4/30/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Pre-Labour Day drinks: Beautiful, expressive nose with tobacco, leather and a hint of pyrazines. Regal and classy on the palate, had a superb restraint and understated nature which I love in wines. Acidity, tannins and fruit were in perfect balance at this stage of its development. Guessed 1996 Montrose and when revealed to be a Saint-Estèphe but not Montrose, could only be Calon Segur who knocked it out of the park in this vintage. This wine was on my list to try, and happy that it was firing on all cylinders. A fantastic old-school Bordeaux at its peak

4/26/2024 - pavel_p wrote:

Jason's birthday: Own bottle. This was as expected the fun pairing with the 89 Calon Segur and guesses double blind mostly around Right Bank Bdx, but I was secretly hoping for a bit more from this wine as this was a perfect bottle with an in neck fill and a barely stained cork. Still rich dark fruit but lacked in complexity and depth even when compared to the good but not great Calon Segur. On the positive side this is good for another 15 years in my eyes as the rest of the bottle did not move a bit 24h later.

4/26/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Jason's birthday: Was sure this was a modern Supertuscan abomination but when revealed to be a Piedmont, I said this should be a producer that is to be avoided at all costs. Worse than a generic supermarket wine.

4/26/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Jason's birthday: Was quite sure this was new-world because of the minty/eucalyptus note but oscillated between US and Australia. Similar to the '89 Baron - remarkably youthful colour, very structured with drying, unresolved tannins that made it difficult to drink at first but softened with air.

4/23/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Two weeks in France; 4/12/2024-4/24/2024: Off the list at Caves Legrand for 217€, a little on the high side compared to some bargains on the list but I've been searching for this for some time. A filigreed, balanced champagne with precise red fruit. Started off round and rich with slightly oxidative and yeasty notes, but with time it gained elegance and became more vinous. A very contemplative champagne which I liked a lot.

4/22/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Two weeks in France; 4/12/2024-4/24/2024: Off the list at Tan Dinh. Fantastic selection but prices here were mostly marked to market, glad to have found this for 185€. Sweet, autumnal dark red fruit on both the nose and the palate; agree with a previous note that mentioned surmaturité. Oak and tannins quite resolved with delicate (but not tertiary) floral notes. Always a great feeling to drink a good Burgundy at its peak. On a side note, the owner was really friendly and said he has been collecting wine since 1968!

4/14/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Two weeks in France; 4/12/2024-4/24/2024: Probably was my tenth choice (my first was a Felettig Reignots for a crazy good price, but alas it was sold out). Glad to have tried my first modern-ish A-L in any case. Deep, spicy nose with clear stem inclusion. Slightly candied cherry, raspberry fruit on both the nose and the palate, some semblance of the ethereal texture that he has been striving for. Very good, but definitely worth nowhere near the asking price.

4/5/2024 - Dibbs Likes this wine:

Almost fully resolved. Drinking very well. Had a very clear G. Mascarello signature. The wines from stable 01 to 08 are so well made with a stronger red-fruited signature.

11/18/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Rousseau dinner at Jade Palace: When blinded, I said that this was the standout wine by far and I hoped that it wouldn't be the Rousseau CSJ. Gorgeous, lifted nose of fresh berries. Had a sensual, silky palate, I don't use minerality for reds often but that was present in spades here. Very much an iron fist in a velvet glove with incredible depth, when I was tasting the wine it kept giving and uncovering additional layers of dark cherry fruit. So seamless and truly a wish-you-were-here sort of wine. A bucket-list wine that lived up to expectations and more.

3/29/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Bordeaux night: Modern, dense with horrifically sweet and creamy notes. Guessed new-world crap.

3/29/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Bordeaux night: Initially muted with all tannins and no fruit, rather burly and clumsy that almost everyone didn’t like it. Revisited a couple of hours later and a wonderful opaque core of black fruit emerged to balance out the drying tannins. A little more modern than I would have liked but not overly so.

2/11/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Wines over Chinese New Year; 2/8/2024-2/12/2024: 80% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay. Disgorged April 2022. Drank more like a Chard-dominant blend with green apple fruit, brioche and a crowd-pleasing sweetness. As usual, Hebrart is always a great introduction to champagne for non-believers but at the same time with sufficient precision to please nerdier drinkers looking for more intellectual stimulation.

1/19/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Pearl of Burgundy special cuvee lunch: Two barrels from selection of vines planted in 1910 or earlier. Wow this was a boomz wine. Ripe but had the elegance of '17s, love Fourriers in cooler years. Concentrated but with light, ethereal sensation. Brilliant purity of red fruit, texturally perfect for me. One of the best wines I've tasted in my life.

1/27/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Park90 / Grand Cru SQN Masterclass: 87.5% Grenache, 11% Syrah, 1.5% Viognier; 15.7% alcohol. First impression was this was so flat - anexample of a high-alcohol, extracted wine that had completely fallen apart with age. Pruney, cherry vodka flavours; tannins were all over the place.

1/27/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Park90 / Grand Cru SQN Masterclass: 83% Syrah, 15.9% alcohol. Strong whiff of vanilla on the nose, blueberry and chocolate notes on the palate. Vodka cherry vibes. Had pretty much given up at this point.

1/19/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Pearl of Burgundy special cuvee lunch: Bright raspberry fruit. The energy here helped to dial down the rustic and stemmy notes. Both the '17 and '19 were distinctly earthy Gevreys compared to the Fourriers and Mortets.

11/3/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Soo's birthday: Some greenness but with sweet maraschino cherry fruit. Guessed late-90s Tuscan Bordeaux blend because of the sweetness and polish but this was still very much a restrained wine. Unlike the '96 that I tried previously, definitely will not be mistaken for a Bordeaux. Well-resolved and firmly in its drinking window.

12/30/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

End of year celebration: Disagreed with most of the others who guessed this as a masculine Burgundy like Cathiard, but couldn't put my finger on where this was from. In hindsight, should have realised it was a Chave as it showed remarkably similarly to the '04 I had last month. Pure, intensely driven violet and red fruit; slight polish of modern Chaves but nothing overdone. Sensual and elegant texture, sublime finish. Chave's consistency is unmatched in northern Rhone.

11/14/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Dinner with Nick: Guessed an ‘86 as ‘95 last week but swapped the vintages around this time, they really have the same tannin structure. Thought it might have been a ‘86 Las Cases. Some greenness, tobacco; deep, dark blackcurrant fruit. Structured with thick viscosity, think the fruit will not outlast the tannins here. Thought the ‘96 tasted a couple of years ago was a much better wine.

12/11/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Wines at Zau Mei: By the glass. Incredibly sensual and floral nose, but unbelievably tight and tannic on the palate. Didn’t budge much with time in the glass. Classy and aristocratic, agree with those who said that Sandrone is the best modernist maker.

12/11/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Wines from SQ lounge / Suites: Tasted across a few different bottles when in the lounge and on the flight. Surprisingly the one on board showed the best, i.e. it was the most open. Broad impressions were similar to previous notes, still reductive and tight despite the crystalline fruit.

12/9/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Top 1ers for AK's birthday: In the flight of the first four wines, there were 3 Vosnes and 1 Gevrey. Most felt that the Cathiard was the Gevrey but the minority (including myself) said that this had to be the Gevrey since it was the outlier stylistically. Slightly cloudy in appearance, especially compared to the three Vosnes that were brilliant ruby red in colour. Older style of Fourrier with more earthy and rustic notes before he transitioned to the high-toned, less dense style of today. Guessed ‘08 based on the colour and high acidity. Quite integrated and resolved but the fruit did become more expressive with air.

10/31/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Winefield's dinner: From magnum. Quite dark in colour but not premoxed, probably a result of the oak use that still dominated. Thick, rich and fat, not a great representation of MP.

12/8/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Eugene's birthday: Modern, extracted Chianti with some greenness. Worst of both worlds, hard pass.

11/27/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Casual theme: Not blind, didn’t take more than a sip. Sweet, confected cassis fruit. Dense and monolithic with an inky texture. One of the worst wines I’ve tasted this year.

11/21/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Celebration for Celine at Tenuta/P90: Shared by friends from another table. Plush and spicy, thought this was more Vosne than Gevrey. Left this in a glass and it improved markedly with air as the concentration from old vines came through. Hedonistic, in an old-school manner. Still very fresh and so sturdily built, has a long way to go.

10/31/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Winefield's dinner: Not my style, blue and purple extracted fruit with a huge tannin structure. Didn’t finish the glass, but better than the awful '09 Tertre Roteboeuf that I tried last month. Have to say this was well-made for fans of this style.

8/17/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Krug tasting at 67PM: From magnum. First real Krug of the tasting. Power but with tension and focus. Sweet house style but balanced with precise citrus fruit. Best wine of the flight today for me in the sense that it was the most ready. President of Krug said that there will be no 2012 vintage because it all went into reserve wines, but let’s see after the 2008 fiasco.

10/13/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Celebration for Oct babies: Agree with acyso's previous note. Thought this was a young Chardonnay-dominant grower given how racy and tense it was. Explosive aromatics on the nose, green apple with a hint of honey notes on the palate. So fresh and delicious now, such a well-proportioned wine with a good balance between appealing fruit, richness and acidity. Normally not a fan of Bollinger but this showed superbly.

9/25/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Naturals: New-school style with reductive notes and ripe fruit. Slightly sweet with more than a hint of alcohol, but still had good acidity. Guessed 2019/2020 Burgundy from a good producer. Should have more Jobard in my cellar.

8/12/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Gathering at Paul's: Incredibly fresh for its age, I guessed to be a mid-2000s Nebbiolo. Attractive red cherry fruit, high acidity and tannins but well-resolved.

8/4/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Gwen's belated birthday: Wow thought this was a Vosne with the floral aromatics. Deep red-fruited character to the wine, lovely tart cherry fruit. Crystalline and focused in spite of the hidden power Fantastic showing.

7/1/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Serious Rosés at Full Circle: Brought as an extra, most guessed Bordeaux for this. Some unintegrated oak and spice on the nose, liked the palate more with the juicy, dark cherry fruit. Great value.

11/9/2021 - melvinyeowq Likes this wine:

Excellent intensity with good ripeness and concentration to the fruit. Pears and melon with some citrus zest towards the end. No greenness at all. I haven't had Cotat but this is cheaper and a great representation of Sancerre as well, love everything I have tried from this producer.

6/16/2023 - pclin wrote:

PnP. ABV 13.5%. €60 before taxes and shipping charges. Nose was dominated by wet earth with just a touch of flower notes lurking behind, very NSG like. Still some tannins hanging around, firm mid-palate, good length and complexity. Oaks yet be fully integrated, a Burgundy for Bordeaux drinker? Finished with plenty of dark soils notes lingering on. Not your floral, silky, and sexy Volnay, more like a sturdy and burly version, would guess NSG if tasted blind, not really my preferred style of Volnay. In early stage of drinking window with years to go. Side note, recent vintages of this cuvee were made very differently, lightly extracted and less oaky. ‘16 and ‘17 were very good when opened a few months ago.

4/16/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Wines with Paul and friends: Popped and poured. Similar impression to the ‘15 Le Meal that I had a couple of years ago. Superb tension and intensity despite the rounder texture that was true to its origins. Some almond notes with pure, driven citrus fruit. Incredibly youthful for its age given the premox record with this producer. The whites are truly great wines unlike the reds.

6/4/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Treads the line of a serious and playful Bojo well. Good structure behind the dark red fruit with a slight hint of plumminess. Impressive depth and length of finish for its level. Terrific value.

5/15/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Superb white Burgundies: Brought this as an extra, slow-oxed for five hours. Most guessed Chambolle because of the superb floral nose that had just the right amount of lift and VA. Palate had pretty, if a little rustic fruit. A 1999 at its peak now. My first time trying this maker and he definitely had the magic touch.

5/16/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Serious Burgundy night: Clearly a top maker and plot from the first sniff and taste. Serious, reductive nose with gunflint but also with beautiful orchard fruit. Fantastic precision and tension, impressive density of fruit on the palate. The latter characteristic made me think Meursault but after some time in the glass, the Puligny citrus notes began to show. Always one of my favourite wines.

5/14/2023 - pavel_p Likes this wine:

My last bottle of the 2013 Kirchspiel and consistent with my previous note 2 years ago. Decanted in a water carafe for 20 min or so and drank over a few hours. A light lemon yellow in the glass. This is fairly sweet but well delineated. A touch of minerality too. A nice Riesling for sure but stupidly overpriced at the going rate of USD300. Would still take a Doennhoff Hermannshoehle GG at 1/4 of the price anytime over this Keller. 93 and did not improve in the course of the evening.

5/5/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Negoce face-off at Bellyhappychef: Said that if this was a Gevrey I’d kill myself, so lifted and spicy on the nose that I thought this could only be a Drouhin Vosne or Chambolle. A beautiful showing for this - an integrated and seamless palate without any heaviness which made me confident that this must have been a Vosne. Surprised this was supposedly a transition-era Faiveley, fantastic mouthfeel and finish. Unanimous WOTN.

5/3/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

S$100-$150 open theme: So dark in colour with high alcohol and extracted fruit. My first instinct was a 2005 right-bank but once it was revealed to be a non-Bordeaux, it was obvious that this was a Oz Shiraz from the same period. Couldn’t have been a new-world Cab with the lack of greenness, and plummy notes - the slate of new-worlds tasted last Saturday helped me out here. Not my style but drinkable.

5/3/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

S$100-$150 open theme: Slightly funky and natural nose, but palate was clean and vibrant. Thought this was a young grower, Chard-dominant blend, but was surprised to find out that this was majority Pinot. Nice tension and had character. Bought their higher-level bottle to try based on this.

4/29/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Smoked meats with Jason: Haven’t tried her higher-level bottlings before, decided to blind this for a couple of Courtin haters. Disgorged 2017, zero dosage. Quite shrill, acidic citrus fruit, creamy texture, and as someone pointed out quite a hollow midpalate that her champagnes usually have. Still enjoyable for me though, felt the wine showed good development after some time in the bottle post-disgorgement.

4/7/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Good Friday dinner: Blinded the others to see if they could tell the difference between Barolo / Brunello. Both were traditional producers so it was a tough call. I have been saying for some time that the difference between the Nebbiolo and Sangiovese is not so much in terms of varietal characteristics but winemaking.

A little coffee on the nose, palate had a little more structure and deeper, dark red fruit than the Sandri. Approachable now with some air.

3/24/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Beat the '91 Heitz: I thought the Diamond Creek or this was the ringer but the somm at the restaurant nailed that this was a Bordeaux right away. Rather advanced for the age with slightly oxidised notes, given that 98 right banks should be in their prime now. Not the strongest period for the estate apparently. Some liked this but I wasn’t a fan. 5/8.

3/17/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Right bank Bordeaux: My contribution, correctly identified in blind. Very opulent, fruit-forward nose but not jammy in a caricature sort of way. Muted palate at first but after a couple of hours this was textbook Magdelaine. Understated and restrained dark red fruit, seamless and elegant palate. Nobody else liked this I think, but by far my favourite of the night.

3/8/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

2013 Barolo tasting at 67PM: Unlike the Rinaldi this didn't assert itself at all at the beginning, as it didn't stand out from the other wines despite its pedigree. Eventually it did come around and had a lovely, lifted nose with a hint of nail varnish. Alcohol is noticeable but integrated, but the fruit wasn't fully expressive and the wine felt like it was still in third gear. Needs more time, the 2011 I had last year is a better candidate for drinking today. Ranked 5/9.

3/8/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

2013 Barolo tasting at 67PM: Unfortunately very disappointing for a producer that I usually like. Disjointed dark fruit, the wine lacked focus and had a distracting prune note. Ranked 8/9.

3/8/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

2013 Barolo tasting at 67PM: BTG. Sweet, jammy raspberry and redcurrant fruit, these wines consistently remind me of kirsch and I really don't get them unfortunately.