While the first big snow of the new year may have you reaching for the shovel, a lot of Sunday Dogs can only think of one thing, PLAYTIME! So, in the true spirit of fun, we'd like to take your mind off of the druggery of winter with a reminder of just how much fun all that white stuff can be!
The most intriguing thing about crossing the threshold into a new year can be the uncertainty of what lies ahead. So to help improve our odds of success, we’ll be uncorking 2013 with a Grower Champagne, Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs.
Since we’ve discovered some astonishing examples of these artisanal wines during 2012, why stop now? We’ll ring-in the new year with this bottle from Cédric Bouchard, a producer who’s gained an almost rock star status in the wine world.
He’s known for “single-vineyard, single vintage and single-grape bottlings.” (Imperatrice Fine Wines) Bouchard founded his own champagne house, Roses de Jeanne, in 2000 looking “to produce the unique and recognizable champagne wines different from all [of] others.”
The drinking window for maximum enjoyment is open through 2018, but after reading these comments, we just couldn’t wait. We’ll uncork this bottle on the eve of 2013, see if it lives up to the hype, and report back in this post – watch our tweets for an update notice.
“scent of sugary caramel … loved the back-of-the-throat grab”
“good, long finish (can still taste that sip long afterwards)”
“appley, citrus character on first taste”
“yin-yang on my tongue (sweet in front, tart in back)
“All the terroir is here. This is what 2010 tasted like at this vineyard.”
“No one messed with this wine, they just delivered the best of the vineyard’s flavor to our glasses, with a dash of sparkle!”
Not surprisingly, this special Champagne benefits from not being over-chilled. We enjoyed it more as it warmed and opened over a couple of hours. It was the perfect complement to our New Year’s Eve plates of salumi, cheeses, and breads – even holding its own with our favorite Boston Cream Pie from Flour Bakery.
We were impressed and can’t wait to discover more gems from the vineyards of Cédric Bouchard – the search is on!
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.
The most intriguing thing about crossing the threshold into a new year can be the uncertainty of what lies ahead. So to help improve our odds of success, we’ll be uncorking 2013 with a Grower Champagne, Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs.
Since we’ve discovered some astonishing examples of these artisanal wines during 2012, why stop now? We’ll ring-in the new year with this bottle from Cédric Bouchard, a producer who’s gained an almost rock star status in the wine world.
He’s known for “single-vineyard, single vintage and single-grape bottlings.” (Imperatrice Fine Wines) Bouchard founded his own champagne house, Roses de Jeanne, in 2000 looking “to produce the unique and recognizable champagne wines different from all [of] others.”
The drinking window for maximum enjoyment is open through 2018, but after reading these comments, we just couldn’t wait. We’ll uncork this bottle on the eve of 2013, see if it lives up to the hype, and report back in this post – watch our tweets for an update notice.
“scent of sugary caramel … loved the back-of-the-throat grab”
“good, long finish (can still taste that sip long afterwards)”
“appley, citrus character on first taste”
“yin-yang on my tongue (sweet in front, tart in back)
“All the terroir is here. This is what 2010 tasted like at this vineyard.”
“No one messed with this wine, they just delivered the best of the vineyard’s flavor to our glasses, with a dash of sparkle!”
Not surprisingly, this special Champagne benefits from not being over-chilled. We enjoyed it more as it warmed and opened over a couple of hours. It was the perfect complement to our New Year’s Eve plates of salumi, cheeses, and breads – even holding its own with our favorite Boston Cream Pie from Flour Bakery.
We were impressed and can’t wait to discover more gems from the vineyards of Cédric Bouchard – the search is on!
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.
The most intriguing thing about crossing the threshold into a new year can be the uncertainty of what lies ahead. So to help improve our odds of success, we’ll be uncorking 2013 with a Grower Champagne, Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs.
Since we’ve discovered some astonishing examples of these artisanal wines during 2012, why stop now? We’ll ring-in the new year with this bottle from Cédric Bouchard, a producer who’s gained an almost rock star status in the wine world.
He’s known for “single-vineyard, single vintage and single-grape bottlings.” (Imperatrice Fine Wines) Bouchard founded his own champagne house, Roses de Jeanne, in 2000 looking “to produce the unique and recognizable champagne wines different from all [of] others.”
The drinking window for maximum enjoyment is open through 2018, but after reading these comments, we just couldn’t wait. We’ll uncork this bottle on the eve of 2013, see if it lives up to the hype, and report back in this post – watch our tweets for an update notice.
“scent of sugary caramel … loved the back-of-the-throat grab”
“good, long finish (can still taste that sip long afterwards)”
“appley, citrus character on first taste”
“yin-yang on my tongue (sweet in front, tart in back)
“All the terroir is here. This is what 2010 tasted like at this vineyard.”
“No one messed with this wine, they just delivered the best of the vineyard’s flavor to our glasses, with a dash of sparkle!”
Not surprisingly, this special Champagne benefits from not being over-chilled. We enjoyed it more as it warmed and opened over a couple of hours. It was the perfect complement to our New Year’s Eve plates of salumi, cheeses, and breads – even holding its own with our favorite Boston Cream Pie from Flour Bakery.
We were impressed and can’t wait to discover more gems from the vineyards of Cédric Bouchard – the search is on!
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.
Here’s our yearly list of places to buy or rent costumes for most any occasion. We find the costume season gears up at Halloween and continues for New Years, Saint Patrick's Day and Mardi Gras.
Whether you only think of altering your appearance on Halloween or also like to dress up for holidays, special events, parties, or other reasons …
Check out these Costume Haunts:
Please let us know if we've missed one of your favorite sources of costumes and accessories. And, tell us about your all-time favorite Halloween Costume in the comments below.
The Garment District in Cambridge is probably the best known spot to outfit yourself for any costume party.
They sell and rent costumes and have lots of vintage & secondhand clothing if you want to create your own.
They also sell items to finish the look, like:
washout hair color in tones of atomic turquoise and cotton candy pink
prosthetics like scars, bullet holes, horns, pointed ear tips, and witch noses with the materials to attach them
masks from simple gold, or black eye masks, to elaborate Venetian designs, or feathery carnival styles
heads to transform you into a bear, lion, or gorilla
an endless selection of wigs includes: mullets, afros, clown colors, pigtails, geishas, ragdolls, cornrows, dreadlocks, flappers, and glam styles
accessories include: hats, boas, go-go boots, and wings
Their "Boston Costume"division rents the full rigs for the likes of Batman, Green Hornet, and Marie Antoinette. Or, you can be a minute man, cowgirl, knight, or belly dancer.
Soon you'll find people were lined up, like this, waiting to enter Dorothy's Boutique on Mass Ave. near Symphony Hall. They call themselves "Boston's Halloween Headquarters" and display masks, scary arm stumps, strange shoes, and accessories in the window. The website makes it clear that these are costumes for adults. Risque is their specialty.
Army Barracks Across the street from Dorothy's is the Army Barracks store. With a little imagination, you can use their surplus gear to create a costume for that upcoming party.
And, remember to visit the Halloween Shop at Blackstone's of Beacon Hill. They have a fabulous selection of fun and tasteful decorations, masks, and accessories for the holiday.
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 comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.
Here’s our yearly list of places to buy or rent costumes for most any occasion. We find the costume season gears up at Halloween and continues for New Years, Saint Patrick's Day and Mardi Gras.
Whether you only think of altering your appearance on Halloween or also like to dress up for holidays, special events, parties, or other reasons …
Check out these Costume Haunts:
Please let us know if we've missed one of your favorite sources of costumes and accessories. And, tell us about your all-time favorite Halloween Costume in the comments below.
The Garment District in Cambridge is probably the best known spot to outfit yourself for any costume party.
They sell and rent costumes and have lots of vintage & secondhand clothing if you want to create your own.
They also sell items to finish the look, like:
washout hair color in tones of atomic turquoise and cotton candy pink
prosthetics like scars, bullet holes, horns, pointed ear tips, and witch noses with the materials to attach them
masks from simple gold, or black eye masks, to elaborate Venetian designs, or feathery carnival styles
heads to transform you into a bear, lion, or gorilla
an endless selection of wigs includes: mullets, afros, clown colors, pigtails, geishas, ragdolls, cornrows, dreadlocks, flappers, and glam styles
accessories include: hats, boas, go-go boots, and wings
Their "Boston Costume"division rents the full rigs for the likes of Batman, Green Hornet, and Marie Antoinette. Or, you can be a minute man, cowgirl, knight, or belly dancer.
Soon you'll find people were lined up, like this, waiting to enter Dorothy's Boutique on Mass Ave. near Symphony Hall. They call themselves "Boston's Halloween Headquarters" and display masks, scary arm stumps, strange shoes, and accessories in the window. The website makes it clear that these are costumes for adults. Risque is their specialty.
Army Barracks Across the street from Dorothy's is the Army Barracks store. With a little imagination, you can use their surplus gear to create a costume for that upcoming party.
And, remember to visit the Halloween Shop at Blackstone's of Beacon Hill. They have a fabulous selection of fun and tasteful decorations, masks, and accessories for the holiday.
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 comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.
Here’s our yearly list of places to buy or rent costumes for most any occasion. We find the costume season gears up at Halloween and continues for New Years, Saint Patrick's Day and Mardi Gras.
Whether you only think of altering your appearance on Halloween or also like to dress up for holidays, special events, parties, or other reasons …
Check out these Costume Haunts:
Please let us know if we've missed one of your favorite sources of costumes and accessories. And, tell us about your all-time favorite Halloween Costume in the comments below.
The Garment District in Cambridge is probably the best known spot to outfit yourself for any costume party.
They sell and rent costumes and have lots of vintage & secondhand clothing if you want to create your own.
They also sell items to finish the look, like:
washout hair color in tones of atomic turquoise and cotton candy pink
prosthetics like scars, bullet holes, horns, pointed ear tips, and witch noses with the materials to attach them
masks from simple gold, or black eye masks, to elaborate Venetian designs, or feathery carnival styles
heads to transform you into a bear, lion, or gorilla
an endless selection of wigs includes: mullets, afros, clown colors, pigtails, geishas, ragdolls, cornrows, dreadlocks, flappers, and glam styles
accessories include: hats, boas, go-go boots, and wings
Their "Boston Costume"division rents the full rigs for the likes of Batman, Green Hornet, and Marie Antoinette. Or, you can be a minute man, cowgirl, knight, or belly dancer.
Soon you'll find people were lined up, like this, waiting to enter Dorothy's Boutique on Mass Ave. near Symphony Hall. They call themselves "Boston's Halloween Headquarters" and display masks, scary arm stumps, strange shoes, and accessories in the window. The website makes it clear that these are costumes for adults. Risque is their specialty.
Army Barracks Across the street from Dorothy's is the Army Barracks store. With a little imagination, you can use their surplus gear to create a costume for that upcoming party.
And, remember to visit the Halloween Shop at Blackstone's of Beacon Hill. They have a fabulous selection of fun and tasteful decorations, masks, and accessories for the holiday.
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 comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.
Opening the bottle and carefully splashing our glasses half full, it was the aroma that commanded our attention. I thought, toasty. Penny said it reminded her of almonds.
The first sip had us using words like: mellow, lush, citrus notes, smooth with a dry finish, and just enough fruit for balance.
While outstanding on its own, this champagne was equally impressive with food. Trying a perfectly ripe piece of Truffle Tremor from Cypress Grove Chevre and long-time favorite Ascutney Mountain we found each enhanced the taste of the other. Bites were improved by sips, sips were improved by bites!
Truffled pâté with Penny’s own spicy cranberry chutney, plus a Dijon and sweeter bourbon molasses mustard did not intimidate our Pol Roger. It all worked!
As with all high-end champagnes we’ve tried, this one drinks well as it warms– actually revealing more of its character. You’re quite a complex guy, Pol Roger. What a memorable way to begin 2012.
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 comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.
We’ll be spending New Year’s Eve with Pol Roger (Champagne)– perhaps saluting the memory of the man who sold his first bottle of wine 163 years ago!
As we head toward the beginning of a new month and more importantly a new year, we always look forward to selecting an interesting bottle of bubbly. However, this time a special sparkler appeared on our door step (a gift from a friend and wine merchant) and immediately bumped everything else in line.
Besides, our benefactor knows our taste is for a pinot-forward sparkler, in this case 60% Pinot Noir – 40% Chardonnay. As this champagne house puts it, the pinot supplies “body…strength” and the chardonnay the “finesse…lightness.” (Something to keep in mind when selecting a champagne to fit your taste.)
As descriptions go, we can expect the aromas of: “ripe, expressive fruit…dried apricots and poached pears and honey…” (who writes this stuff?) “…a champagne of harmony, elegance and generosity.” The wine is said to pair well with, “Rich, full-flavored dishes…Distinctive dry cheeses…”
All this just increases my curiosity and raises my expectations. But, can this storied champagne really live up to the hype? We’ll soon find out and promise to report back in early 2012– look for an “update” to this post.
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 that are part of the places and services we cover. Often, those comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.
