muga Reserva 2004 and Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin 1995

A quick notes on the famed Bodegas Muga Reserva 2004 that i had bought recently in KL. Priced at RM174.. Once open, the nose was beautiful, with tobacco, inky purple fruits, and pencil lead...However, you could detect some slight alcohol heat on the nose. I wonder it is accelerated aging form bad storage condition, which are typical of most wines in Malaysia.
On the palate, it was purrrfect..with grainy tannins coating your palate with good body weight... the finish was medium at best but an overall enjoyable wines...
Demona slurped this down real fast!!!

Rated: 92 by Josh Raynolds, Sep/Oct 08

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Deep red. Highly fragrant, Bordeaux-like bouquet of red berries, smoky minerals, flowers and camphor. Supple red and dark berry flavors stain the palate and are given spine by juicy minerality. The fruit expands on the finish, which is strikingly sweet, broad and persistent. This smokes pretty much any Bordeaux that I can think of for close to this price

I was browsing the net one day and chanced upon a bin end sales by a local wine distributor..I wasted no time and packed up my laptop and rushed to the distributor office in downtown kl to place my order of 3 bottles of vintage champage at an amazingly 70% off. (around RM150 each after discount)

The first bottle i had opened is the Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin 1995 Rich Reserve.
Onced open, the nose was flat, full of soy and cat pee. The bubbles was almost non existent and there is not much fruit on the palate. A generally dissapointing wine that went dead right from the bottom. It must be the result of excessive heat while stored in the warehouse.

this bottle was a huge difference from the 1988 Rich Reserver Ponsardin that i had last year in Crystal Jade Palace, Paragon Singapore. That bottle was singing that night, with salt, biscuit, citrus and honey dominating the nose and with great long honeyed palate...

What a pity that this bottle was killed while in her sleep in the local storage facility.

Domaine De Chevalier & Jameson Wine

Domain De Chevalier Rouge 2003:
90 points Wine Spectator: "Intense aromas of blackberry, cherry, tobacco and milk chocolate. Full-bodied, with ultrafine tannins and a beautiful finish of ripe fruit and light earth. Very balanced and refined. Delicious already. Best after 2010." (03/06)
90 points Robert Parker: "Right Bank consultant Stephane Derenoncourt was brought in as the lead consultant at this noble estate in Pessac-Leognan. As a result, the tannins are sweeter, the oak is more subtle and better integrated, and the wine is more textured and complex. An evolved, complex bouquet of black currants, forest floor, smoked herbs, and sweet cherries as well as currants emerges from the 2003. It displays supple tannin, medium to full body, beautiful purity, and a classic, elegant finish. Anticipated maturity: 2007-2019." (04/06)

I got this bottle from Kenneth and after laying down for half a year, i decided to pop it a couple nites before shifting house..

Once opened, perfumed aroma of tobacco, cassis and black fruits filled up the room. Pencil shavings and cigar box detected as well. It just sings! On the palate, pencil lead, leather and cassis interwoven with black berry.Harmonious. at the end of the palate, there is a bitter mocha notes...
Superb, however, the palate could have more weight to achieve greatness..

Splendid wine!


Got this bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey from LCCT on my trip back from Shanghai.
Burning feelings in teh lung and bitter notes on teh palate..
It was a perfect accompaniment during cold rainy nites in KL....
Superb value for money!

O Fournier B Crux 2004

I have been quite a fan of O Fournier's wines, especially after a private dinner at Raffles Grill House with SH and gang...
Jose Ortega ( the vineyard owner) used to be a MD of an investment bank and invested a fortune in O Fournier upon retirement. According to Jose, owning and managing a vineyard is a far more difficult and cruel, compared to the beautiful chateau, classic glitzy wine and dine function that we have all accustomed to.. If i'm not mistaken, it cost more than Euro 15M -20M to start off the Fournier operation....

I'd opened this B Crux, from Mendoza Argentina recently with Demona... Fournier has been making wines in Spain, Argentina and if i'm not wrong, Chile as well.. I was deeply in love with the cultured and elegant Alfa Spiga ( Spain/tempranilo).

The B Crux ( Argentina/Malbec) was having the same O Fournier trademark.. elegant nose with hints of vanila oak and without the obstrusive alcohol and fruit heat. On the palate, it was very graceful, with blackfruits, silky tannins accompanies it. In terms of complexity, it was not as complex as the Alfa Spiga, but noneotherless, enjoyable as well. I would be interested to find out how will my remaining case of Fournier's (alfa and B Crux) will turn out 8years down teh road.

slurppy

Double Take of Mommessin and Follin Arbelet

Mommesin Bourgogne 2003: Bought this Pinot Noir from the local supermarket at a crazy price of sub RM60 * which translate to less than SGD25. It opened up with some typical cherry, without any complexity in the palate. The palate was rather diluted but was forgiven at this price point. It wasnt delicious on the first nite however, the palate dramatically improved on the second nite as more woody tannins and earth/stem note appearred, which covered up the hollowness of the palate.

Domain Follin Arbelet, Pernand Vergelesses Les Fichots, Premier Cru, 2004: I am a fan of Follin Arbelet entry level wines, which screams value for money compared to many Burgundy Producer. This Pernand Vergelesses was not an exception either, with a good damp earth tone, and some stemminess on the nose. the palate carries good weight, with cherry and later dark tea dominating the end palate. Good buy at around SGD65.

Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel 2006

almost all local wine shops in KL has severe overheating and bad storage issues...not to mention about the exorbitantly priced wines where typically the retail price would easily be cost price X 300% for the upper tier wines.

After our splendid dinner in Nagomi, we adjourned to Vintry at Jaya 33 where the Wine Czar SH joined from . SH and I used to open a Caparzo Brunello Montalcino that cost about RM300 here and we could not go furhter than 2 sips-- it was extremely tired wine, with much fatigue, flat palate and heat, most likely signs of accelerated aging from bad storage.

We opt to go for a safer new world wines this trip and SH spotted this highly rated yet reasonably priced Zinfandel from California. Seghesio Zinfandel Sonoma County 2006 at around RM160.

Winemaker notes: rated Wine Spectator 91pts
Well-defined berryish fruit is the centerpiece in both the outgoing aromas and the full, fleshy flavors of this weighty effort, yet, for all of its volume and richness, it stays nicely on the varietal track with its background notes of dry spices and briar. It is youthfully exuberant and somewhat juicy in character, and it will be at its best in service with savory roasts of pork marinated in brine and basted with young port."

Dogmanotes:
Intense berry on the nose and noticiable alcohol heat. On the palate was dense, big blackberry..Palate after taste was silky and overwhelmed by blackfruits. Tannins was pretty silky..
A typical fruit forward Zinfandel but with pretty graceful palate.
Overall, was a good value wine at RM160 retail price in the awful malaysia wine industry.