We drank a few new things in November.
For date night, I splurged and bought a bottle of Taittinger Brut Reserve that was on special offer at my new local wine shop. I have a soft spot for Taittinger, as it was the first champagne house I ever visited, well worth the tour! This champagne is a 40/60 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, extremely well balanced and flavorful. It had loads of apple and vanilla and just a touch of honey, but no sweetness. The bubbles were very good and lasted. This was a nice champagne, and to get it around the £20 price point was well worth it.
Next up, a bottle of champagne that I bought on special offer from Waitrose, Bertrand de Bessac Cuvée du Marquis Brut. It won a silver award from Decanter in 2012, and I can see why. Again a Chardonnay/Pinot Noir blend, this was less well balanced than the Taittinger, but had rich apple flavor with a touch of citrus zest. The bubbles were OK, not great, but good enough for a wine I bought from the supermarket.
To shake things up a bit, I moved down market with an under £10 bottle of Codorniu cava. This maker is really good value, I think they make a pretty good cava. This one was the three traditional cava varieties, macabeo, xarel-lo, and parellada grapes. It had a very grape-y flavor, just a touch of sour at the finish, and decent bubbles. Not the best wine ever, but very drinkable and nothing to complain about.
Finally, I found myself in Prague at the end of the month and was tempted by their Bohemia Sekt Brut. I bought a half bottle at the airport to drink with my husband, who found it far too acidic for his liking. I didn't half mind its very dry and fruity flavor combined with surprisingly good bubbles. But I couldn't drink a lot of it. Honestly, it was far better by the glass at the restaurant in Prague where I first encountered it, served alongside the hefty, saucy, meaty food.
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
3D Wines, We Missed You
Some lovely friends gave my husband a year's membership at 3D Wines with a row of wonderful burgundy grapes. 3D always run specials on other cases for their members, though, and recently had some champagne on offer. Along with a case of yet-to-be-tried Maison Lenique 2007, we bought a mixed case of champagne from Fresne Ducret.
We've tried two of the three kinds of champagne in the case, and really enjoyed them. My favorite of the two was the 2004 Brut Millesime. This had loads of bubbles on pouring, and tasted like fresh apple strudel, just the right balance of crisp apples with buttery, slightly yeasted pastry. A great sipper, very refreshing.
The Reserve Premier Cru had a heavier flavor, though, still lots of apples and a bit of quince, much more richly ripe and autumnal. This champagne needed food, and was excellent with some cheddar cheese and walnuts. I would have liked more bubbles at the end of my glass, but my husband thought they were fine.
We're excited to have found a new maker that we like, and are looking forward to trying the rosé that is in the fridge.
We've tried two of the three kinds of champagne in the case, and really enjoyed them. My favorite of the two was the 2004 Brut Millesime. This had loads of bubbles on pouring, and tasted like fresh apple strudel, just the right balance of crisp apples with buttery, slightly yeasted pastry. A great sipper, very refreshing.
The Reserve Premier Cru had a heavier flavor, though, still lots of apples and a bit of quince, much more richly ripe and autumnal. This champagne needed food, and was excellent with some cheddar cheese and walnuts. I would have liked more bubbles at the end of my glass, but my husband thought they were fine.
We're excited to have found a new maker that we like, and are looking forward to trying the rosé that is in the fridge.
Saturday, 6 October 2012
September report
We drank from all over the map in September...
First up was an English sparkler, Coates & Seely blanc de blancs. I had high hopes for this wine, as I really like the rose from this maker. The blanc de blancs has a nice flavour, with orchard fruits and a touch of yeast, and very good balance, but not enough bubbles. I prefer the rose.
From there, we went to Australia, with Grant Burge pinot noir chardonnay that we bought from our new local wine shop. I was very excited that this shop has loads of things that you don't see every day! This wine tasted of very ripe pears, with just a hint of sweetness at the mid-palate, but a very clean finish. The disappointing thing was that even though you could see loads of bubbles in your glass, they didn't have any structure in your mouth, so the wine itself was more effervescent than bubbly. But it was a good deal at £12.
Next up, France, with Charles de Fere Jean-Louis Brut, again from our local wine shop. This is technically a sparkling wine rather than a champagne, and again, lacked the sort of bubbles that I really like. But the flavour was excellent, loads of apple and a touch of buttered toast at the finish. And again, another real bargain at £9 for the bottle. This sort of wine really makes you wonder what the English sparkling makers are thinking when they price their wines at £20+, as in a blind tasting, the Charles de Fere would trounce most of them at less than half the price!
Back to England, with Henners 2009, a traditional chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot meunier blend. This wasn't a very memorable wine, perfectly drinkable, but nothing stand-out-ish about it. And again, not enough bubbles.
We concluded the month, though, with a wine with plenty of fizz, enough to keep me happy! This was Alamos extra brut, a chadonnay/pinot noir blend from Argentina, again purchased at my new local. We really like the new local : ) My husband found this wine a little acidic, with tart apple flavours. While it wasn't as well-balanced as the other wines we had drunk in September, for me, the bubbles made up for it. And again, around a £10 price point, you can't go wrong.
It's so nice to get these empty bottles off of my kitchen counter...I really must find the time to blog more often.
First up was an English sparkler, Coates & Seely blanc de blancs. I had high hopes for this wine, as I really like the rose from this maker. The blanc de blancs has a nice flavour, with orchard fruits and a touch of yeast, and very good balance, but not enough bubbles. I prefer the rose.
From there, we went to Australia, with Grant Burge pinot noir chardonnay that we bought from our new local wine shop. I was very excited that this shop has loads of things that you don't see every day! This wine tasted of very ripe pears, with just a hint of sweetness at the mid-palate, but a very clean finish. The disappointing thing was that even though you could see loads of bubbles in your glass, they didn't have any structure in your mouth, so the wine itself was more effervescent than bubbly. But it was a good deal at £12.
Next up, France, with Charles de Fere Jean-Louis Brut, again from our local wine shop. This is technically a sparkling wine rather than a champagne, and again, lacked the sort of bubbles that I really like. But the flavour was excellent, loads of apple and a touch of buttered toast at the finish. And again, another real bargain at £9 for the bottle. This sort of wine really makes you wonder what the English sparkling makers are thinking when they price their wines at £20+, as in a blind tasting, the Charles de Fere would trounce most of them at less than half the price!
Back to England, with Henners 2009, a traditional chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot meunier blend. This wasn't a very memorable wine, perfectly drinkable, but nothing stand-out-ish about it. And again, not enough bubbles.
We concluded the month, though, with a wine with plenty of fizz, enough to keep me happy! This was Alamos extra brut, a chadonnay/pinot noir blend from Argentina, again purchased at my new local. We really like the new local : ) My husband found this wine a little acidic, with tart apple flavours. While it wasn't as well-balanced as the other wines we had drunk in September, for me, the bubbles made up for it. And again, around a £10 price point, you can't go wrong.
It's so nice to get these empty bottles off of my kitchen counter...I really must find the time to blog more often.
Monday, 10 September 2012
August round up - US
My husband and I managed a trip to the US together in August, which of course included some bubbles:
Our favorite was the Jagdschloss Brut 2009, a sparkling riesling from Germany. This was incredibly, mercifully brut, despite smelling of dried pineapple. It tasted of tarragon and other fresh green herbs. The bubbles were petillant, but plentiful. Very refreshing on a hot day. We drank this at the Terroir wine bar at the Highline garden, which I highly recommend for both having a wine list that included NY State wines and for the very good service.
We also had two properly American sparklers. Gruet brut, from New Mexico, a wine maker that we'd tried before and liked as one of the few American wines that wasn't overwhelmingly sweet. This one had a lot of honey and biscuit flavours, lots of richness and depth, and decent bubbles.
The other American wine we had was from NY state, Brotherhood blanc de blancs. This surprised us with its balance, not too acidic and not too sweet, with a very dry finish. It tasted of underripe grapes, with a more floral note as it warmed. Sadly, it just didn't have enough bubbles, being almost flat right from the start. Interesting to note that this vineyard proclaims to be the oldest in America, who knew that would be in NY rather than on the west coast?
Our favorite was the Jagdschloss Brut 2009, a sparkling riesling from Germany. This was incredibly, mercifully brut, despite smelling of dried pineapple. It tasted of tarragon and other fresh green herbs. The bubbles were petillant, but plentiful. Very refreshing on a hot day. We drank this at the Terroir wine bar at the Highline garden, which I highly recommend for both having a wine list that included NY State wines and for the very good service.
We also had two properly American sparklers. Gruet brut, from New Mexico, a wine maker that we'd tried before and liked as one of the few American wines that wasn't overwhelmingly sweet. This one had a lot of honey and biscuit flavours, lots of richness and depth, and decent bubbles.
The other American wine we had was from NY state, Brotherhood blanc de blancs. This surprised us with its balance, not too acidic and not too sweet, with a very dry finish. It tasted of underripe grapes, with a more floral note as it warmed. Sadly, it just didn't have enough bubbles, being almost flat right from the start. Interesting to note that this vineyard proclaims to be the oldest in America, who knew that would be in NY rather than on the west coast?
August round up - UK
I haven't had much time to blog, but don't want to forget what I drank in August. A few things that were ok but not worth repeating:
Finca Flichman Extra Brut, a rose from Argentina that I purchased in the US, an 80/20 Chardonnay/malbec blend. It didn't have enough bubbles for me, and while my husband knew that it wasn't made from traditional champagne grapes, he couldn't place the malbec. Different, but not 'wow'.
Comte de Lamotte brut, purchased at Majestic, a chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot meunier blend that my husband spotted at a sub £20 price. It was again perfectly ok, but not enough bubbles.
Nicolas Feuillatte 2005, a 100% chardonnay. This had crisp citrus flavours, but almost no fizz whatsoever, very disappointing if you love bubbles the way I do.
Ruinart NV, a blend of chardonnay and pinot noir. This again had very nice flavours, with lots of toast and yeast, but I would have liked more bubbles and expect them from champagnes at this price point.
Finca Flichman Extra Brut, a rose from Argentina that I purchased in the US, an 80/20 Chardonnay/malbec blend. It didn't have enough bubbles for me, and while my husband knew that it wasn't made from traditional champagne grapes, he couldn't place the malbec. Different, but not 'wow'.
Comte de Lamotte brut, purchased at Majestic, a chardonnay, pinot noir, pinot meunier blend that my husband spotted at a sub £20 price. It was again perfectly ok, but not enough bubbles.
Nicolas Feuillatte 2005, a 100% chardonnay. This had crisp citrus flavours, but almost no fizz whatsoever, very disappointing if you love bubbles the way I do.
Ruinart NV, a blend of chardonnay and pinot noir. This again had very nice flavours, with lots of toast and yeast, but I would have liked more bubbles and expect them from champagnes at this price point.
Wednesday, 1 August 2012
A New Old Favourite
I made tofu and rice for dinner the other night. I really like tofu and rice, but my poor husband...he'll eat it, but it's just not the same as meat and potatoes. He cheered immensely when I offered a glass of bubbles to go with it, especially as I had a bottle of 'the good stuff' in the fridge. We've been really impressed with Billecart-Salmon Brut Sous Bois, a blend of the traditional champagne grapes, chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier, aged in oak. The oak adds such a stunning richness to a champagne that we already love. On top of the usual clean and yeasty wine, there is a layer of dried apricot (without being sweet) and buttered, toasted nut bread. And the finish...wow...lingered forever, making us just want to drink more and more. It was such a good champagne for food, although not a great pairing with the grapefruit in the salad that I had also made, which was far too acidic for the depth of the wine. But champagne and tofu...a definite do-over. THIS champagne and tofu...made it a gourmet meal.
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Bubbles At The Beach
I was in the US last week, near the ocean, and keen to try something new and different. I picked up a bottle of The Beachhouse, a chenin blanc/gewurztraminer sparkler from South Africa. It seemed appropriate for the setting, and fit my hankering for 'something different', but it was sadly not for me. It was very sweet, tasting of ripe pears and elderflower. It was also just fizzy, not really bubbly. And I'm not writing this because I think sparkling wines should have a high alcohol content, but on drinking this one and thinking I was drinking soda pop, checked the label to find it was only 8% by volume. You could kind of tell...it's the sort of thing teenage girls on summer holidays would drink. As I said, not for me.
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