Birthday dinner for Alex, William and Gina

We had a combined celebration for Alex, William and Gina at a lovely (and enormous) private dining space on the 7th floor roof-top of Iluma. Leonard and Jillian, Fiona, Joyce and Martin, Lawrence, Hsien Minm Elsa and I made up the table. Chef Daniel (Koh I think) helmed the kitchen and served us what must be, by some distance, the best fusion meal I have had in Singapore. He later told us that he spent quite a few years cooking in Melbourne - which helped to explain the deft touch he had in combining Asian and Western influences. The food was really, really good. For the record, the menu was:

Hokkaido Hotate Usuzukuri
Pan Fried Foie Gras with Fragrant Rice and Chestnut Compote
Campari and Grapefruit Intermazzo
Gratin of White Asparagus with Escargot and Parma Ham Chip
Roulade of Spring Chicken on Mushroom Filo
Char Siew Rack of Lamd with Caramelised Fig
Royal Praline with Caramelised Banana

and Elsa's home-baked Gingerbread Cake for the birthday boys and girl.

What a night! As always, wines were all served double-blind. We had Rhones that tasted like Burgundies, and Burgundies that tasted like Rhones. All-in-all though, what an excellent evening with great friends, good food and fine wine. Happy birthday all!

• 1991 Bernard Hudelot Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Le Rouard Chateau de Villars Fontaine 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits

  Okay - now I know for sure that the last bottle was flawed. This was really excellent, best HCDN that I have had by miles. Golden yellow colour showed its age. Nose was quite lovely, if just a little on the oaky side, with vanilla pods and cream fraiche infused into freshly scented flowers, nectar, kumquats, figs, mushrooms and even a touch of diesel. I liked this. Palate had some size on it, creamy, rich, even a bit buttery - made me think of Meursault, except for the fact that the wine had plenty of acid. And what acidity too - fresh, zippy and racy all the way into the finish, with citrus tones of ripe lemons and tangerines, along with more aged kumquat flavours. Length was not prodigous, but there was a subtle linger to it, with vanilla cream and a touch of smoky mineral. The wine was actually still rather edgy, and not entirely integrated - I think it will be even better in 2-3 years' time.

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• 2001 Hugel Gewurztraminer Jubilee 91 Points

  France, Alsace

  I really enjoyed this - it was drinking at just the right point, and very nicely paired with the subtle foie gras dish as well. Served blind, I was quite convinced it was a Hugel Gewurz from its classic notes of lychee cream, chrysanthemum flowers, tangerines and orange peel on the nose, along with its lychee martini-like flavours and more perfumy, musky flowers in its rich, creamy, almost waxy palate. The finish had a distinct touch of bergamot oil, nicely spotted by Lawrence, and then lots of spice just tumbling over sappy fruit along its rather impressive length. Not tremendously complex, but more than enough to hold the interest. Very nice balance as well. Much enjoyed.

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• 1996 Dominique Laurent Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru

  Unfortunately rather cooked. Still drinkable, but by far the poorest wine of the night. Pity for a strong vintage and a good vineyard. Nose was all funky, earthy and mushroomy at first, opening up slightly to show dense dark fruit and a touch of meat. Clear 1996 acidity on the palate, along with plenty of extracted fruit - dark plums and stewed cherries, layered over wet stones and metal. Pity the whole thing was a bit alcoholic and cooked. Finish showed some dried figs and orange peel with a twist of bitter-sweet bramble. Still enough to give some pleasure - but barely.

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• 2001 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  A bit of a hybrid between Vosne and Chambolle. A good wine, drinking very nicely, but I would have expected more - especially after last week's 2001 Bonne Mares. Still though, much enjoyed. Nose was a little tight at first, funky and earthy, before opening up to show cherry cola, violets and a liberal portion of spice. Palate had quite a bit of extract, again, sparkly cherry cola notes and plenty of spice. A little tart at first, but that calmed down with time to become a nice freshness. Lithe and graceful, the wine had an elegant balance between sappy sweet cherry fruit extract, little seams of ferrous mineral, silky tannins and good acidity. Not great complexity, but nice lines, good focus and a nice purity to the fruit expression. Finish was decent, building up with time into spicy length with bits of orange peel.

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• 2001 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Charmes-Chambertin 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

  A very pleasurable Charmes. Started out a little more poorly than the younger drinking Vogue Chambolle 1er Cru, but this really picked up speed and far out-stripped its flight-mate by the end of the evening. Strangely, this tasted far more like a Chambolle than the former wine. Very pretty nose, spice, flowers and violets along with pure red cherry fruit notes. The typical toasty mocha Rousseau notes did not emerge until quite a bit of time had elapsed in the glass. Palate was really pretty as well - blood and iron at first, but that melted away into a bright palate full of pure cherries, fresh flowers and touches of spice. A bit lightweight for a Grand Cru, but this is a Charmes after all. Still quite a bit of structure there, with lovely integrated acidity and fine, firmish tannins. Great balance all round. Finish had very nice flavours too - pure cherries, haw flakes, mineral, bramble and flowers. Not tremendously lengthy, but very nice. Drinking well now, but I would wait another 3-4 years for a bit more development.

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• 1975 Château Figeac 92 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

  Lovely wine - another one in its peak drinking window. I thought there was just this hint of TCA in its musty cupboard smell at first, but that thankfully blew away. Nose was very Bordeaux, and rather Figeac, with eucalyptus, earthy accents and damp leaf opening up into twiggy stems and green peppers. Nice fruit sweetness on the palate, with clean, pure expressions of sweet cassis and cherries mingling with spice and bramble. Lots of freshness still. There was quite a bit of twigginess at first, which melted away slightly to to show a nice, long finish with sappy fruit, prunes and, with time, a lovely pull of tobacco. I spotted it as a 1975 from that slight stemminess and a sense of hard tannins having smoothened out, but thought it was a left-bank given its flavour profile. Figeac gets confusing that way with its 50-50 blend. Once it was revealed as a right bank though, it could really only be a Figeac. Not the most powerful or complex vintage, but a genuine pleasure to drink.

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• 1981 Château Montrose 93 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe

  I think this is the first 1981 Bordeaux I have ever tried, and a really good one it was too. Lovely nose of tobacco, cigar box, wet leaf and a touch of mocha and oak suggested Pauillac - William guessed it correctly as a St. Estephe though! Plenty of depth on the palate, which still came across as young and vibrant, with clean cassis flavours wed to a svoury touch and flecks of tobacco. Tannins were soft and silky, yet still had a sense of structure. This was absolutely on point and drinking beautifully. Length on the finish was decent, with a bit of grippiness on the tannins and linerging flavours of cedar and tree roots. Very nice indeed.

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• 1970 A. Du Bourg Gigondas 93 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas

  Strangely enough, William bought this from a caveau in Beaune in June. A reallly elegant showing, so much so that, served blind, half the table thought it was a ripe Burgundy, while the others thought Southern Rhone. Nose started out all blood and iron, almost zinc roof like. With time though, lovely notes of white pepper, dark fruited stewed cherries and plums and lots of funky, umami-laden low tones of earth, mushrooms and white asparagus emerged. Palate was still so very alive. Rich, dense, slightly viscous, with a nice balance still, it showed big weighty red cherries and sweet plums galore, along with figs and fruit cake and a strong seam of iron. The finish, which was a little thin and bitter at first, really rounded off and filled up with time in the glass to show layers of earth, bramble, mineral. plums and raisins - very nice, and just about drinking at peak. A great start to the night. Incidently, the label had all but disintegrated, so we could only ascertain the identity of the wine when the cork was revealed!

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• 1994 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 92 Points

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

  A bit of a Beaucastel-lite, but very nice nonetheless. I enjoyed this very much, but rather shamefully called it a Burgundy on first pour! And quite Burgundian it was too, dark fruit, tea leaves and anise on the tight nose, only opening up to show more meaty notes sprinkled with spice as time when by. Same thing on the palate - light, lithe and elegant, almost weightless like a good Pinot, with clean acidity giving a great sense of balance to its dark fruit character. Only with time did more familiar notes of leather and red meat start emerging from the cracks. Not very complex, but very pleasurable to drink though - smooth as silk, super-integrated, a nice persistent strength on the finish. Only issue was bits of alcohol sticking out here and there, but those were a minor distraction from what was otherwise a lovely wine at its peak drinking window.

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• 1999 Gran Clos Priorat Gran Clos 91 Points

  Spain, Catalunya, Priorat

  One of the more simple wines on show, but very enjoyable nonetheless. Rather Aged-Aussie Shiraz nose, with lurking dark fruit under a layer of woody oak and whiffs of crushed beetle and Baygone. Palate was marked by fine, firm tannins, powdery schist notes and deep prune and plum flavours just starting to verge on dry fruit tones. Really nice fresh balance though, so that the wine, noticeably big as it was, always seemed poised and light on its feet. Finish was nice and long, with dark fruit mingling with spice notes. A good showing.

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• 1973 Masi Recioto della Valpolicella Amarone Classico 92 Points

  Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Recioto della Valpolicella

  A nice aged Amarone - beautifully paired with Elsa's gingerbread cake. Very port-like on the nose, with figs, raisins, dark chocolate and a touch of scorched earth. Fiona said blackforest cake, which I thought was spot on. Sweetness had certainly gone down on the palate, so that it hung around as at the back of the mouth rather than asserting itself. Some alcohol for sure, but the wine was still being carried by nice fresh acidity. Nice flavours too - sultanas and dried figs on the attack melding into, toasty earth, coffee grounds and chocolate notes as the wine wound down into a decent finish. Again, not tremendously complex, but very pleasurable.

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• 2002 Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 93 Points

  South Africa, Coastal Region, Cape Peninsula, Constantia

  I've had enough bottles of this to spot it as a Vin de Constance blind, but got the vintage wrong - this was by far the best showing yet, so that it seemed almost a different wine. Lovely orange / amber colour. Very open on the nose, with flowers, soap suds and exotic tropical accents of lychee, longans and dried mangoes along with a seam of orange peel. Palate was similarly expressive, with honey, neactraine, mangoes and passion riding on a caramelly texture that was at once viscous and dense and yet fresh and well-balanced. Finish, very suitably, was full of Christmas spices, winding up both the wine and the dinner perfectly. Excellent.

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