2010 Simple Wine Dinner Series No 4 :: My Birthday Dinner (Part 3/4)

5th Flight :: At last! The duo 1984s! Perfect marriage for Suckling Pig with Mouline & The Angus beef with Dominus ^^ Yum!

鸿运乳猪全体 Roasted Whole Suckling Pig

1984 E.Guigal Cote Rotie La Mouline, Northern Rhone, France
At last, a 1984. This has signs of leakage on the cork, but my worry was gone immediately when I pulled out the cork. Cork remained in good condition. Finely focus complex and highly aromatic bouquet of roasted herbs, animal, dried fig, blackberry with lots of spices. Finely texture. Good weight and depth in the mid palate, which remain fresh. The balance between the sweetness and acidity is impeccable. Silky smooth mouthfeel, not the powerful type, but with soft long elegantly persistent finish. I especially like the orangey flavor. A complete wine in a total harmony with lots of finesse. This is at its peak and I really enjoyed it. My RWOTN. In such a disaster year with such quality, I wonder how does the great vintage of Lalas tastes like. Kudos to Guigal!

Pan Fried Angus Beef / Charcoal Grilled Lamb Chop

1984 Dominus, Napa Valley, California
Another birth year wine! 2nd vintage of Dominus. Leaking sign when I opened the foil, and the corked was broken when I first pulled it. Please, don’t tell me this is off btl or corked! Luckily, I managed to remove the other half cork from the btl and poured into the decanter. The bouquet of crème de cassis immediately rose from the decanter, yes, this is still alive! Good deep focused nose with liveliness, the palate is lush, fresh, medium body, with good depth and complexity as well as purity of fruits. Very right bank. Still surprisingly young and no problem to age further more. Slight alcohol showed at the very end but disappeared after sitting in the glass for 30mins or more. Great work Mouiex!


6th Flight :: The Rhone! The 1995 M.Chapoutier Barbe Rac was excellent. The 1998 Pegau Reserve wasn't so friendly.

豉椒炒猪件 Stir-fried Meat w/ Black Bean & Pepper Sauce

1998 Domaine Pegau Cuvee Reserve CDP, Southern Rhone, France
Stinky, funky banyardy nose with roasted meat and herbs, underlying blackberry acid in the core complex with dried fig paste and hint of American bubble gum. Palate is young and didn't show much yet. Very sweet and juicy long finish. Need times. Er.... this is not old enough to fit the theme! haha...


1995 M.Chapoutier Barbe Rac CDP, Southern Rhone, France
WOW! This is brilliant! Very CDP. While this hasn't hit its peak yet, it already presented itself very well with its complex, opulent, fine texture and liveliness. Still some tannins to shed and long long finish with good purity and vibrancy. This is far more elegant and finesse in style compared to the 2001 I popped last year which is more firmly structured and musculine. No problem to age for another 5yrs or even more!

2010 Simple Wine Dinner Series No 4 :: My Birthday Dinner (Part 2/4)

3rd Flight :: The Jadot Corton is one of the best Corton I have had.

红焖龙躉尾 Braised Giant Garoupa Tail

1990 Louis Jadot Hospices Corton Grand Cru, Cote du Beune, Burgundy, France
Alluring bouquets of spices, floral and red cherry fruits. Deep and ripe yet fresh and seductive complex with hint of wet animal fur. The palate remain fresh thanks to the bright acidity. Clean long finished. A complete wine with lots of depth, complexity with certain level of finesse with its slight wild exotic and wet fur character which is very typicity of Corton. Showing very well for the night, great!

1995 Mongeard Mugneret Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, Burgundy, France
Perfumy red flowers and cherry nose. Structure, woody, still some tannins to shed. Realize that the sweetness of the fruits is cover by the structure. Still very primary. Long tannics finish, again, lots of wood undertones and slight rustic. This remind me of Jadot Amoureuses 1995. A very good burg from MM which is very much diff from the Chambolle village I have had. JT commented that this maker is very good for it's Grand Cru level. Can't agree more. Thanks JT! Another CV I liked after the Arnoux.


4th Flight :: Surprisingly the La Conseillante is drinking very well in an average vintage in Right Bank while the Bouchard was closed for business.

茂根罗卜炖全鸭 Double Boiled Whole Duck Soup w/ Carrot

1990 Bouchard Le Corton Grand Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France
Riper and more structure than the Jadot Corton. Also more tannics and slight rough edge but with good depth and high extract. This is far younger and backward compare to the Jadot. Need many more years to wrap up.

1996 Chateau La Conseillante, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France
Mr.RP 88pts? Nah! This has lots to offer! Definitely deserve a better score. However, thanks to the pts, the price remains at the fair stage! Compared to the Dominus, this is like a elegant posh lady dressing up nicely to the PROM while the Dominus is an exotic wild young gals. Refine, finesse, succulent fruits along with secondary flavor, especially high class leather and earth. Fresh and complex and silky tannins with long mineral infused finished. Great stuff! MO? ^^

2010 Simple Wine Dinner Series No 4 :: My Birthday Dinner (Part 1/4)

Venue :: Victoria Peak @ The Central, Orchard
Theme :: 1996 or below

Our tradition of wine dinner went back to 2009 when my wine group had some SBSS dinners. We carried this tradition to 2010 and named it “2010 Simple Wine Dinner Series”. As per title, we tried to keep it as simple as possible. One dinner was held each month to celebrate the birthday boy from the wine group. May, is my turn!

1984, always wanted to try this vintage as this is my birth year, but sadly, the weather in France or others old world countries was terrible, a disaster vintage for wine industry. By chance, by luck, I came across with one old world (thanks to YLB) and one new world both from 1984.

Dinner was held in Victoria Peak, a well known Chinese Restaurant, allow for Free BYO (applause!). Food was good as well as the service, though the stemware is not really standard but for corkage waived, is really fair.

Must try:
- Ginger/ Salted Baked Chicken,
- Double Mushrooms with handmade noodle,
- Pan Fried Angus Beef
- Mushroom stir fried with Fish Maw.
- Suckling Pig

I must say the line up is very complete, from Riesling as aperitif, to rose fizz, white, red and dessert. Region wise too, Bordeaux, white and red Burgundy, Southern and Northern Rhone, Champagne, Sauternes, German and California. Thanks to the generosity of everyone. I have a fantastic night.

Here we go ::

Aperitif:
1998 Fritz Haag BJS Riesling Auslese, Mosel, Germany
The nose show a little bit age with hint of petroleum. The palate is still young. Good mid palate weight and complexity. The balance between the ripe tropical fruits flavor, acidity and round minerality is great. Just kind of disjointed between the mid palate and finishing. Need aged.

1st Flight :: The champagne worked well with the fish maw

六小碟 6 Kinds Assortment

如意野菌炒花胶条 Stir-fried Shredded Fish Maw w/ Vegetable and Wild Mushroom

NV Egly Ouriet Brut Rose Grand Cru, Champagne, France
Salmon pink. A really good Rose from Egly Ouriet, fresh cut flower of violet, honey raspberry, and hint of brioche. Full body. Very very young but promising with its depth and stuffing. Not completely dry, with lots of red cherry fruits, floral, and good sweetness with its acidity giving good support for all its stuffing. One of the best Rose I have had. This paired pretty well with Fish Maw too.

2nd Flight :: Both wines pair quite well with the chicken, especially Krug. As TM said, very versatile.

Baked Salted Chicken with Ginger

1996 Verget Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France
At first I don't really enjoy this as this is still very reserve and full of arrogant power on the palate. This only show himself after sitting in the glass for 3hours. Finely focus intense nose of herbs, spices, pears, green apple and white & yellow flowers. The palate is precise, deep intense powerful with its acidity coming out at the back and carry the spices and ripe white fruits flavors to the very long finished. Another Corton Charlie that I love after the Martray. This is a close fight with Krug. I voted my white of the night to Krug for its additional layer and transparency.

1989 Krug , Champagne, France
Hey, this is a real serious champagne! Fabulous and highly exotic complex nose of honey, honeysuckle with spices and white fruits leads to a very fresh, complex, certainly great depth palate along with bright high tones acidity with underneath sweetness of red cherry, pear, green apple, citrus fruits, fresh fig and even a touch of earth. Vigor, layer and layer, immense balance and power leads all the way through to the finish which goes on and on with spices and mineral undertones. Wow! This is still so fresh and young, not at its peak yet. The palate became rounder and more elegant after 3hours in the glass. Krug, impressive an stylish. my WWOTN.