Special Inauguration Special: Bubbles!
In honor of our new President, Barack Obama, I decided to pop a bottle of Champagne. (One day late- sorry Barack. I had to work last night!) I found the Duval Leroy Brut at my local wine shop and decided to try it. Although it's not a "grower" champagne (unfortunately none of these in stock), I decided the Duval Leroy was a better play than a PJ or Dom P, as it was not only cheaper, but unknown to me. I'll admit that the shelf talker (the little tag saying who rated the wine) also affected my purchase. The Duval Leroy Brut was #41 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2006.
This champagne is a pale gold. When I was pouring it into the glass, I could smell it already! A nice, aromatic champagne with a rather traditional nose: toast, green apples, but a hint of grapefruit and lemons. That carried onto the palate, starting off with buttery toast, citrus fruits at the midpalate, and bushels of Granny Smith apples with a touch of vanilla.This champagne is zesty, tart, and vibrant, with a bright acidity throughout. I enjoyed it a great deal. For the $30 I paid, it certainly brought some thunder.
Champagne has an ever growing worldwide demand, hence the prices are more than most Californian, Spanish, or Australian sparklers. In fact last spring, the Institut national de l'origine et de la qualité, the regulatory body of the French appellation system, decided to expand the Champagne region to 38 more communes. They feel that this expansion will help the exploding demand in China and Russia.
The Duval Leroy Brut reminds me of Sawyer from "Lost." (I guess I'm celebrating this post with some of my favorite things: French wine, Barack Obama, and "Lost.") Sawyer can be rough hewn and he keeps things interesting on the island by having some biting sarcastic humor. Also, no matter what new calamity is affecting the survivors of 815, Sawyer is continually a vibrant character, taking joy rides with Hurley in the van, shooting polar bears, or hunting a boar in the jungle. He's not one to take life sitting down. Whereas some people might be turned off by the amount of acidity in the Champagne (or the tartness in Sawyer's character), others are drawn to it. I, of course, am one of the latter.
Happy Inauguration and Lost premiere!
Okay, for comparing Champagne to Sawyer i give you props, but for making it actually make sense in terms of the character of the win and Sawyer...that...that is just impressive. Ok, now what "local wine shop" did you find this in? Cause now i wanna drink it!
ReplyDeleteIt's at Cardozas in Fall River right by the Shaws. Thanks for the props! And remember- you have to trust your own palate. Lemme know what you think of it after you've tried it.
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