Wineshark weekly - 8 April 2012

Last week I did not write this blog because of too many things to do. Got no more excuse this week as it is the Easter public holidays, and we have a four-day vacation, but I still haven't cleaned up my home as I planned originally...

The restaurant I visited this week is Aqua, located on the roof of One Peking Road. Actually I have been there many times but all were under company functions, it was in fact the first time I went there personally. As you know, it is a good spot for drinks, with a hip environment and beautiful harbour view.

Advance booking is a must here, and they serve both Italian and Japanese cuisine. On the night we had ordered an Antipasto and a Catalana Salad as appetitizer. The Antipasto is a assortment of ham, cheese and olive, which to be honest was nothing special. However, I like the Salad as the prawn and lobster was of good quality, and having the right taste and texture for me.

For the main course I had a loin of lamb, cooked medium rare, which was very juicy and tender. That was done in the perfect way and I gave them high marks. Ivy had a Veal Ravioli which was also tasty, with the black truffle blending well with the veal on aroma and flavor. With the gorgeous view, this was certainly a nice dinner. Without wine and dessert, the total bill was $1461, not cheap but a restaurant that would be perfect to show someone our beloved Victoria Harbour and HK, and also to enjoy a good time with your love ones.

On my own cooking, this week I made English Chicken Broth and a Lamb Bourguignon. Both were simply fantastic. As you know I am particular on my cooking, and so the Chicken Broth is made from scratch, not those ready-made broth from supermarket. From cutting the chicken, preparing the broth, skimming the oil and shredding the meat, it was all done by myself. No wonder it was so good!

The Lamb Bourguignon is a French cuisine, originated from Burgundy as its name implied. You will find most recipe actually using beef but I did change that to lamb for personal reason. Not too difficult to make, the trick here was to pan fry the lamb slightly before braising, to keep the juice inside the meat. The original recipe also requires some Pinot Noir for cooking but since I was drinking a Bordeaux on the day, I actually used that instead. With spaghetti, I am sure you can easily have a full plate in no time!

Last Saturday I organized a Bordeaux wine tasting, taking place at the Wine Gallery in Central. The place was nice and my friend Godwin a good host. I brought 5 bottles and there was also a very good South Africa red that Godwin shared. I was quite impressed by the 2004 Prieure-Lichine, 2004 La Tour Haut-Brion and 2005 Couhins-Lurton Blanc. Sharing the tasting notes here:

2005 Chateau Couhins-Lurton Blanc (Pessac-Leognan)

Good quality Pessac-Leognan white, lemon in colour and showing intense and youthful, yet complex aromas of grass, lemon, lime, straw, bread, cream and honeysuckle. Medium in acidity, it has a warming sensation and fairly full body, with reasonably intense flavors of grapefruit, lemon, butter, oak and honey. Finishing in reasonable length, the alcohol is balanced with the ripe fruit and body of the wine, exhibiting typical Sauvignon Blanc characters. Ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 3-5 years.

2004 Chateau Prieure-Lichine (Margaux)

Very good quality Bordeaux GCC, with a deep ruby colour and intense and developing, highly complex nose of blackcurrant, blackberry, earth, smoke, cedar, cloves, savory, plum and chocolate. Medium in acidity, fairly high in tannin yet it is robust and silky. Fairly full body, the palate is intense, with blackberry, plum, cloves, cedar and hints of black olive. A reasonable length on the finish, the wine is ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 6-8 years.

2004 Chateau La Tour Haut-Brion (Pessac-Leognan)

Very good quality Bordeaux GCC, with a deep ruby colour and reasonably intense, developing and fairly complex nose of blackberry, plum, liquorice, cloves, cedar, cream and chocolate. Medium in acidity, its has a fairly high tannin, robust and grippy. Fairly full body, the palate is reasonably intense, with blackberry, plum, prune, cloves, cedar and hints of chocolate. Finishing with a reasonable length, the wine is in good balance and showing a well-defined structure. Ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 5-7 years.

2004 Chateau Grand Corbin-Despagne (St-Emilion)

Acceptable quality St-Emilion GCC, with deep ruby colour. Fairly light on the nose, showing simple and developing aromas of blackberry, plum, cloves, smoke, oak, green bell pepper and meaty. Medium in acidity, with rough and silky tannin. Medium in body and fairly light also on palate, showing blackberry, plum, oak, prune and leafiness. Finishing with a rather short length, it feels unripe and quite disappointing. Ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 2-3 years.

2005 Chateau Romer du Hayot (Sauternes)

Good quality Sauternes sweet wine with a medium gold colour, intense and fairly complex nose of honey, apricot, orange marmalade, elderflower, pineapple, butterscotch and charred wood. Sweet but not cloying, it has a medium level acidity. Full body, the wine has a fairly intense palate of honey, lemon peel, walnut, geranium and oak. Finishing with a reasonable length, it will be of even higher quality if it has a slightly higher acidity to bring in the freshness. Ready to drink now and can benefit from further ageing of another 5-7 years.

I am also revisiting the Bordeaux districts for my wine study. So I am drinking all the different major districts again to appreciate the characters and differences.

2005 Chateau Potensac (Medoc)

Good quality Medoc red with deep ruby colour and a reasonably intense and developing aromas of blackberry, prune, plum, cedar, liquorice, cloves and slight leather. Fairly complex with medium acidity, ripe and grippy tannin, the wine is fairly full body with reasonably intense flavors of blackberry, oak, cloves, plum and black cherry. Finishing with a reasonable length, it is in balance and showing good ageing potential with the ripe fruit, high acidity and tannin. Ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 3-5 years.

2004 Chateau Phelan Segur (St-Estephe)

Good quality Medoc red with a deep ruby colour. On the nose it shows fairly intense and developing characters of blackberry, plum, cloves, cedar, oak, hints of smoke and leather, with reasonable complexity. Medium in acidity and tannin, ripe and dusty in texture, the wine is fairly full body with reasonably intense flavors of blackberry, plum, prune, cedar and cloves. Finishing with a reasonable length, it has good ripe fruit and sweet spice, typical left bank style. Smooth and in balance, the wine is ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 5-7 years.

2005 Chateau Pedesclaux (Pauillac)

Good quality Medoc GCC of deep ruby colour, with reasonably intense and complex nose of blackcurrant, blackberry, black cherry, blackcurrant leaf, graphite, cloves, cedar and savory notes. Medium in acidity, with ripe and fine-grained medium level tannin, the wine is fairly full body with reasonably intense flavors of blackberry, blackcurrant, prune, oak and chocolate. Finishing with a reasonable length, it is ready to drink now but can benefit from further ageing of another 5-7 years.

Next week I will need to travel to Vietnam and Philippines. Until then, eat and drink well!