Tag: tasting notes

Notes on a New Year’s Eve Toast with Bollinger Rosé
We couldn’t let New Year’s Eve get too far out of sight without some quick notes on the spectacular bottle of Bollinger Rosé Champagne that helped us ring in 2015.

This champagne was even lovelier than we’d remembered from our December tasting. Here are some thoughts:
- nicely balanced with just enough Pinot to accompany our pâté mousse truffée …
- the wine matched well with aged cheddar, each enhancing the other …
- even chicken parmigiana bites couldn’t trip up this sparkler …
- we dared to pair these blushing bubbles with a moist chocolate cupcake … yes!
- for us, this Bollinger was at its best when not over-chilled …
- we allowed it to warm in our glasses …
- drank it through temperatures from chilled to room and found our sweet spot …
Speaking of sweet, we loved photographing this bottle. Bollinger gave it a label redesign recently, and we’re making it an early leader for our “Most Enchanting Empty Bottle Award of 2015.”

Are you ready to join our Sparkling Resolution movement?

More About Our Sparkling Resolution

Check Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List (It will include this one, so be sure to scroll down.)

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Ed Cherubino

Related articles

Bollinger Rosé Champagne Is Our Choice for Our New Year’s Toast!

Consult Our Wine Collection Before You Shop for Bottles of Bubbles!

A Few of Our Favorite Kitchen Gifts
January 6, 2015
December Sparkles with Chateau de l’Eperonniere, Crémant de Loire

We’re celebrating the arrival of December with an exceptional sparkler. Chateau de l’Eperonniere, Crémant de Loire 2009 is from the vineyards of Mathieu Tijou, the latest in his family to carry on the tradition of winemaking.

Mathieu Tijou (Foreground), Neal Rosenthal (background left)

As with his father, Mathieu has continued to work with importer Neal Rosenthal, a name you will know well from reading our BostonZest wine posts. Through the years, we have come to trust and rely on wines that display the Rosenthal name. And, this Crémant reinforces that claim.

Penny thinks, “this Cremant is addictive!”

Ed says, “very balanced, and food friendly.”

We had it with Neals Yard Dairy Berkswell (sheeps milk cheese), Landaff (cows milk cheese/aged at Jasper Hill), Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Sardinian parchment crackers.

Penny says, “when you sip, it’s sweet and tart at the same time – usually I taste one followed by other.”

One of our sparkling wine/champagne mottos is to “drink slowly and sip through the temperatures,” to experience all the wine has to offer. That advise certainly applies here.

If you’re a Crémant fan, we think you’ll be impressed with this wine. If you’ve never tried a Crémant, this would be a memorable introduction to the sparkler.

Here’s to December! May it be as wonderful as our bottle of Chateau de l’Eperonniere, Crémant de Loire.

Discover more about Our Sparkling Resolution

And, Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

We purchased our bottle of Chateau de l’Eperonniere, Crémant de Loire 2009 at Bauer Wine & Spirits.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino, Image of Mathieu Tijou & Neal Rosenthal courtesy of www.madrose.com

December 1, 2014
Celebrating September with Granit Réserve de Lavernette
Finding the right sparkler to help ring in the new month was an easy choice for September. In its tasting notes, Granit Réserve de Lavernette is described as a “wine of pleasure and discovery,” a “wine to party,” and a “wine to celebrate” – just what we had in mind when we began Our Sparkling Resolution.

While I’m not one to blindly succumb to a descriptive phrase, Granit is surprisingly good. I say that because we did have some reservations about a sparkling wine made from 100% Gamay (Beaujolais Villages grapes) with no added “liqueur de dosage.”

The winemaker goes on to say …
- “the color is a very, very delicate salmon … ”
- “nose of melon, a gentle touch of strawberries, warm biscuits, a whisper of spring flowers …”
- “on the palate … full-bodied and zesty, a good core of fruit, bright acids and sneaky length, well balanced and focused finish … ”
Perhaps, reviewer Joe Appel (Portland Press Herald) said it best, “… the “Granit” is testament to how exciting, culinarily useful and flat-out delicious a no-sugar-added wine can be when it’s in balance.”

Despite this wine’s “no dosage,” we didn’t miss it. Granit impressed us enough that we’ll go back for another bottle. And, that alone makes this French sparkler a worthy choice to welcome September, 2014.

We purchased our bottle (around $30) at Urban Grape, South End.

Here’s more about Our Sparkling Resolution

And, Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers’ comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Pouring Jewels from a Bottle of Bailly Lapierre Crémant!

A French “Value Sparkler” with No Compromises, le Moulin Blanquette de Limoux

Finding a bargain with Cremant de Bourgogne sparkling wines
September 1, 2014
Berlucchi Cuvée ‘61 – Celebrating a Sparkling Decade!

We’re toasting February with a bottle of Berlucchi Cuvée ‘61, a sparkler it’s producers say, “celebrates the magical decade of the sixties” with a “creative spirit” that lives on today.

We say, if that was their goal, they’ve succeeded. This is a really good, sparkling wine!

Tasting Notes:

Berlucchi Cuvée ‘61 Brut

75% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir, 11.5 % ABV

We say … Full fruit, nice acidity, not oaky Chardonnay heavy

Berlucchi says … “Floral and fruit notes, fine acidity, full body”

We liked it so much, we added more to our wine rack.

$16.99 @ Bauer Wine & Spirits

Here’s more about Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

February 1, 2014
Berlucchi Cuvée ‘61 – Celebrating a Sparkling Decade!

We’re toasting February with a bottle of Berlucchi Cuvée ‘61, a sparkler it’s producers say, “celebrates the magical decade of the sixties” with a “creative spirit” that lives on today.

We say, if that was their goal, they’ve succeeded. This is a really good, sparkling wine!

Tasting Notes:

Berlucchi Cuvée ‘61 Brut

75% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir, 11.5 % ABV

We say … Full fruit, nice acidity, not oaky Chardonnay heavy

Berlucchi says … “Floral and fruit notes, fine acidity, full body”

We liked it so much, we added more to our wine rack.

$16.99 @ Bauer Wine & Spirits

Here’s more about Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

February 1, 2014
Berlucchi Cuvée ‘61 – Celebrating a Sparkling Decade!

We’re toasting February with a bottle of Berlucchi Cuvée ‘61, a sparkler it’s producers say, “celebrates the magical decade of the sixties” with a “creative spirit” that lives on today.

We say, if that was their goal, they’ve succeeded. This is a really good, sparkling wine!

Tasting Notes:

Berlucchi Cuvée ‘61 Brut

75% Chardonnay, 25% Pinot Noir, 11.5 % ABV

We say … Full fruit, nice acidity, not oaky Chardonnay heavy

Berlucchi says … “Floral and fruit notes, fine acidity, full body”

We liked it so much, we added more to our wine rack.

$16.99 @ Bauer Wine & Spirits

Here’s more about Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

February 1, 2014
Champagne Paul Bara Grand Rosé – Our Memorable New Year’s Eve Guest!

We had been storing our bottle of Paul Bara Grand Rosé Champagne at the top of our wine rack for nearly a year awaiting an extra special occasion to pop its cork. Through the months, we took care to properly store this $60 bubbly – always on its side, never subjecting it to extreme temperatures, occasionally turning and, yes, even dusting it – but couldn’t quite commit to opening it.

Finally, with the eve of 2014 closing in, we had to act. The day before the big night, we began chilling the Paul Bara but, just to be on the safe side, iced down a back-up bottle of Bollinger as a sort of new year’s celebration insurance.

Soon after dark on New Year’s Eve, we put together a cheese plate and sat down to try our much anticipated rosé champagne. The clink of glasses, a toast, that first sip, and … Lovely fruit balanced by a crisp backbone, not heavy at all. And, the wine’s copper hue, that Penny described as an Italian rose gold color, is amazing!

The perfectly ripe (but not over-ripe) brie and Bara were excellent together! There was no problem with the black peppered cheese and a liver paté with truffles. The fruit of this rosé was like the taste of early season Atlas Farm strawberries from the Copley Square Market.

Despite being 70% pinot noir, it’s a Champagne that’s not overpowering. It has finesse. It reminded Penny of “… people who deliver on what they say they’re going to do versus those who just talk a good show.” And, what a show it was! We couldn’t have been happier with our selection.

By the way, as you’ve probably guessed, there was no need for our rescue bottle of Bollinger. But, since it was prepped and ready to go, we invited this irresistible French charmer to join us at our New Year’s day table. Happy 2014!

For more about this special Champagne, see: Here's Our Wine Pick for New Year's Eve 2013

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

January 3, 2014
Champagne Paul Bara Grand Rosé – Our Memorable New Year’s Eve Guest!

We had been storing our bottle of Paul Bara Grand Rosé Champagne at the top of our wine rack for nearly a year awaiting an extra special occasion to pop its cork. Through the months, we took care to properly store this $60 bubbly – always on its side, never subjecting it to extreme temperatures, occasionally turning and, yes, even dusting it – but couldn’t quite commit to opening it.

Finally, with the eve of 2014 closing in, we had to act. The day before the big night, we began chilling the Paul Bara but, just to be on the safe side, iced down a back-up bottle of Bollinger as a sort of new year’s celebration insurance.

Soon after dark on New Year’s Eve, we put together a cheese plate and sat down to try our much anticipated rosé champagne. The clink of glasses, a toast, that first sip, and … Lovely fruit balanced by a crisp backbone, not heavy at all. And, the wine’s copper hue, that Penny described as an Italian rose gold color, is amazing!

The perfectly ripe (but not over-ripe) brie and Bara were excellent together! There was no problem with the black peppered cheese and a liver paté with truffles. The fruit of this rosé was like the taste of early season Atlas Farm strawberries from the Copley Square Market.

Despite being 70% pinot noir, it’s a Champagne that’s not overpowering. It has finesse. It reminded Penny of “… people who deliver on what they say they’re going to do versus those who just talk a good show.” And, what a show it was! We couldn’t have been happier with our selection.

By the way, as you’ve probably guessed, there was no need for our rescue bottle of Bollinger. But, since it was prepped and ready to go, we invited this irresistible French charmer to join us at our New Year’s day table. Happy 2014!

For more about this special Champagne, see: Here's Our Wine Pick for New Year's Eve 2013

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

January 3, 2014
Champagne Paul Bara Grand Rosé – Our Memorable New Year’s Eve Guest!

We had been storing our bottle of Paul Bara Grand Rosé Champagne at the top of our wine rack for nearly a year awaiting an extra special occasion to pop its cork. Through the months, we took care to properly store this $60 bubbly – always on its side, never subjecting it to extreme temperatures, occasionally turning and, yes, even dusting it – but couldn’t quite commit to opening it.

Finally, with the eve of 2014 closing in, we had to act. The day before the big night, we began chilling the Paul Bara but, just to be on the safe side, iced down a back-up bottle of Bollinger as a sort of new year’s celebration insurance.

Soon after dark on New Year’s Eve, we put together a cheese plate and sat down to try our much anticipated rosé champagne. The clink of glasses, a toast, that first sip, and … Lovely fruit balanced by a crisp backbone, not heavy at all. And, the wine’s copper hue, that Penny described as an Italian rose gold color, is amazing!

The perfectly ripe (but not over-ripe) brie and Bara were excellent together! There was no problem with the black peppered cheese and a liver paté with truffles. The fruit of this rosé was like the taste of early season Atlas Farm strawberries from the Copley Square Market.

Despite being 70% pinot noir, it’s a Champagne that’s not overpowering. It has finesse. It reminded Penny of “… people who deliver on what they say they’re going to do versus those who just talk a good show.” And, what a show it was! We couldn’t have been happier with our selection.

By the way, as you’ve probably guessed, there was no need for our rescue bottle of Bollinger. But, since it was prepped and ready to go, we invited this irresistible French charmer to join us at our New Year’s day table. Happy 2014!

For more about this special Champagne, see: Here's Our Wine Pick for New Year's Eve 2013

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution

Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

January 3, 2014
Yemen Mocca Sanani from Beanstock Coffee

Yemen Mocca Sanani recently caught my attention when I was about to place our usual order from Beanstock Coffee Roasters.

Beanstock's description made it sound as if both Ed and I would love it as a change from our usual choices.

They said:

"If you infused a coffee bean with red wine, bittersweet chocolate and red grapes, you'd come pretty close to the flavor mother nature provided to this exceptional coffee. It has a thick, syrupy body that lingers on the tongue."

We used the words:

Smooth… round… rich, thick crema… perfect second cup of the day…

We learned:

a bit about this classic coffee from Yemen. Yemen Mocca (or Mocha) Sanani is an old and still treasured part of coffee culture.

The beans are a bit smaller than those from many other parts of the world. Here are three Yemen Mocca Sanani beans on the left with three from Beanstock's Black Fish Creek blend on the right.

The added crema was a nice surprise. We asked Jon from Beanstock about it and he said, "We haven't played with it as an espresso, but it wouldn't surprise me at all." But thanks to the crema question, we discovered this in-depth article on crema over on CoffeeGeek.com.

Do you try coffees from different parts of the world? Do you have a favorite? Have you tried Yemen Mocca Sanani? If you have an opportunity to taste this ancient and still outstanding coffee, give it a try. We think you'll enjoy the layers of flavor it offers.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

June 12, 2013