HK Wine Guys Dinner

A group of around 15 of us in Hong Kong try to get together every month or two - a motley crew of ex-winemakers comme sommeliers, chefs, wine trade friends and collectors - the idea is to bring two wines each: one "special" and one "not crazy expensive but interesting, especially if served blind"....always fun and mind-opening. This time there were 7 of us on a very inclement weather night.

Thanks to Olivier B, this time we had the chance to meet Hernan who has recently opened a retail shop offering super-premium Argentinian meat products after 20 years having been an importer here. Tonight, he arranged an impromtu table upstairs to showcase his fare....which is really good and superb value compared to lesser quality stuff available in even premium supermarkets at much higher prices in Hong Kong.

• 2019 Rutini Chardonnay Apartado 89 Points

  Argentina, Mendoza

  Served as an aperitif by our host, Hernan. No detailed notes but this was very more-ish: a classy, well-made, easy-drinking, fresh acidity, minerally and lightly oaked new world Chardonnay. In retrospect, it would have been interesting to have tried this blind as I'm not sure we would have have associated this style with Argentina, or maybe just my ignorance. It definitely shows premium quality but that is reflected in its c.US$85 price.

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Amazing cold cuts

• 2022 Mas Jullien Pays d'Hérault Blanc 91 Points

  France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Pays d'Hérault

  Medium silver green. New arrival for Nico, who warned it would be younger than ideal. Nice rich multi-varietal nose…sunshine! Palate is slightly Rhone-ish. Rich and thick mouthfeel, good acidity, some honeysuckle. Very well-made. Too young but really well-made. Liquid sunshine. Really good. Nice resonance. I came back for more. 91+

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• 2019 Château-Grillet (Pinault) Château-Grillet 90 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Château-Grillet

  Served blind. Medium-age yellow gold in appearance. Thick legs. Nose is warm and sultry white flowers and with high piano note acidity…. quite reticent and seems younger than its colour. Palate is thick, temple smoke, white and yellow stone fruits and fruit stones, heavy alcohol, muscular…young. Is 100% Viognier from a fabled winemaker. Thanks, Jeremy!

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• 2015 Château Haut-Brion La Clarté de Haut-Brion Blanc 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Light yellow-green gold colour. Nose is immediately seductive….lemons hanging from the tree in the sunshine and white meadow flowers with a light breeze that carriesa slight waft of honeysuckle. The nose segues into the palate seamlessly…good harmony of acidic freshness and white meadow flowers. Quite heady and reverberant on the finish. Very contemplative. Years ahead of it. Lovely. 93 for me. Thanks, Olivier!

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With the same wines and testing and sorting some of the newly-decanted reds.

• 2002 Quartz Reef Pinot Noir Bendigo Estate 93 Points

  New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago Bendigo

  Served blind. From one of 150 magnums produced, signed by the winemaker, Rudi Bauer and one of a dozen I bought on release (this was No. 80). Opened for an hour or two before serving but not decanted. Semi-transparent fresh-looking dark ruby colour...looks younger than its age. Nose is bright, lifted coffee grounds and then broadens and deepens into much greater complexity with a depth of black fruit, spicy complexity and some oak tones. Palate is deep, rich, lovely spiciness, a slight tartness of fresh cranberry but well counterpointed and integrated with new French oak. Tastes so fresh and alive and only halfway through its potential evolution. Everyone loved it....a great advert for older Central Otago Pinot Noir. 93-94...maybe deserves a point higher but I was keeping my scores a bit down tonight. Thanks, Rudi for makiing such pioneering wine!

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• 1990 Wendouree Malbec 91 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley

  Decanted for an hour or two. Slightly clouded , semi-opaque dusky ruby colour lightened at the edges. Nose comes across as very adolescent, black cherry, earthy, very savoury, a Sake element of umami too as Nico pointed out. Palate is light, fresh with an attractive tartness and a lovely allspice powder sensation on the tongue. Youthful and needs more decant than the initial two hours. Come back in a few more years as these 100+year-old vines seem bomb-proof at least in the hands of this winemaker and likely to age gracefully and glacially. I find it hard to believe it is a 35-year old wine. My first time with a Wendouree, probably because it is almost never seen outside of Australia. Is really good. Thanks, Jeremy! 91+

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• 1994 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve Flawed

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  2 hour decant. Challenging cork that required a durand. Lots of sediment. Slightly clouded garnet and a very slight watery meniscus with some separation immediately evident in the glass. Nose is sadly damp and musty when you have anticipated what 1994 Napa Cab. normally delivers. Wet sheep on the palate didn't soften the blow. Sadly, a victim of auction roulette.

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• 2001 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate Flawed

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Dead on arrival. Very corked, sadly. So much so we didn't even pour it. Another we have to put down to 'auction roulette', but surprising in such a relatively young vintage by our tastes. I'd love to experience a good bottle because it's one of my favourite producers and one of my favourite Napa Cab. vintages.

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• 2005 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Franc 91 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma

  100% Cabernet Franc. Decanted for 2+ hours. Deep purple/ruby opaque colour lightening to transparency at the edges. Nose is herbacioucness, green capiscum that has been cut with a Japanese chef’s knife but counterpointed by pure cocoa black chocolate. Palate is predominantly that lovely pure no-sugar black chocolate element. Engaging and intriguing. A bit intellectual. Some nice resonance on the finale but limited by its relative immaturity, perhaps? Thanks for the introduction, Dominik!

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• 2011 Domaine de Trévallon 90 Points

  France, Provence, Alpilles

  Contributed by Nico. Released in 2021...a surprisingly long interlude if I got that right. Decanted for 2-3 hours. Slightly dusky semi-transparent colour with a watery meniscus. Nose is immediately attractive slightly sweaty new leather boots but you have to go looking for the fruit, which is shy. Palate is a nicely fresh immediate attack of tart cranberry fruit but almost watery in dilution. However, the power of the finale suggests this could put on considerable weight and complexity with a few years more age. Hard to score but, comparatively, against the other wines we drank alongside tonight, 90 for now.

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• 1999 Kay Brothers Shiraz Hillside Amery Vineyards 89 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Dark ruby core lightening to transparency at the edge. Nose is the most eucalyptus of the night but with a good dose of Koala poo and damp earth to add complexity. Some fresh-rained green grass as well. Complex and inviting. Palate is fresh, quite biting in a quince or lime juice way, good red cherry fruit behind it. The finale has a very pleasurable mounting resonance and reverberance that brings a nice smile to your face. Impressive that it overrode the possibility of palate fatigue after roughly twelve prior bottles. But this faded very quickly in the glass, so, whilst it may last a few more years at this level, I doubt it has longer-term keeping potential. Thanks, Dominik! 89-90.

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• 1986 Château de Fargues 91 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Decanted for an hour or two and served blind as a mystery desert wine. Deeply dark Scottish thick-cut orange Marmalade colour but still transparent. Nose is rather old tennis shoes and sweaty tennis balls, burnt caramel, deep old preserved apricot and preserved Chinese mandarin orange skin. Palate is some acidic freshness with dry burnt and preserved apricot and mandarin orange skins skins,and a nice dry burnt fruit persisting on the tongue and around the whole mouth towards the finish. Still high acidity, so I guessed probably not as old as the colour and my companions’ guesses might suggest but I got that wrong! Thanks, Daniel! 91+
  
  This was a great contrast to the much less evolved 1989 Ch. Rieussec Daniel and I had drank a few days earlier. Hard to believe the only 3 years separate them.

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Huge thanks to Hernan and his team for hosting us so brilliantly and to everyone who contributed such great wines but also the necessary glasses and decanters. A great, memorable evening!