12/1/2022 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Earthy, red fruits and nuances of spice and camphor. A perfumed nose which keeps giving and evolving in the first 1+ hour. Elegant and tea like on the palette. Drinking very well now. Enjoyable

8/28/2022 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Sexy nose. Black fruits, lacy, pheromones and incense.

6/18/2022 - Chaochao wrote:

Not in a good place. Tightly wound/hidden spices, leathery and savoury. Fruit is missing and so is any heady nose. Disappointed

5/29/2022 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Must be the only Shiraz I’ve ever enjoyed. And really surprised by the elegant package of rich flavours. The nose is savoury, earthy and of worn leather which immediately piqued my interest. The wine is of a medium light weight with silky tannins and a rather long finish of ripe currants in a Chinese style umami soy sauce braise. There was nothing cloying or jarring with this Shiraz and I suspect it’s the subtle spice bag in the braise that made everything sing in this wine. Definitely a fascinating discovery and the WOTN amidst a line of of old world reds from Bordeaux, Burgundy and Tuscany. Drank this at a friend’s 30th wedding anniversary

5/21/2022 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Lemon citrus, giving way to almonds, pears and apricots. Clean, cylindrical mouthfeel. Good energy and slight tension. So good even at Bourgogne Blanc level. Had it with Anand Gaggan “best of” dinner. And it paired beautifully with the mainly seafood and fresh South Indian green chutney and spice infused menu

3/10/2022 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Meaty, mushrooms on initial nose opening up to florals and velvety incense. Heady and Intoxicating. Tea like in texture with silky and slightly grippy tannins and sappiness. Beautiful impressions of ripe fruits without any cloying sweetness. So delicious and yet so refreshing. Such a wonderful wine and drinking beautifully now.

3/4/2022 - Chaochao wrote:

Big wine on the nose and the stuffing. South Indian spices and floral nose : cumin+cardamom+jasmine. Quite unlike the later vintages in style which I much prefer. Missing mystery and allure.

2/19/2022 - Chaochao Does not like this wine:

Pencil lead, graphite, stones, hard mouth coating tannins, violets, blackberries. Inky, ferrous and heavy.

2/19/2022 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Lively, long and chewy, slightly grippy tannins, spice box, blood, animal, soy sauce, blackberries. Savoury. Elegant

2/8/2022 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Beautiful elegance with black fruits swimming in a spice box mix enveloped in earth and minerality. This is the most elegant Bordeaux I’ve had to taste. Everything was in balance and singing. At Empire - CNY 2022

2/8/2022 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Mouth watering savoury nose of warm spice, wood and ripe cherries. Touch of saline on entry with smooth velvety chewy tannins. This is very so yummy now.

1/27/2022 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Lively umami fruit bomb. Velvety with exotic spice.

1/27/2022 - Chaochao wrote:

Ripe currants in cherry oak

1/7/2022 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Glistening pale straw gold. Tightly packed with latent energy. Dances on my tongue. Lemon zest and faint hints of burnt butter on the nose. After 2 hours, salivating umami preserved lemons on the taste. Fascinating wine demanding my attention and coaxing.

12/9/2021 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Strawberries after 2 hours airing in the bottle
Vanilla and cream
High acidity

10/1/2021 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Bright and lively. Potpourri on the nose, ever so slight tannins and a package full of berries with the unmistakable suggestion of pheromones now and then. Not as magical as the 2015 but still a special sexy wine

9/12/2021 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Nose was reticent for 3+ hours and suffered from being presented with dozens of wine glasses with 5 great burgundies exuding perfume bombs all around it. Not till the rest were mostly drunk that a nose of black currants emerged. There is some vanilla, cream and a little spice. On thé palette, it is round, fruity and agreeable. Already drinkable at this stage.

9/12/2021 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Warm burgundy tinge evolving at the rims despite its youth. Nose of red fruits and vanilla. Texture has fine tannins with lively ripe red fruits. Some leather scent emerges after a few hours tinged with mild spice. This seems a very light Grand Cru. Elegant, pleasurable and long but lacks mystery and complexity.

9/12/2021 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Herbaceous nose at first with hints of coriander leaf. As the nose opens, scents of orange blossoms and iron/blood waft through. The real surprise though is the prominent tropical fruits that came forth in the 2nd hour. Smells of mangoes and passion fruit were quite exciting. This is a fruit bomb. Round, harmonious and pleasurable on the palette. A crowd pleaser

9/11/2021 - Chaochao wrote:

Fruit is not present. Nose is a spice box of cloves and vanilla in beef broth. Smokey with Umami as the key smell/taste profile. This smells a little like canned Spanish conservas but not in a bad way. After some hours, the nose turns more tea like and becomes slightly more elegant. On thé palette, it’s light and quite elegant. This is too world for my liking.

9/11/2021 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Distinct fragrance of strawberries encased in a veil of the faintest cinnamon, wispy incense smoke and an unmistakably present smell of pheromones. This wine is at once luscious and yet lacy and so sensual. The nose faded in 2 hours but after 3 hours, came back again with the ripe red fruits and fine incense held together in a happy tension. On thé palette, the wine is ripe fruits, crème fraîche, à touch of spice and a dash of umami. This is such an enjoyable, tasty and alluring wine. So stylish too.

9/11/2021 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

This wine is a perfume bomb! Flinty at first, but keeps evolving with petroleum persistently lingering whilst leather, bitumen and tobacco leaf rise from the wine bowl in a heady mix. Black fruits enliven the scent and faint spice keeps the nose mysterious. Some earth and soy sauce notes are also present. This is a rich, dark, sensuous and muscular wine. Reminds me so much of my favourite Byredo Sellier perfume. A delight.

8/15/2021 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Drank from half bottle. Intriguing nose of animal, roses, worn leather and red fruits. Mouth watering aroma of pheromones interlaced with incense and spices weaving through. Elegant with filigreed tannins on the palette and juicy red fruits still tightly packed. Very pleasurable now but would be fantastic later too.

8/9/2021 - Chaochao wrote:

Intoxicating nose of minerals, oyster shells, and the citrus zest of life! Attack on the palette is broad with salted macadamia nuts, egg whites and a salivating long seawater after taste, spiked with lemon curd and a refreshing cleansing of crisp green apples long after the last sip.

7/28/2021 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Chalky on first attack. But with aeration, lovely cream spiked with lemon zest ending with nutty notes of almonds and a touch of salinity. All these in an elegant barely there weight on the palette. So precious

7/1/2021 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Voluptuous nose of ripe red fruits, flowers and incense. Grippy tannins still

7/1/2021 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Thin on the nose but much more exciting on the palette. Chewy tannins, earthy and savoury, almost salty. A subtly juicy wine and simply mouth watering to drink. Very interesting

7/1/2021 - Chaochao wrote:

Warm, earthy, savoury nose. Black cassis on the taste. Good acidity and gentle tannins. One of the most palatable and drinkable big Spanish wines I have tried.

7/1/2021 - Chaochao wrote:

Nose of leather, ink, graphite, vanilla and almonds. However, quite weightless on the palette, fine velvet on the texture, rounded and creamy on the taste. Enjoyable

6/27/2021 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Cool pale straw yellow and almost glistening. A nose of gardenia blossoms and honeyed lychees wrapping a core of steel and stone. So fine, so promising like a young blossoming woman gliding in quiet sophistication that she’s unaware of. This is an absolute delight and oh so elegant.

5/28/2021 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Drinking well. Slight bricking occurring. Sensuous with hints of incense and rose. Smooth on the texture, juicy red fruits with some leather and savoury umami

11/13/2020 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Earthy, integrated spice and dark fruits. Balanced acidity and drinking very well now and easy pairing with rich Italian pastas and antipastos

11/13/2020 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Deep red with some browning occurring. Texture is of leather with grippy tannins which are just relaxing now. Taste is savoury, saline even, ending on notes of dried roses with good length of plums and dried dates. The only issue I have, is how heavy bodied the wine is. More acid would given the wine better elegance. But otherwise a very enjoyable, very big wine, able to withstand saucy full bodied teochew braised dishes and even dishes laden with vinegar. Yummy

9/12/2020 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Popcorn on the nose. Pale liquid gold in the glass. Light butter on the palatte with slight caramel notes, still lively and crisp enough with citrus lemon notes at the end. Smooth and melodius drinking now. Very enjoyable

6/28/2020 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Tight with loads of energy and fruits dying to burst forth. Heady perfume of spice, orange Essence and dark fruits. Needed 2 hours in the glass to start loosening up. Alas, curfew for alcohol consumption was triggered (this is the Covid 19 restricted movement era) and this bottle did not get its justification for being opened that night. Can keep a few years more..

9/2/2019 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Intoxicating sexy nose of incense, tea, leather and slight animal. Ripe red fruits on the palette, a little bit of orange oil and some green stems after 2 hours. Tannins are well integrated and this is drinking nicely now

9/2/2019 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Had this at Shinji’s
- lovely tinge of burnt orange
- nose of finesse and elegance...savoury and some biscuit
- ethereal in weight
- very very fine bubbles, hardly there but they are
- Touch of copper
- saline finish
- lovely aftertaste of yeast and umaminess
* Amazing champagne and one of the most delicious, intriguing and elegant one I’ve had.

8/9/2019 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Lovely yeasty saline quality. White flowers on the nose and touch of creme fraiche on the palette. Slightly oaky but very fresh and bright. Really yummy and delicious

7/26/2019 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Wonderful organic wine with good energy, pot pourri, fruit and minerals. The nose has a lovely, intriguing earthiness with some pheromones. Very interesting wine

7/20/2019 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

An amazing nose oozing with sensuality and sensuousness. There was incense immediately, roses layered thereafter, raspberries buried deep and after 1.5 hours, the most pleasurable, heady and satisfying nose of sandalwood and intimacy. This wine is absolutely fascinating and intoxicating. Will cherish my last remaining bottle.

6/22/2019 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Strong nose of chocolates and mushrooms wrapping luscious red fruits of raspberries and strawberries robed in floral potpourri and exotic incense. This wine is jam packed with ripe flavours and promise. Though enjoyable now, i think it should taste so much finer in 5 or more years.

6/22/2019 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Beautiful nose of coconut and almonds, fresh on the palette, bright with a touch of stone. Wonderful balance and elegance.

6/5/2019 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Very fine nose of blue flowers, potpourri, incense and spice (aniseed and cloves). Complex but harmonious on the palette. Very elegant, classy, silky and weightless. This wine somehow conjures up for me, images of fine tapestry and beautiful lace...

6/2/2019 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Perfume bomb of sandalwood, black rose and orange blossom. Quite heavy bodied with very present tannins. More wood on the palette. Better on the nose than on the palette.

5/21/2019 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Delicately perfumed nose of roses, dried mushrooms, black tea and faint cedar. Silky tannins, almost translucent and tea like in texture. Very elegant but this is thinning out from where it was a year ago. Drink now.

5/20/2019 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Lovely juicy fruits of pomegranates, some mushrooms on the nose and just a lace of spice. A delightful village and very enjoyable

5/20/2019 - Chaochao wrote:

This winemaker’s Les Perrieres keeps disappointing. The 2015 was shy and non descript when I drank it last year but I thought it might have been due to the stemware and the humidity of a hot un air conditioned Asian Kitchen. But the 2016 drunk in Como Cookhouse’s air conditioned splendour, albeit not in crystal stemware, also produced the same reticence. There was some limestone and cool pebbles with hints of citrus but ever so slightly. It feels elegant no doubt but so muted it was frustrating.

5/20/2019 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Lovely juice. Slightly oxidative, tinged with rose gold, brilliant and bright and simply delicious.

5/20/2019 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Dark purple, juicy cassis, light tannins, some delicate chocolate. Enjoyable

3/16/2019 - Chaochao Likes this wine:

Powerfully perfumed nose of incense, heady dark blue flower blooms interwoven with oaky, yeasty, mushroomy notes and finally wafts of black tea leaves after 2 hours. On the palette, this is luscious sweet red fruits, with grippy tannins. Many, many more years ahead of this wine. Still tight and jammed packed with perfume, flavours, and intoxicating complexities.