Tag: sparkling resolution

We’ll Toast February with a Gift of Gosset “Grande Réserve” Brut Champagne

We did not puzzle over which sparkling wine to choose for our February toast. It had to be the bottle of Gosset "Grande Réserve" Brut Champagne our friend Bob dropped off for us last month. Since our theme for 2021 is "Wines we love and honoring friendships," it was a perfect choice.

Penny didn't have to think twice about a background for a photo of this month's wine since she had just finished a jigsaw puzzle of a lovely scene that might be somewhere in France. It even had one piece not quite pressed in place that looked like a little guy running towards the bottle. From our research, we think we may be running to get more of what sounds like a very special wine. Also, she has been sharing her jigsaw puzzles with friends. Another friendship link!

Here's what we learned:

Regular readers know we love learning the history of vineyards. Gosset has a very long history. On the Gosset site, they write:

"The story of the Gosset family begins over four centuries ago with the first official ancestor of the family line, Jean Gosset (1484–1556), “Seigneur of Aÿ and Mareuil”. Following in his footsteps, sixteen generations, all born in Aÿ in Champagne, would go on to win fame not only as deputy mayors, mayors, prosecutors, but also in growing and trading the wines of Champagne"

Their details about the Gosset "Grande Réserve" Brut Champagne:

Varietal Composition: 45% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir, 10% Pinot Meunier
Vintage Composition: 80-90% 2015, 10-20% 2013 & 2014 vintages
Alcohol: 12%

Suggested Serving Temperatures: Between 8 C and 10 C (46 F and 50 F)

Tasting Notes: The color is bright and golden, the nose open and expressive, and the palate is dominated by a refreshing mineral tension.

Jean-Pierre Mareigner, Cellarmaster says: “This is the true signature of the House. An expression of the Gosset style, which I have been maintaining for 30 years.”

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

This bottle was a gift, but with the photo of this back label, your favorite wine merchant should be able to find it for you.

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post: Join Us as We Toast…

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2021 Penny Cherubino

February 1, 2021
We’ll Toast February with a Gift of Gosset “Grande Réserve” Brut Champagne

We did not puzzle over which sparkling wine to choose for our February toast. It had to be the bottle of Gosset "Grande Réserve" Brut Champagne our friend Bob dropped off for us last month. Since our theme for 2021 is "Wines we love and honoring friendships," it was a perfect choice.

Penny didn't have to think twice about a background for a photo of this month's wine since she had just finished a jigsaw puzzle of a lovely scene that might be somewhere in France. It even had one piece not quite pressed in place that looked like a little guy running towards the bottle. From our research, we think we may be running to get more of what sounds like a very special wine. Also, she has been sharing her jigsaw puzzles with friends. Another friendship link!

Here's what we learned:

Regular readers know we love learning the history of vineyards. Gosset has a very long history. On the Gosset site, they write:

"The story of the Gosset family begins over four centuries ago with the first official ancestor of the family line, Jean Gosset (1484–1556), “Seigneur of Aÿ and Mareuil”. Following in his footsteps, sixteen generations, all born in Aÿ in Champagne, would go on to win fame not only as deputy mayors, mayors, prosecutors, but also in growing and trading the wines of Champagne"

Their details about the Gosset "Grande Réserve" Brut Champagne:

Varietal Composition: 45% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir, 10% Pinot Meunier
Vintage Composition: 80-90% 2015, 10-20% 2013 & 2014 vintages
Alcohol: 12%

Suggested Serving Temperatures: Between 8 C and 10 C (46 F and 50 F)

Tasting Notes: The color is bright and golden, the nose open and expressive, and the palate is dominated by a refreshing mineral tension.

Jean-Pierre Mareigner, Cellarmaster says: “This is the true signature of the House. An expression of the Gosset style, which I have been maintaining for 30 years.”

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

This bottle was a gift, but with the photo of this back label, your favorite wine merchant should be able to find it for you.

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post: Join Us as We Toast…

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2021 Penny Cherubino

February 1, 2021
Our December Terroir Toast Is Gruet Sauvage Rosé from New Mexico
Today we’ll travel to New Mexico (in spirit) to taste the terroir in Gruet Sauvage Rosé sparkling wine. When we declared 2020 the year of terroir in our selection of wines for our monthly toast with sparkling wine, we didn’t know that this was a year when we would seldom leave our condo, except in spirit.

December is a time of looking back. We selected this wine in memory of our last gathering with friends on March 1st, and our excitement about a new restaurant, Grand Tour, from the team at our favorite hangout, Select Oyster.

In February, we tasted The Gruet Sauvage Blanc de Blanc at Grand Tour and decided to make it our wine of the month for March.

We also decided we hadn't seen enough of our roof deck crew over the winter and hosted a gathering at Grand Tour in their delightful, tiny dining room on the second floor.

What fun we had as we tasted our way through the menu to decide on the items for our party! We hold out hope that next Spring (after their winter hiatus) we'll be able to return to order takeout and perhaps, one day, sit at the bar.

Our Toast This Month

Today’s toast will be to the friends who gathered that day, to the great restaurant team that has always taken such wonderful care of us at Select and Grand Tour, and to Michael Serpa, the man behind these two restaurants, and his newest offering Atlantico Boston.

We'll also toast to all the restaurant folks, delivery people, and other service workers who have helped us this year.

What We’ve Learned About Gruet Sauvage Rosé
- 100% Pinot Noir which is our favorite grape for sparkling wines!
- 12.5% ABV which is a bit high for sparklers!
- No Dosage which should make it crisp!
Wine Enthusiast wrote:

“The aromas are fresh in this pale-salmon sparkling wine, showing yellow cherries, lillies and fresh baked rolls. The bubbles are pillowy in feel, while bright, tingling acidity wakes up the palate that offers flavors of brioche, lemon zest, juicy strawberry and cherry. It finishes on notes of yeasty brioche and preserved lemon.”

Trying wines from different places, made with various grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

Our bottle of Gruet Sauvage Rosé was delivered to us by Urban Grape for ~$25.

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post: Join Us as We Toast…

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino

Photos: ©2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino
December 1, 2020
Our December Terroir Toast Is Gruet Sauvage Rosé from New Mexico
Today we’ll travel to New Mexico (in spirit) to taste the terroir in Gruet Sauvage Rosé sparkling wine. When we declared 2020 the year of terroir in our selection of wines for our monthly toast with sparkling wine, we didn’t know that this was a year when we would seldom leave our condo, except in spirit.

December is a time of looking back. We selected this wine in memory of our last gathering with friends on March 1st, and our excitement about a new restaurant, Grand Tour, from the team at our favorite hangout, Select Oyster.

In February, we tasted The Gruet Sauvage Blanc de Blanc at Grand Tour and decided to make it our wine of the month for March.

We also decided we hadn't seen enough of our roof deck crew over the winter and hosted a gathering at Grand Tour in their delightful, tiny dining room on the second floor.

What fun we had as we tasted our way through the menu to decide on the items for our party! We hold out hope that next Spring (after their winter hiatus) we'll be able to return to order takeout and perhaps, one day, sit at the bar.

Our Toast This Month

Today’s toast will be to the friends who gathered that day, to the great restaurant team that has always taken such wonderful care of us at Select and Grand Tour, and to Michael Serpa, the man behind these two restaurants, and his newest offering Atlantico Boston.

We'll also toast to all the restaurant folks, delivery people, and other service workers who have helped us this year.

What We’ve Learned About Gruet Sauvage Rosé
- 100% Pinot Noir which is our favorite grape for sparkling wines!
- 12.5% ABV which is a bit high for sparklers!
- No Dosage which should make it crisp!
Wine Enthusiast wrote:

“The aromas are fresh in this pale-salmon sparkling wine, showing yellow cherries, lillies and fresh baked rolls. The bubbles are pillowy in feel, while bright, tingling acidity wakes up the palate that offers flavors of brioche, lemon zest, juicy strawberry and cherry. It finishes on notes of yeasty brioche and preserved lemon.”

Trying wines from different places, made with various grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

Our bottle of Gruet Sauvage Rosé was delivered to us by Urban Grape for ~$25.

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post: Join Us as We Toast…

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino

Photos: ©2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino
December 1, 2020
We’ll Toast November with Raventós i Blanc de Blancs

For all your small, safe celebrations this month, we suggest a budget-friendly sparkling wine from an outstanding producer Raventós i Blanc de Blancs. Like many of our favorite sparklers, this Spanish offering is a low 12% alcohol by volume, better for a small gathering, or even a solo diner in a time when we have to keep our heads clear.

Raventós i Blanc de Nit Took Us to Spain for Our February 1st Toast this year.

When shopping for last month's wine, we discovered another wine from this winemaker. Pepe Raventós represents the 21st generation of his family at a vineyard in operation since 1497.

Since this is our year of terroir, we added a couple of bottles to our delivery and look forward to tasting it today.

While this Blanc de Blanc is new to us, we have a feeling we'll like it because two of our favorite wine mentors, Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli from Alcove and Michael Serpa from Select Oyster Bar, Grand Tour, and Atlantico are both fans of this winemaker and vineyard.

We'll let the folks at Raventos tell you about the terroir of their vineyard where this wine begins:

"The Vinya del Llac is a vineyard that faces north. The clay soils release water slowly throughout the vegetative cycle and, deep beneath the surface, we find calcareous bedrock with incrusted pebbles, which limit the water reserve, giving the grapes in this flagship plot more structure. The influence of the lake in this symbolic vineyard moderates the climatic conditions, avoids heatwaves and favours long ripening. It is a Blanc de Blancs due to its three native white grape varieties: Macabeu, Xarel·lo and Parellada."

We found tasting notes on the wine here:

"The Blanc de Blancs 2016 of Raventos i Blanc shows off a bright straw yellow color in the glass with a stream of fine bubbles flowing continuously to the top. In the glass, this Spanish sparkling wine displays a complex blend of white fruits (peaches and apricots) with Mediterranean herbs, dried fruits and hints of citrus. On the palate, this wine reveals itself to be very powerful and full of flavor, with the carbonation expertly integrated and beautifully balanced."

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

We purchase our bottle at Gordon's Wine for ~$23.00

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino

November 1, 2020
We’ll Toast October with Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé

It's been twelve years since we featured Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé. We have a birthday to celebrate in October and decided to splurge and treat ourselves to this old friend of a wine. Perhaps one day we may be able to again raise a glass of wine with friends the way we once did. For now, all we can do is wishfully set out a few extra glasses and set up a virtual toasting session.

Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé Champagne also happens to fit our year of terroir. It has been made by the same family since 1818, and two of the grapes in our bottle are from particular family vineyards. Here is what the house is posting in the current blend notes:

• 40% Chardonnay sourced from the best Crus in the Champagne region
• 30% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Grande Vallée de la Marne
• 30% Pinot Meunier from the Vallée de la Marne and the southern slopes of Epernay

They are proud of the high use of Pinot Meunier, saying that it gives the wine a creaminess and structure if appropriately grown and fermented. We will be looking for this in the glass as we do our toasting.

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

We highly recommend this article on Wine Searcher about this month's wine.

10 Things Every Wine Lover Should Know About Billecart-Salmon

Our bottle was delivered to us on sale for $74.99 (generally about $100.) from Gordon's Fine Wines and Liquors.

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino

October 1, 2020
We’ll Toast October with Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé

It's been twelve years since we featured Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé. We have a birthday to celebrate in October and decided to splurge and treat ourselves to this old friend of a wine. Perhaps one day we may be able to again raise a glass of wine with friends the way we once did. For now, all we can do is wishfully set out a few extra glasses and set up a virtual toasting session.

Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé Champagne also happens to fit our year of terroir. It has been made by the same family since 1818, and two of the grapes in our bottle are from particular family vineyards. Here is what the house is posting in the current blend notes:

• 40% Chardonnay sourced from the best Crus in the Champagne region
• 30% Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and the Grande Vallée de la Marne
• 30% Pinot Meunier from the Vallée de la Marne and the southern slopes of Epernay

They are proud of the high use of Pinot Meunier, saying that it gives the wine a creaminess and structure if appropriately grown and fermented. We will be looking for this in the glass as we do our toasting.

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

We highly recommend this article on Wine Searcher about this month's wine.

10 Things Every Wine Lover Should Know About Billecart-Salmon

Our bottle was delivered to us on sale for $74.99 (generally about $100.) from Gordon's Fine Wines and Liquors.

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino

October 1, 2020
A Gift of “i Clivi RBL Brut Nature 2017” to Toast June 1st, Great Bartenders and Wine Mentors

The wine for this month's toast, "i Clivi RBL Brut Nature 2017", was delivered to us by one of the special people from behind the bar at Select Oyster Bar, Gabe Bellegard Bastos.

In discussing wines in the months before the shutdown, he learned that our theme for our 2020 Sparkling Resolution wines was terroir. As we sheltered-in-place, Gabe brought us a favorite from his wine rack that happens to be a perfect fit.

The best bartenders and servers often have wonderful stories to go with the wines they recommend. We asked Gabe how he discovered this wine. He texted:

"That wine was a by-the-glass pour at my very first restaurant job, back when I was still writing for Eater and going to school and I had not yet decided to fully commit to working in restaurants forever. The name of the restaurant was Ribelle, which means rebel in Italian, and wine service/ education were both very important there so this was the first wine I really *learned* and understood. And then years later, we ended up pouring it by the glass at Bar Mezzana too so it feels like an old friend, and between serving it to guests, and the infinite times I brought that out to a party, or opened it with friends at my place, I just feel a special connection to it."

Great Bartenders Have Been Our Wine Mentors

Much of what we know about wines has been the result of bar stool classes conducted by knowledgeable bartenders in fine restaurants. These men and women were happy to share what they knew about the wine in our glasses. They cared enough about their customers to remember what we liked and didn't like in wines and have been wonderful guides through this complex world of grape magic. Here is a bit more Gabe shared with us about this wine:

"On a more wine note, as you know I love bubbles. And, I love how unique that bottle is. It does not use the Champagne or the Charmat method, it uses a rather unusual grape, and it is from a region of Italy that isn’t particularly known for great wines. But, that wine is just so dry, and vibrant, and all those things give it such a distinct personality. I hope you enjoy it."

Gabe knows we love bubbles too! Part of our enjoyment of this wine will come from Gabe's kindness and thoughtfulness in sharing this with us and delivering a perfect wine for our June 1st toast.

Here's a link to more about how this wine is grown and created.

And, you can download a PDF fact sheet here: Download RBL – eng

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

This wine was a gift. Yes, we mark those as well with Sharpie metallic markers because you simply enjoy a bottle of wine more when someone gifted it to you!

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino

June 1, 2020
A Gift of “i Clivi RBL Brut Nature 2017” to Toast June 1st, Great Bartenders and Wine Mentors

The wine for this month's toast, "i Clivi RBL Brut Nature 2017", was delivered to us by one of the special people from behind the bar at Select Oyster Bar, Gabe Bellegard Bastos.

In discussing wines in the months before the shutdown, he learned that our theme for our 2020 Sparkling Resolution wines was terroir. As we sheltered-in-place, Gabe brought us a favorite from his wine rack that happens to be a perfect fit.

The best bartenders and servers often have wonderful stories to go with the wines they recommend. We asked Gabe how he discovered this wine. He texted:

"That wine was a by-the-glass pour at my very first restaurant job, back when I was still writing for Eater and going to school and I had not yet decided to fully commit to working in restaurants forever. The name of the restaurant was Ribelle, which means rebel in Italian, and wine service/ education were both very important there so this was the first wine I really *learned* and understood. And then years later, we ended up pouring it by the glass at Bar Mezzana too so it feels like an old friend, and between serving it to guests, and the infinite times I brought that out to a party, or opened it with friends at my place, I just feel a special connection to it."

Great Bartenders Have Been Our Wine Mentors

Much of what we know about wines has been the result of bar stool classes conducted by knowledgeable bartenders in fine restaurants. These men and women were happy to share what they knew about the wine in our glasses. They cared enough about their customers to remember what we liked and didn't like in wines and have been wonderful guides through this complex world of grape magic. Here is a bit more Gabe shared with us about this wine:

"On a more wine note, as you know I love bubbles. And, I love how unique that bottle is. It does not use the Champagne or the Charmat method, it uses a rather unusual grape, and it is from a region of Italy that isn’t particularly known for great wines. But, that wine is just so dry, and vibrant, and all those things give it such a distinct personality. I hope you enjoy it."

Gabe knows we love bubbles too! Part of our enjoyment of this wine will come from Gabe's kindness and thoughtfulness in sharing this with us and delivering a perfect wine for our June 1st toast.

Here's a link to more about how this wine is grown and created.

And, you can download a PDF fact sheet here: Download RBL – eng

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

This wine was a gift. Yes, we mark those as well with Sharpie metallic markers because you simply enjoy a bottle of wine more when someone gifted it to you!

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino

June 1, 2020
We Celebrate Oregon Terroir with the 2013 RMS Brut from Rollin Soles’ ROCO Winery

This month's wine, selected for its specific terroir, is the 2013 RMS Brut from Rollin Soles' ROCO Winery. We have a long-running resolution to toast each new month with a glass of sparkling wine. In recent years we've tried to set a theme for each year and 2020 is our year of terroir.

We're still sheltering in place so we were happy that our wine rack contained another great example of a winemaker who knows and uses the terroir of a specific place to create a great wine.

We've had the distinct pleasure of meeting Rollin Soles and years of pleasure drinking the wines he masterminds. (We borrowed this photo below from the ROCO Facebook page. We suggest you follow them to learn about their wine, their art gallery, and the many important causes they support)

When you go to the ROCO website and click on the vineyards tab, you'll find this at the top of the page:

"Every vineyard has its own microclimate, soil composition, slope, and relationship with the sun. When people speak of “terroir,” these unique attributes are what they’re talking about—the essence of a place captured in wine. At ROCO, we are keen on delivering the pleasure of place through the prism of vineyard-designated wines."

We first wrote about this wine last year. Click on the link below for more information and to read Rollin's winemakers notes.

Our November Sparkler Is 2013 RMS Brut from Rollin Soles' ROCO Winery

Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

We purchase our bottle at Bauer Wine and Spirits for $29.99. If you want to keep track of what you paid for a bottle of wine and where you purchased it, we suggest writing on the bottle with these Sharpie Metallic Fine Point Permanent Markers. It works for us!

Related Posts:

Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino

The photo of Rollin Souls is courtesy of ROCO Vineyards.

May 1, 2020