Saturday, December 31, 2022

LeDomduVin: Happy New Year 2023 with Champagne Jérôme Lefèvre Cuvée Rated X



Happy New Year 2023 

and best wishes to all of you and your family and loved ones 😁👍🥂🍾







Champagne Jérôme Lefèvre Cuvée Rated X 

Opened tonight to celebrate the New Year, never tried it before, and fell in love with it. 







This 100% Pinot Meunier, cuvée parcellaire, demi-sec sans dosage, from the Vallée de la Marne, is really smooth, silky and sexy, and sooooo easy to drink, due to a great balance and harmony from beginning to end. 







It has great acidity too, very vibrant and joyful, yet so integrated it feels like “freshness” is one of the flavors. Very attractive pale golden color with faint pinkish nuances. 

Although it is called “Cuvée Rated X” for other reasons, it is such a charming, sexy and hedonistic champagne, this name suits it perfectly. 😄👍🍾🥂

Loooooooove it






Cheers! Santé! And all the best for the new year, filled with love, joy, happiness, health, wealth, and success. 

Take good care of yourself and your family and loved ones. 

Dom

#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #vin #wine #vino #wein #champagne @maisonjeromelefevre #maisonjeromelefevre #happynewyear #2023 #newyear #bestwishes #love #health #happiness #wealth #success




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LeDomduVin & Domelgabor: 2023... Let's make it a better year together




2023... Let's make it a better year together 


2022 has been a good year for some people. Yet, for the majority of us, 2022 has been an awful year overall, due to the consequences of many factors (covid, war, conflicts, death, loss, climate changes, pollution, corruption, political and civil unrest, protests, discrimination, segregation, rights violation, debts, etc, etc...). 

Fortunately, this is the last day of 2022, so let's keep the good, forget about the bad, and move on toward a better year. 

Let's make it better together. Let's do it together. 

Happy New Year and best wishes for the new year to all of you. May this new year be full of love, happiness, joy, health, peace, wealth, and success for all of you and your families and loved ones. 

Take good care of yourself and your loved ones and stay safe. 

Dom

NB: For those of you who might wonder, LeDomduVin (Ledomduvin) and Domelgabor (and Aworpyramide) are aliases that I use for different projects, they are all the same person, me, myself, and I. 😁


@domelgabor #domelgabor @ledomduvin #ledomduvin #lescreationsadom #lesimagesadom #lescollagesadom #lesmessagesadom #happynewyear #newyear #bestwishes #wishes #letsmakeitbetter #letsmakeitbettertogether #together #letsdoittogeter




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LeDomduVin: Château Haut-Bergey 2005


Chateau Haut-Bergey Pessac-Leognan 2005


Opened tonight, just because 😁👍🍷
Soft, warm, inviting nose with ripe dark fruits aromas mingling with fresh eucalyptus and menthol notes and earthy nuances. The palate is also soft, warm, ample, generous, silky, cozy, and comfortable, balanced with similar flavors as in the nose, lingering through the long and pleasant finish. The taste is very characteristic of the warm vintage 2005, yet with enough freshness, balance, texture, and structure to make it really pleasurable. Love it. 

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom

#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #wine #vin #vino #wein #chateauhautbergey @chateauhautbergey #pessacleognan #graves #bordeaux #france #saucisson #backtobasic #lovegraveswines


Unless stated otherwise, all right reserved ©LeDomduVin 2022 on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

Friday, December 23, 2022

LeDomduVin: Merry Christmas and Best Wishes to you All (v2)





MERRY CHRISTMAS 


and best wishes for the holiday season to you all, your families, and your loved ones too. 

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom

NB: After the Christmas drawing/collage with the bottles in the snow, 2 days ago, I could not resist making another collage for Christmas with some champagne this time. 😁👍🥂
 

#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #champagne #wine #vin #wein #vino #christmas #noel #holidayseason #joyeuxnoel #bestwishes #merrychristmas #lesimagesadom #lescreationsadom #lescollagesadom




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Thursday, December 22, 2022

LeDomduVin: Joyeux Anniversaire Petit Frère (2)






Joyeux Anniversaire Petit Frère (2)



Une grosse pensée pour toi petit frère, aujourd'hui plus que les autres jours, puisque c'est le jour de ton anniversaire, le 22 Décembre. Tu aurais eu 39 ans. Alors, je te souhaite un Joyeux Anniversaire petit frère, où que tu sois, je pense à toi et je ne t'oublierai jamais.

Tu me manques. J'espère que tu vas bien et que tu continues ton chemin avec ton père, ensemble et qu'il prend soin de toi.

Comme promis, je suis allé à l’église près de mon travail, durant la pause déjeuner. Et j’ai allumé, non pas un cierge, mais deux (un de maman et un de moi), pour toi, à ta mémoire. Il n’y a pas de flamme, comme dans le passé, juste une petite ampoule à la place, c’est tout comme.

J’ai laissé quelques billets dans la boîte en bois avec la fente encadrée d’une plaque de métal dorée avec un seul mot dessus “offerte” (offre en Italien).

J’invite toutes celles et ceux qui le veulent à faire de même, afin que même de là-haut tu puisses voir les bougies pour ton anniversaire.

J’ai regardé Jesus et je lui ai parlé, longuement, de toi, de maman, de ton père, de Aurélie et Arnaud, de papi, de marraine et de toutes les autres personnes qui sont allées le retrouver ces dernières années, et je lui ai demandé de prendre soin de vous tous, tout en gardant un œil sur nous ici-bas.

Je sais qu’il m’a entendu et qu’il veillera sur vous comme sur nous. Je lui parle souvent et il me répond toujours à sa manière. Il a toujours été là, et comme lui, je sais que toi aussi tu garderas un œil sur nous, celles et ceux qui t’aiment et pensent à toi.






Bien plus qu’une église, c’est une cathédrale en fait, très belle d’ailleurs, mais je ne peux montrer qu’une partie de la façade et les cierges, car les photos sont interdites normalement.

Moi qui suis pourtant Chrétien, je ne vais que très rarement à l’église, mais aujourd’hui ça m’a fait du bien d’y aller pour vous parler, à Jesus et à toi. Toi qui as passé une grande partie de ta vie à rechercher sa lumière dans « les » religions. Te voici réuni avec lui à présent. Je reviendrai vous voir de temps en temps.

Joyeux Anniversaire petit frère. Repose en paix.
Je t'aime.

Dom

#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #grieving #petitfrere #brother #rip #restinpeace #reposenpaix


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Wednesday, December 21, 2022

LeDomduVin: Joyeux Anniversaire Petit Frère




Joyeux Anniversaire petit frère


Une grosse pensée pour toi petit frère, aujourd'hui plus que les autres jours, puisque c'est le jour de ton anniversaire, le 22 Décembre. Tu aurais eu 39 ans. Alors, je te souhaite un Joyeux Anniversaire petit frère, où que tu sois, je pense à toi et je ne t'oublierai jamais. 

J'ai repris cette photo de ton profil sur Facebook, comme je l'avais fait cet été, et j'ai voulu la mettre en noir et blanc, et puis non, c'est en couleur que je te préfère. Je l'ai même arrangée un peu et ai rajouté un cadre, comme ces photos de famille que l'on met en évidence sur les meubles ou les murs afin que tout le monde puisse les voir et se souviennent. Car j'ai envie que tout le monde te voit et se souvienne. Afin de garder ton souvenir le plus longtemps possible. 

Comme pour ta page Facebook que j'ai voulu fermer à un moment, mais que j'ai laissée ouverte, sur les conseils d'un de mes meilleurs amis, et il avait raison, c'est mieux qu'elle soit ouverte, comme ça tout le monde peut encore te voir, se rappeler et t'écrire un mot, comme je le fais à présent. 

Tu me manques petit frère. J'espère que tu vas bien et que tu continues ton chemin avec ton père, ensemble et qu'il prend soin de toi. 

Il y a une église près de mon travail. J'irai y allumer un cierge pour toi, aujourd'hui, à ta mémoire, et j'invite toutes celles et ceux qui le veulent à faire de même, afin que même de là-haut tu puisses voir les bougies de ton anniversaire. Joyeux Anniversaire petit frère. Repose en paix.  

Je t'aime.

Ton grand frère, 

Dom

#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #grieving #petitfrere #brother #rip #restinpeace #reposenpaix 



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LeDomduVin: MERRY CHRISTMAS and best wishes for the holiday season to you all



MERRY CHRISTMAS 

and best wishes 

for the holiday season to you all



I wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS and best wishes for the holiday season to you all, your families, and your loved ones too. 

Keep your imagination and your creativity going and keep looking at things with the same innocence and insouciance as if you were looking through the eyes of the kid you used to be. 

I'm about to turn 50 years old, and yet I still continue imagining, creating, drawing cartoons, and making cartoony collages, images, and visuals, like this one, as if I was still 8 years old. 

Thank you to my family and friends for supporting me, both literally and figuratively 😉😇😈 , and for believing in me and standing by my side all these years. I don't deserve you, but I'm very grateful for it. So, thank you, and big hugs from me. 

I raise my glass to you all and more especially to the end of 2022. 

It has been a difficult and complicated year for me, (physically, morally, psychologically, and emotionally), and, in fact, for too many of us, for various reasons and factors (family matters, COVID, Ukraine War, and all the other wars around the world, climate changes, political unrest, corruption, disillusionment, false hope, etc, etc...). 

Millions of people around the world and I cannot wait for this year to be over, and can only hope for a better year next year (even if I said that last year and the previous years too). 

Please be safe and take good care of your loved ones, and enjoy the holiday season. 

Cheers! Santé! 

LeDomduVin (aka Dom aka Dominique Noel)




#ledomduvin #christmas @ledomduvin #wine #vin, #noel #holiday #lesimagesadom #lescreationsadom #joyeuxnoel #wein #vino #bestwishes #merrychristmas #lescollagesadom #lesdessinsadom


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Tuesday, December 20, 2022

LeDomduVin: Petite visite du Christmas French Market at Asia Society Hong Kong



Petite visite du Christmas French Market 

at Asia Society Hong Kong 



This past Sunday, December 18th, I went with my mum and kids to the Christmas French Market at Asia Society Hong Kong.  

French Market like this generally mainly comprises Food and Wine, which is very much to my liking, like this "Raclette" below 😋😋😋



  




The protagonists in the above video, and the pictures below, are:  

@cheeseclub.hk 
@jeanfrancois.marechal 


Nothing better than a "Raclette" with ham on a piece of country bread with a glass of white wine from Savoie - Apremont to warm you up on a cold winter day.  


























When you work in the food and beverage business, like me as a Sommelier and Wine Buyer, you are very likely to encounter friends and other people you know like some of your suppliers and maybe some producers too. And, luckily for me, 4 of my wine suppliers were present that day, at the French Market.  
  • "L'Imperatrice Wine" represented by Roland Tram (Senior On Trade Sales Executive)
  • "Easiness" represented by Minnie Wong (Founder/owner) and Kim, her husband
  • "Vines and Terroirs"
  • "Links Concept"   
Champagne Henri Giraud, which is one of my favorite champagne houses, was also present with their own market stand, and unfortunately, I did not make the time or have the chance to say "hello" and taste some of their champagnes, what a pity as I would have loved to do so.  I looooove Champagne!  







Minnie @wminniem (@easinesswine) and her husband Kim in the 3 pictures above





Roland @rolls64 (@imperatricewine) above



As a separate note, I really enjoyed tasting the 3 following wines, and a few more that I, unfortunately, did not take a picture of, too much talking and drinking 😁👍😋🍷🍷🍷



Patrick Piuze Chablis Grand Cru "Bougros" 2020

Nice, harmonious, well-balanced, rich, and complex without being heavy, with beautiful minerality, texture, and structure, from beginning to end. Nicely done.  Loved it.    






Hoffman-Jayer Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Beaune 2018

What a nice surprise! Never tried this specific wine in this specific vintage before and really enjoyed it.  Juicy and zesty, red and dark fruits, mineral, earthy nuances, soft and gentle, friendly and really approachable, a quaffable win, and a steal at this price too.    







Jean-Francois Marechal "Le 20 Gourmand" Vin de Savoie Apremont 

I did not check the vintage, but I think it was 2020 or 2021, however, served with the raclette and ham (above) it was delightful. Loved it.  I love this type of mountain wine: crisp, fresh, light, mineral, almost pure, soooooooo easy to drink. One glass was definitely not enough.     





Like this Buddha, after a few hours of talking and drinking, I was ready to go home and go to bed. It was a fun experience and my mum and kids appreciated it too, more especially the "rillettes" from Maison Argaud 😋😋😋








Thank you guys 

Roland @rolls64 (@imperatricewine)

Sylvain  (@maisonargaudhk) (@maisonargaud)

Minnie @wminniem (@easinesswine)

@links_concept 
@vinesandterroirs 
@champagnehenrigiraud 


Cheers! Santé! 

Dom 


#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #lesvideosadom #lesreelsadom #wine #vin #vino #wein #frenchmarket #hongkong #hk #food #artisan #artisans #foodandwine #raclette



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Friday, December 16, 2022

LeDomduVin: Uncharacteristic wines



Uncharacteristic wines


A Sommelier chooses wines for many reasons: to pair with the dishes, to go with the menu, to complement the food, to set the theme of the dinner, to set the mood too, to fit with the place, to please the taste of the host, to please the guests based on the host's suggestions, etc... etc.. and sometimes, it is just because he/she wants to serve these wines, to taste them, for the experience, to be surprised or sometimes because he/she does not have a choice.

And, last night was one of these nights, a private party, I was ready, the wines had been selected and I was about to prepare them, 1 hour prior to the dinner, when I was told, they needed better and more expensive wines (double the original price in fact).

I had to find something in 1 hour. Fortunately, I have a few contacts I can call in case of last-minute requests like this. So, I called one of them, and he saved me "in extremis".

I had not tried these wines before, but I had no choice. And, once again, luck or fate, experience or protection of some kind, greatly helped me and I'm grateful for it, as the wines showed beautifully, yet, they were totally uncharacteristic of their respective vintages.

A Sommelier must be a good storyteller to convey the message in the bottle, as well as the story of the estate and the men and women behind the label.

In fact, the wine might even taste better if you embellish its story with ingredients from the context and the place, so that's what I did...





Maison Louis Latour Monrachet 2012

@louislatour1797 
Mature golden color, slightly oxidized, nutty like a sherry, rather light, not too complex, yet, nice balance and vibrant due to sharp acidity. It enhanced the first 2 dishes.


Domaine Arnoux Lachaux Clos de Vougeot 2009 

@arnoux_lachaux 
At first, a bit rustic and light for 2009, it opened up after 45 minutes, yet remained rather light and soft for such a warm and complex vintage. Interesting somehow.


Chateau Margaux Margaux 2015

@chateaumargaux 2015
Probably the most Burgundian Margaux I have tasted lately, light, bright, and elegant, but uncharacteristic of the warm 2015 vintage.


Cheers! Santé!


Dom

#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #vin #wine #vino #wein #sommelier #sommlife #sommelierlife #winebuyer #grandesdames #tastingnotes



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LeDomduVin: Mise en place...




Mise en place….. 


The best thing about being a Sommelier / Wine buyer is to fill and refill the cellar (or wine fridge) with some of your favorite gems, as well as some classics, newcomers, and rising stars. Some “Grandes Dames” in need of TLC to be opened, prepared, and served for some upcoming lunches and dinners. In French, it is called the “mise en place”, basically being ready and prepared no matter what 😁👍🍷🍷🍷

Have you done your “mise en place” for this holiday season? 

Santé! Cheers! 

Dom

#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #vin #wine #vino #wein #miseenplace #sommelier #sommlife #sommelierlife #winebuyer #grandesdames #winecellar #winefridge #cellar



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LeDomduVin: Pausing with a 3L of Mouton Rothschild 1973








Pausing with a 3L of 

Mouton Rothschild 1973 (my birth year) 











This is a short picture collage from March 2021. And do not ask me how was the wine, I did not open this particular bottle, as these pictures were taken in a Private Cellar and I never got the chance to serve it. Yet, in general, most Bordeaux 1970s vintages I have tested in my life were mediocre at best. 😁👍🍷🍷🍷

Cheers! Santé!


#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #lesphotosadom  #lesmontagesadom #vin #wine #vino #wein #moutonrothschild #pauillac #bordeaux @chateaumoutonrothschild_ #1973 #doublemagnum #largeformat



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Tuesday, December 6, 2022

LeDomduVin: Sunday Vibes






Sunday vibes


Like most Sommeliers, I work on weekends. Yet, my job is more fun than a regular Sommelier working in a restaurant, a hotel, or a wine shop, as, being a "Personal Sommelier", I get to work in various places, including boats, on weekly basis.

For example, Friday nights, I usually work at our Japanese restaurant. While the other days of the week, I may work in some of our other restaurants (French, Italian, Chinese, etc...).

I very much enjoy changing work environments, as it allows me to work with different teams, different types of cuisines, and menus, and prevent falling into the routine.

It is fun and exciting, and more appealing to my social chameleon personality, providing me the ability to blend into any social environment and to change outfits matching with the place. I have always loved to disguise myself.

Consequently, it allows me to select and buy wines to fit the various places, ambiances, and dishes, as well as the types of guests (regular, VIP, VVIP, etc...), and the mood or theme of the night too (casual, smart casual, dressed up, fancy, vintage, artsy, etc..).

On Sundays, I usually work on the yacht.

On one end, I work pretty much every day and I cannot see or spend much time with my kids, unfortunately (but I do not have much of a choice either).

Yet, on the other end, nothing compares with the work environment of working on a boat, especially when the weather is beautiful: the sun, the light, the sea, the panoramic views, the gentle lapping of the waves, the peace and quiet of being far from the constant noises of the city, etc...

Sunday on the yacht is a welcome weekly breeze of fresh air.






Krug Grande Cuvee 170eme Edition

A blend of 195 wines from 12 different years (youngest 2014, oldest 1998), 51% Pinot Noir, 38% Chardonnay & 11% Meunier. Released only after 7 years provides the 170eme with its distinct clean, fresh expression and elegance. Although, less rich or complex than the 169eme Edition, it compensates for it by being fresher and friendlier. Bright, pale golden color, fine mousse, and bubbles, with aromas of apple, yellow stone fruits, and white and yellow flowers, complemented by mineral and toasted nuances. Fresh and gentle, delicate and elegant, playful palate. I love it.   






Chateau La Conseillante 2009

Dark, ripe, rich, earthy, and so youthful, it took 2 hours of decanting to express itself. Patience is needed. Yet, even if one can sense the ripeness of the fruit occurring on a warm vintage, like 2009, it showed beautiful concentration, complexity, and depth, with enough acidity to keep it fresh and lively, and a good core of solid tannins and earthy chewiness that may take time to integrate and better harmonize. It might be just a phase, but it seems that Bordeaux's 2010, lately, is more open and approachable at the moment than 2009, which is, in my opinion, more in a closing phase.  Let it rest for a few years in your wine fridge or wine cellar, it will greatly benefit from it.    


Cheers! Santé!

Dom

#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #vin #wine #vino #wein #champagne #krug @krugchampagne #chateaulaconseillante @laconseillante #pomerol #bordeaux #france #sundayvibes #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob #tastingnotes




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Monday, December 5, 2022

LeDomduVin: AIWC - Asia International Wine Competition 2022





AIWC - Asia International Wine Competition 2022



AIWC - Tasting wine as a judge for the Asia International Wine Competition 2022 😁👍🍷


So excited as, for the 5th year (2017, 2019, 2020, 21, and 22), I have been invited to participate in the AIWC as a Wine Judge.






Compared to the past 2 previous years, where samples were sent to our home and the tasting was done individually, this time, things were back to normal, as the tasting occurred at @ilbelpaese.hk, where we tasted together. 

This year again, the wine samples were reduced to a small number of bottles, inconveniently due to the collateral consequences of both COVID and the War in Ukraine, but, hey, quality over quantity, right? 😉






Most wines tasted good overall, some less than others of course, and some way much better than the rest. At the end of the day, it is always a fun experience. 

It was also a good opportunity to catch up with Beth and to meet Belle (@belle512) who was tasting the Beers for the ABIC (Asia Beer International Competition). 






Adam could not be there with us, also due to the COVID scare, but he was definitely with us in our conversation.

On behalf of Adam, Beth treated us to a great lunch on-site with some Italian classic dishes (pizza, risotto, etc..), with a Barolo-aromatized cheese at the end and a bottle of Oddero Barolo 2017 (@oddero) that was really enjoyable.






Oddero Barolo 2017


Great nose of dark and red fruits mingling with floral and graphite notes, earthy and mineral nuances. Although quite youthful, it is nicely balanced overall, and well structured, with a refined texture, good acidity, and chewy tannins that will need a few more years to tame down and get more integrated, yet, it paired really well with the cheese. Loved it. 



Thank you, Adam Levy (@alcoholprofessor & @thealcoholprof), and Beth Dorrough (@bethdorrough) to give me the chance and the opportunity to participate in this wine competition, once again. It's always with great pleasure. 

Cheers! Santé! And may the best wines and best ratio value for money get the medals. 

Dom

@ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #asiainternationalwinecompetition #aiwc #thealcoholprofessor #alcoholprofessor
#thebespokemarketingco #winecompetition


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LeDomduVin: Friday at Yakumo



Friday at Yakumo 


Over these past 2 months, Fridays have become the Japanese restaurant night for me. 

I select the wines based on the requested budget and the menu of the day, then serve them to the host and his guests. 

These private dinners usually happen at our Japanese restaurant, Yakumo. 

A small, dark, and fancy place comprising only an L-shaped counter and high stools for about 10 to 12 people maximum, surrounding an open kitchen, where our talented Chef and his team cautiously and meticulously prepare each dish with a precision only known to Master Japanese Chef. 

This past Friday, I served what has become a staple of these Friday night private dinners, the sake from Juyondai Cho Tokusen Banshu Yamadanishiki Junmai Daiginjo. 







Juyondai Cho Tokusen Banshu Yamadanishiki Junmai Daiginjo. 


It is bold and flavorful, without being too heavy or too sweet, nice balance overall, and has a punchy finish (for my taste, and yet, I like it, but I prefer lighter and softer Sake). 

It usually pairs really well with the flavors of most dishes, unfortunately, it is never easy to please everyone by pairing one Sake with a 10+ dishes menu. So, I also select some champagne, and white and red wines, just in case, and play it by ear. 

This past Friday, besides the Sake, no champagne, nor wine, just a very pleasant red. 







Robert Groffier Père et fils Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Les Amoureuses" 2018


Really attractive, fruity, friendly nose, ripe, bright red cherry fruits, and floral aromas mingling with earthy and mineral notes. The palate is fresh and zesty, sour, but a good sourness, not the puckering one. After 2 hours of opening, it was really delightful, showing elegance, freshness, and zesty characteristics, a gentle concentration of ripe red wild cherries in a bottle. Loved it. 


Santé! Cheers! 

Dom

#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #wine #vin #vino #wein #sake #juyondai @domainerobertgroffier #robertgroffier #burgundy #redwine #tastingnotes #pinotnoir #frenchwine #sommelier #sommelierlife #sommlife #ilovemyjob




Unless stated otherwise, all right reserved ©LeDomduVin 2022 on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

LeDomduVin: Mise en place...




Mise en place 


I have been buying a lot of Burgundy lately, for various dinners. And, although I am a Bordeaux native, I'm a traitor to my region, as I think that I buy and drink more Burgundy than Bordeaux. 
😅😁👍🍷🍷🍷

Here is a little selection that I will use for up and coming dinners: 

Dugat-Py Mazis Chambertin Grand Cru 2016

Robert Groffier Père et fils Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru "Les Amoureusrs" 2018 

Clos de Tart Grand Cru Monopole 2016

Description soon in the following posts. 

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom 

#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #wine #vin #vino #wein  #burgundy #redwine #frenchwine @dugatpy #dugatpy @domaine.robert.groffier #robertgroffier @closdetart #closdetart


Unless stated otherwise, all right reserved ©LeDomduVin 2022 on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).

Wednesday, November 30, 2022

LeDomduVin: UGCB Tasting HK - Vintage 2019





UGCB Tasting HK - Vintage 2019



On November 30th, 2022, I went to the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB), held in a huge, magnificent room, on the 3rd floor of the Rosewood Hotel (Hong Kong). 

The "UGCB" tasting is always a great opportunity to taste either the "En Primeur" vintage (not yet released, tasting usually happens around April of the year following the harvest), or one of the most recently released vintage (tasting usually happens around November/December).  

That day, we tasted the 2019 vintage, which was released around March/April 2021, usually after 12-18 months of barrel aging, depending on the Chateau practices and the quality of the vintage. 

This last sentence may come as a surprise for some of the novices, but both Chateau's vineyard & cellar management differ from vintage to vintage for various reasons (mostly due to weather conditions and their consequences throughout the year and during the harvest), and therefore it is the reason why the wine blend and period of aging differ from one vintage to the next too. 

That explains why, despite trying to keep a similar style and profile, good years and bad years, the wine from the same Chateau will have a slightly different taste from one vintage to the next. Producers have to adapt to the various challenges they may face in the vineyard and in the cellar brought by both Mother Nature and more evidently these past 10-15 years, the climate changes, unfortunately.                    






The tasting was a seating tasting, which is good to take your time to taste and focus on the quality wine, yet, in my opinion, which is more difficult, slower, and less efficient to get an overall appreciation of all the wines of one appellation. 

Wines are brought to you by flights of 3 wines at the time, which means that by the time you finish all the flights (e.g. 4 flights x 3 wines for one appellation represented by 12 Chateaux/Wines), you have to go back to all your notes and compared. 

While a standing-up tasting, in my opinion, is preferable, as it allows you to
  1. see all the labels of the wines you're about to test at once
  2. speed taste all the wines one after another in a much faster fashion
  3. enable you to easily remember what you have tested before
  4. have a good overall appreciation of the quality level of the wines and the appellation
  5. arrange in order from worst to best (ascending) or best to worst (descending) as you prefer    
  6. make a faster decision on the ones you liked the most
Don't get me wrong, I know that you can also do all the above (1-6) at a seating tasting, but in my opinion, it is different and not as fast when you're seating down, and, personally, I will rather be standing up and facing the table where the wines are lined-up, than seating at a table, but I guess it just a question of preference and the time you have at your disposal to do the tasting.  







I had RSVP for the 1st session, from 10h30 to 13h30, as I prefer to taste in the morning, prior to eating, when the mind is still alive and focused, and the tastebuds are more sensitive and awake (e.g. try to go to a tasting after a nice lunch that you probably ended with a double expresso, trust me, your tastebuds won't be as efficient, and that's a fact).     

3 hours may seem like a long time, yet, the tasting included 97 wines to taste, meaning that technically you only have, roughly, less than 2 minutes per wine if you want to taste them all, which might be possible if you're super fast and don't get distracted, and only if you are standing up, facing the display tables, not talking to anyone and barely taking any notes... which is basically impossible. 

Impossible, because you know as well as me that during these types of tastings, more especially Bordeaux tasting and, in general, French wine tastings, which usually attract a full crowd of Sommeliers and other restaurants/bars/brasseries staff including F&B Directors, etc, as well as other people of the wine trade (importers, distributors, suppliers, salespeople, etc...) and even wine retailers, you are sure to be distracted a few times and therefore lose your focus and even waste your time in enjoyable catching-up discussions, yet ending nowhere. You know what I mean, we all do it. 😁👍🍷

      





So, I started to make a list, more especially for my friend Benny (picture below), for whom, despite the fact that he knows a lot about wine, this type of Bordeaux tasting was his first experience, and he could not stay for more than 45 minutes. Hence, I had to guide him in his choice about what would be the most appropriate wines to taste.  And, as you probably guessed, I shorted down the list to the ones that I think are among the best of the lists.    

Of course, being a Bordeaux native with more than 31 years of experience in the wine business, as a Sommelier / Wine Buyer, you may say that my choices are surely a bit biased, as I made the list based on my taste and preferences, and I have to agree. 😁👍

That said, I think that it is fair to also say that after having tasted these wines year after year, sometimes 2 or 3 times a year (or even more times, as I buy them for restaurants, as well as private and corporate events, then sell and/or serve them, and therefore also taste them). 

Anyway, he was happy with the list I made, and I can that these were truly the ones to absolutely taste if/when you do have not enough time to taste them all.    







I can already sense that some of you are drooling with impatience to know what were the wines on that list, aren't you? 

Well, to be fair for the other chateaux presented that day, I will just list those recommended to my friend to taste (as he did not have time to taste them all, it is important to note the context once again in all fairness for all the other wines). 

The list is in alphabetical order without indicating which ones I preferred more, or even which ones I estimated being the best respectively in their own appellation. So, it is fair, ok? You will probably do the same if you were at my place.   


Pessac Leognan (White)

  • Chantegrive
  • Carbonnieux
  • Domaine de Chevalier
  • Malartic Lagraviere
  • Pape Clement
  

Pessac Leognan (Red)

  • Domaine de Chevalier
  • Larrivet Haut-Brion
  • Malartic-Lagraviere
  • Pape Clement
  • Smith Haut Lafite

Saint-Emilion

  • Canon-La-Gaffeliere
  • La Couspaude
  • Dassault
  • La Dominique (of course, as it is my name and I love their wine)
  • Valandraud

Pomerol

  • Le Bon Pasteur (of course as this Chateau belonged to the previous company I worked for, and I know the wines and the team rather well, I was even behind the table at the previous UGCB to pour the wine and represent the Chateau, with my friend and mentor the late Bernard de Laage de Meux, who passed away earlier this year, and for whom I had tremendous respect, may he rest in peace) 
  • Clinet

Haut-Médoc

  • Belgrave
  • Cantemerle
  • La Lagune
  • La Tour Carnet

Margaux

  • Brane-Cantenac
  • Cantenac Brown
  • Dauzac
  • Lascombes
  • Rauzan Segla

Saint-Julien

  • Beychevelle
  • Gloria
  • Lagrange
  • Langoa Barton
  • Leoville Barton
  • Leoville Poyferré

Pauillac

  • Lynch Bages
  • Pichon lalande

Saint-Estephe 

  • Lafon-Rochet
  • Ormes de Pez
  • Phelan Segur

Sauternes

  • Lafaurie Peyraguey
  • de Rayne Vigneau
  • Suduiraut


Voila, that is the list, and that's 40 wines out of the 97 presented that day, and my friend did not even have the time to taste them all, mainly due to lack of time, distraction, and slow service; hence the reason why I was saying earlier that standing-up tastings are better and faster in my opinion.  But I took the time to taste them so I know. 😉



Distraction also, because "Madame la Consule", Mrs. Chrstile Druhle, of the French Consulate of Hong Kong and Macao was there, with two of her colleagues, Bertrand Quevremont (Managing Director Hong Kong Office, Head of F&B and Agriculture Department Greater China) and Philippe Baudry (Economic Counsellor / Head of the Economic Department), and Benny and I know "Madame La Consule", via events and projects with the company we work for.  

So, we had to say hello and ended up discussing longer than planned, which is both important and a very good thing when you want to entertain a strong relationship with the Consul and the consulate in general and continue doing projects with them, in a long-term scenario.  
 





I must say that it was very nice tasting the 2019 vintage Bordeaux at the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, at Rosewood Hôtel, well organized, classy and spacious environment, great wines too. 


Four of us decided to go for a quick bite at BluHouse restaurant, in K11/Rosewood, after the tasting. And, it was a very nice lunch with good food and good wines, in great company. 😁👍🍷🍷🍷

From left to right in the picture:
  • Minnie Wong (EaSiness Wine)
  • Jean-Baptiste Copot (Blacksheep Restaurants Head Sommelier)
  • Roland Tram (Senior Sales Manager at Imperatrice)
  • and your humble servant, myself, Dominique Noel (a.k.a. LeDomduVin) 😁





As for the 2019 Bordeaux vintage, I will say: solid vintage, lots of black, dark ripe fruits, with ample, generous, ripe, juicy, rich palate, even thick for some; so a lot of volume and layers, yet with good acidity for the freshness and nice chewy tannins, fairly well integrated overall, bringing nice structure and texture to most wines. 

Overall, I really like this 2019 vintage, lots of very good surprises. Personally, I mostly loved the wines from Pauillac, Saint-Julien, Haut-Médoc, and Pomerol. These appellations are in the lead in my opinion (from what I could taste that day).

That said, some seemed overripe to me, with a bitter aftertaste or presenting some bitterness, mostly due to some unintegrated alcohol and some tannins that lacked a bit of maturity.

Some said the 2019 Bordeaux vintage is a winemaker's vintage and I tend to agree.  Even more so, in my opinion, once again, I could tell that those who are making good to great wines, bad years and good years, have been making stunning wines.  

Unfortunately, and once again, those who despite some recurring advice to change their methods and technologies in the vineyard as well as in the cellar, to get better, produce better wines, and obtain better scores, unfortunately, continue, out of stubbornness or lack of vision or motivation or maybe for financial reasons, to produce lesser wines. 

I won't name anyone as wine is so subjective that everyone has his or her own taste. Yet, every year i try to approach the UGCB tasting with an open and fair mind, by saying to myself "this year you will be surprised" and yet, I was not...    

Good winemakers will always be good winemakers! Yet, those who don't want to learn or admit or see or change will never be as good. 


Cheers! Santé! 

Dom (a.k.a. LeDomduvin) 

(NB: looking at these pictures, I realize that I am getting old and fat 😱😱😱🤣🤣🤣)

#ledomduvin @ledomduvin #lesphotosadom #ugcb #ugcbordeaux #2019 #vintage2019 #uniondesgrandscrusdebordeaux #rosewood #rosewwoodhotel #wine #vin #vino #wein #winepeople #tasting #tastingnotes #lunch




Unless stated otherwise, all right reserved ©LeDomduVin 2022 on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, visuals, maps, memes, posts, texts, writings, quotes, notes, tasting notes, descriptions, wine descriptions, definitions, recipes, graphs, tables, and even music and video (when and where applicable).