Bordeaux Toute la Journée.

I've been drinking a lot of wine from Spain and Burgundy the past year, probably more than Bordeaux. However, though the palate may stray for months on end, Bordeaux is really where the heart lies. Thursday, the 22nd January 2010, I wound up having 7 Bordeaux rouges in the company of co-founding members of La Commanderie de Bordeaux Manila.

It began with a lunch at Masseto conceived by the Stockbroker - a blind taste-off between 2 highly Parker-rated wines, one having garnered a score of 96, the other 100. The only hints he gave were that they were from Bordeaux, their Parker scores and that we've all had them before, but never in a blind side-by-side comparison. We were only 4: he, Bernie, Keiichi and I (the Doc got stuck in the hospital again). Though both "competing" wines were from the Stockbroker's vast collection, we divided his historical cost amongst us.

Of course, we started off with a couple of whites. I had an excellent Goat Cheese Ravioli with them.

2004 Herri Mina Irouléguy - The Stockbroker's bottle, produced in Irouléguy (AOC since 1970), Southwest France, by the former, long-time winemaker of Château Pétrus, Jean-Claude Berrouet. Dry, very fresh, racy, edgy and crisp with brisk minerality in a manner somewhat reminiscent of a good Blanc from Graves. Grapefruit dominates quince, freshly cut, dewy grass with a touch of leesy toastiness and admirably bright acidity. Lively wine. Liked it a lot with my chèvre-stuffed ravioli.

2006 Clos Lapeyre Mantoulan Jurançon Sec - Bernie's bottle, an indent order from Jerome Philippon; another white from Southwest France. Very different from the preceding wine: heftier, much more rounded, fleshier, riper, with touches of honey and honeysuckle to its softer and lusher fruit. The acidity is notably lower as well, but the wine is still in balance possessing a languid, almost sultry, come-hither air. Very approachable and easy to appreciate in character. A bit too ripe, sweet and low in acidity for my ravioli, Bernie gave me a bit of his smokey eggplant to which this wine was an excellent foil.

With my Crispy Duck-Leg Confit & Roasted Potatoes, I had the two reds blind...

Though the Stockbroker obviously knew what the wines were, he didn't know which was which. Not for anything, but I'm sure he could easily tell them apart anyway. He is, always, though, a most honest voter in blind tastings - I know that for a fact as I keep all the records of our Blind Bdx Challenges and have tasted alongside him in countless more similar events.

Wine # 1 is on the left, #2 on the right.

Wine # 1 - More red orange-tinged, clearer rim, redder than Wine # 2, looked and smelled more mature. I recall these observations were shared by the Stockbroker and Keiichi. Bernie thought otherwise stating that Wine # 1 looked older. The bouquet was very open with sweet wet tea leaves and a bit of truffle in its ripe red fruit over black. The mouth confirms the ripeness of the vintage (surely a 1990 Médoc I thought) in the concentrated, indulgent, velvety raspberry/cherry/plum/kirsch over earthy dark fruit, hint of leather, subtle dark minerals, spices, cedar, sweetish wet tea leaves and violets. Warmingly lush middle, long, dark red and violet finish. Very mature, welcoming, nice bottle-age-sweetness. I'd drink this alone to be able to fully appreciate it.

Wine # 2 - The fruit was ripe enough, but not nearly as ripe nor sweet as Wine # 1. Though the flavors were very similar, their characters were very different. Other differences were the this wine's far sturdier structure and decidedly more masculine and less yielding character. In addition, dark fruit held sway over red and the leather notes were more pronounced. This seemed comparatively less evolved and the tannins more apparent. This, to me, was more food friendly.

When we were prepared to, we discussed at length the basis upon which our choice between the two would be made (e.g., ageing capabilities, pleasure of the moment, food-friendliness). Several suggestions were mulled over, and, in the end, we chose Bernie's suggestion of: "If you could only have one of them,which would you pick?" Moreover, we were to identify which one we thought was the 100 Parker point wine.

Results:

Preferred Wine: The Stockbroker, Bernie and Keiichi picked Wine # 1 as their preferred wine. Obviously, I was the only one who picked Wine # 2, and did so because I look more to structure in my reds over bigger fruit and highly value food-friendliness.

100 Point Wine?: The Stockbroker and I identified Wine # 1 as the Parker 100 pointer, while Bernie and Keiichi said it was Wine # 2. I identified Wine # 1 as the 100-pointer because my impression is Parker would prefer its bigger, softer, more forward fruit.

And so the wines were revealed.

Wine # 1 - 1990 Château Montrose (100 pts.)

Wine # 2 - 1989 Château Montrose (96 pts.)

Thus, in sum, 3 of 4 of us preferred the 1990 Montrose (i.e., the Stockbroker, Bernie and Keiichi) while I alone preferred the 1989; and, the Stockbroker and I identified the one Parker rated 100 points. I, for one, was not at all surprised with my choice. I've always preferred Montrose's '89 to its '90.

The "work" done, we finished off the bottles and moved onto the Cheese Platter and...

2001 Château Raymond Lafon - The Stockbroker's bottle, from a highly-regarded Sauternes vintage. I noted coconut cream in the canned cling peach, candied apricot, orange marmalade and vanilla/oak flavors. Luscious, dense, concentrated, acid slightly low but the wine has notable balance. Hedonistic, if a bit straight forward. Very openly enjoyable even now.

Great lunch. Very interesting as well.

Thereafter, the Stockbroker and I headed for the Vigneron's home for a Commanderie Manila meeting for members of the first board to go over a draft of the proposed By-Laws. It turned out only 5 of us made it, but we proceeded with the discussions in the sprawling lanai.

Naturally, there was some wine; naturally, all Bordeaux, all from the Vigneron...

1998 Château Brane-Cantenac - This 2nd growth seems to always have distinctive underlying leather, coffee grounds and asphalt, charcoal notes to its fruit (the ones I've had anyway) - quite a masculine Margaux generally. The oak notes are usually notably toasty as well. Lots of licorice in its dark fruit. I'd call it a little past halfway between medium and full in body. This seems to need time to come together more for me, but it is a more than decent wine. Between this and their '99, I prefer their '99 (the Vigneron as well).

Thanks to Dong Puno's guiding hand, the meeting was conducted very efficiently despite the wines. Not too long after, with work almost all done, more bottles were opened in rapid succession.

1998 Château L'Evangile - I last had this on the 20th March 2009, at Blind Bordeaux Challenge XII, it was my bottle and it placed 1st. My notes then are still applicable, this wine has a long life ahead of it.

Wine # 4: Comparatively (with Wines # 1 & 3) a subdued nose of ripe plum, cherry, bit of cedar, some chocolate and creamy/toasty vanilla/oak with the merest topnote of herbaceousness. Can't really call it a bouquet as there isn't much complexity or maturity in it - easily the youngest wine in the bunch (as I, Mrs. Vigneron and the Stockbroker noted), and just as easy to identify it as my own. A powerful, well-rounded, full-bodied wine with lush, ripe plum, kirsch, chocolate, underlying violets and vanilla infused cassis, smoky cedar trailed at the end. Broad, long and powerful.

Though this group obviously is Médoc-and-Pessac-Léognan-centric, I gambled on this wine's power and plush rounded body for it to stand out in a blind tasting. I rated it 1st place. It was, in fact, my 1998 Château L'Evangile, another top Pomerol owned and run by the Rothschild family (of Lafite Rothschild, not Mouton).

1986 Château Cos d'Estournel - I've written about this wine a few times over the past year, and regular readers know I am very fond of this wine. The last time I wrote about this was under 3 months ago, at a lunch at RED. My notes then, which also quote another bottle from the 6th July 2009, are as follows:

1986 Château Cos d'Estournel - The Stockbroker's bottle. I've had this twice before, the first time blind back on 2nd November 2006 at the Grand Crew's Blind Bordeaux Challenge IV, so those notes, though brief, are the most unbiased:

"Wine # 1: Aged left bank, feminine, best nose, medium-bodied, deeply extracted ripe sweetish dark fruit, cassis, plum, sweet cedar, best balance.

"I'll not ever forget this wine, not only because it was excellent, but also because it was one of the few times in our Challenges that I voted with the majority in choosing the winning wine, and, it was when my '99 Palmer wound up dead last due to my imprudent over-decanting.

"In any event, though yesterday's bottle was notably more advanced (it was almost 3 years older at the time, after all) with very faint sherry notes at the fringes, it was a wonderful testament to aged Cos nonetheless. The exotic bouquet was perfumed with sweetish tobacco, spice box (with the lightest whisper of cumin), slight camphor, cedar, cassis, ripe plum, violets and warm asphalt nuances. In the mouth, there was great depth, intricate layering, incredible complexity and a comforting warmth. Excellent crescendo. Generous, expansive yet dignified performance. Elegant, yet with a commanding presence. The term "patrician" comes to mind. What a treat on a gloomy, rainy day."

The above notes are pretty much applicable to James' bottle save that, in said bottle, I detected no cumin and there was a familiar sweetish, wet tea leaf flavor in the complex fruit that trailed in the finish with violets. There was notably more discreet power and drive in this and came of as marginally more youthful as well. Excellent specimen of '86 Cos.

The subject bottle was probably the most youthful '86 Cos d'Estournel I've had yet.

We then enjoyed reading an amusing article on "Wine Snobs" while enjoying a bottle of...

1982 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande - I don't even remember now how many bottles of this we have enjoyed. Many, for sure, ever since it won for the Vigneron in our very first Blind Bordeaux Challenge - I didn't post about all of them, but the last I remember offhand was quite a while back - at a blind Valentines Dinner at the Doc's - I voted it 1st place over a 1985 Mouton Rothschild, 1989 Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande, 1989 Trotanoy and a a 1988 Léoville las Cases (no post on this dinner).

I've noted before that we've experienced a material amount of bottle variation in the '82 Pichon Lalande, but this bottle was pristine. Excellent. Silken, pure, elegant in its bouquet and flavors of sweetish cedar, raspberry, cherry, kirsh, violets, mint (topnote), plum, cassis, dark fruit, very subtle earthiness and lead pencil shavings. Incredible poise and balance. An elegantly feminine Pauillac - classic Pichon Lalande.

The others then took their leave as I lingered a few minutes longer. We were joined by Mrs. Vigneron and kept her company for just enough time for a last glass of...

1999 Château Lagrange - I seem to recall that I've had this before, but I'm not sure. I can't find any of my notes on it. By this time, my palate was quite weary, but, this wine seemed quite straightforward, dominated by blackcurrant, cassis, and cedar over a bit of dark cherry and plum, with slight violets and underying licorice, black coffee and a bit of woodiness. After the previous wines, it seemed medium-bodied and its tannins seemed a touch green. Judgment reserved, in fairness - I was no longer in good condition for reliable notes.

What a day.

Kaiseki Inspired Dining at Manila's Finest Private Table.

Rene and Miguel had been trying to put together a table for one of Tita Bella's Japanese meals for quite a while. Due, however, to various reasons, including their business trips and Tita Bella's gastronomic travels, the long-awaited Kaiseki-inspired meal took over 6 months to finally come together.

Last night, the 18th January 2010, we were regaled with a litany of Tita Bella's dishes - all made by her own hands, in her own kitchen, and served in the elegance of her home.

Aside from our gracious hostess-chef, we were 8 in all at table: Rene & Aimee, Miguel & Ria, J-Lab, Keiichi, my wife and I. E-mails on the menu and pairing wines flew faster as the day neared and the anticipation grew. In the end, though, we were well-prepared to do vinous justice to Tita Bella's cuisine.

While we awaited Ria who was coming from work in Makati, we primed our palates with glasses of...

2008 Bouldevines Estate Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc - Keiichi's bottle, from Dogpoint Road, Marlborough, NZ. Cool, bright, mild gooseberry, guava, slight pomelo, citrus, dewy grass, a bit of a passionfruit topnote, slight minerality in the middle and mild tartness in the citrus finish. Halfway between light and medium body, this is easy to drink.

When we were informed that Ria was nearing, Tita Bella returned to the kitchen to prepare...

...and we moved to the dining room, set in a Japanese winter's garden theme.

My wife made sure I took a picture of the table setting before dinner was served. I noted that our chopsticks were of green jade, no less.

True to its Kaiseki inspiration, the meal was made up of several courses involving the traditional array of steamed, simmered and grilled dishes, as well as creative spins on sashimi, tempura and others.

Keiichi, himself, one who is very well-versed in Kaiseki dining, marvelled that such a menu could be executed in a private home. And so began our feast....

Caviar Tempura, Mayo Ponzu Sauce - The tempura element came in the manner these ethereal pouches of caviar were quickly deep-flash-fried such that the gossamer wrapping crisped without the caviar filling being in any way injured in the heat. The timing for such dish must surely have required supreme levels of precision and confidence, lest the rarefied fish roe be damaged. Not much room for error here, if any at all.

The result was incredibly good: clean, not a trace of oiliness, the textures and flavors neat and well defined, the crispiness of the wrapper delicately giving way to the caviar bubbles' tiny bursts of sea-goodness; the mayo-ponzu sauce adding a breath of tangy-creaminess. Excellent.

With this luxurious amuse bouche we enjoyed...

Kinryo Kirameki Junmai Daigin-jo Sake - My bottle, a gift from my brother and his wife from their recent holiday trip to Tokyo. Keiichi explained to us that this is the Shikoku producer's (i.e., Kinryo's) top-of-the line Junmai Daigin-jo. He elaborated that Junmai Daigin-jo is the highest level of sake: a pure rice sake (Junmai; i.e., no alcoholic additives) where each grain of rice polished to less than 50% of the original form (Daigin-jo). This particular junmai daigin-jo was polished down to an incredible 30%-35% he added, something very special indeed; to be served chilled like a white wine.

Now, I do not pretend to be any sake expert, but this was, without doubt, the best by far I've had - so pure, clean, smooth, gently warming, its flavors so delicate - with a most intriguing nuance of carob/milk chocolate discreetly emerging just past mid-mouth and through to the finish. Amazing. Thanks T & C.

Ria finally arrives and catches up on the menu as we helped ourselves to extra servings of the caviar tempura (another great thing about dining at Tita Bella's is that she always makes extra servings for us shameless gluttons).

Gyoza Medley: Mushroom and Fiji Apple Gyoza with a Soya Dipper & Nasu Gyoza with a Sesame Dip - The mushroom and Fiji apple gyoza was to be taken first with its specifically paired soya dip. Lovely dish. I have not been a big fan of any sort of gyoza until I had this - and the soya dip, well, I would have drank it straight from the little container had it been at all possible to do so politely.

Extra platters of both gyozas were also laid on the lazy Susan, so we, again helped ourselves to several more servings. The wives cautioned us guys against filling up too much before the other dishes, but their words fell on deaf, gyoza-stuffed ears. I continued with sparing sips of the sake with this course.

Sashimi: Tuna and Salmon Tartare, Spicy Lemon-Ginger Vinaigrette, Sesame Tuiles & Black Caviar - A new twist to sashimi for me, the fresh fish spiked by the tangy lemon-ginger vinaigrette; the caviar and sesame tuile lending their own complementing flavors and contrasting textures. The spicy-tangy vinaigrette somehow tied everything in quite well. This worked for me - well enough to grab an extra serving of it before Miguel could (but I halved it with him anyway).

With this, I finished up the last of my sake and moved on to...

1995 Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte Cuvée Spéciale - J-Lab's bottle (of course). Its soft, yet still vibrant slightly dried fruit is gentled by a very fine, persistent mousse and accented with biscuity age and a good mid-mouth creaminess. Discreet underlying coffee nuance adds a touch of added complexity to this slightly over medium-bodied bubbly. Hints of ginger confit as well. Very nice. I've always enjoyed good champagne with sashimi, so good, aged vintage bubbly with sashimi was a special treat.

Chawan Mushi with Foie Gras - I've had the plain kind of chawan mushi, a well as slightly more elaborate versions with ikura, crab meat, etc., but never foie gras. I could immediately "get" the dish, though, when I first read the menu - a studied indulgence of rich on rich - yes, but also one in blending flavors - the foie gras' fatty richness giving an "oomph" to the chawan mushi, with the former's precise searing adding a bit of dark caramelized smokiness and touch of textural contrast. A little "surprise" of shrimp in the bottom. Sinfully good.

With this, we had...

2007 Weingut Keller Westhofener Kirchspiel Riesling Spätlese "R" - My bottle, purchased from Watson's Wine Cellar in Harbor City Mall, TST. Svelte, precise, light-footed, it danced on my tongue with vaguely floral quince, white peach, apricot, passionfruit and slight white minerality all led on by a brisk, lively acidity. Quite svelte for a spätlese, but with admirable focus, joyful character, notable lift and grace.

I understand that this wine was originally destined to be the drier Grosses Gewächs Kirchspiel. Natural/spontaneous fermentation set in though (no commercial yeast is used) and yielded 30 gms. of residual sugar. J-Lab and I both noted that it was not quite as hefty or sweet as other spätleses we've had - but, for me, that is no criticism at all - just an observation on style difference from what I am familiar with. It is, indeed, good wine that paired well with the dish, giving lift, brightness and a lilt of sweetness to the creamy richness.

Halfway through the foie gras chawan mushi, Rene had opened and served...

2007 Didier Dagueneau Sancerre Les Monts Damnés - Rene's bottle, a wine from the late, great Didier Dagueneau. I'm not familiar with this bottling (I've only had barely a handful of his wines and they were the Silex and Pur Sang bottlings) and know nothing about it, save that it is from across the river from the late "madman's" more usual haunts of Pouilly-Fumé. Frequent readers of my blog know that, of all sauvignon blanc-based wines, I favor those from Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé above all - though, honestly, I'm sure if blinded, I couldn't tell wines of one from the other (nor do I see the point of actively trying to be able to).

This wine was evidently fuller, rounder, chubbier and creamier than any sauv blanc in recent memory. Its fruit was good, round and clean (with a tropical bent), laced with chalky minerality and lashed with oak/vanilla. Dagueneau's wines are really something else; in a racy, barriers-are-meant-to-be-broken style, they are most always thrilling and invariably entertaining. I continued with this wine with the next 2 dishes.

The next course was served in such eye-catching bowls, my wife insisted I take a special picture of them...

...smiling, hatted faces containing...

Grilled Miso Gindara, Snow Pea Salad, Udon Noodles and Truffle Oil - Another skilled blending of sweetish and slightly salty, savory flavors and gently firm but yielding textures with the refreshing coolness of the thinly shaved cucumber "flat noodles" and the contrasting crisp snappiness of the snow peas. A somewhat rustic, homey segue from the previous indulgent dish. Comforting and warm, the bowls' smiles were infectious.

The gindara was marinated for no less than 3 days - a technique used by no less than chef Nobu Matsuhisa and Iron Chef Morimoto. A subtle depth of the flavor resulted therefrom.

A short break from the kitchen for a quick flute of champagne.

Deep Fried Shrimp with Cornflake Batter, Carrot Miso Dressing - A robust, crispy spin on ebi furai with a novel (to me) carrot-miso dressing. The cornflakes lent a bit of corn-sweetness and a healthy snap to the deep fried shrimp, all of which blended nicely with the dressing. I got an extra helping of this too.

Catha & Ria

Broiled Boneless Beef Ribs with Japanese Glaze served with Gohan with Moromigake - I always enjoy meat from the rib area - be it beef, lamb, pork or venison. It is always more flavorful, and, in this case, meltingly tender and juicy. The searing received by the meat, both severe and precise, gave a permeating smokiness and added depth, accented by the sweet, fruity (pomegranate?) glaze. Most of us had several extra helpings.

With this was served 3 reds:

1982 Château Palmer - Keiichi's bottle. This, I believe, is the first time I've tried the '82 vintage of Palmer and welcomed it to mentally compare to its highly-praised '83 and '89 vintages, the latter two I've had the pleasure of drinking a few times before. This wine wears its over 27 years well. The fruit is undeniably nicely ripe, good depth and bottle-age sweeteness mark its shades-under-full-bodied, still vibrant raspberry, cherry, damson over violets-infused cassis, blackcurrant, cedar, with underlying asphalt and gravel nuances. Moderately long, confident finish that ends in a flourish of sweetish cedar, dark raspberry and violets.

I checked Parker's latest rating (June 2009) of this - he raised it to 90 from 87 (from when he last tasted it in May 2002 - quite a stretch between re-visits). If I were into giving wines scores, which I am decidedly not, I'd rate it a few notches higher than a 90 (though I do agree with his assessment that the '82 Château Margaux is the weakest of the 1855 first growths from 1982).

2001 Château Bahans-Haut-Brion - Rene's bottle, the second wine of 1855 first growth Château Haut Brion. This was served blind and revealed only after I gave my guess what it was. The only hints he gave were that it is from Bordeaux and that he had decanted it for a couple of hours or so before service.

Initially, it smelled to me like a Pauillac because of powerful, pronounced aromas of cedar and pencil shavings in its earthy nose. However, in the mouth, there was a deep, nuance of black gravel and licorice in its blackcurrant base and graceful after-notes of sweetish vanilla that, somehow, made me think of a particularly masculine Margaux. Later on, the surface dominance of raspberry and cherry, with tell-tale dried herbs nuances in its then "tar" nuanced base dark fruit convinced me it was a Graves - "A young Graves, early 2000s", I submitted, not wanting to take more time or effort in trying to identify the château or specific year . In view of my penchant for mature Bdx, I personally consider 2001 Medocs (the top-end ones anyway) still quite young. I was satisfied with my guess.

I liked this wine, it showed a classic cut and nice structure - the surface red fruit made it go well with the broiled beef ribs and sweet-fruity glaze - so I paired the latter with the subject wine.

2003 Artadi Pagos Viejos Rioja - Miguel's bottle, of course, and my first taste of Artadi. The vintage seems very pronounced in this in that it is very ripe, already jammy in fruit - somewhat dense, minerally, licorice-lined with a hefty dose of new oak in its cherry, strawberry and super-ripe raspberry. The makings of leather notes and more evident cedar and violets are in the depths, somewhere. Heady stuff. Quite a bit of testosterone in this youngster. Good enough structure though. I wouldn't mind trying this again in another 2-3 years.

A light and most refreshing dessert of Watermelon Soup with Vanilla Ice Cream was then served - which I demolished so quickly that I forgot to try it with the pairing wine...

2000 Királyudvar Tokaji Cuvée Ilona - J-Lab's bottle. Moderately viscous, honey, dried apricot, bit peach liqueur, mango (Philippine "carabao" mango) and vanilla/oak. Has a nice brightness and vibrancy to it that balances off its sweetness. Good one. I would have liked to try it out with the foie gras chawan mushi.

With our choices of various Nespressos (a double espresso for me, of course), thus ended our feast...with a round of applause, and abject prostration from Miguel, for our gracious hostess-chef.

I've had more than a few meals by Tita Bella, and every one of them has been memorable. This one, however, was nothing short of amazing. I had heard talk of her kaiseki dinners from Rene, Miguel, Santi and others, but this exceeded all my expectations. Many thanks again, Tita, for having us over, the generous hospitality and the wonderful food. Catha and I enjoyed every single dish, every drop of wine and every second of the company.

Quiet Night @ Caffé Caruso.

Since we were gone for a while, we promised to take the kids out for dinner Saturday night, 16th January 2010, and our youngest chose Caffé Caruso. I assume it's named after Enrico Caruso, but, of all the years I've been eating there, I've never heard any of Caruso's music played and have never seen a picture or poster of him there. In any event, it wound up with just my wife, I and our youngest for dinner, as our 2 older sons were busy with schoolwork (or so they claimed).

I forgot to bring my camera (so I just used my phone's camera) and a bottle of wine. I had my usual apéritif of Campari Soda and my wife a Green Apple Martini as we browsed through the menu, but wound up ordering the usual dishes, and I ordered a bottle of Italian white off the wine list.

Pizza Napoletana and a platter of Antipasti Misti. My wife and I also split an Arugula Salad which I forgot to take a photo of.

Wanting to eat relatively light, I treated my pasta course as my main course: Spaghetti allo Scoglio. This didn't used to be on the menu a few years ago, but the ever-present and accommodating proprietor-manager, Dario Gardini, would have it made for me back then.

My wife and youngest shared an order of the Veal Como (i.e., a simple breaded veal dish common in Lombardy) with Roasted Potatoes and a platter of Risotto allo Zafferano (a Milanese preparation of creamy saffron risotto).

With all these, my wife and I shared a bottle of...

2008 Luca Abrate Roero Arneis Vigna Tabaria - It was a very pleasant surprise to see a Roero Arneis on a local wine list. I've liked this arneis (a.k.a., nebbiolo blanco) based white wine from hilly Roero vineyards in Piedmont ever since I first tried it almost a year ago, during one of the Stockbroker's Barolo lunches in Pepato - a 2005 Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis it was.

The subject wine was younger, somewhat less complex, but very fresh and very good. A single vineyard bottling (Vigna Tabaria), this was crisp, precise, quite dry and very clean in its vibrant white peach, citrus, hint of lime, flavors and underlying bitterish-almond, cold-stone, cold steel and limestone nuances. Broad mid-palate, a shade under medium-bodied, citrus, lime and slight calamansi (i.e., a small local citrus fruit) trail in the moderately long finish. Acidity is adequate and the balance is good enough.

I liked it a lot and so did my wife. Its slight almond-bitterness ran well with the arugula salad, and its dry, minerally/steely fruit cleansed and refreshed the palate between bites of the pizza Napolitana and my spaghetti allo scoglio. My wife found it merely acceptable with the veal and risotto though.

At P1900/bottle at the restaurant, its a very good deal for me as I favor this type of wine. I'd imagine, though, it takes a somewhat mature palate to appreciate this as it is no tutti-frutti kind of wine.

Dessert was, again as usual, Panna Cotta, followed by double espressos and a shot of Sambuca as a digestif (the latter 2 items compliments of Dario). Surprisingly, the little one skipped dessert. He must have been too full and promptly fell asleep in the car as the 3 tenors serenaded us on the way home. I like evenings like this.

Chinese Hot Pot Dinner @ The Hot Pot House (HK).

Wednesday night was particularly chilly in HK. Good thing Ron chose his favorite Chinese Hot Pot restaurant near his new apartment: Hot Pot House (what else?) at #2543 1/F Diamond Court, 10-12 Hillwood Rd., TST, Tel. 526 100 3366 (call for reservations way ahead as it gets jam-packed most every night). Hot Pot is a typical dinner here during winter season.

I prepared to eat a lot for this, having a full breakfast at the hotel but skipping lunch. I had a light(ish) snack of wanton noodle soup and dim sum though at the Canton Deli of Harbor Plaza Mall - but just enough to stave off too much hunger.

Mich & Ron know this restaurant well, obviously, and the waitstaff as well, so they did all the ordering. First off, a set of various condiments were placed on the table (photo above) so that we may create our own dipping sauce(s).

Two kinds of cooking broth were set before us: the "special broth" (on the left half of the communal pot, flavored by many chicken feet) and the other one tasted a little like saté. Crisped fish skins are in the foreground, for dipping in either broth for 3-4 seconds at most. Behind are a bowl of a special fish batter and a basket of assorted mushrooms (enoki, large buttons, shiitake and trumpet as I recall).

Assorted balls of beef, pork, shrimp, squid, etc....

It does tend to get a bit steamy in there.

Thin slices of very tender local beef which Ron and I "cooked" in the pot for only 3-4 seconds each. Our wives cooked theirs longer.

The special fish batter was expertly mixed at table by a member of the staff (very efficient I must say and they speak English quite well too so ordering is no problem for the gwai-lo), then sliced into strips (using chopsticks) and dropped lightly in the broths where they formed soft, lightly chewy fish curls.

There were also some slices of fresh fish that Mich portioned off between the two broths. Come to think of it, it was the very first time I ever saw my sis-in-law come remotely close to cooking anything - and I've known her for decades.

Ron, though, is an old and practised hand in the kitchen.

A paste of fish batter was then forcefully extruded into the now very hot broths which quickly formed savory noodles.

Throughout this entire time, Ron was pouring, and we were slugging down, large bottles of Tsing Tao and, in addition, a bottle of...

2007 Domaine Weinbach Cuvée Théo Riesling - Ron's bottle. I'm quite familiar with the Fallers' wines and know that the fruit of this cuvée comes from the enclosed vineyards surrounding the Kaysersberg manor (i.e., the Clos des Capucins). Lush, vibrantly ripe pear, lemon, citrus, hints of white peach and faint lime with a tingling minerality. Notably hefty for a non-grand cru climat, softly curvaceous, buxom and very stylish. It bears the feminine allure of most all the Weinbach wines I've had.

This was a wonderful winter meal. I look forward to coming back to this restaurant next January. We wound up a bit sloshed and wound our way back slowly, walking perhaps a bit unsteadily and laughing a bit too loudly in the chilly winter air. Loved it. Thanks Ron & Mich. See you soon.