Saturday Night – I’m in the mood for bubbles – Part 1

I bought two South African sparkling wines a few months back when I picked up a number of French Champagnes.  The Champagnes are long gone and have been reviewed here on Zippy Sauce already but since then every time I went into the fridge, these two South African sparklers were staring at me.  I decided it was time for them to go.  So this past Saturday night, Mick and Amy were by for dinner and these two wines got opened to pair with the Sushi we ordered in.

 

I will review the 2009 Laborie Brut Sparkling wine first and then will review the 2007 Graham Beck Brut Blanc de Blanc Sparkling wine in part 2.

The nose was easy to find on Laborie with aromas of Macintosh apple, yeast and wet cardboard.  Tasting the wine, the dominate flavour was lime with lime zest with hints of apple and nut in the background.  The wine was very crisp and refreshing but one dimensional.  Everyone preferred this wine on its own as it got a touch sharp/funky when paired with the Sushi.  The other flaw was the more this wine warmed up, the less appealing it got.  On the other hand, for $15 a bottle it was going down very nicely before the food arrived.

Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 86, Mark - 86, Kathy – 85, Amy – 86, Overall – 85.75.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine -

LABORIE BRUT SPARKLING WINE 2009
VINTAGES 280115
750 mL bottle
Price $ 14.70
Made in: Western Cape, South Africa
By: KWV
Release Date: Jun 23, 2012
Wine, Sparkling Wine, White
13.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Varietal: Sparkling White
Sugar Content: 8 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: D - Dry

Description - This is made in the time-honoured traditional method of sparkling wine, which was perfected in Champagne and is called Cap Classique in South Africa.
Tasting Note - Notes of graham cracker, orchard fruit and mineral on the nose. Quite dry with a medium body and plenty of acidity to balance the ripe fruit. The aromas replay nicely on the palate. This is a well-balanced, refreshing style of sparkling wine with a tasty, balanced finish. (VINTAGES panel, April 2012)

Click here for Part 2