Vivino - Singapore "chapter" (the opening)

Johan and Bok were planning for this (get-together) for quite a while, and we finally settled on meeting up on the 7th Nov 2014. It was a rainy (in fact, pouring... cats & dogs) evening - what a gloomy way to kick off this "opening chapter"...

Luckily, dinner was great (great courtesy of Bok) - Imperial Treasure seems to always deliver; But the company, even greater! We had all the wines double-blind, and had an interesting time tasting and identifying them.

All-in-all, it was a wonderful evening; And by the time it ended, we were all left wanting more, lamenting how young the night was and that we could still go on... What an experience, what an evening! Again, special thanks to Johan and Bok for making this happen.

• 2006 Didier Dagueneau Silex

  France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé

  7 of us Vivino'ers gathered (for the 1st time) on a rainy evening for dinner and to do some blind-tasting. This was the first wine poured. Pale yellow. Scents of white flowers (jasmine), tropical fruits (pineapples, pears). In between, there seemed to be a whiff of kerosene as well. Bone dry on palate - stones, lime. This was fresh, focused and long. It got even more stunning after more than an hour in the glass. Stupendous Sauv Blanc! Great match with the "small-eats" (小吃) we had...

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• 2007 Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Bâtard-Montrachet

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

  This was the 2nd wine that was poured. A slightly caramelized nose (oxidized?), with scent of stewed-fruits as well. After some time and some swirling in the glass, the caramelized nose blew off to reveal notes of flowers, honey. On the palate, this was much broader and weightier than the Silex. The bright acidity kept the rich fruits in check and maintained the balance of the wine. However, this seemed to "drop-off" after some time in the glass. Given the "signs" - caramelized nose, palate dropping-off, I would like to try another bottle to see if this is a one-off(?)...

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• 1989 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Our 1st red of the night, and we picked the most Burg lookalike bottle to pour. Almost liqueur'ish nose, with roses, berries and garrigue as well. Very nice. On the palate - smoky, meaty, tea-leaves; Still fresh, this lingered for quite a while but could feel that the fruit is perhaps drying off... If this is a representative bottle, then it ought to be drink-up soon else the acid may become too overwhelming (over the diminishing fruit)... Still, very enjoyable at this juncture!

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• 1989 Gaja Barbaresco

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Dark-red. Nose tended towards red->dark fruits, with a whiff of heat. A big and young wine? Dark-fruited profile, at the same time both powerful and intense on the palate, with the tannins still biting. This finished long. A long-distance runner for sure. Keep/cellar...

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• 1989 Château Cos d'Estournel

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  Dark-ruby. Reticent nose at first. Upon some swirling (and time in glass), this opened up to scents of spice, peppers. This bottle tasted a lot younger than the one I had ~2-weeks back. Didn't show that much secondary character. Tea-leaves, mocha, packed with fruits. A lot more legs to last for more years, most definitely...

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• 1986 Réserve de la Comtesse

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Our 4th red of the night. This came showing right out the gates. Wow nose - pencil case, lead, tobacco. All signs point towards a Pauillac. On the palate - lush, savoury and drinking really well with plenty of dark fruits. Could've been much better had the length been longer. We were all left guessing... Grand-vin? but length-wise...? I was definitely stumped. Didn't expect this '86 (2nd-wine) to still perform at this level... Still have the legs to last for quite some years. Overall a very enjoyable drink.

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• 1961 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  Ruby-colored, with bricking at the edges... This must be an aged wine. The nose kept giving - tea-leaves, orange-peel, flowers, forest-floor, a bit of cigar, ink. Wow! Smooth and elegant on the palate, with some fruits and tannins still intact. My first '61 GPL and a great experience.

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• 1986 Château Palmer

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  Final red/wine of the night. A sweet, cedary/flowery nose. Dark-fruit profile on the palate, "milky" chocolate too. Silky, elegant and long. This must be a Margaux, but which one? We (or at least myself) were gasping when it was revealed to be a '86 Palmer. Still so young (but enjoyable already) with lots of stuffing to last at least another decade. And so, what started off as a rainy and gloomy evening ended on a high, night-is-still-young note! Till the next Vivino session... Special thanks to Johan & Bok!

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