Becks & Posh is the host for Wine Blogging Wednesday #25 with the theme of Champagne, with an emphasis on some of the smaller producers in the region as well as a suggestion to attempt to pair the selected Champagne with food.
For those readers who aren’t familiar with Wine Blogging Wednesday, it is a monthly event started by Lenn from Lenndevours that is hosted by a member of the wine blogging community with a different theme selected by the host each month. I believe I am hosting next months Wine Blogging Wednesday #26 - the theme for the event will be announced shortly.
I was contacted by Neil from the excellent food for thought blog after the announcement for WBW #25, asking if I would be interested in doing a joint entry of sorts with us both tasting the same Champagne along with a food dish of his creation. I thought that this was a great idea and was very interested to see what disparate or similar conclusions we would come to about the wine and the food pairing.
The Food: I’ll let Neil talk about the recipe for his Fish and Shellfish medley for the most part, but I obtained my seafood from the Sydney Fish Markets in Pyrmont (a highly recommended place to visit for lunch and to acquire fresh seafood) and I used Ocean Perch, New Zealand Green Lipped Mussels and Queensland Scallops.
The Wine: When Neil sent the list of Champagne that he had access to, one name immediately caught my attention - Egly-Ouriet, one of my favourite producers in Champagne. The wine that he listed was the Grand Cru Cuvee Non Dose NV which is a wine from the Egly range that I haven’t tried before (I have spoken about other Egly-Ouriet wines here, here and here).
Egly-Ouriet is one of the growing number of family owned grower-producers in Champagne making a name for themselves and taking on the big Champagne houses. Unlike many of the big houses who may not own the majority of their vineyards and source their grapes from multiple growers, a grower-producer has control of the grapes from start to finish. This means that the style of the wine may not be as consistent as the large houses, but the wines can often show more personality and character as well as reflect the season and vineyard variations. Of course these traits could also be negative, so it can be important to choose your grower carefully.
We both purchased the wine and found that it has undergone a name change to V.P Extra Brut Grand Cru NV. The wine is from 100% Grand Cru designated (the highest quality designation) vineyards in the Ambonnay sub-region of Champagne.
The VP stands for Vieillisement Prolonge (prolonged aging) and refers to the 70 months that this wine spends on lees before final bottling.
Extra-Brut (Extra-Dry) indicates that the wine has not been dosed with sugar syrup as frequently occurs at the last stage of the Champagne winemaking process before bottling in order to balance sweetness and acidity. Wines that do not receive dosage usually have under 2 grams of natural residual sugar per litre (compared to a maximum 15g per litre for wines that are just labelled Brut).
As the NV (Non-Vintage) designation indicates, this wine is a blend of multiple vintages and this particular bottling/disgorgement is comprised of 50% grapes from the 1998 vintage, with the remainder coming from the 1995, 1996 and 1997 vintages.
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Variety: 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay
Region: Ambonnay, Champagne
Country: France
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 12.5%
Disgorged: May 2005
Cost: $85AUD |
Wine Tasting Note: Mid-golden in colour with a mellow bead and a very light mousse. The nose exibits aromas of freshly baked bread, brioche, toast, peaches and pear. A beautifully balanced, medium intensity palate with textured, layered fruit depth and vibrancy yet with excellent aged complexity simultaneously. The acidity that one would expect to show in a non dosed wine is present and is tightly focussed across the length of the palate, the quality and purity of the fruit is so good that the acid shows no signs of being overbearing. It has wonderful palate length leading into a finish that lingers with you for some time afterward and leaves you wanting more.
The Food Match: This wine paired exceptionally well with my attempt at Neil’s recipe. The subtle seafood sweetness of the fresh fish and scallops provided an interesting counterpoint to the wine, with each lifting the positive attributes of the other. The sauce was delicate, but enhanced and brought out the flavour of the fish. I thought this an excellent example of the benefits of carefully selecting food to match the wine and vice versa.
Conclusion: A genuinely classy wine and a simple to make but delicious dish. Both the wine and the meal were enjoyed greatly. The wine receives a score of 93/100. Neil’s summary, along with some great photos is here.
Two Hands “Brilliant Disguise” 2006 - (Barossa Valley, South Australia):
The nose is bursting with lime, mango, floral notes and tropical fruit. The light fizz leads the wine into a dance across the palate. A delicate sweetness with a hint at depth of flavour. Delicious drinking and I wish I had more for summer! Previously reviewed here.
90/100
Eldridge Estate Chardonnay 2004 - (Mornington Peninsula, Victoria):
A pale yellow colour. Minerally nose, with macadamia nuts, browned butter, lemon and signs of beautifully judged oak use sitting in the background. The palate has good intensity of flavour and good length, it is also balanced and focussed except for a slight citrusy tang towards the finish. Really calls out to be paired with food in order to shine.
89/100
Kracher Muskat Ottonel Auslese 2003 - (Burgenland, Austria):
Musk, violets, citrus peel, apricot and marmalade on a rather off-beat nose. The palate is also slightly out of the ordinary, with just a hint of rich sweetness, an oily viscous mouth-feel, lacking any real depth of flavour and the finish dropping away suddenly. Something a bit different, although I doubt I would purchase again.
86/100
Paul Bara Brut Reserve Grand Cru NV - (Champagne, France):
Medium bead with a very light mousse. Smoke, rose petal, lime and a light overlay of roasted nuts form the nose. The palate has a nice intensity of flavour as well as racy, well focussed acid and a slight citrus tang. Champagne of this quality is a steal for the price (around $55AUD).
90/100
Crabtree Watervale Riesling 1997 - (Clare Valley, South Australia):
A light golden yellow in colour. The nose is shy and reclusive, after a good deal of coaxing it revealed a little bit of honeysuckle and apricot. The palate lacks depth and anything much of interest, falling away very quickly after the mid-palate. Uninspiring and going nowhere rather quickly.
82/100
Tahbilk Marsanne 2004 - (Nagambie Lakes, Victoria):
This has a floral nose with notes of honey, nuts, pears and peaches. The palate has a slight viscosity about it that provides an interesting counterbalance to the acid. Medium length and while it was reasonably good, it is clearly in a bit of an “in between” phase - no longer youthful but not yet complex. Leave remaining bottles alone for a few years.
88/100
Yalumba “The Signature - Harold Obst” Galway Vintage Reserve Claret 1966 - (Barossa Valley, South Australia):
80% Shiraz and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
A deep red in colour with just slight browning out around the edges. The nose has strong overtones of fennel (aniseed/liquorice) with peppermint, earth, leather and violets following through. The palate was balanced, with just enough sweet fruit and tannin remaining to carry the medium length of the wine. Enjoyable for about 25 minutes and then faded away quickly.
90/100
Cooper Shiraz 2002 - (Hunter Valley, New South Wales):
An old style Hunter Shiraz nose of earth, tobacco, spice and some barnyard - with around half an hour in the glass, the tobacco seemed to turn into a dominant smoky aroma that smothered the rest of the nose. The palate showed good flavour and character, although I would suggest that it is drinking at its peak now.
87/100
A recent dinner with the theme for the start of the evening being “Grand Marque Champagne”. All wines were tasted blind by me except for the Savaterre and the Carpineto.
Comte Audoin de Dampierre Family Reserve Grand cru Blanc de Blancs Champagne 1996
A hyperactive bead with the most mousse of any of the Champagne this evening. I adored the nose on this, elegant floral scents, apple, lemon, minerals and just a smidge of toast. The palate is superbly balanced with great focused acid playing off against a richness of flavour. I agreed with the others that this is drinking wonderfully well now and while it may change with age, I don’t think it will necessarily get better than this.
95/100
Larmandier-Bernier Terre de Vertus Non-Dose premier Cru Champagne NV
Based on the nose, I thought this wine was a ring-in, with the nose having a musky, sweet moscato like character to it as well as strawberry bubblegum and some slate and chalk aromas. The palate lacked points of interest and was short. Adair came up with the absolutely perfect descriptor for the palate which was mineral water. I can see what Attila was saying about the uniqueness of this wine, but it just didn’t do anything for me at all in terms of enjoyment.
80/100
Moet et Chandon Cuvee Dom Perignon Champagne 1996
A very fine bead. Cherry, toast, vanilla, mushroom, flint and herbs on a nose of brilliant depth, just from the nose this is a step up in class. An utterly charming palate that was elegant and almost perfectly structured, while at the same time having breathtaking depth, intensity and an incredibly long, sublime finish. Obviously this is young and not the wine that it will be in time, but it is already shows a level of complexity that belies its age. This was genuinely stunning, a monumental wine.
97/100
Lindemans Reserve Pinot Noir Chardonnay Pinot Meunier Sparkling 1999
What poor wine would follow the brilliance of the Dom? This had a very tight, muted nose with a hint of bread and butterscotch. There was too much acidity on the palate and not enough fruit leading into a finish that seemed short in comparison to some of the previous wines. That said, it was enjoyable to drink, simple yet tasty, which for me made it a superior wine to the Larmandier.
When people thought it a Grand Marque Champagne, the comments were that it was somewhat disappointing (too much acid, too much alcohol, disjointed etc) - as a $10 Australian Sparkling wine though, it is a revelation and I’m delighted that a humble Aussie went toe to toe with the big guns. I think I will purchase some.
89/100
Krug Vintage Champagne 1988
A honeyed, toasty and nutty nose that I usually associate with Krug, but there is none of the trademark Krug intensity, complexity or richness here. The palate was flat and bitter, finishing short and becoming increasingly oxidised and sherried after a short time in the glass.
NR/100 because it was a bad bottle, but under 80 if I was to rate it.
Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill Champagne 1995
A nose that that wasn’t willing to give a whole lot away, with just some simple citrus aromas and a small level of toast. The palate is round and ripe with a rather delicious creamy mouth-feel but no sign of the depth or length that I would expect of a Marque Champagne.
91/100
Moet et Chandon Cuvee Dom Perignon Rose Champagne 1978
A real privilege to taste this wine, my first Dom Rose.
A golden orange in colour with just brief glimpses of the trickling bead through the wine. The nose showed life through honeycomb and floral notes as well as an almondy oxidative character. I took a sip, and to my surprise there was still a core of acid present and propping up a palate that is clinging onto life with good depth of flavour.
88/100
J-L. Chave Blanc 2000 (Hermitage, France):
Ripe pear and some heat on the nose. A viscous glycerol like mouthfeel with more alcoholic heat showing through badly. There is an interesting texture to that palate that I kind of like, but I couldn’t really find anything else to like about this wine.
I think the label said 13.5% which I am sure the winemaker would have trouble stating with a straight face.
82/100
Domaine Francois Raveneau 1er cru Montee de Tennerre 1999 (Chablis, France):
Seashells, salt water/sea spray with a touch of both toast and asparagus on the nose. The palate is steely and has the kind of unique “pure” flavour that I link to Chablis but doesn’t really have the depth of a wine destined for greatness. I enjoyed drinking it regardless and perhaps it will prove me wrong in time.
89/100
Savaterre Chardonnay 2004 (Beechworth, Victoria):
A mistake to bring this wine to this dinner, but I had been wanting to open one for the past few months without an occasion to do so and was hoping it might find an audience. C’est la vie.
Nectarines, peach, oatmeal, plenty of high quality oak and a caramel malt barley kind of character to the nose. The palate has a certain textural brilliance to it that really draws me to this wine. Complex and minerally and mealy, it is only set to get better from here. I was the only one on the night who liked this wine.
91/100
Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy 1er Cru Lavaux-St.-Jacques 1996 (Gevrey-Chambertin, Burgundy):
An interesting gamey, spicy, earthy nose with just an elusive hint of nutmeg. The palate shows the savoury fruit intensity that some (most?) Australian Pinot producers would love to be able to achieve. No real “wow factor” yet, but I would probably back it to be showing extra complexity in the next 5-8 years and that could raise the wine a level. As it stands now, a nice drink indeed.
90/100
Isole e Olena Cepparello 1998 (Tuscany, Italy):
A fair bit of toasty oak dominating the nose along with some liquorice and spice. The palate is medium bodied with a earthy texture. The tannins are standing out at the moment but I think that they may come around with time. This is very much a wine to enjoy alongside food.
90/100
Chateau Haut Batailley 1982 (Bordeaux, France):
The nose is enticing with deep smokiness, tobacco, spice, mushroom and cedar. The wine is drinking at its very peak, with all the elements of the palate coming together in balance. Though mature, the tannin structure is still excellent and the wine is carried through by this into a long finish. The interaction of components of this wine is what I think of when I think of very good mature Bordeaux.
92/100
Chateau Leoville Las Cases 1982 (Bordeaux, France):
A nose that had me captivated - blackberry, bramble, spice, violets, tobacco, slate and graphite - youthful and yet with utterly superb layered depth and complexity. The palate is similarly enchanting with layer upon layer of depth and with every part of the wine coming together to sing in perfect balance leading into a peerlessly long finish. I’m rendered almost speechless, even thinking back on the wine now a few days later. Profound, brilliant and about as close to perfection as I have ever tasted in a red wine.
99/100
Gere & Weninger Barrique Cabernet Sauvignon 1993 (Villany, Hungary):
A wine that most would have trouble pinning down as a Cabernet varietal wine. The nose is rich and has nicely integrated oak with floral and pepper overtones. There was a unique graceful texture on the palate that I found quite appealing. Good length and quite enjoyable, this is one of the things I love about offlines - getting to try wines that I would never have been able to taste otherwise.
89/100
Gere Villany Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 (Villany, Hungary):
A nose comprised of charred oak, medicinal aromas, pepper and sweet, jammy fruit. The palate is rather flat and lacks all that much of interest to talk about I’m afraid. Attila made an interesting point that the winemaker now gives himself top billing on the front label rather than the region that was in large font on the 1993.
80/100
Carpineto Farnito Vinsanto del Chianti 1986 (Tuscany, Italy):
A golden orange colour. Nose has deep aromas of coffee beans, hazelnuts, almonds, some oxidative notes and spirity liquor. A rich, luscious apricot and nutty palate with sweetness balanced by well proportioned acidity. The palate has good intensity and flavour, but not a whole lot of depth or length. I quite liked it though and it was certainly something a bit different.
89/100
Seppelt DP63 Show Muscat NV (Rutherglen, Victoria):
My opinion was that this wine was corked and not like some other bottles of this that I have had which had been superb. This was just a bit flat and lacking, with some complexity wanting to emerge from behind the taint but not allowed to come through.
NR/100