Posts Tagged ‘Champagne’
Tasting champagnes with Pascal Doquet (1/4)
In the run-up to the holidays, oenopole invited a number of wine critics, journalists, restaurateurs, sommeliers and bloggers, including me, to a tasting of champagnes from the house of Doquet. The tasting was led by the soft-spoken if loquacious owner-winemaker Pascal Doquet.
Based in Vertus, Pascal has been a winemaker since 1982. After taking the helm of the family estate (Doquet-Jeanmarie at the time), he bought out his sisters’ shares in the estate and created – with his wife Laure – Champagne Pascal Doquet in 2004. Comprising a little under nine hectares of vines, the estate has been certified organic since 2007. Pascal describes his approach to wine-growing as sustainable. The life of the soil is a primary concern, as evidenced by his careful application of homemade compost, avoidance of chemical weed-killers, use of lightweight straddle tractors and manual working of the topsoil around the vine rows.
In the cellar, pressing – always with a pneumatic press – is adapted to the characteristics of each vintage. Only the juice from the first two pressings is used. Fermentation is with indigenous yeasts. After alcoholic and malolactic fermentation, the wines are matured on their lees for, on average, four or five months, then naturally clarified and sometimes lightly filtered before bottling, which happens in spring for the non-vintage cuvées and in late summer or early fall for the vintage cuvées. Dosage is done with concentrated grape must, which Pascal feels is closer to the grape’s natural sugar. The wines tend to be shipped six to 12 months after disgorging.
The tasting began with the house’s rosé.
Champagne, Rosé, Brut, Premiers crus de la Côte des blancs, Pascal Doquet ($66.75, 12024296)
A blend of Chardonnay (85%) and Pinot Noir (15%) from vineyards around the village of Vertus. The soil is mostly deep clay over chalk. The grapes are entirely destemmed. The colour comes from briefly macerating the juice on the skins. Fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks. Matured 12 months on the lees in large barrels and 24 months in the bottle. Unfiltered. Disgorged in February 2014. Dosage was 6 or 7 g/l, which Pascal intends to lower to 5 g/l in the future. Reducing sugar: 7 g/l. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Salmon-orange with a fine bead and head. Yeasty nose of red berries, hard candies and hints of chalk and resinous herbs. In the mouth, it’s fruity yet delicate, ripe-sweet yet fundamentally dry. The effervescence is soft and structuring. Bright acidity swells on the mid-palate. Turns even direr on the long finish with its lingering fruit and mineral flavours. Not a throat-grabber but elegant, refreshing and delicious. (Buy? Yes.)
Not your ordinary champers
Something of a cult producer – they’re currently accepting no new clients – Vouette et Sorbée has been making idiosyncratic champagnes since 2001. The estate is located in the village of Buxières-sur-Arce, which is geographically, geologically and maybe even spiritually closer to Chablis than to the champagne capital of Épernay.
Champagne 2011, Cuvée Fidèle, Vouette et Sorbée ($76.73, private import, 6 bottles/case)
A blanc de noirs. 100% Pinot Noir from organically and biodynamically farmed vines rooted in Kimmeridgian marl. The manually harvested grapes are gently pressed. The free-run juice is transferred to 400-litre oak casks for fermentation (with indigenous yeasts) and maturation. Undergoes malolactic fermentation. Indigenous yeasts are used for primary and secondary fermentation. The wine is aged on its lees on lattes (stacked in piles with small pieces of wood inserted between the bottles to prevent them from moving) and riddled on racks. This is nearly all 2011 except for a dollop of reserve wines. Sulphur dioxide is added to the incoming grapes but not at bottling. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Extremely complex nose: miso, black pepper, “apples on the floor of the orchard” (quoting another taster), roasted white meat, barley sugar and more as the wine breathes. Dry and intense on the palate. The effervescence is light and fine but also very insistent. The remarkably pure fruit tends to red berries and apples, is grounded in chalky minerals and coloured by spice and umami notes. Lively acidity adds tension that relaxes only on the long finish with its lingering spice and brioche flavours. Not so much a vin plaisir as a vin de contemplation and quite unlike any other champagne I’ve tasted. Next time I’ll carafe it a couple of hours before serving. (Buy again? Yes.)
Champagne 2012, Saignée de Sorbée, Vouette et Sorbée ($124.85, private import, 6 bottles/case)
A rosé champagne. 100% Pinot Noir from organically and biodyamically farmed vines averaging 22 years old. More than three-quarters of the vines are planted on Kimmeridgian hillsides, the remainder in fragmented Portlandian limestone. Manually harvested. Made using the saignée method with extended carbonic maceration. Vinified in 400-litre oak casks. Undergoes malolactic fermentation. Indigenous yeasts are used for primary and secondary fermentation. The wine is aged on its lees on lattes and riddled on racks. Sulphur dioxide is added only to the incoming grapes. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: Rézin.
Strawberry carpels, miso, cooked rhubarb, pastry cream, apple peel and more. In the piehole, the wine is weighty but not heavy, textured by a fine, soft bead and mouth-watering acidity. Once again the fruit is as savoury as sweet and intertwined with minerals. Pink grapefruit, including the pith, is joined by spice and umami notes on the long finish. Continues evolving in the glass; I suspect this, too, would benefit from an hour or two in the carafe. Complex and fascinating, a rosé to contend with. (Buy again? When my boat comes in…)
These showed much better than the 2007s that the group tasted in December 2010. Or maybe our palates have evolved. In fact, at one point during the tasting, I found myself wondering whether the adage about vin jaune didn’t also apply here: you don’t appreciate it until your third encounter.
MWG March 12th tasting: flight 4 of 7
Bordel de Noël workshop (5/6)
Champagne, Extra Brut, Blanc de blancs, Les vignes de Montguex, Jacques Lassaigne ($59.00, 12061311)
Planted to Chardonnay and a little Pinot Noir, the approximately five-hectare estate is located in Montgeux, a chalky hill in the southernmost part of the appellation. A small quantity of grapes is also purchased. All the grapes are organically farmed and the wine-making is as natural as possible. Disgorgement is performed monthly. This cuvée is always a blend of 100% Chardonnay wines from two successive vintages and several parcels. Manually harvested. Sulphur is added only as the grapes come into the winery. Each parcel is vinified separately. 15% is matured in cask. Riddling is mechanical, disgorging manual. No or minimal dosage. Unfiltered and unfined. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Pale electrum with a fine, streaming bead. Pleasing nose of lemon, apple, minerals, yeast and a whiff of yogurt. Dry, dimensional and appealingly austere, with clean fruit and chalky minerals in equipoise. The tingly effervescence provides lift, the crisp acidity cut. Finishes on a long, savoury, faintly saline note. Such a tonic wine. In its style and at its price point, you won’t find better at the SAQ or maybe anywhere. (Buy again? Yes.)
Emmanuel Lassaigne, Jacques’s son and the current winemaker, describes this as an aperitif wine, a role it plays supremely well. That said, it proved a delightful palate cleanser after the meal. It also makes a killer accompaniment for sushi.
Bordel de Noël workshop (1/6)
In the run-up to the holidays, the good and generous folks at oenopole held another of their theme wine-and-food tastings for sommeliers, journalists and bloggers. The seasonally appropriate theme for this event was wines for a traditional Christmas dinner – and not just any Christmas dinner but one prepared by Foodlab chef Michelle Marek. In sending out the invitations, partner Theo Diamantis promised that Michelle’s bird would make believers out of even the biggest turkey skeptics (a group that includes me) and he was right. I’ll post a description of Michelle’s dead-simple recipe/technique in a day or three.
But back to oenopole world headquarters, where we got the ball rolling with a newly arrived sparkler.
Champagne, Brut, Blanc de blancs, Horizon, Pascal Doquet ($48.50, 11528046)
After taking over the helm of the 8.7-hectare family estate, Doquet began selling wines under his own name in 2004. The grapes for this 100% Chardonnay come from organically farmed vines planted in the 1970s. After manual harvesting, the grapes are pneumatically pressed and transferred to either stainless steel or enamel-lined steel tanks. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation are with indigenous yeasts and bacteria respectively. Matured four to five months on the lees before natural clarification and blending (the blend usually consists of two vintages and ours may well have been two-thirds 2011 and and one-third 2010). Lightly filtered before bottling, which usually takes place in late April or early May. Aged around three years in the bottle. Dosage (7 g according to some sources) is with sugar and concentrated grape must but no liqueur. Bottles are shipped six to 12 months after disgorging. 12.5% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
Complex, delicate nose of lemon peel, lees, yeast, chalk, quartz, candied orange and a yogurt-like lactic note. Softly but deliciously present in the mouth. Fine, caressing bubbles lift the ripe fruit and lighten the round texture. Any residual sugar is held in check by shining acidity, meaning this is at the dryish end of the scale. Lingering minerals mark the long, sourish finish. Not remarkably deep – more an aperitif than a food wine, I’d say – but what it does it does very well. Undoubtedly one of the best under-$50 Champagnes to be found at the SAQ. (Buy again? Sure.)
MWG November 24th tasting: Inspired start
Theo Diamantis recently joined the group to lead a tasting of wines from the oenopole portfolio. Our agency tastings usually feature private imports. This time, however, with an eye to the holidays, we focused mainly on bottles sold at the two SAQ Signature stores. The tasting began with a fine sparkler.
Champagne, Blanc de blancs, Extra-Brut, La Colline Inspirée, Jacques Lassaigne ($106, 12061353)
Planted to Chardonnay and a little Pinot Noir, the approximately five-hectare estate is located in Montgeux, a chalky hill in the southernmost part of the appellation. A small quantity of grapes is also purchased. All the grapes are organically farmed and the wine-making is as natural as possible. Disgorgement is performed monthly, surely one of the reasons the wines always taste fresh. This cuvée, currently a blend of the 2009 and 2010 vintages, is vinified and aged on the lees in used white Burgundy barrels. The 100% Chardonnay grapes come from vines more than 40 years old. Fermentation is with indigenous yeasts. Riddling is mechanical, disgorging manual. Sulphur is added only at harvest to prevent oxidation; even the liqueur d’expédition (the wine used to top up the disgorged bottles) is sulphur-free. The liqueur also contains little or no added sugar. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. Available only in magnums until a couple of years ago. 12% ABV. Quebec agent: oenopole.
A nose you want to linger with: apple and pear, chalk, yeast, a floral note and hints of vanilla, yogurt and oxidation (nuts and honey). Rich and round in the mouth, with a creamy texture, fine, caressing bubbles and tons of minerals and acidity. The mature fruit initially gives the impression of sweetness but the wine is actually very dry (around 4 g/l residual sugar). There’s good depth and impressive breadth and length. Fleshier than the other Lassaigne wines I’ve tasted but, like them, a model of purity and elegance. (Buy again? Budget permitting, yes.)
(Flight: 1/5)
MWG November 11th tasting: Mistelle nouvelle
Well, nouvelle to me in any case. This has been part of Janisson-Baradon’s lineup for at least a decade. Until 2005, only one small cask – around 300 bottles – was made per vintage (the “single cask” designation was originally something of a joke). Production has reportedly since tripled.
Ratafia de Champagne 2010, Single Cask, Janisson-Baradon ($55.25/700 ml, private import, 12 bottles/case)
A vin de liqueur or mistelle — a mixture of alcohol (often marc) and fresh grape juice — similar to Jura’s Macvin or Gascogne’s Floc. In this case, the juicy grapes are Pinot Noir harvested in 2010 (the juice comes from the third and final pressing) and the alcohol is neutral spirits so as not to interfere with the other flavours. Matured two years in 225-litre, third-fill oak casks. Lightly filitered before bottling. At least 140 grams sugar per litre. 18% ABV. Quebec agent: La QV/Insolite.
Nothing like the insipid industrial vins de liqueur, this looks, smells and tastes like an artisanal product. The impressively complex nose features fig, spice, brown sugar and a hint of milk chocolate. On the palate, it’s rich and sweet but not heavy or cloying, thanks in large part to the lively acidity. Echoing the nose, the flavours are sustained through the long, layered finish. Contemplation-worthy. (Buy again? Yes.)
Like Pineau des Charentes, ratafias are often drunk as an aperitif. This, however, is more appropriate for the end of the meal – on its own as a digestif, with blue cheese or accompanying a rich, spicy, not overly sweet dessert like a cinnamon-scented, nut-rich persimmon pudding. The producer also recommends it as a pairing for foie gras. Why not? Whatever you serve it with, make sure it’s well chilled.
(Flight: 9/9)
MWG October 3rd tasting (1/7): A beautiful Champagne
To our delight, La QV‘s Cyril Kérébel recently led a Mo’ Wine Group tasting of wines from his agency’s portfolio. All except the first were private imports.
Champagne 2000, Extra Brut, Fleury Père et Fils ($70.75, 11856138)
This is indeed the Extra Brut, not the Brut as SAQ.com would have you believe. A blend of Pinot Noir (80%) and Chardonnay (20%) from organically and biodynamically farmed vines averaging 20 years old. The grapes are manually harvested, pressed in a traditional “Coquard” press and fermented in temperature-controlled enameled vats. Prevented from undergoing malolactic fermentation. Aged under cork – not the usual crown cap – before disgorging to allow micro-oxygenation and encourage the development of a finer effervescence. 12% ABV.
Brioche, apple, pear, chalk, quartz and eventually white flowers. The fruit has an intriguing, faintly candied, faintly oxidized edge to it. Wonderfully clean in the mouth. Winey but fleet, with rich fruit, lilting bubbles, tense acidity and a long minerally finish with subtle overtones of citrus and herbs. A pleasure to drink. (Buy again? Absolutely.)
More good news on the Fleury front: the house’s delicious non-vintage pink Champagne will soon be back on the SAQ’s shelves at a price about $20 less than when last seen at the monopoly. Keep an eye peeled for it: Champagne, Rosé de Saignée Brut, Fleury Père et Fils ($59.75, 1101030).
New arrivals from Glou (1/5)
The good guys at Glou recently held a trade tasting of some of their new arrivals.
Champagne, Brut Nature, Christophe Mignon ($55.00, Glou, 6 bottles/case)
The century-old estate has 6.5 hectares of vines (90% Pinot Meunier, 5% Pinot Noir and 5% Chardonnay) in some 30 parcels located between Le Breuil and Festigny. Viticulture is “alternative,” by which is meant semi-organic and biodynamic but with recourse to synthetic products in extreme circumstances. This blanc de noirs is 100% Pinot Meunier from 35-year-old vines. Vinified on a parcel-by-parcel basis: fermented in stainless steel and enameled steel tanks and matured on the lees for five months. Blended, bottled and aged for around 24 months before disgorging on a date determined by the lunar calendar. No dosage (also made in Extra Brut and Brut versions with 3 and 6 g cane sugar per litre respectively). Minimal sulphur dioxide. Unfiltered. 12.5% ABV.
Abundant foamy mousse. Nose dominated by leesy lemon and white fruit. Light and fruity in the mouth with a soft, super-fine effervescence and crystalline minerality. Dry, acid bright, long. A pure and refreshing winner. (Buy again? Done!)
Puligny-Montrachet 2011, Julien Altaber / Sextant (c. $65.00, Glou, NLA)
Based in Saint-Aubin, Altaber, who works for Dominique Derain, has run a négociant business on the side since 2007. He makes red and white Burgundies with grapes purchased from growers he trusts. The wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts and no chemical additives other than sulphur dioxide, which, if used at all, is done so only during racking, never at bottling. This grapes for this 100% Chardonnay come from 40-year-old vines located on a slope above the 1er crus. Only one cask was made, which is why Glou received only 60 or so bottles. 13% ABV.
Classic if closed nose: faint lemon, chalk and quartz, hints of oats and oxidized butter. Medium-bodied and dry, with clean, clear fruit, tons of minerals, tense acidity and a long buttery finish. So coherent, so beautifully balanced. An elegant wine that, while tight and taut at this stage, is full of potential. (Buy again? Def.)
MWG December 14th tasting (2/4): Champagne Agrapart
Agrapart & Fils is a small Champgne house founded in 1894 by Arthur Agrapart and expanded to its current 10 hectares by his grandson Pierre in the 1950s and ’60s. Since the mid-1980s, it has been run by brothers Pascal and Fabrice. From its founding, it has made only grower Champagnes, entitling it to the Récoltant-Manipulant (R.M.) designation.
Agrapart is based in Avize. Its vineyards comprise 50 parcels, most of them in the grand cru villages of Avize, Oger, Cramant and Oiry in the heart of the Côte des Blancs. Some of the vines are more than 65 years old, with the average age being around 40 years.
The house considers itself terroir-driven. Farming and wine-making practices lean toward natural – pesticides and herbicides are avoided, the vineyards are worked manually, “homemade” compost and some homeopathic treatments are applied, the wines are fermented with the yeasts found on their skins, chaptalization is rare – though no effort has been made to obtain organic or biodynamic certification. All wine-making is done on a parcel-by-parcel basis. When barrels are used, they’re old 600-litre demi-muids. All wines complete malolactic fermentation and are bottled unfiltered, unfined and with 50 mg of sulphur dioxide. Disgorging takes place 60 days before release.
Champagne grand cru, L’Avizoise, Agrapart ($105.00, 11820320)
According to Agrapart’s website, this is a vintage wine, though our bottle bore no vintage indication. 100% Chardonnay from 55-year-old vines planted in clay-richer soil at the bottom of the Avize hillside. Aged on the lees for five years with manual stirring; aged exclusively in oak barrels. Stoppered pre- and post-disgorging with cork. Dosage is limited to 4 g of sugar per litre. 12% ABV.
Oxidized apple, a bit candied, and brioche, with lemon and almond notes. Dry, light yet complex, the fruit complemented by an umami streak. Vibrantly acidic. Minerally, maybe the most of the five. Hint of caramel on the very long finish. Clean, pure, multidimensional. Impressive. (Buy again? Definitely.)
Champagne, Extra Brut, Blanc de Blancs, Terroir, Agrapart ($59.75, 11552450)
100% Chardonnay from younger vines in grand cru vineyards. A blend of two vintages, part of the older of which is aged in barrels. Aged on the lees for four years, with manual stirring. Dosage is limited to 5 g of sugar per litre. 12% ABV.
Initially straightforward nose of toasted brioche, oxidized apple and chalk gained complexity in the glass. Layered and substantial in the mouth, yet also fleet and light. Less dry than the Avizoise. Fine balance between fruit and mineral, acidity and extract. Long. (Buy again? Sure.)
Champagne grand cru, Brut, Vénus, Agrapart ($146.50, 11797191)
Once again, though Agrapart’s website indicates this is a vintage cuvée, no vintage designation was to be found on our bottle. Chardonnay from a 0.35-hecatre vineyard in Avize planted in 1959; since 2000, the chalky soil has been worked only by Vénus, a white Boulonnais mare who lends her name to the cuvée. Aged on the lees for five years with manual stirring; matured exclusively in oak barrels. Stoppered pre- and post-disgorging with cork. No dosage. 12% ABV.
The freshest nose of all: crystals, chalk, yellow fruit, eventually candied lemon, lees and just-washed hair. Fine, caressing effervescence. Richer and broader than the others, more fruit-forward too, though it’s not as if minerals are lacking. There’s lots of acidity as well but it’s wrapped in extract. Long finish with browning apple, chalk and faint honey notes. A complete wine. With no vintage information, it’s hard to know, but I suspect this is primary and will gain depth and complexity with time in the cellar. (Buy again? If looking for a special occasion Champagne to age for five to ten years, yes.)
Champagne 2005, Extra Brut, Blanc de Blancs, Minéral, Agrapart ($80.25, 11860276)
Old-vine Chardonnay from very chalky Avize and Cramant vineyards. Aged on the lees for five years with manual stirring; half is matured in oak barrels. Dosage is limited to 4 g of sugar per litre. 12% ABV.
Alluring nose: lemon, bread dough, peach pie. Bigger, soft, persistent bubbles. The richest, smoothest and, surprisingly, least minerally, though there’s some chalk on the long finish. Balanced and suave if not what I was expecting: tasted a couple a years ago, the Minéral from the hellishly hot 2003 vintage was a dazzling mouthful of minerals, far less ripe-seeming than the 2005. (Buy again? Maybe.)
Champagne grand cru 2007, Blanc de Blancs, Expérience, Agrapart ($210.00, 11820338)
A new cuvée from Agrapart; the 2007 is the first release. A 50–50 blend of Minéral and Avizoise. Native yeasts are used for both first and second fermentations. Stoppered pre- and post-disgorging with cork. No dosage. 12% ABV.
Complex bouquet, more savoury than fruity: pork jerky, lees, sour cream, hints of ash and smoke. Light, soft effervescence. Clean, pure, dry and very long. Substantial but also poised and precise, with an interplay – between sweet and savoury, between fruit and mineral, between extract and acidity, between weight and finesse, between surface appeal and undertowing depth – that borders on spellbinding. Would love to taste it again in five or ten years. (Buy again? In a fantasy world, maybe, though if plunking for a luxury Champagne, I might be more tempted by a Winston Churchill, Krug or Selosse.)
It’s always interesting to taste through a Champagne house’s current line (or most of it). As a group, these wines seemed less diverse than the Pol Roger line tasted through in December of 2011. The overall level was high and everybody enjoyed all the wines. That said, several tasters – myself included – felt the Avizoise and Expérience stood out.
Considering the oyster
The good people at oenopole recently invited a number of local wine and food bloggers and writers to a workshop, possibly the first in an occasional series focused on pairing wines with a single food. In this case the food was raw oysters, Coville Bays to be precise. Impressively fresh and impeccably shucked, the medium-sized, meaty bivalves were some of the briniest I’ve tasted. Aside from four white wines, all that was on the table were mollusks on half shells, lemon wedges and bread – about as straightforward as it gets.
Bourgogne 2010, Sœur Cadette, Domaine de la Cadette ($18.25, 11460660)
In this vintage though maybe not for long, a négociant wine. 100% organically farmed Chardonnay. Slow-pressed, fermented in stainless steel with natural yeast. Matured 12 months in stainless steel tanks. Lightly filtered before bottling. 12.5% ABV.
Light lemon, chalk and quartz with a lactic note. Fresh and bracing on the palate, the fruit (lemon and green pear and apple) discreet. Taut with a tension between acidity and minerals. Long, clean, appetizingly sour finish. You won’t find a better brisk and minerally Chardonnay at the price.
> Lean and bright on its own, the wine was richer, rounder and fruitier with the oyster. A good match.
VDP des Cyclades 2011, Atlantis, Argyros ($16.65, 11097477)
Assyrtiko (90%), Aidani and Athiri (each 5%) from ungrafted vines. Fermented in stainless steel vats with selected yeasts. 13.0% ABV.
Rainwater on stones, crystal lemon, a hint of herbs. Denser than the Sœur Cadette but much less fruity, the sharp-edged minerals and trenchant acidity here softened by the wine’s weightiness. A saline tang flavours the finish. If possible, even better than the excellent 2010. Unbeatable QPR.
> A superb pairing, a whole greater than the sum of its parts. The wine’s minerality and brininess echoed the bivalves’ while its acidity cut their richness. In contrast to the Sœur, the wine’s flavour was little transformed by the naked oyster, though adding a few drops of lemon juice did bring out the otherwise shy fruitiness.
Champagne, Blanc de Blancs, Brut, Pascal Doquet ($43.25, 11528046)
100% organically farmed Chardonnay from the communes of Bassuet and Bassu. Vinified entirely in stainless steel. Matured six months, three of them on the lees. A blend of three vintages. 12.5% ABV.
Faintly floral, candied lemon, chalk, lees. Crisp and delineated yet soft and caressing. The flavours are clean and pure. Dry, the sweetness coming only from the fruit. Leaves on a mineral note. Beautiful and, once again, offering tremendous value.
> If an oyster transformed the Sœur Cadette, here it was the wine that transformed the oyster, amping up its seawater taste (iodine, saltiness, even fishiness). As these were already exceptionally briny oysters, that was perhaps too much of a good thing; I suspect the Champagne would work better with a milder oyster. As before, a squirt of lemon sweetened the wine.
Champagne grand cru 2002, Le Mesnil sur Oger, Brut, Pascal Doquet ($74.00, 11787291)
100% organically farmed Chardonnay from the Le Mesnil sur Oger vineyard. Based on the 2002 harvest (65%) with 35% reserve wines from 2001. About a third of the wine is matured in casks, the rest in tanks. 12.5% ABV.
Classic, refined champagne nose of brioche and yellow apple. Light, even ephemeral on the palate yet rich, complex, layered. Soft, fine effervescence. Some fruity sweetness is apparent on the attack; otherwise very dry. A load of minerals on the long finish. So elegant. A complete and beautiful wine comparable to blanc de blancs costing up to half again as much.
> Interacted with the oysters much like the non-vintage did, though a little less forcefully.
A last-minute addition:
Bourgogne 2011, Les Saulniers, Domaine de la Cadette ($47.00/1500ml, oenopole, six bottles/case)
100% organically farmed Chardonnay from a single parcel located on a path once used by salt smugglers, whence the name. Sorted on the vine, slow-pressed, fermented with native yeasts in wood and stainless steel vats. Lightly filtered before bottling.
Stony, ashy nose with some lemon/lime zest. Fluid. Dry. Pure. Weightier and rounder than its little sister though still acid-bright. Full of green apple, sweet lemon and mineral flavours. Long, clean finish. Tasty.
> Naked oysters made an acceptable pairing, lemoned oysters a better one.
As the crowd chatted and prepared to leave, the cork was popped on a magnum of the always delicious and refreshing Bisol Prosecco ($19.10/750 ml, 10839168; $40.25/1,500 ml, 11549349). Didn’t take notes but the fact that it didn’t taste like a letdown after such an excellent sequence of whites should tell you all you need to know.
Brett happens 