Acker Hong Kong XIII: Friday the 13th

I went to the first session of the Acker auction tonight.  There wasn't anything I wanted at the start of the auction, so I kinda timed my arrival to the first lot I was interested in.  Amazingly, I sat down at the table exactly 2 lots before I needed to raise my paddle.

Before long I moved to join a friend along with my new best friend George.  We collectively marveled at the looney prices people were willing to pay, especially for old wine, and any old wine at that.  The old wines weren't even from good vintages and somehow managed to hit stratospheric prices.  Guys, when Gil stands on the podium and tells you that these wines are "rare", he's only doing his job to make sure all the wines are sold.  And there's a reason why the wines are "rare"... it wasn't a good and collectible vintage so almost all of it was drunk within the first few years of release!

As usual, I was outbid on most of the lots where I raised my paddle.  But there were 2 lots I was determined to get, and at the end I walked away with 2 lots of birth vintage Egon Müller's Riesling from the famed Scharzhofberger vineyard.  Very, very happy about that.

The pace was still slow, although some guys were clearly loading up for the coming year as they took whole parcel lots.  Gil continued, in the words of a friend, to "love the sound of his own voice" and tried to work the cheap lots.  The leng mos (靚模) were still here, and I recognized the mainland hooker lookalike I saw last time.

But I got to drink some good wines, since I was seated at a reserved table.

2008 Vogüé Bonnes Mares - minty, herbs, potpourri, light sweetness that is almost like caramel, game meats. Very light-bodied and not much tannins at first, but gained weight with time.  The woman who poured me the wine told me I was drinking "Vogüé Musigny Bonnes Mares"...  I guess Acker has different criteria for hiring staff...

2007 Coche-Dury Meursault - tell-tale nose with lots of toast, minerals, corn and lemon. Good acidity, but the wine was surprisingly light both in terms of color and body.

1986 Pichon-Lalande - ripe fruits, smoke, forest, mushrooms, mint and black olives. Lovely wine.

2005 Jadot Chapelle-Chambertin en jeroboam - fruity, sweet, caramel and mint. Body lighter than expected.

1999 DRC Romanée-Saint-Vivant - very floral, sweet with black fruits. A lovely wine.

2000 Guigal La Landonne - smoky, grilled meats, sweet fruit and toast.

Amazingly, it was only 10pm when we finished the session.  We adjourned to the Lobster Bar for drinks, and found a bargain from the wine list.

2004 Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Bèze - gamey, love nose of red fruits, sweet, pure and fresh. Still a little alcoholic. Second pour showed more concentration and fuller body.