Table Mountain @ Home

Popped this South African wine after the CNY dinner. Not surprising the family didn't like it. I think red wine is an acquired taste.

2007 Table Mountain Cabernet
Very dark inky plum color. The nose was pungent with aromas of chinese herbs. In fact it was so strong that it reminded me of Chinese medical halls. Or alternatively, African spice? The herbal nose followed through to the medium bodied palate. There were some plums and sweetness but the herbal taste was too overpowering. No characteristic smokiness from the cabernet. Tannins were reasonably rounded. It was still drinking well the night after but the herbal nose and palate were still there. No evolvement at all.

Wine from Denise (M'sia).

Pajzos @ Home

Wine opened after the reunion dinner.

2005 Chateau Pajzos Harslevelu Late Harvest (half bottle)
Bright yellowish. First glass was very closed and felt simple on the palate. I was disappointed. Almost an hour later, it opened up with floral and lemony citrus notes. The palate also improved in complexity with more intense flavors finishing with a slight bitterness. Mouth-feel was silky. Good buy at its price point. Point to note: I really must start opening my sweets for a while before drinking them.

Wine bought from Crystal Wines.

Assortments @ Raffles

Attended this event with several kakis. By a stroke of luck some of us were able to get into the ballroom early and had a few glasses leisurely before the crowd thronged in.

Other than the wines, there were a huge assortments of cheese but hey that's not what we are here for. There were many other bottles not written below, mainly due to loss of memory. Without further ado here are the notes:

1988 & 1994 Château Pétrus
Biggest disappointments of the day. My virgin tasting of Petrus, the most expensive label in Bord, proved to be underwhelming. What's all the fuss about?! I would definitely rate this even lower if I'd tasted this blind.

2000 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche
Hoho... my first DRC in my wine-tasting "career" and boy it didn't disappoint. I will copy this portion from Burghound as it sums up how I felt: "...nose of dried rose petals plus a fantastic array of aromas and spices too numerous to even try to describe...". I use the analogy of a surround sound system to describe the nose. In the mouth, it's light yet packed with expansive flavors. I think I'm starting to understand the concept of power without weight. If I struck 4D today and won $2K, I will buy this now. :D

An interesting story to share: After I brought this empty bottle home after the event, I noticed that there's a few ml of wine left in it. Drained it in a wine glass and WOW the superlative nose was still intact in that tiny portion!!

2002 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée St. Vivant
Sad to say I forgot everything about this as I sipped this right after the La Tache (again I blamed myself for only sipping 1 glass of this). The only thing I remembered is the nose is of totally different character from the LT. It was serious and rather closed but there's clearly some substance in there. It just requires more effort to nose it. Perhaps this portion from BH sums it up well for me: "The overall character here is rather discreet and understated and while there is plenty of character, it's clear that this is built along the lines of elegance and finesse..."

1990 Château Figeac
I seem to be the only one who doesn't particularly like this. The herbal and earthy notes dominated the nose, which while not really offensive, wasn't my style at all.

2005 Château Cos d'Estournel
Very structured and balanced! This is not showy or lush but a simple, quiet, elegant wine which does everything right. My favourite Bord of the day. But unfortunately this would probably be priced above my budget...

2003 Chapelle d'Ausone
Wow this is the first right bank that I really like. At first was skeptical about the 2003 vintage (from my bad experience with Latour '03 the night before), but this proved astonishing. Great depth in flavor and juicy. Perhaps '03 right bank is more my style? But this cuvee ain't cheap...

2004 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Petite Chapelle
Urgh... very weird nose. Mint, peppermint, Vietnamese raw vegetables. Clearly Rhone isn't my glass of wine. Thank goodness I got one less region to buy. :D

2000 Château La Fleur-Pétrus
Tried this very late in the day and sad to say my taste buds have numbed...

Pre-CNY Wine Dinner @ Clementi

Wine dinner with E, his gf, ZB, B and me at home. Had sushi and some sashimi to go with the Champagne. Roast chicken and some sausages with the Brunello and finally some semi-hard cheese and toasted fruit bread to go with the Sauternes. Unfortunately we realized too late to take a photo of the food. :P

NV Francois Hemart Brut Rosé
Color was very pretty, orangey red. Slightly tart but with distinctive apricot flavor (detected by B). My first Rosé for a very long time. It's very nice for sure but can't justify to myself spending so much on a sparkly, since to me it felt more like a fun drink rather than a serious cuvee.

Wine bought from Moomba.

2001 Ciacci Piccolomini Brunello di Montalcino Vina di Pianrosso
Ah I think I might be able to taste a Brunello blind now. Very serious taste on the palate. Some smokiness but not so much fruit. Nose very aromatic, especially using my Burg glass. ZB thought it was quite unique while CJ gave it thumbs up. B also liked it. To be frank by this time I was already numbed by all the Latours tasted earlier. Not a bad buy but the wine had already seeped up almost to the top of the cork! Hope this is just a one off case. I still have one more bottle of this.

Wine bought from J&D Burleigh.

1999 Chateau Solon
Very similar to the Monbazillac '06 even though this is much more aged. Color-wise still very bright and young. Nothing particularly unique about this although price-wise it's decent as well.

Wine bought from Carrefour.

Latour @ Raffles Hotel

Signed up for this some time ago but was told only left waiting list. Last minute got a call from Raffles saying someone cancelled and whether I would be keen to take it. A tough decision from me especially since it’s not cheap and I have the pre-CNY Clementi wine dinner to attend after that. But Latour is LATOUR, so ultimately I succumbed.

The event was quite posh, as were the crowd. Each person given 500ml of Fiji water and some slices of pretty delicious bread (but no cheese!) as well as a soft-bound copy of Chateau Latour promo materials. The event was hosted by someone from the Chateau and an angmoh wine critic. Wine glasses from Schott Zwiesel.

Wine tasted in the following order:

Les Forts de Latour 2005
Bright deep ruby hues with the rims almost neon magenta. In the nose, very floral with slight tobacco and clearly complex aromas. On the palate, cherries and hints of coffee. Very concentrated wine but with a acidic spine to hold it all together. Power with elegance. Tannins were very fine. Very very long finish. My WOTN.

Les Forts de Latour 2004
Darker and duller in color. Less fruit on the nose compared to the ’05. Finish also shorter than the ’05. But it’s good for drinking now with good fruit on the palate. I wouldn’t mind getting this if it’s below $180.

Les Forts de Latour 2002
Intense pencil lead on the nose. There’s a lingering sweetness in this wine which wasn’t cloying at all. Finish was reasonably long. Very elegant and quite similar in style to the previous one.

Latour 2004
Wow, clearly belonging to a different league compared to the Les Forts. Color was very dark. The aromas were so intense and powerful, it punches you squarely in the nose. A wow wine. Heavy bodied and thick in concentration yet with sufficient acidity and tannins to hold it all together. A good introduction to what Latour really is.

Latour 2003
A super-duper intense nose bordering on liquorish. Very juicy yet very thick in texture.The ripeness of ’03 plus the powerful style of Latour made this a wine I would find difficult to finish a bottle of. The mouthfeel was quite similar to a Mollydooker I tried before. Not my style.

Latour 2001
Ah this is the kind of wine I like. Very pleasant and enjoyable to drink now. Nose still very intense but not as overpowering like the ’03. Full and round wine. Bone dry and lively. I like it. My favourite Latour of the night.

Latour 1996
Very herbal and vegetal nose. I don’t like this kind of nose at all. On the palate there’s complexity and mint and liquorice. For me I liked the palate more than the nose, but after a while the herbal notes appeared on the palate and spoilt it for me. Thus this was no longer the WOTN for me.

Latour 1995
The nose is more Pauillac in character. The intensity doesn’t hit me immediately but I can sense it hiding in the background. I feel that this wine is a quiet and reserved wine. Full of potential but not showy. Perhaps it needs more years to go. To be frank at this time, my tongue was quite numb liao and mind not very clear anymore (minimal spitting of the wines!) so might not be 100% accurate.

So what do I think of Latour now? For one, it is a WOW wine. A wine which will make you sit up and take notice of it. A wine for impressing with its sheer power and concentration. A very worthy experience for me.