Posted in Bordeaux, French Red, Wine Tastings, tagged Bordeaux, Chateau d'Armailhac, Chateau Mouton Baronne Philippe, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, French Red, wine on December 20, 2009| Leave a Comment »
It was a wine tasting lunch on a cold and breezy Saturday. The wine was known as Chateau Mouton Barone Philippe in the 70’s, but now everyone knows the wine as Chateau d’Armalihac – a fifth growth in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification.
As with most of the Chateaus in Bordeaux, the history of the vineyard had gone through many changes and ownership. It was sold to Baron Philippe de Rothschild in 1933 and became part of the Mouton Rothschild family. (more…)
Posted in Bordeaux, French Red, tagged Chateau Lascombes, Lynch Bages on December 10, 2009| Leave a Comment »
I have a friend that likes to collect some vintages and then store them in his (big) wine fridge for years until they are ready to drink.
This week, he was looking around and found two bottles of ’94s, a Chateau Lascombes and a Lynch Bages, which he felt was ready to drink. Luck for me, he decided to drink them.
We started with the Lascombes, which was nice, smooth and pleasant. But then came the Lynch Bages, which was AMAZING. Even after the Lascombes, the body, sophistication and complexity of the Lynch Bages came through loud and clear. (more…)
Posted in Bordeaux, French Red, Wine Makers, tagged Bordeaux, Chateau Pontet-Canet, French Red, wine on December 6, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Cadet reporting to Madam, finally!
I have urged Cadet to write about his experience for some time, it was a surprise that he finally grant me the honor when I was least expected.
The wine that I raved about upon my return from Bordeaux …..
I was reading the Wine Spectator before dinner over the weekend, and there was an article on Chateau Pontet Canet. It brought back memories of my visit at the Chateau this summer. After the tour, Monsieur Alfred Tesseron greeted us with a warm smile and joined us for lunch in the main dining hall. (more…)
Posted in Bordeaux, French Red, French White, Restaurants, tagged Arcana Resort, French Red, French White, Izu, Onsen, Pontet Canet, Pouilly Fuisse, Tokyo, Wine Madam on December 1, 2009| 1 Comment »
After my first post on Madam’s blog, I was going to take a break, at least for a couple days – but I just couldn’t resist. What happened was that we came across a second bottle of Pontet Canet 2002, but this time at an ultra chic hot springs hotel in the Izu area, about 2 hours outside Tokyo.
The Arcana resort is a different type of hot spring hotel. Instead of the traditional ryokan serving up traditional Japanese cuisine, the Arcana is made up of a complex in contemporary architecture styles, situated on the banks of a mountain stream, with a central restaurant serving up contemporary Japanese/French cuisine. (more…)
Posted in Bordeaux, French Red, Wine Dinners, tagged Bordeaux, Chateau Lynch Bages, red wine, wine on November 24, 2009| Leave a Comment »
The story behind the label and the faces behind the vineyards are all fascinating to me. Having the opportunity to meet the owner of Chateau Lynch Bages is the main attraction for me. (more…)
Posted in Bordeaux, French Red, tagged Bordeaux, Chateau Mouton Rothschild, red wine, wine on November 11, 2009| 1 Comment »
Sunday brunch at home – pate with French bread, slow cooked ox tail in red wine sauce and freshly baked Yorkshire pudding on the side. Sound yummy and was indeed very delicious. (more…)
Posted in Bordeaux, French Red, tagged Bordeaux, Château Gruaud-Larose, red wine, Saint Julien, wine on October 25, 2009| Leave a Comment »
My husband loves cooking and we would always try food wine matching on the weekends. One of our close friends, who enjoyed my husband’s cooking, suggested one day that he will bring along a bottle of 1990 Chateau Gruaud Larose if my husband will prepare the dish to match the wine. The wine was retail at HK$ 1,200, so not a difficult decision to make! (more…)
Posted in Bordeaux, French Red, tagged pichon lalande, reserve de la comtesse, stinky tofu, wine on October 19, 2009| 2 Comments »
Source: http://www.charleskaufman.com / Artist: Charles Kaufman
These days, it seems like the topic of WINE will easily break the ice in gatherings. For me, the company is more important than the wine itself. Sharing a few bottles with friends is a perfect way to spend an evening.
After the completion of the first Wine Appreciation Course, the instructor arranged a dinner as a graduation dinner in celebration of completing the course. About twenty people joined, and from that day onwards, we had continued to meet on a regular basis for over two years now! (more…)
Posted in Bordeaux, Sweet Wine, tagged D'yquem, Sauternes, wine on October 19, 2009| Leave a Comment »
This is the most expensive Sauternes – the renowned sweet wine region in France – and I had the honor to taste a bottle with my friends some time ago. A half bottle costs over HK$1,000. So is it worth it?
When I was taking the Wine Assessment program in Open University three years ago, the Advanced Course was quite tough and I took a day off from work to prepare for the final exam. I was very frustrated as I kept forgetting what I had studied already. There is only one cure for me to ease off my pressure – I went to Pacific Place and shopped. (more…)
Posted in Bordeaux, French Red, Wine Makers, Wine Tour, tagged barrel tasting, Bordeaux, Clos de Sarpe, St Emilion, wine on October 19, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Have you ever tried barrel tasting? It’s the tasting of wine straight from the oak barrel. It was a wonderful experience, not because of the tasting, but because you feel the passion from the winemaker!
This summer I visited Bordeaux with my husband. Through my work contact, I happened to have the opportunity to visit Chateau Clos De Sarpe, a Grand Cru vineyard in St Emilion. It was a private tour arranged just for me and my husband. The day of the visit was National Day, so I was very lucky that the Chateau owner also the winemaker was in town and hosted the tour. (more…)
Grape Wine Journey 