Michael Broadbent's Life is an Opera -- No Really!

As big fans of wine critic and auctioneer Michael Broadbent ― and always entertained by his musings ― we were fascinated to hear that his life has become an opera. “The Lovely Ladies” is based on the premise that Broadbent is rumored to be leaving the world of wine and some of the great wines of the world, including his favorite, Bordeaux, as well as Champagne, endeavor to persuade him to stay.

The 45 minute comic opera came about when the head of Christie’s in Scotland, Sebastian Thewes, came up with the idea and actually pursued it through to production. Proceeds from the sold-out $270 seats went to a cancer charity. Broadbent attended the event ; he reportedly was looking looking dapper and was quite pleased and amused himself.

When an interviewer from Bloomberg asked Broadbent why there is such a strong connection between opera and wine, he answered, “Opera is civilized, and Champagne is civilized. I’m all in favor of civilized drinks. As opposed to those great globs of red wine girls drink in wine bars.” Ahh, he is always good for a wine-related laugh! For more of his introspective, sometimes droll reflections on wine, check out our one-time feature, “Broadbentisms."

Yes, California Does Sparkle

Lest you think that California has nothing to offer in terms of sparkling wine, you should know that the French think differently. If the terrain in Cali was not up to par to produce beautiful bubbly then highly regarded French brands such as Taittinger certainly wouldn’t associate themselves with sparklers from the Golden State.

Although Vino Girl must admit that it’s tough to measure up to “real deal” Champagne, it’s always nice to try something different every once in awhile. Domaine Carneros, owned by Taittinger, makes sparkling wines including Le Reve Blanc de Blancs, Brut Cuvee and Brut Rose that are much more than acceptable.

The Domaine Carneros vineyards are, as you might have garnered from the name, located in the Carneros appellation, a cool climate region overlapping with both Napa and Sonoma Valley. The wines are made using the same method as in Champagne and can be found for about $25 for the Brut Cuvee, $30 for the Rose and $60 for the Le Reve.

Here are some other California sparklers that are owned by or associated with French Champagne companies:

Domaine Chandon - Moët & Chandon

Mumm Cuvée Napa - G. H. Mumm Champagne

Scharffenberger Cellars turned Pacific Echo now Scharffenberger again - Veuve Clicquot

Roederer Estate - Champagne Louis Roederer

Piper Sonoma – Piper Heidsieck Champagne

Cheers!

Not Quite Sparkling Wine

A short, funny anecdote for all you Drink The Good Stuff readers. Vino Girl was in Bermuda this past weekend (before you act all jealous it was windy and rainy and never reached 70 degrees, ok?!) and spent some time at the Veranda Bar at Elbow Beach. The resort was beautiful even through the clouds but I am not sure how savvy the bartenders are beyond the fancy rum drinks Bermuda is known for. Order a Dark & Stormy -- no problem. Feel like a Rum Swizzle -- right away! But get a sudden hankering for a glass of vino and you might run in to some trouble.

The Chardonnay they had as the "white by the glass" was pretty horrible so one evening before dinner I asked if they had any sparkling wine. The bartender looked at me with a perplexed expression before he explained to me that, no, they did not have any sparkling wine. They did, however, have Champagne which, although not sparkling, was similar. It took everything in my power to steady myself on my barstool and stifle the big laugh that was ready to burst out of my mouth. I composed myself and answered that a glass of Champagne would be just fine.

Now I am not a big enough wine snob to think that everyone should know that Champagne is sparkling wine but sparkling wine is not necessarily Champagne and all the nuances in between but, come on, a bartender?!? Anyway, although it was not quite sparkling, the Perrier Jouet was quite nice. ;) Cheers!

Back from Outer Space

First I was afraid- I was petrified
Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side
But I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong
I grew strong- I learned how to carry on
and so you're back
from outer space
I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face
I should have changed my stupid lock
I should have made you leave your key
If I had known for just one second you'd be back to bother me
-Gloria Gaynor, I Will Survive

Yes it has been quite a while, what with the Thanksgiving holiday and all. I suspect some of you may feel like Gloria Gaynor right now, but the good news is we have worked through the last of the tryptophan and are ready go. We've got lots of fun stuff in works. Tanned, rested, and ready as Nixon would say.

I thought I'd start us off with a bevy of wine notes taken during a killer Pichon-Lalande vertical dinner held here in New York. Sadly, the Pichon notes are destined to dock at another port, but hopefully some of the pre-dinner wines will satisfy your appetites until a certain site is ready to go.

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving here in the U.S. or a great Thursday through Sunday for the rest.

1999 Moet & Chandon Brut Champagne
A nice if generic bottle of bubbly. Standard Champagne flavors and aromas, if somewhat one dimensional, but very little froth and buzz in the mouth. Almost a bit flat, it should have been better- especially for such a good vintage overall. Pass on this one as there are a number of other Champagnes at this price point that would fit the bill better. (TS)

Intensity: B+
Complexity: C
Balance & Structure: C
Current Grade: C
Peak Grade: C


1985 Dom Perignon Champagne
1985 was an excellent vintage in Champagne and I was looking forward to seeing how this wine fared. Sadly, my wine was accidentally pulled before I had time to finish it. Fortunately, I had milked my glass for most of the evening enjoying its rich almost chewy complexity. An aromatically intense Champagne, it had a nice froth and mouthfeel. Lemon curd, honeyed lemon and earth mingled with other flavors that became more evolved as the wine opened. This is an eminently “round” wine through out- full in every aspect with a long finish and no holes. Enjoy! (TS)

Intensity: A
Complexity: A
Balance & Structure: A+
Current Grade: A+
Peak Grade: A+

1997 Domaine Weinbach Gewurztraminer, Cuvée Théo, Clos des Capucins (Alsace)
A solid Gewurz that got caught up against a Sauternes that showed much better with the foie gras. The wine was very fragrant and aromatic, a hallmark of the Gewurztraminer grape- especially from such an ideal vintage. It was unfortunately a tad flat on the palate. Good mouth coverage and length made up for it a little, but perhaps we were tasting it just a bit too late in its life cycle. (TS)

Intensity: A
Complexity: B
Balance & Structure: B
Current Grade: B
Peak Grade: PP (Past Peak)

1970 Chateau Sigalas-Rabaud (Sauternes sweet wine)
Make no mistake- this is foie gras wine. Unbelievably rich and nutty it matched perfectly with the foie gras and all its accompaniments. Aromatically tight in the beginning it needs some time to open, so make sure you pop it early and don’t serve it too chilled. The 1970 harvest was ripe yet its grapes were lacking in acidity and unfortunately this wine holds true to the vintage. There is no real acid to match against the richness making the whole wine feel a bit dead in your mouth. An interesting flavor profile and full wine nonetheless. I would open this now and not wait any longer. (TS)

Intensity: A
Complexity: A
Balance & Structure: C
Current Grade: B+
Peak Grade: PP

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Ed. Note:

A Quick Explanation on Wine Notes and Grades.

We realize that descriptors can be useful and we do use them but as a part of our wine writing philosophy, we try our best to de-emphasize the crazy wine speak that goes on in the industry. (Alder over at Vinography has an interesting piece I just commented on) Instead, we try to give the reader an idea of a wine’s style in relation to its vintage, region, varietal make-up, and producer.

Our grading system is a modified version of standard school grades (A+, A, B+, B and C – do you really care that a wine is a C+? we didn’t think so either).

We believe that a wine can be objectively defined by its intensity and complexity, as well as the most import component- its balance and structure. As such, we have separately scored these attributes in a “report card” along with our Current Grade (or how good the wine was when we tasted it) and our Peak Grade (or how good we believe the wine will be at its best). Trust us, it sounds more complicated than it is.

FYI, it's a work in progress so bear with us and since these are not red Bordeaux varietals, I may have given them short shrift compared to our non-blog notes, so beware. We hope you find the notes at least entertaining if not useful. Cheers!

Broadbentism: 1990 Bollinger Grand Annee

"...In March 1999, I gave it my highest mark of the 25 top Champagnes at the Smag & Behag blind tasting in Copenhagen." ***** "A well-nigh perfect wine with another ten years to go." - MB

(Incidentally and in case you are wondering, I have solicited the help of a Danish friend to explain the Smag & Behag reference. I rather like the concept: Smag is Taste, Behag is Comfort. When used together it's about finding what's right for you/to your taste. Often when looking at both actual taste, your mood, and what you want to spend. Splendid and spot on, as MB might say!)

Bond & Bollinger

In addition to vodka Martinis, we hear that James Bond will again be drinking Bollinger Champagne in Casino Royale, due out November 17th. While Daniel Craig becomes only the second Englishman to portray Bond, Bollinger debuts in its 10th Bond film. The first time Bollinger appeared was in Moonraker in 1979.

Bollinger is undoubtedly one of our favorites - even better than stinger missles for unwinding after a rough day at the office!

So, 007, here's to your sparkling personality -- and your choice of Champagne.