What year are we into?

Best wishes for…wait a minute…is this the Year of the Rat or the Year of the Mouse? And what are the differences?

Biologically, they are of different species, Rattus for rat and Mus for mouse. A mature rat can have its body measured almost a foot long and weighing more than a pound while a mature mouse only has a 4-inch body weighing less than 2 ounces. They also look different and do not have the same preference of food (almost anything for rats and grains for mice). Behaviourally, rats tend to be cautious and mice more of the curious type.

It is safe to say rats not scoring high as one’s favourite animal. But thanks to Walt Disney for creating the adorable cartoon characters Mickey and Winnie…and William Hanna / Joseph Barbera for coming up with the clever and cunning Jerry (in Tom & Jerry), many have a different perception for the mouse. So for us at least, this year should be called the Year of the Mouse. And whatever you prefer, our best wishes to you!!!

Back to wines, and we want to highlight some of our more recent additions:

2008 Cos d’Estournel (WA95) at $930/bottle – Deep garnet coloured Bordeaux that is medium bodied with explosive nose of baked cherries, preserved plums, fine herbs, wood smoke, salami and tobacco leaf. The palate is very elegant.

2009 Haut-Bailly (RP100) at $1,500/bottle – From a Bordeaux vintage Robert Parker regarded as the best in his 37 years of tasting career, he gave this wine the perfect score. Need one say more? When we drank it…yes…it’s a great wine with an elegant medium to full body, the complex and extraordinary nose of black fruit, tobacco and lead pencil. But you couldn’t help feeling the potential of it getting better and better in the next 20 years. Strongly recommended.

2010 Saint-Pierre (RP97) at $620/bottle – From St-Julien of Bordeaux, this is a full bodied, powerful wine with a brilliant nose of blackberries, truffles and licorice. Only 6,000 cases produced.

2015 Pape Clement Blanc (WA95) at $980/bottle – Our favourite Bordeaux white made with 50/40 proportion of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon and it is the latter giving the wine a more “rounded” mouthfeel. Medium bodied with a good backbone, the intense citrus and stone fruit trail off a beautiful finish.

2012 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets (VN95) at $1,200/bottle – We seldom feature Burgundy wine as the good ones tend to be pricy and hard to find. But this red wine is an absolute stunner with its sweet red fruit and floral note, supported by fine tannins giving it energy. Just drop-dead gorgeous…

2015 Raymond Usseglio CNDP Cuvee Imperiale (WA95) at $400/bottle – From CNDP, the wine offers awesome black and blue fruits, violet, licorice and crushed rock in its full bodied, balanced, pure and elegant profile.

Please feel free to click www.vinopolis.com.hk to see our full wine list. You can make purchases through this online platform, send us an e-mail or even by WhatsApp to 9195-7383.