Anthonij Rupert Wyne South Africa

Anthonij Rupert Wyne South Africa

On Friday March 31^st, I had the pleasure to meet Alec Louw, Sales Executive Europe and Asia for Rupert Wines, who came to our company Chinese restaurant “Dynasty Garden”.

He was having lunch with Melody, On-Trade Sales Manager at ASC Fine Wines in Hong Kong, the distributor of Rupert Wines in Hong Kong, and in the meantime introduce our Sommelier Team a few wines from the winery’s portfolio.

Anthonij Rupert Wines Tasting -
Alec Louw from Rupert Wines and Melody from ASC
March 31st 2017 at Dynasty Garden Restaurant Kowloon Bay Hong Kong
LeDomduVin ©  

I did not know and never had the pleasure to taste Rupert Wines previously, and I need to admit that I was pleasantly surprised.

South African wines always made me have a pucker face in the past, as often too smoky, too tarry, too astringent or green, often unbalanced or inharmonious, and also too hearty but in a bad way, even sometimes smelling like the melting asphalt of a road scorched by the sun in the middle of summer.

Yet, I need to admit that my opinion has changed as I tasted better South African wines over the last 5-6 years, with better balance and overall harmony, less impregnated or marked by what I consider being “flaws” cited above.   

Rupert Wines surprised me by their gentle, easy going modern attitude and approachable drinkability.

Anthonij Rupert Wyne at L’Ormarins is located in Stellenbosch, about 62 km east of Cape Town on the Route 45, in a breathtaking décor at the feet of the Groot Drakenstein Mountains.

L'Ormarins - Groot Drakenstein Moutains
Courtesy of www.rupertwines.com 

“Anthonij Rupert Wines, founded in 1969 by the Rupert family, has over 300 years of wine making history on the L’Ormarins property. It has quickly become the benchmark reference for ultra premium wines from South Africa. The winery is now owned by Johann Rupert who is also the major shareholder of Richemont Group, which owns Cartier, IWC, Piaget, Dunhill, Montblanc, Chloé, Panerai and many other world renowned brands.” 

(Text courtesy of ASC - http://www.asc-wines.com/?portfolio=anthonij-rupert)

The interesting part of Rupert Wines is that they are creative and innovative, combining old tradition with modern techniques, and above all environment friendly in their ways of producing, ageing and even dressing their wines (capsules, corks and labels). Their labels for the PROTEA wines range are just like pieces of Art designed by acclaimed designer Mark Eisen. 

Image courtesy of www.drinksfeed.com

Soon, they will even get more innovative and active in an eco-friendly manner by replacing the traditional cork of some of their wines, with the latest invention of 2 of the world leaders of corks and wine packaging “Amorim and O-I” called the “Helix” Cork. A revolutionary cork with a twist created as an alternative against metallic and plastic screw-caps, which respect for both the wine and the environment.

Picture courtesy of www.amorimcork.com 

Here is a short video about Helix Cork to better understand how it works (courtesy of Amorin Cork Italia)

Read more about Helix cork on Amorin website at http://www.amorimcork.com/en/products/catalogue/helix/

That day, we tasted the following wines

Anthonij Rupert Wines Tasting -
Protea Chenin Blanc 2015 and Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
March 31st 2017 at Dynasty Garden Restaurant Kowloon Bay Hong Kong
LeDomduVin ©

2015 Anthonij Rupert “Protea” White Chenin Blanc South Africa

About 12.5 EUR, 13.5 USD or 105 HKD a bottle

An appealing wine for younger and more feminine generations (as well as amateurs) with an attractive and recognizable painted label design created by world renowned designer Mark Eisen. Environment friendly the small label is easily removable and made of recycled paper, even the paint is also 100% recyclable and heavy metal free. Outside of the packaging, is the wine good will you ask? 

Well… it is definitely very enjoyable and dry compared to all the sweet Chenin from South Africa out there, which is a characteristic that I enjoyed (tired of this sweet Chenin that taste like nothing). Think about simple outings, like BBQ with friends, a nice day on the beach, light and fresh food… easy going, nothing too complex, it is made for relaxing time and nothing else to think about….     

2014 Anthonij Rupert “Protea” Red Cabernet Sauvignon Franschhoek Valley South Africa

About 4 EUR, 4.5 USD or 36 HKD a bottle

Like the Chenin Blanc above, nice and easy going, juicy and approachable, maybe somewhat slightly less appealing to my palate, but I rather let you judge it for yourself.   

Anthonij Rupert Wines Tasting -
2014 Cape of Good Hope Chardonnay Serruria
March 31st 2017 at Dynasty Garden Restaurant Kowloon Bay Hong Kong
LeDomduVin ©

2014 Anthonij Rupert Cape of Good Hope Chardonnay “Serruria” Elandskloof Overberg South Africa

About 11.5 EUR, 12 USD or 102 HKD a bottle

For a wine that has spent 11 months ageing on his lees after being fermented partly in stainless steel tanks and partly in old French oak barrels and old wooden vats, one will immediately notice that it is not overly rich or marked by the oak at all, it is rather fresh and zesty, almost shy for my palate. Planted on the slopes of the Stettyn mountains (outside Villiersdorp), between 700 and 900 meters above sea level, the location of the vines, conferred to this wine its freshness and minerality, somewhat reminiscent of a Chablis, rather than the usually expected ultra extracted, heavy and woody new world chardonnays.

Anthonij Rupert Wines Tasting - 
2012 Optima Bordeaux Blend
March 31st 2017 at Dynasty Garden Restaurant Kowloon Bay Hong Kong
LeDomduVin ©

2012 Anthonij Rupert “Optima” Franschhoek Valley South Africa

About 20 EUR, 26 USD or 200 HKD a bottle

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this appealing wine is quite reminiscent of a Bordeaux wine, Medoc more particularly. Even the label and overall packaging, similar to Chateau Lafite Rothschild, could make it pass for a classic Bordeaux bottle in the middle of a shelf at your favorite wine store. Red and black berry on the nose, earthy and oaky notes and spicy nuances. The palate is quite rich and ripe, yet balanced by a nice amount of acidity, complex and harmonious with blacker berry fruits and spices than on the nose. The finish is polished and textured, quite long with integrated refined tannins.  A very nice surprise overall at 20 bucks. I had no real expectation at first but it really boasted some attractive features that called for another glass.        

Thank you Alec Louw for letting us taste and discover your wines, and Thanks to you and Melody for choosing to come in our comapny Chinese Restaurant Dynasty that day.

Cheers!!!

LeDomduVin  a.k.a Dominique Noël

Read more about Anthonij Rupert Wines on their website at www.rupertwines.com

#rupertwines #anthonijrupertwines #proteawines #southafricanwines #cheninblanc #chardonnay #cabernetsauvignon #bordeauxblend #helixcork #amorin

LeDomduVin: Cracked Wine Cork

Cracked Wine Cork

Cracked Wine Cork on a 2013 vintage presenting fissures/cracks and mold  - LeDomduVin ©

Recently, I came across some bottles of 2013 vintage, coming directly from Bordeaux, presenting fissures/cracks and mold under the capsule, while no sign of mold or humidity could be found on the bottles or even the cases. As it is not normal, a few questions came to mind: 

1. Why the fissures or cracks on the cork? 

It is a young vintage (2013), recently bottled (2015), and therefore, the cork should be in excellent condition. So why the fissures/cracks? 

A. Bad Quality Cork

Nowadays, finding bad-quality cork is quite rare as quality controls at the factories and sampling by the buyers prior to final selection are more rigorous and consistent than before. However, it can still happen, and surprisingly, more often than we think.

One of the main reasons is (in my opinion) due to supply and demand.

Out of the 195 recognized independent countries worldwide, over 72 countries were producing their own wines as of 2014 (see the map below for reference and related Wikipedia article), compared to less than 50 only about 30 years ago. Some people even refer to about 120 wine-producing countries at present, but those at the bottom of the list are marginals; only the top 40 are major players in terms of production.

Interestingly, the Wikipedia article and the map below do not show some countries that have also produced wine (for decades, for some of them), such as India, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and a few more.  

World Wine Producing Countries Map as of 2013 - Data from FAOUN 

Although a trend for plastic corks and screw capsules developed in the late 90s and 2000s after a major crisis of tainted cork (*), the 2010s saw the comeback of real cork due to its natural and environment-friendly benefits.

"The improvement in cork quality, the problems associated with artificial closures, and the unwavering consumer preference for cork stoppers are increasingly the key decision-making factors for wineries to choose cork stoppers and not the so-called alternative products. 

In the market benchmark of the USA, a study carried out by A.C. Nielsen between 2010 and 2012 confirmed an increase of 26% in sales and 23% in revenue from wines sealed with cork stoppers - against a decline of 12% and 7% respectively, for artificial closures. According to the study, 61% of the 100 top premium wine brands use cork stoppers. The study focused on the main brands priced above 6 dollars (4 euros), which shows that the choice of cork is increasingly broader and competitive, against artificial closures." Extracted from the famous cork producer "Amorim" website (read more here)

(*) Back in the late 80s and early to mid 90s, many renown wineries in Bordeaux (and other regions of France and the rest of the world) were found with a major problem of tainted cork (or cork taint, often referred to as TCA, resulting in "corked" wine) occurring due to either chlorine based chemicals used to clean/bleach/disinfect the cork, thus imparting the cork quality, and/or poor cellar hygiene.

TCA stands for 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, a powerful chemical compound, which cause musty aromas and flavors in wines. The compound forms through the interaction of plant phenols, chlorine and mold. It most frequently occurs in natural corks (TCA can even form on tree bark), transferring it to the wine in the bottle. But also can originate

• At the cork factories, where chlorine based bleaching/disinfecting products are (or were especially in the 80s and 90s) used to treat the cork as part of its production. 

• In wineries, where damp surfaces and chlorine-based cleaning products are (or were) commonplaces. Phenols can be found in barrels, wooden pallets, wood beams and cardboard. If not rapidly detected TCA can spread and eventually taint the wines via contaminated corks. 

However, while cork quality has improved drastically over the last 15 years, as wine producing countries rise, so does the supply and thus the demand, generating a major problem in the production and supply of cork, and consequently its quality. The main factor being the increase of cork harvests and diminution of time between the harvests.

Cork Oak trees (Quercus Suber) found predominantly in Portugal and Spain, and the northwestern part of Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia), must at least be 25 years of age (or 60cm minimum in diameter) for the bark to be harvested the first time, The first harvest not producing quality cork, the cork is usually sold for other uses than wine cork (flooring, shoes, insulation, fire retardant materials, etc,..). Subsequent harvests are now occurring every 8-9 years, compared to the needed 12-13 years to obtain optimal quality. Consequently, nowadays cork are somewhat less resistant  

B. Storage Conditions

The cork may have dried out due to bad storage conditions right after bottling while stored at the Chateau (property), a Negociant's warehouse, or any other facilities that may not be well adapted or designed to keep wines in an ideal environment and climate. (Personally, I have seen and experienced many wines being very badly stored in my 25-year career as a Sommelier-Wine Buyer, sometimes even at prestigious Chateaux and renowned Negociants.. but this could be the subject of another post). 

Bad storage conditions usually involve:

Bad Storage Conditions	Effects on cork (label and wine)
Lack of Humidity	The ideal Humidity level is between 65 and 75%, below 60%, the cork will easily dry out above 80%, the label will get damaged, and mold could form on the label and cork under the capsule
Too much ventilation	A cellar should be well-ventilated, but not to the point of drying out the air
Non LED lighting	Heat usually emanates from non-LED lights and dry out the air, too, if left on too long
High Temperatures	Ideal level being 11-13°C up to 15°C maximum, anything above 16°C is too warm, and anything above 21°C for more than just a few hours could rapidly damage the wine
Temperature and Humidity fluctuations	It can have a direct effect on the cork (also label and most certainly the wine itself)

        

C. Shipping Conditions

If the cork had not deteriorated during storage before shipping, it could have dried out during transportation due to bad shipping conditions.  

For example, suppose the container was not reefer, and the wine was shipped during hot weather. In that case, a non-refrigerated container can get really hot inside during the journey to the final destination, which could last for several weeks. External conditions such as heat from sun exposure, as well as temperature differences throughout the journey, definitely can affect the cork and impact the wine. (e.g., as per www.SeaRates.com, shipping time between "Le Havre, France" and "Hong Kong" takes about a month). 

Screenshot of www.SeaRates.com Le Havre, France to Hong Kong

This list is non-exhaustive, and other factors may affect the cork quality, depending on the environment and the quality of place of storage, such as chemicals, mold, and even termites or other insects in places where untreated wood might be affected (e.g., wood beam in old cellars, firewood, etc...).  

However, I just wanted to list a few of these factors.  I hope this helps you better understand some of the reasons why and how some of the bad corks you may occasionally encounter ended up in such a bad state.  

Cheers! Sante! 

Dom 

@ledomduvin #ledomduvin #wine #vin #vino #wein #cork #quality #corkquality #corkproblem #storage #storageconditions #shipping #bottle #mold

LeDomduVin: Laurent-Perrier Bouzy Rouge Cuvée Cent Cinquantenaire 1812-1962

Laurent-Perrier Bouzy Rouge Cuvée Cent Cinquantenaire 1812-1962 | LeDomduVin ©

Laurent-Perrier Bouzy Rouge 
Cuvée Cent Cinquantenaire 1812-1962

Sometimes life brings you surprises, and I came to stumble on the story of this bottle by coincidence. 

One of my colleagues sent me the picture above (taken by and courtesy of a friend of his who owns the bottle) asking me if I knew anything about the wine and what its approximate value on the current market could be. 

I told him I had no clue, but the label's old look and the bottle's state triggered my interest, and I decided to investigate for him.  

Of course, as a seasoned Sommelier, saying that I had no clue what a "Bouzy Rouge" is would be lying. As for its value, Bouzy Rouge wines are usually rather inexpensive despite their rarity. However, this particular bottle may have a symbolic value, if not a historical one. 

Bouzy Rouge wines are strictly produced from Pinot Noir grapes and are only in high-quality vintages. Only very few producers still craft this delightful and cool climate-refreshing red wine.

Located in the heart of the Champagne region in northeastern France, Bouzy is a little commune of about 1,000 inhabitants in the Marne department, resting southeast of Montagne de Reims (roughly between Reims and Epernay) 

Bouzy | Google maps 

Bouzy's vineyards are situated on hill slopes called "Cotes des Noirs" (meaning slopes of the black grapes) and are classified 100% Grand Cru in the Champagne vineyards classification. 

Village of Bouzy | courtesy of www.champagne-pierre-paillard.com

Like most wines, depending on the desired style, the quality of the vintage, and most importantly, the grapes, Bouzy wines can be aged in vats or in oak barrels, which give them more soul, substance, and character and often strengthen their unique terroir characteristics.

Laurent-Perrier underground Cellars | photo courtesy of www.outlaws.co.uk/producer/laurent-perrier-champagne

Like for the Champagne, Bouzy Rouge are put to rest in underground cellars, labyrinths of galleries carved in the chalky soil more than 5-7 m deep (much deeper for some), naturally maintaining a temperature of about 12°C all year long. 

Photo courtesy of Wine Folly

Bouzy Rouge is a very distinctive wine, characterized by its freshness, finesse, and elegance enhanced by a great acidity and structured by well- integrated tannins delivering an harmonious palate exacerbating juicy red cherry fruit flavors with earthy mineral notes lingering in the finish (description LeDomduVin)

But enough of the facts, let's go back to the bottle. The look and the fact that I could not find much on the internet about it almost put doubt in my mind about its authenticity (living in Hong Kong close to China with the amount of fake bottles around did not help either...). 

I decided to call then email Laurent-Perrier in order to get more info on this "UB" (unidentified bottle) and exchanged a few emails with Fanny Cribier (Chargée d'Etudes Documentaires a la Maison de Champagne Laurent-Perrier), who kindly gave me the following. 

Photo courtesy of www.delcampe.net

Laurent-Perrier used to produce Bouzy Rouge until 2005. Yet, even though they stopped the production, they humbly recognized that "Bouzy Rouge" allowed Laurent-Perrier, from the 50s, to be present on the finest tables of the French Gastronomy and Paris Haute Cuisine venues and other capital culinary scenes like London.     

That particular bottle is a rare specimen as it is one of the last remaining bottles amongst the few thousands produced at the time for the Cent Cinquantenaire Anniversary 1812-1962.  

As such, this bottle is part of the Laurent-Perrier Heritage and has a high historical and symbolic value in the eyes of Laurent-Perrier. 

It is such a treasured bottle that Laurent-Perrier may convince its current owner to exchange it if he is willing to part with it. 

As I said, life is full of surprises. Many connoisseurs and amateurs I know would have not even paid attention to such a bottle... "Oh, but this is just a Bouzy.. a cheap wine.. no interest...,"   but I did... and I'm glad I did... Otherwise, I would have never been a part of this story... of this preserved memory of the past...

Thanks to my colleague John for showing me the picture in the first place and asking for my help to get more info about it.

Thanks to Fanny Cribier (Chargée d'Etudes Documentaires a la maison de Champagne Laurent-Perrier) for her help in this small investigation.

Cheers! Santé! 

Dom  (aka Dominique Noel, aka LeDomduVin) 

@ledomduvin, #ledomduvin, #champagne, #wine, #vin, #vino, #wein, #bouzy, #bouzyrouge, #centcinquantenaire, #oldbottle, #rarebottle, #laurentperrier, #wineinvestigation, #wineknowledge, #wineeducation

Unless stated otherwise, all rights reserved ©LeDomduVin 2016, on all the contents above including, but not limited to, photos, pictures, drawings, illustrations, collages, 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).

Crescendo in strength... another night of great wines

Crescendo in strength... another night of great wines

Wines of the night - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©

And here we go again, back into the apartment with the view overlooking at Hong Kong.... Beautiful, isn't it? Except for the weather this time, tainted by the usual and almost permanent grey of the blanket of clouds always hovering above the city. I let you admire the view... but i think that once again the best view of the night was the one on these 6 gems above... the wines of the night were a festival of greatness, climbing the ladder of strength and richness the closer we got to the last bottle.   

Hong Kong from the dinner's apartment - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©

Hong Kong from the dinner's apartment - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©

These bottles were served with a traditional Chinese dinner, concocted by the house Chinese Chef. Do not ask me to translate the menu, none of them spoke really fluent English and i hard a hard time trying to understand what they were trying to describe. However, I took a few pictures that speak for themselves.  

Lafite Rothschild 1961 - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©

Lafite Rothschild 1961

Level was low
Cork quite damp but still solid
Restraint on the nose at opening
Still cherry, earth, spice, with slightly evolved notes after 30 minutes
The palate is light, slightly flat in my opinion compared to previously opened bottles and not as full as I remembered it, but still possessed enough acidity to keep bright. Not bright enough compared to previous bottle.

La Mission Haut-Brion 1982 - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©

La Mission Haut Brion 1982
Literally a bomb after the Lafite,,so young and powerful. Too young in my opinion.
Beautiful nose, fresh notes, menthol, eucalyptus, smoke, earth, spice, touch peppery.
Beautiful, lush, round, coating in the pallet. Here again, touch spicy peppery, smoky, ripe figs, touch prunny.
Lovely balance and texture in the pallet, lingering until the amazing finish.

Le Pin 2000 - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©

LePin 2000.... 
How to put it? An amazingly generous and friendly fat baby. Big, round, friendly, coating, full, explosing upfront, yet gradually expanding in every way on its way to the finish. Gaining in strength and fullness. Lots of dark fruit, wood, spice, earth,. What a wine! Yet after such an incredible beginning and mid-palate... I would have love the flavor in the finish to be a little more lingering and the finish itself  longer. Strange, the first things that came to my mind, when i tasted it, were Californien style Merlot and Robert Parker... go figure... but it gave me this impression.

Petrus 1989 - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©

Petrus 1989
Sous bois,  spice, mushroom, smoky scorched earth, peppery. Very dark fruit. Almost hard. Great acidity in the pallet, lot of spicy, peppery, notes, super dark fruit and more earth. It is paysan wine (in a good way) really impressive and serious attitude. Too serious. Dark and strict. Powerful yet refine.

Beautiful, elegant, refine nose, figs, red and dark berries, some nuts, touch mineral, a smart nose. The palate follow even more beautiful and attractive

Guigal Cote-Rotie La Landonne 1986 - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©

Jaboulet Hermitage La Chapelle 1990 - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©

Right after double decantation - 17.07.2016 | LeDomduVin ©

De Grandes Dames | Vins d'Anthologie

De Grandes Dames : Vins d'Anthologie 

Wines of the night | LeDomduVin  © 

About a few weeks ago, on June 21st, prior to the 1945 horizontale (read it here), I had another dinner where I had to prepare, condition, decant, taste and serve some amazing wines.

A selection to dream of (once again) for a Sommelier like me!

In the order of the picture above from left to right:

Haut-Brion 1986

La Mission Haut-Brion 1957

Ausone 1962

Anglus 1989

Mouton Rothschild 1970

L'Evangile 1989

Margaux 1982

Lafite Rothschild 1961

Latour 1959

Cos d'Estournel 1968

Cheval Blanc 1990

Yquem 1990

The dinner occurred at a famous Hong Kong Chinese restaurant, but I need to admit, the food was not up to par with the wines selected for that occasion.

So no point to talk about the food pairing, and let's go straight to the wines, shall we?

Here they are in the order they were served.

La Mission Haut-Brion 1957 | LeDomduVin  ©

La Mission Haut-Brion 1957
It was amazing (no wonder the Haut Brion wines are my favorites) so smoky and earthy, balanced and harmonious and so flavourful... I could have stayed minutes just on the nose. Very much alive and kicking. Earthy nuances of underbrush, mushroom, game, figue, plum, spice and liquorice lingered in the lightly structured yet complex palate up until the finish. Loved it.

(DN-LDDV | 21.06.2016 | Average Retail Price 5,350 HKD | 620 Euros)

Haut-Brion 1986 | LeDomduVin  ©

Haut-Brion 1986

It was succulent and so youthful, but no surprise there as HB is my favorite wine. Almost a shame to open it so early. Earthy, smoky, red and dark berries fruit aromas and flavors with asphalt and stony nuances, so characteristic to Haut-Brion emanated from the glass and coated the rich, structured and textured palate, up to the full and generous finish. Harmonious and balanced by great acidity, quite common to most 86 Bordeaux Left Bank i tasted in the last 20 years, this wine is promising a bright future and still quite a few years in the bottle. Beautiful.

(DN-LDDV | 21.06.2016 | Average Retail Price 3,640 HKD | 425 Euros)

Latour 1959 | LeDomduVin  ©

Latour 1959

What a stunning wine! It had been quite a few months that I had not tried it and previous bottles were good, but this one was far much better than previously tasted and still so vibrant. Complex, long, rich, structured and textured, beautiful nose and stunning palate. Rich, generous, balanced, harmonious and solid enough to age quite a few more years in the bottle. Game, underbrush, mushroom, spice, wood and earth flavors mingled beautifully in the expanding palate and the lingering finish.

(DN-LDDV | 21.06.2016 | Average Retail Price 20,570 HKD | 2395 Euros)

Margaux 1982 | LeDomduVin  ©

Margaux 1982

A beauty, smooth and delicate, fragile but still very much alive and racy.  A ballerina as I like to call it. Floral, earthy nose leading to a velvety palate nuanced with dark berries, sous-bois and earthy tones balanced with great acidity and freshness tending to the gentle, silky finish. Margaux has always been feminine for me, and this 82 confirms it. A great example of what Margaux is all about, more especially in this classic Vintage. Great silhouette.

(DN-LDDV | 21.06.2016 | Average Retail Price 7,910 HKD | 915 Euros)

Lafite Rothschild 1961 | LeDomduVin  ©

Lafite Rothschild 1961
It worried me to begin with as the level was low and the overall conditions acceptable but not great, confirmation came with the cork being totally damp and friable.. color was dull and tasted a bit flat... this bottle was not a good example, though the wine was not bad but has suffered due to the oxidation and eventual old seepage. To bad. I tasted some tremendous examples of Lafite 61 before, but this one is not one of them. The problem with these old vintages of top tear wines, which traveled all around the world and passed from the hands of a collector to another via Auction Houses, is that it is very difficult to define the quality of the wine inside and more especially the conditions in which it has been stored all these years prior being opened. Even with my knowledge and experience of inspecting countless amount of old bottles for more than 20 years, it is always a difficult task. Difficult to prevent bad bottles from time to time despite obvious signs to the eyes of a seasoned Sommelier like me boasting a certain expertise on the subject.

(DN-LDDV | 21.06.2016 | Average Retail Price  13,568 HKD | 1580 Euros)

Ausone 1962 | LeDomduVin  ©

Ausone 1962

What a nice surprise as I never tasted it before and was not sure what to expect, but it was well behaved, on the light side but still complex enough to be really enjoyable.

Angelus 1989 | LeDomduVin  ©

 

Angelus 1989
Good and youthful but still felt to impress somehow despite its complexity.

L'Evangile 1989 | LeDomduVin  ©

L'Évangile 1989
Pretty good, consistent and well structured, and thorough till the end.
Too young somehow and slightly restraint somehow but still very elegant.

Mouton Rothschild 1970 | LeDomduVin  ©

Mouton Rothschild 1970
Much better than expected for a vintage that was not so great... but then again was not that up to the par for a wine pretending to 1st growth position a few vintages later...

Cos d'Estournel 1968 | LeDomduVin  ©

Cos d'Estournel 1968

Château Cheval Blanc 1990 | LeDomduVin  ©

Cheval Blanc 1990

Yquem 1990 | LeDomduVin  ©

Yquem 1990

Corks of the night | LeDomduVin  ©

Trouble | LeDomduVin  ©

Corks of the Night | LeDomduVin  ©

Standing by the ladies of the night | LeDomduVin  ©

...... till next time Ladies

Dominique Noël | LeDomduVin