I had a great birthday yesterday, finished off with cake made by my husband and a very special bottle of cava from Bedales - Privat Opus Evolution gran reserva brut nature. I was fortunate enough to have tasted from this range of cava at the shop and really loved it, and my friend very kindly gave me a bottle (thank you!). Not only is the packaging spectacular, but the cava is unlike any other I've tried before. It has a rich, dried fruit aroma, tasting of candied figs (but without being too sweet) and toasted hazelnuts. It was perfect with my cake, although you could just drink it on its own.
This cava also has amazing bubbles - so much so that they almost mask the flavour. When I tried this at Bedales, we decanted it so that we could really appreciate the taste without getting distracted by the bubbles. I shouldn't admit this, but despite my friend's instructions to decant, I drank mine straight from the bottle because I really like the bubbles. But to get the best from this cava, you might want to decant and drink it at a slightly warmer temperature than other sparkling wines - you really want to enjoy all of the amazing richness in this cava.
Bedales has a limited number of bottles, I recommend you buy it before they run out!!
Friday, 17 December 2010
Friday, 10 December 2010
Indulgent
My husband has had business dinners the last couple of nights, leaving me to eat on my own. I often can't be bothered to cook for myself, but as you're well aware if you've been reading this blog, I will open champagne for myself : )
So last night was a bit of indulgence...my bowl of honey-nut Cheerios was accompanied by a glass of Billecart-Salmon rose. I can just see some of you, shaking your heads in horror.
But since the bottle's sitting capped in the fridge and since I just finished some drawings for my gardening homework, I'll have to have another glass tonight. Not sure yet what I'll be eating with it...hopefully something better than cereal.
So last night was a bit of indulgence...my bowl of honey-nut Cheerios was accompanied by a glass of Billecart-Salmon rose. I can just see some of you, shaking your heads in horror.
But since the bottle's sitting capped in the fridge and since I just finished some drawings for my gardening homework, I'll have to have another glass tonight. Not sure yet what I'll be eating with it...hopefully something better than cereal.
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Welcome Home
I was away last week, and came home to find that the order I had placed with Berry Brothers finally arrived while I was gone. This was good news because I had ordered two bottles of champagne along with the item I really wanted to make up the amount required for free delivery. It was bad news in that I had placed the order so that I could bring a gift to a friend of mine in the US but the order didn't come until after I left. For future reference, when Berry Brothers says '3-6 days' for delivery, they really mean 6+ days.
But it was nice to sit down at the end of the day after a red-eye flight, unpacking, running several errands, and then working all afternoon, to a lovely glass of champagne. I had ordered the Grand Cellier D'Or 2004 made by Vilmart & Co, thinking that I had not tried Vilmart before. I was wrong - my husband reminded me that we had actually tried other champagnes by this maker several years ago and liked them. This one was very good - a blend of 70% chardonnay and 30% pinot noir. It was too cold when I opened it, so all I could smell and taste was sour lemon. Things got much better as the champagne warmed, though, with lots of creamy yeast coming through, and the sourness disappearing. It was delicious and very well balanced, excellent as a sipping champagne.
But it was nice to sit down at the end of the day after a red-eye flight, unpacking, running several errands, and then working all afternoon, to a lovely glass of champagne. I had ordered the Grand Cellier D'Or 2004 made by Vilmart & Co, thinking that I had not tried Vilmart before. I was wrong - my husband reminded me that we had actually tried other champagnes by this maker several years ago and liked them. This one was very good - a blend of 70% chardonnay and 30% pinot noir. It was too cold when I opened it, so all I could smell and taste was sour lemon. Things got much better as the champagne warmed, though, with lots of creamy yeast coming through, and the sourness disappearing. It was delicious and very well balanced, excellent as a sipping champagne.
Friday, 26 November 2010
Thanksgiving 2010
Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and as tradition has it, I made apple pie for my husband to enjoy. It's always good for him to be thankful for a wife who makes the best apple pie in the world! He insisted that it needed to be eaten with champagne, the perfect match for apple pie, so he opened the bottle of Maison Lenique that was in the fridge. Another thing to be thankful for - a full champagne shelf!! It's been a good year : )
D-Fly In Da House
To set the scene for this post - Champagne Magazine recently released its annual list of the top 100 champagnes. I sent the list to a friend of mine who has an interest in champagne, saying that I was a little disappointed with it as it seemed like a marketing exercise for the big producers. I don't really need a magazine to tell me that the big brand names that cost hundreds of pounds are good. I also can't believe that there aren't any smaller producers who can't compete in that field, especially because I think I've drunk some. And to top it off, does anybody besides rap stars drink Cristal, so how relevant is all of this anyway?
Two days later I had to drink my words about Cristal. We were at Ransome's Dock for dinner with some friends. There on the wine list was a new addition - Louis Roederer Cristal 1996. Part of what we love about Ransome's Dock is that the chef doesn't believe in price gouging on wine. If he buys the wine at a reasonable price, he marks it up to a reasonable margin, so the Cristal was on offer for a far better price than any rap star is paying. Don't get me wrong, it still cost more than my entire outfit that night, shoes and handbag included. But comparatively, it was a bargain, so we ordered a bottle.
This champagne has the most unusual nose, which the chef helped us place - freshly-made cooking stock. It's actually a bit strange, because it's not what you expect from a champagne. The flavour is where Cristal hits the mark. It tastes like a perfectly made lemon tart, balancing buttery richness with tart (not sour) citrus and a creamy finish. It is incredibly well made, well balanced, and very, very good. It has interesting bubbles, too - big, fat, and plentiful on pouring, then calming down into a fine stream as you drink. This pleased me, as some of the other older champagnes that I've drunk have been lacking on the bubble front. I can see what the hype is about.
That said, it does still come down to a relative value proposition for me. While it was interesting to try this once, if I were spending the money again, I'd rather have three bottles of Billecart-Salmon than one bottle of Cristal.
Two days later I had to drink my words about Cristal. We were at Ransome's Dock for dinner with some friends. There on the wine list was a new addition - Louis Roederer Cristal 1996. Part of what we love about Ransome's Dock is that the chef doesn't believe in price gouging on wine. If he buys the wine at a reasonable price, he marks it up to a reasonable margin, so the Cristal was on offer for a far better price than any rap star is paying. Don't get me wrong, it still cost more than my entire outfit that night, shoes and handbag included. But comparatively, it was a bargain, so we ordered a bottle.
This champagne has the most unusual nose, which the chef helped us place - freshly-made cooking stock. It's actually a bit strange, because it's not what you expect from a champagne. The flavour is where Cristal hits the mark. It tastes like a perfectly made lemon tart, balancing buttery richness with tart (not sour) citrus and a creamy finish. It is incredibly well made, well balanced, and very, very good. It has interesting bubbles, too - big, fat, and plentiful on pouring, then calming down into a fine stream as you drink. This pleased me, as some of the other older champagnes that I've drunk have been lacking on the bubble front. I can see what the hype is about.
That said, it does still come down to a relative value proposition for me. While it was interesting to try this once, if I were spending the money again, I'd rather have three bottles of Billecart-Salmon than one bottle of Cristal.
Catching Up
My computer was down for a while as my husband and I painted our study, so I've been a bit remiss in reporting some bubbles that have been drunk. Of particular note was a bottle of Dosnon & Lepage champagne that my husband picked up from Roberson's wine shop on High Street Ken. We've not had champagne from this maker before, and the person at the store pitched this one - the blanc de blanc, Recolte Blanche - to my husband as Krug-like. How could we not try it?
While the champagne was very good, it was not at all Krug-like. It had a wonderful yeastiness on the nose, and lots of stong, fresh, clean flavour with a very long finish. But it lacked the richness and depth that you get with Krug. This isn't a criticism of the champagne, very few champagnes offer what Krug does which is why they're priced in the tens-of-pounds and Krug is priced in the hundreds-of-pounds. I just wish the people in the shops would stop making the comparison, as it's really unfair to what are otherwise pefectly nice champagnes. We still would have bought it had they just told us how good it was.
The other thing I really liked about this champagne was its bubbles. It had so many that the cork started to come out of the bottle the second my husband undid the wire cage. Big, fat, belch-inducing bubbles. My husband wasn't too sure about this aspect of the champagne, but it was right up my street!
Roberson's carries a couple of different varieties from this maker, including a Blanc de Noir, so the next time we're in the area, we'll be buying some more.
While the champagne was very good, it was not at all Krug-like. It had a wonderful yeastiness on the nose, and lots of stong, fresh, clean flavour with a very long finish. But it lacked the richness and depth that you get with Krug. This isn't a criticism of the champagne, very few champagnes offer what Krug does which is why they're priced in the tens-of-pounds and Krug is priced in the hundreds-of-pounds. I just wish the people in the shops would stop making the comparison, as it's really unfair to what are otherwise pefectly nice champagnes. We still would have bought it had they just told us how good it was.
The other thing I really liked about this champagne was its bubbles. It had so many that the cork started to come out of the bottle the second my husband undid the wire cage. Big, fat, belch-inducing bubbles. My husband wasn't too sure about this aspect of the champagne, but it was right up my street!
Roberson's carries a couple of different varieties from this maker, including a Blanc de Noir, so the next time we're in the area, we'll be buying some more.
Friday, 12 November 2010
Bella in Brooklyn
My neighbour is an artist, and she found out this week that she has been named as a finalist in an international art competition, with an exhibit and final awards to be held in Brooklyn in Dec 2010. Since we're ex-Brooklyn, she came over last night for tips on where to stay, shop, eat, visit while she's in NYC. We're very excited for her, and had to toast her with a bottle of Maison Lenique 2004. Fingers crossed that she both enjoys her trip and does well in the competition!
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