Bubbles...

Tasted a few treats yesterday... the 1998 Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon Brut was much as I remember it from Miami a month or two ago. Yeasty, with apricot and asian spice. Very refined on the nose (actually extremely refined on the nose - very, very clean). On the palate, the start is good, with classic young Dom toastiness (it really comes along at about 10 years of age - awesome stuff). The finish, however, falls a little flat. Good, and certainly a Cuvee de Prestige, but not among the best. The 1995 Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon Brut Rose, however, is a different story. Not as developed as the 1990 en Magnum (though I shouldn't expect it to be, either), this is an awesome rose. Very floral on the nose with hints of strawberry and hibiscus, along with beautiful biscotti and brioche. Very clean... On the palate, this wine shines. Very full bodied, but tons of finesse and elegance. The fruit profile shines, with those bread notes coming through on the round, mouth-filling finish. This is a wine that could make you see stars... this is Dom Perignon Rose. Simply one of the best Rose Champagnes I've ever had (behind the 1990 Dom Rose, the 1981 Dom Rose, and of course, my favorite of all time, the 1985 Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque Brut Rose.) Some other wines tasted yesterday include the 2004 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot d'Alsace (70% Pinot Auxerrois, 30% Pinot Blanc), a very nice dry Pinot from my favorite Alsace producer... not mind-blowing, but shows what he is capable of. Red wine of the day, however, was the unassuming 2001 Leon Barral "Jadis", Faugeres, Languedoc, France. Faugeres is a little-known, little used, AOC just north of Beziers in the Langeudoc region of France. It sits perhaps 40-50 miles inland from the Mediterranean, with the soil consisting mostly of schist. This area can get very warm, and hence, thicker skinned, warm-climate grape varietals are a must (Syrah, Carignan, Cinsault, Mourvedre, Grenache). This wine is 50% Syrah, with the rest Cinsault and Grenache (I believe... let me double check). So earthy on the nose, but once you get through that, it's incredibly lush and ripe. This wine screams for grilled steak or lamb with its back bone of graphite, leather, cocoa and cinnamon. For the money, this wine is amazing... Kermit Lynch Imports it... go find some!!!