Coming up with ideas for my blog post each week is sometimes quite hard. I think to myself, "What do people really want to know?" or "What have I done or seen this week that I think is really cool." Most weeks I taste some really cool wines but we have about a 3-week turn around time for most items so why taunt you with a wine that you can't taste for week? I'm rambling, so what is my point? Well, this week I was thinking, I've had a birthday, ate a great meal at Quince (you should all go), tried some really great wine and had a workout this morning that almost blew my arms out. So what to tell yall?

My thought of the week..."Champagne EVERYday." This is a quote that my mother said once to my brother and I when we were all on vacation. I don't remember where but I think I was about 10 or 11 years old. I found it funny then but it is something I try to live by now. I firmly believe that if we all had a glass of Champagne or at least a nice glass of sparkling wine (THEY ARE DIFFERENT!) the world would be a better place. Every dinner party I go to someone always asks, "What is your favorite wine?" That is a really tough question to answer because for me, wine has a place, a time and both can be very different. Yet, I always answer the question and say that the wine I could not live without is real Champagne.

For the record, just because a wine has bubbles does not make it Champagne. This is not snobbery or a wine geek spouting off information, this is history, honor, geography, and passion. Champagne is a relatively small region about 90 miles northeast of Paris. It is one of the most northerly growing regions for grapes in the world and it is quite beautiful. Champagne sits on an ancient bed of chalk that is related to the White Cliffs of Dover. This combination of cool climate and chalk provides the perfect combination for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier to be transformed into the most elegant and wonderful beverages on our planet.

In February I'll regale you with "Champagne 101", but you don't need the class to appreciate a great bottle of wine. With all of that said, I hope I can persuade anyone who reads this to rush out and buy a bottle of the Laurent-Perrier Brut Millesime 1997 Vintage Champagne. This is an AMAZING wine! Vintage Champagne is very special and generally really expensive but this wine is such an amazing value that it must be shouted from the rooftops. What makes this wine so amazing is its finesse, balance, and texture. It is a blend of 45% Chardonnay and 55% Pinot Noir and the grapes are from some of the best 1er and Grand Cru vineyards, such as Mesnil-su-Oger, Oger, Avize, Cramant and a few more.

The moment you pop the cork (you should actually try to make it hiss instead of pop) a wave of aromas will jump from the bottle and engulf you in hints of citrus fruits, peaches, and hints of freshly baked pastries. Can you imagine that is just from the nose? The wine really takes off once you take a sip! Bright and fresh on the palate with bubbles so tight and pure they are kissing your palate. The palate is silky smooth and flavors of candied orange with a hint of vanilla will linger for ages. This wine is not only great now but has the capacity (if stored in proper conditions) to evolve in to a wine for the ages.

Once you have this, you may just agree, "Champagne EVERYDAY."
Cheers!