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.
I found this mega tasting-cum-dinner at Lien Villa on 12 April 2011 – consisting of wines entirely from Pomerol – difficult to write. Perhaps it’s because of their nature, being so varied and unpredictable without any firm distinguishing feature, that made it difficult to pin them down. For sure dinner was a great success – how can it not be at this most outstanding of private dining venues (see Sept 2010), with dinner prepared on-site by the kitchen staff of Saint Pierre, helmed by its general manager and sommelier Gabriel Danis. A theme of 1995 and 1998 Pomerol, restricted to the top estates, had been declared in advance but as usual, there were a couple of variations here and there. We left Gabriel to blind the wines and serve them in flights of three in accordance to his own preference. We unveiled the wines after each flight. Needless to say, I got them all wrong and so, instead of leading readers blindly, I’ll just list all the wines in the order drunk.
A magnum of Champagne Laurent-Perrier Grand Siecle NV (courtesy of Chris) preceded the first flight – light clear golden with attractive aromas of toasty walnut set against the lively citrus at the rear. Not much depth but it is really smooth with excellent balance and concentration. 
We opened the actual tasting with a 1995 Château Trotanoy (courtesy of Chris). Dull purple; rather dense and sharp on the nose. More open on the palate with predominant red fruits producing some accentuation in the mid-body, soft at the edges, minty, long with lovely balance and layering, though it doesn’t plumb the depths. The 1990 Vieux Château Certan (courtesy of David) was distinctly more evolved in color and character, almost burgundian with notes of orange peel, cinnamon and red fruits, wonderfully ripe with great purity and some sweetness trailing at the edges. Mellow and very harmonious, finishing with moderate length. Very classic. Superb. In contrast, the 1995 Château L’Evangile (courtesy of Ed) was absolutely deceiving – very dark at the core with plenty of vanilla, glycerin and concentration of ripe fruit in the mid-body that gave no hint of its 16 years, finishing long. Yet to unfurl its glories, but the potential is great.
The second flight of wines were appreciably more forward in character. The 1998 Château La Conseillante (courtesy of Hiok) was big, bold and slightly medicinal, still dense and primal even after all these years, well structured and framed by velvety supple tannins but decidedly short, rather atypical for this much-admired estate. The 1995 Château Clinet (courtesy of Kieron) that followed, showing a beautiful clear red, was similarly tight and sappy in spite of the abundance of red and black berries, clearly possessing huge potential yet to be unleashed but already highly elegant at this stage. 
The 1995 Château La Conseillante (courtesy of KP) still retained a dark red core, giving off earthy barnyard aromas. Steely on the palate with good concentration, somewhat vegetal, developing more forward fruit characters with time but I wished it had more development.
We began the final flight with a 1998 Château L’Evangile (courtesy of Vic) that promised to be a big wine from its deep dark appearance, and it certainly was. Dense, almost jammy, loaded with glycerin and vanilla even after all these years, behaving as if it was a current release. Lush, rich, voluptuous but short and still unevolved. The 1998 Château Clinet was similarly big, dense and jammy with prune-like characters and graphite minerals. An intense effort, but the wine seemed to fall off the cliff at the finish. Worthy of anchoring the entire evening’s line-up, however, was the 1986 Vieux Château Certan (courtesy of PS). Still dark red in color, but it is obviously fully mature on the palate, soft with a lovely balance of red fruits and sweet raspberries, still remarkably fresh and lively. A superb end to a delectable evening of excesses. My sincere thanks to everyone for their generosity, not least the Lien estate.
2007 Egon Muller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett, a half-bottle over dinner at Ming Kee. Pale lime in color, with characters of citrus, lime, melons and trailing notes of tropical fruits with moderate sweetness, supported by flinty minerality that became broader and firmer over time, eventually developing a lasting bitter-sweet finish. Very good.
1998 Domaine de Chevalier, over dinner at Imperial Treasure ION, 2 May 2011. Popped and poured, showing a dull dark purple core. A whiff of earthy barnyard aromas greeted the nose initially before it settled down, giving off a minerally sheen. Seemingly hollow at first, but it rapidly gained weight over time and with food, fleshing out into a rounded body of smooth blueberries and dark berries with cedar and sweet mulberry appearing, displaying good depth and concentration, supported by firm but pliant tannins, classic in poise and structure, ending in a moderate finish. It may not quite possess the lush opulence of the great vintages, but Domaine de Chevalier always remains true to the terroir of each vintage without resorting to any gimmickry manipulation. This is drinking well now, and will hold for several more years.
2000 Ch Branaire Duluc-Ducru, private dining at Au Petit Salut on 3 May 2011. Aired in bottle for 20-30 minutes, drunk over the next 90 minutes. Deep garnet core. An evolved bouquet of predominantly dark berries with some red fruits without the graphite tone. Medium-full. Rather atypical for a Saint-Julien, missing much of the usual ferrous minerality, being much more generous with rich ripe fruit, fleshy and rounded, already displaying some secondary nuances characterised by a heavier vein of licorice, plum, orangey citrus and cinnamon, not quite seamless as yet, eventually developing a mildly tannic and stern finish over time. A wine still early in its development, and probably will only hit its drinking window 10 years down the road. My key impression was that this is a “heavy” wine, compared to, say, Gruaud-Larose of the same vintage, which is much more open and layered. My only bottle.
2000 Ch La Dominique, at Etoile on 6 May 2011. Popped and poured. Dark red with a fair tinge of brown. Quite a powerful bouquet of ripe warm fruit, rather heavy with notes of licorice, soy, plum and kumquat, fully replicated on the palate with density and richness without the outright lushness and opulence of Monbousquet from the same vintage. It’s big, but well-proportioned. Already well integrated and developing secondary nuances, but clearly still far from full maturity, which will probably require another 15-20 years. Obviously not your traditional Saint-Emilion, but still able to distinguish itself from New World cabernet. I enjoyed it.
2004 Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino, at Imperial Treasure T3 on 11 May 2011. Popped and poured. Bright clear ruby red. Predominantly of red fruits, brandied cherries and a hint of plum, no doubt from the sangiovese. Medium-bodied, fairly soft and accessible. 
Compared to a previous tasting some nine months ago, I thought this contained a slightly heavier alcoholic trace. Perhaps best to let my two remaining bottles rest another 2-3 years.
2006 Marchesi di Barolo Barbera d’Alba Ruvei, a half-bottle (SGD60++) bought off the restaurant list of La Strada on Mother’s Day. A Piedmont red, deep in color. Fairly intense intially, with rich ripe flavours underpinned by a firm alcoholic bed. After 45 minutes, and with food, it became fairly broad with more red fruits and currants to the fore, quite fresh and inviting, the nebbiolo giving off some plummy character with decent body and depth, slightly sweet and spicy. Does its job well.
2005 La Fleur de Bouard (courtesy of LW), at Etoile on 18 May 2011. Popped and poured. Deep purple. Violets and ripe dark berries, slightly raisiny on the nose. Medium-bodied with very good concentration and a rather peculiar earthy finish of dry dusty tannins. Enjoyable.
2006 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz-Cabernet, popped and poured at a happy hour event on 19 May 2011. Surprisingly open and highly approachable, fairly soft, rounded and fleshy, displaying excellent concentration of fruit at just the right level of extraction. Possesses a very natural feel. I’d previously said (in 2009, when I first tasted this wine during a Penfolds dinner at Saint-Pierre) that this would turn out to be a truly great QPR. It’d certainly lived up to its promise.
2003 Cullen Diana Madeline, popped and poured at a happy hour event on 19 May 2011. Deep purple. Again much more open than a previous bottle tasted six months ago. Fleshy with excellent concentration, displaying a true cabernet quality with appropriate dryness as well as some leafy, tobacco character. Very attractive.
2004 Oliver’s Taranga HJ reserve shiraz, a highly-rated wine (Winestate Magazine’s Wine Of The Year) from McLaren Vale, popped and poured at a happy hour event on 19 May 2011. Deep impenetrable purple. Immediately bolder in style, lush with blueberries, blackberries and raisins supported by a mild plummy lift. Smooth, structured and sophisticated without any alcoholic trace. Has finally turned the corner, compared to a previous tasting some two years ago. Excellent.
2004 Ch Leoville Poyferre, at Saint-Pierre on 20 May 2011. Popped and poured. Clear bright red. Quite open in body and highly accessible with notes of red fruits, blueberries and a hint of bitter chocolate. Medium-bodied and fleshy. Developed a rather stern, somewhat bitter and metallic finish after an hour, and with food. On the whole, it’s drinking quite well but it’s perhaps better to allow it another few more years to come round.
2005 Les Hauts de Smith, my last bottle, a Imperial Treasure T3 on 25 May 2011. Popped and poured, deep purple in color. Very lovely on the nose, rather complex with violets, ripe blueberries amidst earthy minerally notes, slightly sweet. Disappointing on the palate, however. I’d expected it to be quite open, but here it’s rather stiff and dense, sharp on the mid-palate without much disernible layering, leaving a trail unresolved alcohol. Certainly not what I knew this wine was capable of.
1994 Ch Leoville Las-Cases, at Jade Palace on 28 May 2011 with the family. Double-decanted for 2 hours prior. Deep red. Unmistakably Saint-Julien on the nose with plenty of stern minerality and graphite. Although the vintage was less than favourable, the fruit is far from drying out, still rather concentrated and sharp in the mid-body but lacking in charm and layering, somewhat one-dimensional and austere, ending in a dry finish that’s quite appropriate for this estate’s terroir. Certainly quite different from a previous bottle opened at Kome two years ago, which was more open, engaging and evolved. Will it improve? I don’t think I’m in any hurry to pop my remaining 3 bottles.
2007 Ch Les Carmes Haut-Brion, a half bottle after work on 30 May 2011. Dark purple. Surprisingly weighty (in spite of the poor growing season) with blueberries and blackcurrants, laced with a tinge of sweetness and afterglow of fresh vanilla and reasonably ripe fruit. Soft and medium-bodied without any jarring edges, ending with reasonable length but clearly lacking in richness and density. Meant for early drinking.
2000 Ch Calon Segur, courtesy of Vic at his new condo on 31 May 2011. Decanted for over an hour and served blind. Fairly deep purple with a slightly lighter rim. Rather shy initially; you really have to stick your nose right inside the glass to appreciate the cool ripe fruit, wonderfully fresh on the palate, medium to full-bodied, grippy, rounded and very harmonious. Doesn’t possess the dryness of Pauillac nor the sterness of St-Julien nor the earthy aromas of Graves nor the clayey tone of St-Estephe, which led me to think it was likely to be a classified Margaux, being a tad feminine although I wouldn’t go as far to say that it’s perfumed. Looks like history is repeating itself, for this was exactly what I fell into when I mistook the 1990 Montrose for a 1990 Margaux (see April posts). Excellent.
Champagnes of Bruno Paillard & 2002 Armand Rousseau Clos St-Jacques & 1982 Latour-a-Pomerol
These notes come from a private dinner with Monsieur Bruno Paillard on May 4, 2011, at Imperial Treasure Great World, where YS had been very kind to have extended me an invitation as a guest of Vinum, which was hosting the dinner. In terms of production, Maison Bruno Paillard doesn’t quite count amongst the usual suspects, but its quality quite easily surpasses many of the bigger names. It transpired during conversation that Bruno Paillard is the champagne of choice for the Singapore embassy in France, a wonderful testament to the ambassador’s sophisticated palate as much as to the winemaker’s skill. The wines were served in rapid succession over the course of a sumptious Cantonese cuisine.
First came the Bruno Paillard Premier Cuvee Brut. Pale. High-toned crystalline minerality offset by bitter-sweet citrus. Good body, fairly smooth, not too sharp, revealing some depth, layered with wonderful acidity. Lively and refreshing. An excellent champagne in its own right. I’ve always felt that the reputation of every respectable maison de champagne is built upon its non-vintage cuvee, it’s calling card, and Bruno Paillard certainly does not disappoint. 
Following on, the Bruno Paillard Premier Cuvee Rose, with a dull golden rose-scented glow, was deceptively smooth and easy with attractive orangey citrus and a hint of strawberries , coming across as being a bit straightforward and nondescript initially. But it developed most impressively over time, growing in density, fleshing out, becoming more fruity with more minerality coming through. Not quite in the same league as the Jacques Lassaigne rose that I had recently, but this can be rewarding if you have the patience to wait.
The following pair of vintage champagnes proved that Bruno Paillard deserves to sit alongside the champagne greats. The 1996 Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs, pale, with lovely clarity, was notably bigger and deeper on the nose with wonderful lifted aromas, the complexity and supple minerality already coming through on the nose. Broad and expansive on the palate with lovely poise and incredible definition, richer over time, leading to a long lasting finish. Not the last word in depth but it more than makes up for it with its excellent integration and balance. Superb as this was, it was trumped by the 1995 Bruno Paillard N.P.U. “Nec Plus Ultra”, made only from grand cru grapes only in great vintages. Just a tad deeper in color than the Blanc de blancs. There’s a sense of great depth on the nose, highly perfumed, topped with yeasty notes, nutty and creamy. Expansive and ultra smooth, showing great body and complexity, gaining in depth over time, seamless and mature, incredibly complex at its long, long finish. A complete wine.
YS had brought along two reds to round off the evening. The 2002 Armand Rousseau Clos St-Jacques 1er Cru was deeply rose-scented and, typically for this producer, deeply-layered with immense complexity in the mid-body, gloriously lush and ripe, highly perfumed with great purity of fruit whilst still remaining tight. This is a wine for the long haul. Like Patek Philippe, it’s perhaps meant for the next generation. The piece de resistance came in the form of a 1982 Ch Latour-a-Pomerol, served from magnum (!). Still retaining a deep red core but obviously mature, exuding a highly complex bouquet that defies description. It has that luminous hallowed glow of aged Bordeaux, slightly salty, imparting flavours of red and dark berries from fruit of great purity with wonderful profound depth. Still remarkably youthful and lively in other respects, quite complete as a wine, just missing the outright lushness of a Pomerol, but probably for the better. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end the evening.
Hot on the heels of the Palmer dinner came another heady theme, masterminded by YS, featuring three Bordeaux wines from the outstanding 1990 vintage with perfect Parker scores: Châteaux Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarrosse, Montrose and Margaux. Regular visitors to this website will understand that RWJ doesn’t score wines, preferring instead to focus on the actual tasting experience. Everyone knows what 100 (out of 100) marks mean in a math exam, because the marking criteria is standardised, applies equally to everyone, and is reproducible with 100% accuracy. But 100 points awarded to a wine hardly means anything. What is 100 compared with 98? Someone’s 100 could well be another’s 90. In the absence of objective standardisation, scoring a wine is a hopelessly flawed and subjective exercise. At best, numerical scores serve only as a guide to the overall quality of a wine. But in an increasingly dumbed-down world where more and more people need to be guided by numerical cut-offs and benchmarks (without really understanding their true meaning), it is not surprising that the number game is everywhere. Robert Parker Jr has often been blamed for starting it all, but just about every Brit and non-American has succumbed to it as well. Now that numerical scoring has been so deeply ingrained, some thoughts come to mind: How does a 100-pointer wine taste like? 
Will I be able to recognise a 100-pointer wine? Interesting. And so when I received an invitation on 14 April 2011 to be part of a 100-pointer dinner that same evening at La Strada, I threw all reservations to the backburner and showed up straight from work. Although the identities of the wines were known, we followed our usual custom, giving the sommelier carte blanche to blind and arrange the order to be served.
To ease us into the tasting, Kieron and David had brought along a 1999 Champagne Philipponnat Clos des Goisses Brut, one of my favourite champagnes. A blend of 65% pinot noir and 35% chardonnay, this high-toned wine displayed a lovely smooth minerality with a layered, sweet pomelo finish. A bit reticent initially as a result of being served too cold, but it gradually warmed up with an explosion of colors, an abundance of chalk and tropical fruits without the usual overtones of malt and vanilla oak, ending in a rich finish. The last sip was the best, the wine finally displaying great depth and bounce to be on par with what I’d remembered of it from a tasting back in September 2009 (see post). Quite superb.
The 1990 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Grand Cru that followed was originally meant to whet our appetite before the Bordeaux. Consistent with this producer, and especially of Musigny wines, this showed a heavier shade of pinot with a most lovely nose of red fruits as well as some suggestion of plum and orange peel, still youthful, complete with an excellent perception of depth. Open and seamless on the palate, where it was darker in tone, more austere and tight in the middle, rather backward. A big burg that began to open up with time, but the fruit seemed to be beginning to dry and thin out at the finish. The table was split down the middle in opinion; some felt it was evolving faster than expected while others felt it wasn’t quite ready yet. I tend to agree with the latter camp. Whatever, it is always a privilege to have the opportunity to taste a Musigny Grand Cru from the largest landowner of this hallowed plot.
The first of the 1990 wines to be poured was dull purple, exuding a powerful nose of dark ripe berries with a dash of red fruits. This wine was still remarkably fresh and youthful, possessing some density in the middle with more than a hint of soy, broadening on the palate with an expansive sweep. Very harmonious, just a slight accentuation on the mid-palate that evened out over time, tapering to a moderate finish. Very lovely. Of the three 1990 Bordeaux wines, this was drinking the best. I thought this was probably the Beauséjour, where the predominant merlot component was likely to mellow earlier.
This was followed by the second 1990, displaying a vibrant dark purple that produced a powerful nose of violets, blackberries and a good deal of earth with aromas that were lifted, almost perfumed. On the palate, it was soft and rounded, full of elegance and restraint, rather feminine in character but in a dark manner. A dark beauty. But still tight, needing plenty more time. Ch Margaux?
The final 1990 displayed the deepest purple with the most balanced nose of all, coupled with a wonderful sense of black and dark berries. Full-bodied, opulent, almost lush, showing a slightly sharp accentuation that dissipated with time, laying on great concentration, depth and definition, almost hedonistic and irrepressible in the French manner where the wine remains perfectly balanced in spite of the weight and larger proportions. Still very tight. One wonders if another 20 years of cellaring will change anything at all. Given the lineup and going by elimination, I thought it most likely to be the Montrose.
We worked out the math. As there were only 3 wines, this meant there were only 6 possible permutations. And with 6 drinkers, one of us must surely hit the jackpot. And so we all declared our thoughts and called in the sommelier to unveil the order poured. To my embarrassment, it turned out we were poured the 1990 Château Margaux, followed by the 1990 Château Montrose and, finally, the 1990 Château Beauséjour Duffau-Lagarrosse. Zero hits for me, while some of us scored one hit, at most.
So, what can I surmise out of this experience? 1) To be honest, I wouldn’t have known I was tasting a 100-pointer if I hadn’t known beforehand. Mind you, these wines were all very, very lovely. I could have drunk them all night. Each of them provided a wonderful experience in its own unique way. But it simply shows up the inadequacies of the scoring system, because in no way does any kind of summary scoring reflect the character of each wine. 2) I’m really poor at blind-tasting.
My heartfelt thanks to YS for including me in this dinner-cum-tasting. Was it worth the money? Perhaps, just for a singular experience. For sure, I can’t afford to do this sort of thing on a regular basis. 
2004 Clonakilla Shiraz-Viognier
2004 Clonakilla Shiraz-Viognier, at Prive on 29 April 2011. Opened at the restaurant and aired in bottle for around 20 minutes before being consumed over the next two hours. This wine is made in the style of a northern Rhone, where a small fraction of viognier is co-fermented with shiraz (syrah). The benefits are immediately apparent. Already showing a more evolved color than usual, the initial impression was that of a rather effusive nose of aged red fruits, plum and orangey citrus that led to a medium-bodied wine, soft at the edges, rounded and fleshy, remarkably well-balanced with excellent depth and structure, and much more aromatic compared with a straight shiraz, no doubt contributed by the viognier. Over time, more secondary notes of cinnamon, cedar and violets began appearing, growing in complexity, the wine gelling into a seamless whole with an even greater glow of cherries, blueberries and a hint of glycerin, finally developing a mild spicy accentuation at the finish. Compared with the 2002 vintage, which is still dense and backward, the 2004 is evolving at a more rapid pace, already into its drinking window where I have no doubt it should easily hold for several more years. The remarkable thing is, if tasted blind, everyone would have said Old World. No wonder this label has made it into the top rung of Langton’s Classification. Absolutely superb.
Ric's Wine Journal 