Bonville Prestige Brut Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs

Sometimes you have to stop waiting for that "special occasion" and just open your bottle of bubbly! No special occasion tonight, just an opportunity to taste this tantalizing gift of grower champagne. The Bonville Prestige Brut Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs was a delightful detour from 'still' wines -yeasty, lemon drop and hints of caramel on the nose, a palate of fine mousse, toasty lemons and good minerality. Nice gift!
Cork. 12.5% alcohol
Score: 16.5/20
Gift

NV Tissot Indigene Cremant de Jura

I have a lot of respect for the Tissot house in Jura (1,2), so it was a no brainer to pick up this sparkling offering for a test run. The N.V. Domaine Tissot Crémant du Jura "Indigène" was a sparkling amber hue - caramel and tart apples on the nose, yeasty as well - like an apple beer with a hint of baking spices.

Tangy grapefruit and a touch metallic on the palate, not as soft or as balanced as a good Champagne, but I loved the wild flavours...I am curious if some bottle age will soften the rough edges? I'd better find another bottle.
cork. 12.5% alcohol
Score: 16/20
Price: C$23 (LCBO)

Celebrating with a 2002 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin

No matter how often I hear that Champagne is NOT just for special occasions, I ALWAYS save Champagne for special occasions. Cava - now that's an everyday wine - but not Champagne. This bottle was opened to celebrate my first Olympic distance triathlon (is it wrong to celebrate athletic achievement with alcohol?).

The 2002 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, a gift from my wife, was rather noteworthy for being...well not noteworthy. Classic buttery, lemony, croissant...minerally, with a hint of white flowers. A soft, creamy, mousse and delicately textured, some crisp lemon and bitters. Great persistency, but rather ho-hum for being so technically correct and emotionally flat. Maybe it was just a mood thing.
cork. 12% alcohol
Score: 16/20

Seaview Sparkling Shiraz

Ok, what the heck is this? Yes, I know sparkling Shiraz is not NEW. Could it be that Joe is so un-cool that he never tried one or these, or could it be that I am so horribly snobbish that I would never buy a sparkling Shiraz? I will not answer that question right now, but I still want to know: what the heck did they do to my Shiraz?!

The Seaview Sparkling Shiraz was a tantalizing purple-y colour with a pinkish foam, but there was no doubt on the nose that this wine was a Shiraz - Aussie Shiraz. But those vanilla, dark berry and violet notes were no preparation for the shocking interaction of big fruit, big tannins and foam on the palate. Big, soft, fruity bubbles, a surprisingly fine tannic structure - I couldn't decide whether I wanted the bubbles to disappear and the wine to warm to reveal the Shiraz, or the tannins and big fruit to disappear and reveal a bubbly. No need to decide - the bubbles faded fast and it became a regular Shiraz, tasty but modest. A clever novelty from the marketing department.
cork. 13% alchol
Score: 14/20
Price: gift

Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut

Source: Laurent-Perrier USA

Many wine drinkers, myself included, reserve the Champagne for special occasions. But not tonight - tonight this fine bottle of bubbly helped to celebrate a 'little victory'.

For the price I have always considered the NV Laurent-Perrier Brut L-P to be one of the great values amongst big house Champs so I was pretty enthusiastic about opening this NV Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut, a Valentine's gift from my significant other. A pretty salmon colour in the glass, it showed a simple nose of yeasty white grapefruit with a hint of rasberries. An elegant, soft mousse on the palate with bitter grapefruit, a minerally tang and fresh acidity, it showed much better as it warmed up but remained rather uncomplicated. Apparently this is the world's best-selling rose bubbly - I can see the charm, but I would expect a touch more complexity at this price point.
cork. 12% alcohol
Score: 16/20
Price: gift

1996 Nicolas Feuillatte Grand Cru Cramant

The wife was ecstatic when my week of wine abstinence was over - I wasn't opening the good stuff if I wasn't drinking! We broke the dry spell in a big way, with my oldest bottle of vintage bubbly, a 1996 Champagne. This was a rather appropriate vintage to celebrate my 'comeback', as it was in November of 1996 that I went off to NYC in search of fame and fortune and ended a multi-year love of running.

The "Nicolas Feuillatte" brand is owned by a co-op, the Cave Vinicole de la Champagne, who adopted the single vineyard concept in the mid-90s. Tonight's "Cramant" is a single vineyard Champagne made from 100% Chardonnay (a 'blanc de blancs').

The 1996 Nicolas Feuillatte Grand Cru Cramant boasted a beefy scent of malt - a 'single malt' scotch from the highlands - with flinty and cream pastry notes, and a creeping sense that this wine held some untold secrets - swirling and sniffing over the evening further revealed subtle, but tantalizing, aromas of caramel, lemon, melon, and white flowers. A fine mousse blanketed a dry, steely and focused 'blanc de blancs', with an intellectually-stimulating earthy bitterness on the palate. Despite its 12 years of age it seemed young and closed down, the sturdy acidic structure keeping some beautiful scents under wraps for another day...
cork. 12% alcohol
Score: 17.5+/20
Price: C$66 (LCBO)

Cheap Bubbles - 2004 Sieur d'Arques "La Bulle de Limoux"

With his "Friday Night Bubbles" series Neil has inspired me to drink more sparkling wine, from Champagne and beyond, and not just on special occasions. I have been especially intrigued by his French bubbly finds outside of Champagne, so I took a flyer on this "Blanquette de Limoux".

The 2004 Sieur d'Arques "La Bulle de Limoux" comes from the Blanquette de Limoux appellation in France and is made from the local grape Mauzac, with some Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay mixed in. A yeasty, lemony croissant with white flowers and a hint of oranges on the nose. Fresh and minerally on the palate with a modest mousse, this well-balanced and easy-drinking bubbly is a great value - serve it blind and guests will think you brought out an inexpensive chamapgne (only you will know you just saved 30 bucks).
cork. 12.5% alcohol
Score: 16/20
Price: C$18.25 (SAQ)

A nice surprise, and a compelling reason not to save the bubby for special occasions.

2005 Louis Jadot Beaune "Boucherottes"

Been busy with the 2005 Burgundies as of late - here's another:

The 2005 Louis Jadot Beaune "Boucherottes" sported dark raspberry, vanilla, cocoa, basil and floral notes on the nose, crisp and balanced on the palate. Smooth, with a modest finish, it is drinking well now - hard to imagine extended cellaring is necessary. Paired very well with a whole chicken roasted on the bbq.
cork. 13.5% alcohol
Score: 17/20
Price: C$48 (SAQ)

But, with guests over for dinner, you can see in the photo that we started our evening with champagne. The NV Piper Heidsieck "Brut Divin" is a "Blanc de Blancs", that is 100% chardonnay. Smokey toast and yeasty, lemony notes, some flowers as well, a fitting intro to this simple, but very elegant, bubbly. One of the last bottles from my trip to France last year.
cork. 12% alcohol
Score: 16/20
Price: ~35 euros (winery)

Sunday Night Bubbles

Ok, so I ripped off Brooklynguy with the title, and to add insult to injury this post features an industrial product from a big champagne house, but I'm gonna give him lots of links so I think he'll forgive me.

To celebrate nearly two weeks of terrific weather I opened the NV Piper-Heidsieck Rose Sauvage Brut. It sported a simple nose of raspberry toast, nice bitter persistency and a fine mouse on the palate - smooth and elegant, something the big houses are very good at. We picked up this bottle on our trip to France last year - funny how the wine scored higher AT the winery? Paired nicely with some grilled calamari smothered in a tomato-basil marinade.
cork. 12% alcohol
Score: 16.5/20
Price: €31.20 (winery)

I am a champagne amateur - for the real deal head over here. I promise not to do it again, Neil...(damn fine picture, though)

Twelve Under $12: Codorniu Clasico Brut Cava

I don't deserve to be married working late on Valentine's Day and opening a $12 bottle of bubbly, but the bubbly was good enough to win back her love.

Returning to familiar territory with the Codorniu Clasico Brut (NV), I was impressed once again by this cheap Cava - pale gold with a decent mousse and attractive notes of toasty bread, white flowers, pears, and earthy tropical fruit - a prelude to its crisp, creamy mouthfeel, and smokey-apple flavours. Yes, you can have "champagne-like" flavour every day - bravo!
cork. 11.5% alcohol
Score: 15.5/20
Price: C$12.35 (SAQ)

Corks!

Thought I'd post this photo of champagne corks from our recent tasting. Notice how the '88 Vintage cork (far right) has shrunk considerably, the '98 Vintage corks (just to the left) are a touch thicker, and the Brut NV corks are standard champagne corks. I never knew champagne corks shrunk so dramatically over a time (see the discussion here) ...

Such dramatic shrinkage could lead to a flat wine. Fortunately for us that was not the case - the 1988 was the best of the night!

Champagne!

On Saturday I previewed our first-ever romp through Champagne. Funny, I can't say that our group thought it was the "best" tasting, but it was probably the most "fun"... could it be all those bubbles? The wines were as follows (in order of service, unblinded):

NV Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut
1998 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon
1988 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin "Rare Vintage"
1998 Pol Roger Brut Rosé
NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé
NV Bruno Paillard Rosé Première Cuvée

The favourite of the evening was Lloyd's 1988 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin "Rare Vintage", a gift to Lloyd. Twenty year old champagne? Yes! Very nice, and showing great complexity on the nose from the time in the bottle, but still fresh and vibrant on the palate. Creamy caramel, with notes of pear, grapefruit, earthy - smokey and minerally as well. Soft tiny bubbles, harmonious on the palate, a stunning wine - even more so considering that it is available online in the U.S. for ~US$70-80. Bravo!
cork. 12% alcohol
Score: 19/20
Price: C$109 (LCBO)

While it was my fourth place, the group ranked Pramod's 1998 Moët et Chandon Cuvée Dom Pérignon second place. Shiny gold in the glass with a nice, fine mousse, it was rather simple on the nose - toast/yeasty/smokey, some limes, lemon rind and white flowers. Minerally and focused, a competent effort but emotionally bland in my opinion. I find it hard to believe Pramod got it for this price - at Costco?!
cork. 12% alcohol
Score: 17.5/20
Price: US$120 (Costco)

The top rose and the third favourite (Joe's second favourite) was Chris' NV Bruno Paillard Rosé Première Cuvée. Light salmon-coloured with a very fine mousse, it was perfumey and sublime - rose petals, lime and cherry/kirsch aromas. Harmonious, with a soft mousse and a nice touch of fruit, it was a beautifully textured, seductive champagne. Tough to find, but worth the catch.
cork. 12% alcohol
Score: 18/20
Price: C$77 (SAQ)

Cam's 1998 Pol Roger Brut Rosé edged out my wine for fourth place. A light pink - the deepest pink of the three rosés - it was gooseberries, minerals, tar, and some floral notes. The palate was minerally, toasty, and more aggressive, with larger bubbles than the rest. Nicely done and a great wine on any other night. Cam was suspicious of the very large display - given the QPR he was right to be suspicious.
cork. 12% alcohol
Score: 17/20
Price: C$91 (SAQ)

Once again, Joe places near the bottom of the pack, as my NV Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé failed to impress this tough crowd. A pale salmon hue in the glass, it was pine woodsy at first, later lemon-lime, raspberry, yeast and liquorice - toasty but not buttery. Minerally, focused and beautiful - a "manly" pink wine.
cork. 12% alcohol
Score: 18/20
Price C$84.95 (LCBO)

Last to show up for the tasting, and last in the rankings, was Cosme's NV Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Brut. Pale gold in the glass, showing apples, hay, green grass and toast on the nose. Green and crisp with a mousse that was not quite up to the others. A nice champagne, but why bother with so many other great champs around? Hard to believe this was from the same house as the 1988 above.
cork. 12% alcohol
Score: 17/20
Price: C$66 (SAQ)

While the rankings may give the illusion of a close race it was really a case of the top three, and then the rest. Hats off to the smaller producer, Paillard, for the best Rose, and the 1998 Veuve Clicquot for a balanced, complex champagne for a tremendous price. And chalk up another win for Lloyd - Joe is going to have to get serious now...

Next up - Cosme tasks us to compare Barolo and Barbaresco blind, next month...

Preview: Our First Champagne Tasting

Champagne! The word dances off the tongue...light, airy and magical, capturing the essence of the region. It is this magic that our tasting group hopes to capture tonight at our first ever Champagne tasting.

Despite the legendary name and its status as the spiritual home of sparkling wine, Champagne accounts for less than 10% of worldwide sparkling wine production. The region covers 34,000 hectares in the north of France, with approximately 29,000 hectares under vine. When you consider that the 34,000 ha number includes area covered by homes, roads and schools, it is obvious that virtually all of the suitable land is under vine (a topic addressed here).

There are three major grapes in Champagne: Pinot Noir (~38%), Pinot Meunier (~35%) and Chardonnay (~27%). According to The Oxford Companion to Wine there is also some Petit Meslier, but I don't have any stats on that one. Most of the wine is a blend of grapes and different vintages, with 80% of the wine being non-vintage (NV). Vintage champage comes from particularly good years, on average 4 or 5 times per decade. Most champagne is a white wine, but there are also rosés (generally made by adding still red wine), "blanc de blancs" (white, but only Chardonnay) and "blanc de noirs" (white champagne from the black grapes). There are also limited quantities of still red, white and rosés. Champagne is the only major wine region in France with just one appellation, and the only appellation where producers are permitted to omit "appellation d'origine contrôlée" (or AOC) from the label.

Approximately 70% of production comes from the 7 big champagne houses, with the balance coming from growers and co-ops. (see Brooklynguy for great comments and reviews of "grower" champagne). There are nearly 20,000 growers in Champagne, with the vast majority (~14,000) selling their grapes to the big houses. It is interesting to note that 2/3rd of champagne is sold in France. For those of us residing outside of France over 90% of champagne comes from the major brands, but within France the grower and co-op champagne accounts for 50% of sales.

What will make tonight's tasting interesting is that no one in our group seriously collects or tastes champagne on a regular basis - I bet half the group doesn't even like the stuff! (all in the quest for knowledge...) Combine limited cellar selections with a competitive spirit and I expect we'll see some last minute shopping, likely to be focused on the global houses (whites and rosés). While Neil has made a strong case for "grower champagne", with a limited selection available on short notice I doubt any of these will make an appearance - Neil and I will have a rematch someday...

Unfortunately, I don't know how we are going to blind the event, and given our lack of knowledge I think we will stick to an unblinded format, as per our first large white tasting last September. Stay tuned for the results!

PS - my brief stop in Champagne last summer...

G.H. Martel "Cuvée Romance" NV

For New Year's Eve the missus and I opened a bottle of Martel's Cuvée Romance, a wine that we picked up at the winery last summer. A visually stunning bottle, but I didn't bring this back in my checked baggage for looks!

The Martel Cuvee Romance Brut NV was green apple and a lemon croissant, later smelling like bread dough. Yeasty and toasty, with a nice soft mousse. Crisp and refreshing with subtle flavours, almost prosecco-like. Uncomplex, but elegant and absolutely delicious. A great value!
cork. 12% alcohol
Score: 17/20
Price: ~20 Euros (winery)

PS - according to the winery only 40% of their wine leaves the country so this wine may be hard to find.

Dinner with Brooklynguy at AOC Bedford

(source: AOC Bedford, Neil conveniently sat under the copper frying pan...)

Dinner and wine with a fellow blogger is a treat, but twice in a month? Rare, indeed.

Neil (Brooklynguy) was kind enough to supply the wines for a tremendous dinner on my last trip to NYC. AOC Bedford is a quiet little French Bistro (apparently NYC's "most romantic restaurant", so I hope Neil took Brooklynlady there sometime!) in Greenwich village, just a few blocks from where I used to live in New York. Sunday is bring your own wine night, with no corkage on the first bottle (Ha! One bottle...).

Neil was late, but that was ok as the server set me up with a Pinot Blanc from Germany. Very nice, but I can't recall the name of the wine (no notebook tonight). What I absolutely can recall is that the restaurant was obsessive about using the proper stemware for each wine, and the glasses did not betray the manner in which they were cleaned - Bravo!

Neil opened with the Henri Billiot Brut Rose NV Champagne that has previously written about. His comments were "nearly perfect", and I would agree. While the rose colour was subtle, I found the pinot noir came through quite clearly, with nice blackberries and that crisp white champagne backbone and a great mousse. Neil correctly refused the ice bucket, allowing us to observe the flavour and aromas evolve throughout the evening. Like Neil, I am not a huge fan of rose Champagne, but this was a great one.

With appetizers we opened the 2002 Domaine du Closel Savennieres Clos de Papillon, a delicious Loire white that Neil has tasted on multiple occasions (I don't see the '02 there). Anyway, this was a delicious, but ageing, white, which we both remarked was remarkably similar on the nose to a Sauternes (apricot, noble rot). An elegant, balanced, white that is losing some of the crispness I love in Loire whites, perhaps peaking in my mind.

For the main course Neil shared a 2002 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne Romanee, which he wrote about here. Cherry red in the glass, it started musty, but followed with earthy vanilla, blackberry/raspberry, and smoke. On the palate it showed dry, dusty tannins, with a nice - but short - finish. A terrific red Burgundy showing that paired well with my lamb, drink now.

Many thanks to Neil, who was surprisingly close to how I pictured him! My apologies, Neil, as I was very disorganized for this event - I didn't even bring a gift (how embarassing - I was going to bring the de Villaine Bouzeron I sampled here). Unfortunately, airline travel with wine is frustrating these days. Speaking of de Villaine, tomorrow is WBW #39....

A Brief Visit to Champagne!

Well, I had to squeeze at least one 'wine day' into this trip, and the three-star Gothic cathedral in Reims was the hook. Okay, there was no hook, the family obliged me on this one.

The original plan was a quick tour of the cathedral, a stop at one or two cellars in Reims and then a quick tour through the vineyards in Epernay. As one might see from a map, this was an ambitious day trip from Lille, especially with three young kids, but that′s what those mini DVD players are for!

We arrived in Reims before noon, parked the car, and walked up to the cathedral. Rather impressive, this 13th century cathedral was the historical place for the coronation of French kings. However, despite a beautiful cathedral and millions of bottles of pricey Champagne just below street level, the city had a tired feel to it - not at all quaint like Lille, Honfleur, Bayeux or Bruges - and in that sense I was somewhat disappointed at first. But the trip was about wine, so we went to two wineries for a tasting, and to pick something up to bring back home.

Piper Heidsieck
The Rick Steeves guide refers to the tour of the Piper Heidsieck cellars as "cheesey" and "Disneyesque". Hmmm...Disney, children...daddy and the kids having fun at a winery together...this might work!
I can safely say this tour was the only wine tour my kids will ever enjoy (before the age of 18, of course). Descending into the caves, you pass a small display of ancient Champagne-making equipment, cross a bridge over blinking blue Champagne bottles (I am not joking), and arrive at a round, white 'vehicle'. The vehicle takes you on a tour of the cave, stopping and turning to face displays that light up when you arrive (a la Disney), and then going on to the next stop, all the while discussing in very vague terms the making of Chamagne. You even get to travel through a fictitious set of Casablanca (no really, I am not joking) with a statue of Bogart sipping Piper. The kids absolutely loved it, and I learned nothing about the making of Champagne.

At the end you arrive in a posh room showing movie stars, and then take a lift up to the very red velvet tasting room, where your pre-purchased flight of Champagnes is awaiting for your pleasure on a pre-printed tasting note sheet (hooray, no more travel brochures for scoring!). This is where the tour gets serious!

I paid up for a slightly better flight of wines - they were fantastic:

To the left was the Piper Heidsieck Brut Divin, a "Blanc de blancs" (i.e. 100% Chardonnay). Pale yellow in hue, with a greenish tinge (they say 'emerald'), this bubbly delivered tiny bubbles and a nice mousse. On the nose it was almost creamy, with scents of gingerbread, lemon, white flowers and nuts. On the palate it had a beautiful, soft mousse - elegant, with nice structure and good persistency. Very nice, and a bottle came home with me.
Score: 18/20
Price: €33.30

Next was the basic Piper Heidsieck Brut Non Vintage. It appears to be a blend of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, but it is a white wine. Sparkling, pale gold in colour, the mousse did not appear as fine as the previous. It displayed yeast/toasty aromas with some mint and fresh cut grass. On the palate it was ever so slightly sweet, with lemon and nice fizz, light-bodied, simple and refreshing.
Score: 16.5/20
Price: €28 (est)

On the right was the Piper Heidsieck Rose Sauvage, a pink bubbly. A lovely nose of black currant, plum, and jammy toast. On the palate it had nice mousse and a kind of kir/grenadine and orange flavour with very nice balance. Refreshing and substantial, this is a wine is not just for sipping - it could pair very well with a meal. A bottle of this also made the trip back to Montreal.
Score: 17.5/20
Price: €31.20

G.H. Martel & Co.

Martel was the exact opposite of Piper Heidsieck - quiet, homey, and tucked away in a corner near Tattinger and Heidsieck, it has the aura of a family run business (although I believe it is part of a larger conglomerate). Tastings are free (with a purchase) and the hostess went out of her way to serve me a wide array champagnes, asking me a number of questions to choose a flight that she thought both my wife and I would like. Note that the winery uses a lot of Pinot Noir in its bottlings, leading to rather substantial wines - don't look (generally) for lightweight quaffers here.

Overall, Martel's bottlings were a slight notch below Piper, in my opinion, but the prices are so much better that it is really worth a stop (I bought two bottles here). Moreover, 60% of their production never leaves the country, so you pretty much have to buy it in France.

My notes were short (no show for the kids...): the Martel Cuvee Romance, 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay, showed a nose of butter and caramel with some lemon notes. Light and refreshing, this was a great deal at €19 (Score: 17/20) and the attractive bottle would make a nice gift - a bottle came home with me. The 2000 Martel Vintage Champagne, 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay, was excellent - vanilla, almonds, caramel and toast on the nose, powerful, nice persistency and mousse. Nice price for a Vintage Champagne at €20.50 (brought a bottle home), Score: 17.5/20. The 1990 Cazanove Brut Millésimé, is one of Martel's other labels, and is a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot. A very nice mousse with scents of lemon peel and brioche, nice persistency. Nice (Score: 17/20), but less impressive than the 2000 Martel, and it costed €26. Get the 2000, in my opinion. I also tasted the Rose and Demi-Sec, but I preferred the Cuvee Romance at a similar price.

My only criticism of this winery (Champagne house) is the dizzying array of labels - they should really focus their product line a bit, in my opinion.

In the end, the passage of time and the long trip back to Lille required us to cancel a tour through Epernay (home of Moet & Chandon), so tantalizingly close...

Mile High Club, Take 2

With my return flight featuring the same four wines as my outbound flight below, I was nearly SOL for blog material. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a stewardess steal away and return with a mini-bottle of Cava for the guy in front of me. Jackpot!

After requesting a bottle of Cava in both English and French, I gave up and blurted out Champagne. She nodded, and returned with the CAVA, in this case the Codorniu Brut Clasico NV.

Given the altitude and the stemware I could not assess the mousse, but the nose was very pleasing, delivering scents of lemon, grapefruit, apricot, and almonds, with a heavy leathery/oaky undertone, similar to a Red Rioja! Joyful bubbles of lemony toast tickled my palate and brought a smile to my face after two hellish days of travel (this is not a travel blog, so I'll spare you the details). A very nice, inexpensive bubbly, that begs the question - why save bubbly for a special occasion?

11.5% alcohol
Score: 15.5/20
Cost: C$13.50 (SAQ)

Lobster Tails with Champagne Vanilla Sauce

No need to worry - Joe's wine is not going 'foodie', this post is only about wine. (For foodie types, the recipe came from the spectacular "Weber's Big Book of Grilling" - Spring weather has finally arrived in Montreal!)

A key ingredient in the champagne vanilla sauce is brut champagne, and tonight a Prosecco Brut filled in nicely. While the first 250mL of the Carpene Malvolti N.V. Prosecco di Conegliano Cuvee Brut was used for the sauce, the last 500mL served as an excellent apéritif for our dinner guests. Straw yellow with a fine mousse, it was rather simple on the nose, all lemons and toast. On the palate it was a great refresher - dry, light-bodied, with fresh acidity, a velvety texture and very nice balance. Very pleasing, and at this price a great excuse to drink more bubbly.
11% alcohol
Score: 15/20
Price: C$16 (est., gift)

Of course, those of you reading carefully saw that the bubbles were the apéritif - what to serve with a BBQ Lobster Tail slathered in butter? Well, a buttery chardonnay, of course. Make that two.

We started with the 2006 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Chardonnay. Golden in colour, this was rather simple on the nose - oaky, butter, with some melon, and noticeable alcohol. Refreshing, but rather bland, it paired well with the lobster, but I think was overshadowed by the next wine.
13.5% alcohol
Score: 13.5/20
Price: C$16

Next was the 2005 Carmen Reserve Chardonnay. Lighter in colour than the previous wine, the label describes this wine as 50% oak fermented, whereas the Koonunga appears to be exclusively oak aged. More complex on the nose, with lemon, melon and some banana, with only a hint of oak. Medium-bodied, this elegant and well-balanced wine paired very well with the lobster. Despite the same level of alcohol as the last wine it was not as noticeable, and increased acidity gave it better balance and persistency. Very enjoyable, but I scored it the same as the 'regular' (i.e. cheaper) Carmen chardonnay I tasted in January. Hmm - time for a rematch, regular vs. 'Reserve', stay tuned.
13.5% alcohol
Score: 15.5/20
Price: C$15

NOTE: I was loathe to break open a real Champagne for the butter sauce (see Doktor Weingolb and the NY Times for discussions on cheap wine and cooking)

Simple Pleasures, as Joe's Wine Turns 100

I nearly missed the fact that tonight's comment is my 100th post - hooray for me (or, if you are my wife, curse this hideous event). In honour of this momentous occasion, I debated opening something special, even extraordinary, but in the end I opted for the simple pleasure of an inexpensive bubbly.

The Jacob's Creek Sparkling Rose (NV) was only slightly pink, with a nice nose of buttered toast and a hint of strawberries. On the palate it had soft bubbles with a nice, dry cherry flavour. Uncomplex, but extremely quaffable, I was very impressed by the balance given the very low price. While bubbly afficianados would probably scoff at the 'mousse' and complexity of this wine, I thought it to be a perfect foil for a low-fat Fettucine Alfredo (complimented by some home-made fried Calamari). And at this price, you don't need a special occasion. Score 14/20, Cost C$13.85.

I bought this wine because of the good experience I had with the Jacob's Creek white bubbly. This wine could replace the Codorniu Brut as my favourite cheap bubbles, and encourage more frequent consumption of this celebratory wine.