Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St. Jean Rouge

Penultimate bottle of a case and back to form after two recent disappointingly aged bottles. Light silver-gold colour. Nose is warm oak, burnt hazelnut, candied lemon peel, mandarin oranges, white flowers, lanolin. Palate is good fresh lemony acidity followed by lemon boiled candy, well-integrated oak and nice weight without heaviness. A lovely well-rounded and elegant finish....but just a touch of almond bitterness.

Disappointing compared to 3 bottles drank from the same case back in March. This one was much more advanced....same fused cork, golden straw colour. Nose of butter popcorn and blow-torched whole lemons. Palate is similar sweet butter popcorn and Mayer lemon plus lemon boiled sweets and lots of oak. Heavy and flabby. Moderate length and resonance. Time to drink the remaining couple of bottles.

3 consistent bottles drank over 2 days, including all having fused corks. Light silver-green colour. Nose is light, lifted ....crushed oyster shells, fresh lemon leaves. Palate is high piano notes of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, saline oyster jus, kaffir leaf. Bright, alive and quite salivating. Moderate length and reverbarance. Very more-ish. I think this is as good as it will get, so will finish off the case within 2019.

A little sourness, but still doing that Burgundy trick of being feather-light while boasting persistent flavors. Prune sand cherry bark on the nose. Probably past its prime, but there were aspects to enjoy.

Pale colour. Lifted, dried red fruit nose, game and meaty notes, savoury, complex and inviting. Complex palate, juicy red fruits shining through, but also dry oak, along with a slightly smoky finish. Decent length, lovely fresh acidity, and an elegant mineral finish. Very good for it's level.

Solid core of cherry with fresh acidity. Very food friendly with a variety of dishes.

Soft aromas and flavors of red cherry. One dimensional, but tasty. The wine has really softened in a year. Dry finish with moderate tannins.

Really dreadful and I don't find many wines this disappointing. Overly acidic, very thin looking and in the mouthfeel. No fruit. Avoid.

This bottle was very thin. Not very complex. A bit of a bummer.

Wedding Anniversary Dinner (The Library, Crown Wine Cellars, Hong Kong) : Light lemon-gold colour. Lovely nose of light sharp fresh-crushed whole lemon, hazelnut.....a deep and surprisingly long and resonant nose. Plate is very buttery but lemon-sharp....extremely saliva-inducing and refreshing. Good heft on the back end...quite weighty...with great length and persistence of finale. This was very impressive indeed and the surprise of the night for me. It punched a class heavier than its recent US$40 purchase price.

Aromas of fresh strawberries and cherry. Red fruit on the palate with some cooking spice. Very dry and gripping on the finish. More of a modern style. Very easy to drink, has no rough edges.

Really pale in colour - almost like a rose, or perhaps a Beaujolais. Lovely nose - smoky, savoury. Quite dry on the palate, but a fair bit of fruit. Good.