2010 Saracco Moscato D'Asti

These days, in most of my gatherings with my friends and colleagues, I will always bring a bottle of Moscato. The ladies love this wine. I called it my 7-up or sprite with alcohol. With a alcohol content of 5.5%, it is a good thirst quencher in a hot afternoon. It is sweet with hint of pineapple and apple.

2009 Christophe Vaudoisey Volnay 1er Cru Clos Des Chenes

This is a small winery located in Volnay, just opposite the little carpark when you enter the Volnay Village. The 2009 is burgundy red, on the nose, you can smell hint of strawberries and cherries. It tasted of cherries and plum on the mouth. Good lingering after taste, is has that exploding sensation when drank with red meat, in this case - pork. I have always find Christophe wine to have that fresh taste, very different from the other vitners. Pretty good value.

Tatiarra Cambrian Shiraz 2004

Dark red almost black. This wine packs with fruit and intensity. The wine evolves along the course of my dinner - from dark red fruit to full blown plum. The train of red fruits and plum just march down the throat with silky tannin. You will taste some spice. A great wine to keep your lady friends happy. At least my friends enjoyed the wine. Another Ben Riggs great creation.

Woodstock The Stork 2004

This wine is from McLaren Vale and 100% Shiraz, single Vineyard 14.5% alc. On the bouquet, you can smell of the spices, black fruits. On the palette, you tasted berries, which explodes into rumbling plum aftertaste, which goes on and on. Even my mother who seldom drinks, commented that it has a lot of "grape" taste. It goes very well with chocolate. Fantastic!

Hammer against Glove - Maculan 2003 Fratta vs Comte Senard Corton Grand Cru Monopole Clos Des Meix 2003

I managed to open a bottle of Comte Senard Grand Cru Monopole Clos Des Meix 2003 in a working dinner in the hotel. The sommelier, Alberto, coated each one of our glasses with the wine before serving us. This is a beautiful and elegant wine. It smells of rose, cherries and forest ground. On the palette, the silky tannin march smoothly from the tip of the tongue to the throat. Elegant, you can taste berries and cherries. Great after taste of plum and maybe it is just me, flower scent just coat my whole mouth. This wine is Comte Senard's sommelier, Emilie's favourite.

Next, Alberto pulled out a Maculan 2003 Fratta. This is a very strong wine. The wine is almost black in colour. It has the smell of dark chocolate. It flows like silk. Tasted of vanilla and lots of fruits. Amazing. This wine reminds me of Enzo Boglietti's 2003 Merlot. Enzo wine has that bit of freshness.

Guess what my colleagues said :-

"The Burgundy is complex, elgant and very good. It is like a pair of silk glove."

"The Italian wine is good but it is like a hammer that hit your head!"

Not sure it is the alcohol or the taste... We have wine of the same vintage, different grapes and location. You need to try it to know what they meant...

Comte Senard Corton Blanc Grand Cru 2006

Drank this bottle with my colleague a week back. It smells of flower, fruity taste and has a very long aftertaste of honey roasted almond that goes on and on. Most important it tasted fresh. I personally like this wine but my 2 colleagues just say "good".

Enzo Boglietti Merlot 2003

Yesterday night, I opened this little gem from Enzo. What greeted me was dark red, almost black juice when I poured out from the bottle. The wine smell of dark chocolate and berries. On the palate, full of fruits, jam, berries and very soft and smooth. It had a very interesting aftertaste at the back of the tongue - coconut? It took me a while to recollect that taste. Of course, there was also taste of raspberries. Very interesting indeed. Everyone round the table, at least my 2 brothers, liked this wine.

2007 Agostino Bosco La Serra and Enzo Boglietti Fossati

My Italian friend Danilo shared with me his tasting notes for some of the 2007 Barolo - Agostino Bosco La Serra and Enzo Boglietti Fossati. I cannot resist the temptation to pull the cork off for the 2 bottles last week.

Agostino Bosco La Serra. Having drank the 2006 and bought quite a few bottles for my cellar, I am happy to have placed order for the 2007. The 07 smells of rose on the nose. It took a while to open up. It tasted of berries, plum, tar and the coat of tannin that follows is long. Drinking it now is infanticide. Somehow, on the 1st taste it lacked of structure. After 30 minutes, the wine is simply delicious. It tasted better the next day. Have potential to improve further. In my view, value for money.

Enzo Boglietti Fossati. On the nose, the wine is floral. The 1st taste brought me to the edge of the forest into a plain of flowers. It had cedar wood, rose, berries etc. After it opened up, the power of its fruit is overwhelming. It reminded me of the Enzo Cabernet 2007! The difference is that Fossati is a gentle lady while the Cabernet brings about the "wild" edge. This wine is ready to drink now. Beautiful....

2007 Barolo Agostino Bosco Neirane

Tasted this wine sample during my annual Chinese New Year Dinner with my guys. This was the last bottle for that night.

The wine is surprising light. Floral on the nose. It appears closed during the first 10 mins. After it opened up, it taste of cherries and does not have the signature of heavy tannin found in Barolo wine. Surprisingly my lady colleague like this wine among the Reds that I have served.