Chateau Duthil Cru Bourgeois Haut-Medoc 2001 (French)

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This bottle was purchased at Brix’s sale, original price of S$48.00, sale price at S$35.70. It is a Cru Bourgeois, appellation of Haut-Medoc made by the same producers of Chateau Giscours, it is a value buy. It has an inviting intense purplish-ruby colour in the glass. The wine was nicely complemented with Marks& Spencer cheddar cheese sticks.
Smell : Dark currents’ sweetness with sandlewood & tobacco aromas

Taste : Smooth and approachable, medium bodied intensity beginning with dark fruits followed by mild tobacco spices. Delicate tannins have mellowed nicely. No astute acidity detected.

After-taste : Medium finish which encompassed the mouth with oak and spice.
Background to the Chateau : Chateau Duthil is located in the heart of the Haut Medoc. Its vineyard covers an area of 6 hectares (about 15 acres) with a total appellation potential of 19 hectares (47 acres). It is planted judiciously on the sloping basin of a stream called L’Artigue , enabling a natural draining away of rainwater. The wine of Chateau Duthil has real Medoc character.

Vinified separately in one of Chateau Giscours’ cellars, this Bourgeois Growth benefits from the savoir-faire and technical facilities of the top wine. After traditional ageing in oak barrels, the totality of the wine is bottled at the château.

Wine Fair at NTUC Fairprice Xtra

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For all Aussie wine fanatics! NTUC Fairprice is having an Aussie wine fair at their flagship Xtra in Ang Mo Kio from 27 Apr to 16 May 2007.

My recommendation for purchase would be the Penfolds Bin 389 vintage 2001 which is now going for S$49.95 vs S$65+ seen in other supermarkets and without discount. Here is the previous review on it, though a different vintage 1999.

Worth considering as well is the Xanadu Secession blend of Shiraz and Cabernet at S$22.90

The Penfolds Grange 1997 is of course out of our normal price range at S$299, even with a discount of S$51, but my main concern is how they have stored the wine.

Remember to bring your NTUC link point card too, every min purchase of $20 earns you points. Especially when purchasing wines, sure to meet this dollar value.

Will post some pics if I do pop by the place this weekend...

Wine Review: Korean Raspberry Wine

Hello folks,

Havent been doing wine reviews much lately unlike my drunken dragon friend Desdragon, but anyway here's 1 about this Korean wine that Miss Poh bought for me from Korea :)

Colour: Vibrant dark red

Smell: Light Raspberry

Taste: Raspberry taste extremely strong but what i like about this easy to drink wine is that there issnt any tannic taste. I was promptly informed by Mr desdragon that is but of course because only the tannic taste comes from grape skin. Gee, i wouldnt know cos i'm just a novice wine taster...

Anyway the raspberry taste can be easily overpowered by the normal savoury fare so try this if you're having dessert like we did ( I had it with Ice Aloe Vera Cocktail from Bedok Reservoir Hawker center)

Wine Entry : Chateau Larrivet-Haut-Brion Pessac-Leognan 1997 (French)

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We got this bottle from Jason’s the fine foods grocer for S$69 probably in year 2000. The colour of the wine is still a healthy dark garnet with some tinges of brown at the rim despite a few years of cellaring.
Smell : Blackcurrents interlaced with oak and wood

Taste : Woody and oak based with fruit acidity structure. Well-mellowed through the years and generally smooth and fine on the palate. The wine underwent malolactic conversion in tank and was then racked into French oak barrels (60% to 70% new) to mature for 18 months. This helps explains the strong oak base of the wine.

After-taste : Comfortably long length of fine tannins that last for 20+ seconds.
Background to the Chateau : The château is in the south of the Pessac-Léognan commune. The property was named Haut-Brion-Larrivet after the gravel soil on which it lies (Brion) and the Larrivet - a stream running through the vineyard. Legal action on the part of Château Haut-Brion lead to its name changing to Larrivet-Haut-Brion. Since 1987 the estate has been owned by the Gervoson family (owners of France's biggest jam makers) who have invested heavily to improve the vineyards and cellars.

Wine Entry : BEK-SE JU (Korean)

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Thought I’d introduce something different today. This bottle of ginseng wine is only available from Korea, (not surprisingly), it is a relatively inexpensive wine in Korea and you can find it in convenient stores and restaurants. It costs about US$ 6. It is also a health tonic and is well suited to accompany their signature dish of Ginseng Chicken Soup or Seafood.
Smell : Light fragrant ginseng, not overpowering

Taste : Delicate acidity ginseng flavours with a warm heartfelt finish.

Description on bottle : Korean traditional wine BEK-SEJU which is brewed with unique method and valuable 12 herbs. ‘Bek Se’ means 100 years old. It doesn’t refer to the age of the wine but the health benefit this wine offeres.