Long lunch at Asia Grand

Kel's first outing after his op, Alex was on half-day, and I had a meeting nearby, so we had a nice longish lunch at Asia Grand. Really nice wines all round, blind as usual.

• NV Zoémie de Sousa Champagne Brut Merveille 90 Points

  France, Champagne

  From a 375ml, this was one of the less impressive of the few bottles I have had, but it was still quite enjoyable, especially when paired with fried dim sum dishes. The nose showed a little more oxidative than usual, with oxidative browned apples and pear aromas, a little layer of yeast, and then some exotic spice and mineral notes. The palate was wrapped in a gentle, lightly frothed mousse but had lots of crisp, mouthwatering acidity streaming through more browned apple tones on the attack. The midpalate was more lemony than appley, showing a citrus burst before the wine opened up nicely into a pleasing finish of mineral and spice notes. A bit on the simpler side, but nice.

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• 2009 Weingut Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Berg Roseneck Riesling Spätlese 92 Points

  Germany, Rheingau

  This has surely starting to shut down. Tight and unfriendly when first opened, it only slowly unfurled on the half hour mark. Even then, the nose remained a bit stubborn, with pleasant but muted scents of sweet white peach, flowers and little drizzles of petroleum; only when a little more chilled and with some air did more interesting nuances of green apples, white flowers, honeysuckle and nectar start peeping out. The palate thankfully offered rather more than nose. Thick, almost Auslese-like, it had a rich attack of apricot, peach and red apples this time, all very primary, but with a nice floral overtone. In spite of the fleshy richness and obvious power on the wine, it was also blessed with a lovely clarity and cleanness that ran through it like a stream crystal clear water. There were points when the wine was first poured where is seemed extremely primary, still sweet and grape-sugary, but while this was not as energetic or well cut as I remembered it being, it was still effortlessly balanced. A little grapefruit and mineral backbone then made for a rather sterner finish. After 2 hours, it really started to show better, opening up into a veritable fruit platter, with pineapple and watermelon tones meeting the apple and stone fruit flavours at the start. I liked this very much, but at the moment, it is a far cry from the stunning showing from its youth – this needs years yet. Try again in 2018-2020.

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• 1998 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Really nice. This was very tight, almost surly when first popped-and-poured, all deep black-fruited tones and leathery funk on the nose, almost like a gruff, young Beaucastel. With time though, it opened up beautifully – roses and violets, licorice, spice and mineral, savoury meat and deep tones of blackberries and plums shade of sandy earth. Very nice. The palate, in classic VT style, was marked by cool black fruit - blackberries and dark cherries this time, maybe a touch of black prune, with side-notes of licorice and violet petals, still lightly cloaked by fine, slightly chewy tannins and woven with seamless acidity. A very focused, precise, almost linear style. The finish was long and cool, with a nice undertone of mineral and sandy earth and little touch of funk alongside the black fruit. Right at the end, there was a slightly smoky char and a dash of bittersweet, licorice root and wood spice finish. A very serious, noble wine. Enjoyable on the day with some sautéed duck, but this can still afford a few years of age. It felt like a wine just coming to the end of its adolescence, with the palate still needing some time to catch-up with the verve and complexity displayed on the nose. Try again in 5 years. 92+

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• 1999 Gunderloch Nackenheim Rothenberg Riesling Beerenauslese 94 Points

  Germany, Rheinhessen

  Super. Des hopped by at the end of lunch with a 375ml of this in tow, and boy what a treat it was. As good as the wines that preceded it were, this just blew them away. The nose was literally bursting with fragrant fruit - pink guava, pineapple, jackfruit, rock melons, chased by little exotic tropical shades, and then a sweet, musky perfume, almost like wilted flowers – a very strong, almost pungent nose, this just jumped out of the glass and called for your attention. It could hardly be from anywhere but the Rheinhessen with those exuberant bursts of fruit. For all that though, it was actually on the palate that the wine really shone. Rich, powerful, thick, this was a true BA, with lovely layers of nectar and honey dripped over tropical notes, with liquified dried mangoes and pineapples, passion fruit, apples and pears, and then wonderfully juicy mandarin oranges and pink guava running on behind, all bouyed by gobs of acidity that gave the wine a remarkable balance in spite of its sweetness. This had a rich depth to it with not a jot of cloying weight or stickiness, so that all you are left with the contend with is the joyous expressiveness of the wine’s fruit. It ended suitably, with super-long finish, trailing away in a lovely long tail of nectar and honey, caramel and spice. A really fun, generous wine; maybe less precise and intellectual than a great Mosel, or less noble than a top Rheingau, but this was nevertheless beautiful. Great even now, so it may not be the longest lasting BA, but it still has the legs to go on developing for at least a decade and more.

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