Full Circle

Although it may not be the date for a blog-birthday (looking back, it would be July 7th - which is a Thursday!), it would certainly be the birthday post, as it's the 53rd Champagne Thursday since we started. Seems like just yesterday we posted our first post. 

And, in saying that, it would seem we've come full circle. Not by our choosing, but by a happy accident/generous gift from one of my oldest friends (in length of time we've been friends, not by age).

June 30, 2016

Sparkle sparkle! Plus new glasses
that ring!

This week, by what I called a happy coincidence, and what Kate said "great minds (with a little bit of research) think alike", we celebrated the first Champagne Thursday of the Second Year of Marriage with bottle that came in a beautiful shiny, sparkly box... Can you see where this is going? Well, if you can't, fret not. We celebrated with a real fancy-pants champagne, Louis Roederer's Brut Premier. We kicked off a married life of Champagne Thursdays with this very champagne last year. 

To make the most of it, we didn't look at our previous notes. We went into it blind (although not blindfolded...), and started fresh. 

On popping the top, we got a quite dry scent. Shane accidentally inhaled some of the CO2, and it "burned his face" he said. Big ol' baby if you ask me... The first couple sips were also quite dry, but had hints of tart green apples. 

This champagne had lots of bubbles, similar to the volume of bubbles on our anniversary, but larger in size, making them sharper and giving the champagne a less creamy mouth feel. More similar to a soda pop, very refreshing. We also were using new glasses, and I'm not sure what it was about them, but the bubbles in the glasses made them sound like the glasses were ringing. It was really neat... once I realized what it was and stopped looking for whatever might have been making that sound... 

After a few sips (*ahem* glasses *ahem*), the dryness subsided, and subtle fruit flavours showed up a bit more. It still didn't have many underlying notes, but it is certainly a nicely balanced champagne. Very traditional tasting (we would think, in our limited experience), a nice, yummy (yup, technical term) champagne that tastes like you (or we) would expect a dry champagne to taste. 

Verdict: Absolutely give this one a shot if you can. It's lovely. Thanks Kate and Alex!

Following this, we read back through some of our notes in the Champagne Journal from this past year. It's been fun sharing our experiences, and actually documenting what we like, what we don't, and how we feel about various bottles. This blog is mainly for us, for our reference and enjoyment, but if it's been read by anyone, or helped anyone pick a bottle, well, that's kind of neat also. 

~S

• Brand: Louis Roederer
• Type of Grape: 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Meunier (I guess I didn't know where to look last year... oops!)
• Sweetness: 12g/L
• Price: $71.95 (it's gone up in  price!!)
• Tasting Notes: Nicely balanced, dry champagne with crisp bubbles. Hints of tart green apples. Would pair nicely with cold smoked salmon and a happy hour. 

Okay, also, I have to point out the quote that is at the top of the Louis Roederer's website page for this particular bottle, I just love it so much: 

« The freshness, finesse, and brightness of Brut Premier make it the perfect wine for festive occasions. Its structured texture, richness, and length are distinctly winey. It is a full, complex wine that is both rich and powerful, whilst remaining a great classic. »

It totally makes me feel validated every time we've ever said: "well... it tastes like wine...".  But now, if I use that description, or the term "winey", in the future, which I totally will, take note that it is a valid descriptor, and is used by high end professionals. So there. :)