The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess

Summer sozzles

porcorosso — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 01:41:55 +0000

After a few months of sobriety, the last few weeks have been pretty massive. We’ve gone back to having a glass or two with dinner and I’ve had a couple of big evenings out.

The annual Bottle Opening party at Garage (formerly Wine Garage) featured 2 Premier Cru Chassagne Montrachets and 5 Bordeaux reds in addition to the annual mystery wine and a generous present of a Sauternes. Leaving aside the mystery wine (this year it was the Mouton Rothschild 1989) which was in a different league (although I don’t think it justified 98 points from WS – Bob was nearer the mark with 90 points), picks of the evening were the Jean-Marc Pillot les Macherelles 2006 and the Chateau Beau-Sejour Becot 2003. Of the two whites, the Pillot had better structure and a cleaner taste. Slightly nutty on the nose and a nice touch of pineapple on the mid-palate. In general, the 2003 Bordeaux remained very tight, closed on the nose but frightenly dry at seven years of age. While the dangers of over extraction and high levels of alcohol turned out to be unfounded in the wines on show, the fruit was largely fading, which is not a good sign. Drink up soon.

I’d brought 3 wines to dinner the following weekend – Veuve Fornay Rose NV, Hugel Jubilee Riesling 1998 and a Comte Senard Clos des Meix 1996. The Riesling was a complete revelation – smoky, kerosine nose but dry, clean as a whistle and sharp as a knife. A complete bargain at half the retail price!

That said, the wine of the month was something we had at the back of the fridge and opened one night for dinner. We had picked up a few bottles (the last remaining bottles in a little shop in Arrowtown) of Gypsy Dancer Pinot Noir 2003 on our honeymoon – this was the late Gary Andrus’s short lived New Zealand venture. Rest in peace and rest assured – it’s not Burgundy but it really is just as good.

Father’s Day

porcorosso — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 03:37:47 +0000

Ruinart Blanc de Blancs NV – pure, clear and clean as a whistle. Lacks the depth of a Salon but very good nonetheless.

Louis Lequin Batard-Montrachet 1998 – golden, slightly fading and a little short on the finish but still quite glorious. Less profound compared with the 1999.

Opus One 1999 – weak structure, receding fruit and surprisingly low alcohol. All that is left is wood smoke.

Sour Note

porcorosso — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 04:56:08 +0000

In an attempt to free up some storage space, we opened a bottle of Bass Phillips Estate Pinot Noir 2003. Not a great wine but we knew that (JO scored 89) – picked it up cheap at a Vinum sale last year. It had gone sour – I wish the folks at Vinum had told us of the risk before flogging it at a third off. The usual solution to problems like these is to open another bottle – in this case, a Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak Pinot Noir 2004. Good enough but no cigar – the epitome of a great Pinot Noir (read great red Burgundy) is a firm but not overpowering tannic core around which the fruit and acidity wrap themselves. Each sip should be a slice of that structure and as the wine ages, the core breaks down, the fruit recedes and the acidity softens until an equilibrium is reached. Sadly this wine was linear – it was all there but just not all in right the places.

Shock and awe

porcorosso — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 04:01:10 +0000

Another year, another Palais du Grands Cru. Old friends, older wine (although I missed out on a lot of these) in a new venue with a significantly reduced list. M. Lurton was there with his Imperials of Chateau d’Yquem – the 1988 was particularly impressive with orangey citrus notes instead of the usual lemony tang which marks out these Sauternes from everything else.

In general, the whites fared better than the reds. I’m not usually a fan of Leflaive but the Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet 2006 was very, very good. Clean as a whistle, precise winemaking and with years to go – one for the cellar. Pick of the whites for me however was the Joseph Drouhin Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche 2007 – complex, layered, with excellent fruit and good acidity. Lovely.

Best red of the night (limited sampling) was the Jaboulet La Chappelle 1991, not as fine as the 1990 but still very, very good. Then again, I did not bother with any of the Bordeaux. Of the red Burgundies, the Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 2003 from a Jeroboam was outstanding – warm fruit, good concentration and soft, smoothening tannins. The DRCs were, as usual, pretty disappointing – both the 1988 La Tâche and the 1989 Romanée-Saint-Vivant were not at peak drinking condition. When will Ficofi learn to bring in the bottles more than a week in advance of the tastings so the wines have some time to rest and relax? The bottles were still shocked and I was not awed.

A Year In …

porcorosso — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 03:37:12 +0000

What a difference a year makes – Porco bought a few bottles of Torres Miramar Russian Valley Chardonnay 2003 and have been drinking a bottle every few months. The early bottles were sharp, unsettled and pretty tannic. The one I opened last weekend was completely different – sweet, smooth and still oaky but excellent in a slightly over the top way. Not as good as the Kistler but similar and selling at a fifth of the price.

Chinese New Year

porcorosso — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:53:30 +0000

The Comte Senard Corton Clos de Meix 1996 was drinking well, as it should unless it is too cold. My last bottle of La Dominique 2000 ended on a high note – if a little soft. The Vriesenhof Pinot Noir 2003 was a touch sour but the Bouchard Finlayson Blanc de Mer 2008 benefitted from a few more weeks rest and was drinking nicely. The Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 was excellent with expressive floral notes in the mid-palate. Pleasant surprise of the week was a bottle of Robert Mondavi Woodbridge Twin Oaks Chardonnay 2006 – cheap, good and plentiful.

Irresistable

porcorosso — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:57:39 +0000

To paraphrase Victor Hugo – more irresistable than invading armies, the 2005 white Burgundies is an idea whose time has come. Porco has always been an avid acolyte of the idea that there is nothing worse than drinking a wine too young or too old. Having watched the 2005 village whites improve through the second half of 2009, they are arguably at their best now and should drink well into this year. Both the Guy Brocard and the Mischief & Mayhem were lovely in December and January with the mid-palates filling out particularly well. The good news is that the premier crus are starting to now starting to peak and should provide some good drinking from this summer for four or five years.

Other things irresistable are the current NV champagne deals around town – the Bollinger and the Roederer at $85 look particularly attractive. For something a little more adventurous, the Inflorescence 2007 at the same price may be worth a gamble. Available at the usual suspects.

White magic

porcorosso — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 04:19:26 +0000

Getting it right first time is no mean feat – the 2007 Domaine Michel et Stephane Ogier Condrieu is a success by any measure. Big Nose. Classic apricot flavours, though less of the pear than you’d expect, right down to the hint of almond on the nose, this is an elegant effort. Rounded in the mouth, full on flavours leading to a medium finish. Less unctous compared to a Philippe Faury and possibly a little less finesse say compared to a Christophe Pichon but very nice nevertheless. Not cheap in Singapore but well worth it.

Light Christmas

porcorosso — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:32:35 +0000

Christmas has been lightweight this year – absolutely nothing to drink until Boxing Day when we had a bottle of Paul Beucher Grand Cru “Brand” Riesling 2006 and one of Chateau Leoville Poyferre 1982 shared among four. The Riesling was peachy on the nose, off-dry, fat on the palate with lots of minerals and very complex leading to a medium finish. This should stay in the cellar for a couple of years longer but then it was Christmas.

The red was rich and thick, fruitier than you should expect at 27 years – very dark, very smoky and very viscous. Little on the nose, the tannins have settled somewhat although there is a touch of tar and a little powder in the texture. Good structure and long finish. Impressive.

Wines of the Year Explained

porcorosso — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 08:29:34 +0000

2009 was a patchy year and one where there was a distinct lack of discipline in terms of thinking, buying and tasting. In some departments, there were huge gaps – not many wines to choose from in the sweet and sticky department, simply a case of too few tried. On the other hand, lots of Champagne – not all of them good although quite a few interesting ones especially in the growers category. Grape of the year was riesling – some good Germans were enjoyed and it is interesting to see the range, price and quality of white wines one can get in Hong Kong where whites trade at a significant discount to reds.

Again, Porco waited for the Big Trip Down South before making the year’s choices and this time, the wait was justified as two Hemel-en-Aarde valley wines made the final cut. The Creation Pinot Noir was a surprise out of a barrel – there was no inkling something so good could be enjoyed at the stage it was at. The only other barrel sample which had the same effect on me was the La Mondotte 2005. The Bouchard Finlayson Blanc de Mer is a timely reminder that prices don’t always mean anything and you can find something that is cheap, good and plentiful.

The choice for top red was a difficult one – the DRC La Tache 1971 was a close second event though it was only 90 RP, it was a beautiful wine – all that missing was an element of suprise which favoured the Brane-Cantenac 1959. For the whites, my second placed wine, the Domaine Cordier Pouilly Fuisse 2005 was some ways away from the eventual winner and I know I am going to regret having finished a third of my stock within a year. 2009 is shaping up to be a good year for Bordeaux as well as South Africa – there will be bargains in New World wines to be had as well.

Bring on 2010!