Inland Northwest Wine Century Club » Champagne http://thewinecenturyclub.com Exploration of the world through its wines. Sat, 13 Feb 2010 19:34:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 en hourly 1 Are Wines Romantic? http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2010/02/13/are-wines-romantic/ http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2010/02/13/are-wines-romantic/#comments Sat, 13 Feb 2010 19:34:40 +0000 admin http://thewinecenturyclub.com/?p=1010 What wines do you consider to be romantic? This question was posed to me recently, and while I think it just might have something to do with a certain holiday coming up, I have to admit I’ve never really thought of individual wines as being romantic. There are obviously some parallels to my recent post on whether or not wines are feminine or masculine – Does Wine Have a Gender? I do think that some wines can be considered feminine and others masculine, but I’m unsure if wines themselves are romantic.

For example we often enjoy Champagnes and sparkling wines during romantic settings. And, I’m sure most of us have shared a bottle of wine with someone during a romantic, candlelit dinner. These are romantic settings and when we fondly look back on these memories our thoughts of the wines are just that romantic. But are the wines themselves romantic or are we simply imprinting the emotions of the setting to the wines?

Do the aromas, flavors and textures of wines make them romantic? Perhaps there are certain biochemical reactions that occur in our brains when we taste specific combinations of flavors found in wines that create a romantic mind set? Or is it a combination of food and some wines that create this sense or aurae of romance?

Or maybe I’m just being too damn analytical. I think sometimes its better to let the moment carry you away. Don’t try to analyze it or over think it, just let the moment happen! We tend not to do that these days. So on this Valentines day make sure you spend time with that special someone you care about and let the setting, the meal and of course the wine carry the two of you away to the land of romance.

Happy Valentines Day. Cheers!

]]> http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2010/02/13/are-wines-romantic/feed/ 0 New Years Sparkling Tasting http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2010/01/12/new-years-sparkling-tasting/ http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2010/01/12/new-years-sparkling-tasting/#comments Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:15:30 +0000 admin http://thewinecenturyclub.com/?p=786 We were fortuante enough to sample ten, yes I said ten, bottles of Champagnes, Champagne style wines and desert sparkling wines to bring in 2010.  This is something I have been looking forward to for some time and I was not disappointed.

The tasting list consisted of three sparkling wines from the Champagne region of France, three domestic wines produced in the Champagne style, a pair of sparkling roses and if that weren’t enough, we concluded with two sparkling desert wines.  Holy crap that was a lot of bubbles!  Boy was it fun though.

Champagnes
Egly-Ouriet NV Brut, Grand Cru 
Bollinger’s NV Brut Special Cuvee
Pierre Peters 2002 Brut Millesime

Champagne Style Wines
Domaine Meriwether Wines 1999 Captain Clark Vintage Cuvee’
Domaine Meriwether Wines 1998 Thomas Jefferson Prestige Cuvee
Tru Cellars 2007 Blanc de Blanc

Sparkling Rose´s
Argyle 2007 Brut Rose
Domain de Nizas Rose 2008

Sparkling Desert Wines
Cascina Castlet 2008 Moscato d’Asti
Tualatin Estate 2008 Semi-Sparkling Muscat Frizzante´

SCORE 14.75:94

Category Score
Eye 1
Nose 3.75
Taste 5
Mouth-Feel 5

Value  94 Based upon an average purchase price of $69/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Golden hues.  Plenty of lemon on the nose and palate, with hints of toasted nuts and butter.  Fresh and lively tasting.

SCORE 14:90

Category Score
Eye 1
Nose 3.5
Taste 4.5
Mouth-Feel 5

Value  90 Based upon an average purchase price of $69/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Light yellow. Apple and honey flavors with plenty of vanilla and toffee flavors on the finish.  Well balanced.

SCORE 15.5:95

Category Score
Eye 1
Nose 4
Taste 5.5
Mouth-Feel 5

Value  95 Based upon an average purchase price of $45/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Nice, straw yellow color. Floral nose.  Full bodied sparkler with peach and citrus flavors.

1999CaptainClark.htm.gif

SCORE 16.75:150

Category Score
Eye 0.75
Nose 4
Taste 6
Mouth-Feel 6

Value  150 Based upon an average purchase price of $25/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Light yellow color. Spicy nose.  Well balanced, with tropical fruit flavors.  Nice long, clean finish.

1998ThosJeffersonPrestigeCuvee.htm.gif

SCORE 17.25:127

Category Score
Eye 1
Nose 4.25
Taste 6
Mouth-Feel 6

Value  127 Based upon an average purchase price of $30/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Pinkish-yellow color. Abundant foam.  Toffee and vanilla aromas.  Very well balanced.  The Pinot Noir fruit comes through on this wine.  Elegant finish.

SCORE 15.25:90

Category Score
Eye 1
Nose 4
Taste 5.25
Mouth-Feel 5

Value  90 Based upon an average purchase price of $36/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Light yellow. Lots of apple on the nose and palate.  Medium body.  Acidic, clean finish.

SCORE 16:100

Category Score
Eye 1.25
Nose 3.5
Taste 5
Mouth-Feel 6.25

Value  100 Based upon an average purchase price of $45/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Pale pink. Mixed berry aromas.  Berry and tropical fruit flavors are well balanced with acidity and tannins.  Creamy, cherry finish.

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SCORE 16.5:130

Category Score
Eye 1.5
Nose 4
Taste 4.75
Mouth-Feel 6.25

Value  130 Based upon an average purchase price of $15/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Soft rose color.  Floral aromas.  Berry, spice and cherry flavors.  Lush finish Well balanced.

SCORE 14.75:100

Category Score
Eye 1
Nose 3
Taste 4.75
Mouth-Feel 6

Value  100 Based upon an average purchase price of $15/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Light straw-yellow in color.  Floral aromas.  Floral and stone fruit flavors.  Slightly sweet, while still having a clean finish.

SCORE 16.5:120

Category Score
Eye 1.5
Nose 3.5
Taste 5.5
Mouth-Feel 6

Value  120 Based upon an average purchase price of $15/bottle.

Tasting Notes: Clone of an Italian Moscato d’Asti. Light yellow. Berry and citrus aromas, follow with more berry and floral flavors.  Medium body with a velvety, sweet finish.

]]> http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2010/01/12/new-years-sparkling-tasting/feed/ 3 Wine Quote to Start 2010 http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2010/01/04/wine-quote-to-start-2010/ http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2010/01/04/wine-quote-to-start-2010/#comments Mon, 04 Jan 2010 08:01:09 +0000 admin http://thewinecenturyclub.com/?p=790 I drink champagne when I win, to celebrate . . . and I drink champagne when I lose, to console myself.

Napoleon Bonaparte

]]> http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2010/01/04/wine-quote-to-start-2010/feed/ 0 Wine Quote of the Day http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2009/09/15/wine-quote-of-the-day-6/ http://thewinecenturyclub.com/2009/09/15/wine-quote-of-the-day-6/#comments Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:01:17 +0000 admin http://thewinecenturyclub.com/?p=461 “In victory, you deserve Champagne. In defeat, you need it.”

Generally attributed to Napolean.

Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1800)

Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1800)

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