Char Siew / Roast Pork Showdown

Our second installment of the food showdown series. This time, the food was char-siew and roast pork. Not enough of a representation to really make a fair comparison, but Jillian's roast pork and Kay Lee's char siew were the clear favourites. All wines were served blind as usual and, boy, were there some unusual ones, including a Japanese "King Selby" ice-wine that I did not write notes for - could not find any info online!

• NV Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut 88 Points

  France, Champagne

  Have not had this for some time - this bottle was actually quite surprisingly drinkable. Not great, but not quite as insipid as previous experiences. Nose was pleasant enough, with mineral, lemons and yeast. The strange sourness I usually associate with the palate was rather toned down in this bottle, instead, I got lemons, apples and another touch of mineral. Simple, but pleasant enough. Finish was rather nondescript and lemony. Apart from that, nothing really much to write about. Still though, a marked improvement from the last few bottles.

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• 2005 Burge Family Olive Hill 92 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  This was really good. A lot more expressive than the last bottle I had. Lovely nose straddled the Southern Hemisphere and the Southern Rhone, with sweet new-worldly cherry notes mixed with very CdP like garrigue, incense and little toasty earth scents. A minerally streak and some roasted capsicum smells made for a very attractive nose indeed. Palate had more sweet cherries, but I found the fruit to be rather serious and reserved, very old-world here, with a savoury note that came on the attack and spread across the mid-palate, with earth, mineral, garrigue and incense flavours rounding the wine off. Fresh juicy acidity and fine tannins lent a nice sense of lift and cut as well. The sweet cherry fruit reasserted itself at the finish, where plums, haw flakes and spice flavours mingled with a touch of smoke, before the wine closed off with a pull of slightly drying tannins. At the price I bought these bottles (USD18, or SGD28), they represent absolutely ridiculous value. Excellent.

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• 1996 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Santenay 1er Cru La Maladière 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Santenay 1er Cru

  I liked this quite a bit more than Alex H. Interesting nose, with strawberries and raspberries sprinkled with perfumy dried flower notes and dashes of incense, herbs and Angelica root. Just that bit of glycerol in there disturbed me slightly, otherwise, it was really inviting. Palate showed the high acidity of the vintage, and a lot more of the dried herbs that marked the nose. Again, there was a healthy amount or sweet fruit - strawberries and raspberries - underlying the tertiary flavours, so that the wine seemed almost sappy for a 1996. A little kum kum orange peel note rounded the mid-palate off. Girardin's extracted style is not always to my taste, but it seemed to have worked in the 1996 vintage. Finally, firmish, slightly powdery tannins added a sense of structure, just drying out a little bit too much towards the finish, making it seem a little short, a little hard. Otherwise, a very enjoyable wine.

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• 2000 Domaine de la Vougeraie Clos Vougeot 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

  Another Burg in a more extracted style, but this too seems to have suited the vintage and the plot - the wine was pretty good. A bit of reduction on the nose at first, but it blew off to show bright, pretty tones of perfumed flowers and dark fruit paired with umami-laden mushroom and truffles, some herbs and a glycerol-laced winter-melon scent. Palate had plenty of juicy acidity that lent it a clean feel, with dark cherries at the fore, along with spicy anise notes and a layer of stony, earthy mineral. Finish showed a touch of rubber, a hint of herbs and a little linger of ferrous mineral, all minglging with slightly woody, powdery tannins. Not exactly my style of Burg, but this was a good bottle.

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• 1999 Château Ducluzeau 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Listrac-Médoc

  Unusual wine. We all thought it was a Bordeaux blend, but everyone was quite sure it was a new world rendition. Nose was inky and sweet, with cherry candy mixed with a healthy amount of alcohol as far as I could tell. Palate was a bit more pleasant, with cherries and raspberries, along with a touch of capsicums. Again, rather sweet and with a noticeable dollop of alcohol at the back-palate. I thought it was just a little on the thin side as well. Finish was at least decent, with dry tannins and herbs showing a little bit of length. Not one I am likely to look out for.

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• 2006 Château de la Roulerie Chenin Blanc Anjou (Sec) 87 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Anjou

  Yet another really unusual wine. Nose was very tight, with dry yeast scents and some mineral and nothing much else showing. Palate was a different story altogether though - I got sweetish almond cream, some spy bean curd in sugar solution and tropical longan flavours just before the finish steps in with more dry, minerally tones. I havd never tasted anything like that before. Certainly not unpleasant, but nothing hat screams "Drink Me!" either. Not quite sure what to make out of this.

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