Pre-Chinese New Year gathering with friends

William suggested a pre-CNY BYO at extra space with a few good friends, and we happily obliged. What was supposed to be short few hours with finger food eventually became a full blown-out session. Great fun as always, with bottles from William, Alex Koh, Edwin, Sasi, Siang, Lawrence and Robert Rees added to the mix. Some nice brie and crackers and roast pork belly (nicely roasted by Lawrence) to fill out stomachs as well.

• 2003 Château de Fieuzal Blanc 90 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  The scores for this wine on CT seem a little harsh. Served blind, we all picked it up as a Bordeaux blend, and a very decent one at that. Golden yellow colour, nose showed dried apricots, olives, musk and breadfruit - very Semillion, and rather aged Semillion at that. I found this even more so on the palate, which had toasty oak and roasted nuts, an oily texture and some underlying yellow fruit. A touch of alcohol at the end somewhat marred the wine's performance, otherwise pretty nice - with an oaky, toasty finish that showed a small seam of mineral. Acid was a bit low, which should have led us to guess a hot year, but no one got 2003, seeing that the wine seemed very developed indeed, with the Semillion overshadowing the Sauv Blanc.

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• 2006 Reichsrat Von Buhl Forster Jesuitengarten Riesling Spätlese 92 Points

  Germany, Pfalz

  Drinking very nicely even though it was served a bit warm. This was a sex-bomb of a wine. Nose had powdery slate, lychee and tons of flowers. Sweet, sticky palate, held up by okay acidity (this is Pfalz after all, not Mosel) and some grip which gave a nice sense of dry extract in the wine, I got flavours of fuji apple, some yellow fruit - banana? - and a minerally backbone going into its long finish. Not the most complex of wines, but very yummy, and certainly nicely balanced and integrated. 91-92 points

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• 2003 Domaine Follin-Arbelet Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru En Caradeux 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru

  Served blind, this really surprised me - I found it better balanced and more filled out than the so-so 2004 that I had last year, which is saying something for a 2003 Burg. Nose had sweet morello cherries mixed in with earthy funk, a floral upper register, some woody scents and a thin layer of varnish. Tight at first on the palate, with grippy, tight-grained tannins and clean acidity holding the wine together in a nice package. It opened up to show rather expressive high-toned, sweet cherry with a touch of cola and just the lightest sprinkle of mineral. Very nicely balanced for 2003 indeed. A slight bittersweet swirl and a small whiff of varnish rounded the wine off. This gave quite a bit of pleasure, and I would drink it again anytime.

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• 2005 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St. Jean Rouge 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  A Chassagne red - so very rare these days. Avowed Burg-fans that we all were, no one guessed this right - we all fell either on Chambolle or Volnay, yet this was neither. Lacier and more perfumed than a Chambolle, tighter and darker than a Volnay, this was a beautiful expression of its terroir. Super-perfumed nose, lots of white musk, dark olives, sappy dark cherries, chalky mineral along with some wood accents and a splash of milk coffee spiked with caramel. Really clean on the palate, again replete with perfumey flavours, this time I got rose water, and high-toned cherry fruit. Tight tannins, rather woody, along with really bright acidity kept the wine well-balanced and very lively. Only let down was the shortish finish, otherwise a thoroughly enjoyable wine.

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• 2003 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny

  Another really nice French 2003 - this tasting really got me to re-examine my thoughts on the vintage. This tasted more Vogue than Mugnier, but nevertheless was a really nice village. Nose showed flowers, cherries laced with a light layering of earth and a twist of orange peel. Clean, minerally palate, with more ferrous notes and fresh cherries along with a slightly rubbery over-layer. Perfect balance though. Served blind, it really could not have been anything but a Chambolle, but such was the freshness and the balance of the wine that I guessed it as a 2004 rather than a 2003. Finish was decent. Tight, slightly bittersweet and more of that faint rubbery tang, but with nice length with a touch of coffee. Should be really nice in 3-4 years.

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• 1998 Voyager Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 93 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  An excellent wine, right smack in its prime drinking window as well. Sasi, who brought this bottle blind, is quite the aged Bordeaux go-to guy - we were all well and truly fooled by this one . The group was confidently trying to place whether it was St Julien or Pauillac and whether it was 1996 or 2000. Only Siang kept scratching his head over the rather un-Bordelais sweetness on the palate. Otherwise, the wine was a dead-ringer for a left-bank. Still dark coloured with some red-pink on the rim. Nose opened with black olive tapanade, lots of damp leaves, a touch of leather, undergrowth, a hint of green pepper, pencil lead, menthol, cedar wood and an under-layer of sweet plums. Complex and inviting. As noted by Siang, the palate showed lots of sweet cassis and plum, with a strain of cedar wood and a linger of menthol in its decent finish. Length was nothing to shout about, but the wine had a nice plush feel, with firm but velvety tannins and acid that kept it sprightly from the attack into the finish. Very nice indeed, and probably the wine of the day. That's saying quite a bit, given that this was followed by a 1975 Montrose.

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• 1996 Yalumba The Signature 91 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  This wine followed straight after a 1998 Voyager Cab-Merlot, which was a really hard act to follow. Not bad at all, but it seemed just a little clumsy next to the Maragaret River wine. Vanillin laced oak on the nose at first, and then coffee notes along with menthol and wood spice and a dense, sweet plums. A little bit of alcohol in there somewhere. Thick, dense palate, with more plums and slightly dried prunes, especially towards the finish. Very rich, but nicely balanced out with fresh acid. Tannins had softened into a gentle plushness. A little twist of anise and a touch of menthol floated around the palate - a nice wine.

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• 1999 Rupert & Rothschild Baron Edmond 90 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region

  Nice new world Bordeaux blend - clearly French influenced. Nose showed cafe latte, a touch of menthol and pencil shavings. Very clearly French oak. Palate was leafy, with sweet cassis and plums supported by plush tannins. Lovely balance. Very decent finish as well, with prunes, toasted vanilla a bit of oak and a faint hint of rubber. That was the only nod to South Africa I found.

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• 1999 Balnaves of Coonawarra Cabernet Merlot 89 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  Another pretty decent wine. This was thrown into the mix by Robert Rees. Bramble, leaf and earth on the nose, a little wet, sous-bois like, with oak and sweet plum scents. More sweet plums on the palate, which was rather rich, along with some savoury meat tones. Tannins had softened a bit, so the mouthfeel was pretty plush, but the wine still seemed just a little tight. Not super-fresh, but very alive still, with some acid keeping the wine up. Okay finish.

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• 1975 Château Montrose 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  Strangely young coloured. Shades of garnet, but still rather healthily red on the rim. This wine had a really heady nose - a dense, thick concoction of damp leaf, wet earth, mushroom, leather, cedar, tobacco and rich, dark cassis tones - all weaved together with a slightly funky thread. Very integrated,very layered, almost pungent in its intensity. Not quite as power-packed on the palate though. Nice attack, which carried on from the nose, sappy and dense, with sweet cassis tones. It sort of peters out at the mid-palate unfortunately, fresh acid notwithstanding, the flavours ease off towards the dry, slightly shortish finish, leaving a sense of dry, woody tannins. Still, an enjoyable wine - quite a treat.

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• 2001 Somerled Shiraz 90 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  We were told that this was made by the same guy who vinified the Grange for Penfolds for the longest time. Can't fault this wine - it is clearly well made and all, but I found it just rather run-of-the-mill and boring at the moment. Nose had oaky vanilla and blueberry tones. Nicely structured palate, dense and plush, but well balanced, with meaty flavours along with pepper, menthol and more oak going into the long, rather yummy finish. Lots of fresh acid here. I think this wine will develop quite a bit in the bottle yet.

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• 2001 Kilikanoon Shiraz Secret Places 90 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  Nicely made, and rather more enjoyable than the Somerled 2001 that we had alongside. Toasty coffee grounds and mocha on the nose, along with roasted meat notes. Plush palate, soft plums and berries, but with a nice clean feel going into a nice, flavourful finish. Enjoyable.

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• 1998 Vignobles Mayard Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau de ma Mère 90 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Not bad at all, but nothing special, especially next to the very good Vieux Donjon 2001. Nose showed roasted coffee, fresh herbs, menthol and just a touch of earth and garrigue. Fresh palate, nice acidity holding up simple cherry flavours. Decent finish. Simple, but eminently quaffable. I expected a bit more from a 1998 CdP though.

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• 2001 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  This was probably the best showing I have had out of this bottling. Beautiful nose of mushroom cooked with soy sauce, a hint of leather, roasted meat, brambly garrigue and a touch of vanilla. Palate was classic CdP - cherry, spice, bramble, pepper. Rather perfumed, good weight, with fresh acidity given a sense of clarity to the otherwise dense wine. With time, more roast meat flavours emerged and the cherries became sweeter - almost maraschino like at points. Long finish, with a touch of prunes and a liberal shake of cracked black pepper. There was a slightly distracting seam of iodine that peeked out here and there, otherwise a really nice CdP. This should do really well with another few years under its belt.

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• 1989 Château Rieussec 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  From an ex-Chateau 375ml. The colour of the wine was amazingly light and clear for a half nearing its 20th year. It told on the wine too. Lovely nose, umami and mushrooms, with savoury bread and nut tones undergirding marzipan, coconut and apricot scents. Sticky on the palate, good weight, with okay but not outstanding freshness, along with honeyed nectar and more bread and dried apricot tones. With time, toasty vanilla accents and orange peel came to the fore. More umami mushroom and the smallest hint of mineral rounded the wine off in the nice, long finish. A solid, very yummy wine that pushed all the right buttons without ever being spectacular.

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