The most delicious wines I tasted in 2025

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Following the precedent I started last year, once again I present a list of the most delicious and memorable wines I had the privilege of tasting during the year.

1985 DRC Échézeaux, tasted at Saffron in the Hong Kong Golf and Tennis Academy Town Club in Hong Kong - any time one gets to drink a bottle of DRC from this fantastic vintage is a real treat, even if this was "just" the Échézeaux 牙擦蘇.

1985 La Conseillante, tasted at Saffron in the Hong Kong Golf and Tennis Academy Town Club in Hong Kong - this wine showed beautifully on this night, and was actually my favorite of that evening. Bordeaux from great vintages are so underrated.

1986 Henri Bonneau Réserve des Célestins, tasted at Saffron in the Hong Kong Golf and Tennis Academy Town Club in Hong Kong - I was lucky enough to taste this just a month after tasting another bottle, and the previous bottle drank well enough to make it to last year's list. This was really sweet and exotic.

2004 Pax Syrah Alder Springs Vineyard, tasted at home in Hong Kong - I love Pax Mahle's old wines, and after 20 years they're still going strong. One of my favorite Californian "Rhone rangers".

2003 BOND Matriarch, tasted at The Chairman in Hong Kong - this second label offering from BOND has always punched above its weight, and on this night it drank spectacularly. Silky smooth after more than 20 years.

1990 Latour, tasted at Hosu in Taipei - a generous friend shared this over dinner, and what a beautiful, classic claret this was! A Pauillac that has aged nicely to become silky smooth.

2009 Robert Groffier Chambertin Clos de Beze, tasted at Restaurant Petrus in Hong Kong - this was allowed to air for 5 hours before we started tasting it, and it was amazing after 6 hours. 2009. From Groffier. 'Nuff said.

Jean-François Ganevat Vieux Macvin du Jura, tasted at Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic in Hong Kong - my first taste of Macvin du Jura, and how beautiful this was! I need to get my hands on some!

2021 Grange des Pères Rouge, tasted at Caprice in Hong Kong - is it any surprise that I had this at Caprice?! Yes, it was very young, but after airing for more than 8 hours this was a stunningly beautiful wine.

2012 Cayuse Syrah Special #4, from magnum, tasted at Metropol in Hong Kong - so surprised by how good this was right after decanting, without any need to aerate. Of course, it only got better with time. Now, why did I only buy one magnum?!

1995 Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline, tasted at Caprice in Hong Kong - one of my all-time favorite wines from a great vintage. So happy that this bottle drank so really well on this evening.

2020 Angelus, tasted at Caprice in Hong Kong - normally I'd consider this way too young at a mere 5 years old, but it was our wedding anniversary and I wanted to open up something nice from our vintage. And it was! Already a real pleasure to drink, but I could see it become even better with age and develop more complexity.

1997 Salon, en magnum, tasted at a friend's birthday drinks at the Island Shangri-La in Hong Kong - what a treat to drink Salon from magnum! And this one drank beautifully with an amazing fragrance on the nose.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet, tasted at Restaurant Petrus in Hong Kong - it's not often that one gets to taste a DRC Monty... or as I like to call it - 矇查查. Every single one of the handful of bottles I've tasted have been amazing, and so was this one. It was tasted together with another Monty really put the other one to shame.

2001 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti, tasted at Restaurant Petrus in Hong Kong - only my second time tasting the "RC", and by pure stroke of luck I was the only one who managed to guess its identity in a semi-blind tasting. That amazing floral, feminine nose was really beautiful.

2015 Vincent Dancer Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières, tasted at Caprice in Hong Kong - this was such a beautifully balanced wine. Such a pleasure to drink!

2001 Sine Qua Non Albino, tasted at Caprice in Hong Kong - some 9 years after I carried my own bottle to a dinner in Singapore and became stunned by its beauty, I was once again enthralled by this wine. I could taste the years that have passed, but it was still lovely.

1955 Toro Albalá Don PX Convento Selección, bottle 004, from imperial, tasted at Caprice in Hong Kong - always, always I wine I love ever since I discovered it. So complex, so rich. Just a sip is enough to bring a smile to my face.

Interesting to see that of the 18 wines listed here, half came from 3 separate evenings which delivered 3 memorable wines each. Those were indeed wonderful nights! Looking forward to more memories in 2026!