MNSC Burgundy Trip Day 1: starting in Bordeaux

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We're flying out tonight for our MNSC trip to Burgundy. Four of us are on the same flight, and three of us decided to start the party early by grabbing a bottle of wine at Free Duty and bringing it to the Cathay First Class Lounge.

The 2000 Calon-Segur drank pretty well for a bottle that did not get any aeration. Nose of chocolate, smoke, sweet fruit, alcohol, toffee and toast. Still pretty young and full-bodied.

We only finished half the bottle in a hurry, so I carried the bottle onto the plane. Just as I uncorked the bottle to share it with Lord Rayas, a red shirt came up to chastise me. I was informed that I could not consume any wines which I had brought myself, although I was more than welcome to drink anything that try had onboard.

I was pretty miffed, as it made no sense to me. I did not understand the logic behind the "company policy", and after speaking to a third person - a purple shirt - I was grudgingly allowed to finish the bottle with Lord Rayas, after reassuring them that I was not an alcoholic and did not bring onboard more than this bottle.

The rest of the flight was uneventful, and after 12 hours we landed at CDG to begin our trip...

Acker Hong Kong XI: part 1

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Back at another Acker auction after missing the last one.  Since I'm an occasional customer and by no means a big fish, I found myself sitting in the back of the room.  This means instead of getting the choice wines served to me, I got the run-of-the-mill stuff.

I passed on the 1995 Haut-Marbuzet and wait for something better.  1995 Ducru-Beaucaillou showed up and was certainly better.  Nose of mint, cigar smoke and fruit.  Initially OK on the palate, then turned pretty funky and a little nasty.  A second bottle drank better, with noticeable floral perfume in the nose on top of the sweet fruit.

My friend John very kindly came over and offered me a glass of 1933 Bouchard Beaune 1er Cru.  I had no expectations for this wine, and was pleasantly surprised by the nose of salty plum, smoke, grilled meats, beef jerky and a hint of herbs.  Smooth but not watery and light.

2005 Hervé Roumier Clos Vougeot - I guess I'm more familiar with Georges Roumier... minty, sharp, reasonable amount of fruit...but not great.

1999 Armand Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze - smoky, earthy and peppery.  Decent amount of fruit underneath but needs time for the smoke cover to dissipate.

Prices continue to reach stupid levels, although not to the levels seen last week at the Sotheby's auction.  Hammer prices continue to exceed estimates when it comes to Lafite, although there seemed to be a lot less of it this time around.  The multi-vintage verticals of Bordeaux First Growths weren't very popular as they were offered later in the evening, and went for prices below estimates.

The Acker auctions continue to be long and increasingly painful for me to sit through.  John's pace isn't very fast when he's in Hong Kong, and the pace seem almost snail-like when Gil is wielding the hammer while trying to impress us with his Cantonese.  I felt like pulling my hair out while waiting in between lots I wanted to bid on.

And what's up with these guys hiring a bunch of (mostly European) leng mos (靚模) as spotters?  Other than looking tall and (somewhat) pretty in very short skirts - one showed up in a very revealing dress looking like a Mainland hooker - they weren't very useful.  Some of them weren't in position, and those who were didn't really do their jobs of pointing out bidders who had raised their paddles.  My friend who works for a large auction house made one comment: "Cheap".

In the end I did pick up a few lots, although none of them were the birth vintages I had originally set my sights on.  I even wore a long-sleeved UNICEF shirt in my lucky yellow, matching the color of the auction catalog... but no dice.  Oh well... At least I can console myself with some 1990 Amoureuses...

Homestyle Canto

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I made plans to have dinner with a journalist from out of town tonight.  We had arranged to meet up at the Acker tasting before dinner, but unfortunately I was stuck in the office and didn't make it to the Grand Hyatt until an hour after the tasting started.  The only two wines I was able to taste before rushing off to dinner were the 1999 Rouget Echezeaux in magnum, and the 2007 Sine Qua Non Labels, which was smoky, meaty, concentrated and powerful, with a long finish and the alcohol burning as it goes down past the back of my throat...

We ended up being half an hour late to dinner at Kin's Kitchen (留家廚房).  I'd never been here, but was interested to try it when my friend suggested the place.  I did have some reservations, knowing that the son of the owner opened up Yellow Door - where I was completely underwhelmed by my dining experience a few years ago.

We started with Kin's smoked chicken (留家煙燻雞), a signature dish.  Lots of places in town do a smoked chicken, but this place does a pretty good job with it.  The smoky flavor was immediately apparent, and the chicken was nicely flavored.  The meat was also a bit more chewy, which I took as a sign that this was a free-range chicken (走地雞).

The stir-fried lion-head fish fillets with lettuce hearts (生菜膽炒獅頭魚球) were kind of interesting... The fish is actually known as Pacific monkeyfish or pitted stonefish.  Texture was soft and nice.  Lots of ginger, yellowed chives (韭黃) and shallots to get rid of the "fishy" tastes.

Stir-fried Hokkaido scallops (油泡北海道帶子) - with celery and bell peppers.  I thought the flavor of the scallops themselves were particularly nice.

Steamed mustard green stem with preserved vegetable (梅菜蒸芥膽) - I remarked that this is actually two variations of the same vegetable, as the "preserved vegetable (梅菜)" is often made from leafy mustard itself.  The dish was pretty well-received, as the sweet tastes of the preserved greens balanced out the slightly bitter flavors of the fresh mustard green stems.

Stir-fried glutinous rice with sausage (生炒糯米飯) - pretty tasty and filling, although I think I prefer the rice to be slightly drier and chewier.

Given that we were brought together through our interest in wine, there would of course be some on the table tonight. 

2009 Doyenne Métier Blanc - this is a blend of Viognier and Roussanne from Washington, and showed a really big, floral nose that was sweet and vibrant, with tropical fruits and candied pomelo rind.  Really lovely.

1998 Clos du Mont-Olivet Selection Reflets - I was disappointed in this bottle.  The nose was obviously oxidized and cooked, with ripe strewed fruits and sweetness, along with smoke and very pronounced preserved plums (話梅).  Also a little bit of violet on the palate, which actually was pretty flat.  Maybe the wine was just a little too warm and could have used a bit of cooling down.

The food was pretty good and a nice surprise.  Given that the restaurant isn't too far away from home, perhaps I should think about coming back for more.

Burgundian Chairman

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I made a return visit to the Chairman (大班樓) tonight.  They've been open for a year and put on a set menu for the evening.  They also paired the food with the wines of Vincent Girardin.  Marco Caschera from the domaine was in town to showcase the wines, and Altaya Wines set up a series of dinners - including this one - to showcase the wines.  Someone from Altaya jokingly called me a groupie, since I had been at an Altaya event for three out of the last four nights...  Poor Marco came around to talk about the wines to the three tables in our area, but I think I was one of the few who actually gave a damn...

Dried baby shrimp (蝦米) - these were sooo fragrant and tasty.  I could smell them as soon as they were placed on the table, but had to move the plate away as it interfered with my ability to smell the wines.

Pickled baby ginger (大班樓子薑) - these stems were two weeks old, and were pretty tasty.

Deep-fried shrimp heads (椒鹽九節蝦頭) - I've always loved shrimp and prawn heads, and they're especially tasty when deep-fried.  The bodies of the shrimps would show up in another dish later.

Deep-fried taro dumpling with smoked duck (荔甫馬蹄煙鴨盒配桂花醬) - the "dumpling" shell is made of taro and deep-fried to perfection.  The stuffing is made with smoked duck, and just explodes in your mouth with the intense smoky flavors. And the osmanthus sauce (桂花醬)...wow... Wish I had more than one...

Ox tongue marinated in wine and vinegar (蒜香酒醋牛舌) - tender cubes of tongue, in a delicious blend of wine and vinegar, topped with finely chopped garlic, chili, coriander, ginger and something with lemon citrus flavors.  I thought it might have been lemongrass, but my famously poor palate was overruled by the Resident Froggie...

Braised baby pigeon (滷水BB鴿) - these 18-20 week-old pigeons were also smoked, and were lovely in terms of flavors.  They were also incredibly tender.  I had a quarter and would definitely have wanted more.

Double-boiled turtle soup (老火水魚湯) - this was OK, as I don't get excited about soft-shell turtles.  But the bits of ham at the bottom were pretty nice to munch on.

Stir-fried shrimps with sugarsnap peas (蜜糖豆豆炒九節蝦仁) - these tiny shrimps were pretty succulent, although I thought the flavors were a little too pronounced to be natural, and wondered whether any sodium bicarbonate was used.  Froggie didn't think so, and reminded me that it is against restaurant policy.  The peas were really, really wonderful.  The spring onions added a little something extra, although I would have been just as happy without them.

Flower crab steamed in chicken fat and Huadiao wine, with riceflour rolls (雞油花雕蒸花蟹配陳村粉) - this has always been a favorite, and we eagerly used the rolls to soak up the sauce.  My piece of crab was definitely very sweet.

Pan-fried duck with glutinous rice (炸釀糯米鴨) - the duck was made with a layer of glutinous rice, water chestnuts, and flaky crust on top.  One of the few dishes that didn't really impress me.

Traditional gold-coin chicken (古法金錢雞) - we were so excited that this was on the menu.  They came without any buns, so I grabbed one with my hands.  The layers of chicken liver - marinated in wine - were good, as were the layers of pork fat and char siu (叉燒). Pretty delicious, although I like the version at Manor (富瑤酒家) slightly better due to the abundance of honey glaze.  The staff gave us a couple extra ones and I did end up having two...

Stir-fried kale with preserved fish sauce (咸魚醬炒芥蘭) - the pungent, tasty sauce really made the dish.

Three shrimp fried rice (三蝦炒飯) - fried with shrimp, dried-shrimp and shrimp paste.  Very tasty in terms of flavors, but they had overdone it and this was now way too dry to be really enjoyable.

Almond cream (生磨杏仁茶) - this was pretty thick and viscous.

Wolfberry ice cream (杞子桂花雪糕) - this was reasonably nice.

The range of wines from Vincent Girardin were pretty interesting.  I've always like Girardin's wines and have bought some over the last few years, but this was more of an eye-opener.

2007 Vincent Girardin Saint-Aubin Les Murgers des Dents de Chien - really sweet nose with minerals and flint.  A little hint of hot and ripeness on the palate.  Toasty corn notes at the end.  Pretty surprising on the upside.

2007 Vincent Girardin Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes-Dessus - minerals, steely, citrus lemon, a bit sweet and buttery.  Reasonably ripe on the palate with slightly higher acidity than the Saint-Aubin.  Definitely feel the difference in terroir.

2006 Vincent Girardin Santenay 1er Cru Clos des Tavannes - really sweet and fragrant nose with white flowers and minerals.  Very nice.  Reasonably sweet and smooth on the palate.  A little toasty at the end.

Wine service continues to be an issue at this restaurant.  I understand that the restaurant may not have so many glasses for an evening like this, so it's perfectly fine for us to just have one wine glass for all the wines that we were served.  But the waiters should always check with the customers to see which wine was in the glass, before coming in to top up more wine.  They never did.  As a result I had a glass mixed with two different wines.  After I objected, the waiter apologized and changed my glass for a fresh pour.  My friends were not so lucky.  They drank a mixture of all three whites.

2007 Vincent Girardin Beaune 1er Cru Les Bressandes Vieilles Vignes - smoky with Chinese medicine notes, along with spices and mushroom.  Not as open and fruity, rather closed.

2007 Vincent Girardin Pommard 1er Cru Les Grands Epenots Vieilles Vignes - a beautiful wine, with lots of black fruits such as blackcurrant.  Very young and vibrant, a little smoky, and sweet on the nose as well as palate.  Very enjoyable.

Our bellies full, we adjourned outside the restaurant for a little "after dessert".  The bunch of us stood in the street to sample the box of durian Mrs. Dysan had carried back from her trip to Singapore.  I don't know which cultivar this was, but it didn't really get me going.  It was more like Thai durians...which were a lot more fleshy, but this was also a little dry.  The fragrance was pretty good, though... Between the durian, the pungent stench of the sewers below us and the occasional dog that came around to make a deposit, this was one "fragrant" corner of the Fragrant Harbor!

Domaine d'Eugénie tasting

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Two days after our last meeting, I'm seeing Frédéric Engerer and his team again, as Altaya Wines hosts a tasting of the wines from Domaine d'Eugénie at the Landmark Mandarin.

Domaine d'Eugénie was created with the 2006 purchase of the vineyards of René Engel by François Pinault.  Since then it has been under the same management team as Château Latour, who are now in the process of transforming the vineyards to be bio-dynamic.  The wines showcased tonight are from the first two vintages produced under new management.

2008 Eugénie Vosne-Romanée - young, a little sharp, woodsy, mushroom, a little sweet with a hint of smoke.  Later the nose became a bit medicinal and showed heavier charcoal notes.  Also more body as time went on.

2007 Eugénie Vosne-Romanée - sweeter than the 2008, with caramel notes.  Bigger nose, heavier on the grilled meats, potpourri and spices.  Very nice.  Later on the alcohol got sharper, but the palate was a little light.  Faded after more than an hour.

2007 Eugénie Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées - definitely a step up from the village.  Nose was very open with more fruit.  Definitely notes of leather, bacon fat.  Classic and beautiful.  Lighter but not watery, rather medium-bodied.  Very approachable now.  Notes of smoked meats which actually reminds me of Côte-Rôtie.  A bit of caramel.  Definitely one of my wines of the evening.

2008 Eugénie Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées - interesting nose.  Riper and more concentrated fruit like prunes.  Nose was still powerful, a little smoky, with Asian spices and herbs.  Nice and soft on the palate but still a little grippy on the finish.  Toffee on the edges.  Later on a bit of turmeric, and even some 鐵打酒!

2007 Eugénie Clos-Vougeot - clearly another step up from the premier cru.  A lot more concentration here.  Lot of leather, fruit, bacon and smoke.  Fully open and beautiful.  My wine of the evening.

2008 Eugénie Echezeaux - nose was a bit tight but I could feel the concentration.  Notes of forest, pine needle, and almost a little orange...

2007 Eugénie Grands Echezeaux - first whiff showed strong notes of soy sauce...smoky and green.  Nose was pretty shut.  Could definitely feel the tannins.  On the second try the nose was a little more open and nice, with some fruit.  A bit acidic mid-palate.

I think the wines are interesting today, but I look forward to tasting their wines in a few years' time - when Frédéric and team have finished the transformation they started.

I grabbed a quick dinner with a couple of friends at Cafe Landmark - the closest destination.  Against my better judgement, I opted for the simple and quick option - the set dinner.  Cheap, tasty but heavy.

Stuffed crab shell au gratin was tasty (although there was no dressing for the side greens), but not exactly what I need in my body right now.  Neither was the very tasty lobster linguine in cream sauce, which the cafe does so well.  Sooo tasty.  Soooo heavy.  Soooo wrong for me today.

I had a few sips of the 2007 Josmeyer Riesling Le Kottabe, which showed a light plastic nose along with muscat grapes.  Served a little too cold, but the wine was alright.