I'll Half That

I didn't realise it, but I ordered a half-bottle of champagne from The Sampler when I placed my order. The website did actually say it was a 375ml bottle, but I wasn't paying attention. It had caught my eye that they had a number of half-bottles on offer, which I really liked. It's a great way of trying new things without committing too much money (or paying for things you might not drink). But I was buying wines that were low dosage when I placed my order, rather than looking at the half-bottles. At some point, I'll go back and order more half-bottles intentionally.

When I unpacked this particular bottle, I immediately put it in the fridge thinking that it would be nice to have for some night when I was on my own. Wednesday was such a night, my husband was out and I was home by myself. I uncorked the half-bottle of La Chapelle Brut Audace as a small treat, sipping it while I watched The Apprentice. It's a predominantly pinot meunier champagne with a bit of pinot noir and chardonnay, something I usually like. This bottle was a bit different - it smelled of stewed apples with just a touch of dirty dishwater. It had lots of ripe orchard fruit flavours with a touch of shortbread biscuits, but not the crispness that I like and expect from a great champagne. In its favour, it had loads of bubbles, but that just wasn't enough to make me love this wine. It was fine, but it didn't 'wow' me, so my mistake in ordering just a half-bottle paid off!!