I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but I've been so busy lately I have actually been drinking less champagne than I ordinarily would because I know I won't have time to blog about it and I hate seeing the bottles lined up on the counter waiting for their reports.
For the month of November (so far) I have three bottles to report on:
The first is a British sparkler, Avonleigh Brut. My husband brought this one home, I'm not sure what caught his eye, other than it is organic. This wine is a pinot noir and chardonnay blend, with the back of the bottle saying that it has hints of elderflower. I couldn't find them. We liked this wine, but it's nothing like the label describes, nor anything like a champagne. It has such heavy and rich apple flavours, it tastes like a sparkling cider. Even though I enjoyed it, it's not what I look for in a sparkling wine.
The second was another British wine, Denbies Sparkling Rose 2007. I had high hopes for this wine, as I really like Denbies still rose wines. This didn't live up to expectations. It was terribly bitter, and even drinking it with food couldn't mask the harsh finish.
So back to France for the last bottle...Ocado was running a special, so I bought a bottle of Perrier-Jouet Grand Brut, a blend of the three traditional champagne grapes, pinot noir, chardonnay, and pinot meunier. This was so much better than the other two bottles - plentiful bubbles, crisp, biscuity flavour. A reminder of why champagne is champagne. That said, I've had just as good champagnes for a better price than this one (usually in the high £30's, I bought it in the high £20's). So while it was a refreshing change from the British bubbles I had drunk this month, it's still not something I'd buy again.
It hasn't been all disappointing in November...we're also working our way through our latest order of Billecart-Salmon, although since I've reported on it all before, I'm not writing up the repeat bottles. There's still not much that compares to this brand though, for bubbles, flavour, and quality at price point. It's a sure-thing, always nice to have on hand when a never-before-tried bottle of something else disappoints.
Showing posts with label perrier-jouet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perrier-jouet. Show all posts
Saturday, 26 November 2011
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Away from the Routine
Life has been a bit hectic of-late, so I've missed a few posts on champagnes that I've drunk - nothing new to report, but a few delicious bottles of Billecart-Salmon and Maison Lenique.
This weekend, though, with the holiday and the good weather, we've been trying a few new things so I'm compelled to blog again.
On Friday, we had some friends over for BBQ. They had given me a bottle of Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque Millesime 2002 for my birthday a couple of years ago, and with great restraint, I waited to open it until we could find a nice day together in our garden. Friday was such a day, and it was totally worth the wait! The champagne, a chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot meunier blend, had a slightly floral, somewhat jasmine scent, very light and fresh. It had a much richer flavour, of ripe apples and biscuits, with an incredibly long finish. It also had non-stop bubbles, perfect for me. A fantastic gift, thank you very much!
My friends had also brought a bottle of Bruno Paillard NPU 1995 to try, so we opened that next. I wasn't sure what to expect, because I've only ever drunk the 1990 vintage of this maker, and while it tastes wonderful, it never has enough bubbles for me. Not the case with the 1995, which bubbled away happily in my glass, leaving me feeling much more favourably about this maker!! The 1995, a 50/50 split of chardonnay and pinot noir, lacked the amber-coloured richness of the 1990, but had a similar, well-rounded flavour with lots of orchard fruits and yeasty-goodness. My husband preferred it to the Perrier-Jouet that we had started with, saying that the Bruno Paillard wasn't as heavy on the palate.
In all, an excellent start to the weekend, and two stunning champagnes.
This weekend, though, with the holiday and the good weather, we've been trying a few new things so I'm compelled to blog again.
On Friday, we had some friends over for BBQ. They had given me a bottle of Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque Millesime 2002 for my birthday a couple of years ago, and with great restraint, I waited to open it until we could find a nice day together in our garden. Friday was such a day, and it was totally worth the wait! The champagne, a chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot meunier blend, had a slightly floral, somewhat jasmine scent, very light and fresh. It had a much richer flavour, of ripe apples and biscuits, with an incredibly long finish. It also had non-stop bubbles, perfect for me. A fantastic gift, thank you very much!
My friends had also brought a bottle of Bruno Paillard NPU 1995 to try, so we opened that next. I wasn't sure what to expect, because I've only ever drunk the 1990 vintage of this maker, and while it tastes wonderful, it never has enough bubbles for me. Not the case with the 1995, which bubbled away happily in my glass, leaving me feeling much more favourably about this maker!! The 1995, a 50/50 split of chardonnay and pinot noir, lacked the amber-coloured richness of the 1990, but had a similar, well-rounded flavour with lots of orchard fruits and yeasty-goodness. My husband preferred it to the Perrier-Jouet that we had started with, saying that the Bruno Paillard wasn't as heavy on the palate.
In all, an excellent start to the weekend, and two stunning champagnes.
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
An Unmemorable Rose
We have to stop making the lemon-caper chicken to serve with champagne. The last time we did, we got a dud bottle. On Saturday, we thought we'd try it again, and had a wine that was totally unmemorable, not really worthy of the lovely meal.
While we were at Majestic Wine, we picked up a bottle of Perrier-Jouet Blason Rose. We were excited about this wine, as we've drunk champagne from this maker before and it's been good. There's a lot of positive marketing about this particular champagne, too, saying it's 'powerful' and full of berry fruits.
But it was only OK. Definitely not powerful. A little sour at the finish. And like many rose wines in general, not a very distinctive flavour. The most disappointing part for me was that the bubbles are so fine that you can see them in the glass, but you can't feel them in your mouth - way too subtle for my taste.
I'm glad we only bought one bottle of this wine - we paid a premium for the brand, and I'll only remember the wine because I've blogged about it. I wouldn't look forward to drinking more of it.
While we were at Majestic Wine, we picked up a bottle of Perrier-Jouet Blason Rose. We were excited about this wine, as we've drunk champagne from this maker before and it's been good. There's a lot of positive marketing about this particular champagne, too, saying it's 'powerful' and full of berry fruits.
But it was only OK. Definitely not powerful. A little sour at the finish. And like many rose wines in general, not a very distinctive flavour. The most disappointing part for me was that the bubbles are so fine that you can see them in the glass, but you can't feel them in your mouth - way too subtle for my taste.
I'm glad we only bought one bottle of this wine - we paid a premium for the brand, and I'll only remember the wine because I've blogged about it. I wouldn't look forward to drinking more of it.
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