2008 Eroica Riesling
The Eroica Riesling from Chateau Ste Michelle is named after Beethoven’s magnificent third symphony and it is as harmonious and elegant as its namesake. The 2008 edition offers an intense combination of pineapple and lemon-lime flavours and searing acid that integrates well with the fruit. The flavours linger like an echo of a virtuoso violin solo from a maestro, as the audience gasps waiting for more. It is an ideal summer wine and a drink that will captivate your palate. The relatively low alcohol and exuberant fruit flavours mean it could happily be enjoyed now. But the structure and calibre of the fruit suggest a wine that could be cellared for two decades. Large quantities of this riesling are made (27,000 cases) yet the partnership with Germany’s Dr Loosen ensures that exceptional quality is also maintained. Parker’s Wine Advocate has given every vintage of this wine at least 90 points. It retails for about HKD 270.

2010 Chateau Ste Michelle Columbia Valley chardonnay
The heat of summer means we change our drinking habits. It’s logical we should move from the reds of winter to the delightful whites that suit summer’s climate. Chateau Ste Michelle produces a chardonnay from a range of vineyards from the Columbia Valley in Washington State of the United States that would be an ideal summer tipple. This 2010 chardonnay has a desirable nose of ripe peaches and nectarines. In the mouth the wine tastes dry yet balanced, with ripe and zingy acids against a backdrop of bran and freshly baked bread. It’s a little like drinking a zingy lemon drink while working in a bakery. The aromas are captivating. The alcohol is a touch high at 14 per cent and the wine does not linger overly long in one’s mouth. But for the price this is an ideal wine to consume during a lazy summer weekend. The chardonnay retails for HKD 164.

Published in Wine+ magazine, May 2012, pages 10, 12, and 14.