Saturday Adventures, part 2 - Champagne Tasting

So, after our lovely lunch at Citizen Cake (for which, as Sam pointed out, we walked a dozen blocks), we headed around the corner to Arlequin for our tasting of Bruno Paillard wines.

Marie Caroline Paillard was on hand to pour and discuss the wines, and was très charmant. She poured four different wines, and discussed everything from dégorgement to the varietals themselves.

Before I get to the wines themselves, I should issue a caveat that I really, really know nothing about Champagne. I know what I like (Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose NV, for example, and Veuve Clicquot Brut '95), but I have a hard time describing why or what I don't like.

First up, we sampled the Brut Première Cuvée (~$35). This seemed to me like a fairly typical NV champagne - yeasty, extremely effervescent, lots of acidity.

Second poured was Rosé Brut Première Cuvée (~$35), and I preferred this wine immensely. In fact, it was my favorite of the four. There was strawberry and the faintest hint of baking spice in this wine, which was a surprise to me.

Next we tried the Chardonnay Réserve Privée (~$45), and I also liked this wine. It's produced in the crémant style, meaning that less sugar is added to the secondary fermentation, resulting in lower finished bottle pressure. I really thought the honeysuckle came through on this wine, though it was still more "bubbly" than the other crémant-style wine I've had (can't remember what it was at the moment).

Finally, we finished with the Brut Vintage 1995 (~$50). The bubbles in this wine were soooo fine... it really did "tickle" the tongue. But I simply didn't get the complexity I've experienced from other vintage champagnes with this wine. Sam said that there is something about vintage bubblies which smells "old and musty", and I can definitely see that.

I learned some really interesting things about champagne production at this event, and I thought Marie Caroline was extremely well-spoken and engaging. She's clearly very passionate about wine-making and enjoys spreading her enthusiasm. Generally, though, I've realized that I prefer Blanc de Noirs champagnes, and those which are a 'creamier' style than 'crisp'.