Venus, the Roman goddess of love, has often been painted in pink, and pink has somehow become interwoven with our cultural associations of romance. As Valentine’s Day approaches, we’re here to celebrate the pink—in bubbly form, of course.
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When I think of being thankful this time of year, one of the first things that pops into my mind is my gratitude to the farmers who feed us and grow the grapes for the wines that make our lives so much better. The first person who comes to mind is Paul-Vincent Ariston, the boss at Champagne Aspasie in the tiny village of Brouillet. He is one of the hardest working men I know, and one of the most patient. At home this year we will be starting off our Thanksgiving festivities with his excellent Ariston Aspasie "Réserve" Brut Champagne $34.99.
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Earlier this week, the K&L Champagne team kicked off our annual staff summit with a dinner hosted by Billecart-Salmon. It has become a welcome tradition to start off our yearly survey of all the grande marque producers with a sushi dinner at my place featuring the wines of this great house. Christian Esser, who just returned from a visit to Billecart, and Eric Lecours presented the wines and treated Scott Beckerley, Michael Benoit, Philip Roufail, Will Langhi, Cinnamon and me to a great spread from Kanpai sushi in Palo Alto.
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Nothing beats a tasting at the dining room table of a great grower, especially when that grower is Jean-Baptiste Jacquesson and the dining room looks out onto the vineyards of Troissy in the Marne Valley.
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It is only rarely in my career that I have encountered a Champagne as entrancing as the just-released 2010 Billecart-Salmon Rosé.
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One of my favorite Champagne occasions of the year is la fête de mères, Mother’s Day. Who else in the world is more deserving of being celebrated than mom? Nothing matches this day of flowers better than rosé Champagne, and no rosé Champagne is as iconic as the Laurent-Perrier. I think it is the perfect wine for a perfect day.
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Last week, my wife, Cinnamon, found ramps, a rare onion that has a very short season and usually must be foraged at our local market, Sigona’s. As I wrote about earlier this year, Krug features an ingredient every year to pair with their Champagne, and this year it is Krug x Onions. Clearly, this was a Krug occasion, and I didn’t hesitate—we had to try these rare onions with some Krug Rosé.
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The 2014 vintage in Champagne is one that all Champagne lovers should take note of. For me, it is only the second time since 1988 (the other harvest being 2004) that the region has produced wines of such streamlined and relaxed elegance…
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Want to make your Valentine’s Day extra special? Then pop a bottle of Rosé Champagne! Our resident Champagne maven, Gary Westby, has some excellent picks and tells the story why Rosé Champagne is special.
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