Wineshark weekly - 28 August 2011

Last night was the reunion dinner with my MBA classmates. Although just like yesterday, this year is in fact the 10th anniversary when we all first met. Recalling the time when we started the study with the residential programme at Airport Regal, it brought back a lot of fond memories and laughters. Many of us have big changes, from a party-goer, to getting married and now have children... There are also some who gained so much weight it is so difficult to recognize the photos we took 10 years ago. Someone like me, haha....

Originally I planned to go to a restaurant in The Elements for dinner on Friday. But upon arrival and searching around I found that the restaurant was no longer there! What a waste of time... I decided to drive back home to have dinner at Kcal in Sham Tseng instead, bringing along a bottle of Barbera d'Asti. I had a roasted pork chop and my wife a lobster. With the starter salad, soup, dessert and drinks, plus two additional oysters (as recommended by the owner) the total bill was cost $510. I enjoyed this kind of small restaurant where I can chat with the owner on the wine, enjoying the bottle together (and I don't need to pay corkage fee!). The wine is quite good, and you can look at my tasting note either in FB or in my blog on Grape Variety Series 2 - Barbera.

This week was also my last cooking class. We have made some spicy Ham and Chicken Parcels, a Chicken & Bacon with Corn Sauce, plus Pumpkin Sticks with Bacon & Cumin as side dish. As usual, very good and tasty. The chef is a very funny and interesting guy, retired now but used to work in some big hotels. I like the class very much as not only I can learn to cook some nice dishes but it allowed me to practice and also interact with the fellow classmates. Unfortunately it seems that none of them will enrol on the next in-take as we do. So have to look forward to some new friends then. 

Need to catch up a bit on my fortified wine study now. Until next week, take good care and enjoy drinking!

Grape Variety Series 02 - Barbera

Barbera is recognized by most people as the second-best grape in Italy’s Piedmont, after Nebbiolo. However, inside Italy it has a big group of followers. It is widely planted in the country (the third most planted grapes, after Sangiovese and Montepulciano), and being blended in many different wines. It can be young and fruity, or dark and serious with barrique-aged. New oak has a good affinity to Barbera, with its cherry, sappy flavors a good match, and the oak adding another dimension of spiciness to the wine, along with the tannin to add structure and reduce the impact of its acidity. But it can also produce nice and rich characters without seeing the influence of oak. It ripens relatively late, but still before Nebbiolo. Some producers now pick Barbera late because of its high acidity. The grape has a deep colour. Its high acidity makes it ideal for warm climate, accompanied by low tannin.

Overall about half of the vineyards in Piedmont is devoted to Barbera. It is known as the ‘people’s wine’ there for its versatility and abundant production. The DOC regulations allow for a high yield which does not help the quality of this variety. Barbera d’Alba has the most complexity and power, and deeper color. Barbera d’Asti has a better elegance and finesse, with also a brighter color.

Elsewhere in Italy, Barbera also dominates much of Lombardia, along in other parts but appearing in the basic category Vino da Tavola. Beside Italy, it is quite popular in California and Argentina, mainly through the Italian immigrants settling in those places. Australia is also seeing some good examples, particularly in Barossa.

Barbera can be young and showing fresh cherry taste, or with more weight and a sour-cherry twist, or barrique-aged with more plum and rounder, having a touch of spice. But its acidity remain high no matter which style it is aimed for.

My recent tasting of a Barbera d'Asti:

Wine: Elio Perrone Mongovone Barbera d’Asti Superiore

Region / Country: Piedmonte, Italy

Vintage: 2007

Grape: 100% Barbera

ABV: 14%            

Price: HK$388

Tasting Date: 26 August 2011

Official website: www.elioperrone.it

Wineshark Score: 90

Deep purple colour Barbera with a medium intensity and developing aromas of black cherry, plum, violet, smoke, vanilla, sweet spice and medicinal notes. Relatively high in acidity, the wine has a soft and low tannin, of medium body and medium intensity in the flavors, showing characters of black cherry, oak, violet, medicinal and sweet spice. Overall of good quality with the very typical high acidity and low tannin style of the grape, the wine has a complex nose though relatively more simple palate, with the oak married very well with the Barbera characters giving it extra complexity. The reasonable intensity in aromas and flavors, as well as the length, makes this wine enjoyable in warmer climate. Ready to drink now and can be maintained for another 2-3 years.

Wineshark weekly - 21 Aug 2011

This week I spent the whole week in HK, and it's been a busy though enjoying week. Last Sunday I went to Ma's Restaurant in Tong Mei Road for some Muslim food. It is a small restaurant, and unless you live nearby it is quite difficult that you will know. But like many such places they also have some signature dishes which are simply fantastic. And I highly recommend their mutton 'pancake'. The pancake was made fresh and the mutton really tender, so good I actually want to order another one! We also had a mutton soup, some cucumber, and a mutton with bamboo shoots. HK$220 for two, good value, definitely will go again!

On Friday night I went to Mongkok Fung Shing. The decor and environment brought back a lot of memories, as that same restaurant (the one in North Point) was where I had lunch with my mom very often, before going to school. Unfortunately since I only went with my wife, we could only order three dishes, prawn toast, minced quail wrapped in lettuce, and deep fried lotus root cake. The quail was mixed with bamboo shoots so the taste was a bit peculiar for my liking. In the North Point branch the they did not put that and I preferred their style. HK$380 for two, more expensive than I originally expected, but still a place to go to relive some old times. And I want to try the roasted young chicken also.  

Yesterday was very busy, making three dishes in the cooking class in the morning:  Chicken Minestrone, Curry Chicken Wings, and Mango Pudding. All very delicious. I am thinking of marinating the chicken wings using the same way for BBQ, should be very good! Unfortunately because need to take my dog to the doctor so cannot have more...

Highlight of the week definitely was the wine-tasting party in my friend' Grace's home. She is such a talented person it always amazed me how she can be so good at cooking and tasting. We all have a wonderful time, having some spectacular food pairing with the wines from Santenay and Chassagne-Montrachet. Also had some very fresh and tasty oysters (and special thanks David for opening them for all of us!). I am impressed by the Leroy Santenay 1999 and Henri Boillot Montrachet GC 2000. Those who are interested can visit my FB for the tasting notes of the wines. But below is the list:

1. Vincent Girardin, Santenay 1er Cru Les Gravieres 2007

2. Vincent Girardin, Santenay 1er Cru Clos de Tavannes 2006

3. Ramonet, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot 2006

4. Maison Leroy, Santenay 1999

5. Vincent Girardin, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Le Cailleret 2007

6. Henri Boillot, Montrachet Grand Cru 2000

We also had an Innikillin icewine to accompany the dessert. It was such a good night! Now need to do some exercise to lose some weight...

Until next week, take care and enjoy reading!

Chateau Olivier

The chateau itself dated from the 12^th century, and by the 14^th century it was occupied by the d’Olivey family. The last Olivier decided to enter priesthood so the property was passed down the female line, the Lasserre family. Subsequently it was passed to Pierre Penel in 1663 through marriage. The estate then changed hands many times, now in the Bethmann family, with Jean-Jacques de Bethmann at the helm.

The estate amounts of 220 ha but majority is forest, pasture and grazing land. Vineyards constitute 50 ha, with a variety of terroirs. It is also only one of the six chateau entitled to produce both red and white under the Graves classification of 1959. Traditionally focusing on white, now there are more balanced position on the reds, with 38 ha comprising of 45% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. The average vine age is 25 years. White constitutes 12 ha, with 55% Semillon, 40% Sauvignon Blanc and 5% Muscadelle, of average age of 40 years.

Fruit is sorted at harvest manually, also in the winery, followed by temperature-controlled fermentation in steel vats. Cold maceration was conducted prior to fermentation. The wine will spend one year in oak, one-third of which are new in each vintage. Each year the production volume is about 6000 cases for the white, and 18000 cases for the red.

I have tasted the 2005 Blanc, which I found with good intensity on the nose and quite enjoyable, unlike a lot of the wine critics had assessed. Comparatively a much lower price with other Pessac-Leognan GCC, I recommend the readers to try those on the good vintage. You will get a good value bargain!

Region / Country: Pessac-Leognan, Bordeaux, France

Vintage: 2005

Grape: 48% Sauvignon, 2% Muscadelle, 50% Semillon

ABV: 12.5%                 

Price: HK$248

Tasting Date: 18 August 2011

Official website: www.chateau-olivier.com

Wineshark Score: 90

Light intensity lemon colour, this Pessac-Leognan white has a strong and developing nose of smoke, grass, lemon, honey, oak, gooseberry and peach. On the palate it is on the sour side with medium body, showing reasonable intensity flavors of lemon, wax, gooseberry, grass, honey and peach. Overall a good quality white of distinguished Sauvignon and Semillon characters on the nose, but without an equivalent strong palate. Quite straight-forward and simple, with a good length, this wine is ready to drink now but can be further improved for another 2-3 years.

Wines I have owned or tasted for the estate:

• Chateau Olivier, Blanc 2005
• Chateau Olivier, Blanc 2008
• Chateau Olivier, Rouge 2008

Domaine Henri Boillot

Henri began working with his father and brother in the family estate in Volnay in 1974, and by 1985 he was responsible for winemaking. The maternal grandfather was Etienne Sauzet and there was always much discussion about how the vines should be distributed between Boillot and Sauzet. The domaine has been producing roughly half in red and half in white, and it also has a negociant business producing mostly white.

The viticulture is traditional, with vines being guyot-pruned, and in harvest the whole bunch is fed into pneumatic press with only indigenous yeast being used. Henri preferred to age the wine on lees instead of batonnage after malolactic fermentation, so the wines are rich but with more elegance and freshness. After a year in cask the wines will be transferred to stainless steel vats for a few more months. Percentage of new oak is high, with 75% in some Puligny premier crus.

For the Pinot Noir Henri is more interested in achieving full ripeness so he tends to pick later than his neighbours. A long period of cold maceration ensues (sometimes close to 15 days) and then the pulp is warmed to start fermentation, using only indigenous yeast. 40%-60% new oak will be used depending on the cru.

The whites from Henri Boillot are a fine range of rich, aromatic with pure fruit flavors, serving generous texture and fine, crisp finishes. Its Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Pucelles is often recognized as the finest. The reds are soft, very ripe with juicy, highlights of vivid cassis and cherry aromas. Best known is the Volnay premier crus, with slightly different style between Chevrets, Caillerets, Fremiets and Clos de la Rougeotte.

My collection:

• Criots-Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2008
• Montrachet Grand Cru 2000

Chateau Croizet-Bages

There hasn’t been a chateau in Croizet-Bages for at least a hundred years. Previously it had one, but because it was too far from the vineyard the owners decided to sell it. Although the property began life in the 16^th century, it was not until first half of 18^th century it came to the ownership of the Croizet brothers.

When Paul Quie took it over in 1942, it was something like a rudderless ship. Now under his son Jean-Michel, he believes that old-fashioned way of making wine is important. He loves simple, straightforward wines that are pleasant to drink.

The vineyards lie at the heart of the Bages plateau in Pauillac, alongside neighbours such as Lynch-Bages and Grand-Puy-Lacoste. Covering 30 ha, it is planted with 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc. The vines have an average age of 35 years, at density of 8000 vines / ha and harvested with a yield of 55 hl/ha.

There is a wide acknowledgement that Croizet-Bages still had a lot of progress to make, but the focus on getting the grapes up to scratch is in the right direction. Now putting more effort in the vinification process, they are certainly heading for a path of good quality.

Croizet-Bages has a second wine La Tourelle de Croizet-Bages, and annually the estate turns out about 12,500 cases of the two combined.

I have tasted the 2005 vintage, which is of acceptable quality:

Region / Country: Pauillac Bordeaux France

Vintage: 2005

Grape: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc

ABV: 12.5%                 

Price: HK$498

Tasting Date: 14 August 2011

Official website: www.domaines-quie.com

Wineshark Score: 88

Deep ruby with rims turning garnet, this Pauillac GCC shows a medium intensity and developing aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, liquorice, black pepper, plum, earth and slight mushroom. A good acidity level with smooth and ripe tannin, this medium body wine exhibits medium intensity flavors of blackcurrant, blackberry, liquorice, cedar, ripe plum, smoke and forest floor on palate. Ripe fruit characters are apparent. Overall of acceptable quality level with reasonable complexity, intensity and length. Nothing exceptional stood out but considering coming from a good vintage it is a bit disappointing. Ready to drink now and can benefit from further ageing of 3-5 years.

Wineshark weekly - 14 Aug 2011

Some may wonder whether I decided not to write this weekly anymore. No, of course not! Only that I have been out of town in the last two weekends so did not have time and energy to properly write something on this blog. What an excuse!! Haha...

I celebrated my birthday in Bangkok last weekend with my wife, and obviously we went out to different places to eat. Throughout the years I think I have been in Bangkok for more than 25 times but it is still a city I like going back. The first stop we revisited the famous seafood restaurant Somboon. Located in Bantadthong near the National Stadium, this is their original one but now there are five in different parts of Bangkok. The fried curry crab and tom yam is still as delicious, and the price very reasonable. Five dishes and drinks only cost Baht 1200.

Many people will go to Chinatown to have shark's fin and bird's nest. I went instead to Scala in Siam Paragon as they offer me a nicer environment and the owner David Lau is a friendly fellow HKer. Their shark's fin soup is not as thick and concentrated as the others, with low sodium and oil, yet still tasty. After the meal we also had the bird's nest in young coconut. Really good and I strongly suggest to try this dessert. Prices are a bit steep, with the meal (3 dishes, 2 bird's nest plus drinks) costing us Baht 5800.

Another Thai restaurant I recommend and go very often is Ban Khun Mae. At the back of Siam Centre and near Novotel, the restaurant is decorated in traditional Thai house style. The food is good and they also have some people playing Thai music. Overall a tourist restaurant yet still a place I frequented often and continue to do so. Mango and sticky rice is my favorite there.

Besides those we also went to different restaurants, like Aoi and Manny in Siam Paragon (a good Japanese and Thai restaurant) and also the wine bar in Pullman hotel. My wife had a good steak and I got some nice mussels. By now I think you can understand why I gained so much weight...

Coming back to HK we had our 8th lesson in cooking yesterday, and I made a wonderful Pork Fillet Mozzarella with Vegetable Potato Kugel. Difficult to deep fried the pork fillet using a small frying pan (yes, deep fried, not just pan fried) to avoid the oil spilling over and caught fire! Only me dare to do this in the class, others just let the teacher do it using a big wok. Even if a bit brown still think it is acceptable! A good job yet again (sorry for my self-congratulatory tone!).

Highlight of the week was obviously the dinner with my friends in Fofo by El Willy. Near Lan Kwai Fong, it has very good Spanish food and wine. Too involved in the party so I did not take pictures of the dishes but definitely a place I will go again. Thanks buddies!!

Not been drinking much recently because of all these traveling. Will catch up and stay tuned for my blog on the coming wine tasting - Santenay and Chassagne-Montrachet next week!

Domaine Ramonet

 If there is a domain in Chassagne that can challenge Leflaive for the overall consistency and excellence in their wines, it is Domaine Ramonet. Started by Pierre Ramonet during the late 1920s, the vineyards have been acquired gradually from a parcel in Chassagne-Montrachet, to Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet and Saint-Aubin. Now Pierre’s grandsons, Andre and Noel, are in-charge of the overall operations.

The ‘policy’ they practiced in the vineyards is old vine and low yield. If the vines are below 12 years, the wines will be sold in bulk or declassified from premiers crus to village level. The reds from Ramonet tend to be supple and soft, suitable for relatively young consumption. Grapes are 100% destemmed and given a cold maceration prior to fermentation. Pigeage and remontage is kept minimal to extract only the gentlest tannin. The wines will be kept in 30-40% new cask for 12-15 months before bottling. The best are coming from Clos de la Boudriotte, Morgeot and Clos Saint-Jean, showing red fruits of Kirsch cherries.

The white fermentation started off in tank, and then transferred to cask, with varying proportion of new oak depending on the crus. Ramonet has never favoured batonnage, with no more than 3-4 lees-stirring. When young, the Ramonet whites have a green tinge and a modestly exotic spectrum of fruit-based aromas. The best village Puligny comes from Les Enseigneres, with excellent premiers crus Charmois (Saint-Aubin), Les Caillerets and Les Ruchottes (Chassagne-Montrachet), Champs Canet (Puligny-Montrachet).

The grands crus offer pure excellence in the Batard and Bienvenues, with the latter fresher and more aromatic when young, but the former providing a richer and more concentrated enjoyment with age. Its Le Montrachet is recognized as one of the finest examples of this grand cru. So if looking for a good quality in Chassagne, Domaine Ramonet is definitely a worthy choice.

My collection:

• Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot 2006

Domaine Vincent Girardin

In 1982 Vincent Girardin took over his quarter share of his parents’ vineyards, mostly in Santenay, and gradually built into a sizeable domaine with close to 20 ha. He developed his business as a negociant and that gave him an advantage in able to obtain the best grapes from best-sited vineyards, plus his wine-making skills mean that the domaine can turn out consistently fine range of wines. The success from the merchant side also allows Vincent to purchase more vineyards.

In 2002 Vincent acquired a lease for 10 ha in Puligny, giving him the first grand crus in Batard, Bienvenues-Batard and Chevalier-Montrachet. He put in place biodynamic viticulture to revitalize the soils there to improve its quality. Vincent is also an astute producer, and he changed the portfolio of 80% red to 80% white to capture the growing demand for Cote de Beaune whites.

He also made changes in using significantly less new oak. In 1999/2000 he basically was using 100% new oak, but in 2007/2008 the premier crus and grand crus were using 25% and 35% new oak only. However, at the same time the ageing in barrel was extended, to 18 months for all premier and grand crus, providing a better richness and texture to the wines.

The reds at all levels have an abundant soft silky fruit, and in good vintage the excellent natural ripeness of their Santenay is the best to be found, especially the Gravieres and Maladiere, with a good medium-term ageing potential. The whites include splendid ready-to-drink wines from Chalonnais to impressive and concentrated Cote de Beaune. The honeyed Abbaya de Morgeot and the leaner, finer Cailleret are exceptional.

The success of Vincent Girardin over the past 15 years is one of the great stories in Burgundy.

My collection:

• Santenay 1er Cru Clos de Tavannes 2006
• Santenay 1er Cru Les Gravieres 2007
• Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Le Cailleret 2007

Chassagne-Montrachet

The name of Chassagne-Montrachet is firmly associated with white wines normally (65% of the 174,000 cases produced annually) but most vineyards grow at least some red wine, with Morgeot, La Boudriotte and Clos St-Jean the most famous. These red are naturally tough, earthy, tasting like a rustic Gevrey-Chambertin but nowadays the trend is to vinify them to maximize the fruit characters. The most famous white comes from Le Montrachet, with the dry, succulent golden white scented with flowers and sometimes hazelnuts. The cream of the white comes from the broad band of slopes above and on either side of the village. The rock here is mainly limestone.

In the village, one can find many families whose names have for centuries been associated with this commune: Colin, Delagrange, Gagnard and Morey. But the habit of adding the spouse’s surname creates a lot of confusion and many wine-lovers need to do a deep dive to verify whether he is dealing with the right domaine.

Until mid-1980s the village produced more red than white. But the demand for the white (with the significant premium also) resulted in a large scale re-planting. However, many recent replanting has been on flatter land with high-yield fertile soils, thus not suitable in producing good Chardonnay, resulting in only diluted and mediocre wines.

The appellation covers 300 ha, with 55 premiers crus covering 150 ha, with many having sub-divided into individual climats. Two of Chassagne’s three grands crus, Le Montrachet and Batard-Montrachet, are actually straddled with Puligny-Montrachet. The only one completely within Chassagne is Criots-Batard-Montrachet, a small area of 1.57 ha producing only 800 cases per year. Among the premiers crus, the best known are Les Chenevottes, Clos de la Maltroie, En Cailleret, and Les Ruchottes. Good producers include Ramonet and Gagnard, which needs 5-10 years of ageing.

Wines I have tasted and currently owned from this commune:

• Bernard Morey et Fils, Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes 2006
• Henri Boillot, Criots-Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru 2008
• Louis Latour, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Le Cailleret 2004
• Marc Morey et Fils, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru En Virondot 2003
• Marc Morey et Fils, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vide-Bourses 2008
• Morey-Coffinet, Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge 2007
• Ramonet, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot 2006
• Vincent Girardin, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Le Cailleret 2007