* Was what my mother used to say to me when I was 'cheeky' to her.
She's right, I do miss her.
Those other bloggers Richard and Robert have, for it seems ever, made fun of my blog posts and it seems have protested too much.
Because I didn't post for three days the poor, sad old men obviously missed me and took to writing about it in their blogs and comments. I guess that they need some sort of inspiration in their blogging, even from negative sources.
We like to drink Champagne and good quality methode traditionelle wines at our house and, now that we are older and drinking less (but better) we tend to drink Champagne more often than we used to.
We share a bottle and, with the Stuart crystal Champagne glasses we use, get 4 glasses out of the bottle. The pours are closely scrutinised for fairness of two glasses each - a consideration we don't apply to other types of wine.
This, not every weekend, is a Saturday evening treat while playing pool in the 'snooker room' as dinner is cooking in the oven.
Her Indoors (the title much more appropriate in the post 2020 Covid days as she works from home mostly now) and I rarely, if ever, open, let alone consume a 750 ml bottle on our own and, while with proper corking (the Broken Shed vodka bottle cork is ideal) the opened Champagne is good for a day or two in the fridge we tend to only open a bottle when the two of us are together.
I rarely travel nowadays but she does - visiting friends and relatives and on secondment with her work both domestic and overseas. This creates as you can see, a conundrum when we are separated on weekends.
In previous posts I've recounted how I'm always on the hunt for good quality half bottles of wine. These are largely a thing of the past with, when they are available, being wines at the bottom end of the price and quality scale which, quite frankly is a nonsense. Either that or they are invariably fortified or 'sticky wines' neither which we consume anymore. We're a ready market for good quality pinot noir, chardonnay, rose and zinfandel or Italian reds but sadly there are never any on offer.
The same goes for Champagne and good quality sparkling (Methode-style). Our favourite NZ bubbles are Deutz rose and Blanc de Blanc but the manufacturers haven't thought to put these in half bottles. They do make half bottles of the standard Deutz and decanted bottles of 200ml 'piccolos' but. while reliable we find this blend a bit simple. We do buy the odd, when available, 375ml bottles of Grand Marque Champagnes (Veuve Cliquot, Pol Roger, Lanson, Louis Roederer etc) but they are usually prohibitively expensive.
Last week I found, via an internet search a small distributor Three French Vines selling an interesting boutique selection including 375ml bottles of Monmarthe Champagne.
The price was good (about $33 a bottle) so I bought a dozen. These will be good to keep for occasions when either of us a alone or when we just feel like one glass each. I hadn't heard of Montmarthe before so had a look at the description on the Three French Vines website and on other websites.
Three French Vines had this to say:All good but I don't place much faith in wine reviews and competition results unless they are top competitions and very reliable wine scribes. It told me that the Champagne is 49% pinot noir and 40% pinot meunier with the rest from chardonnay grapes. It indicates a style that the description matches - ripe, toasty and soft.Nathalie MacLean, a wine writer whose reviews I trust had this to say:Natalie's Score: 91/100
Monmarthe Secret De Famille is a 1er Cru Brut Champagne, a solid and fruity traditional method bubble produced by a sixth-generation champagne family. The wine has been aged on its lees for two years and is dry, zesty and toasty with white-fleshed stone fruit, honeyed nut, baked pastry flavours on a fine and persistent mousse with a zesty finish. Very nice now. Chill and enjoy it on its own or with chips and dip.
OK, not glowing but suggests that the wine is solid and reliable.
The wine arrived on Friday and I opened a bottle yesterday.
While clearly not being of Grande Marque standard it is of course half the price of a Grande Marque. The wine is pretty much to the descriptions given. I detected a nuttiness to it that was pleasant and added to the roundness. The wine seems to have bottle age but the disgorgement date etched on the bottle is obtuse which is annoying. Overall though it's fit to purpose and we will use it up over the next 6 months or so.
I did some further 'fossicking' in the cellar (actually it's just a basement now as the wine cellar has gone after having sold off all the treasures and I haven't been buying any 'keeping' wines) I turned up a few more fortified wines that we will consume over the winter months.
Left to right are:
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| The wine is stuffed. |
... well, not for fighting, that's for sure.
The cooler weather has made us think of robust and roasted meals and 'warmer' drinks. To this end I fossicked in the cellar and brought out a half bottle of Warre's 1983 vintage port.
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| The label slipped a bit after washing the bottle |
Thankfully the state of the label wasn't an indication of the state of the wine in the bottle. The cork was intact and extracted safely. I decanted the wine which we will have this evening (roasted potatoes and pumpkin with a broccoli and cauliflower cheese bake is dinner).
As an afternoon starter we've been drinking a bottle of Veuve Cliquot NV Champagne. You know what it looks like so I won't post a picture - orange label remember. The Champagne is fresh and lovely. We love this brand.
I've left the port to 'breathe' in a decanter - not 'gasp' as you might think with it being 41 years old and we will drink it after dinner. We had a tasting glass though and were astounded. The colour is tawny but still has reddish hues. The nose has sultanas and vanilla with no nuttiness. It is still very much alive and well. The wine is silky smooth to taste and is rich, round and sweet which suggests that the fruit is still outbalancing the alcohol or, as you'd expect, the alcohol volume has dropped with the age.
I'm happy to say that I still have a couple of half bottles left of this wine but I imagine that we will have drunk them before spring.
We like Champagne at our house .... send us some!
Last week when I was cleaning up and clearing out the basement I found a box of forgotten wines stuck in a corner covered by tools, carpets and an old bicycle.
In the box I 'found' (at the corners of my memory I knew they were there somewhere) some 1980 vintage ports (Warre's) half bottles, a couple of bottles of 1988 Ravenswood Zinfandel, a decanter bottle of 10 y.o. Dalva port and three bottles of Remy Martin Club Cognac. "All good" I thought although the Ravenswood will be stuffed. At the bottom of the box was a bottle of de Venoge 1973 'Cordon Bleu' Champagne.
I've had this bottle since 1987 (37 years) when I was clearing out the basement of an old wine and spirit merchants that I'd taken over as manager. It was among some other old relics that, sadly had been opened (old postwar whiskies, vodkas and gins from the 1960s etc that would have been valuable if unopened and intact. I kept the de Venoge as it was unusual in being in a decanter bottle that had the glass stopper strapped to its side. In 1987 the wine was 14 years old - not old for a vintage Champagne but I had no knowledge of its provenance and didn't know how it had been stored so never opened it to try it.
Well, last night I did. I expected it to be flat which it was but hoped for some old Champagne taste. I was disappointed . The wine was sour like old and very tart apple juice. A shame that.
de Venoge 1973 'Cordon Bleu' Champagne doesn't fetch high prices on the international auction market. I found it for 52GBP on one site and 250 USD on another - good luck to anyone buying it - so don't feel like I wasted anything by opening it.
1973 rated well in the Champagne vintages but generally, recent tastings have proved that Champagne doesn't last that long:
"Overall, the 1973 vintage for Champagne was fantastic with a fair few age-worthy examples. Although, simply due to the sheer length of time passed, many Champagnes are likely to be past their best. The top examples, however, may still be drinking now although careful research is advisable."
With my bottle the label showed wear but the cork and muselet seemed to be in good condition.
On opening, the cork was compressed which is not unusual with age and this exacerbates oxidation.
On their website de Venoge still market the Cordon Bleu range but have put the wine in the standard bottle. The 'decanter' bottle is now used for the Princes range.
The wine as you'd expect had no bubbles and was browned. The taste as I said was sour (more Granny Smith than lemon and honey) and not worth 'freshening up' with some newer bubbles ....
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James Suckling says… “Gorgeous aromas of fresh flowers, ripe strawberries and tangerine blossoms. Medium-bodied with a lovely balance of fruit and acidity and a creamy texture that is open and cashmere-like in texture. Wonderful finish. A triumph. A joy to drink. Drink or hold.”
Our Tasting Panel 96/100 Review…
Enticing florals with sweet notes of strawberry, cherry, plum and subtle dried thyme. Medium-bodied with deceptive weight of flavour and a delicious vibrancy threading the layers of cherry, berry and plum. The texture has a cashmere like feel… the finish is subtly mouthwatering and seductive. Enjoy now or 3-5 years from vintage… with herb crusted chicken or thyme roasted lamb.Fine Wine Delivery Company
Other sellers are also complimentary on this wine without blowing their own trumpets.
A wise man once said “find the best vineyard sites you can because you can’t out perform your vineyards.” So they found the Sancta vineyard on the now world famous Felton Road in Bannockburn and set up shop.
Terra Sancta. It means sacred earth, holy land and there’s definitely something pretty bloody special about this little corner of the wine world. It’s home to the first vines planted in Bannockburn. And the firsts don’t stop there, these guys can also claim to be the first producer of a wine based Botanical Aperitivo in NZ, the first to plant the Lagrien variety, the first super premium Rosé and the first Rosé producer to make Michael Cooper’s “Super Classic” list.
Once upon a time Otago was all about rabbits and gold. The gold’s gone and the Rabbits are stew – now it’s the grapes that are worth their weight in gold (and especially Pinot Noir!) in these neck of the woods. The Mysterious Diggings label is named after those mining days of old.
This the Terra Sancta Mysterious Diggings Pinot Noir from the 2022 vintage. Using Pinot Noir from their Bannockburn vineyards the guys at Terra Sancta describe this one as a “delicious, vibrant Pinot Noir” and reckon she’s all good to drink now up to 5 years from vintage.
The Good Wine Company
When I worked in the wine industry I was much more up to date with all things wine espeacially styles. vintage status, brands and competitor products.
Now being long out of the industry I'm a bit out of touch with the wines in the market and, when purchasing from wineshops, supermarkets or on-line, refer more than ever before to wine writer endorsements when confronted by an unknown wine. Generally I stick to my favourites but now and then purchase new wines. When seen on-shelf the only thing to differentiate from a host of similar wines tends to be the 'gold' stickers on a bottle. When these are not entirely bogus like a gold sticker saying something meaningless like "We are known for our quality" or "Our winery dog's name is Ruffles" the stickers can be wine show accolades or, increasingly, wine writer reviews.
The problem with wine show accolades is in the quality of the wine show in question. Sadly there are several of these that come nowhere near the reliability of the old Air NZ National Wine Shows of years gone by. They are a watered down variant with suppliers not really seeing them as being the 'make it or break' it opportunity and wines are just shovelled along as part of the yearly marketing programme.
The problem also with wine writer reviews is that may of them are commercial enterprises where money has to be paid for a review. To me this is not entirely trustworthy no matter how much the wine writer or reviewer says that all wines are carefully evaluated on a 100-point scale.
I still trust some of the old favourites like Bob Campbell and Michael Cooper but I never see 'gold' stickers on bottles with their accolades.
Recently I purchased a NZ rose I haven't had before - Black Cottage 2023 from Marlborough. I admit that my purchase decision was influenced by the band of five 'gold medals" at the top of the label (sticker on the bottle).
While I was unfamiliar with this particular wine I do know of Black Cottage and acknowledge that the winery has a good reputation.
The 'gold medals' turned out to be:
Candice has always been a fan of Raymond Chan Wine Reviews; she learnt that Raymond passed away in February 2019, it was a massive loss to the industry, she thought to herself, ” I wish someone would pick up the website and keep writing the same way that Raymond did.”. In December 2019, while Candice visited Martinborough, she happened to bring this up in a conversation with friends of Raymond. “Why don’t you do it?” they said. Then with some encouragement and an introduction to Sue Davies, things came together. Raymond’s legacy lives on, along with over 10,000 wine reviews Raymond accumulated, available to you, free to access.
Well, sorry Candice, this doesn't cut it with me. The sticker you use clearly states "Raymond Chan Wine Reviews" alongside your own and I guess identical review with your sticker "Candice Wine Chat".
I'm neither impressed nor motivated to follow your lead when it comes to other bottles of wine.
I looked up the reviews that these wine reviewers posted on Black Cottage Rose 2023 and found the following:
Tasting Notes
Sam Kim, Wine Orbit writes "Pristine and bright, it's elegantly lifted on the nose with nectarine, raspberry, Gala apple and jasmine nuances, leading to a finely flowing palate that's ripe and fleshy. Light and delicate, yet persistent and delectable."
Cameron Douglas MS writes "Salmon, apricot and pink hues lead to a bouquet of peach and red apple, some whispers of red berry and cherry then a lick of saffron. Aromatic with light floral notes then mineral. On the palate crisp and new, vibrant and fruity. Flavours mirror the bouquet and are accentuated by acidity and youthful fruit power."
Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews writes "Bright, even, pale blush pink. The nose is gentle with some richness, enveloping red berries, watermelon, herbs and floral aromas. Medium-light bodied, red berries and watermelon aromas entwined with citrus zest, fresh herbs and floral elements. The wine is crisp with thirst-quenching acidity; floral and herb details add interest."
And, the winery writes "This wine has a beautiful salmon colour. The aroma is a lovely combination of rose petals, red liquorice, fennel, and sea breeze. The palate has a delicate balance of red berries, watermelon, spice, and Provence herb flavours. The taste is refreshing and juicy, with a subtle savoury undertone and a perfectly balanced light acidity to finish."
