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| Vintages Pre-Release Christmas Sparklers |
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| Thursday, 04 December 2008 | |
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Reported by Rod Story, Photos by Rutha Astravas A full house joined guild director Rutha Astravas in a festive tasting of 10 sparkling wines from around the world including six from Champagne. With the closing of the Chelsea Club, Guild Director Antonio Mauriello generously offered the use of the private room at his restaurant DiVino Wine Bar. All the wines were part of the December 6 Vintages release with Rutha selecting a mix of different styles and price points. It was a great opportunity to try wines that many of us would not normally purchase.  The first flight consisted of four non-Champagne sparkling wines, yet all were “Traditional Method”. This means that the final fermentation which creates the bubbles occurred in the bottle just as it does for Champagne. The first wine was Cuvée Catharine Sparkling Brut which is an Ontario sparkler from Henry of Pelham. It was definitely a new world style wine with a fruity nose of apple and citrus that followed through on the palate. The second wine, which was from Domaine Chandon (California operation), had a definite pink hue leading the group to correctly guess that it was a Blanc de Noirs. Toasty oak and black cherry was evident on the nose. It was full bodied on the palate due to the exclusive use of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The palate had black cherry and dark plum that was balanced by well integrated oak. It was considered a good value sparkler for $24. The third wine of the flight was from another French Champagne house that had set up shop in California – Roederer Estate. Roederer Estate is located in the cool climate Anderson Valley which is quite a bit north of warmer Napa Valley. This cool climate results in a much crisper and lighter sparkling wine with aromas of lemon and grapefruit. The wine is predominantly Chardonnay (60%) with Pinot Noir (40%) playing a supporting role. The citrus aromas on the nose follow through on the palate with an elegant structure and zippy finish. It would be an ideal wine with stand-up appetizers. The fourth and final wine of the flight was a South Australian sparkler from Croser, the sparkling wine brand from Petaluma. It is a blend of mostly Pinot Noir (80%) and Chardonnay (20%) filling out the remainder. Croser only makes vintage sparkling wines with the expectation that they’ll improve with age. This is in contrast with the three previous wines which were non-vintage and are made ready to drink. Of the four wines of the flight, the Croser had the biggest toast and the highest acidity. The acidity (lemon/grapefruit) and the toast of the oak were readily apparent on the nose. On the palate, it was very acidic with pronounced caramel flavours. The finish was slightly burnt and bitter from the heavy toast of the barrels. The wine definitely needed time to smooth out the acid but this taster was concerned about the bitter finish and if it would smooth out with time.The second flight consisted of three Champagnes that were elegant and lighter in body than the final flight of the tasting. The first wine, the Charles Heidsieck Réserve, had a lovely yeasty, biscuit nose that is so typical of Champagnes. Oak and toast were present in its long finish. It was noticeably more elegant than the previous four sparkling wines. For the second wine, the Pol Roger, the nose was that of lemon and toasty oak. On the palate, it had a nice attack with its bubbles and lemony acid that changed in the mid-palate to be much rounder and fuller than the previous wines ending with butterscotch on its long finish. A very nice wine. The Henriot, which was the final Champagne of the flight, was the only wine of the evening that had a herbaceous nose. On the palate it had notes of grapefruit and star anise with an oaky kick in its finish.  The third flight had three more full bodied Champagnes with the final two being rosés. The first wine had a nose of bubble gum and almond. Even though it was a Blanc de Blancs (100% Chardonnay), it was quite full bodied due to its oak treatment and one would assume the ripeness of the grapes. Even though it had good palate weight and great acidity, it did not have much in the way of flavour. It had noticeably larger bubbles than the other wines. The second wine was the biggest wine of the evening which is not surprising given that it is a Rosé made from 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. It had a lovely pink colour and a nose of cherry, strawberry, and oak. These flavours came through on the palate. It reminded this taster of a Tavel Rosé which had some oak aging. It was a full bodied Champagne with a long, well integrated finish. Due to its big fruit flavours and oak, it would show best with somewhat rich foods like charcuterie. It would also improve with some ageing which is consistent given that it is a vintage Champagne. The last wine of the evening had a very light pink/orange colour with a nose of berry fruit. It provided an interesting comparison to the previous wine in that it had the same proportions of grapes. It tasted more acidic and dryer and had less oak with some notes of ginger (spice). It was wonderfully structured and elegant and drinking very well. A great way to end the tasting.Flight 1: Sparkling Wine Henry of Pelham Cuvée Catharine Sparkling Brut, VQA, Niagara Peninsula, 616441, $29.95 Domaine Chandon Blance de Noirs, Sparkling Wine, California, 100693, $23.95 Roederer Estate Sparkling Brut, Anderson Valley, California, 294181, $28.95 Croser Sparkling Wine 2005 Piccadilly Valley, South Australia (Petaluma), 077719, $33.95 Flight 2: Lighter, Elegant Champagnes Charles Heidsieck Réserve Champagne Brut, 036962, $59.95 Pol Roger Extra Cuvée de Réserve Champagne Brut, 1999, 989137, $82.95 Henriot Souverain Champagne Brut, 959643, $62.95 Flight 3: Fuller Bodied Champagnes Drappier Signature Blanc de Blancs Champagne, 599860, $50.95 Louis Roederer Champagne Brut Rosé, 2003, 368415, $88.95 Taittinger Prestige Champagne Brut Rosé, 993113, $84.95 |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 09 March 2009 ) |
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 The National Capital Sommelier Guild strongly supports moderate and responsible consumption of wine and spirits. Guild dinner events allow a designated driver to attend at a reduced price. The designated driver will not be served alcohol. Guild tasting events provide and encourage the use of spit buckets. |
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