10th Jan 2010, HK: Victoria City Seafood & Yung Kee.

As mentioned in my previous post, my wife and I were in HK over this past week - not with the Alabang group this time as the trip was rather unexpected - unexpected because I won roundtrip tickets for two to HK (via Cathay Pacific) during Henry Hagedorn's birthday golf tournament/dinner (thanks again, Henry).

Historically, we go to HK during early-mid February (for the cool weather) or sometime in the middle of the year (for the sales); I believe this is the first time I was in HK during their "winter" season (I use quotes because it's not really that cold). The weather appeals to me, so I'll make it a point to start going in early January.

Anyway, my wife and I arrived on a Sunday around noonish - my sis-in-law and bilas, Mich and Ron, picked us up at the airport in their new car and were finished checking and settling in by a little past 1pm. Longtime friends Danny & Cecilia, together with little Vanessa (she's such a smart, cute little girl), took us all to a huge dim sum (and others) lunch at Victoria City Seafood Resaurant - the Gateway branch since we were staying in TST.

Danny & Cecilia (during the dinner they hosted for us at Yung Kee)

As usual, the xiao long bao was excellent (3 orders at least) and I really liked the crispy fried pigeon as well (unfortunately, I left my camera in the hotel). Danny ordered a ton of stuff, all of which could not fit in our table. Incredible. I knew he and Cecilia were taking us all out again for dinner that evening at another old favorite, Yung Kee, so, at first, I tried not to stuff myself - but, later, I figured "what the hell" and proceeded to pig out. After all, I had come prepared with a stash of Alka Seltzer.

Mich, Catha & Ron

So, on to dinner. Because we finished our huge lunch barely 4½ hours before, I begged Danny to go easy on the ordering. Hey, I'm no slouch at pigging out, but, for health reasons, I try to exercise some semblance of restraint (albeit grudgingly). Danny, ever considerate and the complete gentleman, understood and accommodated my request...in a manner of speaking.

Yung Kee's famous Thousand-Year-Old Eggs with Pickled Ginger on the side - Creamier and cleaner tasting than anywhere else. I never get tired of it. Simply the best I've had. Period.

With some Fresh Sliced Jellyfish, how can one go wrong?

Catha, Ron & I

Roast Suckling Pig - Be still my heart. I eat this dish often, but in controlled amounts. The dish itself is hard to resist, especially when it is particularly crisp and not-usually-as-fatty/oily as Yung Kee's rendition.

Yung Kee's Signature Roast Goose - What can I say? This is one of the dishes that made Yung Kee a dining landmark in HK, and I'm sure it had something to do with earning the restaurant its Michelin star a few years back. Juicy, tender, always a treat. You simply must.

Even Manny Pacquiao would be hard-pressed to deliver a one-two combination this good.

Danny did make concessions, though, make no mistake. We also had some nice, Sautéed Fried Garoupa on Chinese Broccoli...

...and some seasonal, healthy, guilt-supressing Dao Miu. Naturally, we had to have a few desserts as well - which we shared since we were already so stuffed.

Clockwise from left: Mango Pudding, a Black Herbal Jelly, and Sweet Red Bean Soup.

Whew! Thanks to Danny & Cecilia, we certainly hit the ground running on that first day. Two great meals with close, longtime friends and relatives. What more can one ask for? Many thanks again, guys, for the lunch and dinner, and, of course, sharing with us your precious company.

3 Michelin Star Rated Chinese Cuisine @ Lung King Heen

My wife and I were in Hong Kong for 5 days this week. Whenever there, I make it a point to enjoy Cantonese cuisine. Lung King Heen at the Four Seasons, as the first, and, to my knowledge, only (so far) Chinese cuisine restaurant to have garnered 3 Michelin stars, I simply had to try it out. Around a week ahead of time, my bilas, Ron, made our reservations for Tuesday, the 12th January 2010. We were only 4 for dinner with Mich & Ron, as Danny & Cecilia weren't available that night.

The restaurant's interiors are a study in understated elegance.

Ron arranged for a corner table with a view of the skyline.

All of us had the 9-course Chef's Tasting Dinner Menu, our copy of which was signed by Executive Chef Chan Yan Tak. Since the dishes were predominantly seafood, I chose just one thing off the wine list that would serve as a pairing for most all the dishes and as an apéritif as well, namely, a...

Philipponnat Champagne Brut Royale Réserve (Magnum) - I had the pleasure of meeting Charles Philipponnat at a Commandrie du Bontemps dinner in Hong Kong in May 2008. We were seated beside each other at the table of Château Lagrange and had an interesting discussion on the wine pairings - especially for the main course.

I am also quite familiar with his champagnes and knew that the subject bottling is predominantly pinot noir - thus, I figured it would have the creamy roundness, heft, depth and brightness, to pair with the dishes such as the sharks' fin, lobster and abalone, as well as the finesse for the vegetable dishes and the liveliness to be a good apéritif.

Ron & I

Ron & Catha

Amuse Bouche - I'm not sure what it was, but it tasted like an exceptionally clean hargaw with a very light, graceful soy/mirin or shaoising sauce.

Mich just passed her Hong Kong driving exam that same afternoon, so definitely, some nice bubbly was well in order.

Lung King Heen Combination (Barbecued Suckling Pig, Barbecued Pork with Honey and Roast Goose with Plum Sauce)

Braised Shark's Fin with Shredded Chicken and Bamboo Piths. The champagne went exceptionally well with this somewhat earthy-toned seafood dish in that the former gave a nice bright contrast and cut, yet had the roundness to execute the same in a subtle manner. Note that the sharks' fin used is the "retazo" type, not the "whole fin" type. I used to lke the retazo type well enough before - that is, until a few years ago when Oscar Ong introduced me to the whole fin type which is really an altogether transcendent dish. Still and all, this one was pretty darn good.

Sautéed Lobster in Creamy Sauce with Black Truffle. Lobster in a creamy sauce is always a no-brainer pairing for a good, creamy/slightly biscuity champagne, so the pairing was unsurprisingly natural.

Braised Abalone Cube with Star Garoupa Fillet in Supreme Oyster Sauce. The garoupa was good, but nothing special and the bok choy - well, it's just bok choy. The abalone was notably more tender and delicate in flavor than many other good Cantonese restaurants I frequent.

Wok-Fried Wagyu Beef Cubes with Japanese Green Pepper, Garlic and Black Pepper. The quality of the beef was absolutely impeccable: creamy, and impossibly tender and juicy (I likened it to a beef marshmallow) with no trace of any gristle or sinew. The peppers were sweetly fresh and accented by very gentle heat. Excellent dish. Like kobe beef, this beef taken in large amounts would be overwhelming and tiring to the palate - so the 3 sizeable chunks on the plate were fine (well, my wife gave me one of hers as well since she was already getting full).

Braised Seasonal Vegetables with Conpoy and Enoki Mushrooms. Good dish, nice, but nothing very extraordinary. Execution, though, was sterling - and I guess that was the whole point.

Fried Rice with Fresh Crab Meat, Mushrooms and Vegetables. Same goes with this one. I found it a little funny that a 3 Michelin starred restaurant's tasting menu would include a "filler dish" such as this.

The dessert of Crème Brûlée with Ginger was good but very ordinary to me. I ate half and ignored the rest, even forgetting to take a photo of it. The next course was much, much more interesting.

Petits Fours. The little pastries in the middle are like what we know as "hopia". I don't really eat hopia, but this was the best damn hopia I have ever eaten. What grabbed my attention, though, was the Osmanthus Jello Squares (specifically Osmanthus fragrans Lour. var. thunbergii Mak) . This was a thrilling dessert - like an ethereal floral-apricot-membrillo jello shot. Loved it.

A double espresso rounded off the evening nicely. In all, a great dinner. The service is absolutely brilliant - undoubtedly 3-star level- efficient yet unobtrusive, friendly but not familiar. They also have an impressive wine cellar with wines (save for the top-end Bordeaux and Burgundy names that wealthy label-drinkers prize and drive up the price of) surprisingly reasonably priced/marked-up, considering restaurants of this level.

Elbert's Chef's Burger & Wine.

Since fellow WLDG member, Mon Cabrera, will soon return to NYC, J-Lab called for a send-off wine lunch for him. This took place on Thursday, the 7th January 2010 at Elbert's Steak Room. We were only 5 in all, namely, J-Lab, Rene, Mon, Miguel & myself.

Rene went for the ordinary Elbert's Double-Patty Burger and J-Lab got the confit de canard, while Mon, Miguel and I had pre-ordered Elbert's Chef's Burger. As I understand, the Chef's Burger is made of hand-chopped steak shavings, foie gras and whatever else the chef feels like throwing in at the time - in our case, it was blue cheese.

Mon arranges the reds for a photo shoot.

Of course, we had several bottles of reds on deck of which J-Lab decided the order of service....

...and, with our salads...

Elbert's Green Salad, though very basic, is very good because they use high quality, fresh ingredients.

2007 Wagner Stempel Siefersheimer Riesling QbA Trocken Vom Porphyr -J-Lab's bottle, naturally. Unlike he, I have trockens (i.e., literally, "dry") every once in a while, most always in my dad's house (he pretty much avoids sweet wines of all kinds), and, with the right food (e.g., chili-garlic prawns, chili crab, etc.), I like them fine.

Light, clean, snappy, lightly spritzy, slightly honeyed lemon, bit of green apple and hints of white peach and underlying orange rind; with a crisp acidity, it does a cheerfully bright, fruity little dance on the tongue. It actually went nicely with the crisp salad greens and the sweetish Asian salad dressing.

I imagine the trocken would have gone pretty well with J-Lab's French Onion Soup too.

Confit de Canard

Elbert's Chef's Burger

Kainan na!!!

2008 Felton Road Block 3 Pinot Noir - Rene's bottle. This shows off sweetishly ripe, concentrated, moderately extracted, somewhat smokey cherry, kirsch, raspberry, bit of chocolate, hint of cinnamon on a body probably halfway between medium and full. Very hefty and moderately dense, but not as rich, thick and (at times overly) flamboyant as, say, pinot noirs such as those from Golden Eye (California, by Duckhorn) and Domaine Serene (Oregon) or as well-balanced as those of Tony Soter (Oregon) that I have tried.

Quite pleasant in a straightforward way, it went pretty well with the burger in a rich-on-rich manner.

1999 López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Reserva - My bottle, a gift from Rocky & Apple. No decanting, the bottle was just left open for around 45 minutes to an hour before I got to it. Silken, medium bodied, slightly leathery, confited dark red fruit, pinch of tobacco, whispers of ceps and anise. Notably firm yet approachable in structure. Subtle yet definitive, dignified and elegant. Remarkable balance and harmony in this. This is my type of wine. J-Lab liked it a lot too, and he's not been a big fan of López de Heredia's Viña Tondonia.

2000 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Riserva Gran Bussia - Mon's bottle. Though I had a few sips of this with my burger, I really got to it after I had finished eating. By then, it had been airing quite a bit in glass and decanter. Sturdier in structure, comparatively harder and sterner than the Tondonia (but, then, this is a Barolo after all, and younger as well), its olives, violets, slight old leather, cherry, strawberry wood notes are very focused, masculine.

There's no fooling around with this wine. Showed topnotes of balsamico, cedar and a bit of dried pine needles after a while; and, in the mouth, nuances of wet tea leaves towards the back and in the finish. Very, very nice. I wished I had more of the burger to go with this, as this is definitely a food wine. This is still very young and has a long evolution ahead of it. I'd say its future looks very good indeed.

1983 E. Guigal Côte Rôtie Brune et Blonde - Mon's bottle; the oldest Guigal Brune et Blonde I've had by far. A mature, medium-bodied elixir of raspberry, cherry and underlying mildly cedar-infused blackcurrant, merest suggestion of black pepper in the underlying blackcurrant (but on the palate, not in the nose), cedar. Hints of wet tea leaves play with raspberry and cedar in the finish. I liked this too. Drink up now and soonest.

Elbert checked in on us and explained that the Chef's Burger is a case-to-case inspiration.

Bodegas González-Byass Apostoles Palo Cortado Muy Viejo 30 Anos VORS - J-Lab's bottle. What a bouquet; I found it both stunning and alluring it is difficult now to describe - think wild honey, orange peel, orange blossom essence, nuts, dried apricots, caramel, vanilla - sweetly complex, spell-binding. I loved this and will get some for my wife to try. Such was my fascination with this that I completely ignored the attractive array of deserts we were served.

Bon voyage, Mon. Have a safe trip! Thanks, everyone for sharing your wines and company. Great lunch!

Three Burg Afternoon.

Wednesday late afternoon, 6th January 2009, was at the Stockbroker's new wine keep - a new venture of his and some friends providing secure, discreet and proper wine storage facilities for discriminating collectors. His personal locker was crammed with no less than 4000 premium bottles. We were 4 that day - the Stockbroker, Bernie, Keiichi and myself - for a few drinks before our respective dinners.

The Stockbroker & Bernie checking out some aged Burgundies.

Sauternes anyone?

Some large formats from Napa, Piedmonte, etc.

A 6-liter 1998 Château de Valandraud waiting for his 50th birthday.

¡Ole! 1981 Vega Sicilia Único

While waiting for Keiichi, we started off with a bottle of...

2000 Domaine Jean Noël Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet Maltroie Premier Cru - The Stockbroker's bottle. I mistakenly told him I had tried the '00s of Gagnard's Morgeots - after re-checking my old notes, I found out it was actually some bottles of the '97 Domaine J-N Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot that I purchased a few years ago when I was visiting my sis in Indiana (from Kahn's Fine Wine in Indianapolis). I must have mixed it up with the batch of '00 Domaine Blain-Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot I got a while back (nb: Blain-Gagnard was formed by Jean Noël Gagnard's direct niece, Claudine Gagnard, upon her marriage to Jean Marc Blain, a member of Burgundy's Delagrange family).

I don't really have much experience with the Maltroie climat, I've had a few and know the vineyards are situated just east of center of Chassagne-Montrachet. In any event, the subject wine, after a few minutes airing in glass, showed dense, rich, open, biscuity and floral scents over baked apple, pear, baking spice and beurre noisette - there was a hint of, for lack of a better term, "model airplane glue" as well (a scent that always reminds me of the 2001 Guigal Ex-Voto Blanc, for some reaon).

More focused, compact and well-structured on the palate, it, initially, had a generous and flambuoyant middle laced with moderate toasty, leesy, vanilla notes with citrus notes emerging past mid-mouth. Within around 30-45 minutes, the citrus/lemon/slight lime seemed to take over the middle, which had become leaner and more sharply focused - its white minerality coming to the fore. Nice enough as a primer for the reds, and a good foil for the triple-creamy and gamey chèvre.

In the meantime, Keiichi had arrived and the reds had started pouring.

1997 Domaine Georges Roumier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras - I was discussing with Bernie how I've found '97 red Burgundies generally more approachable earlier than '96s (no big news, I know) when we started trying this - citing, as an example, the '97 Jean Jacques Confuron Clos Vougeot. The subject wine, though, to me showed the most youthfully of the '97 red Burgs I've had in recent memory. Pine needles, violets, sappy fruit - fresh strawberry over raspberry over cherry with dark spices surfacing after around 20-30 minutes. Good focus, the Burgundy decay is showing signs of developing, but it's not really "there" yet. Medium-bodied, light-footed, very correct and proper. Nice.

There seemed to be a slight gaminess at the finish, but that was most probably the effects of the chèvre. I believe this is still quite young and will almost certainly gain in depth and complexity within, say, 5-7 more years - and with the ideal temperature/conditions of this keep, this wine should have no problem ageing gracefully.

Bernie Sim

"Leave me here and just come back for me tomorrow!"

1990 Domain Méo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanée Les Chaumes - Bernie's bottle. I actually strolled by these vineyards a few times where my wife snapped a photo of me beside the vineyard sign (one of the more highly-regarded climats in this area). Virtually right off the bat, the bouquet displayed damp earthy, mushroomy notes intertwined with old, decayed violets and slight compost (in a good way) over slightly dark Chinese spiced, ripe, molten black cherry, kirsch, raspberry, damson, vague suggestions of underlying chocolate and hoisin.

Soft and comparatively lush on the palate, this was evidently/inherently heftier and riper than the previous wine (not surprising as Chambolle-Musigny wines are known more for lighter, feminine grace , with Bonnes Mares, which borders Morey St-Denis, being a generally recognized exception), deep, complex and beautifully layered. Though this is quite mature, I think this has many more years in it. Memorable wine.

With afternoon wines like these, who would really need dinner?

Thanks for sharing your bottles, my friends. Much appreciated.

My Favorite/Go-To Locally Available Wines for 2009.

I posted a similar list last year, so I figured I'd make this an annual thing for whatever it may be worth to others. This list includes my locally available favorites, those I consider particularly good value-for-money, and/or those I bought often over the year past. I have had each and every one of these wines at least once (mostly many times).

While I am friends with some local wine distributors, I have no personal interest of any sort in the wine or wine-related business other than being a customer and occasionally contributing wine and food related articles to local magazines. Rest assured that, despite my friendships, I am more than capable of independent thought/assessment (such independence of mind and assessment having resulted in my becoming "dis-invited" to certain wine diners/events, and that's absolutely fine with me).

White Wine:

Under P1000/bottle:

2008 Laxas Albariño - Rías Baixas, Galicia, Spain; from Terry Selection, inexpensive (P750/bottle), excellent with fresh seafood (I love it with boquerónes, escalivadas, almejas, etc.), a regional/traditional Galician pairing. Currently out of stock, but I understand that they've re-ordered. It will, most likely, be a new vintage though.

2007 Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Blanco - Rioja, Spain; from Terry Selection, inexpensive, great as an apéritif (try it with toasted almonds, gambas al ajillo, spicy gulas, almejas, etc.) and seafood.

P1000-P2000/bottle:

2005 Domaine Plante d'Or Cour Cheverny Cuvée Salamandre - Cour Cheverny, the Loire, France; from Sommelier Selection, inexpensive (appx. P1110/bottle). This is an aficionado's wine. It's different, particular and may not be for everybody, but I and J-Lab find this really, really good. Excellent value for money as well.

2007 Dr. Loosen Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Kabinett - Bernkastel, Mosel, Germany; from Wine Depot, appx. P1400/bottle. Recommendable light, off-dry, minerally German riesling. Great as an apéritif.

2006/2007 Laurent Tribut Chablis - Chablis, Burgundy, France; from Sommelier Selection, P1585/bottle. Excellent, old-school, traditional maker of pure, minerally, steely, flinty, oyster shell Chablis. Those who appreciate traditional Chablis (like I do) will surely like this.

2006 Bott-Geyl Riesling Les Éléments - Beblenheim, Alsace, France; from Sommelier Selection, moderately priced (appx. P1700/bottle). Drinking very, very well.

2007 Bott-Geyl Gewürztraminer Les Éléments - Beblenheim, Alsace, France; from Sommelier Selection, moderately priced (appx. p1700/bottle). Excellent, crowd-pleaser gewürz. Pair with foie gras terrine, apple tart, tart Tatin.

2007 Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese - Wehlen, Mosel, Germany; from Wine Depot, appx. P1900/bottle. Good stuff, very nice with foie gras.

2001 Léon Beyer Gewürztraminer Reserve - Eguisheim, Alsace, France; from Bacchus, moderately priced (P2000/bottle). Another notable good locally available gewürz I buy repeatedly.

Over P2000/bottle:

2007 Laurent Tribut Chablis Premier Cru Côte de Léchet - Chablis, France; from Sommelier Selection, P2110/bottle. A premier cru Chablis from an excellent/traditional maker. This is a steal at this price.

2006 Saintsbury Brown Ranch Estate Bottled Carneros Chardonnay - Napa Valley, California, USA; from Premium Wine Exchange, P2400/bottle. My wife favors good Napa chardonnay, so I make sure to keep a stock of this at home.

2005 Bott-Geyl Pinot Gris Sonnenglanz (Grand Cru) - Beblenheim, Alsace, France; from Sommelier Selection, P2865/bottle. Beautiful stuff, excellent paired with Peking duck.

Rosé/Rosado:

2007/2008 Bodegas Marco Real Homenaje Rosado - Navarra, Spain; from Terry Selection, now back in stock for appx. P450/bottle. It's a steal of a rosado. You can back up the truck on this one.

2007 Bodegas Protos Rosado - Ribera del Duero, Spain; from Terry Selection. I can't remember the price, but, in my experience, there is no such thing as an expensive Spanish rosado. It is probably around P600-P700/bottle, or less - in any event, it is a song for this more serious rosado.

2008 Tempier Bandol Rosé - Bandol, Provençe, France; from Sommelier Selection, at P2160/bottle it is expensive for a rosé, but, in the big picture, a very small price to pay for the best rosé in the world. Extremely versatile, it can be an apéritif, superb with escargots à la Bourguignonne and couscous, and can easily pair with certain pasta dishes, roast chicken, veal, roast lamb loin, etc.

Red Wine:

Below P2000/bottle:

1999 René Barbier Gran Reserva - Penedès, Spain; from ADP Industries, P1200/bottle. One will have to look very far and wide for an equally good and mature tinto gran reserva at this low a local price. I, personally, don't know any.

1999 Bodegas Olarra Cerro Añon Rioja Gran Reserva - Rioja, Spain; from Terry Selection, appx. P1880/bottle. I simply love this complex, graceful, traditional Riojan tinto and purchased the last remaining case a while back. Terry's now has the 2001 (a more well-renowned vintage for Spain) available at the same price.

2001 Mayor de Ondarre Rioja Reserva - Rioja, Spain; from Terry Selection, just under P1900/bottle if memory serves. Another good Rioja and from a heralded Spanish vintage, all at a great price. More of a masculine style compared to the Cerro Añon Gran Reserva. I'd serve it with roast meats and game. I recall Keiichi favors this wine.

P2000/bottle and up:

2001 Michel Chiarlo Barbera d'Asti Nizze La Court & 2001 Michel Chiarlo Barbaresco - Piedmonte, Italy/; both from Bacchus, appx. P2300/bottle and P2000/bottle, respectively. Together, the 2 best deals on good, moderately-priced Piedmontese wines in Manila (in my humble opinion).

2005 Tablas Creek Vineyard Esprit de Beaucastel - Paso Robles, California, USA; from Premium Wine Exchange, P2375/bottle. An admirable and faithful rendition of the famed Château de Beaucastel's Châteauneuf du Pape (there is a relation between the wineries) at a very reasonable price. I've been to Paso Robles and tasted many wines there, and this is surely the best one I've had from that area.

2006 Domaine des Sénéchaux Châteauneuf-du-Pape - Châteauneuf du Pape, Southern Rhône, France; from Bacchus, P2600/bottle. From the stable of wineries of Château Lynch Bages' J-M Cazes. Probably my favorite locally available CdP, and it is very well-priced to boot.

1996 Château de Fieuzal - Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux, France; from Säntis, appx. P3400/bottle. I have yet to encounter a better, mature, locally-available Bordeaux rouge in Manila under P3500/bottle.

1999 Louis Jadot Corton-Pougets Grand Cru - Aloxe-Corton, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France; from Bacchus, appx. P4750/bottle. I really like this one, and it is a good price for what one gets (nb: Corton-Pougets yields probably the most graceful wines from the grand cru Corton - the only rouge grand cru vineyards of the Côte de Beaune).

2003/2006 Alvaro Palacios Moncerbal - Bierzo, Spain; from Terry Selection, over P6000/bottle. Expensive, but it is an absolutely stunning rendition of the mencia grape. Graceful and complex, this is an aficionado's wine.

Bubbly:

Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut NV - Champagne, France; from Forth & Tay, appx. P1800/bottle. At its price, probably the best deal for non-vintage Champagne in the country.

Billecart Salmon Champagne Brut Réserve NV - Champagne, France; from Bacchus, appx. P3400/bottle. My favorite locally available non-vintage Champagne.

Freixenet Reserva Real Cava - Cava D.O., Spain; from ADP Industries, P4000/bottle full retail. May seem pricey for a cava, but this includes a special blend of vintage cavas, and the difference from ordinary cavas is very apparent. I and some friends consider this the best cava we have ever had.

Billecart Salmon Champagne Rosé NV - Champagne France; from Bacchus, appx. P4200/bottle more-or-less. My favorite for locally available non-vintage rosé Champagne.

2000 Champagne Jacquesson Avize Grand Cru - Champagne, France; from Premium Wine Exchange, P4700/bottle full retail. At its price and quality, this, to my mind, is the best deal for locally available vintage Blanc de Blancs (100% chardonnay) Champagne.