Lunch with Paul at the Asia Grand restaurant in Singapore - had heard lots about this restaurant, but this was my first meal there in several trips to Singapore. Paul & I focused on the dim sum and had a nice array ranging from the standard (steamed BBQ pork buns & xiao long bao (minced pork soup dumplings)) to some more exotic (at least for me) fare, with the goose liver dumplings and the bacon-wrapped dumplings with chicken & mushroom standing out. A fantastic lunch with a couple of really lovely wines.
2007 Jemrose Cardiac Hill Syrah (Bennett Valley, California)
Starts out a little tight, showing a core of olives, plums and dark berried fruit, and with some air it really opens out as peppery spice, violets and meaty accents emerge. There's a sense of real brightness and purity to the flavours, with refreshing acidity beneath the fruit and firm tannins on the back end that suggest this has plenty of time ahead. Lovely right now, but it's still very primary and I suspect this will be even more enjoyable after a few years.
1961 Talijancich Julian James Reserve (Swan Valley, Western Australia)
Hard to put this one into words. This is something really special. Unbelievable complexity - a range of flavours from sweet to savoury, with dark chocolate, figs, black cherries and other sweeter elements matched by refreshing herbal and saline notes that provide a nice counterpoint to the sweetness. It's very rich and intensely perfumed, and there's remarkable balance with bright acidity underneath giving it lift and all the elements combining into one seamless whole that just resonates on the tongue long after each sip. Thanks Paul!