Category Archives: Champagne

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2008 St. Hiliare Blanquette Limoux

The 2008 St. Hiliare Blanquette Limoux, a blend of 98% Mauzac, Chardonnay, and Chenin Blanc from Languedoc, France.

The second sparking wine that we tasted as we cruised north under the George Washington Bride, circling Manhattan with other cruisers, was this 2008 St. Hiliare Blanquette Limoux – a blend of 98% Mauzac, Chardonnay, and Chenin Blanc from Languedoc, France.  Enjoyable for a variety of reasons, and in no small part because we wouldn’t normally pick up a sparkling or drift to French wines in general.  As such, it was a nice change of pace from our domestic proclivities.  This was paired with my favorite cheese of the day, a La Tur from the Piedmont area of Italy.  The cheese was formed from a blend of sheep, cow, and goat’s milk–it was runny (“oozing” in the words of our host, not a description that I’d usually give to my foodstuffs) around the perimeter with a most, cake-like paste.  Its flavor was earthy and full (“like ice cream served from a warm scoop”)–a truly enjoyable pairing.

“The Blanquette de Limoux is probably the oldest sparking wine in the world.  In 1531, the Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of Saint-Hiliare were already producing Blanquette de Limoux, which thus precedes champagne by more than a century.  The Limoux vineyards are located at Languedoc, in Southern France, at the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains.  The grapes are selected from clay-limestone plots that capture both the Oceanic and Mediterranean influences.  Dry, toasty, smooth and clean it truly captivates with an attractive yeasty aroma and luscious creamy texture.  The palate is light and crisp with citrus and apple flavors and the body is just hefty enough.”

And on our tour of the world’s wines continues!

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Szigeti Gruner Veltliner Brut

The Szigeti Gruner Veltliner Brut, Austria, NV.

This sparkling brut we enjoyed on a gorgeous Saturday in August, circling Manhattan with our good friends as we set out on a wine tasting cruise.  On a hot afternoon this brut and its citrus flavors were a great way to break our thirst.  The Szigeti Gruner was paired with a Valency goat cheese from the Loire Valley of France.  The cheese had a greyish rind and was very creamy…we sampled before the brut, after the brut, and were even encouraged by our host to taste the two together–all to great result.  Some comments on the Szigeti:

“Produced using fruit sourced at a vineyard surrounding Lake Neusiedl; it sits approximately 328 feet above sea level.  This Sparkling was made using traditional methods…A hint of lemon zest, followed by wisps of almond are the primary aromas in the attractive and somewhat subtle nose of this wine.  The citrus theme continues through the palate where its rounded out by a lovely creaminess.  White pepper emerges and leads to the finish, which features brioche and yeast notes.”

Obviously many of those comments are far more nuanced than we can detect but the citrusy aspects made for a great start to the tasting event.

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Blanc de Blanc – Brotherhood Winery

Today we’re embarking on a wine tour by boat, circling the island of Manhattan with a group of fellow passengers ready for some vino.  As we steam out of Pier 62 and head north on the Hudson, we’re kicking things off with a Blanc de Blanc from the Brotherhood Winery in New York–just a quick thirst-quencher to get things started.  This is the basic sparkling white on which we’ll be layering the world’s wines this gorgeous afternoon!

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Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label

Happy Valentine’s Day–a day to spend in celebration of that special something that you can’t quite define in words but can cite a thousand examples between the two of you.  Our HVD dinner, brightened with fresh tulips, consisted of a homemade lobster macaroni-and-cheese that armies would fight for, delicious asparagus in a lemon and burnt butter sauce, and the best company possible.

A molten chocolate cake – you see it in the photo here – was a featured dessert that my wife could sell in a high=end supermarket.  It was a great finish to an evening that began with the Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label, one of our absolute favorites, and plenty of phone calls to our favorite people.  Hoping your celebrations and your bubbly were as good!

Veuve Cliquot from HVD 2012

Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label, of Champagne, France, accompanying our fresh tulips, chocolate cake, and lobster macaroni-and-chees dinner.

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Moet & Chandon Champagne Imperial

A birthday celebration is always more complete with champagne, particularly one as amazing as this one.  The Moet & Chandon Champagne Imperialwas a gift from dear friends, and was a great accompaniment for fresh sushi (courtesy of Kurumi).  We popped this bubbly and hit the chopsticks with big smiles.  It was light, fruity, and had a deft touch that helped make the night into a memory.  Here’s what the big shots say about it:

Moet & Chandon Champagne Imperial

Moet & Chandon Champagne Imperial

The color is an elegant golden straw yellow with amber highlights. Its aromas are radiant, revealing bright yellow-fleshed fruits (i.e., apple, pear, yellow peach), honey, floral nuances (e.g., lime blossom) and elegant blond notes (i.e., brioche and fresh nuts). The palate is seductive, richly flavorful and smooth combining generosity and subtlety, fullness and vigor, followed by a delicately fresh crispiness (fruit with seeds), to reveal the magical balance of champagne.

A must-have again soon!

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Veuve Clicquot Brut Yellow Label

Veuve Clicquot Champagne enjoyed to ring in 2012

We had this delicious champagne–a favorite of Bec’s–to celebrate the start of 2012!  Having slipped away to upstate New York, we were staying at the “Sky & Water House” near Woodstock for the occasion with our friends Angela and George.   It was a nice place and we enjoyed thoroughly the peace and the quiet afforded by the place.

Veuve is amazing under any circumstances, and certainly a great treat to celebrate such a milestone as the coming of the new year.  Our dinner consisted of steak (grilled on our deck!), fresh asparagus, and even sweet potato fries.  All were great but none so much as the champagne and the New Year’s celebration.

The winemaker itself writes as follows: “Clicquot’s signature Brut is loved all over the world for its crisp, full flavors, consistent quality and celebratory yellow label.  This classical dry champagne is a blend of two thirds black grapes (pinot noir and pinot meunier)  for body, balanced with one third chardonnay for elegance.  It has a fine, persistent sparkle and golden champagne color.“