Champagne Penet-Chardonnet, Grand Reserve NV

Few days back D and i , with the recommendation of Irene tried an interesting champagne, a boutique champagne i would say :

Champagne Penet-Chardonnet, Grand Reserve NV
Search on the internet:

" Penet-Chardonnet is an independent, traditional Champagne house that produces wines from exclusively Grand Cru vineyards. After 400 years of supplying the French market, current owner Alexandre Penet has crossed the Channel to enter the UK market for the first time..."

"This is a 'zero dosage' wine, aged seven years on the lees and including 15% of reserve wine that had been kept in barrels. It has a bold lemon yellow colour and small bubbles that disippate quite quickly. On the nose, a big, bold rush of sour apple and nettle fruit with plenty of citrus too. On the palate this wine is racy and crisp, the mousse like little pin pricks on the tongue rather than anything creamier, and the fruit as clean as a whistle, the crunchy green apple and lemon pith character streaking through to finish"

I totally agree on the discription, a very interesting , clean , crisp champagne. too bad the bubbles dissapear quickly; have to drink fast as after 20-30 minutes ( esp in Asian temp) the bubbles totaly gone.

Superb for a boutique chmapagne.

Joseph Perrier 99

Hmm.....Soon you guys would think that I am paid to 'advertise' the Joseph Perrier champagne house. That is of course not true because I have not received any thank you letter, with / without a cheque in it. hah.

I do like how the house make their champagne . It is quite value for money as compared to the champagne from similar class.

Joseph Perrier 99 is definitely value for money. It is of course not as great drinking as the 96 ( think might need to age but of course 96 is a better year for champagne )

Joseph Perrier- nice nose: slight tint of honey. taste: smooth, uniform and fine bubbles, slight tint of sweetness at the end of the palate.

one should leave the bottle to rest for 10-15 min ; then can enjoy the full taste of the wi

Moet and Chandon brut/ Rose

Every time I have a sip of Moet and Chandon it reminds me the first time I tasted champagne - Nice fresh scent , some sprinkling ( from the bubble) on the nose, tingling on the tongue and palate and some nice fruity-floral after taste.

Very nice, as compared to the hard liquor ( Jack Daniel, Bourbon, Vodka ......... ) and beer.

Of course that was when I was younger. Since then, I've tried many different types of alcohol beverages but my heart, obviously, is still with champagne.

I have not had Moet and Chandon for quite a while now. It is a decent drink but I have found other brands which I think are more suited to my palate. Also, Moet and Chandon is so popular that the price has sky rocketed well above its value, in my own opinion.

Having said so, I do not mind forking out more, for the other champagne from the house: Dom Perignon 90 .

Moet and Chandon: just a very light tint of floral-fruity scent on the nose. Nice palate- not too dry, light body, smooth but ends quickly. And as in most non-vintage champagnes - a tint of alcohol - bitter at the finishing. For a seasoned champagne drinker, that can sometimes be a bit offensive.

Moet and Chandon Rose. I am presently surprised that I prefer this than the normal brut. Maybe it is an unfair comparison as I did not give enough time for the palate to rest or maybe I just prefer anything more "flavourful" .

- nose: ripe fruit scent. Palate- just a little more dry than brut. smooth, light body. short finish ( longer than brut) , much less alcohol-bitter taste.

Moet and Chandon is one of the preferred choice , among the same class of champagne . Something to unwind after a long day of work, something before dinner; and of course something to open up the palate before the more complex Reds or some vintage champagne.

Pommery Wintertime Blanc de Noirs Brut

D always says that i am spoilt; that i only prefer vintage/aged champagne . Well, i am blessed to have a handful of friends that enjoy sophisticated and fine wines. Their wine / champagne are not necessarily expensive but they have the passion for fine wines , and some collects the wines for many years!

Well, i do admit that i have a rather expensive palate for champagne; No thanks to the increase popularity to champagne , in recent years and climate change, the price of champagne has sky rocket. Even the French government has increase the area / zone of the district of Champagne, just to 'elevate' the sparking wine ( wine with bubbles ; not allow to be called Champagne unless from the region ) to Champagne, to meet demand.

My philospohy in enjoying champagne is: know your preference but do not shy away from trying others/ new. Ultimately , drinking is an acquired taste.

So, the champagne i post here is what i have tried, comment is strictly personal and what i prefer. i will try to keep a bias -free opinion.

D and i was curious and equally excited over Pommery Wintertime Blanc de Noirs Brut

There are only a number of champagne houses that make interesting blend of champagne and Pommery is one of them.

Champagne Pommery is a champagne house located in Reims. The house was founded as Pommery & Greno in 1858 by Alexandre Louis Pommery and Narcisse Greno . Under the guidance of Alexandre's widow, Louise Pommery, the firm was dedicated to Champagne production and soon became one of the region's largest Champagne brands.

I do not usually drink Pommery . But both D and i was interested how a "Blanc de noir" - champage made of only pinot noir and pinot meunier grape ( no chardonnay grapes ) would taste like.

i must say that Pommery Wintertime Blanc de Noirs Brut has a quite unique taste. On the nose- fruity, light , fresh, subtle.On the Palate -crisp, slight tint of fruit( apple ) , short- medium palate., small uniform bubbles.

I really wonder how it would taste like if the wine is left to age prior to bottling ( vintage wines) I really feel that there's is lots of potential in the Blanc de Noirs ; just a bit 'offesive' now as it's young and one can always taste theslight tint of ' offesive' spirit -like taste at the end of the palate, even after 30 minutes. But i must say there are still enough bubbles after that time.

Pommery Wintertime Blanc de Noirs Brut is quite a unique blend , a good taste from the norm. Let's see wheter i can find any vintage, Blanc de Noirs

Joseph Perrier 96

I personally think that Joseph Perrier is a champagne house that is 'over looked' by most champagne lovers.

Call me bias , i just love the style the champagne house, blend their champagne-subtle, fruity with just a bit of tint of sweetness at the end of the palate, medium to full body ( depends on age ), fine bubbles.Even when not as chilled and the bubbles finish, it still can pass off as a not too bad white wine.

But before i explain further, a bit of history: The Perriers, an important family dating back to the diligence ! Joseph, the son of wine merchant, François-Alexandre, established the Champagne House in 1825, “Joseph Perrier Fils et Cie”. They settled in Châlons-Sur- Marne, on the road to Fagnières.

Joseph Perrier cuvee is the 'poor' cousin ( like Maserati to Ferrari ) of Josephine, and catogorize under non vintage selection which comes with the range of : blanc de blanc, Rose,Brut and demi sec.

But surprisingly they also have vintage ( selection of certain years) like Joseph Perrier 96 and 99

The highlight of this post is definately the Joseph Perrier 96.

1996 was one of the great year for campagne . Joseph Perrier 96 definately live up to that potential too! The wine has a beautiful light yellow gold colour , fine and long bubbles ,light - medium body and is very subtle and smooth . One can smell the scents of black berries ,emanations of pineapples, candied lychees, old rum, fresh vanilla and honey ; and imagine all of that flavour dancing together on your palate. Leave it 15-30 minutes, one can sense the changes of the champagne , even better!

After more than 10 year of aging( 2009 ), it is now a great time to enjoy the wine! The price of other branded champagne like Dom Perignon (1996 ) has already sky rocketed 3-5 folds.

It is not easy to get hands on Joseph Perrier 96 in Singapore. Even so, do try the Joseph Perrier non vintage cuvee. i think you would not be dissapointed.

"we must expend the bulk of our energy planting good roots today, rather than fretting about the plants that are already growing from the roots we planted in the past.
- Master Hsing Yun"

How the journey starts

It's no secret to my wife and friends that i am a big fan of any sparking wine , in particuliar champagne.



My bubbling journey started 3 years ago when one of my close friend D was about to get married. D is my drinking buddy and we have move on from coffee, hard liquor , apperitif , champagne ,wine..... D's journey continues ( the quest for the best Burgundy/ Bordeox) while i've gotten lost ,chasing after the bubbles.



I love champagne/ sparkling wine . It's the best drink you can have after a long day of work, especially on a hot humid day. I cannot agree that champagne is only reserve for special occasion /celebration ; i can drink it all day long!



Ok, enough of me babbling on how much i love champagne. I started this blog to 'document' all the champagne i've tried before and invite sharing / comment from fellow BF :Bubbles Fan.



I have the intention to try all champagne / sparkling in the world.







Come join in my journey.







First post

My old faithful - Josephine

Jospehine cuvee ( vintage ) is the flagship for champagne house Joseph Perrier.
It is created from a carefully chosen blend of 56% Chardonnay and 44% Pinot Noir all from premier and grand cru vineyards . The nose we find hints of jasmin and magnolia, with suggestions of cinnamon and vanilla, together with touches of developed character with grilled almonds and caramel. Superb for those that do not appreciate the "too dry, spirit after taste " drinkers , including myself. " A feast of complex fruit flavours " would be the perfect description when you sip the champagne .One will taste fig, apricot, dried fruits and vanilla, with some caramel and ginger notes and on the finish touches of sweet spice- marvellous!

Even better, each bottle is beautifully hand painted (not that i kept any of them) and will display beautifully on the shelves. Josephine is not produced every year. Only the years with good grapes. I have tried the 90', 95' 98' .I am blessed to have a close friend who has kindly help me collect a vertical of Josephine. 89' ,90', 95' 98'

Hopefully he can get his hands on 78'






~ A monk with his mind at peace, going into an empty dwelling, clearly seeing the Dhamma aright: his delight is more than human.~