Drinking Lunch

Finishing a (or in all fairness skiping a boring) confernce early today, and I head for Primewinebar for lunch. A crisp sallad with salmon calls for - its friday after all! - champagne.

I start with a glass of

NV Prestige Blanc de Blancs, Diebolt-Vallois

A young, fresh, chalky nose with notes of lemon peel, lemon candy, hay, gravel, cap gun smoke and with a bit of warmth, a fine buttery note. Crisp and fine.

A fine, persistent, elegant taste with notes of lemon cream, assorted nuts, gravel and ending dry with a very good acidity. Medium long. This is a fine Bland de Blancs for consumption now and the coming 8+ years.

90p   (tasted 2014/03)

Well, one glass cannot be enough, right? Lets take it - hopefully - up a notch.

2006 Brut Millesime, Henriot

A deep, clean as a whistle and powerful nose with butter fried nuts, white flowers, dried apricots, lemon fudge, orange peel and lots of crushed rocks. Very intense. This is good.

The taste is focused, pure and lovely with notes of lemon crean, tangerines, slate, vanilla fudge and a touch of ginger. A high, fine acidity. Long and intense. Not as great as the 2002, but very fine indeed.

93p   (tasted 2014/03)