Sparkling Wines WSET Lvl 3 Part 2 Week 5

Mmmm I do enjoy my Bubbly, its what makes me fancy!  That being said I find too much yeasty/autolytic flavours just too bleh, The Pol Roger is that style I do not like too over powering not Delicate and balanced.  I enjoy Blanc de Blanc champagnes really.  Good Crements of Alsace, Burgundy and Loire Valley, and of course BC Sparkling from Blue Mountain


WSET LEVEL 3 PART 2 WEEK 7 SPARKLING WINE - Downtown Vancouver [AI School] (8/17/2010)
All Were Blind

• 2005 Monmousseau Touraine Brut - France, Loire Valley, Touraine
  Clear, Pale+ Lemon Green Bubbles Check
  A: Clean, Med+ Intensity, Just starting to show Development signs but still very youthful with lots of bright fruit
  Apple, Pear, Mineral, Dash Citrus [Candied Citrus]
  
  T: Dry, Med+ Acid, No Tannin,Med Alc, Med- body, Creamy Bubbles, Med Intensity, Med Finish
  Apple, Pear, Rubbery, little Cheese[Umami]
  
  Conc: Good, Ready to Drink (85 pts.)
• N.V. Domaine Chandon Brut Classic - USA, California
  Clear, Med- Lemon some brass/onion skins showing, Small Bubbles
  A: Clean, Low Intensity, Developing
  Mineral[Oyster Shells], Pear, Radish
  *Not very aromatic
  
  T: Dry, Med+ Acid, No tannin, Med Body, Delicate Bubbles, Med+ Intensity, Med+ Finish
  Apple, Citrus, Mineral, Apple Skin, some mushroom
  
  Conc:Very good, good balance of fruit/acid/body (87 pts.)
• N.V. Valdo Prosecco di Valdobbiadene - Italy, Veneto, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene
  Clear, Pale Lemon Green, big Bubbles
  A: Clean, Med Intensity, Youthful
  Seven-Up, Vitamin Citrus
  
  T: Dry, med+ acid, med- alc, no tannin, creamy bubbles, med intensity, short finish
  Creamy, Cinnamon Spice, "Apple Water",
  
  Conc: Acceptable, Simple Easy to drink (82 pts.)
• N.V. Segura Viudas Cava Brut Reserva - Spain, Catalunya, Cava
  Clear, Pale Lemon green, Big Bubbles
  A: Clean, Med Intensity
  Chemical, Citrus, Herbaceous, Lanolin
  
  T: Dry, Med+ Acid, No Tannin, Med- Body, Creamy Bubbles, Med Intensity, med finish
  Pear, Green Notes, Earthy
  
  Conc: Off Balance a touch to simple (83 pts.)
• 1999 Pol Roger Champagne Brut - France, Champagne
  Clear, Med- Gold, Not a whole lot of bubbles
  A: Clean, Med+ Intensity, Developed
  Autolytic+, Dried Porcini Powder, Earth
  
  T: Dry, High Acid, No Tannin, Med Body, Delicate bubbles, med intensity, med+ finish
  Baked Apples, Autolytic, Mineral Chalky, Green Apples, Sour Cream Onions
  
  Conc: Good to Very Good, Ready to Drink, did like the delicate bubbles but found it way to yeasty and out of balance in that sense (88 pts.)
• N.V. Banrock Station Shiraz Sparkling - Australia, South Eastern
  Clear, Med+ Ruby, Small bubbles
  A: Clean, Med+ Intensity
  A "Bubble Gum" but Good Quality style, A Sweetness? Caramel
  
  T: Off Dry/Dry, Med+ Acid, Med- Tannin, Med+ Body, med+ alc, creamy bubbles, med intensity, med+ finish
  Raspberry, Cherry, Wood, Mineral, Spice/Pepper, Meaty/Game
  
  Conc: Very Good, Didnt know what to expect going in from the colour but I did enjoy this (87 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

THE 100-POINT RATING SCALE (Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate describes this in more detail.)
• Extraordinary (96-100 points)
• Outstanding (90-95)
• Very Good to Excellent (85-89)
• Good (80-84)
• Average (75-79)
• Below average (70-74)
• Avoid (50-70)

WSET Week 8 Sparkling & Sweet Dessert

This Week in WSET Class was Sparkling and Sweet Desserts, You can never really go wrong with these two, I mean one starts a party, and the other ends it on a good note.  Tho I was told if you really want to start a party, you drink Champage at the end of a meal, gets ya going for the rest of the evening.

I must say I have never smelled so much Botrytis in a wine before very very interesting. Also Champagne I am starting to pick up way to much Dried Porcini where it is becoming to much and just distracting.


WSET WEEK 8 SPARKLING & SWEET DESSERT - Downtown Vancouver [AI School] (3/8/2010)

• N.V. Codorníu Cava Clássico Brut - Spain, Catalunya, Cava
  C: Pale Lemon [Tinge Green] Smallish Bubbles, Persistant (-)
  
  A: Clean, Light Intensity
  Vanilla Frosting, Lemon, Almost a Floralness
  
  T: Dry, High Acid, Med Body, Med Length
  Bready, Green Apple Skins
  
  Conclusion: Coats the Palate with a Milky Like Film, A Simply Quaffer, Going back to this after the Champage it did taste like Seven-up sooo (85 pts.)
• N.V. Georges Gardet Champagne Brut Cuvée Saint Flavy - France, Champagne
  C: Med Lemon, Small and Persistent (+) Bubbles
  
  A: Clean, Intense
  Yeasty Bread, Cream Cheese, Walnuts, Baked Apple Pie with a Dark Toasty Crust, earth/dried porcini which picked up more intensity as it opened almost becoming too much
  
  T: Dry, High Acid, med Body, Med Length
  Lemony, a Red Apple coming through
  
  Conclusion: Good Yeasty Notes, teacher recommended it pairs awesome with Original Pringles (89 pts.)
• N.V. Santa Margherita Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Brut - Italy, Veneto, Prosecco di Valdobbiadene
  A: Light Lemon [Tinge Green]
  
  A: Clean, Light Intensity
  Very, Very Light almost picking up nothing
  
  T: Dry, Med+ Acid, Light Body
  Ripe Red apples, Red Sauce
  
  Conclusion: very simple one dimensional prosecco soft foamy bubbles (85 pts.)
• N.V. Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante - Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Asti Spumante
  C: Light Light Lemon
  
  A: Clean, Med Intensity
  Pure Muscat Fruit, Floral/Peaches/7-up [true to varietal]
  
  T: Med Sweet, Med(-) Body, Med Finish
  Creamed Peaches
  
  Conclusion: A Guilty Pleasure, Soft Mousse, Wish there was more acid personally (85 pts.)

• N.V. Pellegrino Passito di Pantelleria - Italy, Sicily, Passito di Pantelleria
  A: Med Gold to Amber
  
  A: Clean, Med Intensity
  Orange [Zest/Marmalade, but made with Mandrain organes not regular sunkist] Chemically [As one Class mate said New Carpet Smell teacher suggested Volatitly Acid] Peachy, Caramalized...Opened up later with A "Chinese Food Vibe" Lemongrass, MSG, Sesame Oil
  
  T: Sweet, Low Acid, Med(-) Body
  A Fruit Cake made with Concentrated Golden Raisons
  
  Conclusion: I Wish it tasted like it smelled so interesting, The Low Acid Hurt this wine I think, but intersting to say the least (87 pts.)
• 2006 Château Partarrieu - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
  C: Med Gold
  
  A: Clean, Intense
  Botrytis Just Singing through, Oily [like from a Semillon], Almond, Richness, Nutty, Papaya
  
  T: Sweet, Med+ Acid, Med Body
  Grape, Peachy
  
  Conclusion: Tasted thin I do not understand why but mmm still a good wine tho (88 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Double Champagne Night

So one of my cooks at work entered this competition contest for the Provence, I told him if he won I would buy him a magnum of champagne. He Won I bought him a bottle of Alain Vesselle Cuvee St Eloi Brut A Bouzy - Grand Cru and then he said if he won he would buy a bottle of Dom Perignon, he ended up buy the 1995 Dom off our Wine list at work.

So To start we had the Alain Vesselle Cuvee St Eloi Brut A Bouzy - Grand Cru, has that Atypical Champagne nose of Cream Cheese Tartness, that Yeastiness. then the Taste was Green Apple (Malic Acid) Tartness lots and lots of acidity definitely not sweet. The Manager at the wine store I bought it said it was a light champagne and easy food pairing and one to start the night with, definitely was that tons of acidity.

1995 Dom Perignon (55% Chard, 45% Pinot Noir)
Aroma of a Nutty, Nutty Oil very strong, yeasty champagne atypical I pick up but this Nuttiness was so uniqiue and different kinda of cool
Taste of Pure Fruit, but so Balance so Light yet not boring we had a bottle (750ml) between like 9 people.


Champagne is Just so Cool.

Monthly Wine Recap for December

Drank a lot of Wine for Dec. Had a 2005 Bordeaux was ok, I think it needs more time in the bottle I have 5 left.

Used my Decanter for almost every red wine it works wonders all a wine really needs I find is just an hour and its way better.

December I drank a lot of sparkling only because I have this craving and I am starting to really enjoy had 2 champagnes from my collection enjoyed that.

That's All I can think of off the top of my head

Bubbly

I've been craving sparkling wine last little bit, I didn't know it was possible to crave sparkling but hey I guess its true hah. I had a Spanish sparkling last week (Lavit rose tasty) had a glass of Blue Mountain Sparkling NV. I guess I could thank Brooklynguy, him doing a "Friday Night Bubbles" and of course the usual talk about how champagne can pair with food, I mean it is wine with bubble in it its not some magical thing. So I decided to open a half bottle which btw are awesome to have.


The stats:
Georges Gardet
Champagne NV
Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay
Aged 4 years on lees in bottle

The Look:
Golden Colour typical champagne colour fine bubbles bubblying away.

The Nose:
How can I put this, it reminds me of a dessert I had made smelled like "Baked Apple Tart with Cream Cheese" baked apples for sure Cream Cheese it has a cheesy tanginess which is pretty cool.

The Taste:
Tastes of Apply Peels, Green Apple like granny smiths, and mix that with 7up sweetness.

Overall I enjoy this Bubbly (Champagne)tasty and doesn't need to be saved for a special occasion. Drink Now!