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!!
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
Sunday, 31 July 2011
Two Very Different Pinot Noirs
We had two bottles of bubbles during the week. The first was part of my Fizz Club case from the Champagne Warehouse, the latest release of 1+1=3 brut nature pinot noir. This was a juicy, berry-flavoured cava with a gorgeous, deep pink colour. Very yummy, although the bubbles weren't quite as good as the last batch of this cava that we drank.
The second bottle that we opened was the 2006 Cubitt Reserve from Denbies. This was also a pinot noir-based sparkler, but couldn't have been more different from the cava. To start, it wasn't a rose. Where the cava was full of berries, this was grape-y, like the kind of grape flavour you get in lollipops and bubble gum as a kid. The grape turns into grapefruit on the finish, with a nice acidity.
The only similarity came in the bubbles, which provided lots of fizz on opening, but didn't last through the glass. Disappointing for me, as I do love my bubbles.
The second bottle that we opened was the 2006 Cubitt Reserve from Denbies. This was also a pinot noir-based sparkler, but couldn't have been more different from the cava. To start, it wasn't a rose. Where the cava was full of berries, this was grape-y, like the kind of grape flavour you get in lollipops and bubble gum as a kid. The grape turns into grapefruit on the finish, with a nice acidity.
The only similarity came in the bubbles, which provided lots of fizz on opening, but didn't last through the glass. Disappointing for me, as I do love my bubbles.
Saturday, 23 July 2011
Two from the Fizz Club
We tried two bottles of bubbles from our Fizz Club membership with the Champagne Warehouse late this week, and they were both wonderful!! Had I ordered these wines through the regular website, I would have only ordered single bottles and then thought "I'll have to buy more of this". With the Fizz Club, I already have second bottles here, just waiting to be drunk : )
The first bottle we tried was the extra dry prosecco from Stocco. This is made from 100% prosecco grapes and couldn't be more different from the previous bottle of rose prosecco that we drank from Stocco. This one was fresh and aromatic, smelling of spearmint with a touch of candied banana. The first impression on the tongue was a flash of the mint, but followed up by lots of green apple - not like apples off of the tree, but the kind of green apple flavour you get in sour candies. It had loads of bubbles and was just so much fun to drink. I definitely preferred this to their rose.
The second bottle that we tried was the new release of Vignarosa Amorino brut rosato. It was just gorgeous!! The ruby colour never ceases to amaze me, and the rich, balsamic vinegar aroma just draws you in. Like past bottles that we've drunk, this one had deep red berry flavours that go on and on. And I knew we were in for some good bubbles when I couldn't get the cork out and had to hand the bottle over to my husband...while I don't like the delay in opening the bottle, I loved the sharp, explosive 'pop' and all of the bubbles!!
A great start from the Fizz Club, thanks Champagne Warehouse!
The first bottle we tried was the extra dry prosecco from Stocco. This is made from 100% prosecco grapes and couldn't be more different from the previous bottle of rose prosecco that we drank from Stocco. This one was fresh and aromatic, smelling of spearmint with a touch of candied banana. The first impression on the tongue was a flash of the mint, but followed up by lots of green apple - not like apples off of the tree, but the kind of green apple flavour you get in sour candies. It had loads of bubbles and was just so much fun to drink. I definitely preferred this to their rose.
The second bottle that we tried was the new release of Vignarosa Amorino brut rosato. It was just gorgeous!! The ruby colour never ceases to amaze me, and the rich, balsamic vinegar aroma just draws you in. Like past bottles that we've drunk, this one had deep red berry flavours that go on and on. And I knew we were in for some good bubbles when I couldn't get the cork out and had to hand the bottle over to my husband...while I don't like the delay in opening the bottle, I loved the sharp, explosive 'pop' and all of the bubbles!!
A great start from the Fizz Club, thanks Champagne Warehouse!
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Not What I Was Expecting
The lovely team at the Champagne Warehouse sent me a bottle of rose prosecco to try as a 'thank you' for some feedback that I gave them about their newly-launched Fizz Club. The wine was Rosamossa Rose Extra Dry from Stocco, a 100% cabernet sauvignon sparkler. I had high hopes for this wine having loads of berry flavours from the tasting notes that were sent to me, but it didn't turn out to be anything like what I was expecting.
The wine itself was a salmon-pink colour, and from the start, it had an incredibly amount of tiny, fizzy bubbles. It smelled like very acidic strawberries. When my husband asked what my first impression was on first sip, though, my reaction was - tomato. Not juicy, ripe-off-the-vine tomato, but just the slight aftertaste of tomato skin. There were definitely some berry flavours in there, but this wine was so dry it had a lot of vegetable flavours, as well. As it warmed up, it had a subtle finish of vegetable stock, with a mild celery and parsley taste.
This was such a surprise, and I'd be keen to try this with food rather than sipping it on its own as we did. It's not at all like the run-of-the mill rose proseccos that are out there, this is much more unusual.
A big thank you to the Champagne Warehouse for such an interesting bottle of prosecco, and a pitch for the Fizz Club, too - each month, the Champagne Warehouse are offering 6-bottle cases with 3 kinds of grower wines (2 bottles of each wine) - with options of just champagne, just non-champagne sparklers, or a mix of champagne and non-champagne sparklers. These wines aren't on offer on their website until well after the Fizz Club members have had their chance to order and re-purchase at a discount - so some of these wines might never reach the general website. It's quite reasonably priced, and no minimum commitment, so please do get in touch with them to sign up to receive the monthly tasting notes!!
The wine itself was a salmon-pink colour, and from the start, it had an incredibly amount of tiny, fizzy bubbles. It smelled like very acidic strawberries. When my husband asked what my first impression was on first sip, though, my reaction was - tomato. Not juicy, ripe-off-the-vine tomato, but just the slight aftertaste of tomato skin. There were definitely some berry flavours in there, but this wine was so dry it had a lot of vegetable flavours, as well. As it warmed up, it had a subtle finish of vegetable stock, with a mild celery and parsley taste.
This was such a surprise, and I'd be keen to try this with food rather than sipping it on its own as we did. It's not at all like the run-of-the mill rose proseccos that are out there, this is much more unusual.
A big thank you to the Champagne Warehouse for such an interesting bottle of prosecco, and a pitch for the Fizz Club, too - each month, the Champagne Warehouse are offering 6-bottle cases with 3 kinds of grower wines (2 bottles of each wine) - with options of just champagne, just non-champagne sparklers, or a mix of champagne and non-champagne sparklers. These wines aren't on offer on their website until well after the Fizz Club members have had their chance to order and re-purchase at a discount - so some of these wines might never reach the general website. It's quite reasonably priced, and no minimum commitment, so please do get in touch with them to sign up to receive the monthly tasting notes!!
Friday, 15 July 2011
Two From The Sampler
This week, we drank two champagnes that I bought from The Sampler. They were both uniformly good, well-made champagnes with lots of bubbles. This was a nice surprise, as I'm used to things being a bit more hit-or-miss when I'm buying from a supplier I don't know very well.
The first champagne was Varnier-Fanniere Brut Zero, a zero dosage champagne made purely from grand cru chardonnay grapes. This champagne had a very clean taste, with a bit of hay and biscuit in it, but had very little flavour at the finish until it warmed almost to room temperature. It was almost too clean, as I liked it enough that I wanted it to linger on my palate but it didn't. At £30/bottle, I'm not sure it's value for money.
The second champagne was more interesting, Laherte Freres Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature. This was also a zero dosage, 100% chardonnay champagne, although 40% of the wine mixture came from reserve wines from years past. The champagne had a wonderful, very green flavour, with just a touch of smokiness at the end. I think I liked it more than my husband, but he certainly finished his without complaint. I would order this again to share with other champagne-lovers, because it managed to be unusual and yet still what I expect from a champagne.
The first champagne was Varnier-Fanniere Brut Zero, a zero dosage champagne made purely from grand cru chardonnay grapes. This champagne had a very clean taste, with a bit of hay and biscuit in it, but had very little flavour at the finish until it warmed almost to room temperature. It was almost too clean, as I liked it enough that I wanted it to linger on my palate but it didn't. At £30/bottle, I'm not sure it's value for money.
The second champagne was more interesting, Laherte Freres Blanc de Blancs Brut Nature. This was also a zero dosage, 100% chardonnay champagne, although 40% of the wine mixture came from reserve wines from years past. The champagne had a wonderful, very green flavour, with just a touch of smokiness at the end. I think I liked it more than my husband, but he certainly finished his without complaint. I would order this again to share with other champagne-lovers, because it managed to be unusual and yet still what I expect from a champagne.
Monday, 11 July 2011
Sunny Sunday
It's been raining here in London for so long that I've almost forgotten that it's summer. But it is, and this weekend was nice enough that on Saturday we walked to Brixton to shop at the market there and on Sunday we were actually able to cook some of what we bought and eat lunch outside. My husband made a delicious marinade for the thinly-cut beef ribs that we had picked up, and grilled them with some plantains (also from the market). While mojitos would probable have been the best thing to drink with our lunch, we didn't have the right ingredients. We opened a bottle of Maison Lenique blanc de noirs instead, the rich flavour holding up nicely to the wonderfully-spiced meat. A good match, and a good afternoon for some bubbles.
Sunday, 10 July 2011
Not Champagne, But Wow
I love it when I order a bottle of wine that I know nothing about and it wows me...in the order that I placed with The Sampler I included a bottle of Lorca Fantasia Extra Brut blanc de blancs. This sparkler is from Argentina, so I just couldn't resist placing it in my cart even though I had no idea what to expect.
We opened it the other evening and absolutely loved it!! It had a hugely tropical aroma, with just a whiff of banana. It tasted of zesty pineapple and guava, a wonderful combination for a warm evening. What it lacked in finish, it made up in bubbles, a trade-off I am always happy to make. It was a huge bargain at less than £11/bottle. While I would never confuse this with a French champagne, I would happily drink (and serve) this as a gorgeous, playful aperitif. I must order more...
We opened it the other evening and absolutely loved it!! It had a hugely tropical aroma, with just a whiff of banana. It tasted of zesty pineapple and guava, a wonderful combination for a warm evening. What it lacked in finish, it made up in bubbles, a trade-off I am always happy to make. It was a huge bargain at less than £11/bottle. While I would never confuse this with a French champagne, I would happily drink (and serve) this as a gorgeous, playful aperitif. I must order more...
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