New Chapter - 2011

Thanks to Mr. DL for gathering all of us for a dinner @ Imperial Treasure, Great world city which is now one of my favorite restaurant in Singapore, very consistent of good quality food. The buddha jump over the wall was expectedly good but the Alaskan Crab meat steamed egg white with 'hua tiao' wine took away the dish of the night.

-> Egon Muller Kabinett Vintage 2005 (one of the legendary year in Germany) features in the comic, 神之雫 /《神之水滴》 and was described as Black forest (is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Wurttemberg, southwestern Germany) for its remarkable lengthy finish and volume/scale. 2004 is a classic vintage and one would expected from a classic vintage, the finish/scale/volume will be lesser than the legendary vintage but hey, this make the wine easier to approach and more ready to drink, and classic is the word!

• NV Bruno Paillard Champagne Rosé Brut Première Cuvée

  France, Champagne

  Alcohol :: 12%
  This salmon pink Champagne display fresh and perfume nose of rose, fresh herbs, sweet cherry surrounded by yeasty, lightly toasted profile with a tad of wildness. It is soft but remain good tension on the palate with flavor of fresh fruits: sweet cherry, raspberry and strawberry laced on the earth which decorated by some toasted bread and lively, mineral finish that is quite austere. Fresh, friendly but not lack of complexity and depth that consider a good value for its price point. Buy - Maybe.

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• 2004 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Kabinett

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Alcohol :: 8.5%
  Lively fresh aromas of smoke, honey citrus, grapefruits, hint of sweet pineapple and secondary aromas of kerosene. Sweet entry with slight creamy mouth feel along with good freshness. Amazing tension on the palate with rich and concentrated sweet yellow fruits, earthiness and mineral freshness that has long, precise finished with citrus peel aftertaste. Pretty impressive for a 04 Kabinett. Buy - Maybe.

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-> To be frank, I have tried several wines included Clos de Vougeot from Grivot, I'm not impressed, show me the Richebourg!

• 1997 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Alcohol :: 13%
  Very cool notes that display mint, mineral with blackberry, cherry with peppery spices and earth. Great balance and freshness, delicate and friendly palate profile with dried tea leave bitterness that leads to silky, fine medium length finish, not bad but nothing special. Buy - No.

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• 1995 Château Clinet

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Alcohol :: 12.5%
  Highly expressive nose of tobacco leaves, cigar box, leather, blackberry, liquorice and wild gaminess background that's very focus and offer almost seductive perfume. Fully mature, this medium bodied wine offer lots of secondary notes of angelica root, dried herbs that is well-balance by the fresh mineral and spices along with espresso bitterness and acid, with mild red and blackberry fruits, soft integrated tannin and texture with light juicy finish. Drinking at it's peak now. Buy - No.

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-> Vintage 1999 features in the comic, 神之雫 /《神之水滴》 and was described as Monte Rosa (highest mountain of Switzerland, the second highest both of the Alps and western Europe) for its distinguish minerality instead of the Grand Cru scale. Indeed, the scale of 2004 is there but obviously too young to access now, wish to try again when it is more ready.

• 2004 Domaine Follin-Arbelet Romanée St. Vivant

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru

  Alcohol :: 13.5%
  Single decant. Unyielding nose with oak, wood, mineral and underlying red and dark cherry. Structure up front, mineral and all the fruits hide by the tannin and wood, and falling apart which resulted in disjointed finish.
  
  Decant for 6times. 2hrs later, dried tea leaves and Chinese herb such as ginseng dominant the flavor profile, I detect some fresh red cherry underneath. Rich, intense, powerful palate that remain fresh and balance with its lively sweet acidity that leads to long perfume, kinda dry finish. This wine remained shut and tight even at the end of the dinner, but one can sense the underlying scale, power and substances are all well in check. Need times. Buy - Re-taste is needed.

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