My husband is late. We knew he might be late tonight, as he was meeting some friends for drinks at the Scotch Malt Whiskey Society. He told me he would try to get home at a reasonable hour to have a pre-dinner drink with me and then some pasta, but he's not here. He did call to say that he would be home shortly, so I have turned the 'everything in the fridge' pasta that I had started into baked ziti by mixing everything together in a baking dish, coating it with a generous helping of grated mozzarella (so much for my healthy meal), and popping it into the oven. Then I poured myself his pre-dinner drink (since I had already finished mine) and came up to the computer. I really should be finishing off the gardening paper that I started this afteroon, but he'll be home in 10 minutes, which is not enough time.
So I'll report on the pre-dinner drinks instead - kindly provided by the Champagne Warehouse (thank you!) - Roger Legros Rose, a pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay blend. It has a lovely aroma, full of ripe plums. On first sip, I was really surpised by this champagne. For a rose, it's got a hefty berry taste, not sweet strawberries and raspberries, but rich blackberries and cranberries. This leaves just a slightly bitter note on the finish, not unpleasant, but it's noticeable for just a moment. This champagne also has a consistent and fine stream of bubbles!
The tasting notes say that this is a good wine with summer salads like watermelon and feta or with non-chocolate desserts. I could defintely see those pairings working, and they would probably eliminate that touch of bitterness. I'll be ordering another bottle when watermelon is in season, as I do have a good watermelon, feta, and mint recipe that I've been keen to try.
Another nice champagne from Roger Legros. I'll have to try to visit them if I ever get back to the Champagne region.
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
Monday, 7 February 2011
A Triple Zero
We went to lunch with some friends on Sunday at Bar Baloud. The plan was to arrive a little early for a drink and then head to our table to sample the burgers for which the restaurant is known. I had heard this before we arrived, but the prices of the drinks were shocking - upwards of £12 for cocktails, the same price range as the burgers!! I cast my eye over the wine list, and was pleased to find a champagne I'd not tried before listed by the glass for around £9. So I ordered that - the Montlouis Petillant Triple Zero from Domaine de la Taille aux Loups.
This champagne is officially 'triple zero' because there are three stages in the champagne-making process where a maker could add sugar but this maker does not. I rate this champagne a triple zero because it 1) was unpleasantly bitter - smelling and tasting of not-quite-ripe greengages 2) had no finish whatsoever and 3) had no bubbles even though my glass came from a just-opened-before-my-eyes bottle. An absolute disappointment, particularly after the pleasure we'd had on Saturday with the Billecart-Salmon extra brut.
Three things saved the day. Our friends are great company, and we had a very nice afternoon with them. The burgers were mouthwateringly good, and I'm saying this as someone who's not a huge hamburger-eater. The Piggie Burger, topped with BBQ pulled pork and green chilli mayo hit all of the right spots. And, on top of that, when we got home we had 3/4 of a bottle of Roger Legros Cuvee Speciale to finish.
This champagne is officially 'triple zero' because there are three stages in the champagne-making process where a maker could add sugar but this maker does not. I rate this champagne a triple zero because it 1) was unpleasantly bitter - smelling and tasting of not-quite-ripe greengages 2) had no finish whatsoever and 3) had no bubbles even though my glass came from a just-opened-before-my-eyes bottle. An absolute disappointment, particularly after the pleasure we'd had on Saturday with the Billecart-Salmon extra brut.
Three things saved the day. Our friends are great company, and we had a very nice afternoon with them. The burgers were mouthwateringly good, and I'm saying this as someone who's not a huge hamburger-eater. The Piggie Burger, topped with BBQ pulled pork and green chilli mayo hit all of the right spots. And, on top of that, when we got home we had 3/4 of a bottle of Roger Legros Cuvee Speciale to finish.
Will Work for Bubbles
I've been doing some garden design work for some friends, which is great practice for me as I'm undertaking my coursework. On Saturday, they very kindly assembled and gave me a case of champagne to thank me for my efforts. This was totally unnecessary as I'm not really comfortable charging anything for my gardening work with my still-amateur status - but very much appreciated (thank you!). And so I put one of the bottles in the refrigerator for Saturday evening - Billecart-Salmon extra brut - a zero dosage blend of pinot meunier, pinot noir, and chardonnay.
I love this champagne, it is totally my kind of champagne. It smelled like toast and grapefruit (or 'pamplemousse' as my friends say). It had the cleanest, richest, most refreshing taste with lots of citrus but no sourness or bitterness. The finish lasted forever and left us wanting more.
And the bubbles...perfect, round, plentiful bubbles!! The bubbles are my gold-standard for what a champagne should be.
This bottle disappeared far too quickly, even though my husband and I savoured every sip. My husband, cheeky-chappy that he is, suggested that we open the other bottle of champagne that was in our fridge, so that we could compare another champagne that we like to it. He knew I wouldn't say 'no' to that.
So he popped open the Roger Legros Cuvee Speciale from the Champagne Warehouse and we had a glass each. I have to say, I was a little nervous, because I've really liked this champagne in the past and didn't want it ruined because it couldn't stand up to the Billecart-Salmon. I'm relieved to report that, while it's definitely not in the same league as the Billecart-Salmon, it was still a very good champagne.
I should point out that there's no pinot meunier in the Roger Legros and that it's not a low or zero dosage champagne, so we weren't at all comparing like-for-like. These differences are very evident, with the Roger Legros having a much mintier nose, a lighter flavour, and a sweetness that I never noticed before when I'd drunk it on its own. My husband commented that while the Billecart-Salmon was 'toasty' the Roger Legros was more 'biscuity'. The Roger Legros was also far less structured than the Billecart-Salmon, it wasn't as crisp and lacked the amazing finish. While it couldn't quite compete with a bigger player, the Roger Legros still ranks among the top of their price range.
I'm now really starting to understand what you get with some of these bigger name producers...and why it's worth the price differential.
I love this champagne, it is totally my kind of champagne. It smelled like toast and grapefruit (or 'pamplemousse' as my friends say). It had the cleanest, richest, most refreshing taste with lots of citrus but no sourness or bitterness. The finish lasted forever and left us wanting more.
And the bubbles...perfect, round, plentiful bubbles!! The bubbles are my gold-standard for what a champagne should be.
This bottle disappeared far too quickly, even though my husband and I savoured every sip. My husband, cheeky-chappy that he is, suggested that we open the other bottle of champagne that was in our fridge, so that we could compare another champagne that we like to it. He knew I wouldn't say 'no' to that.
So he popped open the Roger Legros Cuvee Speciale from the Champagne Warehouse and we had a glass each. I have to say, I was a little nervous, because I've really liked this champagne in the past and didn't want it ruined because it couldn't stand up to the Billecart-Salmon. I'm relieved to report that, while it's definitely not in the same league as the Billecart-Salmon, it was still a very good champagne.
I should point out that there's no pinot meunier in the Roger Legros and that it's not a low or zero dosage champagne, so we weren't at all comparing like-for-like. These differences are very evident, with the Roger Legros having a much mintier nose, a lighter flavour, and a sweetness that I never noticed before when I'd drunk it on its own. My husband commented that while the Billecart-Salmon was 'toasty' the Roger Legros was more 'biscuity'. The Roger Legros was also far less structured than the Billecart-Salmon, it wasn't as crisp and lacked the amazing finish. While it couldn't quite compete with a bigger player, the Roger Legros still ranks among the top of their price range.
I'm now really starting to understand what you get with some of these bigger name producers...and why it's worth the price differential.
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
Cava and Colombian Food
On Saturday, some friends came over to teach me how to cook Colombian food. We had a great afternoon, and I really appreciated the thought they put into their lesson and the time they spent teaching me their home cuisine. We made ajiaco, a hearty potato and chicken based soup, arepas, which are grilled cornmeal dumplings that can be filled with cheese, meat, or vegetables, and plaintains stuffed with guava paste and cheese. All of it was delicious, and I'm so excited to have some new recipes to play with.
When we finished cooking, we sat down together to eat. My husband had already poured us glasses of Cava Brut Nature from 1+1=3 that I ordered from the Champagne Warehouse. This cava is predominantly Xarel-lo grapes mixed with a bit of chardonnay. I was impressed at what a good match with the food it was, as cava has the stereotype of being a summer aperitif. This cava had wonderful rich flavours of toast and nuts with the dishes we had, and I was pretty sad when my glass was empty.
That sadness was short-lived. As I was cleaning the kitchen, I discovered that my husband had saved me a little of the cava to try without the food! I quickly finished the dishes, and settled on the sofa with my half-glass of cava. It had very strong citrus aromas that carried through in the taste. Without the food, though, the cava was surprisingly bitter, tasting of grapefruit pith. I preferred this cava with food, I wouldn't serve it on its own.
This was the last bottle of 1+1=3 from my mixed case from the Champagne Warehouse, and overall I've been really pleased with what we've had!
When we finished cooking, we sat down together to eat. My husband had already poured us glasses of Cava Brut Nature from 1+1=3 that I ordered from the Champagne Warehouse. This cava is predominantly Xarel-lo grapes mixed with a bit of chardonnay. I was impressed at what a good match with the food it was, as cava has the stereotype of being a summer aperitif. This cava had wonderful rich flavours of toast and nuts with the dishes we had, and I was pretty sad when my glass was empty.
That sadness was short-lived. As I was cleaning the kitchen, I discovered that my husband had saved me a little of the cava to try without the food! I quickly finished the dishes, and settled on the sofa with my half-glass of cava. It had very strong citrus aromas that carried through in the taste. Without the food, though, the cava was surprisingly bitter, tasting of grapefruit pith. I preferred this cava with food, I wouldn't serve it on its own.
This was the last bottle of 1+1=3 from my mixed case from the Champagne Warehouse, and overall I've been really pleased with what we've had!
Friday, 28 January 2011
Maison Lenique '04 vs '05
My husband and I were very sad to see the bottom of the bottle of Maison Lenique 2004 that we drank on Wednesday, so I put a bottle of the 2005 on the champagne shelf in the fridge. He was supposed to be out late last night so I figured I would have a glass with the bread and cheese I nibbled on for dinner. But he came home earlier than expected, so we managed to share the bottle, which was a bit of a treat.
One of the things we had commented on while drinking the 2004 was how nice it was to come back to a really well-made champagne after drinking some of the other sparkling wines we've had of-late - regardless of how good they were. There's nothing quite like a well-balanced champagne. It was incredibly refreshing, clean on the palate, and had fantastic bubbles - the kind of thing that made us say "aaahhh" upon drinking and left us wanting more.
I was a little disappointed that I didn't get that feeling again while drinking the 2005 last night. At first I thought it was because it wasn't the best match with the blue cheese I was eating. But then my husband agreed with me. While the 2005 is still a wonderful champagne, with its yeasty, sweet apple flavours, it's not quite as refined as the 2004 and the residual sweetness on the finish makes it a little less refreshing. We still really enjoyed it, but it was good to try the two vintages back-to-back again to remind ourselves of how different they are.
One of the things we had commented on while drinking the 2004 was how nice it was to come back to a really well-made champagne after drinking some of the other sparkling wines we've had of-late - regardless of how good they were. There's nothing quite like a well-balanced champagne. It was incredibly refreshing, clean on the palate, and had fantastic bubbles - the kind of thing that made us say "aaahhh" upon drinking and left us wanting more.
I was a little disappointed that I didn't get that feeling again while drinking the 2005 last night. At first I thought it was because it wasn't the best match with the blue cheese I was eating. But then my husband agreed with me. While the 2005 is still a wonderful champagne, with its yeasty, sweet apple flavours, it's not quite as refined as the 2004 and the residual sweetness on the finish makes it a little less refreshing. We still really enjoyed it, but it was good to try the two vintages back-to-back again to remind ourselves of how different they are.
Thursday, 27 January 2011
Two Years On...
I found my oldest cat, Artemis, 19 years ago when I lived in Tokyo. She was my first fur-covered pet ever - I only had fish when I was a kid. She's been the perfect pet - polite, clean, cuddly, fun to play with, and in charge of all of the other animals in the house. We all live by her rules, which is OK because she's even stricter than I am! She's also been a wonderful companion as I've travelled the world, keeping me company in foreign countries where I didn't know anyone and didn't speak the language very well. I've spent more time with her than most of my family and my closest friends. While I know she's 'just a cat', I can't deny her constant presence in my life or the affection we share.
Two years ago, we thought she was going to die. She was diagnosed with chronic renal failure, and we were told that she only had days-to-weeks to live. I was heart-broken - life without Artemis is pretty unimaginable. But the vet showed us a procedure that would keep her comfortable in the time she had left, twice-daily injections of fluid under her skin to help her flush out the toxins that her kidneys can't cope with. We've been sticking her with needles pretty religiously since then, foregoing holidays, shortening our after-work activities, and basically revolving our lives around her treatment schedule.
Yesterday marked the second year of her survival - well beyond what anyone ever anticipated when we started. Artemis has not only survived but seems to thrive, as well - she plays with the make-up brushes that she steals from anyone who's careless enough to leave them within her reach, stalks through the grass in the garden in search of birds to chirp at, and maintains her role as alpha cat in the house. Every day, I simply hope for one more good day with her, and she's rewarded us with 730 of them!
Obviously, we don't give our cats champagne. To celebrate her second-year milestone, Artemis had a big bowl of tuna for dinner last night. After that, my husband and I ordered in some gyoza and opened a bottle of Maison Lenique 2004 - both to toast Artemis and to thank each other for our teamwork and efforts over the years. May we all have one more good day...
Two years ago, we thought she was going to die. She was diagnosed with chronic renal failure, and we were told that she only had days-to-weeks to live. I was heart-broken - life without Artemis is pretty unimaginable. But the vet showed us a procedure that would keep her comfortable in the time she had left, twice-daily injections of fluid under her skin to help her flush out the toxins that her kidneys can't cope with. We've been sticking her with needles pretty religiously since then, foregoing holidays, shortening our after-work activities, and basically revolving our lives around her treatment schedule.
Yesterday marked the second year of her survival - well beyond what anyone ever anticipated when we started. Artemis has not only survived but seems to thrive, as well - she plays with the make-up brushes that she steals from anyone who's careless enough to leave them within her reach, stalks through the grass in the garden in search of birds to chirp at, and maintains her role as alpha cat in the house. Every day, I simply hope for one more good day with her, and she's rewarded us with 730 of them!
Obviously, we don't give our cats champagne. To celebrate her second-year milestone, Artemis had a big bowl of tuna for dinner last night. After that, my husband and I ordered in some gyoza and opened a bottle of Maison Lenique 2004 - both to toast Artemis and to thank each other for our teamwork and efforts over the years. May we all have one more good day...
Something a Little Different
I met a friend at Bedales on Saturday, a place I never manage to leave empty-handed. Having already purchased two bottles of white wine from the downstairs shop, I had a good look around the upstairs while I was waiting for my friend. To my surprise, they had a Hungarian sparkling wine - Hungaria Grande Cuvee Brut - something I've never seen before! At £12, I couldn't not buy it, so in my bag it went.
My husband and I opened it with our dinner on Tuesday. For the life of me, I can't remember what we ate, it was one of those 'nothing-special-Tuesday' meals. But I remember the wine : )
It smelled of bubble gum and soda pop in an appealing way, although it raised a little concern that the wine might be too sweet for my taste. Thankfully, it was cold enough that the sweetness came through in more of a dried-pineapple richness, balanced with some depth and a little acidity. As the wine warmed up, the sweetness intensified, but not overwhelmingly so. There's not much structure or finish to this wine, but it's an easy drinker, and completely different to the cavas and proseccos you see at this price point. The bubbles were strong at first, but disappeared by the end of the glass, the only disappointing thing about the wine.
This was worth trying once and an interesting comparator to other sparkling wines. I'm not sure it's something I'd purchase on a regular basis.
My husband and I opened it with our dinner on Tuesday. For the life of me, I can't remember what we ate, it was one of those 'nothing-special-Tuesday' meals. But I remember the wine : )
It smelled of bubble gum and soda pop in an appealing way, although it raised a little concern that the wine might be too sweet for my taste. Thankfully, it was cold enough that the sweetness came through in more of a dried-pineapple richness, balanced with some depth and a little acidity. As the wine warmed up, the sweetness intensified, but not overwhelmingly so. There's not much structure or finish to this wine, but it's an easy drinker, and completely different to the cavas and proseccos you see at this price point. The bubbles were strong at first, but disappeared by the end of the glass, the only disappointing thing about the wine.
This was worth trying once and an interesting comparator to other sparkling wines. I'm not sure it's something I'd purchase on a regular basis.
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