Santa Helena Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2004

Date: 27 March 2006
Venue: Le Parisien, IFC

Ruth and Stephen are visiting HK. We've had mainly Chinese cuisine over the past week so I thought we'd have some French food before they return to Sydney on Wednesday. I tried the Canard Au Sang (Bloody Duck) at Le Parisien when it first opened in the IFC and thought it was quite good. The head chef at Le Parisien was supposed to have trained in Paris' famous and expensive La Tour D'Argent restaurant. Unfortunately, the H5N1 Bird-Flu virus was found in some French fois grois a while ago so all duck-products import from France have been suspended in Hong Kong, and the restaurant has stopped serving Canard Au Sang.

The Santa Helena Reserva 2004 was one of the house reds. I haven't had this Chilean cabernet sauvignon before. There was an abundance of oaky aroma, some vanilla, chocolate, with dark berries. Palate was a little spicy, with mineral notes and a bit of coarse tannin, the fruit was slightly weak in the background.

Although we weren't able to order the bloody duck, they offered "pan fried fois grois with rhubarb and berries". Some restaurants sell duck liver from China but these usually have a bitter taste and the texture is coarse. The present sample was tender, juicy and sweet so it must have been left over French stock. Other dishes sampled included porkloin, roast veal, pan-seared scallops, and we finished off with a very delicious and complimentary dessert platter, courtesy of the manageress who happens to be my patient.

Rating: average

Hetszolo Tokaji Aszu 3 Puttonyos 1999

Date: 12 March 2006

Hetszolo Aszu has been known as the king of Tokaj wines for centuries. "Aszu" is the Hungarian word for grapes affected by "noble rot" or botrytis. Aszu grapes are supposedly harvested manually, one grape at a time. The grapes are then crushed and added to a dry wine to give sweetness and aroma. The proportion of Aszu grapes added to the base wine varies and is measured in "puttonyos". One "puttony" represents 30 kg of grapes poured into 126 litre of base wine. The number of puttonyos can vary from 3 to 6 (the higher the sweeter). The grapes are then left on their skins for one night and then pressed. The resultant wines are finally aged in oak casks for a minimum of 3 years before bottling.

The 1999 vintage 3 Puttonyos Aszu had aromas of apricots, plum and citrus. The wine came in a 500mL bottle, it was served at around 10 degrees celcius. Palate was clean and fresh with flavours of honey, almond and rockmelon. It complimented the sea-urchin fried rice perfectly. Back label of the wine is in French but I think it said something like "mysterious and charming, the true King of Wines and Wine of Kings (Louis XIV)".

Rating: good

Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2003

Date: 6 March 2006

Smoky oak, leather and spice on the nose. Bitter, dry tannins on the palate with a hint of plum. Overextraction during vinification. I'm a Penfolds supporter but have to say this is not a particularly attractive red.

Rating: poor

La Croix du Casse 1990

Date: 4 March 2006
Andrew's Birthday Dinner

This wine was tasted in tandem with the Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape. Aroma was soft with almond, licorice, floral notes and a touch of oak. Palate was thinner compared to the Beaucastel but there was still good body, with mineral-edged fruit and fine tannins. Finish was sweet. Vicky liked the Beaucastel better as she thought this wine was not as complex, and no doubt Robert Parker would agree because he labelled Beaucastel as one of the world's greatest wine estates.

For me, this was the winner.

Rating: excellent

Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape 1989

Date: 4 March 2006
Andrew's Birthday Dinner

Chateau de Beaucastel is regarded as one of the top estates of Chateauneuf du Pape in the Southern Rhone Valley. The wine is often criticized for having excessive Brettanomyces (see previous article - Wine Basics), a yeast that imparts animalistic, sometimes described as horse-urine aromas and flavours to the wine. However, some wine critics attribute these aromas to the high proportion of Mourvedre used in the making of the wine.

This 1989 vintage flagship of Beaucastel was aired for 4 hours prior to tasting, allowing the volatile aromatic phenols to dissipate. The nose was powerful, I felt the Brettanomyces animalistic, meaty aroma overshadowed the fruit underneath initially. Aly was able to smell the leather several feet away. After a few swirls in the glass, the pungent character yields to allow the rich, dark, smoky fruit to come through. Palate was charming and fruit-laden, with chocolate and spice towards the finish.

A very masculine wine. Costing over HK$2000 a bottle, not for the faint-hearted.

Rating: Good

Penfolds Private Bin Shiraz Cabernet 2004

Date: 28 February 2006
Venue: Audi's Place

This wine was served during Audi's birthday dinner. I have tried lots of different wine from Penfolds (see previous reviews on Grange, RWT, Bin128), doing my share to support Foster's Group Limited, which acquired the vineyard last year. The wine was not decanted but left to air in the bottle for around an hour before it was poured. There was sweet, rose perfumed aroma. Palate was smooth, with cinnamon notes and a little shiraz spice. This sweet, medium bodied red went well with the lobster pasta entree, but was on the weak side when paired with the steak and fois grois main course.

Rating: average