| Champagne/Sparkling Wine & Port Tasting Report |
For our December Wine Tasting Report, we decided to pick two wine
styles that are traditionally enjoyed the most at this time of the year,
Champagne/Sparkling Wine and Port Wine. Of course, the two styles
of wines could not be more completely different from one another, but
none-the-less, our hard-working wine staff was up for the challenge!
First up were the five Champagne/Sparkling Wines and on this
occasion we had three representatives from the world champion of
sparklers, Champagne, France. The fourth contender was from
California and the final challenger came from merry ole' England.
That is not a miss-print, it really comes from England. The three
Champagnes we sampled were a Brut from Pannier, a Cuvee from
Sieux d' Anques and White Star from the legendary Champagne
house of Moet & Chandon. We also had an Extra Dry Sparkling
Wine from Korbel and our English Sparkler was a classic Cuvee from
Nyetimber. You may recall this wine from one of Ian Hastie's earlier
Editorials on finding a good English Wine. Ian informed us that this
Nyetimber is the Queen of England's personal favorite. We'll see if
she has good taste or not!
When the smoke had settled and the bubbly was gone, it was two
Champagne's from France that proved once again why Champagne
sets the bar for great Sparkling Wines. Ian's Nyetimber also showed
extremely well, in fact, the difference between the scores of the top
three wines was a mere half a point between each. Unfortunately, the
Korbel and the Pannier did not fair as well.
As for the Port Wines, we only sampled two and they were both from
very well respected Port Houses in Portugal, Graham's and Taylor
Fladgate. These two Ports despite being from the same country, were
worlds apart in taste. The Graham's Port was more of a young Cuvee'
of six grapes and tasted more like a Ruby style of Port, while the
Taylor Fladgate was a 10yr old Tawny and showed much different
characteristics. In the end, the Taylor Fladgate was preferred just
slightly over the Graham's, however, we found them both to be
excellent examples of quality Port!
styles that are traditionally enjoyed the most at this time of the year,
Champagne/Sparkling Wine and Port Wine. Of course, the two styles
of wines could not be more completely different from one another, but
none-the-less, our hard-working wine staff was up for the challenge!
First up were the five Champagne/Sparkling Wines and on this
occasion we had three representatives from the world champion of
sparklers, Champagne, France. The fourth contender was from
California and the final challenger came from merry ole' England.
That is not a miss-print, it really comes from England. The three
Champagnes we sampled were a Brut from Pannier, a Cuvee from
Sieux d' Anques and White Star from the legendary Champagne
house of Moet & Chandon. We also had an Extra Dry Sparkling
Wine from Korbel and our English Sparkler was a classic Cuvee from
Nyetimber. You may recall this wine from one of Ian Hastie's earlier
Editorials on finding a good English Wine. Ian informed us that this
Nyetimber is the Queen of England's personal favorite. We'll see if
she has good taste or not!
When the smoke had settled and the bubbly was gone, it was two
Champagne's from France that proved once again why Champagne
sets the bar for great Sparkling Wines. Ian's Nyetimber also showed
extremely well, in fact, the difference between the scores of the top
three wines was a mere half a point between each. Unfortunately, the
Korbel and the Pannier did not fair as well.
As for the Port Wines, we only sampled two and they were both from
very well respected Port Houses in Portugal, Graham's and Taylor
Fladgate. These two Ports despite being from the same country, were
worlds apart in taste. The Graham's Port was more of a young Cuvee'
of six grapes and tasted more like a Ruby style of Port, while the
Taylor Fladgate was a 10yr old Tawny and showed much different
characteristics. In the end, the Taylor Fladgate was preferred just
slightly over the Graham's, however, we found them both to be
excellent examples of quality Port!
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| As you can see, I had a tough time choosing my favorite Port Wine! |
| Taylor Fladgate 10yr Tawny Port - Portugal |
Nose - Mouthwatering caramel, toffee
and rose petals.
Taste - Smooth and refined with nutty
flavors that show a little raisen on the
finish. Full-bodied with a finish that
seems to last forever.
This takes on all of the wood flavors
you would expect in a wine that spent
ten years in a large wooden cask. Pair
it with confidence with any nuts,
cheeses or fine desserts and
chocolates.
and rose petals.
Taste - Smooth and refined with nutty
flavors that show a little raisen on the
finish. Full-bodied with a finish that
seems to last forever.
This takes on all of the wood flavors
you would expect in a wine that spent
ten years in a large wooden cask. Pair
it with confidence with any nuts,
cheeses or fine desserts and
chocolates.
| Between $28.00 and $32.00 |
| Score A- |
| Graham's Six Grapes Port - Portugal |
Nose - Juicy plums and sweet raisens.
Taste - Elegant and sweet, bursting
with jammy plums and a tinge of
chocolate on the delicate finish.
Unlike the Taylor Tawny, which was a
brownish, yellow in color, this Port is
very bright ruby, almost purple. If
you are a bit squeamish about trying a
Port Wine for the first time, maybe
this would be an ideal Port for you to
try. The Tawny is a bit harder edged
than this one. Serve it with strong
cheese and cheesecake or chocolate
desserts. Or have it all on it's own!
Taste - Elegant and sweet, bursting
with jammy plums and a tinge of
chocolate on the delicate finish.
Unlike the Taylor Tawny, which was a
brownish, yellow in color, this Port is
very bright ruby, almost purple. If
you are a bit squeamish about trying a
Port Wine for the first time, maybe
this would be an ideal Port for you to
try. The Tawny is a bit harder edged
than this one. Serve it with strong
cheese and cheesecake or chocolate
desserts. Or have it all on it's own!
| Around $18.00 |
| Score A- |
| Sieur d' Arques Grand Cuvee Millenaire Brut - AOC Cremant de Limoux, Champagne, France |
Nose - A wonderful rose bouqet with
feint hints of red fruit.
Taste - Starts off a little odd, but by
the second or third sip it accelerates
from average to fantastic in ten
seconds flat! Tart acidity shines
through with only a simple suggestion
of bright red apple and cherry flavors.
A sure crowd pleaser!
This was quite different from the
others and therefore our taste buds
suffered from a bit of a shock. Once
they recovered, however, it became
apparent that this was a great value.
In fact it was one of the cheapest
Champagnes in the tasting. Try it
with fruit and asian food or seafood.
This would make an excellent food
wine.
feint hints of red fruit.
Taste - Starts off a little odd, but by
the second or third sip it accelerates
from average to fantastic in ten
seconds flat! Tart acidity shines
through with only a simple suggestion
of bright red apple and cherry flavors.
A sure crowd pleaser!
This was quite different from the
others and therefore our taste buds
suffered from a bit of a shock. Once
they recovered, however, it became
apparent that this was a great value.
In fact it was one of the cheapest
Champagnes in the tasting. Try it
with fruit and asian food or seafood.
This would make an excellent food
wine.
| About $14.00 |
| Score B+ |
| Moet & Chandon White Star - Epernay, Champagne, France |
Nose - Tart Citrus aromas with
yeasty bread dough.
Taste - Very well balanced and
neutral, dry with citrus and peach
notes on the finish.
This is probably Moet & Chandon's
most popular wine and believe it or
not, one of their cheapest. They are
famous for their prestigious cuvee,
Dom Perignon. This is very often the
Champagne of choice for a lot of
wedding receptions and almost
always a sure hit with the crowd.
Great on it's own or with food from
our Champagne/Sparkling Food
Pairing list.
yeasty bread dough.
Taste - Very well balanced and
neutral, dry with citrus and peach
notes on the finish.
This is probably Moet & Chandon's
most popular wine and believe it or
not, one of their cheapest. They are
famous for their prestigious cuvee,
Dom Perignon. This is very often the
Champagne of choice for a lot of
wedding receptions and almost
always a sure hit with the crowd.
Great on it's own or with food from
our Champagne/Sparkling Food
Pairing list.
| Between $25.00 and $32.00 |
| Score B+ |
| Nyetimber Classic Brut Cuvee' - England |
Nose - Fragrant Rose Petals with
hazelnut undertones.
Taste - This Sparkling Wine is
anything but subtle with it's bold
arrogance of strawberries and pears
followed by a very strong aftertaste.
I must say, for a country that is not
known for good wines, they make a
dazzling Sparkling Wine. This may
be due to the weather and the fact
that the grapes are high in acidity
during harvest time, just like the
conditions in Champagne, France.
Good luck finding this wine in the
States though, I don't think it is sold
here. However, if you are real nice to
Ian, maybe he'll bring back a bottle
for you when he goes back to visit
England.
hazelnut undertones.
Taste - This Sparkling Wine is
anything but subtle with it's bold
arrogance of strawberries and pears
followed by a very strong aftertaste.
I must say, for a country that is not
known for good wines, they make a
dazzling Sparkling Wine. This may
be due to the weather and the fact
that the grapes are high in acidity
during harvest time, just like the
conditions in Champagne, France.
Good luck finding this wine in the
States though, I don't think it is sold
here. However, if you are real nice to
Ian, maybe he'll bring back a bottle
for you when he goes back to visit
England.
| Around $30.00 |
| Score B+ |
| Pannier Brut Tradition - Champagne, France |
Nose - Fresh bread dough with apple
and citrus aromas.
Taste - This Champagne does not try
to hide it's tart green apple and citrus
flavors in a shameful manner. Rather
it is very upfront with the
aforementioned flavors.
This would be great with a lot of
different fruits. I'm not entirely sure
how it would stack up with a dinner
entree', but I wouldn't be intimidated
about serving it with spicy cuisine.
The acidity would certainly cut
through a heavy cream sauce like
alfredo.
and citrus aromas.
Taste - This Champagne does not try
to hide it's tart green apple and citrus
flavors in a shameful manner. Rather
it is very upfront with the
aforementioned flavors.
This would be great with a lot of
different fruits. I'm not entirely sure
how it would stack up with a dinner
entree', but I wouldn't be intimidated
about serving it with spicy cuisine.
The acidity would certainly cut
through a heavy cream sauce like
alfredo.
| Around $20.00 |
| Score B- |
| Korbel Extra Dry - California |
Nose - Sweet red apples
Taste - Roasted almonds and
strawberries on a sweet cream soda
body.
Something to remember when you
are shopping for a Sparkling Wine is
that even though the label say's
"Extra Dry", it is probably going to
be sweeter than you think. This one
caught most of the staff off gaurd
and I don't believe they were ready
for the contrast between it and all of
the Brut styles we served before it.
That being said, I would agree,
Korbel has made better Sparkling
Wines than this!
Taste - Roasted almonds and
strawberries on a sweet cream soda
body.
Something to remember when you
are shopping for a Sparkling Wine is
that even though the label say's
"Extra Dry", it is probably going to
be sweeter than you think. This one
caught most of the staff off gaurd
and I don't believe they were ready
for the contrast between it and all of
the Brut styles we served before it.
That being said, I would agree,
Korbel has made better Sparkling
Wines than this!
| Close to $15.00 |
| Score C+ |
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