Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste (Pauillac) 2004

The origins of Grand-Puy-Lacoste, as well as that of its twin Grand-Puy-Ducasse, lie in a single estate that existed in the northern parts of the commune around Pauillac in the Middle Ages. The Grand Puy, puy being another of the seemingly endless litany of words which refer to a hill or mound, lies a few kilometres inland of the town of Pauillac. Dejean was a fairly wealthy landowner, buying and selling land; he owned the nearby Lynch-Bages as well as the vineyards on the Grand Puy. In 1750 he sold some of the latter vineyards to Pierre Ducasse, and common sense would suggest that this was the origin of Grand-Puy-Ducasse. What remained with the family, subsequently inherited by one of his daughters, was the origin of Grand-Puy-Lacoste.

The estate incorporated the Grand Puy, one of the many gravel croupes which are a feature of the Haut-Médoc, and which often provide the perfect terroir for Cabernet, and as a consequence they have an association with many of the greatest estates of the region. The vineyards now cover 55 hectares of the Pauillac commune, lying across two of the all important gravel croupes. The vines are predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon, accounting for 75%, the remainder Merlot, planted at a density of 10000 vines/ha, and with an average age of 40 years. As might be expected, harvest is manual, the fruit destemmed and then fermented in temperature-controlled stainless-steel where it remains for up to three weeks before going into oak for up to twenty months. Of this, up to 40% will be new wood each vintage.

The grand vin is Chateau Grand-Puy-Lacoste, of which there are up to 18000 cases per annum, and there is a second wine, Lacoste-Borie.

2004
A densely packed nose, full of sweet raspberry coulis, bright, vibrant and attractive. Nice flesh on the palate, with stony raspberry fruit and a little touch of greenness, well framed by the acidity. Good, slightly tarry tannins.

2009
Cabernet Sauvignon 80%, Merlot 18%, Cabernet Franc 2%. 70% new oak. Yield 44 hl/ha. Vibrant hue, cherry red core, and a bright pink-red rim. Dark and characterful fruit on the nose, full of Pauillac spice, with a crystalline tinge to the plum and cherry fruit. Beautiful texture on entry, it has the vibrant fruit of a cooler vintage than this, with a supple and elegant texture. Very well integrated and cottony-silky tannins, gently coating the mouth, together with lots of fresh acidity. Lovely fruit, but with fine structure for the future. Substantial finish with a good length.

Lotus - by the 800mm reflective lense

Lotus, is a plant in the Nelumbonaceae family. It is the national flower of India and Vietnam.

This plant is an aquatic perennial. Under favorable circumstances its seeds may remain viable for many years, with the oldest recorded lotus germination being from that of seeds 1300 years old recovered from a dry lakebed in northeastern China.

A common misconception is referring to the lotus as a waterlily (Nymphaea), an entirely different plant as can be seen from the center of the flower, which clearly lacks the structure that goes on to form the distinctive circular seed pod in the Nelumbo nucifera. Waterlilies come in various colors, whereas the lotus has flowers only in hues of pink, or white.
Source -- "Wikipedia"


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Cheung Chau Island- one week before the Bun Festival

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學問 ` 文章

世事洞明皆學問,
人情練達即文章.
- 曹雪芹

不讀

少不看水滸，老不看三國，男不看紅樓，女不看西廂。

少看不透三國，老看不重水滸，女不願看紅樓，男不要看西廂。

桃花庵歌

桃花塢裏桃花庵
桃花仙人種桃樹
又摘桃花換酒錢
酒醒只在花前坐
酒醉還來月下眠
半醒半醉日復日
花落花開年復年
但願老死花酒間
不願鞠躬車馬前
車塵馬足貴者趣
酒盞花枝貧者緣
若將富貴比貧者
一在平地一在天
別人笑我忒瘋顛
我笑他人看不穿
不見五陵豪傑墓
無花無酒鋤作田
-- 唐寅

Market Maker 莊家

收集(一)
打樁 - 低位收集

1. 低位徘徊 - 只要價格稍為升高, 便會發出沽盤直至掃清所有買盤.
2. 質價 - 然後開低幾個價位再將股價壓低直到目標價為止.
3. 收集貨源到一定數量以後便待相關公司的好消息流傳.

收成 / 派發
搭棚, 挾倉 - 買入假象

1. 利用不同經紀號碼, 在上下若干價位掛上買盤.
2. 通常只掛而不成交, 或是買賣相方都是關連公司.
3. 由於手上已持有一定數量的股票, 所以街外的貨源相當貧乏, 此時便可操控股價. 例如以少量多單方式跳價買入, 把股價以裂口跳升的形式炒高, 然後趁機派發.
4. 因此實質買入都是一般散戶

收集(二)
餘貨放售 - 震倉, 縮盤

1. 當股價已升到一定情度, 加上先前收集的存貨差不得完成派發, 便一次過把所有餘貨傾售. 甚或進一步壓低股價以便下次收集.
2. 震倉通常在收市前進行, 壞消息加上短時間內大量沽盤, 把收市價盡量壓低, 造成高開低收或倒跌收市的現象. 散戶或當天止蝕, 或第二天一早開市便沽貨離場.
3. 首先將大量的限價買盤放在買家欄內, 然後待足夠的散戶在沽盤欄內排隊時, 就突然取消所有先前掛入的限價盤. 散戶若心生害怕, 便會把原來售價調低, 此時買家便可以低價買入目標股票.

衍生市場
[嘜高 / 低]
為了要在衍生市場內賺錢, 便會刻意在現貨市場內[嘜高] 或 [嘜低] 現貨價, 營造出希望的升勢或跌勢.

Duluc de Branaire-Ducru 2004

Duluc de Branaire-Ducru (second label Branaire Ducru) 4th classified growth, named after one of the estate’s early owners.

The wine is smooth in the mouth and well balanced with chewy red fruit flavours and vanilla pod.

Chateau Branaire-Ducru, 50 hectares in all, planted with 74% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and just 4% Petit Verdot, with an average age approaching 40 years. The harvest is manual, and fermentation takes place in a modern, well-equipped cellar, funded by the Maroteaux administration. The must and embryonic wine is fed through the cellar by gravity rather than pump, to ferment in stainless steel, temperature-controlled, before up to two years in oak, 50% new each vintage. The wine undergoes an egg-white fining prior to being bottled unfiltered. The grand vin is Chateau Branaire-Ducru, 15000 cases, and there is a second wine, Chateau Duluc, named for the Duluc family, of which there are 7000 cases per annum.

Saint Julien
the smallest of the four famous appellations of the Haut Medoc, is known for highly extracted, finely structured, Cabernet-based reds. It is nestled between Pauillac to the north and Margaux to the south. Like St. Estephe, there are no first growths in this area. Leoville-las-Cases, Leoville Poyferre, Leoville Barton, Ducru Beaucaillou, and Gruard Larose are the second-growths of St. Julien followed by Lagrange which is the only third-growth. Beychevelle, Branaire Ducru, St. Pierre, and Talbot, which are all fourth-growth wines, round out the grand cru classe chateaux. In the last several vintages, wineries from this appellation have been out-performing their traditional rankings making many of the wines from this region some of the best values in red wine today.

Villa Maria Private Bin East Cost Gewürztraminer 2009

Gewürztraminer 2009
This wine was blended from fruit sourced in Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Auckland, Marlborough and Waipara.

Each vineyard was harvested separately, destemmed, crushed and chilled to 6⁰c upon entering the press. To aid flavour extraction, the skins and free-run juice were held for a skin contact period of two to four hours prior to being gently pressed. The resulting juice was cold settled then racked clean and inoculated with aromatic yeast strains. Cool fermentation techniques were employed to promote fruit aromatics and intensity. Ferments were tasted daily and stopped to retain some natural residual sugar, enhancing mouth-feel and richness. The wine was then blended, lightly fined, cold stabilised and filtered prior to bottling.

WINEMAKER’S COMMENT
This wine shows delicate and classic varietal aromas of rose petal, quince and ginger spice. The palate reveals similar flavours, delivered with a seamless texture and balance.

Other’s comment
Full of aromatic tropical fruit and perfect with Chinese or Thai dishes. It has a floral bouquet plus hints of honey and ginger and a flavour of lychees. The wine is medium bodied with moderate acidity and goes well with Oriental food or creamy Indian curries.

Gewürztraminer 2006
The 2006 vintage varied across the regions where the fruit for this wine was sourced. Auckland and Gisborne experienced a warm, dry and disease free vintage, whilst Hawkes Bay proved more challenging to viticulturists, with rain during March slowing ripening. Marlborough was the best of the four regions with exceptionally warm and dry conditions leading to an early vintage of ripe and intensely flavoured fruit.

AWARDS
Gold – New World Wine Awards, 2006
Silver – NZ International Wine Show, 2006
4 Stars – Winestate Magazine, Dec 2006
Blue Gold & Top 100 - Sydney International Wine Competition 2007

Link: Villa Maria

Château Moulin Riche 2005 -Saint Julien

Château Moulin Riche is the second wine of Château Léoville-Poyferré. " Bordeaux and Its Wines by Order of Merit", the reference book by Edouard Féret and Charles Cocks in 1850 give an account of Château Moulin Riche's primacy among the Cru Bourgeois vintages of Saint Julien. In 1932 Château Moulin Riche was classified as a Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel – the only wine out of the 11 Cru Bourgeois Saint Julien wines to be marked out as such.

The vineyard is made up of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon 28% Merlot 8% Petit Verdot 2% Cabernet Franc. The wines are concentrated, dense and powerful. They have smoky flavors of spiced black fruits and plum with a voluptuous finish, are tannic and age well. The addition of Petit Verdot to the blend of Château Moulin Riche since 1970 has helped to express the deep backbone of the wine.

Saint Julien
The Grand Vin Château Léoville Poyferré is a Second Growth (2ème Cru Classé) and lies in the appellation of Saint Julien. Saint Julien lies on two plateaus between Pauillac and Margaux on the left bank of the Gironde Estuary. It is divided into essentially 2 areas - the riverside estates around the village of Saint Julien and the southern estates around the village of Beychevelle where the area's Cru Bourgeois are also grouped.

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