Me, not the champagne.
We had planned on making blueberry pancakes for dinner on Tuesday since it was 'Pancake Day' here in the UK. But my husband reminded me that it was also International Women's Day on Tuesday, and I couldn't figure out why I should cook that day, so we ordered in. We made the pancakes on Wednesday, instead. I still think that they're one of the best food matches for champagne (something most people won't put together since they only eat pancakes for breakfast), so we had a bottle of Maison Lenique 2005 with them.
While the champagne was faultless, I have to say that it wasn't my best meal. My hands weren't working very well and I had a hard time flipping the pancakes, especially since the spelt and corn meal blend that I used made them more delicate than wheat-flour pancakes. On top of that, I knocked a full glass of champagne off of the table, not only wasting perfectly good champagne but breaking one of my favourite and most expensive glasses - made even more expensive because HMRC charged me as much as the glasses cost to bring them across from the US!! Not my finest moment...
Friday, 11 March 2011
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Hooray for Me!
I found out yesterday that I passed the fourth project in my garden design course, which means I'm 2/3 done. I've been having mixed feelings about the course - while I enjoy gardening and learning, I'm a bit frustrated by the structure of the course and the learning process. Fed up enough that I had to remind myself last night that I should be celebrating the fact that I worked hard and passed. So we opened a bottle of Maison Lenique 2004 with dinner and toasted my success. Everyone should take the time to pat themselves on the back every now and again...
Back to the Good Stuff
We had a kind of lazy weekend - I can't completely remember why or when, but we decided to have a bottle of champagne at some point. That completely fits with my theory behind champagne drinking...you don't need a good reason to open a bottle of champagne, just drink it because it's there to be enjoyed!!
I do remember the champagne, because it was very nice - G. Tribaut Cuvee de Reserve from the Champagne Warehouse. We've had this champagne before and really liked it. It held up to the memory, too - a very well-balanced wine, with just a touch of sweetness that didn't overwhelm or offend because of the perfect level of acidity of the wine, lacking any sour or bitter notes. It had a wonderful, grape-y flavour and tons of bubbles.
I should mention, too, that the Champagne Warehouse was recently named Best Online Champagne Retailer 2011, a well-deserved award. I've acquired some very nice champagnes and sparkling wines through them, and the team has always been helpful and lovely to work with. Cheers to them!
I do remember the champagne, because it was very nice - G. Tribaut Cuvee de Reserve from the Champagne Warehouse. We've had this champagne before and really liked it. It held up to the memory, too - a very well-balanced wine, with just a touch of sweetness that didn't overwhelm or offend because of the perfect level of acidity of the wine, lacking any sour or bitter notes. It had a wonderful, grape-y flavour and tons of bubbles.
I should mention, too, that the Champagne Warehouse was recently named Best Online Champagne Retailer 2011, a well-deserved award. I've acquired some very nice champagnes and sparkling wines through them, and the team has always been helpful and lovely to work with. Cheers to them!
Thursday, 3 March 2011
Last Bottle
We did it - we finally drank the last bottle of Philizot et Fils , the dreaded numero 2. My husband put it in the fridge figuring that we could drink it with some ribs that he made. We wouldn't ordinarily drink champagne with ribs, but thought the food would squelch some of the unpleasantness out of the numero 2.
My husband poured small glasses while we were cooking. To our surprise, the numero 2 was surprisingly drink-able. We're now left wondering if we got two bad bottles (improbable, but not impossible) or if we had simply steeled ourselves against the unusual taste of this champagne. We also agreed that, while this bottle wasn't as hard work as the previous ones, it's still not a champagne that we like. It smelled strongly of play-doh, brine, and sharp green herbs and tasted less like the black pepper of the first bottles, but still very bitter. It was OK with the ribs, but completely ruined the lovely sweetness and chocolately richness of the Green and Black's butterscotch eggs we had for dessert - not a go-with-chocolate drink!
I'm relieved to be done with this - not a feeling I often get with champagne!!
My husband poured small glasses while we were cooking. To our surprise, the numero 2 was surprisingly drink-able. We're now left wondering if we got two bad bottles (improbable, but not impossible) or if we had simply steeled ourselves against the unusual taste of this champagne. We also agreed that, while this bottle wasn't as hard work as the previous ones, it's still not a champagne that we like. It smelled strongly of play-doh, brine, and sharp green herbs and tasted less like the black pepper of the first bottles, but still very bitter. It was OK with the ribs, but completely ruined the lovely sweetness and chocolately richness of the Green and Black's butterscotch eggs we had for dessert - not a go-with-chocolate drink!
I'm relieved to be done with this - not a feeling I often get with champagne!!
Tuesday, 1 March 2011
More US Bubbles
I returned to London yesterday from my trip to the US. Before I left, I had tracked down a couple of lesser-known but well-received US sparkling wines to bring back with me, and I put one of them in the fridge right after I unpacked. My husband and I had it with dinner last night - Biltmore Estate Chateau Reserve 2008 Blanc de Blancs (North Carolina).
I have a complaint right off about this wine. It was supposed to be a 2006 vintage - this is what is advertised on their website and what I ordered. At no point did they inform me that I would be getting a different vintage - perhaps most of their customers don't care about this, but I do. So points lost right there.
For the price (around $25 for the bottle) this wine was comparable to some of the proseccos that I've drunk. It's a very light wine, with sour apple flavour hitting the mid-palate followed by just a flash of sweetness and no finish. The bubbles were fine on pouring, but quickly dissipated. I was a little disappointed with it - perhaps the 2006 was as stunning as some of the reviews I read and the 2008 just doesn't compare. But I wouldn't waste the effort tracking down the 2006...
We followed the Biltmore Estate up with glasses of Maison Lenique 2005 - a world of difference between the two wines with the Maison Lenique having more creamy apple and yeast flavours, a denser, richer, altogether nicer wine. It satisfied my craving for a good glass of bubbly, something the Biltmore Estate wine didn't achieve.
I have a complaint right off about this wine. It was supposed to be a 2006 vintage - this is what is advertised on their website and what I ordered. At no point did they inform me that I would be getting a different vintage - perhaps most of their customers don't care about this, but I do. So points lost right there.
For the price (around $25 for the bottle) this wine was comparable to some of the proseccos that I've drunk. It's a very light wine, with sour apple flavour hitting the mid-palate followed by just a flash of sweetness and no finish. The bubbles were fine on pouring, but quickly dissipated. I was a little disappointed with it - perhaps the 2006 was as stunning as some of the reviews I read and the 2008 just doesn't compare. But I wouldn't waste the effort tracking down the 2006...
We followed the Biltmore Estate up with glasses of Maison Lenique 2005 - a world of difference between the two wines with the Maison Lenique having more creamy apple and yeast flavours, a denser, richer, altogether nicer wine. It satisfied my craving for a good glass of bubbly, something the Biltmore Estate wine didn't achieve.
Monday, 21 February 2011
US Report
I was in the US this past weekend and tried a couple of things I hadn't seen before.
The first was an oddball item. Every year, they flood Fenway Park in Boston and allow the NHL to play an outdoor game there. In conjunction with this, they release a sparkling wine - in 2010 it was the Bruins vs the Flyers and the wine was from Woodbridge Champagne (California). I had no idea they either played hockey at Fenway or connected a sparkling wine to it, so this caught my interest when I saw it at the store. I asked the owner if the wine was any good, and he assured me that they wouldn't sell something undrinkable for such a special event. He lied. The wine was so sweet that my husband and I only managed a few sips each before pouring the bottle out. It was absolutely dreadful. I'm thinking they must make this as a collector's item - the kind of thing you buy as a souvenir to leave on a shelf rather than to drink.
The next bottle was much better - the 2005 Estate Grown Brut Rose from Soter Vineyards (Oregon). Before I sing its praises, I have to say that it was completely oversold to me - the shop owner said that it compares favourably to the Billecart-Salmon rose. They are not at all alike. The Soter lacks the richness, balance, and finish of the Billecart-Salmon. It was also much shorter on bubbles. That said, it had a wonderful black cherry and cranberry flavour, which intensified as the wine warmed - the pinot noir that we love from Oregon coming through very clearly in this sparkler. I think it's pricey in the mid-$40 range - especially considering I can get the Roger Legros Rose for less and it's as-good if not better - but a good sparkler to have tried.
The first was an oddball item. Every year, they flood Fenway Park in Boston and allow the NHL to play an outdoor game there. In conjunction with this, they release a sparkling wine - in 2010 it was the Bruins vs the Flyers and the wine was from Woodbridge Champagne (California). I had no idea they either played hockey at Fenway or connected a sparkling wine to it, so this caught my interest when I saw it at the store. I asked the owner if the wine was any good, and he assured me that they wouldn't sell something undrinkable for such a special event. He lied. The wine was so sweet that my husband and I only managed a few sips each before pouring the bottle out. It was absolutely dreadful. I'm thinking they must make this as a collector's item - the kind of thing you buy as a souvenir to leave on a shelf rather than to drink.
The next bottle was much better - the 2005 Estate Grown Brut Rose from Soter Vineyards (Oregon). Before I sing its praises, I have to say that it was completely oversold to me - the shop owner said that it compares favourably to the Billecart-Salmon rose. They are not at all alike. The Soter lacks the richness, balance, and finish of the Billecart-Salmon. It was also much shorter on bubbles. That said, it had a wonderful black cherry and cranberry flavour, which intensified as the wine warmed - the pinot noir that we love from Oregon coming through very clearly in this sparkler. I think it's pricey in the mid-$40 range - especially considering I can get the Roger Legros Rose for less and it's as-good if not better - but a good sparkler to have tried.
Sunday, 13 February 2011
Old Friends
A friend of mine from the US is in town, and we spent Saturday night at my house, catching up over dinner. It only seemed right to serve her one of my favourite champagnes - Billecart-Salmon vintage 2004. It was stunning, as always. It was also a great match to the Shrimp Palermo that we cooked and to my friend's lovely, bubbly personality!!
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