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.
Sunday, 24 April 2011
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Homecoming
I was away from home for about 10 days - a lovely trip for me, but my poor husband was home alone dealing with a very sick dog. My return must have been a welcome relief for him, as the dog has been needing 24-7 care.
Somewhere in all of the drama, though, my husband found time to track down a couple of bottles of champagne for me. A long time ago, a friend gave me a great promotional apron from the Philipponnat brand. It's one of my favourite aprons, being the perfect length on me, with the exact right length ties for double-wrapping, and having a wonderful, nubby texture that picks up all of the bits from your fingers when you rub them on it. But I've never had Philipponnat champagne, and have always wanted to try it since owning the apron. My husband found two bottles.
The first one we tried was the 2002 Brut Reserve Millesimee, a 2/3 pinot noir, 1/3 chardonnay blend. This champagne really surprised us with never-ending bubbles and a toasted-nut finish. It was a very clean champagne, not very rich or rounded, but very drinkable.
The second champagne we tried (on a different night) was what I think was the 2004 Grand Blanc, made from 100% chardonnay. I say that I think this was a 2004 because the neck ring said 2004, but the label on the back of the bottle said it was a 2002. First time I've had this problem with labelling, but I'm guessing that what's on the front of the bottle is what's right. Anyway, this champagne was less successful than the first. It had a strong lemon-drop scent, which continued into the flavour, which was a very one-note, sour lemon. I didn't mind it so much, as I like tart lemon, but my husband had a hard time drinking this one - so much so that he poured out his glass. He also commented that, had this been his first experience with Philipponnat champagne, he wouldn't have drunk it again. Good thing we had tried a different cuvee the previous night.
In true champagne-loving fashion, to wash away the unpleasantness of the 2004 Philipponnat, my husband opened a bottle of Billecart-Salmon rose, knowing that he would love it and be very satisfied with it - and he was!
Somewhere in all of the drama, though, my husband found time to track down a couple of bottles of champagne for me. A long time ago, a friend gave me a great promotional apron from the Philipponnat brand. It's one of my favourite aprons, being the perfect length on me, with the exact right length ties for double-wrapping, and having a wonderful, nubby texture that picks up all of the bits from your fingers when you rub them on it. But I've never had Philipponnat champagne, and have always wanted to try it since owning the apron. My husband found two bottles.
The first one we tried was the 2002 Brut Reserve Millesimee, a 2/3 pinot noir, 1/3 chardonnay blend. This champagne really surprised us with never-ending bubbles and a toasted-nut finish. It was a very clean champagne, not very rich or rounded, but very drinkable.
The second champagne we tried (on a different night) was what I think was the 2004 Grand Blanc, made from 100% chardonnay. I say that I think this was a 2004 because the neck ring said 2004, but the label on the back of the bottle said it was a 2002. First time I've had this problem with labelling, but I'm guessing that what's on the front of the bottle is what's right. Anyway, this champagne was less successful than the first. It had a strong lemon-drop scent, which continued into the flavour, which was a very one-note, sour lemon. I didn't mind it so much, as I like tart lemon, but my husband had a hard time drinking this one - so much so that he poured out his glass. He also commented that, had this been his first experience with Philipponnat champagne, he wouldn't have drunk it again. Good thing we had tried a different cuvee the previous night.
In true champagne-loving fashion, to wash away the unpleasantness of the 2004 Philipponnat, my husband opened a bottle of Billecart-Salmon rose, knowing that he would love it and be very satisfied with it - and he was!
Monday, 28 March 2011
South American Surprise
We went to Ransome's Dock for lunch yesterday with some friends. We were keen to try some of the new Austrian wines that are on the wine list. We started with a lovely riesling, which we all agreed was a perfect match for the spring day!
As only some of us were having dessert, we decided to order a sparkling wine with that course so that those of us who weren't eating pudding could at least sip on something. The restaurant always has interesting things to choose from, and we selected the Miguel Torres Reserva de la Familia, a brut pinot noir sparkler from Chile. My past experiences with sparkling wines from Chile have been mixed - they can be very good and they can be a bit of nothing. But I trust Ransome's Dock, they're only going to put something good on their list. And this wine was very good!
It had tons of bubbles, always a big bonus for me. It also had a light, pleasing aroma, with hints of fresh flowers like jasmine combined with crisp orchard fruits. It tasted like juicy apples, with neither too much sweet or acid flavour. Best of all, it was enjoyed as much on its own as by those drinking it with their desserts, everyone around the table had positive things to say.
If I could find this in a shop, I would buy it as an easy-drinker at home. It can easily compete with the better proseccos and cavas that I've had, as well as some of the small-maker champagnes.
As only some of us were having dessert, we decided to order a sparkling wine with that course so that those of us who weren't eating pudding could at least sip on something. The restaurant always has interesting things to choose from, and we selected the Miguel Torres Reserva de la Familia, a brut pinot noir sparkler from Chile. My past experiences with sparkling wines from Chile have been mixed - they can be very good and they can be a bit of nothing. But I trust Ransome's Dock, they're only going to put something good on their list. And this wine was very good!
It had tons of bubbles, always a big bonus for me. It also had a light, pleasing aroma, with hints of fresh flowers like jasmine combined with crisp orchard fruits. It tasted like juicy apples, with neither too much sweet or acid flavour. Best of all, it was enjoyed as much on its own as by those drinking it with their desserts, everyone around the table had positive things to say.
If I could find this in a shop, I would buy it as an easy-drinker at home. It can easily compete with the better proseccos and cavas that I've had, as well as some of the small-maker champagnes.
Not a Special Occasion
As I've been putting bottles of champagne on the champagne shelf in the refrigerator, I noticed that I tend to avoid 'the good stuff' - the vintage bottles that my husband gave me for Christmas - thinking that maybe I'll want them for something more special in future. But then I realised I wasn't walking the walk. These bottles deserve to be drunk to be enjoyed, not just on special occasions! So I put a bottle of Bruno Paillard NPU 1990 in the fridge, and we drank it on Saturday.
Seriously, there was nothing special going on. It was a nice day - we grilled steak, asparagus, and potatoes. And we really, really enjoyed the lovely richness of the champagne with it. It was a beautiful amber colour and tasted of stewed apples and yeast - dense fruit, with a long, rounded finish. As before, more bubbles in this champagne would make it perfect, but it was still pretty fantastic!
Seriously, there was nothing special going on. It was a nice day - we grilled steak, asparagus, and potatoes. And we really, really enjoyed the lovely richness of the champagne with it. It was a beautiful amber colour and tasted of stewed apples and yeast - dense fruit, with a long, rounded finish. As before, more bubbles in this champagne would make it perfect, but it was still pretty fantastic!
Friday, 25 March 2011
A Small Bottle
This is going to sound like a wierd thing to say, but I really like lentils. It's not the sort of food that makes most people (including my husband) go 'yum!', but for some reason, they do it for me. I always have an eye out for new recipes with lentils, and found a good one this week for lentil, spinach, and potato stew. I made it last night, a bit to my husband's dismay.
He perked up a bit as he smelled the stew cooking - but before we were ready to serve it, he started rummaging through the fridge, looking for something good to drink with the stew in case he didn't like it. Out came the bottle of Billecart-Salmon brut reserve. It seemed kind of extravagant drinking such a nice champagne with such a wholesome meal, but I wasn't going to turn down one of my favourite champagnes. It went really well with the lemony-minty flavours of the stew, too - which my husband even liked!!
On pouring our second glasses of champagne, though, my husband commented that we must have gotten a small bottle, as the champagne didn't seem to go as far as it usually does : )
He perked up a bit as he smelled the stew cooking - but before we were ready to serve it, he started rummaging through the fridge, looking for something good to drink with the stew in case he didn't like it. Out came the bottle of Billecart-Salmon brut reserve. It seemed kind of extravagant drinking such a nice champagne with such a wholesome meal, but I wasn't going to turn down one of my favourite champagnes. It went really well with the lemony-minty flavours of the stew, too - which my husband even liked!!
On pouring our second glasses of champagne, though, my husband commented that we must have gotten a small bottle, as the champagne didn't seem to go as far as it usually does : )
Sunday, 20 March 2011
Spring!
Saturday was a glorious day - brilliant sunshine, blue skies, the smell of hyacinths and daffodils in the air. How could you not drink champagne on a day like that? We opened a bottled of Maison Lenique 2004 in the afternoon, as we lounged in the garden with the FT, and sipped, and enjoyed, and relaxed. It was an 'aaahhh' sort of day.
Back to Borough Market
I had to go to Borough Market again on Friday - to buy shrimp for dinner and some meat for a meal I made this weekend. As usual, to reward myself for braving the crowds, I stopped into Bedales to see what bubbles they had. I chose a Brut Reserva Rose cava from Joan Sarda, thinking that it might complement the orange sauce I made with the shrimp. This wine is a 50/50 mix of grenache and monastrell grapes - an unusual combination for a sparkling wine.
The shrimp were delicious, the cava less so. I was surprised when my husband said he liked it. When I asked why he said it was because it actually had some flavour, unlike so many rose wines and cavas. But to me, the flavour was completely unbalanced. The cava hit the front of the tongue with an overpowering sweetness, and then milliseconds later hit the back of the tongue with an unpleasant sour taste that lingered. I just didn't like it. This was not a 'sip in the garden as an aperitif' sort of cava - it needed food to mask the sweet/sour dichotomy, and even then, the sour finish predominated.
A little disappointing from Bedales...but I have to say that I didn't ask for advice while I was there and, since they know my taste, they perhaps might have pointed me to something different.
The shrimp were delicious, the cava less so. I was surprised when my husband said he liked it. When I asked why he said it was because it actually had some flavour, unlike so many rose wines and cavas. But to me, the flavour was completely unbalanced. The cava hit the front of the tongue with an overpowering sweetness, and then milliseconds later hit the back of the tongue with an unpleasant sour taste that lingered. I just didn't like it. This was not a 'sip in the garden as an aperitif' sort of cava - it needed food to mask the sweet/sour dichotomy, and even then, the sour finish predominated.
A little disappointing from Bedales...but I have to say that I didn't ask for advice while I was there and, since they know my taste, they perhaps might have pointed me to something different.
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