The Olympics…our few words

After Leon Marchand, Sun Yingsha and five others blew out the Olympic flames, and Mayor Anne Hidalgo being handed the Olympic flag as Los Angeles will be the next hosting city, the Paris Games officially ended. Like many of us, yours truly enjoyed tremendously watching the various events during the past two weeks, perhaps now with some relief too that finally there can be better sleep at night. The Olympics, arguably being the biggest sports spectacle, is not without uncertainties ahead though.

Two participants in women boxing this time caused big controversies. There was a time when athletes literally had to take off all their clothes to prove they belonged to one sex or the other. Those days are long gone but with the World recently having such a strong sentiment for inclusiveness, what may be an appropriate definition for gender? Are we to set up a third category of competitions for those who do not want to identify themselves as male nor female? And how would that impact the resources required by the host city?

And then there is this whole issue of performance-enhancing drugs and the related testing protocol. Our humble opinion is that:

1. Now that sports is big business, there is always the temptation to try to come up with performance-enhancing substances not covered by the banned list and/or “masking” drugs.  Sports authorities need to be vigilant in this cat-and-mouse game.

   
   

2. Like all criminal cases, the person is not guilty until proven otherwise. Athletes must not be adjudged to take illegal drugs just because they achieve extraordinary performances. Afterall, nobody said so when Bob Beaman jumped 8.9M, breaking the then World record by more than half a metre. The same was the case when Florence Griffith Joyner broke the 100M dash World record by 0.25 second. Having said the above, one must remember Lance Armstrong unabashedly responded to skeptics that he “passed every drug test”, which brings back to our point 1.

   
   

3. All tests must be carried out in accordance with the established protocol and with transparency. The Aug/07 Reuters story on violation by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) is alarming and it is interesting to continue to monitor its further developments as things unfold.

Russia and Belarus were banned from participating the Paris Olympics and with the next one to be held in Los Angeles, how big a chance will they be re-admitted? Politics is complicated. Yours truly may be naïve to hope that people will always remember the original ideology of Olympism to be human perfection and human brotherhood. After all even the British and German soldiers felt it a good thing to have a football game on 1914 Christmas day during WW1.

Enough on the Olympics and now back to wines for which we want to list out some of our latest additions:   

2008 Delamotte Blanc de Blancs (WA95 at HK$900/bottle) – The baby Salon as many affectionately call this…an excellent Champagne by the house with the same ownership as Salon at not even 10% of the price, one that completely can stand on its own merits too in terms of quality.

2015 M. Chapoutier Saint-Joseph les Granits Blanc (WA97 at HK$600/bottle) – Our favourite Rhone white and arguably the best ever to come out from this appellation. Made from 100% Marsanne, this sensational wine offers loads of minerality in addition to citrus blossom, buttered hazelnuts, toasted bread and orchard fruits. Complex with a very long finish…outstanding!!!

1995 L’Eglise Clinet (RP96 at HK$1,650/bottle) – From our favourite Pomerol estate and Robert Parker regarding this Bordeaux red as one of the vintage’s most awesome wines, it offers a concoction of black raspberries, cherries, kirsch, smoke and truffles. Full-bodied and rich, with profound levels of fruit, this is a dense, layered and multi-dimensional wine without heaviness.

2015 Smith Haut-Lafitte (WA97 at HK$920/bottle) – On top of the special black label to commemorate the estate’s 650th anniversary, this remarkable Bordeaux red has a totally dazzling nose of exotic spices over a core of chocolate-covered cherries, wild blueberries, plum preserves, violets and earthy wafts of truffles, moss and soil. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced and packing lots of flavour, it fills the mouth with multi layers of sensation and freshness, finishing with epic length. Already a show-stopper but should go on to age incredibly.  

2018 Lagrange (WA95 at HK$450/bottle) – Wines by Lagrange are always an excellent value proposition, and this one exploding from the glass with bombastic notes of crème de cassis, chocolate-covered cherries and baked red and black plums plus suggestions of rose oil, cedar and pencil lead.  Medium to full-bodied, the palate is vibrant and packed with juicy black fruits and a compelling tension on mineral notes.

2020 Henri Magnien Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru les Cazetiers (WA95 at HK$1,000/bottle) – This Burgundy red is brilliant, bursting from the glass with aromas of raspberries, plums, exotic spices and forest floor. Medium to fill-bodied, seamless, velvety and layered, with lively acids, beautifully ripe tannin and a long resonant finish.  This is a benchmark Cazetiers at a not crazy price.

2015 Pujanza Norte (WA95 at HK$450) – As it opens up in the glass, the wine develops good floral aromas and further complexities. It is powerful but not hard on the palate. The tannins are polished, and there is refreshing acidity that keeps it very balanced. A modern Rioja red that is quite accessible now and will further develop nicely in the bottle.

2016 Dominus Napanook (JS96 at HK$500/bottle) – We are re-stocking this popular Napa red, the second wine of the iconic Dominus which shares the same ownership with Ch. Petrus. A few swirls in the glass will reveal beautiful aromas of violets, truffles, lavender over a core of black berry fruits and plum plus hints of cedar chest, chocolate box and meat. The palate is medium to full-bodied and firmly textured, finishing with freshness and depth.

Thank you for reading. Please feel free to go to our website www.vinopolis.com.hk to browse the full wine list. Purchases can be made through the website or by sending us an e-mail or simply WhatsApp 9195-7383.