Dinner @ YW's place

YW invited us over for a feast! Most memorable was Crab Beehoon from Melben, and Kong-ba pow from a Kovan-area shop... We had lots of other stuff as well; And most importantly, enuff drinks to go around... :)

• 2007 Schlossgut Diel Dorsheimer Goldloch Riesling Großes Gewächs

  Germany, Nahe

  Hrmm, a reticent nose... Very fine on the palate. Doesn't taste totally dry though - somewhat honeyed with tinge of yellow fruits, with just the right amount of acidity giving it very good balance. Medium-length. Nose opened up slightly in the glass to reveal a bit of flowers. Perhaps need to remind myself to decant this the next time...

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• 2006 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  This was decanted well over an hour. Very fresh nose of tropical fruits. On the palate - oak, fruits, acidity appear to be well integrated already, delivering a good length. However, it didn't develop that "creamy" note (that I like) that the Pavillon Blanc did the other day. Would rate the PB higher/better... Wonder if this SHL Blanc will improve furthur with extended cellarage. Let's see...

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• 2011 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault Les Narvaux

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

  My 3rd-btl (over the last half-yr) from case. Oh so good - another value-4-$ village! Nice nose of flowers, lemons. It's perhaps a bit atypical on the palate, as opposed to most Mersaults - this doesn't come across "fat"/"too weighty". Instead, it's more mineral driven (with a very slight streak of saltiness); Overall, a good length & full of finesse.

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• 2006 Domaine des Chezeaux Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  PnP'ed - no nose, nothing. This can't be; So it all went into the decanter straightaway... After 45mins or so, nose of flowers, cherries. Now we're talking... A lithe palate, though length was left a bit wanting. Maybe we had this too young. Overall a very enjoyable wine though...

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• 2011 Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  My favourite 1er-Cru from Faiveley. Had this side-side with the Chezeaux Charmes, also after decanting. In my view, this is probably one of the most consistent and top (the other being Le Moine's) Cazetiers. Ruby-colored (not as dark as the Chezeaux). Pretty nose of red-berries. Very refined on the palate - cherries, blackcurrant, a tad of stems... Structured but approachable (tannins hiding behind the fruits). Very good. Will improve with more cellar time.

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• 2000 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Whoa, fireworks on the nose! Bramble, tar, chocolate... We had this side-side the Usseglio Deux Freres, and this could definitely hold its own (palate-wise) - complex, savory & meaty, all delivered in a smooth package, with freshness to boot and a good length. Only snag is that it (all these impressions) didn't last too long (that I hoped it to) in the glass; Shut-down? Still, a good wine that can use more cellar time.

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• 2010 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Deux Frères

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

  One breath, and we can all tell it's a massive wine... Dark colored. Nose of liquorice, dark berries and a tinge of heat (alcohol). This too, is meaty on the palate. Definitely full-bodied, but yet so svelte at the same time and with good length as well. Alcohol isn't apparent on the palate than it were on the nose, which says a lot from a balance perspective. This also held much better in the glass than the Unico. With time (in cellar), this should be a great drink!

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• 2003 Kalleske Shiraz Greenock

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  Decanted. A very very well-made wine. Wonderful nose - Creamy, milky, vanilla. Oak regime must've been very well handled. This is a full-bodied wine. Initially I had thought the Deux Freres would overpower it, but it held its ground. Velvety tannins well integrated with the fruit, giving it a good length. The only snag is that the fruit still appears a tad sweet - 2 glasses or more, and it started to feel "jelat". Am certainly curious to see how this will turn out with another 5-10 yrs of cellar time...

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• 2004 Château La Fleur de Boüard

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Lalande de Pomerol

  Moving onto Bords... This was next popped. Dark colored. Scents of liquorice, dark chocolate. Still appears to be very young, with good structure. Also a tad sweet (not as much as the Kalleske), but it (sweetness) kinda dried up or tapered off at the end of the palate, which made it a lot more palatable than the Kalleske. Will be interesting to see how this develops eventually...

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• 2000 Château Lynch-Moussas

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Classic Pauillac nose - pencil shavings, ink. Nice... On the palate, dark-fruited, good acidity. Overall this came across as being leaner than the LfdB. A bit drying at the end...

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• 2001 Château Sociando-Mallet

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  Our last wine for the night, and a good one. Signature SM nose - a tinge of "green"/herbaceous, tobacco leaves, pencil-shavings, ink. Good palate weight (concentrated, but not overly heavy), very smooth. Still very young. Can easily keep for another decade. Unfortunately my last bottle. Good that this is not chased by collectors so should still be easy to backfill, to try again later down the road...

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