LeDomduVin: Great tasting lunch at Auor Restaurant Hong Kong with Thibault Liger-Belair and his wines

Great tasting lunch at Auor Restaurant Hong Kong with Thibault Liger-Belair and his wines, the team of L’IMPÉRATRICE, and a few wine lovers and Sommeliers. 

Photos are worth a thousand words, so here they are.  

Thank you to Thibault. It was a pleasure to meet you, hear you talk about your winemaking philosophy, and taste your wines with your explanations. Love them. 😄🙏🍷

Thank you to Aiolos and Paul (from L’Imperatrice) for inviting me to this pleasurable and memorable lunch. Much appreciated. 🙏🙏🙏

Thank you to Chef Voon and his team for the excellent food and service and Cherish Ho for joining us, asking pertinent questions, and explaining each dish in detail. 

Thank you also to the other guests, especially Peter Pang, founder of Big JJ (@bigjjseafood). It's a pleasure to meet you. 

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin @thibaultligerbelair #thibaultligerbelair #wine #vin #vino #wein #burgundy #tasting #tastinglunch #lunch @auor.hkg #auor #auorrestaurant @cherish__ho #cherishho @edwardvoon74 #edwardvoon @aiolos.to #aiolosto @polo86tc #paulcouvertier @why.and.die #peterpang #food

LeDomduVin: Good value-for-money wines!

Good value-for-money wines!

Well... Good "value-for-money" is all relative and not applicable to everyone. These wines may still be expensive for the average consumer, ranging between 150 and 200 Euros per bottle.

Ultimately, purchasing them depends on your wine budget and your ability. Yet, compared to the wines I usually open, these wines offer good value for money.

Dom Perignon 2013

Fresh, light, crisp, zesty, mineral, and overall good. Yet, it's somewhat short in the finish (IMO). I preferred the 2012 vintage.

Bachelet-Monnot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru “Les Referts” 2019

I love Bachelet-Monnot’s wines. Fresh, light, crisp, zesty, lemony, mineral aromas and flavors mingle with delicate, oaky, buttery notes. A bit tight at the opening, it should be opened in advance or decanted to display its full palette. Soft, gentle, generous, ample, chiseled, and nicely expanding to the long finish. Loved it.

Domaine Humbert Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2018

This is a great entry-level “Charmes-Chambertin” and a steal at this price. Lighter is not as opulent or complex as some of its peers, usually twice or thrice the price. Yet, the nose offers many aromas and perfumes: blackcurrant, dark cherries, and floral notes combined with earthy, smoky nuances. The palate is relatively light in weight and texture yet well-balanced and vibrant due to great acidity, enough fruit ripeness, and a good grip of integrated tannins to give you something to chew on. Loved it.

Chateau Haut-Bailly Grand Cru Classé de Graves 2009

I love Haut-Bailly. It is one of my favorite Pessac-Leognan. Beyond its opaque color, it boasts enticing blackcurrants and blackberry aromas mixed with a medley of earth, graphite, tobacco, and spice. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is at the same time dark, ripe, rich, layered, elegant, generous, and complex, with a great structure and texture, a long finish, and some tannins that will need a bit more time to integrate. I had to double-decant it to give a boost and clear out of the sediments, too. It mellowed down after 20 minutes. Loved it.

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #champagne #burgundy #bordeaux #domperignon #humbert #domainehumbert #bacheletmonnot #hautbailly #tastingnotes #wine #vin #vino #wein #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob 

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LeDomduVin: Wine in Museum

 

Wine in Museum

by @ledomduvin 2023

Over the past few years, there has been a growing trend among Millennials and Gen Z to consume non-alcoholic beverages.

According to the press, magazines, and social media, wine, beer, spirits, and other alcoholic beverages are now considered "cringe", "trashy", and "uncool".

It has been observed that the consumption of wine, particularly red wine, has been decreasing globally over the past few years.

Recent studies and articles in the wine press suggest that in France alone, the consumption of red wine has fallen by 32% compared to a decade ago.

It is sad news for me as a Gen X Sommelier and Wine Buyer.

It inspired me to create this illustration of "Wine" in a museum to depict the uncertain future of wine.

Just keep drinking in moderation. No need to binge on it.

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #museum #wineinmuseum #winefuture #redwine #sommelier #winebuyer #genx #genz #millennials #boomers #wineconsumption #thefutureofwine
#nonalcoholic #beverage

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LeDomduVin: Vie di Romans “Dessimis” Pinot Grigio 2021

Vie di Romans “Dessimis” Pinot Grigio 2021

This great wine is definitely different from your usual Pinot Grigio. As we say in France, it is a “vin de soif” (a wine of thirst). 

The type of wine that is so agreeable, easy to drink, and so good that the first sip immediately calls for the next one, the first glass calls the second one, and before you know it, you realize one bottle won’t be enough. 

Aside from being a sommelier and a wine buyer, my dream has always been to have (one day) a small wine boutique to sell only the wine (and food) I loved the most over my 32-year career in the wine business. 

The ones that have been the most consistent, reliable, and pleasurable. Recurrently producing stunning wines year in and year out. And I can proudly say that “Vie di Romans” would be one of those. 

I have been buying, selling, opening, tasting, serving, and drinking “Vie de Romans” for over 20 years. It is one of these “super” reliable producers that crafts wines you sure won’t disappoint wherever you bring them. 

Aside from being delicious, what makes this Pinot Grigio so particular is its attractive and intriguing light straw color with copper nuances conferred by more extended skin contact. 

Resulting from grapes coming from a single vineyard, fermented between 25 - 38 days, with no malolactic, then matured for 9 months on the lees, followed by natural clarification in stainless steel, and aged for 8 months prior to release, this is one of Vie de Romans top white wines. 

Dessimis Pinot Grigio 2021 offers a luscious, ample, round, creamy texture, lots of glycerin, vibrancy, and vivacity in a soft, delicate, generous, and friendly manner, with ripe stone fruit flavors combined with floral, mineral and nutty nuances. Incredibly delicious and easy to drink. 

Beautifully crafted happiness in a bottle! 

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom 

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin @viediromans #viediromans #wine #vin #vino #wein #pinotgrigio #italy #white #notyourusualwine #tastingnotes #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob

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LeDomduVin: Vincent Charlot “Le Fruit de ma Passion” Millésimé Extra Brut 2018

Champagne Vincent Charlot “Le Fruit de ma Passion” Millésimé Extra Brut 2018

Christmas is coming, announcing the Champagne season. Nothing is better than some fine bubbles to celebrate this holiday with family and friends. 

Tasted the other day. I did not know the producer and was pleasantly surprised. A nice, quaffable champagne that is extremely light, zesty, and dry. Refined, elegant, lively, perfect for the aperitif with some oysters. 

Some of you may find it too light, not rich, or opulent enough for a vintage champagne. I must admit that it was my first thought, yet the second sip, after a few swirling in the glass, convinced me. 

Look the other way if you like rich, generous, vinous Champagne. 

Predominantly crafted with Pinot Meunier and the remaining Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, vinified for 10 months in oak barrels, with indigenous yeasts and no filtration, finished with a dosage of 3gr/l. This is as dry and zesty, lemony as it gets, with slightly toasted brioche nuances. Nice. 

Cheers! Santé!

Dom 

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin @champcharlottanneux #vincentcharlot #champagne #vin #wine #vino #wein #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #tastingnotes #ilovemyjob

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LeDomduVin: Stunning Wines

Stunning Wines 

Served this weekend, some of my favorite producers.

Champagne @eglyouriet Millesime Grand Cru 2013

Sophisticated, refined, rich, and opulent without being heavy, vibrant, and lively due to great acidity, perfect balance, and yellow fruits mingling with mineral and oaky nuances. The palate is ample and generous, with a long finish. Loved it. Stunning!

@domaine_jeannoel_gagnard Batard Montrachet Grand Cru 2018

The enticing nose combines white flowers, white and yellow fruits, and minerals with delicate, integrated buttery, oaky notes. The palate is gorgeous, generously expanding from the beginning to the seamless finish, with that glycerine sensation coating the palate that makes you want more. It is so well-crafted, balanced, generous, expressive, and charming that it is impossible not to love it. The type of wine that is so good, it makes you melt on sight and love Burgundy white wine at first taste. Loooooved it. Delicious!

@domaine.robert.groffier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Les Amoureuses" 2018

I have opened several bottles of this incredible wine in the last 8 months, and each time was as pleasurable as the next. Refined, delicate, and almost shy at the opening, it displays inviting fresh aromas of red and dark cherries mixed with floral and earthy notes. It does need to be decanted, but it needs to breathe. It started to develop after about 1 hour of opening: rounder, more affluent, elegant, refined, lively, gentle, and so long. Offering all the elegance and sophistication that the great Burgundian Pinot Noir is known for. 

Loved it. Another stunner!

@domaine.robert.groffier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Les Sentiers" 2018

For those of you who may not know, "Les Sentiers" lies south of the Grand Cru "Les Bonnes Mares" (eastern part of Chambolle-Musigny, touching Morey-Saint-Denis), while "Les Amoureuses" lies south of "Musigny" Grand Cru (western part of Chambolle-Musigny, touching "Les Petits-Vougeots"). Although they are both "1er Cru", "Les Amoureuses" (Euros 758) sells for about 3 times the average price of "Les Sentiers" (Euros 262). Lighter and earthier, with higher acidity, pepper, and spices. It's not as grand, yet very nice too.

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #champagne #burgundy #stunning #greatlineup #greatwines #eglyouriet #jeannoelgagnard #robertgroffier #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob

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LeDomduVin: Pomerol Trio

Pomerol Trio

These 3 wines tasted great at the UGCB HK 2023. They represent the diversity of the "terroirs" of Pomerol. Each has their own character and personality while still uniquely expressing Pomerol.

Pomerol is Bordeaux's smallest Appellation, with about 150 producers and approximately 750 hectares of vineyards, and yet it is probably one of the most prestigious, especially on the Right Bank.

Receiving its AOC status in 1936 as part of the first wave of AOC established by the INAO ("Institut National de l'Origine et de la Qualité," previously called "Institut National des Appellations d'Origine"), the Appellation rose to fame in the second half of the twentieth century, with a handful of wines led by "Petrus".

Although Pomerol wines may command high prices in the wine market, there is no official classification for them, unlike the classified growths of Bordeaux.

The wines of Pomerol are produced predominately from Merlot and Cabernet Franc, planted on sandy clay marl layered with gravel for most of the Pomerol plateau.

Within the Pomerol region, a small area of about 20 hectares is known as the "bouttonière" ("buttonhole"). This area is unique because it contains blue clay (called "molasse") that sits on a band of sand rich in iron deposits known as "crasse de fer" or "machefer".

Map courtesy of Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB)

Petrus vineyards cover over half of the hectares of this unique soil, imparting complexity and depth to its wine. However, other châteaux such as La Conseillante, L'Évangile, Lafleur, @chateaugazin, Trotanoy, Clinet, Le Gay, Haut Ferrand, and Vieux Château Certan also have small portions of their vineyards benefiting from this soil.

There is another boutonniere of blue clay without iron deposits located northwest of Petrus. Vineyards planted on this second boutonniere include Chateau L'Eglise-Clinet, Clos L'Eglise, @chateaulacabanne, Nenin, and Trotanoy.

Although @chateaulebonpasteur is planted on clay gravel, gravel, and sand, its quality is undeniable and often matches its neighboring "blue clay" peers.

Drink Pomerol!

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #pomerol #bordeaux #sommelier #lacabanne #lebonpasteur #gazin #sommlife #redwine

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LeDomduVin: Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux - UGCB Hong Kong 2023

Minnie Wong - Benoit Prevot - Dominique Noel (LeDomduVin) - Francois Estager

Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux

UGCB Hong Kong 2023

Last Friday, I went to the Union des Grands Crus tasting at the Rosewood Hotel to taste the 2020 vintage Bordeaux. 

It was great to see them back in Hong Kong after a few years of intermittence. It had been too long. 

I didn’t taste as much as I wanted, as I arrived late, talked for too long with some people, and did not have the chance to go around the room and see all the people I wanted to see. 

However, it was great to catch up with the few I spent some time with, including 

Minnie Wong (@winetolove.hk)

Benoit Prevot (@chateaulebonpasteur)

Francois Estager (@chateaulacabanne)

Mickaël Obert (@chateaugazin)

Martin Brady (@martin_brady67 / @ackerwines)

Chester Chow (@chowchester)

Benoit Prevot - Dominique Noel (LeDomduVin) - Francois Estager

Benoit Prevot - Dominique Noel (LeDomduVin) - Francois Estager

Martin Brady (@martin_brady67 / @ackerwines)

Chester Chow (@chowchester)

Francois Estager (@chateaulacabanne)

Benoit Prevot (@chateaulebonpasteur)

Mickaël Obert (@chateaugazin)

Minnie Wong (@winetolove.hk)

The wines tasted great, especially the Pomerol 😜😄👍🍷🍷🍷

Cheers! Santé!

Dom 

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #UGCB #ugcb #uniondesgrandscrusdebordeaux #tasting #backinhongkong #hongkong #pomerol #bordeaux #winetasting @rosewoodhongkong #rosewood

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LeDomduVin: O.V.N.I: Objet Vineux Non Identifié - Les Horées Bourgogne Aligoté "En Coulezain" 2021

O.V.N.I: Objet Vineux Non Identifié - 

Les Horées Bourgogne Aligoté 

"En Coulezain" 2021

The good thing about wine is that there is always something new to discover, taste, and learn about.

This is an expensive "Bourgogne Aligoté" from a producer I had never heard of before (yes, that happens!). So, I researched it, and this is what I have found.

Catharina Sadde, one of Burgundy's rising stars, crafted this wine.

Before settling in Burgundy, Catharina studied at Geisenheim, one of Germany's most renowned wine schools. She started her career as a chef in several Michelin-starred restaurants in Germany before embarking on her wine adventure.

In France, she completed her training and gained skills and experience with some of the most illustrious producers of Burgundy, including Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Comte Armand, Cecile Tremblay, Marquis d’Angerville... (now that's impressive).

After completing her training, this talented winemaker, with an inspiring résumé, created "Les Horées" in 2018, accompanied by her husband, Guilhem. "Les Horées" refers to the Greek celebrations that honor the seasons.

Catharina's first vintage 2019 put her on the radar of burgundy lovers. The tiny Domaine has 1.3 ha of vineyards in Pommard, Volnay, and Beaune, planted with Chardonnay, Aligoté, Pinot Noir, and Gamay. She also makes some cuvées from purchased grapes.

Following Biodynamic principles, everything in the vineyard is done by hand with great care, including horse plowing and no addition of sulfur. In the cellar, vinification without added sulfites, only natural yeasts in both barrels and stainless-steel tanks. Inclusion of the whole cluster for the Reds. A small amount of sulfur is added before bottling.

This "Bourgogne Aligoté - En Coulezain" is mainly crafted from 30 years old vines in Volnay (representing about 4 barrels) and a small amount of very old vines (about 100 years) in Pommard, owned by Catharina. Tiny production.

Winemaking involves 1/3 de-stemmed grapes and 2/3 whole clusters pressed in a basket press. Skin-contact for the de-stemmed grapes for 5 days in 50-liter crates, while the whole clusters are directly pressed. Fermentation initiated using indigenous yeast, and no sulphur added until after malolactic fermentation. Aged for six months in 350-liter old oak barrels.

Now you know as much as I do! I can't wait to see if it is worth the hype and the price (around 250-300 Euros)!

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin @les_horees #leshorees #vin #wine #vino #wein #bourgognealigote #burgundy #ovni #objetvineuxnonidentifie #sommelier #sommlife

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LeDomduVin: Mise en place - Château Palmer Margaux 2016

Mise en place - Château Palmer Margaux 2016

Mise en place of my next 2016 vintage Bordeaux: Château Palmer Margaux

Bordeaux 2016 is a great vintage, and after buying and tasting a few of these Bordeaux 2016 recently (see previous posts), I decided to embark on a mission to purchase and taste as many as I can (for work).

My most recent purchase is Chateau Palmer 2016. "Mise en place" for an upcoming dinner next week. 

As usual, I'll write my description as soon as I taste it and share it with you all.

Can't wait to taste this beauty. Wine-Searcher Average score is 97/100pts. That sounds really promising!

I love Chateau Palmer. I have been buying, tasting, and selling it for the past 3 decades and have never been disappointed. It is one of the most consistent, agreeable, and reliable Bordeaux wines (IMO).

Moreover, it is sentimental between Palmer and me for many reasons.

First, back in 2002, for a few months, I worked as a Maître-D'Hotel / Sommelier for a catering business, doing occasional dinners and events at the Chateau where I served food and wine to the guests.

Second, because this is where I first met Bernard de Laage de Meux, who worked there for 15 years. He was a friend, an adviser, a leader, and a mentor to me. He was also my boss for a few years here in Hong Kong. May he rest in peace.

Third, in the 2000s, I was doing the "En Primeur" tasting, traveling from the US to Bordeaux with a few colleagues, and Palmer was always on our list of Chateaux to visit and taste.

Fourth, as a Bordeaux native, I'm well acquainted with the name and the wine, as it has always been one of the locomotives of Bordeaux and one of the most prestigious wines of its appellation and the Medoc altogether. 

Indirectly, I could say that Chateau Palmer has seen me grow from a simple waiter and commis sommelier (in the late 90s) to the skilled and accomplished Head Sommelier, Senior Wine manager, and Wine Buyer I have become.

Thank you for your wines, Chateau Palmer, and for all the great moments and memories it reminds me of each time I open, serve, and taste a bottle.

Cheers! Santé!

Dom

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin @chateaupalmer #chateaupalmer #vin #wine #vino #wein #bordeaux #margaux #sommelier #sommlife

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