Sunday, January 12, 2014

Saturday Night – New Year’s Eve lite – Part 1

I very much enjoyed our New Year’s Eve dinner with Mick and Amy so I was looking to do something similar but with much more reasonably priced wines. I wanted a Champagne to start and a Cabernet Sauvignon to go with the main course.
 

The first course was Caesar salad and I paired this with a Non-Vintage Gardet Brut Champagne.

The nose on the wine was mild but aromas of yeast with hints of floral and orange blossom can be found. Tasting the wine, it starts with big flavours of orange zest and ginger but quickly fades away. The Champagne was more creamy than crisp but it did have good acidity levels. I was a touch surprised as the Champagne got better as it warmed up a bit as the nose and taste became bigger and more pronounced. It was a decent pairing with Caesar salad. It wasn’t overly complex but was still a very enjoyable and very drinkable French Champagne.



Here is the group rating for the wine - Mick – 89, Mark – 89 Kathy – 85, Amy – 87, Overall – 87.5.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

GEORGES GARDET BRUT CUVÉE SAINT FLAVY CHAMPAGNE
VINTAGES 924654
750 mL bottle
Price $ 37.95
Made in: Champagne, France
By: Gardet & Cie Champagne
Release Date: Apr 13, 2013
Wine, Champagne
12.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Style: Rich & Complex
Varietal: Sparkling
Sugar Content: 11 g/L
Sweetness Descriptor: XD - Extra Dry

Tasting Note - While lacking in excitement, Georges Gardet has long been a source of consistent, immensely appreciable champagne. Light straw-lime in colour, the Cuvée Saint Flavy reveals beautiful scents of fresh yeasty biscuits, lemon citrus, white grapefruit, pears, and a hint of pistachios and spice. Complex, sporting marvellous frothy fruit, balanced acidity, and a lingering, well-rounded hint of yeasty biscuits and lemony overtones on the finish. Generous, crisp, and inviting. Now-2016. Score - 90. (Julian Hitner, winealign.com, Oct. 12, 2012)

At less than $40 a bottle this is one of least expensive French Champagne we’ve tried and at its price it is a very good deal.


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