[Continued from my IG post on 9 Sep] For the first course, we had scallop filled with shrimp paste and Chinese pear; deep-fried taro pastry with smoked quail egg topped with sea urchin; and roasted suckling pig with caviar served in pancake. This is paired with NV Agrapart & Fils, Les 7 Crus Champagne from France. But it isn't the usual champagne; it is Grower Champagnes, which are artisanal champagne that are grown, vinified, and aged by a specific grape grower and their family. 🔸 For the second course, we moved on to Lebanon where we had a white wine which Britt decanted for two hours before serving to us. This is used to pair with a cod fillet and pan-fried cod dumpling with preserved vegetable and asparagus; served with lobster bisque. 🔸 The French pigeon which I shared about on 9 Sep is paired with 2019 The Chocolate Block from Swartland, South Africa. This is a smooth, full-bodied wine, suited for heavier flavours of the pigeon. It even came with a smoky flavour that complemented the smokiness of the pigeon skin. 🔸 For the fourth course, braised abalone with fried Nepal rock rice is served in abalone sauce, and is paired with @quenmantha's favorite wine of the evening - a 2018 GranMonte, Asoke Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah from Khao Yai, Thailand. It is a full-bodied yet fruity wine with a well-balanced oak, with tannins so elegant that it pairs very well with the seafood flavours of the abalone. 🔸 And finally, we had white truffle ice-cream with coconut jelly, served with deep-fried purple sweet potato shared like a handbag. This is paired with a sweet 2017 Disznókő, Late Harvest Furmint from Hungary. It's fresh, with a good acidity that tempered it's sweetness. 🔸 This concludes our five course Experience the Unknown dinner, but surely memories of this meal would linger on, until we have the opportunity to try them again during the next run.

Bouchard Père & Fils, with its 290-year-old history and counting, is one of the oldest wine estates in Burgundy. ​ ​ The Henriot Family took over the torch from the Bouchard family in 1995. With their extraordinary investment, Bouchard Père & Fils has become one of the largest landowners in Côte d’Or, covering 321 acres with 30 acres classified as Grand crus and 183 acres as Premier crus. ​ ​ Bouchard Père & Fils has committed to sustainable practice since 2000 and is aiming for becoming 100% organic in 2024. ​ ​ What I have in my glass is Pommard Premier Cru ’09. With 12 years aging in the bottle, the wine is showing beautifully now and still going strong. ​ ​ Gorgeous brick color with lighter hue on the rim. While pouring the wine into the glass, the aromas of fresh rose petals, pomegranate, raspberry, red cherry, and red plum scatter around me. Notes of allspice, nutmeg, clove, hay, and smoke slowly reveal themselves in the glass. It’s earthy and savory on the palate with hints of blackberry, licorice, thyme, and cedar. Silky tannin with bright acidity and enchanting finish. ​ ​ Pommard may be overshadowed by other starred appellations in Côte d’Or, but with its distinctive soil components, vineyard compositions and human influences, the uniqueness of Pommard has earned many loyal fans like me. 😉​ ​ As the saying goes “There are no great wines, only great bottles of wine.”, I find knowing the growers and the producers are more crucial than chasing the celebrated appellations and that’s my humble opinion. Cheers! 🍷​ ​ Special thanks to @mdhamerica and @BouchardPereetFils for the #sample ​ ​ #酒意思  #sipwithjoyce #thereviewcru  #sommation #finewine #pommard #bouchardpereetfils 
#burgundywine #frenchwine #wineoclock #winedown #wineenthusiast #instawine #winetime #winetasting #winereview  #bourgogne #drinkmorewine #winelifestyle #sommelier #sommlife   #ワイン #포도주 #部落客  #葡萄酒 #法國酒 #勃根地 #品酒  #侍酒師

破了犀利的紀錄，要慶祝。一般的慶祝，喝一般的酒；神級的紀錄，要喝同樣級數的酒。 幾天前，美國職業籃球金州勇士隊(Golden State Warriors）的主將咖喱仔（Stephen Curry），破了張伯倫（Wilt Chamberlain）在隊中的總得分紀錄。17,783分不算多，卡爾馬龍在猶他爵士隊留下了36,374分，米高佐敦退過休都在芝加哥公牛灌入29,277分，但張伯倫就是張伯倫，他在美國籃球界的歷史地位重要又神聖，能超越一個Chamberlain record，要劏雞還神光宗耀祖的。 咁大件事冇人開酒？唔得。身為好兄弟的隊友「追夢綠」(Draymond Green）當仁不讓，約了隊中大佬暨新紀錄保持者食好西，贈興！為了令慶祝飯特別一點、難忘一點，要喝些夠份量的酒來紀念。這些NBA球星，你以為會喝甚麼？ 大帝占士在邁阿密熱火時，球隊封王攻下總冠軍，人生得意，狂飲Armand de Brignac香檳杯莫停。可以想像，年輕、錢多、對葡萄酒認識相信不會太多的球星，喝的必是名牌、貴嘢，還須帶點浮誇。 那夜，「追夢綠」和咖喱仔喝了一瓶DRC、2015 La Tâche。15年，二人拿到了人生第一個NBA總冠軍。Burgundy，Vosne-Romanée中的Grand Cru，就算不懂酒，可能也久仰大名，2015 La Tâche，現零售價約港幣$45,000至5萬一瓶，他倆在高級餐廳開，價錢再抬高一截是常識吧。 為甚麼是La Tâche？我大膽的答你（雖然我沒有問過Green），我覺得：冇原因。純因為這酒很昂貴、是DRC、且是2015年，他便要了。懂酒愛酒的，不會開一瓶像姜濤那麼年輕的偶像，起碼要有點年資如Rubber band。像「追夢綠」，就算不是暴發也是Nouveau riche，新富貴的消費方式，new money之套路不必多說。 英國酒評家、名作家Evelyn Waugh的兒子Auberon Waugh，在《Waugh on Wine》早寫過”Among Burgundies, American buyers seem interested only in those grand crus which have the magic words Romanée-Conti, Grands Echézeaux, Echézeaux, Richebourg, Romanée Saint-Vivant, Le Montrachet. The result is that those wines listed above are now grotesquely more expensive than any others, and English buyers are mad to touch them”。那些在showbiz folks之中很受歡迎的名貴選擇，在他的眼中”are rather vulgar”。球星也是showbiz folks之流吧。他對酒不反感，只嫌已暴發得庸俗；我好些，認為人不俗，有本事喝俗酒也能雅。 但只懂喝名牌的未必知道，Echézeaux豐饒甜美，卻被認為是grand cru中最無趣的，Grands Echézeaux算是進階一點的選擇；DRC莊主Aubert de Villaine重點栽培的繼承人Bertrand de Villaine認為Romanée Saint-Vivant是最「知性」的，La Tâche卻需要特多時間瓶陳，才能淬練出最好的境界。喝2015 La Tâche，正如Waugh說：”they tend to drink their wine too young”。（言下，美國人、新發跡new money，將酒買貴晒，又唔識嘢） 本來，NBA富貴球星吃一頓飯開一瓶好酒，算甚麼蒜皮事，能成為新聞乃因Green巧令勇士老闆替他們埋了單，還在IG上曬命。報道包括Green「使詭計」（tricked）令班主請客，讓他們喝了一瓶超高價酒：「支酒好貴㗎，老闆又肯入球隊數喎，唔係日日都有人肯批你飲支La Tâche㗎！」姣中詐嗔半賣俏。 後來有人追問，Green鬆毛鬆翼略帶不自然自爆，「我搵老闆，話我同咖喱仔食緊飯慶祝呀(估計對方會當場識做請客），但我叫咗支好酒囉……如果你覺得太貴，我可以自己俾錢嘅……」Green的合約是4年一億美金、年薪2千5百萬，負擔得起有餘。但老闆Joe Lacob爽快，一口答應。老闆命好，就是這回事，我認得這種美滿。 又話請兄弟食飯飲酒，轉頭找班主來埋單，再唱通街大謝老闆，驚死對方走數一樣。Nouveau riche，你expect甚麼？倒欣賞他對兄弟的大愛。 讓人請飯買酒，還是古龍寫得有格調。 燕十三：「殺過人後，我一定要喝酒。」 烏鴉：「沒有殺人，我也喝酒。」 燕十三：「喝過酒後，我一定要去找女人。」 烏鴉：「沒有喝酒，我也找女人。」 燕十三大笑：「想不到你竟是個酒色之徒。」 烏鴉：「彼此彼此。」他們喝得真不少。 燕十三：「你既是個酒色之徒，今天我就讓你一次。」 烏鴉：「讓甚麼？」 燕十三：「讓你付賬。」─《三少爺的劍》 兩個no money，更可愛。 #drc #latâche #burgundy