IDEALWINE DINNER - (30/6/2022)
Idealwine was in town and hosted a lovely dinner at Estuary with very good food. It has been a great source of wines that I wouldn’t have been able to get otherwise in Singapore, but as I was telling the hosts annoyingly with its growing popularity there are less good deals nowadays!
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2017 Elise Dechannes Champagne Brut Nature “Absolue Grès” - France, Champagne
100% Pinot Noir aged in sandstone, no dosage. Didn’t quite get both of these Dechanne champagnes, both were a little lean and austere without much fruit to the point of unripeness. The Terre was marginally better with less coarseness. (86 pts.) -
2017 Elise Dechannes Champagne Brut Nature “Absolue Terre” - France, Champagne
100% Pinot Noir aged in amphora, no dosage. Didn’t quite get both of these Dechanne champagnes, both were a little lean and austere without much fruit to the point of unripeness. The Terre was marginally better with less coarseness. (87 pts.) -
2005 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
A very typical Rhone white that I didn’t care much for. Nutty, heavy, and oxidative without much acidity, not compensated by depth and complexity that was evident in the Sorrel Rocoules a couple of weeks back. (87 pts.) -
2019 Peter Jakob Kühn Riesling Sankt Nikolaus trocken - Germany, Rheingau
Strong petroleum on the nose. Fully dry, the clean and pure citrus fruits showed the strength of the vintage but Rheingau Rieslings lack the extra dimension that Mosel Rieslings seem to have for me even though they are different expressions admittedly. (89 pts.) -
2014 Domaine Follin-Arbelet Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru Clos du Chapitre - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru
Appealing nose of red cherries with a slight cola note. Rather earthy and herbaceous that could only be a Burgundy. Pleasant if not memorable. (90 pts.) -
2005 Château Léoville Barton - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
I recall I didn’t like this much in a Leoville Barton vertical a few years back, preferring the 2001 and 2002. Similar impression today, despite the vaunted vintage it appeared a little blocky with the rough tannins dominating the black fruit. (90 pts.) -
2003 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d’Abruzzo - Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Best wine of the dinner. The concentration and weight were the first things that hit me first, which is always a sign of a top quality wine. Sweet dark fruit, without any stewed qualities or funk, had good acidity and a mineral finish. Still very youthful and has the structure to age for a long while yet. (93 pts.)
