and floral fragrance underscored with brazen minerality and cutting acidity at the edges. Lacks the balance of a Bollinger.
I made a day trip to Steinbach-am-Attersee in search of Gustav Mahler’s composing hut by the lake, where he had written his Second and Third symphonies. For sure it’s there, extremely well-conserved within the grounds of the Hotel Fottinger where he had stayed between 1893-6. I had lunch there, washed down with a glass of 2010 Weingut Wilhelm Brundlmayer Riesling “Kamptaler Terrassen”, possessing substantial notes of melons, green apples and citrus supported by understated sweetness without any hollowness, slightly minty towards the finish. A lovely counterpoint to the heat of summer.
Singapore Airlines Business Class (Aug 2011)
I was pleasantly surprised at being upgraded to Business Class (first time I’ve had such a privilege) when I flew to Munich on 23 Aug 2011, so another chance to sample its offerings.
The Bollinger NV Special Cuvee remained available, a staple nowadays for SQ Business Class, it seems. Fairly complex on the nose and palate – nutty, toast with a bit of burnt and almonds with excellent minerality without being acerbic. Very good body and balance. Probably the best tasting note for Bollinger on board.
Next, I tried the 2008 Joseph Drouhin Chablis Reserve de Vaudon which, for me, was too one-dimensional, stuffed with loads of limey citrus and sharp minerality, almost bruising my palate. It settled down after some food, but it still came across as rather bland, lacking in real depth. Perhaps its a wine that needs plenty of time to aerate.
The ubiquitous Dr Loosen (2008) was available, but I chose instead to try the 2009 Balthasar Ress Haltenheimer Schutzenhaus kabinett riesling which impressed immediately with its highly attractive, perfumed bouquet – dense, smoky with plenty of petroleum character. 
But unfortunately, the wine carried less weight on the palate than suggested, some hollowness evident in the mid-body, remaining unremarkable all the way to its finish.
There was a choice of Bordeaux for the reds, both of which I tried. The 2007 Ch Paloumey had been favourably mentioned in a previous note in June 2011, and it remained the better of the two on this occasion as well. A lovely ruby red with lifted, almost scented, notes of red fruits, vanilla and oak, slightly dry in character which suited the wine well. Undeniably attractive. An astute choice by the airline. In contrast, the 2007 Ch La Garde was dark and muted. Soft at the edges with quality fruit that was apparent after some coaxing, albeit with a touch of greenness, leaving behind a slight alcoholic trail. Ultimately lacking in real charm and concentration. A pity, as I had held out high hopes for the Pessac-Leognan.
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.
Ric's Wine Journal 