Wines from last night's Chaine des Rotisseurs dinner at the new Flame restaurant at Discovery Primea.
Chapoutier Crozes Hermitage Blanc Petite Ruche 2013 - Mostly unripe pineapple on the nose and palate. Lean, dry and minerally with moderate length. Not too interesting alone, but reasonably good with the crab and apple salad. 100% Marsanne.
Domaine de la Janasse Cotes du Rhone Rose 2014 - Old rose color. Lovely perfume of ripe strawberry. Dried red berries with a meaty edge to it as it airs. The strawberry really come to the fore on the palate. Good length. Very charming and a crowd favorite; with several guests requesting to buy a couple of bottles. Good match with the prawns dusted with ancho chili-cardamom in a "bouillabaisse." 50% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, 10% each Syrah and Counoise.
Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape 2010 - Dense, ripe blue and black berries. Touch of earth and leather. Meat, bittersweet chocolate, mint, dried herb. Very complex, powerful tannins. Juicy and full-bodied. Sweet spice. Good length. WOTN for many, and a slam-dunk for the duck breast with spice honey glaze.
Guigal Hermitage 2007 - A bit of sulfur on the nose that persisted despite decanting. Still tannic. Dried herbs and slightly overripe black fruit. Some oak notes. Peppery syrah. Elegant but a bit of a letdown following the more powerful Beaucastel. Still, a good wine and appropriate with the braised short ribs.
Gabriel Meffre Laurus Muscat Beaumes de Venise 2014 - Floral fragrance. Lightish weight, orange, bitter orange marmalade, candied citrus peel, smoke and honey. Another favorite at our table and a no-brainer for the excellent cheese course of Textures of Quezo de Bola after Massimo Bottura. Quezo de Bola is Gouda cheese specially made for the Philippine market. It has a higher salt content and was developed in the late 19th century to withstand the long voyage from Europe to the Philippines. It's still very popular here, especially during the Christmas season.