A First for both Donum and Vinopolis Hong Kong…

As many of you read earlier, Vinopolis has been privileged to be the exclusive representative of Donum wines for the Hong Kong market. You may have also noted the various articles appearing in the media in the last few months. Last Tuesday (Apr/20) we had a Donum wine dinner at the Hong Kong Golf Club, with owner Allan Warburg and his wife Mei being the guests of honour. As Allan put it in his short speech, this wine dinner was the first ever such event outside of the US. It certainly was the first wine dinner organized by Vinopolis too. Response was so good that all seats got snapped up within 15 minutes of the release of the Golf Club circular, with a waiting list of more than 40 people soon developed!!!

The Golf Club venue is rustic, classy and very charming. Food was good and more than anything else, the five Donum wines served (the Blanc de Blancs, the Russian River Valley Estate Chardonnay and Pinot, the Anderson Valley Estate Pinot and the West Slope Reserve Pinot) were genuine highlights as participants finished an average of one bottle each person. It was overall a joyous occasion.

While the Blanc de Blancs is not yet for public sales, readers can buy the other four on our wine list:

2017 Russian River Valley Estate Chardonnay (JS95 at HK$580/bottle) – A warm vintage, resulting in a rich, intense chardonnay with a racy, focused finish. The complexity and the intensity of fruit leaves no doubt that this is a California Chardonnay, but there is minerality and savory characteristics as well, resulting in a more age-worthy wine.

2018 Russian River Valley Estate Pinot Noir (JS95 at HK$680/bottle) – From the warmest of all the Donum vineyards, this is the biggest, most powerful expressions of their Pinot. That said, the 2018 season was so beautiful as there are more floral and delicate red fruit notes than one would typically see. Along with the dark berry and cherry notes, this is a wonderfully complex wine, gracefully walking the line between power and finesse.

2018 Anderson Valley Estate Pinot Noir (JS93 at HK$680/bottle) – The beautiful 2018 growing season allowed the fruit to ripen at a slow pace, developing depth and purity. The soil of the vineyard is rich in iron, which imparts a unique flavour to the wine as it combines both the rich fruit characteristic and some of the earthy elements, resulting in a unique expression.

2016 West Slope Reserve Pinot Noir (JS95 at HK$1,000/bottle) – From the oldest estate vines planted in 1990 on a western-facing slope overlooking a pond, the vines could capture maximum afternoon sun, and the result is a rich, intense wine and, because of the age of the vines, one with elegance, balance and no rough edges. There are notes of mushroom on top of red fruits, with depth seldom found in wines from the region.

So much for the wine dinner, here are a few of our recent additions you may find interesting:

2015 Le Macchiole Paleo (WA96 at HK$650/bottle) – Highly aromatic representation of Cabernet Franc by this famous producer from Tuscany, the wine offers a bouquet of roses with notes of red cherry, and the nuttiness just adds to make tasting it an incredible experience.

2012 Roberto Voerzio Barolo Brunate (WA96 at HK$1,300/bottle) – By one of the most accomplished estates in Piedmont of Italy, this is a stunning expression for a Barolo with layered complexity and finesse. You will recognize tar, cigar ash, grilled herb and cured leather on top of the abundant dark fruit. A classic in the making!!!

2010 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon Estate (RP95 at HK$950/bottle) - Age worthy Napa wine that impresses with length and class, this one having finesse and precision rather than out-and-out power. There is a flavour consisting of red cherries, pencil shavings and violet, ending with a layered and super refined finish.

Thank you for reading as we would also encourage you to browse our website www.vinopolis.com.hk to view our full wine list. Purchases can be made through the website or by sending us an e-mail or simply WhatsApp 9195-7383. Your support is really appreciated.