4/24/2021 - bengti Likes this wine:

Brought early out of cellaring to pair with the Atlantis my friend so generously shared. It’s not ready yet. Tight and sharp on the palette it needs an overnight air to get a semblance of the great Syrahs that Manfred produces. Tremendous power underneath the smooth exterior of this wine. In glass for a brief phase it gave off the most alluring candy toffee bouquet but that also shut pretty quick. Revisit in 7-10 years. In the meantime pay secondary market premium for the Atlantis.

4/22/2021 - bengti Likes this wine:

A dear SQN fan brought this to dinner his only bottle accessible during Covid. It was a knockout. Perfumed bouquet of savory notes, dark jam, earth, charcoal, and a powerful palette of complex flavors with a long and elegant finish that was secsuctigely smooth. You could quaff this even at 15.3%, albeit with some meat to hold it down. Multi-textured roast game, tar, cassis, herbaceous mushrooms, super fine tannins. Likely to stay prime drinking for 5 years or longer. Three days later the wife was still trying to pour wine out of the bottle ....

4/4/2021 - bengti Likes this wine:

Lovely light style Cab with a delicate floral bouquet, roses and sandalwood incense. A bright bouquet with spices, honey, bell pepper and olive compress. Finish wasn’t long per se but carried the wine well. A par above many table cabs

4/3/2021 - bengti Likes this wine:

Last bottle at Ensue, super condition with a nose that was moist, herbaceous, roasted meat, charcoal. Great balance , medium to long finish with noble tannins shining through. Would recommend drink now to 5 years but it might surprise us.

3/27/2021 - bengti Likes this wine:

Lying in wait for 11 years, bottle opens with a more delicate bouquet than usual for this powerhouse cult producer. Rose, berries, chassis, charcoal whiff from the bottle. In the glass still a healthy garnet, vital and strong. On the palette plum, honey, sandalwood, roasted meat and spices dance around your tongue with a finish that is just just right for the strength of the wine. Perfect with steak (Wolfgangs bday dinner) and towards hot fudge sundae for dessert, it was a little rougher round the edges: murky, I’ve seen this distinguish the Estate wines from non Estate releases. Kept a quarter bottle to taste the day after. First SQN of the year and highly satisfying.

11/13/2020 - bengti Likes this wine:

A creamy jammy open and direct Bord, well rounded body and showing a non major year coming into its drinking window nicely

11/14/2020 - bengti Likes this wine:

With the onset of a crisp cool fall, it’s time for some white truffle.

This year, was fortunate enough to get an aged Palmer to go with, a fine specimen of a bottle - pale ruby red, nose of dark earth/dried grass/plum cherries; a complex, shifting palette from salted brioche with jammy marmalade, then butterscotch popcorn and ultimately to searingly sweet, tangy cherry compote. The richer the dish, the more the wine gave off strength, balance and power.

Three inches of wine went to the sediment cache but well, can’t have everything.

Classic home made tagliatelle with 63C poached egg; Wagyu sirloin; vanilla glace with truffle garnish. 48 month aged iberico and shaved melon to start.

5/29/2018 - bengti Likes this wine:

Stupendous bottle of pinot, totally worth the additional mouse clicks to create a separate entry for this premium label of Bass Philips as opposed to the entry level one, or the Crown Prince. Concentrated aromatic nose of mulled berries, citrus rinds, fresh underbrush, black fruit jam, no hint of high alcohol burn on the nose. Palette is exquisite, incredible precision and balance, with an elixir like quality. Strong yet light tones of fruit, leather, moss evolving into the finest burnt caramel, butterscotch, tarty toast resolution I have had in a long while. Long long sustained and graceful finish. My compainenne though it was so good we stayed long after the meal to finish every last drop. Seek out and experience, marvelous.

4/5/2018 - bengti Likes this wine:

Light yet full of flavour - complex notes of vanilla cherry sandy minerals stone rose violets. Beautiful precision and Long yet delicate finish that truly satisfies. Outstanding Pinot for new world and really lovely to enjoy on its own. Would try to get more.

3/23/2018 - bengti Likes this wine:

Unmistakable heady nose of candied jammy fruit compote, burnt meats, herbs, drybrush. Super concentrated fruit that is never over extracted; how did he do this so well ? Took a while to open, then delicate game, licorice, earth, tar. Precision finish of great length. A damn tragedy Powell has parted ways with the winery.

3/23/2018 - bengti Likes this wine:

Gobsmacking juicy lush and velvety; an excellently crafted Pinot with well developed secondary characteristics of charcoal leather crushed dry flowers pâté, hint of mushroom orange rind and honey. Flowingly long finish. Great stuff.

2/28/2018 - bengti wrote:

The best bottle consistently over 2 separate tastings. This had all the precision and purity of the finest Epernay. Small to minute bubbles added to its finesse and allure. Flavours of minerals, lemon, toast. Satisfying long finish with hint of almonds nuts brioche.
Lovely.

2/28/2018 - bengti Likes this wine:

This is an improvement over the Blason it has slightly more depth and polish with a tart secondary note. Made me wonder whether the Blason suffered because the brut champagne itself was dragging it down. Still the finish was shortish.

2/28/2018 - bengti wrote:

Didn’t come together for me; finish was short and the champagne had no lift. Somewhat one dimensional also.

2/28/2018 - bengti Likes this wine:

Nice Chardonnay driven champagne with fine bubbles that add hint of zest and momentum. Airy summer lemon zest.

2/24/2018 - bengti Likes this wine:

Very nice precision and acidity to propel a fruit forward flavoursome mouthfeel; spice light white pepper vanilla cherry. A clearly delineated finish of acceptable length rounds this out nicely.

2/24/2018 - bengti Likes this wine:

From Magnum which preserves its freshness and balance very well. Nose of sweet flowers ripe cherries granite leather milk chocolate. Gorgeous intensity of flavour as it opened up but still silky smooth and hints of red fruit, jammy tart, rasberries, honey. Very nice finish aided by strong but fine tannins. Fully mature now to drink

2/18/2018 - bengti Likes this wine:

Heard a lot of good things finally opened and tried. Very impressive. It have the pink rose perfume of a truly great burg, set upon a light firmly structured wine of good length and balance. Nothing out of place - a assured style of wine making if there ever was one. Would seek out again to enjoy.

2/17/2018 - bengti Likes this wine:

Could have fooled me: we all thought this was a pretty young cab sav, with dark fruit, hint of chic and leather, smoke; hardly a trace of the bright red cherries and jam, rose petal palette of a classic Pinot. Even Sonoma pinots don’t fall so far from the tree. Nonetheless very beautiful delicate balance and finesse with flavours of game ripe plum. Would be very interesting to revisit in a few years.

11/30/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

HK Wine Society Tasting and Dinner JW Marriott HK

Just explosive combos of raspberry, popcorn, game, coffee, leather, spice, superb.

11/30/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

HK Wine Society Tasting and Dinner JW Marriott HK

Choc, spice, toffee, cherries, this still needs time to open up, hardly any secondary flavours or notes.

11/30/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

HK Wine Society Tasting and Dinner JW Marriott HK

Hint of pepper, smooth as velvet. Nice but not the knockout that its Estate sister This is Not an Exit is.

11/30/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

HK Wine Society Tasting and Dinner JW Marriott HK

Always a winner, open fresh approachable, with a memorable palette of chocs, meats, honeyed toast, cherry jam, leather; with a long finish of satisfying texture. Distinctly cool to taste despite the high alcohol.

11/30/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

HK Wine Society Tasting and Dinner JW Marriott HK

Every tasting has to have a last placer. This was it for me. Distinctly lacked lift and complexity, just an amazing blossom that didn't bloom. But consensus was this didnt lose by much in very tough competition.

11/30/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

HK Wine Society Tasting and Dinner JW Marriott HK

Rich intense cherry and red fruit nose; noticeably big finish to this wine compared to its siblings and cousins.

11/30/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

HK Wine Society Tasting and Dinner JW Marriott HK

WOTN for me, nose of grass, straw and ripe cherries; palette of chewy choc, vanilla, granite, hinting at complex secondary flavours to come. Depth concentration and unending finish. Watch this wine and its brother, they might well be the next Poker Face.

11/30/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

HK Wine Society Tasting and Dinner JW Marriott HK

Nose of velvety choc, vanilla pods; palette of roasted meats and portabellos, licorice, chassis.

11/30/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

HK Wine Society Tasting and Dinner JW Marriott HK

Usually one of my favs, but today this was less perfectly structured and more closed. Bottle variation ?

Nose of chocolate, candy apple, pine nuts; palette of hay, honeysuckle sandalwood. Quelle precision.

11/30/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

HK Wine Society Tasting and Dinner JW Marriott HK

Close tie for WOTN; dusted spice, game meats, bacon, nose of cherries and cigars. Ultra smooth and fine tannins.

2/7/2018 - bengti Likes this wine:

Stunning in its depth, complexity and concentration. This is a powerhouse of a champagne. Nose of mushrooms, forest, toast, honey preserves. Notes of dark flowers, gravel, vanilla, baked whitefish, oyster, fresh butter. Length was incomparable, near endless and still seems to struggle to carry the weight of the wine and its flavours. One for the ages, bravo.

2/7/2018 - bengti Likes this wine:

Having had the NV Brut and Rare 2002 in the same flight, and had the PJ Belle Epoque of same year recently, this was relatively one dimensional. This is totally a #firstworldproblem statement, given these are all top and well made cuvees. Creme vanilla, butter, light toast: but the definition was somewhat lacking. Expecting finish to be longer too. Still captured a good fruit, lemon, floral note set, but would content with the NV brut instead

2/7/2018 - bengti Likes this wine:

For a brut this displayed uncommon complexity and fine balance of minerals vs acidity. Precise, well structured, a lovely dark shade driven by the high meuniere content, very good especially as an pre-dinner drink.

1/27/2018 - bengti Likes this wine:

Lovely cool mouthfeel with sweet cherry chocolate licorice charred game. Medium body so not DRC lightness but a different equally lovely animal. Would search for more.

1/26/2018 - bengti Likes this wine:

A marvellous expression of GC, scented florals, pink rose, butter cake, light white pepper and almonds. Starts only slightly closed then opens quickly to layered flavours and a snappy tart finish. Leroux continues to wow with such bottles of approachable complexity; can’t imagine what it will be like to drink in 10-20 years. It’s hard to resist not opening them up on a daily basis!

11/29/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

SQN Big Guns Night, Beefbar HK. SQN In Extremis. The last bottle to round out an amazing flight of SQNs. Always a warhorse that delivers the final slam of the evening, this was sweet, honey, lemon and orange rind. Very open and bright, reminded me of some of the milestone years of D'yuem. No signs of aging at all.

11/29/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

SQN Big Guns Night, Beefbar HK. SQN In Extremis.

A sweet wine of near limitless concentration and depth, tantalisingly rich, cloying and delicious. Well balanced and structured. Went very well with sharp aged cheeses.

11/29/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

SQN Big Guns Night, Beefbar HK. SQN In Extremis. Plush, velvety chocolate, jammy, blackcurrant, roasted honeysuckle toast, hint of ginger. Fully matured, there was no hint of tightness or closure, just singing open to the last lengthy drop. Superb.

11/29/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

SQN Big Guns Night, Beefbar HK. SQN In Extremis. Legendary release from the Krankls, this is now super smooth yet opulent and hedonistic to taste. Nose of smoked meats, charcoal, leather, chocolate, violet essence, pepper. Superb balance and length supported by the finest of tannins. Developed an aromatic perfume of coffee in the glass that lingered for the longest time.

11/29/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

SQN Big Guns Night, Beefbar HK. SQN In Extremis.

The plushiest, most velvet and open Syrah of the 4 we had this evening. This started with a nose of chocolate, roasted nuts, gravel, leather, blackberries, young cherries. On the palette it was freshest of the flight, cherry notes leading in a very forward fruit driven opening that was delicious, tangy and satisfying. Additional notes of charcoal, dusted cinnamon, roast meats ensued but the signature plush, velvet fruit just shone through the whole evening.

Great drinking now, it may mature further in 5-7 years to provide complex secondary characteristics. It would be unfair to call it underdeveloped and one dimensional - it just is the most open and approachable Syrah the Krankls have made so far.

11/29/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

SQN Big Guns Night, Beefbar HK. SQN In Extremis.

The intricate label on the bottle should not make you prefer a wine over another with no regard to tasting it, but maybe an exception for this wine can be made. It’s got it all - fluid action, perspective, drama, tension - a gorgeous snapshot of actors amidst something significant. And I don’t even understand baseball.

The same can be said about how this wine is showing - it is a knockout now. A super sophisticated and intense nose of dark cherries, blackberries, tobacco, cigar shavings, charred game, autumn brush, lavender - the list goes on.

Palette was equally impressive, precise concentrated fruit with notes of smoked meats, candied apples, almonds, bacon, jam compress, hint of sweet cinnamon. Extraordinarily refined tannins make its long finish something to savour. It has substantive weight yet feels feather light on its feet. With its age, the wine has almost fully resolved its alcohol and is open, cool and integrated. An extraordinary bottle by any standards. Close contender for WOTN.

This wine shows no sign of weakening but has got to be fully mature now, so it worth picking up to experience if you come across it in the secondary market.

11/29/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

SQN Big Guns Night, Beefbar HK. SQN In Extremis.

This continues to be an unfailing warhorse of the SQN pantheon. It shows really well. Deep garnet red, opaque and dark. A heady perfumed nose of blackberries, dark fruits, ripe apricots, chocolate, soft leather.

A palette of plush, silky velvet. Superb integration and ideal acid levels make this a beguiling drink. Time in glass allowed the wine to unfurl further notes of candied toffee, straw, gravel, licorice, game. A long sophisticated finish of soft tannins. Overall, elegance understated strength and balance come to mind.

Left to stand in the glass, this as all Krankl Syrahs do gave off an aroma of sweet glazed cherries, cherry liquer, cherry chocolate. Mesmerising.

With its age of 16 years in bottle, it is cool and elegant with no hint of heat from its high alcohol levels. It’s performed this way for several years now, and shows no sign of moving past prime yet.

11/29/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

SQN Big Guns Night, Beefbar HK. SQN In Extremis.

This is a storied release in minute quantities and a first all chard from SQN. Thoroughly beguiling, it starts in the glass with soft crushed white flowers, delicate stone, light toast with fresh butter drippings. It also gave off a distinct hint of rousanne, sweet and gamey, but the label says it’s a mono. Over time, this does fade away, and it returns on nose to its chard profile, giving off stronger flavours of honeysuckle, spring flowers, some granite.

On the palette it’s not as big as other SQN whites, which many quarters will welcome. It continues honey, white rose, almonds and toast, but with almost gossamer lightness, fragility. It has real lift, belying the high alcohol in the wine. Acidity is super super fresh and zesty, leaning it towards a spectrum of lemon, lemon peel notes too.

Alongside Twisted and Bent, this is a baby, but approachable for those who enjoy full throttled high octane vitality. The all chard composition in comparison to its sibling gave it more elegance and refinement.

Over the course of the evening, it remained in this sweet spot of freshness and bright lively notes. Probably, with much aging, it will develop a profile of secondary flavours which will stun us - but this remains its secret for now, to be rewarded with much, much patience.

11/29/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

SQN Big Guns Night, Beefbar HK. SQN In Extremis.

A fully mature white as far as the SQN portfolio goes. This is now 20 years in the bottle. Poured out as deep murky gold, rust, battered bronze hue. In glass, it presented a beguiling nose of creme brûlée, vanilla essence, butter, brioche, honeysuckle. It was a mimic for burgundy - Puligny Montrachet, Montrachet. A very convincing one.

Palette was heavier than burgundy. Fine balance of fruit and oak, unctousness teasing the tongue and making it so easy to down. Lovely notes of crushed flowers, lavender, savoury preserves.

A couple of hours later, it’s heritage was shining through - this now had the Cali signature of vanilla oak, maple syrup and powerful fruit driven by alcohol. All packaged in a balance of precision and finesse. Because we had a pure chard to compare, the 40% rousanne in this wine came through richly as we went back and forth between the two whites. It provided a dimension of minerals, granite, bacon, roast trimmings to the palette.

Down to the dregs, the integrity of the wine held up nicely. As it warmed in glass some crudiness developed giving it a Sauternes lean, but it was not off-putting.

It was a singular pleasure relishing this bottle over the course of its development during the dinner. Truly a stunning white wine at full maturity.

11/29/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

SQN Big Guns Night, Beefbar, HK. SQN In Extremis.

Showing very well compared to a couple of years ago. This starts as candied fruit, ripe and fresh strawberries mixed together, honey, burnt orange on the nose. Then it is substantive on the palette with gamey, chewy relish of jam compote, berries galore and precise delineated finish of great length. There is some variation amongst rosés from the Krankls but this is definitely showing very well now.

Over the evening, the wine developed in glass actively, notes of chocolate, mint, popcorn caramel. Much later it developed port like flavours, oriental herbs, spices like star anise. Distinctly Chinese tonic herbals, hay and straw, but without any metallic notes. Full circle back to this with cheeses at the end is magical. Save some for that !

11/8/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

Wine Dinner with Massimo Ferragamo, 28@Wilkie. Limited edition of 488 magnums for the year of the Dog. First pour out of decanter, super tight, no nose, whiffs of alcohol. The wine was asleep. 20-30mins in the glass, its nose awoke: mineral shavings, hay, cut grass and dried shrubs, pepper, spiced salts. Easy on the palette with elegant fruit, delicate balance and a Bordeaux-esque restraint in power, strength and flavour that spoke to its aristocratic heritage. Lengthy satsifying finish revealing slight hints of candy apple, caramel crumbs, honeyed fruit compote. A beautiful and impressive effort that no doubt classifies as a once in a lifetime tasting experience. Paired with A5-6 Wagyu just perfect.

11/8/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

Wine Dinner for CDB with Massimo Ferragamo, 28@Wilke. Bright cherry red hue, a frangrant nose of sand, italian spices, chocolate liquor, vanilla pods, fine french oak, concentrated fruit. 14.5% alcohol was just perfect to lift the flavours but not generating any heat that overpowered the wine itself, despite relative youth and DOCG requirements to barrel for 5 years minimum. Super-smooth, silky with bright flavours of cherry, blackberries, rose petals, truffles. A good finish rounded out a wine which at this price point represents great value. Will cellar for ages no doubt, but very approachable now with meats, roasts and gravies.

10/7/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

Floral open and hint of fresh grass. Seems light and a little short of finish but still delicious

7/29/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

Wife's 40th bday bash. A burnt orange tinge to the pink rose bubbly has developed since its time in bottle over 32 years. Genuinely a unique hue. Bubbles were still very much lively and present, some of them being of a healthy size that I find is larger than that of other houses. To taste this is exquisite; dried rose petals with earth, sand, lemon rind, marmalade on brioche, mushrooms duxelle and ripe melon. Hint of white almonds. A fully mature and well aged expression of a wine normally drunk young.

7/29/2017 - bengti Likes this wine:

Wife's 40th bday bash. Managed to score this birth year wine from a niche merchant in Singapore, she did good. This was simply singing; cherry red bright with life, a subtle nose of fruit and sweet herbs. Alcohol was just right to make it fresh on taste, and bring out secondary flavours of chocolate, grain, raisin crumble. A rare treat to have something so aged turn out so well.

7/30/2017 - bengti wrote:

Wife's 40th Bday Bash. When your significant other celebrates a milestone, Next of Kyn is obligatory given its legal and layman meanings. The Krankls no doubt had this in mind, aiming for the pole position of wines for martial felicitations, to add to their lasting legacy. LOL.

Opened 2 hours before dinner, an explosion of notes floated out the bottle, smoked game, black and blue berries, graphite, coal shavings, stone, shrubs. A gorgeous magenta, mauve, jam hue to this, in contrast to the brighter red of an SQN counterpart.

Served from the bottle, very satisfying flavours of chocolate, leather, burnished smoked meats, autumn leaves and stewed plums. One way to describe it would be it is more mellow than its SQN cousins, but this doesnt mean in any way that it is less beguiling or enjoyable - it inhabits different dimensions. Kind of like Picasso and his blue paintings.

Long and beautifully resolving finish. Super smooth and silky. First NOK to taste and definitely wont be my last.