A Weekend of Wonderful

We had a BBQ on Saturday and, of course, we served some bubbles. One of our guests very kindly brought two bottles (thank you!). The first was Billecart-Salmon Brut Blanc de Blancs grand cru. It's been a while since I've drunk this champagne, and I had forgotten what a perfect champagne this is - crisp, delicately yeasty, slightly nutty, and non-stop bubbles. To me it is the gold standard for what a blanc de blancs should be.

The second was an interesting comparison, Pascal Doquet Premiers Crus de la Cote des Blancs. I remarked to my friend that, while I liked this champagne, it was edgier than the Billecart-Salmon. While the Billecart-Salmon was full of refined flavours, the Pascal Doquet tasted of a rounded blend of fallen apples and raw yeast. It was a wine that I enjoyed trying, but while I could drink the Billecart-Salmon every day, the Doquet had a richness that would almost overwhelm if drunk too often. My friend commented that the maker of this wine was definitely an 'edgy'-type, from a traditional wine family, but who branched out on his own to become a small producer. I liked this story, and am glad that he's making such lovely wines. He's one to watch!

We ended the meal with a sparkler that I had bought for my friend to try - Camel Valley 2008 Pinot Noir Brut. This rose had won the 2010 International Wine Challenge, and I was curious to see how a group of wine lovers would rate it. Even the very particular French contingent begrudgingly admitted it was better than they had hoped it would be, with rich berry flavours and lots of fizz. Surprisingly, it held up well against the chocolate mousse cake that I was eating. This one is expensive for a British sparkler (almost £60/bottle), but a fun thing to introduce to people who like bubbles.

On Sunday, my husband and I had the garden to ourselves, so we opened the one bottle of bubbles in the fridge that hadn't been opened the previous day - Le Cantorie Franciacorta brut that my friends had brought back to me from a trip to Italy (again, thank you!). I couldn't believe the whoosh of bubbles that exploded from the bottom of glass on pouring - it was just so awesome and unexpected. For the bubbles alone, everyone should try this wine. But the flavour was lovely too, with most of it hitting the mid-tongue in a burst of silky fruit. The wine didn't have much finish, but that just didn't bother me because of all the bubbles.

What a wonderful weekend, full of great company and great wine!!

That's Better

We celebrated my husband's birthday yesterday, and he had asked me to pull a 'good bottle' of bubbles out of the assortment we had in the house. I knew exactly which to choose - Larmandier-Bernier Blanc de Blancs that came from Green & Blue. After the previous day's fiasco with the Champalou, I wanted to serve him a wine that we hadn't tried before, but from a maker that we trust and like.

This one was just right for the evening - a low dosage champagne whose cork exploded into my hand with a surprising and celebratory 'POP'. It smelled just like the apple pie my husband was eating, tart apples and buttery pastry. The green apple carried through in the flavour, complemented by a clean, chalky finish, a lovely, more-ish flavour. The bubbles were plentiful on pouring but didn't last long in the glass, which meant we kept having to top up our glasses to refresh the bubbles. This bottle didn't last long, and was enjoyed immensely.

A Very Happy 4th!

Although we hadn't planned on doing anything to celebrate the 4th of July, some friends also had no plans, so we had an impromptu BBQ in the garden. Thankfully I always have cold bubbles in the house - we started off the afternoon with a bottle from the Champagne Warehouse, Charmant Premier Cru Brut Rose. This champagne is a 40/40/20 blend of pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay and it made the most wonderful aperitif with its ripe strawberry flavour. It's a bit sweeter than the Billecart-Salmon rose that we've been drinking, but not overwhelmingly so. The only thing that would make this champagne better is my usual request - more bubbles please.

My friends very kindly also brought a bottle of Mumm Cordon Rouge , so we put it in the fridge to chill and served it for dessert with our homemade strawberry and blackberry shortcake. This champagne is a 45/25/30 blend of pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay and had an incredible richness that suited the dessert. It smelled of stone fuits on opening, and tasted of carmelised hazelnuts with the most amazing, long finish.

A bit of a shame that we didn't have any American bubbly for the holiday (although my husband did track down American beer!), but the French did give us the support we needed to gain independence so I guess their place at the table was appropriate!