The best of Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Napa

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It was Dr Poon's turn to host his MNSC dinner, and we convened at the I Hate the Handover Hong Kong Club.  Unfortunately he chose to put us in the Jackson Room, so I was forbidden to take my bag or my camera up with me.  We were also forbidden to use the phone above the dining table, so there would be no pictures today...

I started with some homemade tagliolini, Bordier butter, chicken jus, and Grana Padano.  This came with some white truffle shavings on top.  Nice.

We also shared two different cuts of beef.  The USDA natural fed, hormone-free ribeye was beautifully fatty, with lovely charring on the outside.

The Kagoshima striploin was definitely more chewy on the edges with the tendon.

The Dungeness crab cakes came with a flower-shaped ratatouille on top, along with some piquillos.  It was delicious but the flavors were a little simple, as there wasn't much inside other than the crab meat, and not much spices were used.

Our host was his usual generous self, and we were treated to some real treasures tonight.

1993 Michel Niellon Chevalier-Montrachet - high acidity here but not too sharp.  Mature and very ripe on the nose, with toasty notes.

First flight: opened for 1 hour prior to serving.

1982 DRC Grands Echezeaux - beautiful and floral nose, fruity and elegant, with intense sweetness almost like honeydew.  Slightly less elegant after a few minutes in glass, but still great.  97 points.

1993 DRC Grands Echezeaux - more powerful with a much bigger nose of leather.  Stemmy and almost a bit stinky.  A hint of savory black olives, then a bit of green pepper.  95 points.

Second flight: opened 2 hours prior to serving.

1993 Lafleur - classic and smoky nose, with spicy green peppers.  Dry on the palate.  Very nice.  95 points.

1993 Screaming Eagle - rich and open, sweeter on the nose, with oaky notes and a hint of rubber and eucalyptus.  Sweet and ripe. A bit sharp and alcoholic, and some acidity on the palate.  98 points.

Third flight:

1937 Latour - opened 30 minutes before decanting and serving. 60 minutes after opening, showed a really minty nose, almost medicinal, savory, funky, and almost like fermented shrimp... with a hint of coffee? 93 points.

1949 Latour - opened 2½ hours prior to serving. So beautiful!  So smoky with cedar, oak, and tobacco notes.  Pretty sweet at first and showed a little higher acidity later.  97 points.

1959 Latour - opened 2½ hours prior to serving. Much leaner, greener, grassy, green pepper, smoky.  High acidity on the palate with some tannins.  93 points.