Early Christmas Lunch with the Team
At Le Pan Apicius (Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong), the French restaurant of the company I work for, having an early Christmas lunch with my colleagues. The chef, Edward Voon, made a special menu for us, and the Wine Director / Sommelier, Lauri Vainio, served us some interesting wines:
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| Today's lunch wines ©LeDomduVin 2017 |
Château de Fieuzal 1994 Pessac-Léognan (Bordeaux, France)
Grape Varieties: 60% Sauvignon Blanc / 40% Semillon
Very good and very much alive, slightly oxidative, sherry-like nuances, yet still fresh with great acidity, gently evolving and opening up in the glass. A very nice surprise. I had the chance to taste it many times over the last 5 years, and every time I'm taken aback by how good it still is despite its age. Pale yellow gold color with bright reflects. The nose boasts yellow fruits with nutty, oxidative notes at first but opens up nicely with time to deliver more complexity and aromas. The palate is bright, clean, still vibrant with good acidity and focus, nicely structured and ample too, and exposes the yellow fruits and nuts of the nose with mineral nuances. The finish is rather rather long and smooth. What a surprisingly lovely wine!
Grape Varieties: 60% Sauvignon Blanc / 40% Semillon
Very good and very much alive, slightly oxidative, sherry-like nuances, yet still fresh with great acidity, gently evolving and opening up in the glass. A very nice surprise. I had the chance to taste it many times over the last 5 years, and every time I'm taken aback by how good it still is despite its age. Pale yellow gold color with bright reflects. The nose boasts yellow fruits with nutty, oxidative notes at first but opens up nicely with time to deliver more complexity and aromas. The palate is bright, clean, still vibrant with good acidity and focus, nicely structured and ample too, and exposes the yellow fruits and nuts of the nose with mineral nuances. The finish is rather rather long and smooth. What a surprisingly lovely wine!
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| Château de Fieuzal 1994 Pessac-Léognan ©LeDomduVin 2017 |
Vodopivec "Origine" 2011 Venezia Giulia IGT (Italy)
Grape Variety: Vitovska 100%
It smells like cider and has the orange-brownish color of a cider, yet it is not a cider, but the strong appley aromas may make you think differently about it. Slightly reduced on the nose, it feels indistinct and if blind tasted you will definitely have difficulties to pinpoint the grape variety and where it is from. Once you know the grape variety name, "Vitovska", you will even have a hard time to believe that you are still in Italy, as the grape name originates from the neighbouring country of Slovenia. Very interesting overall, but lack a bit of substance in the back palate, more especially compared to the previous wine. Esoteric and definitely not your everyday wine, it still boasts the freshness and vitality of the whites in general from this region of Venezia, and ended up to pair really nicely with the food. Definitely one of those mind-scratching wines.
Grape Variety: Vitovska 100%
It smells like cider and has the orange-brownish color of a cider, yet it is not a cider, but the strong appley aromas may make you think differently about it. Slightly reduced on the nose, it feels indistinct and if blind tasted you will definitely have difficulties to pinpoint the grape variety and where it is from. Once you know the grape variety name, "Vitovska", you will even have a hard time to believe that you are still in Italy, as the grape name originates from the neighbouring country of Slovenia. Very interesting overall, but lack a bit of substance in the back palate, more especially compared to the previous wine. Esoteric and definitely not your everyday wine, it still boasts the freshness and vitality of the whites in general from this region of Venezia, and ended up to pair really nicely with the food. Definitely one of those mind-scratching wines.
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| Vodopivec "Origine" 2011 Venezia Giulia IGT |
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| Vodopivec "Origine" 2011 Venezia Giulia IGT |
Hervé Souhaut "Les Cessieux" Saint Joseph 2013 (Northern Rhône, France)
Grape Variety: Syrah 100%
Very enticing nose of tart cherry at first, turning into ripe dark red cherries, raspberries and even ripe blueberries, with light earthy, spicy and peppery notes. After a few minutes, floral and mineral notes became more apparent and mingled with the berries aromas. The palate is rather light and bright, almost Burgundian, and expands gently and nicely till the mid-palate. Unfortunately, I personally found that it "kind of" cut short in the mid-palate and thinned out in the finish. A lovely and enjoyable wine overall, with a lot to say of up front, yet, which lack a bit of structure and texture, more especially in the back palate and finish, as it vanishes leaving a slight trace of bitterness (probably due to unripe tannins). But still, a pleasant re-discovery, as I did not try Herve Souhaut wine for a while.
Grape Variety: Syrah 100%
Very enticing nose of tart cherry at first, turning into ripe dark red cherries, raspberries and even ripe blueberries, with light earthy, spicy and peppery notes. After a few minutes, floral and mineral notes became more apparent and mingled with the berries aromas. The palate is rather light and bright, almost Burgundian, and expands gently and nicely till the mid-palate. Unfortunately, I personally found that it "kind of" cut short in the mid-palate and thinned out in the finish. A lovely and enjoyable wine overall, with a lot to say of up front, yet, which lack a bit of structure and texture, more especially in the back palate and finish, as it vanishes leaving a slight trace of bitterness (probably due to unripe tannins). But still, a pleasant re-discovery, as I did not try Herve Souhaut wine for a while.
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| Hervé Souhaut "Les Cessieux" Saint Joseph 2013 |
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| Hervé Souhaut "Les Cessieux" Saint Joseph 2013 |
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| Hervé Souhaut "Les Cessieux" Saint Joseph 2013 |
Château Guiraud 2014 Sauternes (Bordeaux, France)
Grape variety: 65% Semillon / 85% Sauvignon Blanc
I don't know about you, but I love Sauternes. Of Course, I love Yquem as I have the chance to taste it regularly and more often than any other Sauternes. Yet, I need to admit that Chateau Guiraud has always been one of my favorite Sauternes and this 2014 is no exception to the rule. Fresh and clean, exuberant and perfumed nose mingling white flowers, honey, beeswax and honeysuckle with candied orange and yellow fruits. The palate is clean, fresh and light on its feet, balanced, tense and focus by a bright acidity and a lovely smooth and gentle texture. It expands with ample and generous fashion toward the finish without feeling too rich or too thick, on the contrary it is like a gracious ballerina hovering on your tongue. Love this wine.
Grape variety: 65% Semillon / 85% Sauvignon Blanc
I don't know about you, but I love Sauternes. Of Course, I love Yquem as I have the chance to taste it regularly and more often than any other Sauternes. Yet, I need to admit that Chateau Guiraud has always been one of my favorite Sauternes and this 2014 is no exception to the rule. Fresh and clean, exuberant and perfumed nose mingling white flowers, honey, beeswax and honeysuckle with candied orange and yellow fruits. The palate is clean, fresh and light on its feet, balanced, tense and focus by a bright acidity and a lovely smooth and gentle texture. It expands with ample and generous fashion toward the finish without feeling too rich or too thick, on the contrary it is like a gracious ballerina hovering on your tongue. Love this wine.
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| Château Guiraud 2014 Sauternes |
It was a nice early christmas lunch to say goodbye to one of our colleagues for his last day and the food was exquisite thanks to Chef Edward Voon (crossing fingers for you to get 1 or 2 Michelin Stars next year).
Here are some pictures of the lunch dishes:
Santé,
LeDomduVin
