Saturday Night – Insane in the Champagne – Part 1

It was my birthday this weekend, so the four of us decided to do something special for our usual Saturday night dinner.  Mick and Amy were hosting for the night and we were going to try 4 high-end Champagnes with a selection of different appetizers.

Just as the evening was about to kick off there was a knock at the door and I was very pleased to see Sheian.  She was dropping by to wish me a Happy Birthday but couldn’t stay as she had other commitments for the night.

The Champagne line-up for the night was a 2002 Dom Pérignon, a Krug NV Grand Cuvee, a 1997 Salon and a 2004 Cristal. 

The menu for the evening was as follows –

Pan-seared Shrimp and Chorizo sausages on skewers
Smoked Salmon on Kettle Chips with a cream cheese, horseradish and lemon dip
Baked Brie with Bruschetta topping served with sliced toasted baguette
Singapore chili prawns
Crabbed topped Scallops
Cheese Tray for dessert

We had the Dom Pérignon and the Krug with Pan-seared Shrimp and Chorizo sausages on skewers and with the Smoked Salmon on Kettle Chips with a cream cheese, horseradish and lemon dip.  Both Champagnes were very different from each other but both were very good in their own ways.  I will review the Dom Pérignon first and then cover the Krug in Part 2.

The nose on the Dom was very mild as you had to swirl the glass to coax the aromas from it but it was a pleasant nose with yeast, nutmeg, almond, Brazil nuts and white mushroom aromas.  The main flavours to the Dom were lemon and vanilla with some nuttiness developing as it warmed up.  The Dom was refreshingly crisp without being harshly dry on the finish and was beautifully balanced.  It worked very well as a contrasting pairing to the pan-seared Shrimp and Chorizo sausages but got a bit funky with the smoked salmon.  It was also better on its own without food than the Krug was; all in all a very solid Champagne.

Here is the group rating for the wine –Mick – 91, Mark – 90, Kathy – 89, Amy – 89, Overall – 89.75.

Here is the LCBO Information on the wine -

DOM PÉRIGNON BRUT CHAMPAGNE 2002

VINTAGES 186676
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 229.95
Made in: Champagne, France
By: Mhcs
Release Date: Oct 29, 2011
Wine, Sparkling Wine, Other Sparkling Wine
12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Blend - Other
All other wines that match this varietal »
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Description  - Opulence in a glass. This legendary Champagne makes a stunning gift that will have jaws dropping and taste buds tingling. 96 points (Antonio Galloni, ?erobertparker.com, Dec. 2010)

Click here for Part 2