Opposites

I've recently drunk two new bottles of bubbles that couldn't be more different.

The first was Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois Billecart 2000, a chardonnay/pinot noir blend. It was stunning - much richer than their blanc de blancs, tasting like the toasted crust of a very eggy loaf of brioche. Fantastic bubbles, too. While I always argue that you don't need a special occasion to drink champagne, this is one that I would serve on a big day, because it is a very memorable wine.

The second was Brown Brothers Cienna Rosso, something that I picked up through Ocado because I spotted it and hadn't tried it. Cienna is the grape variety, a new hybrid grape stemming from cabernet sauvignon. It was not-obnoxiously-sweet, fizzy, and punchy - the sort of thing you would drink quickly at a summer BBQ. Different because it's a red sparkler, but not at all notable.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

This is so not like me, but another catch-up post. It's been a busy month since I last blogged, and while bubbles were imbibed, they were not written-up. I can't stand looking at the bottles anymore, but know I'll forget what I drank if I just put them in my blue bin. So a quick summary below:

The good:
Boisson Rouge from Earl d'Oc et d'Oil, a jammy, lush, sparkling red. This had lots of bubbles and wonderful fruity flavour, a complete surprise and definitely a 'buy again'.

Luis Pato Maria Gomes bruto vinho espumante. This Portugeses wine is made by the father of Filipa Pato who makes another unusual sparkler. I think the father's was better, lots of dry yeasty flavour, good bubbles, and a very more-ish finish.

The bad:
Breaky Bottom Cuvee John Inglis Hall. This didn't have enough bubbles for me, and a slightly sweet taste to it. My husband liked it more than I did, he finished my glass as I just wasn't interested.

The ugly:
Camillo Donati malvasia rosa 2009. This sparkling rose says it's frizzante, so I was very excited to see all of the bubbles whooshing up from the bottom of my glass. Had I only left it to the looking - this was bitter, nasty, undrinkable. I poured my glass down the sink, my husband tried his with food, and then I think poured the rest of the bottle down the sink. Never again.

A Couple More to Report

I've been negligent in my blogging, and finally clearing up the last two bottles that we're drunk that have been sitting by my sink waiting to be typed up. They were interesting, but I'm not sure I'd rush to drink either again.

The first was the Cuvee Fleurie from Jean Claude Mouzon, which I bought from the Champagne Warehouse. This is a 100% chardonnay champagne, but unlike any others that I've tried before. It had a lush melon taste, but with a sweetness that hit the mid-palate rather than the finish. It was surprising, when I drank it, I asked myself if I really tasted that sweetness, and didn't comprehend that I had until I offered my husband a top-up and he said "No, it was too sweet". You don't often get sweet in the middle. I didn't mind it so much, because it disappeared on swallowing, so I was left with this melon-y taste. But as my husband proved, this one isn't for everybody.

The second champagne to report on was Bertrand Gautherot's Blanc d'Argile, which I purchased from Green & Blue. Not only is this a biodynamic wine, but it is also low dosage. The best comparison I could make for this wine is that it tastes just like the 1990 Bruno Paillard NPU that I've had, but with much better bubbles. And considering the former costs in the £100's where the Blanc d'Argile was around the £50 mark, I know which I'd prefer!! This had that same oxidised taste of rich orchard fruits - something I really enjoyed, but just couldn't drink a lot of. Well worth the investment, though, if you want wonder-year flavour without the same price tag.

The Best of British?

I'm sticking my neck out here, but I think I recently drank what I would call the best British bubbles. My husband picked it up for me at a shop at Borough Market called The Wine Pantry, which specialises in British wines.

The wine that wow'ed me was Pebblebed Brut sparkling rose, made from seyval and rondo grapes. Now I have to be honest, I'd never heard of this maker before, not even with the amount of reading I do about sparkling wines, so I wasn't expecting much from this bottle. But it was really, really good. The bubbles were impressive, the best I've ever had from a British wine, better than many French champagnes I've drunk. The flavour was just perfect for a rose - not too sweet, not too acidic, not at all floral, and not over-powered with berries. This was a wonderful aperitif, and I'd love to try it again with shellfish, as the maker recommends oysters with it. I'll definitely be drinking it again someday.

More Franciacorta

I've been a bit busy, so my husband agreed to guest blog an entry for me. I agree with his assessment, this was a yummy bottle!

At some point in the past few weeks, we opened the rose sibling of the Le Cantorie Franciacorta brut from the booming metropolis of Gussago (don't believe Diego - it is far larger than a village). Details on the rose are sadly lacking from Le Cantorie's website, but in the face of such adversity we soldiered on regardless. As with the normal brut, the bubbles were available in abundance and showed real longevity in the glass. While the wine lacked much in the way of a finish, on the palate it was a bit bolder than the brut with berry and currant notes and that characteristic Franciacorta dryness.

A Weekend of Wonderful

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!!

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.