We arrived on the Big Island this afternoon. As I’ve done on previous trips, I packed so much wine there was little room for clothes and toiletries. One has to set appropriate priorities. Wine glasses took up a little room too. I have yet to encounter a single acceptable wine glass on any Hawaiian island, but I digress…
It’s mostly a beach vacation, but we’re planning to spend a day getting close Mauna Loa. I’ll post tasting notes and photographs as we go.
Cheers,
Warren
I applaud your proper ratio of sparkling to still wines. Enjoy your vacation.
Hope you get some good Mauna Loa views Warren. I hear it’s getting congested and parking is difficult. Good Luck! Btw, great bunch of wines/champagnes you brought. Had the 2002 Rare last week it was fantastic. Creamy and rich, a little different from taught and acid driven. Fit the bill on the evening, too bad our 1982 Pavie was corked. Had good underlying material. The 1986 Laurel Glen Maggie made up for it.
We’re going next year. Please post relevant info when you’re coherent.
Enjoy! 
We fought off fatigue and had a nice dinner outdoors beachside at Canoehouse in the Auberge Mauna Lanai Bay Hotel. Kahului Corn Ribs, Poke-Style Tuna Sashimi, Crispy Maitake Mushrooms were all outstanding. Waygu Tataki and Kauai Head On Shrimp in Garlic Sauce were also tasty.
We did a modified Pobega, bringing a bottle from the belly of an airplane in the afternoon to the dinner table at dusk. I chose a wine I thought could stand up to such a challenge; 2002 Philipponnat Clos des Goisses. One of the first single vineyard low dosage champagnes. I hadn’t tried this vintage before. CdG is always ripe and bold, and the 2002 took it up a notch. So rich and dense, it should be a staple on steakhouse menus. Gingerbread, apples, marmalade, dates, red berries, some toasty vanilla oak and more. The first sniff and sip shocks the nose and palate. I could see how some would find it bawdy, but we loved it. It’s packed with everything except subtlety. Fine bead and cut helped make it work.
It was a great day zero of our vacation. Today, I’ll commence day one with my customary Hawaiian breakfast of papaya and lime. We’ll stay beachside at Mauna Kea and read and hike. Maybe a quiet lighter dinner at home with fresh poke. And perhaps some bubbles.
Cheers!
How did you pack the mags?
This is the way.
Excellent Warren. What will you drink after the first 3 days? Aloha!
No travel shock? How completely not shocking.
@Mark_C_Johnson, I’ve had the same experience with the ‘02 Piper Heidsieck Rare. I described it on a previous Travelogue thread as walking into a pastry shop.
Cheers!
Have a good vacation, friend. Enjoy your time there.
@JulianD one in a magnum shipper and one in this modified heavy duty bubble wrap bottle packing.
Cheers,
Warren
Correct
We left Mauna Kea beach at 4am and headed to Mauna Kea Observatory to view the eruption on Mauna Loa. From sea level to a chilly 13,800 ft elevation. The iPhone photos don’t do it justice. More champagne to follow.
Cheers!
Warren
Tonight, I opened an older Laurent Perrier Grand Siecle,prior to the iteration showing on the neck. Based on the cork code (A51EP) I think this was disgorged in the first quarter of 2015. I believe this was the ‘99, ‘02, ‘04 version. Perhaps @Brad_Baker could confirm or correct me.
In any event, this was a noble GS. Elegant, and tasting much younger than its assumed age.
Complex and balanced. Medium bodied citrus, peach, ginger, with a nice mineral core,
While we waited for dinner, I ordered a 1 ounce coravin pour of 2017 Louis Latoir Batard Montrachet. The bottle was half full, and the sommelier popped the cork and gave me a generous pour. Grand Cru density, sweet, and still wearing a heavy cape of oak. Still, I loved it. Long and complex, with minerals nearly hidden in the fruit, oak and glycerin. I’d love to revisit this in 5-10. I ordered a second pour, knowing they had to finish the bottle tonight.
Based on the cork code (A51EP) I think this was disgorged in the first quarter of 2015. I believe this was the ‘99, ‘02, ‘04 version. Perhaps @Brad_Baker could confirm or correct me.
Warren, I am pretty sure you have this correct, but there is a small chance it could be a final disgorgement of the 97-99-02 blend. Laurent-Perrier has often overlapped the early disgorgements of the latest release with the last disgorgements of the previous release. At least they number the wine with an iteration so you can tell the difference now (though it would be better if they just stated all the facts on the bottle rather than just a number that you then have to look into for the details).
Stunning pics despite the iphone pedigree.
I’ve had the older disgorgements of the Grand Siecle and they’ve been wonderful. A lovely drink. Nice time to be on the Big Island!
Baby steps… Thanks for the information. Your newsletter and input here are invaluable to me.
Cheers,
Warren
A quiet day on the beach, followed by dinner at Tommy Bahamas. I hadn’t made the reservation and expected a chain-restaurant meal, but the Ono was fresh and cooked well. A bonus was a musician playing good Steely Dan renditions on a Chapman Stick.
Still, 2012 Vilmart Emotion was the star of the evening. This gets better with every bottle I open. Delicious. Orange cream, strawberries, raspberries. Rich, but a crisp acidic spine keeps it energetic. This is amongst my favorite Rosés.
