AceHighWine

A lovely new release from the house of Taittinger made using only Grand Cru grapes. Lively and fresh, this beauty is powered by lemon and apple flavours complemented by attractive pastry and nut nuances that feel creamy and light in the mouth before finishing with a cleansing and juicy flash of acidity. A great aperitif-style Champagne that ticks all the boxes for bubbles. 17.5+ www.taittinger.com

During a birthday dinner with wine mates last night, a revelation of M Night Shyamalan clarity and power came to me, ably assisted by mouthfuls of deliciously aged Margaret River cabernet. While I may not have unearthed the meaning of life, I think I might have unlocked the secrets – the real “essence” – of all things gastronomic, courtesy of one of the most memorable audio-visual (and sensual) demonstrations I’ve experienced in a restaurant.

Looking past all the dead weight and carefully choreographed grandeur of difficult-to-pronounce yet impressive sounding French, Spanish and Italian words; the prohibitively expensive prices of top shelf wine and gourmet delights; the prestige and bravado of owning how every many bottles of whatever wine from some knockout vintage or rather; the glossy magazines and the eye-rolling banter of wine wankers and food snobs, the joy of dining consists of three simple elements: good food, good wine and good mates – what amounts to “good” is based solely on one’s station in life. “Good” for a student couple going out for a one-year anniversary will be markedly different (and cheaper) than, say, “good” for an epicurean surgeon-general planning his or her 50th birthday dinner. Enjoying a nice meal isn’t some kind of pissing contest: if you’re into what’s on your plate and in your stemware (or mug, paper cup, beaker, whatever), then you win.

I couldn’t have asked for a better dining experience last night. While organising the night, the brief I had supplied to Senoji (Shop 1, 885 Albany Highway, East Victoria Park. Tel: (08) 9362 2979) was this: “I’ll leave the menu up to you, just keep cooking.” And with the exception of a late-week request for chef’s delicious-to-eat yet laborious-to-make pork cheek skewers, our gastronomic fate was left in the hands of the great Yuki-san, a man holding onto a perfect hit rate for sending us home satisfied and in awe of his authentic cooking after countless visits to his lot on the multi-cultural dining strip of Albany Highway.

The procession of dishes that traveled steadily from stovetop to tabletop sounded and tasted like a “greatest hits” of Senoji cooking. While some of us were reacquainting ourselves with old friends, it was also great to be able to introduce my friends Peter and Elaine – both very experienced food and wine aficionados and fellow protectors of the English language – to one of my favourite eateries. Judging by chopsticks returning to platters on more than one occasion for pieces of gyu tataki, curry croquette and disarmingly fresh sashimi, Senoji got the thumbs up from the literary couple. By the time the final course had arrived, white flags had been hoisted and proverbial top buttons had been done – but the thought of crisp-on-the-outside and soft-in-the-middle pork and chicken katsu was enough to muster one or two final hurrahs from chop sticks that had been well and truly put through their paces throughout the night.

As is customary whenever a good excuse to drink fine wine presents itself, I had a quick rifle through my slowly-growing “cellar” for appropriate liquid accompaniments to the evening. While I had lugged along two Champagnes (the excellent Billiecart Rosè and great value ‘96 Lanson Gold Label) and a bottle of ’05 Yalumba late-picked viognier, only the Rosè had its chance to shine as the vinous limelight was trained on the extra dinner guests the gracious and far-too-generous Peter brought with him.

Peter’s first liquid cab out the rank was a bottle of the 2004 gewürztraminer from Vinoptima in New Zealand’s Gisborne wine region. From my investigations, it looks like Vinoptima is committed entirely to the production of fine gewürztraminer as no other variety is planted on the estate’s eight hectare plot and the new state of the art winery was built solely with the intention of producing gewurtz for the estate. Now that’s dedication – but judging by the immaculate quality wine I was washing down my yakitori with last night, I daresay the investment has paid off handsomely. Great, great stuff that’s as viscously supple as the finest offerings from Alsace, but the palate is dry, intense and focused without a hint of that sweetness that sometimes complicates the art of food and wine matching. This goes straight to pole position for gewürztraminer in my books and I’ll be doing my best to source more of this stellar wine.

No doubt this was a tough act to follow, but Peter’s second offering of a bottle of 1979 (a great year in Margaret River and Singapore) Moss Wood cabernet – complete with bow – was more than up to the task. Wonderfully earthy and soft, yet the truffle and mushroom infused palate still showed hints of blackcurrant and that distinctive bay leaf character I associate with good Margaret River cabernet. And as good as it showed, I still think there’s a little bit of time ahead of it, but why quibble over a few cents – last night it tasted wonderful and I thank Forrie profusely for his generosity in parting with a bottle of this for the occasion – and Bill and Sandra Pannell family for their foresight in establishing Moss Wood all those years ago!

Good food, good wine and – most importantly – good mates: as much as I was loathing turning 28, if this is the price of getting older, then bring on the 30s and beyond!

Footnote: The title of this post is not some lame attempt at contributing to the deplorable “humour” of Engrish (why do we need to laugh at other countries’ – usually Asian ones – misuse of the English language when Western civilization is already so proficient at butchering it themselves?), but a nod towards the generosity of the owners of Senoji. This was the title of the fax I was given describing the evening’s menu, complete with handwritten birthday wishes from Yuki’s wife Kyoko who is in Japan. As if that wasn’t enough, she completely made my night and called at the end of the meal to wish my happy birthday. Arigatou gozaimashita Yuki, Kyoko and Aiko for your hospitality and putting on a great night and arigatou gozaimashita to Peter, Elaine, Ash, Aaron, Lys and Marie for helping take some of the sting off turning 28 in the best possible way. Like I was saying, it’s all about good food, good wine and good mates…

“Big house muck,” people lament, referring to the vast resources behind the world’s most famous Champagne house, Möet & Chandon.

On more than one occasion, I’ve heard comments made at the tasting bench by far more experienced wine connoisseurs that Möet (moe-WEE for the majority of us Australians) has picked up its game over the years, both in its regular range and flagship Dom Perignon. While a young whipper-snipper like myself can’t comment on the Möet of old, I am willing to go on record as saying that the house’s current range is certainly all right by me and stylistically, Marie and I are both lovers of the Brut Imperial’s fresh, creamy style.

During the festive season, we got to drink Möet on a few occasions (please be aware that luxurious indulgence isn’t the norm for Marie and I, we realise how lucky we were to be able to do so and proudly tell people that Trilogy is the house sparkling at our place. The very idea of snobbery in the world of wine - a luxury item - shits me no end, but alas, I digress…) and were over the moon every time including the blind tastings in which I tasted Möet.

I suspect that if you’re a regular reader of my little piece of cyberspace you’re either (a) not a wine tragic or (b) a long way from Kansas (or the eRobertParkerJunior forum or whatever). Thus, I’ve got my fingers crossed that you won’t turn your nose up at the following Möet reviews.

Möet & Chandon Brut Imperial NV: Creamy and rounded in the mouth. The palate is fresh and full of citrus, lemon and grapefruit character with more than a touch of tang. Not as yeasty or bready as other houses’ NV Champagnes. Very succulent long finish. A pleasure to drink and right up my alley in terms of style of Champagne. While I’m sure it’s a direct result of that most Aussie of afflictions TPS (Tall Poppy Syndrome) I am still amazed that people are so quick to attack the big houses.

Möet & Chandon Brut Imperial Rose NV: Typical fresh and lively red berry aromas on nose. Palate tastes like “divine red creaming soda” (verbatim from tasting sheet) and fades into a soft, juicy finish. Not a bad Rose Champagne.

Möet & Chandon Vintage 1999: Very appealing nose full of spice and toasty notes. Very, very appealing indeed. Supremely creamy in the mouth with smatterings of nutty nuances that are perfectly integrated into the fibre of the wine along with touches of yeastiness absent from the regular NV. The palate is luxuriously soft and elegant and the finish is on par with the palate, finishing all juicy and succulent. In a word: wonderful. If you can afford it, I can assure you that the extra dollars spent to upgrade from the NV to a bottle of the Vintage will be money well spent. And for what it’s worth, I rated this half a point higher than the 98 Dom (18.5 versus 18 for the 98 Dom). I feel that while the Dom will no doubt have a longer and brighter future, on the day if I had to choose between the two which bottle I’d want to take home and make love to with the aid of a Champagne flute, I would have chosen this one.

Dom Perignon 1998: Is there a more famous name in the world of Champagne? Shit, I can’t think of too many although the ever-suave James Bond(s) has never wavered from his (or their) Bollinger’s Grand Année. Again, I digress. Very different to most of the other masked wines involved in the tasting, this was powerful, intense and had plenty of lively acidity in its veins. While being tightly wound, the palate is delicate and fine and reveals traces of nut among the minerally, citrus-powered palate. As to be expected, the finish is sublime and of porn star-like length with humongous succulence and presence. While this is good now, time in a cellar will no doubt be an essential ingredient in helping this wine blossom.

And if you’re thinking about buying any Möet - or any wine for that matter - I suggest going online and speaking to the wonderful d’Anna family behind Boccaccio Cellars in Melbourne as their prices are hot-as and they offer free freight on orders more than $200. Tell ‘em the good folk at AceHighWine sent you!

www.moetchandon.com or www.domperignon.com

While it’d be nice to be able to imbibe Champagne at will, it often takes a special occasion to justify spending that little bit extra for a bottle of the French stuff. And - barring a massive financial windfall or a pretty spiffy start to Australia Day - Valentine’s Day will probably be the next opportunity for most of us to splurge vinously, and if you’re going to be picking up a bottle or four of Champagne to celebrate St Valentine’s Feast Day, it’s only fitting you choose a House whose foundations were built on this powerful human emotion called love - like, say, Nicolas Feuillatte for example. (who didn’t see that coming?) It was the love of a young opera singer that inspired Nicolas Feuillatte (pronounced FOO-yay for the benefit of hopeless Francophiles like myself) to create one of his first Champagnes and since then, his name has grown to become the bubbly of choice for those who wish to express their love.

The result of an eight-week blending process that involves more than 200 individual wines, the Nicolas Feuillatte Reserve Particulière Brut NV is one of the most challenging of Champagnes for the House’s chief-winemaker Jean-Pierre Vincent to assemble - even more so when one has been charged with the responsibility of helping love flow freely across the world - but it appears monsieur Vincent and his team are more than up to the challenge.

The wine is gift-wrapped in a delightful bouquet of almond and yeast that gives way to a rounded, creamy palate of delicious, tangy citric complexity that while being assertive, is in no way overpowering. There’s a liberal squeeze of tart juicy lemon and lime on the long finish, creating a wonderful fresh and lively drop that deserves space in the celebratory plans of wine drinkers the whole year round.

As many Champagne houses are doing with their brands, this wine is available in three different sizes: piccolo (200ml, $16.95), half bottle (375ml, $35) and full bottles (750ml, $55). www.feuillatte.com

For those looking to really splash out on Valentine’s (or are really in the doghouse), then consider indulging in a bottle of Nicolas Feuillatte’s flagship Champagne, the 1997 Grande Cuvee Palmes d’Or. Amazingly youthful and made only in selected vintages, this 50/50 blend of chardonnay and pinot noir is blessed with a fresh, lively nose full of forward fruit flavours with a hint of pastry goodness. In the mouth, the chardonnay dominates, with crisp green apple and citrus flavours coming to the fore while those aged bready characters lurk further towards the back of the mouth. A great tart finish serves as an exclaimation mark to this stellar, tightly-knit wine. Be wary: this wine comes in one very dangerous looking bottle not dissimilar in appearance to a medieval mace, so I suggest being on your very, VERY best behaviour when opening a bottle of this. www.feuillatte.com

In addition to a conspicuous lack of imagery across my last few posts, I just realised it’s been a while since I posted a wine review and while the “festive season” is now a figment of our imaginations, any time is a good excuse to get stuck into a bottle of Champagne, so I present this tasty tipple. Smells a lot like hazelnuts with those nutty characters continuing onto the creamy, full and complex palate. A lovely citrus edge helps flesh out the wine but the nuttiness emerges victoriously to reassert itself in the finish. From what I gathered from bottleshop investigations, most retailers are still carry the 2000 stock (when last tasted, the 2000 offered a much fresher, crisper drinking experience) but truth be told, if you’re going to get a bottle of Charles Heidsieck, you won’t go too far wrong. www.charlesheidsieck.com

Friday night recollections - a little late due to being knocked about by a god awful head cold.

Any hopes I had of repeating Thursday night’s performance - along with my table image - went out the window at Friday night’s $1100 final as soon as I got caught bluffing from early position with 8c9c and got called by someone who had paired their king on the flop, in the process dumping 1600 from my 5k starting stack to my opponent. From there, I couldn’t buy a pot and my one chance of doubling up when I pushed with 6d6h (four limpers, I push for 2400 more into an 800 pot at blinds 100-200 and get called by AQo. Six on the flop, but runner runner straight and we chop) got counterfeited badly. A few steals later from the button including chopping another pot later when I call with AJ against a short stack who pushed with AJ as well and I’m out when pushing from the SB with Q-10 to try and get some chips only to be called by the UTG limper with A-10. Ace on the flop and its goodnight Max with Ernie the dealer deciding to spike a queen on the river just to rub it in some.

After that, made plans to get a bite with Marie and Aaron and drink some Champagne to celebrate Thursday night’s success and Friday night’s abysmal play. Before he had left for mine, Aaron had started playing a $1k guaranteed and sent me a message to play for him until he got to mine. I logged in and managed to keep his chip stack at the same level he left it at before getting in the car. By the time he got here we were just before the final table and then the two tables broke with Aaron/Me sitting at one of the smaller chip stacks. After a couple other players had been knocked off, it was about 10pm. On a Friday night. And I’m getting hungry, so I suggested we just open push with any hand if it was limped to us.

And about half an hour later, we had won the tournament for a $300 first place finish that reeked of suckee-outee-ness with some of the sickest beats I had seen in a while.

How sick?

Two pushes. I call in the BB and have both players covered.

(me) KcQs vs JhQh vs Jd10c preflop:

FLOP: 10h-4h-Jc
TURN: 6s
RIVER: As

So we manage to suck out on a flopped two pair and flopped heart flush draw with an ace on the river making us broadway. Sick.

Then it’s me open-pushing and getting called by big slick. 5s5h vs AK and we win that coin flip.

Two pushes in front of me and I wake up 6d6s in the BB. Let’s see if I can do better than at the casino just a few hours earlier where I disgustedly have to chop. I call and square off against AsKd and AdQc.

FLOP: 8-8-7
TURN: 4
RIVER: 5

Just to make a straight (no chopping the pot this time!) and rub it in some.

But my favourite hand is as pasted above. See, this is what happens when you slowplay and try and get cute on the button with KK. One card straights baby. So sick.

Heads up it’s just pushing every hand. We even tell the other person that’s what’s happening and we need to be somewhere for dinner. After letting himself get walked over, eventually he calls with a small King suited only to find out he’s up against a slightly stronger ace. The board doesn’t improve either of our hands and Aaron and I finish our vile work in the realms of online poker.

Looking back at it now, some of the beats weren’t super-sick or amazing, but I think what is remarkable is the fact that when it came to coin flips, we seemed to always win them. Like I said before, it was a case of not getting unlucky rather than very lucky (with the exception of hands like the J6 vs KK debacle).

It’s then off to Billy Lee’s in Northbridge (by way of a closed Senoji in East Vic Park) where we have dinner and I manage to open the bottle of Champagne in spectacularly conspicuous fashion as the cork rockets out of the neck and the front of my jeans and shirt get soaked in vintage Champagne. Good times indeed and sure to bode well for my immune system that’s been knocked around by a blasted cold.

FYI - tasting note on Drappier Grande Sendree 2000: very lively mousse creates a real sense of creaminess in the mouth. A wine full of fresh, vibrant, lemony characters but it’s still a youngster and will need time to develop those layers of complexity that separate good Champagne from great Champagne. Exclusive to Vintage Cellars.