Tasting at NK Yong's

Swettenham Road, Singapore
Tasted Saturday, January 17, 2009 by Paul S with 974 views

Flight 1 - A couple of Burgs to start with (2 Notes)

  • 2006 Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon Mâcon-Chardonnay Clos de la Crochette 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Chardonnay

    Nose was a little closed when I got to it, with thin whisperings of slate and chalk along with clean citrus notes. A little more expressive on the palate though - sweet muskiness, more slate and some sea shells and a good amount of sappy white fruit. There was a touch of something sweet and chemically on the mid-palate - reminded me somewhat of pineapple flavoured jelly tots. Nice and crisp feel, with an impressively dry and minerally backbone at the finish. This was a good Burg Blanc, if just a little non-descript.

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  • 2005 Domaine Michel Gros Nuits-Saint-Georges 89 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges

    Not quite sure what to make out of this wine, not bad, pretty well made, but not very NSG at all. The purple colour of the wine spoke of some amount of extract, which played out in the tasting. Sweet, candied cherries filled the nose on first sniff, with maraschino notes wafting around with just the slightest touch of dried earth beneath that. More sweet maraschino cherries on the palate, which clearly showed some hang-time and quite a bit of extract with velvety tannins showing some grip. Simple at the moment I thought. The wine had a good liveliness to it though, with fresh and nicely integrated acidity keeping the palate lifted into its respectable finish that showed a touch of dried fruit. Should do better with some time in the bottle - where is the terroir though?

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Flight 2 - Consti Constanti (2 Notes)

  • 2006 Conti Costanti Rosso di Montalcino 89 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino

    Lightly coloured wine. Nose showed an interesting oyster shell note, along with sweet, sticky raspberry and strawberry jam and lightly perfumed berries - very prettily fragrant. The palate was no dainty pushover though, with a good amount of grippy tannins and fresh acid lending a nice sense of structure to pleasant red berry flavours and more perfumy notes that wafted around the mouth towards the decent-lengthed finish. Enjoyable, and may develop in the bottle somewhat.

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  • 2003 Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino 93 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

    Excellent stuff - was this really a 2003 BdM? Classically earthy nose of barnyard, leather, plums and slightly sweet, just slightly cooked fruits, along with higher-toned top notes of dark spices, bramble and dried herbs. The palate had good freshness, wonderful freshness for a 2003 actually, along with fine-boned tannins which still showed quite a good, rubbery grip. A little tight at first, it unfurled to show sweet berries and cherries along with notes of perfumed flowers - violets I thought. Flavours were clearly ripe, but everything was nicely balanced from the attack to the respectably long finish which showed a linger of dried fruits and bramble bush. This was an excellent wine which was yummy and relatively approachable on the day - I think it will get better with a couple of years under its belt though.

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Flight 3 - The Sassicaia family (3 Notes)

  • 2005 Agricola Punica Barrua 92 Points

    Italy, Sardinia, Isola dei Nuraghi IGT

    Oh, very nice. 14.5%. 85% Carignano, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Merlot. Opened with some menthol and wood spice on the nose, along with nicely roasted bell peppers, a touch of licorice, preserved blueberries and some flowery, perfumed notes. Attractive. Palate was laced with tight tannins with a rubbery grip and showed quite a bit of extract. Nice sense of balance though - with fresh dark berry and spicy, menthol flavours moving into a bright finish with more berries and a touch of slightly coarse grape skins. Descriptors on my notes do not sound all that great, but somehow the wine had a very good sense of proportion and came together very nicely. In spite of it being a little modern for my tastes, I actually rather enjoyed this. It will certainly do well with some cellaring.

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  • 2004 Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto Toscana IGT 92 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT

    Excellent for a second wine, and really good value too. Garnet shaded colour. Nose was complex, rich and warm, with boiled cabbage and herbs, stewed meat and lurking plum notes augmented by leathery notes. Beautiful. Palate attacked with sweet plums and fresh cassis along with some herb and bramble. It was plush in a modern way, but the wine was certainly marked by fine balance and a stately structure. Long, long finish too, very satifying, with more fresh cassis notes and a final grip from the tannins.

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  • 2005 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia 94 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Sassicaia

    This was a classy wine. Lovely nose - vanilla and latte notes from the oak mixed with sweet plums, cassis, dark berries and a wreath of smoke. Rather Bordelais. Very layered and deep. The same flavour profile was reflected in the palate - again, I got sweet plums, cherries, berries, all held in grippy and rather tight, but extremely fine-grained tannins. Superb balance, great integration of flavours. There was a hint of tobacco smoke and green pepper lurking around somewhere in there as well. This is not a wine to be drank in a hurry, but rather one to be savoured, as it strolled into a long, gentle finish, flavours seamlessly unfolding. So very young - this will do well with a decade or more of aging.

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Flight 4 - Fontodi (6 Notes)

  • 2006 Fontodi Chianti Classico 90 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

    Roasted coffee beans on the nose showed the 2 years this had spent in French oak. This was followed by some dried earth and some cherry accents - very tight still. Palate showed more Sangiovese cherry flavours with grippy, rubbery tannins. Quite a bit of weight, but more than enough structure to support it. Lengthy finish, nice balance. Rather simple and primary at the moment, this will take a bit of time to unpack. Not a bad wine by any means though.

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  • 2005 Fontodi Chianti Classico 89 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

    I did not quite like this as much as the 2006 that we tasted alongside. I found this rather less balanced. Nose was more expressive than its younger sibling, with grassy herbs, leathery barnyard tones and a cherry orchard underlayer. The acid and tannins rather stuck out on the palate though, rather noticeable grippy and a little spikey, with some sweet cherry cola and a touch of cheese tones as the wine wound into a medium-length finish. Not bad as Chianti Classicos go, and it should integrate better with time, but I expected more from this maker.

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  • 2004 Fontodi Chianti Classico Riserva Vigna del Sorbo 93 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG

    Serious stuff, but needs some time in the bottle. Nose showed coffee and vanilla along with savoury, lightly roasted meat notes, a layering of earth and lots of berries. Lovely, complex accents. With time, I got some menthol notes, green peppers and a hint of flowers. The palate introduced itself with a grip of tannins, which quickly unrolled to show an excellent freshness and balance with sweet, fresh berry flavours and notes of earth and spice as the wine moved into a longish finish. It started to clamp shut after some time, but did enough to show its potential.

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  • 2006 Fontodi Pinot Nero Case Via Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT 89 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT

    Sweetish nose, with lots of dark cherries and a touch of varnish. More sappy sweet cherries on the palate, which was rich and weighty in a modern way, but well supported by a decent balance and firm tannins. Decent finish too, with a sprinkle of earth adding interest. Not bad, but not something I would drink regularly - just not my style of Pinot.

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  • 2004 Fontodi Syrah Case Via Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT 89 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT

    Unusual expression of Syrah, neither Rhone, Paso Robles, Australian or South African. This was sweet on the nose, with sweet plums, a touch of earth and some wood spice. Sweet again on the palate, slightly preserved blueberries this time along with a layer of varnish. Simple, but well balanced. Very respectable finish. Not a bad wine, does not thrill me though.

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  • 2005 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT 93 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT

    Excellent. Lovely nose, with warm stewed tomatoes and plum notes lingering amongst coffee and vanilla tones that spoke of the 1.5 years or so this wine spends in French oak. Nice freshness on the palate, keeping the weighty cherry / berry flavours really clean. A little perfumy top-note found its way into the wine on my second pour. Great depth and structure though, very serious wine, with grippy tannins marking its movement towards a very long, very classy, gently lingering finish. It shut down somewhat at the mid-palate after some time, but otherwise a really nice wine. Expressive without ever needing to shout, this will show its breeding and quality more fully with at least another 6 or 7 years in the bottle.

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Flight 5 - JJ Prum (2 Notes)

  • 2004 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 89 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Oooh... stinky nose, sulphurous and not altogether pleasant. Never completely blew off either. Some petrol notes, some bright white fruit, lychee I think, but all a little overwhelmed by the sulphuric scents. Palate was quite a bit better, with clear lychee tones, a bright citrus lift and quite a bit of dry extract, with good weight and grip towards the wine's clean, minerally finish. Simple, but very very decent Kabinett. I would have enjoyed it even more if not for the nose.

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  • 2006 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese 93 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    Very nice wine, drinking beautifully now - especially with Mrs Yong's wonderful caramelised keropok. Flowers and mineral on the nose, with chamomile and jasmine flavours and a backbone of chalky mineral. The creamy, almost custard textured palate showed a touch of tropical fruit, a rich mid-palate with a sprinkle of alpine herbs and a fresh citrus note. A bit simple, but I got a sense of underlying complexity just waiting to unfurl, especially towards the medium length finish, with showed more flowers and a touch of lemon custard. Drinking well now, this may not be the longest aged of JJ Prum's Ausleses, but it does show the wonderful integration and balance that have always marked this house for me, and it will certainly develop in the bottle for some time yet.

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