Archive for category Wine
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 1996 Horizontal Tasting
Ahhh, the tasting we’ve all been waiting for. Domaine de la Romanée-Conti or DRC. Wait! We were told that it is sacrilegious to shorten the name and it should be said out in full all the time. I guess when you produce such beautiful wines that are worshiped by every wine connoisseur around the world, such insistence cannot be blamed.
OK, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (thank God for copy and paste in iPhone OS 3). This event was organized by American Express with the wines supplied by Berry Bros & Rudd. Their own Burgundy Director, Jasper Morris MW, hosted the evening for the horizontal tasting of the 1996s. 1996! That’s C and R’s anniversary year. Cool. The dinner was at Grissini at the Grand Hyatt, Hong Kong. We’re not sure why this venue was chosen (the food was just OK), but the private dining room created a very nice intimate atmosphere for the lucky group of 12 enthusiasts.
During the cocktail reception, we (C specifically) indulged in the Krug Champagne, along with the delicious grissini wrapped with prosciutto.
The wines started with the Échézeaux and the Grands Échézeaux. And Jasper’s first reaction to the Échézeaux was “yum”. Yum??? Is such a comment allowed from a Master of Wine? He said that this was a simple reaction to a wine and one doesn’t need to be over detailed in all the different flavors and may distract from the fundamental enjoyment of the wine. That reiterates C’s rating of wines – like it or don’t like it…simple. We concur the “yum” for the Échézeaux, but the Grands Échézeaux was double “yum” being much smoother.
Next was the Romanée-St-Vivant which was more elegant and had more floral notes. This wine was originally from Domaine Marey-Monge, but was bought by Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in 1988 and to pay tribute the the Marey-Monge family, included their name in the Romanée-St-Vivant label. It was a bit young and there are many more years of enjoyment in this wine. The slight acidity in the wine was eaten up nicely by the mascarpone cheese risotto.
The Richebourg was very nice, sort of like a combination of the previous three wines, but done with more finesse. The aromas were less intense to the nose, but had good body and was well balanced. At the same time, we were poured a glass of the La Tâche…the most anticipated wine of the evening. Wow! This was on an entirely different level. Full bodied and multidimensional, this monopole (vineyard controlled by a single winery – literally monopoly) reveals intense flavors both in the glass and on the palate. Having said that, this wine still has years before reaching its peak. And also, for such a respected wine, remember to add the accent on the ‘a’ (La Tâche), otherwise, tache would translate to a stain…a very expensive stain indeed.
The tastings started around 8pm, and the wines were caraffed two hours earlier. Some might argue that Burgundy wines should not be caraffed (or decanted) due to their delicate nature. But the reasoning for our 96s was that they are still young and therefore caraffed to aerate the wine. This is opposed to decanting, which is the process of separating the sediment from the wine.
Thanks to our friends at American Express and Berry Bros & Rudd, we were fortunate enough to take home a set of empty bottles of the great wines that we tasted. This will add nicely to our 1996 bottle collection. Very memorable.
– 16/20 (Échézeaux)
– 16.5/20 (Grands Échézeaux)
– 16/20 (Romanée-St-Vivant)
– 18/20 (Richebourg)
– 19/20 (La Tâche)
100129 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti - Carafes of 96s
100129 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti - Jasper Morris MW
100129 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti - 1996 collection
Review – Sushi Kuu (壽司喰), Hong Kong
This has been C’s regular lunch spots for some time as it is just around the corner from her office. But R and I have never been 
Fortunately R’s golf buddy also recommended this place and he arranged a dinner gathering so that we could try it out. As with all sushi restaurants, we made a point to sit at the sushi counter and specifically requested to be served by the handsome chef, Satoro-san.
As January 1st is also a big festival in Japan, we started off with some traditional Japanese hors d’oeuvres and mochi (rice cake) soup to celebrate the New Year. And what’s a celebration without great wine – our friends bought a bottle of Okunomatsu Daiginjo Shizuku Sake Juhachidai Ihei (奥の松 大吟醸雫酒 十八代伊兵衛). Satoro-san called the shots, so we had no idea what we were to be offered next. We started with some dried scallops topped with salmon roe. Then came the sashimi, which was very fresh and the o-toro (fatty tuna) was stunning – literally melted in our mouths like butter. The sake was a bit sweet on the first sip, but opened up and paired perfectly with the sashimi. The next surprise was the seared salmon wrapped in lettuce, which was very refreshing. A delicious baked lobster followed, but we were thinking “cooked food already? What about the sushi???” Lo and behold, we had something we never tried before – yaki hamachi (seared yellowtail) sushi. Excellent. Could this be even better than yaki toro (seared tuna)? We’ll soon find out. A boiled carrot again had us wondering is that all the sushi he’s going to serve us??? But it must have been intended as a palate cleanser. O-toro, yaki toro and saba (mackerel) were served one after the other. And yes, the yaki hamachi was better than the yaki toro, maybe because it was the first time we tried it. To top it off, a steamed sushi rice included awabi (abalone), anago (conger eel), ikura (salmon roe), uni (sea urchin) and kani (crab) served in a bamboo steamer. To end, we had a small sample of cold somen noodles, which is thinner and more refreshing than the Inaniwa udon we normally have. It was good that we could order as much or as little as we liked. After all that food, we couldn’t resist to try the noodles, but a full portion would have been too much.
During dessert (Japanese melon followed by mochi), Satoro-san asked us if we liked whiskey…are you kidding? He treated us to a glass of Lagavulin 16 years. The single malt was really smokey, which we enjoyed very much, and it really got us going. We were then dared to try a 46% alcohol rice wine – Echigo Samurai 46 degrees (越後さむらい46度)! We were up to the challenge and it actually drank very easily and smooth. Very pure and no we didn’t have a throbbing headache or hangover afterwards.
Worked out to HK$1,200/US$154 per person, quite reasonable for the quality of food that we had. This is no doubt one of the best sushi places in town. Comparable to some of the Michelin star restaurants in Tokyo. The proportion of rice to fish was perfect and the rice was squeezed just right. Hate it when some places give you a huge block of rice and worse when it all falls apart. None of that here. A very memorable experience and I’m sure R will be nagging C non-stop for not taking us here earlier. Another great place for sushi…and on Hong Kong island too! Yippeee.
– 19/20
Sushi Kuu 壽司喰
1/F Wellington Place
2-8 Wellington Street
Central, Hong Kong
T: +852 2971 0180
E: mail@sushikuu.com.hk
100105 Sushi Kuu - Chopsticks cover
100105 Sushi Kuu - Chopsticks holder
100105 Sushi Kuu - Handsome chef, Satoro-san
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The French Window, Hong Kong – Revisited
On Christmas Eve, we booked a private room at The French Window. Following our first visit, we were very surprised to see less than 10 tables…on Christmas Eve!!?? Well, that’s up to the restaurant management to worry about. We were more worried about the food.
Having already reviewed the Dégustation menu last time, we didn’t want to repeat the same review as some of the dishes were repeats. Nevertheless, there was one dish that was worth mentioning – the Potato Tower. The two towers, one tall and one short, were deep fried with a very crispy crust. The highlight was in the escargots inside as well as the caviar that topped it all off. We didn’t seem to have seen this on the regular menu, and we hope that this makes the cut so that we can enjoy this tasty dish again.
As it was time for celebration, we were treated to a smashing range of fine wines. We started off with the limited production Haut Brion Blanc (1985). A very smooth and full, no wonder Parker calls it the “Rolls Royce of the dry white wines of Graves”. Christmas Eve would not have been Christmas Eve without a bottle of bubbly. We toasted to a bottle of 1989 Bollinger Blanc de Noirs. This Vieilles Vignes Françaises is made from pre-phylloxera Pinot Noir vines and ultra rare…a treat from R’s God-sister. Wines that followed included the 1953 Ch. Canon, 2002 DRC Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cuvée Duvault Blochet and to finish, a 1995 Ch. Lafite. What a way to celebrate Christmas.
– 18.5/20 (for the Potato Tower)
The French Window
3101, podium level 3, ifc mall
Central, Hong Kong
T: +852 2393 3812
E: inquiry@thefrenchwindow.hk
W: www.thefrenchwindow.hk
091224 French Window - Potato Tower
091224 French Window - Potato Tower
091224 French Window - Wines of the evening
Review – Cépage, Hong Kong
Updated with feedback from Cépage’s PR company.
After trying the new French Window, we had to go back to Singaporean chef, Justin Quek’s first restaurant in Hong Kong – Cépage we were reminded of Chef Quek’s first claim to fame at Les Amis in Singapore. Having parted ways, both with their own success, the Les Amis Group entered the Hong Kong dining scene with Cépage. It’s been a while since we last came here. Critics were doubting its survival when it opened at the end of 2008 during the height of the financial tsunami. With a HK$14 million renovation cost, you can’t blame them. However, consistent good food, excellent wines and persistence proved them wrong.
Before our dinner we were offered the 48 month Joselito ham, which was very tasty and firm, but melted in our mouths. Since it was the celebration of the Winter Solstice (冬至), we went all out for the seven course Dégustation menu (HK$1,380/US$177) instead of the Table D’Hôte (HK$888/US$114). As the Chinese say, this day is more important than the Chinese New Year. And for the superstitious part of R (which golfer isn’t), it was fortunate that we ordered the ham as seven dishes is not auspicious for Chinese…
We opted to select a wine from their extensive 2,000+ wine list rather then bring our own (the corkage was HK$500/US$64). The sommelier recommended the 2000 Chateau Trotanoy from Pomerol. A very good full bodied wine with strong earthy aromas. However, it was a bit too overwhelming for the first few seafood dishes.
Nevertheless, Chef Quek Thomas Mayr did not disappoint. The first course started with a carpaccio of Normandy scallops with citrus fruits and Osciètre caviar. Very simple and all the flavors blended well together, proving that simple is sweet.
The oxtail consommé was incredible. Just a consommé may not sound too interesting, but when a truffle-leek ravioli and poached quail egg were added… The ravioli burst with the pungent flavors of the truffle and the quail’s egg was poached to perfection, runny on the inside. That made all the difference.
Instead of the marinated pineapple and lemon sorbet (nothing sour), C ordered a selection of cheeses from their wide trolley selection. I guess different people have different ways of cleaning their palates. After dessert, R was recommended to try the lychee oolong tea. Coffee keeps him awake at night (a sign of aging) so no coffee thank you. This tea was perfect and very refreshing. It was in the form of a tea bag, so we must see if we can find it at our local supermarket. (Update: the tea was concocted by a tea artist in Singapore, so I guess we’ll have to come back for more.)
We were so stuffed after the whole dinner, but when the petit fours came, one caught our eye. It was the sesame chocolate…delicious. A must try.
– 18/20
Cépage
23 Wing Fung Street
Wanchai, Hong Kong
T: +852 2861 3130
E: cepage.hk@lesamis.com.sg
W: www.lesamis.com.sg (under Outlets)
Note: Closed on Sundays
091222 Cépage - Main entrance on Wing Fung Street
091222 Cépage - 2000 Ch. Trotanoy
091222 Cépage - 48 month Joselito ham
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New – Bacchus & Century, Hong Kong
Updated with feedback from Eric
Celebrating your 10th Anniversary? 40th Birthday? Make it more special by opening a bottle of fine wine from that special year. Enter Bacchus and Century in the heart of Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong. Claiming to be the first luxury wine shop in town, they offer French wines from every vintage from 1900 to 2000. Yes, they have at least one bottle from the 101 vintages in their 10,000 bottle collection.
Even their shop is unique. You won’t see a bottle in sight, except for the center display of Champagnes including the beautiful Taittinger Collection and a Salmanazar (9L) Laurent-Perrier Brut L-P. Instead, there’s a wall with artwork depicting a wine tree and ‘leaves’ listing a selection of wines from all the vintages. They have around 1,800 bottles stored in wine cellars at the shop out of a total of 3,000 in Hong Kong plus thousands more in France. Eric Liu, the founder and ’shop guardian’ along with Rene Wong, the wine expert, will gladly listen to your story and recommend the wine for that special occasion.
Apart from the First Growths, d’Yquem, Petrus, DRCs, etc, there are also a wide selection of wines from 1960 to 2000 that start from HK$1,000 (US$128). There’s also Champagne and spirits to tickle your fancy.
Now to find a nice bottle from 1968 for C.
Bacchus & Century
Shop 3, G/F
32 Wyndham Street
Hong Kong
T: +852 6681 1825
Monday to Saturday 11am to 8pm
By appointment only : Monday to Saturday 9am to 11am & Sunday
091209 Bacchus & Century - Entrance
091209 Bacchus & Century - Signage
091209 Bacchus & Century - Center display
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