We didn't intend for it to be a two-bottle day, but that's how our staycation ended.
We had another beautiful day on Sunday, so having armed ourselves with nibbles and reading material, we headed to the patio in our garden with the last bottle of champagne that we bought at The Winery. This was a 1996 Cuvee de Chardonnay Champagne Saint-Chamant made by Christian Coquillette.
This was a nice champagne, with honey and toast flavours that accompanied our meat-and-cheese-based tapas very well. While we didn't have any problem finishing the bottle, we were surprised that we weren't more excited about what should have been a great wine from a good year. Like the bottle we had drunk the day before, it was all quite nice, but not very memorable.
So we pulled out the big guns to go with our dessert (apple pie for my husband, chocolate truffles for me) - the bottle of Egly-Ouriet Grand Cru V.P. that we had bought at Lea and Sandeman on Friday. This is a pinot noir blend that the maker leaves on the yeast for an extra-long period of time - making what is already a 'big' champagne even bigger.
We love Egly-Ouriet as a producer, having visited the vineyards many years ago on the recommendation of a friend and before Robert Parker got so excited about their champagne. The V.P. had everything we love about this producer and more - a crisp acidity with a hint of tarragon on the nose and a slight grapefuit flavour but absolutely no sourness or bitterness. This wine has an enormous flavour but an incredible dryness that makes you want to keep drinking. And, on top of everything else, good bubbles.
With Robert Parker's fandom, the prices of this champagne have gone up since we first tried it - but, it's also easier to find in the UK and other parts of the world now. It's worth every penny, and was the perfect way to finish off our staycation.
Monday, 20 April 2009
Staycation 7
Saturday was a sunny, warm day so we decided to hang out in the garden and sip champagne while we enjoyed the nice weather. We were hopeful about the bottle we had - an extra brut grand cru from Barnaut that we had bought the day before at Lea and Sandeman.
We've bought some nice wines before at Lea and Sandeman, and had bought this particular bottle because they had told us it's their house champagne. Out of all of the champagne producers that they import, this is the wine that they think best reflects all that's good about champagne.
We were totally underwhelmed.
Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about this champagne, it's perfectly drinkable. But it's supposedly a pinot noir blend, yet it had no distinct characteristics about it - I've had blanc de blancs with more unique flavours. We were having a hard time finding any words to describe it, other than that it's 'champagne-y'. For all of the bottles we've drunk at this price point, this is decidedly the least impressive, and to be honest, for the £23 we spent, I'd rather have a couple of bottles of cheaper but more interesting wine.
Thankfully the other bottle of champagne that we bought at Lea and Sandeman is from a producer we've bought before and love - we know that won't disappoint!
We've bought some nice wines before at Lea and Sandeman, and had bought this particular bottle because they had told us it's their house champagne. Out of all of the champagne producers that they import, this is the wine that they think best reflects all that's good about champagne.
We were totally underwhelmed.
Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about this champagne, it's perfectly drinkable. But it's supposedly a pinot noir blend, yet it had no distinct characteristics about it - I've had blanc de blancs with more unique flavours. We were having a hard time finding any words to describe it, other than that it's 'champagne-y'. For all of the bottles we've drunk at this price point, this is decidedly the least impressive, and to be honest, for the £23 we spent, I'd rather have a couple of bottles of cheaper but more interesting wine.
Thankfully the other bottle of champagne that we bought at Lea and Sandeman is from a producer we've bought before and love - we know that won't disappoint!
Saturday, 18 April 2009
Staycation 6
Yesterday we tried our second German wine from The Winery - this one was a perlwine, a semi-sparkling riesling called Trossecco made by Rita and Rudolf Trossen. The Trossens make ecowines, which interested us, and we haven't seen or drunk many sparkling rieslings. Plus, this one had a crown cap, something that amuses us, even though I find the experience of opening the bottle not quite as exciting as popping a cork.
Even though this wine was labelled 'trocken' (dry), we knew the riesling grape would still have some sweetness to it, so we decided to serve the wine with food with Asian-influenced flavours - sesame-coated shrimp, coconut rice, and purple-sprouting broccoli tossed in chilli oil and ginger. The food and wine match was a huge success. The wine had softly-sweet citrus flavours to it, things like lychee and passionfruit and guava, yet still had the creamy roundness of a sparkling wine. The only thing it lacked was bubbles - I could see two or three on first pouring, by the third sip my glass was entirely flat. But the flavour more than made up for it!
This was a fun experiment, and if you're keen on prosecco or cava, I would hunt this wine down and try it for something a little different.
Even though this wine was labelled 'trocken' (dry), we knew the riesling grape would still have some sweetness to it, so we decided to serve the wine with food with Asian-influenced flavours - sesame-coated shrimp, coconut rice, and purple-sprouting broccoli tossed in chilli oil and ginger. The food and wine match was a huge success. The wine had softly-sweet citrus flavours to it, things like lychee and passionfruit and guava, yet still had the creamy roundness of a sparkling wine. The only thing it lacked was bubbles - I could see two or three on first pouring, by the third sip my glass was entirely flat. But the flavour more than made up for it!
This was a fun experiment, and if you're keen on prosecco or cava, I would hunt this wine down and try it for something a little different.
Friday, 17 April 2009
Staycation 5
On Sunday, we went for a walk and for lunch in the neighborhood where we used to live in northwest London. While we were there, my husband, wise man that he is, suggested we stop into one of the wine stores, The Winery, that we used to frequent to see what their champagne selection was like. Smart move that paid off - it was fabulous!!
When we lived in the area, The Winery used to have a great selection of lots of kinds of wine - mostly from smaller producers. In recent years, they've started to specialise in German wines, but still have a good variety from small producers around the world. Their champagne and sparkling wine selection really reflected this - we walked out of the shop with three bottles - two German sparklers that we'd not encountered before and one vintage champagne from a small maker in France.
We opened one of the German wines last night - the sparkling brut from shelter winery. We had been told that this was a pinot noir-based wine made in a very French style, so we thought we would try it with our usual sparkling wine test-food, grilled steaks. The wine was a huge surprise, being very grapey, with good bubbles, and just a little bit of sweetness. It was wonderful with our steaks. That said, it was really, really horrible with the lime souffle I made for dessert - the sweet grapiness of the wine just didn't sit well with the sharp tartness of the souffle the way a blanc de blanc might have. Lesson learned, serve this one with some grilled meat rather than with a pudding.
My husband asked me today if I would buy this wine again. It was a good question - while I really enjoyed it, I don't know that this would be my house champagne, the kind of thing I could serve and drink day after day with almost any food or any occasion. But I would serve it to people who are interested in wine, particularly to test their ideas of what makes a great champagne/sparkling wine. Good bubbly is not something I particularly associate with Germany, but wines like this one quickly change that perception.
When we lived in the area, The Winery used to have a great selection of lots of kinds of wine - mostly from smaller producers. In recent years, they've started to specialise in German wines, but still have a good variety from small producers around the world. Their champagne and sparkling wine selection really reflected this - we walked out of the shop with three bottles - two German sparklers that we'd not encountered before and one vintage champagne from a small maker in France.
We opened one of the German wines last night - the sparkling brut from shelter winery. We had been told that this was a pinot noir-based wine made in a very French style, so we thought we would try it with our usual sparkling wine test-food, grilled steaks. The wine was a huge surprise, being very grapey, with good bubbles, and just a little bit of sweetness. It was wonderful with our steaks. That said, it was really, really horrible with the lime souffle I made for dessert - the sweet grapiness of the wine just didn't sit well with the sharp tartness of the souffle the way a blanc de blanc might have. Lesson learned, serve this one with some grilled meat rather than with a pudding.
My husband asked me today if I would buy this wine again. It was a good question - while I really enjoyed it, I don't know that this would be my house champagne, the kind of thing I could serve and drink day after day with almost any food or any occasion. But I would serve it to people who are interested in wine, particularly to test their ideas of what makes a great champagne/sparkling wine. Good bubbly is not something I particularly associate with Germany, but wines like this one quickly change that perception.
Staycation 4
We had a slightly lazy day on Wednesday - we had originally planned to head to Rye and visit some vineyards along the way, but our dog recently had surgery and didn't seem up for the trip. Instead, we stayed in the local area, and tried a new-to-us and very good restaurant for lunch, did some gardening, and took the dog for some short walks.
Since we were being a little lazy, we popped in a movie for the evening, and popped open a bottle of my Maison Lenique to sip along with some homemade apple pie that I made for my husband. No dud bottle this one, it was crisp, lovely, and dependable - exactly what a 'house champagne' should be.
I'm more than half-way through my case now - good thing my allotment for the year from 3D Wines should be delivered next month!!
Since we were being a little lazy, we popped in a movie for the evening, and popped open a bottle of my Maison Lenique to sip along with some homemade apple pie that I made for my husband. No dud bottle this one, it was crisp, lovely, and dependable - exactly what a 'house champagne' should be.
I'm more than half-way through my case now - good thing my allotment for the year from 3D Wines should be delivered next month!!
Monday, 13 April 2009
Staycation 3
Today we had some friends over for nibbles in the garden at lunchtime, and since three out of the four of us are from the US, we popped open an American bubbly - Quartet from the Roederer Estate. Along with our usual selection of meat and cheese, our friend made a warm, Indian-spiced potato salad, and we thought that the 70% chardonnay, 30% pinot noir blend of the wine would stand up to the flavours. We were right.
First, I have to say that my friend's potato salad was amazing - great bursts of flavour set against the creaminess of the potatoes, with a gentle heat from the chili that didn't overwhelm us. The wine was a great match, with big apple and pear fruit flavours balanced against a creamy yeastiness that lingered in my mouth. It was nice to find a sparkling wine that didn't shrink from a bit of spice.
It would be nice to see more American bubbles on the market here in the UK, as I've had several very good ones in the last few years. I don't understand why they're so hard to find here...
First, I have to say that my friend's potato salad was amazing - great bursts of flavour set against the creaminess of the potatoes, with a gentle heat from the chili that didn't overwhelm us. The wine was a great match, with big apple and pear fruit flavours balanced against a creamy yeastiness that lingered in my mouth. It was nice to find a sparkling wine that didn't shrink from a bit of spice.
It would be nice to see more American bubbles on the market here in the UK, as I've had several very good ones in the last few years. I don't understand why they're so hard to find here...
Staycation 2 - Happy Easter
Instead of celebrating Easter with the traditional chocolate eggs, my husband tracked down a bottle of 1998 Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs that we drank alongside a lemon polenta cake that I made.
We love the Billecart-Salmon rose, so I don't know why I was so surprised at how wonderful the blanc de blancs was. It had an intensely fruity nose, but an acidic yeastiness in its taste that was perfectly balanced. The finish had no bitterness whatsoever, and lasted for ages. And the best part for me - it had plenty of bubbles. It was perfect with the lemon cake, but I suspect this is another all-rounder that you could serve with any light or fresh-flavoured food. Or, one that you would thoroughly enjoy on its own!
We love the Billecart-Salmon rose, so I don't know why I was so surprised at how wonderful the blanc de blancs was. It had an intensely fruity nose, but an acidic yeastiness in its taste that was perfectly balanced. The finish had no bitterness whatsoever, and lasted for ages. And the best part for me - it had plenty of bubbles. It was perfect with the lemon cake, but I suspect this is another all-rounder that you could serve with any light or fresh-flavoured food. Or, one that you would thoroughly enjoy on its own!
Saturday, 11 April 2009
Staycation 1
My husband has a bit of holiday this week, but we're still tending to our sick cat (who has now survived for a second month!) so travelling is out of the question at the moment. We decided not to let this get us down - we're instead spending some of the money we would have used on flights and hotels on some nice food and even better bottles of bubbly.
Yesterday was our kick-off. We bought some incredibly fresh tuna steaks at Borough Market, which we rubbed with a paste of garlic, lemon zest, pepper, and olive oil and then grilled. These flavours seemed to deserve a new world bubbly, and we had a choice of an American or a New Zealand wine in the fridge, both bought for just less than £20. We went with New Zealand - the Pelorus NV from Cloudy Bay, a chardonnay/pinot noir blend.
We've drunk Pelorus before, and it's never disappointing. It has great bubbles and a strong, crisp-apple flavour which makes it stand up really well to a lot of different kinds of food. This was our first experience with the NV, and while we enjoyed it immensely with our tuna, we did find the finish just a little short and a little bitter, which has not been our experience with the vintage bottles we've drunk. While I would happily buy and drink Pelorus again, I think I would seek out the vintage rather than the NV in future.
Yesterday was our kick-off. We bought some incredibly fresh tuna steaks at Borough Market, which we rubbed with a paste of garlic, lemon zest, pepper, and olive oil and then grilled. These flavours seemed to deserve a new world bubbly, and we had a choice of an American or a New Zealand wine in the fridge, both bought for just less than £20. We went with New Zealand - the Pelorus NV from Cloudy Bay, a chardonnay/pinot noir blend.
We've drunk Pelorus before, and it's never disappointing. It has great bubbles and a strong, crisp-apple flavour which makes it stand up really well to a lot of different kinds of food. This was our first experience with the NV, and while we enjoyed it immensely with our tuna, we did find the finish just a little short and a little bitter, which has not been our experience with the vintage bottles we've drunk. While I would happily buy and drink Pelorus again, I think I would seek out the vintage rather than the NV in future.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)