Posts Tagged 2008
Back to the ‘Old’ world…
Posted by eatbikelove in Wine Tasting Notes on August 27, 2013
Spending over a month in Australia has definitely helped in improving my understanding and appreciation of Australian wines. Interestingly, it has also helped solidify my wine preference. There are lots of very good wines in Australia but, I’ve realised that I am a crazy fan of aged old world wines which focuses more on balance and the wines being velvety smooth.
I do have lots of friends who are big fans of strong and powerful red wines (such as Barossa Valley Shiraz’s) and I can completely understand their preference. Post my trip, I have been checking my wine notes of recently tasted old world wines and I can happily say…”Honey, I’m Home!”
Tasting
Lumiere Histoire 2011
OK… after all this talk of old world wines, what is a Japanese wine doing here :-P. This is an interesting wine from Yamanishi prefecture which I recently tasted with a few friends in Tokyo. Tasted: June 2013.
Nose: Cheesy smell, hidden white flowers, white pear
Taste: medium light body, smooth body, no acidity, no dryness.
Finish: no finish to think off.
I admit, this is not my first choice if I have one.
Champagne Lahaye, Blanc de Noir NV.
Tasted June 2013 when I visited my friends in Singapore. I’ve had this on numerous occasions and it does not disappoint.
Nose: almonds, lemon zest, hint of green apple
Taste: great balance, medium weight, good acidity,
Finish: decent finish of 20 second
A v v nice champagne to go with Chinese food (tasted with Teochew cuisine)
Clos des Papes 2001
Nose: red and blackberries, strong cherry nose, hint of white pepper
Taste: good smooth texture, secondary flavours of berries and plum. Hint tannin
Finish: long finish of 30 second
A very nice GSM blend from this legendary producer. Given its age, all the harsh tannins have receded leaving a lovely smooth texture. Tasted along the champagne with Teochew cuisine. Lovely!
Blain Gagnard Chassgne Montrachet Caillerets 1er Cru 2009
Tasted July 2013
Colour: pale straw yellow
Nose: oily, white apple, pear, white flower, honey
Taste: beautiful silky texture, typical Chassagne body with the fruit taking centre stage. White flowers and good acidity
Finish: white apple and pear finish. c25 seconds.
Lovely wine and keeps on improving in the glass. After lots of swinging, the wine opens up to velvety smoothness.
Cathiard Vosne Romanee Aux Reignots 1er Cru 2008
Tasted July 2013
Colour- dark ruby red
Nose- dense mix of red n black fruits, hint of vanilla, upon opening smells like a Pauillac then reverting back to a Vosne nose.
Taste- velvety smooth with power! Good balance between fruits and tannin. Hint of mint @ finish.
Finish- long minty finish of over 30 seconds.
A very good wine that is bound to put on more weight and improve with age.
Jean Grivot Vosne Romanee Village 2005
Tasted August 2013 in Sydney Australia.
Nose: beautiful red and black fruits, cherries, velvety rose perfume, hint of vanilla
Taste: medium bodied, good fruit, velvety fruit,
Finish: good 20 second sweet fruity finish.
A good wine but shame about paying the WET tax in Australia.
Domaine Tollot-Beaut Chorey Les Beaune 2010
Tasted August 2013
Nose: cowpat at first, then slowly opened up for red fruit, cherries, raspberry,
Taste: acidic taste, red fruits, medium light body, simple structure.
Finish: 15 second finish.
A decent and simple glass of burg. On of those daily wines if you can afford it.
Domaine De la Vougeraie, Gevrey Chambertin Les Evocelles 2009
Tasted August 2013
Nose: red fruit nose, green muskiness from the oak, hint of vanilla
Taste: medium bodied, red fruits, slight hint of acidity
Finish: short finish of 15 second
Interesting wine with the potential to add on weight after a few more cellar age.
Domaine De la Vougeraie, Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2007
Tasted August 2013
Nose: red fruits, strawberries, hint to green, velvet texture, hint of mint
Taste: medium full bodied, red fruits, good texture, velvety smooth
Finish: 25 second finish
On a different level to Evocelles even though it is from the 2007 vintage. Good concentration.
Olivier Leflaive Meursault Tillets 2010
Tasted August 2013
Nose: white flower, lemon peel, hint of honeysuckle
Taste: sweet fruits, hint of apricot, slight acidity. Good texture.
Finish: 15 second semi dry finish.
Relatively simple wine given the price. Not sure if I am paying for the wine or for Leflaive???
Sebastien Magnien, Beaune !er Cru, Les Aigrots 2006
Nose: red fruits, strawberries and raspberries, hint of vanilla and lavender.
Taste: red fruits, started out light but gained weight once opened, good texture with a slight acidity
Finish: fruity finish of c20 seconds.
A half decent wine. Shame I only have a bottle.
New kid in the burg… with prices to match
Posted by eatbikelove in Producer Wine Tasting on June 4, 2013
Olivier Bernstein…a young star that has recently been rising in prominence in Burgundy. What is interesting is that Olivier has managed to amass a selection of very good burgundy vineyards in a very short space of time and he is not originally from Burgundy, an area where tradition and history carries a significant amount of weight. I had the luxury and good fortune to meet with Olivier when he made a short stop in Hong Kong in February 2013 and I must admit, his wines are GOOD! The wines do represent the terrior but unfortunately these come at a price! As always, a tasting is always the best opportunity to decide for myself if these wines are worth it so with no expectations (other than for a good evening) I went along to try Oliviers wines.
There were 8 wines to taste that night as follows:
2008 Puligny-Montrachet, 1er cru Champ-Gains
2009 Corton Charlemagne
2007 Chambolle-Musigny, 1er cru les Lavrottes
2007 Gevrey-Chamberin, 1er cru Les Cazetiers
2008 Gevrey Chambertin
2008 Gevrey-Chambertin, 1er cru Les Champeaux
2009 Charmes-Chambertin
2009 Clos Vougeot
Even better, I got to seat right next to the great man and as a result got to know him and his wines better.
Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t long before we filled up the entire table with glasses. What a sight.
In my honest opinion, Olivier’s wines are good. However, whether I would realistically pay the price he charges for a bottle of his wines is debatable. Perhaps the wines might justify such a high price tag in the future when they age more and develop more complexity. I hope to be able to retaste them at a later date and hope they become even better!
Colour: Pale Straw yellow
Nose: white flowers, hint of violets. Revisited after 2.5 hrs and there were hints of coconut and honey
Taste; slight acidity, good length, hint of minerality
Finish: 20 second finish
Colour: Again pale straw yellow. I was expectign more depth of colour given it was a Grand Cru but maybe it was too young.
Nose: White fruits, fruity and hint of oil. After 2.5hrs, secondary flavours were introduced and you could smell the oiliness of the wine.
Taste: Lemon peel, smooth texture, white flowers, hint of minerality. A lot more concentrated and fruity.
Finish: 30 second finish
Nose: red fruits, very floral
Taste: Red fruits, good balance, slight acidity, hint of vegetal dryness but not overall the fruitiness was still dominant and flamboyant.
Finish: 25 second finish.
Nose: mix of red and black fruit. Hint of cassis, good nose and concentration, hint of vegetal nose
Taste: acidic, tannic and dry on palate. Less concentrated on palate than on the nose. This wine feels more auster when tasted next to the Chambolle 1er. This however, made it great with wagyu steak.
Finish: 30 second finish,
Nose: good perfume, red fruits,
Taste: Very good fruit, good balance,
Nose: 15 second finish of joy
One of the best wines of the night as I think now is the perfect window for this wine whereas the 1er and GC should still be sleeping.
Nose: red fruits, hint of vanilla,
Taste: good balance, smooth texture, red fruity, slight acidity
Finish: 20 second finish,
Nose: good red fruit, slight vegetal, roses
Taste: Good balance, red fruits, slight acidity but really nice as it is opening up. A very good Charmes and definitely the better GC tonight
Finish: 30 second finish
Nose: red perfume, velvet, slight vegetal,
Taste: a bit thin and diluted, good perfume and balance, slight acidity
Finish: 25 second
This wines seems to have all the great ingredients but somehow felt lighter and diluted than the othe Clos Vougeots that I have tasted. Perhaps the wine is way to young to taste at this stage and should put on more weight after another 5 years in cellar.
Some old Bordeaux tasting notes
Posted by eatbikelove in Wine Tasting Notes on May 13, 2013
I’ve been trying to do some spring cleaning lately to organise my wine notes better and came across a small selection of Bordeaux wine notes tasted voer the past few years. Looking back at these notes makes me really wish I am holding a glass whilst writing these notes but alas, sanity won. Anyway, hopefully I will have a chance to open the same bottle and compare notes in the near future!
Tasted June 2011.
Initial reaction upon opening the cork:
Nose: Very strong aroma of black berries and blackcurrant. There is a hint of vanilla even though there is 12+ yrs of age. Impressive! Tight with lots of potential.
Colour- dark brick colour with a slight degradation at the rim.
After decanting for 2 hours-
Taste- chewy but smooth tannins. A hint of vegetal with a silky texture.
Finish- Good smooth finish. I could still feel the wine after 45 seconds.
Very good wine
Tasted end of June 2011.
Decanted for over 6 hours.
Colour- Ink purple colour. Very concentrated.
Nose- sweet vanilla nose with a whiff of alcohol. After some swirling then the smell of red berries start to come out.
Taste- Very nice taste with a very smooth silky texture. The wine is very balanced. There are some secondary red berries too.
Finish- a nice 45 sec finish with smooth tannins.
A very very nice wine where everything seems to come together nicely.
Tasted- December 2011
Nose- Blackcurrant, black berries, violets. No hint of vanilla.
Taste- silky smooth texture with a nice perfume and a hint of flint.
Finish- Good 45 sec finish with soft tannins.
A very elegant wine.
Tasted March 2012
Colour- dull brick colour. Very musky Given the age.
Nose- musky to begin with, followed by a nice raspberry and red fruits.
Taste- nice taste of liquorice candy. A bit sour which could be the age.
Finish- a shortish finish of c20 seconds. A tad sour aftertaste.
This wine is clearly over its peak. However, it is still a very pleasant wine nonetheless, especially after all the muskiness evaporates
Tasted December 2012 in Magnum
Nose: Hint of vanilla, cranberry and violet
Taste: Smooth texture with a simple red fruit enveloping the mouth
Finish: c20 sec finish.
Tasted December 2012.
Nose: Good nose of tobacco, vanilla, liquorice and leather
Taste: Good velvety body, smooth acidity and soft tannins.
Finish: c30 sec finish.
A lovely wine with the typical Margaux elegance
Winston's Wine World 
Recent Comments