5/17/2024 - JerM wrote:

Dark honey in glass, lifted dried florals, hint butterscotch, hessian and lovely tinge of kero. Complex, more dried fruits on the nose, dessicated orange and apricot.
Palate is oily, dry and layered, with more kero and fino sherry, and still-zippy acidity. Long lingering finish, yummy with Aunty's tart assam fish!

5/8/2024 - JerM wrote:

(likely a 2000s disgorgement) Wonderful development, dark golden in glass, developed brioche and caramelized salted pralines. Dried mandarin peels, lovely development, juicy, clean and textural. Last bottle!

4/27/2024 - JerM wrote:

(Chens@BengHiang, w James) Golden Yellow in glass, viscous and bright. Perfume of tropical yellow fruits, white florals, sweet yes, but the acidity! Kyoho grape gummi. Taut and clean, long finish, even an edge of sarawak pepper on the finish. Clean and tight, youthful, this could live decades!

4/27/2024 - JerM wrote:

(Chens@BengHiang, w James) dark purple with edge of garnet rim. Deep dark berries, black plums, even some cocoa and fresh espresso. Soft sweet leather, warm wood spices. Supple well resolved tannins. Clean purity with effortless power. Structured and leafy, with taut acidity keeping things lifted and tight. No signs of flagging. Layered, translucent and juicy. Phenomenal, but alas my last bottle; good run!

4/27/2024 - JerM wrote:

(Chens@BengHiang, w James) Lovely golden lemon in glass, some development yet youthful. Vibrant acidity, balanced tautly with off-dry sweetness, apricots, white fruit and even hints of tropical fruit. Textural, vibrantly edgy and beautifully singing when chilled nicely! Some toasted pastry in the development, in a great place presently. Paired perfectly with Beng Hiang's signature Oyster Omelette, Haezhor, fried meesua and their special XO-sauce!

4/7/2024 - JerM wrote:

[bottle 229/850] rich ripe leather, soft mossy forest, leafy and dark black/blue berries, lingonberries. wet earth funk. excellent!

3/14/2024 - JerM wrote:

(Bottle 231/850) Rich dark enwith the lightest hint of garnet rim. Savoury dark nose, brand's chicken essence, chook poo, wet forest floor, fresh moss and lifted wood spices. Bright acidity, congruently savoury, intense and light at the same time. Juicy, clean, effortless with typical peacocks' tail. Finished the bottle in a sitting (oops), but absolutely rewarding. No signs of flagging, youthful with increasing complexity. Enjoyable!

3/8/2024 - JerM wrote:

(58%, small cask aged, cask strength, Barrel 152, bottled 2012, Port Cask, signed William Lark) Dark amber in glass, almost cherry. Crunchy crushed candy, elegant wood spices, christmas gluwein, definite bite, but oh so attractive and inviting and warm. Layered, oily, yet sweet and clean at the same time. Still amazing after all these years, absolutely consistent and enjoyable. Remarkable dram.
Watering exposes bright and clean mushrooms, fresh buttery croissant flakey goodness on the nose. Sweeter, crystalline, lighter, but absolutely still intact and in control. Warm spices. Some savoury edges now, with warm tone-woods (koa?) and airy-ness. Stroopwafel! Wow.

3/8/2024 - JerM wrote:

(second edition - aged in imperial johnny smoked porter casks filled previously with Lark, 2019 release, bottle 247 of 687, 54%) crystalline burnt sugars, crunchy almost. Layered, crushed candy, christmas pudding. Both power and elegance. Effortless. Long and lingering, more cocoa dusting and burnt sugar, fresh cinnamon buns. Sweet, yes, but also structured and complex. Easy to drink, but incredible length and interest. Beautiful dram.

3/2/2024 - JerM wrote:

Wow, effortless exercise in finesse, power and elegance. Surprising tea leaf notes, bright, dark and white stone fruit. Absolutely approachable right now, but can only improve.

3/2/2024 - JerM wrote:

(with Franck Balthazar) Great purity, layered, translucent. Great sense of concentration and juicy stonefruit amidst the controlled delivery. Yum!

3/2/2024 - JerM wrote:

(with Franck Balthazar) Elegant, sweet dark florals. Seductive nose, silky finesse.

2/25/2024 - JerM wrote:

Golden lemon in glass, lifted white florals, lemon marmalade, white citrus pith, talc and lanolin, if hint wet gypsum. Clean lifted acidity, tall lithe structure, creamy development with some jute and sweetness showing. Complex yet youthful, long clean mineral finish. Opened up nicely. Layered, developed really well - this paired nicely with a shatin chicken porridge! Last bottle.

2/22/2024 - JerM wrote:

deep purple pong, effusive dark florals, black cherries. Rich, unctious, yet beautifully balanced. supple tannins, lifted structure. Some age, but still youthful, if somewhat grippy. Reminded me of mature yabby lake. Tar and roses, savoury wet earth and fine moss. Lovely, very drinking nicely now.

2/19/2024 - JerM wrote:

Powerful, dark lifted florals and wood spices, opulent, expressive, generous. Opaque in glass, yet absolutely transparent and lifted on the palate. Bright acidity, elegant white + dark florals. Seductive spices, berries. I could keep nosing all night long. Supple and velvety, silky edges yet with a beautifully structured core. Good development yet youthful. Incredible exercise in power and finesse, edging on hedonistic. Yum! (lasted a week+ more in the fridge, opening and loosening up further without flagging)

2/17/2024 - JerM wrote:

Light lemon amber in glass, fine head, although not aggressive. Lemon curds on the nose, with pronounced nutty notes, white lemon pith, creamy oak, bready yeast and touch aldehyde. Still tight acidity with age now showing, juicy sweet lemons, with salted lemon on finish. Yumm!

2/1/2024 - JerM wrote:

Dark ruby, translucent in glass, with just faint garnet rim. Beautifully lifted, elegant expression of dark berries, herbs, mossy forest, soft spices and nocturnal florals. Savoury and leather on palate, more dark fruit, and oh so silky tannin, almost velvety. Some concentration, but effortless focus. Lithe acidity with rounded sweet edges - age has been very kind. After 12 years, this is easily the best showing of all so far. So easy to drink, inviting sip after sip, effortless magic. With time in glass, powerful earthy pong - elegant yet powerful, dynamic. Wow!

1/27/2024 - JerM wrote:

[Ragu of HK roast goose, a la changi] wow, dark effusive florals, wood spice, sweet late berries, violets, and small-goods. Dark purple in glass, almost opaque. Silky, elegant, powerful aromatic lift, herbaceous, but elegantly structured on the lean side - slinky! Clean acid lifting the considerable savoury sousbois and mossy forest. Hints tobacco at the end, long and lingering, with some constancy of herbs and dark florals. This is easily one of the more unabashedly new world otago's i've encountered that still has elegance without getting overtly mascular or contrived. Wonderful execution, I can only wonder how they will mature in the next years. Excellent! (OF course, this note was made with goose paired, so might skew things a little)

12/16/2023 - JerM wrote:

(Mich&Bo) wow, complex nose, fine head. Mushrooms and citrus, tight minerality, fresh baked croissant, with sweet red apples, sweet mandarins and long finish. Great development, drinking in a great place now.

12/16/2023 - JerM wrote:

(Mich&Bo) Finely developed, translucent garnet in glass with still vibrant purples and ruby. Well developed leafy dark florals, wood spices. Elegant acid structure. Clean, sweet tobacco leaf, roasted ripe capsicum, lifted acidity. Special and reminiscent of well aged bordeaux. What an incredible bottle - thanks Mich!

12/16/2023 - JerM wrote:

(Mich&Bo) Dark translucent purple garnet in glass. Surprising concentration on the nose, chook poo and barnyard nose. With time, gives way to dark florals, wet moss and leafy vegetation. Sweet fruits, balanced with finely resolved tannins. Drinking at a great place, surprising power and vigor, youthful yet resolved. Yum!

12/14/2023 - JerM wrote:

Dark leafy perfume, blue and boysenberries, lifted sousbois, round perfumey notes and wood spice. On palate, chewy, still tight, savoury leather, ashy bitter, bright acidity, clunky and a weird streak of disjointed bitter cherries. Nothing like the nose promised. Yes, concentration and maybe power, but awkward.
Very odd, the previous bottle I 7 years ago wasn't any better. Not sure about this producer...

(note: curious plenty tasting notes below focusing on tannins... in a pinot! that should set off some flags...)

12/9/2023 - JerM wrote:

Amber in glass, fino sherry notes of nutty aldehyde and dry white fruits. Complex peach and dry apricots, tight balance, marmalade and marzipan. Long white floral finish. Fresh, despite the extra 10 year age. Yum with mint and anitpodes, and Makana macadamia butter toffee crunch!

11/26/2023 - JerM wrote:

Oh wow, revisiting this bottle - beautifully resolved, soft round fruit, layered complexity with translucence. Dark mossy forest floor, wet wood, savoury and rounded. Perfumey raspberry, creamy boysenberry and roses, orange peel. Lifted and complex. Drinking very well now, nicely resolved.

11/26/2023 - JerM wrote:

(Last bottle) - fresh, dark purple in glass, lifted dark berries, soft leather, violets. Silky resolved tannins, sweet cherry, kirschwasser, juicy. Tobacco leaf, mandarin peel, balanced and elegant. Power with elegance! Long long finish with classic eucalypt and fresh mint. Great stuff, drinking spectacularly right now.

11/26/2023 - JerM wrote:

Lemon in glass, fine head. Soft nutty nose, toasted cashew, fresh brioche. On palate, lemon curds and fresh cream. Development, edge saline and a long satisfying finish. Yummy bottle! Drinking at a very good place right now!

11/20/2023 - JerM wrote:

Dark, leafy, heady dark florals, sweet tobacco, aged leather, black plums, barnyard and black pepper. Lifted acidity, some good concentration and balance, and absolutely supple. Drinking at a beautiful place right now, concentrated, elegant, translucent, expressive. Soft black loam and some ash. Beautiful!

11/19/2023 - JerM wrote:

Gold lemon in glass, bright effusive orange blossom, citrus, nutty development, salted lemon, kerosene. Fresh oranges, mandarins, sweet with taut acidity. Linear, lacy, with slate and shale. Long finish, white pepper citrus. Beautifully developed, xcellent stuff!

11/17/2023 - JerM wrote:

wow, effusive strawberries, leafy raspberry, dark florals, wet earth, mushroom bouillon, hawthorn flakes. Still youthful and vibrant at 20 years (half-bottle at that!). Soft savoury earth and leather, more cherries and berries on palate. Acidity took a while to show, but oh so brilliant and light and lithe... Long lean loamy finish, with forest floor, ashy bitter streak, elegantly blooming into a heady glow. Magic in a glass.

11/3/2023 - JerM wrote:

(JM's Lamb Plov) Fine, silky nose. Dark inky, concentrated in glass, opaque. Effusive dark florals, sweet tobacco, cedar box, eucalypt on nose. Layered sweet wood spices, seductive, young supple leather, fresh black earth, with a tinge of chinese herbs, red earth and mint. Drinking very well, easy power but lifted elegance. Long and minty finish, with more resinous undergrowth and eucalypt.Yum!

11/3/2023 - JerM wrote:

(JM's Lamb Plov) Dark leafy berries, savoury clean, some toasted capsicum, sweet leafy bramble. Layers and layers, translucent autumn notes. Smoke and ash, savoury mushroom, soysauce, a streak of greenwood, and bright acidity. Drinking at a great place right now.

11/3/2023 - JerM wrote:

(JM's Lamb Plov) Dark leafy juices, savoury blackberries. Ash, earth and cocoa. Some sweetness and mossy wet wood. Good concentration, bright acidity and some sediment. Silky tannins, resolved, mature. Drinking beautifully! Very satisfying after all these years!

11/3/2023 - JerM wrote:

(JM's Lamb Plov) (~2018) lemon curd, some development. Soft toasty brioche and croissant, nutty. Creamy, with more yeast.

11/1/2023 - JerM wrote:

Deep earthy leathers, dark berries, fresh earth, woodsy, with black-forest notes (cherry + cocoa dusting). Silky and textural, drinking beautifully now, with good development, concentration and verve. Long mint and eucalypt finish. Not terribly complex, but very good drinking. Paired nicely with some spring lamb!

10/29/2023 - JerM wrote:

(Qantas lounge syd) Bready lemon curd in glass, fresh brioche, butter. Some berries. Rounded w soft head, easy pair with sausage and baked beans.

10/28/2023 - JerM wrote:

(Derek's) Dark leafy concentration. Elegant juicy clean, lifted and sweet. Complex, leafy, youthful, cool, grippy, smokey. Forest floor and wet leaves. A good decade or two ahead of it! Special.

10/28/2023 - JerM wrote:

(Derek's) Grippy red, nail polish, fresh paint. Chewy tight berries. leafy, bruised fruit. Juicy, layered, complex, concentrated. Very interesting streak of pandan!

10/28/2023 - JerM wrote:

(Derek's) Sour cherries, carbonic maceration? slight spritz, juicy, earth and soft berries. lether, dark leafy sweetness, finishing with pronounced barnyard pong.

10/28/2023 - JerM wrote:

(Derek's) Dark berries, exotic incense, woodsy. Ketchup, dusty, feral, gamey, sweet and juicy. Savoury, chewy, with odd burnt capsicum. Compte, high acidity, yakult, lactic acids and lactones. Strangely enjoyable.

10/28/2023 - JerM wrote:

(Derek's) Juicy, dark leaf and soft fruit. Cedar, incense, chook poo, blueberry yoghurt, bruised red apples.

10/28/2023 - JerM wrote:

(Derek's) Dark red berries, medium bodied. Juicy, dark mossy forest floor. Sunlight through autumn leaves!
Juicy red, singing and at peak! Special!

10/28/2023 - JerM wrote:

(Derek's) Herbal juicy, leather, bright acids. Tight tannins, grippy with short finish. Milk chocolate, tea leaf. Sappy. Chinese herbs, tar, finishing with some sweetness, chewy and clean.

10/28/2023 - JerM wrote:

(Derek's) Dark ashy berries, mid-bodied, ferrous, leather, grippy, dark florals, tar, rose. Cool, sweet and bitter finish. Interesting stuff!

2/1/2022 - JerM wrote:

(CNY) Tight, acid and sweetness, tension and development. Peach and stone fruit, marmalade bitters.

2/1/2022 - JerM wrote:

(CNY) Rich, aromatic dry honeysuckle, beeswax, toasted caraway, streak of indian incense. Toasted Christmas pudding, creek brûlée.

1/22/2022 - JerM wrote:

(Quay) Lychee, honeycomb. White fruit, sweet, fleshy fruit, juicy, balanced acid. Layered, long finish. More lychee and longan. Interesting streak of tannin?

1/22/2022 - JerM wrote:

(Quay) Fresh red and blue berries, bright, clean nose. Vanilla, cherry ripple, ripe and juicy, drinking young and hint espresso on finish.

1/22/2022 - JerM wrote:

(Quay) Lifted strawberry and raspberry ripple, Indian spices, incense, exotic, savoury and elusive. Candied gumdrops.

1/22/2022 - JerM wrote:

(Quay) Waxy, dried honeysuckle, stone fruit, hint skin contact, structured. Balanced acidity, soft, layered. Reminiscent of Chenin. (Hint orange blossom, with time)

1/22/2022 - JerM wrote:

(Quay) Synthetic peach and strawberry handwash, soft white flowers. Savoury, juicy, clean. Lengthy finish, mineral.