Dinner at Imperial Treasure Nan Bei

Short dinner with Alex and Brian before going off to Denise at Rail Mall for a Tokaji tasting. Dinner was excellent with roast duck, roast pork, beef with fresh mushrooms, sauteed squid with salted egg yolk and a crispy noodel dish. Coincidently, both Alex and I brought 2004 Cab based wines. They could not be more different - one new world, juicy and modern, the other a classic left bank replete with funk and barnyard.

• 2004 St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon Coonawarra 90 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Limestone Coast, Coonawarra

  This was lying around the office, so I grabbed it along for dinner. Same impression as last time - it was very young. Very tight on the nose at first. Dried wood, sweet plums, blackberries, prunes, a dusting of vanilla bean, undergirded by low, rumbling notes of lightly roasted meat and boiled herbs with food. A few whiffs of alcohol, but those blew away before they could make an impression. The bouquet opened with time and air, taking on some sweetness in the fruit, some savoury boiled herbs, peppered with spice, bramble, menthol, with plenty of freshness. Very decent here. WIth even more time, it retreated into its youthful shell, leaving lots of oaky, vanilla tones. As with the nose, plenty of freshness on the palate. Rather primary still, with fresh cassis and dark cherries, some chocolate, some spice. Very fine tannins added a sense of structure. Finish was round and satisfying, with plums and blackcurrant pastilles. With its high acidity and great freshness, the wine went beautifully with most of the food. Very international style, plenty of quality, should be good in 5-6 years time.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2004 Château Larose-Trintaudon 88 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  From a half and, from what I tasted, a pretty overdeveloped one at that. Alex liked this better than I did. Much to do with the nose I think. Very assertive to say the least. My sense got dosed with bucketloads of funky barnyard scents when it was first poured. Try taking a few chickens, a few ducks, a couple of horses and locking then up in a manger. That would approximate it I think. The funk fades some with time, but there was still a little stink throughout. Once the worse of it blew off though, I got a tustic, meaty nose, with wild berries and plums and a smoky tinge. With some food in the mouth, the wine smelt sweet, almost confected. I thought the palate had lowish acidity for a 2004, making it seem a little weighty. Not flat though, a pretty balance showed up with time and air, with dark fruit and herb flavours moving into a surprisingly light and poised finish. Short on lnegth but long on charm here, with more berries and herbs in the mouth. There were whiffs of nail varnish remover and chemical bubble formula lingering mixed in there at first, a whole bottle full in fact, but that swirled away too, leaving a sense of balance and structure, with slightly woody tannins keeping up with the fruit to the end. After all that, I found it pretty decent with air and food. Slight disjoint between nose and palate, but otherwise a pleasant wine and excellent value. Decanter 5*

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No