I can't remember if it was the 14th or the 15th, 2010 that Regis of Roanoke Imports in Virginia brought me both the half bottle/375ml ( I will buy it in this size as we need one at this affordable price and quality level ) of the Brut and a full 750ml bottle of the Brut Rose of MICHEL ARNAUD & FILS champagne house that is located in Verzenay, France.
I liked both very much and will always buy Grand Cru champagne when we can. I liked the price and the convenience of the 375ml Brut ( Tradition " of MICHEL ARNAUD & FILS. It's bready/yeasty/mature and very complex in flavors. It's perhaps too complex for some of our customers ( tasting more in the English preference of showing some bottle age as well as many flavors that add complexity and those highs and low tastes that are often more acquired with time. It will be best with some food and we will have it at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 Tel:202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com ).
We may also buy the Grand Cru Rose but that will probably be sometime in the fall as I also liked it. As a matter of fact I preferred it overall but we do not need that category as much now as we need a good and special half bottle of champagne. Decisions, decisions ...
I always try and take some pictures to unite the various elements together and to make someone want to go out in search of the wines and champagnes, etcetera that I photograph. That's my idea : to create a curiosity and desire/motivation to get up and come to Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits or to your local wine shop in search of them. Good for the soul and the spirit and the eventual enjoyment later as well as for commerce and sound/good business in selling, purchasing and education and fun and relaxation with hopefully stress and work-worries left far away from the moment.
Regis our " new " rep for Roanoke Imports has been bringing us some excellent products to taste recently. I am impressed both with the range and the quality as well as with the value and pricing. There's a lot to choose from and the prices we charge our customers for the bottles we buy is very reasonable for the wines that they get. I like that : I like that a lot. Thanks Regis, tanks Robert McFarlane( that used to be our sales person years ago ).
I also tasted the VARNER Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains " Spring Ridge Vineyard / Amphitheater Block " 2007. I am sorry that I do not have pictures of the. I will check back at work tomorrow as I am home now on my day-off. At that point I will also include the comments that I made at the time so stay-tuned for more on VARNER.
Being an artist I like to always go for more artsy and original pictures and compositions. I hope that you appreciate some or all of these. It's my way of adding to the equation instead of duplicating it. I am more interested in presenting a visual than a written/technical blog. More chatty as the title implies. For more technical reviews you may always go to the web pages and some of the other more detailed reviews available. Here you see the product in all it's manifestations from bottle and label and wine glass and it inside the Reidel wine-glass and not hidden from sight inside the dark glass bottle that is dark to protect it.
So often the color and the clarity and the opaqueness or clearness of the wines is magical and inspiring. Don't you agree/ Don't you love stopping to " small the bouquet/ taste slowly the product as you hold it in your mouth and look at what's still in the glass?!? I do. What's the rush : swallow in stages , leaving a bit of the wine or the bubbly in your mouth to see what happens?
You can see in the picture above that Regis also brought me some of the special red blend from PETER FRANUS to taste after these two MICHEL ARNAUD Et FILS Grand Cru champagnes and the VARNER Chardonnay 2007 from the Santa Cruz Mountains of California.
One of our customers needing a case of wine was lucky enough to be in the store at the same time so I had Regis pour him a taste of everything that I was tasting. He liked the chance to taste these excellent wines with me.
After the VARNER 2007 Chardonnay we also both tasted the CAMERON 2006 that I remember quite liking. I will check my notes tomorrow and add some about that then as I said when I will be at work and not here at home.
This was a really fun and educational tasting Regis and I will let you know shortly what we will be buying for the store for August delivery in less than two weeks. Cheers and thanks again. TONY
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