Of Grapes and Rice

Standing room only, row of 1degree fridges, steaming Oden, what a din. Then it all stops. Shouts are muted, the cold of the air-conditioning is faint, the epitome of rice fermentation. Balance on the palette and finish. Mildly heavy, round, smooth. It was a 2nd session....man..


REWIND: It was an ordinary session, with Bordeaux, Champagne, Italian and Spanish. There was also 7-up! The Nvmanthia was interesting, filled with Chocolate, butter and TM mentioned the force will appear in a few hours. Camensac '79 could be a bit too old, vegetal, a bit 'watery', fruit is going but tannins are still alive. Barde Haut's nose reminds' of Paulliac, palette of merlo, a meatier finish then at typical 97. Bruno Paillard was very yeasty, fresh, easy to drink. Fiano have the 'nose of the night', white flowers, wished more acidty present. 7-up was good too.

Session turned extra-ordinary with a trip to Orihara with TM and gang and we had the pleasure to taste the 1978 Daiginjo, alcohol 16%.....and the room started to spin.

Wines
Chateau de Camensac 1979
Nvmanthia 2007
Barde Haut St Emillion 1997
Bruno Paillard 1999
Colle di Tilo Fiano
7-up

1978 Daiginjo, alcohol 16% (image taken by WW)

Orihara liquor shop and bar
Tori-Tama Restaurant
11 Unity Street #01-02 Robertson Walk
6836-5710 and 6836-5680

Nose of char kway teow & herbs

A friend commented, why do wines smell of western foods, like Liquorice, figs, rose, black currants and not asian foods such as char kway teow, kway chup etc? It's an intriguing question though I'd never think that wines should smell much like char kway teow or even western foods such as steaks or salads. These foods are a mixture of ingredients put together by man, hence nature shouldn't allow it. The vocabulary taken to wines speaks of natural flavours, either a plant, fruit, or elements of the ground. This wouldn't be surprising as a vine takes nutrients from the earth and a grape is a fruit!

Another question I had is the lack of 'eastern flavours' in wines. The call was answered last night, the distinctive nose of Ling Liang (Antelope Horn). A 'herb' which soothes fevers (especially for me), this flavour stood out in the. It was the Jamess 2001 Cotie Rotie. A cool vintage, the unripeness shows in the herbaceous nature of this wine.

Speaking about wines smelling of Asian herbs, I've also had Myras 1982, which smelled heavily of cordyceps (A widely used herb in Chinese medicine and cuisine)

Other notable 'eastern flavoured' wine includes the Ausone 1975, with clear direction of Ceylon Tea.

Earth, wind and fire

It was a casual affair turned serious and into an epic showdown of wines. Up to 15 were presented. Thanks to WW for the organisation and logistics. The night started with a flurry of strong reds, a dash of champagnes, and another flurry of Auslese, TBA, fortified wines and more sweets than my simple palette could take. I was really a happy man by the time we finished and time was really flying. Some blabber here with notes from memory.

Flight of the 2007s Burgundies
JT brought a 2007 Gerard Mugneret Nuits Saint Georges Les Boudots with a very forward palette. Opened for 30mins during lunch and it was capped. Would like to see how it evolves over another 3-5 yrs. I opened a Laroze de Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 2007 at 3pm and decanted at 5pm. The nose at 7pm was a yummilicious 'gummy bear' licorice, palette was very tight and tannins was pretty hard. Did a double decanting at ~730pm and wine turn bitter at 8pm (wine was opening?). At 9pm+, wine tasted fine with the usual figs and palette was pleasant. This is still really young and tight and I believe the decanting has almost reached a limit. This is the first time trying 2007s and a pretty good and ripe vintage for Burgundies and I look forward to trying more in the coming years.

Battle of the titans - Old wines
An enchanting, mysterious and brooding lady, with whiffs of raw wild flowers, and carrying a stick of honeyed-cherries. Sashays well onto palette yet with hint of tannins lingering at the finish. Unlike anywines which I've tasted, this was really good and interesting. Guessing at least 20yo and stabbing at the dark at Pomerol, this was one of the best wines of the night, the Plince de la Beaudye Pomerol 1970 fr Marcus. This evergreen 41year old one is a great surprise.

Next we had another lady, this time more poise than the Pomerol, proportioned in all the right areas, in a flowy summer dress with a long slit not unlike a chinese cheonsgsum. She carries her conversations well and puts one at ease. She's like a long lost friend whom you swear you have known all your life and would bet your last dollar that you've seen her somewhere. It's..like..'coming home'. Coming home it was, to the noble grape of Cabinet Sauvignon. Yet, it is not Paulliac, but on the famed godly grounds the tiny Gravelly Meadow of Diamond Creek in Napa valley. Perfumes of the earth, rocks, with the easy-going and harmonious palette and a wondrous finish. Time to bring this 33yr old back to see mama.

And yet there was more. Which wine house is more famous and creates passion that obsessed wine drinkers would want to tattoo on their bodies? Or that one wishes that the House's claret flows through his veins? The passion for a heavenly drop of God, the Canon-la-Gaffeliere 1983. The favourite house of W, this is a superb wine, with the signature jammy and sweet nature of CLG's wine. The 1983 is a little vegetal, but still great. Comparing with the delicious 2004 and 1998, there's nothing like aged wines!

The rest of the entries will be entered in separate posts.






Ghislaine Barthod 1er Cru les Cras Chambolle Musigny 1996
VDP "Le Ciecle" 1996
Laroze de Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 2007
Domaine Jamet Cote-Rotie 2001
Chateau canon la gaffeliere 1983
Plince de la Beaudye Pomerol 1970
Gerard Mugneret Nuits Saint Georges Les Boudots 2007
Giusto di Notri Rosso Tosca 2001
Diamond Creek Gravelly Meadow 1978
Harmonie blanc de noir 2005
Robert Weil Kiedrich Grafenberg Auslese 2001
Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Auslese 1995
Weinlaubenhof Kracher No.7 TBA 2002
Chambers Rosewood Vineyards Rutherglen Special Tokay