I am very happy with the half barrel although my wife thinks I am nuts. I have another one that I use as a cooler for Champagne for parties. I also have a full size one that I used for corks but that one is now full so bought a metal one from Wine Enthusiast that is only about 1/4 full. I think I got these from the Oak Barrel Company, but it was over 15 years ago so not sure.
1 Like
When you get a great bottle it can compete, but the variability is high.
Idk probably opened a case with only one that wasn’t monumental.
I got loaded up with corks…couple thousand I’d guess from all the bottles that come through our front door over time. I made a bunch of these…maybe a destiny for some of yours. You can get the letters on Amazon.
6 Likes
- 2018 Domaine Nowack Champagne La Tuilerie Extra Brut - France, Champagne (6/15/2024)
First of two. Disgorged January 2023, dosage of .8 gms, 100% Chardonnay. If I have decoded this correctly, just outside the village of Vandieres lies the Tuilerie plot. It's not far from the Marne, on the north side of the river, just across from Mareuil-le-Port. When I first opened this yesterday, it was direct from the cellar, which is moderately chilled. The wine reflected a nice core of pineapple, green apple, fennel and some saline. I then chilled it some more and the wine really started to let the lemon come through, a lot of it. My wife and I drank down about a 1/3rd of the wine and then sent it back to the fridge with stopper to be retried today. Pretty similar today, and best with only a light chill. Broad shoulders yet the textural addition of the salinity gives it a cool contrast. Letting this again warm up some, just a light chill remains, the wine shows its best. Lemon, pineapple, tangy peach, some sour apple in the finish. This is good, drinking fine now and given the vintage, I don't see this aging like the 2016 nor having that vintage's complexity.
Posted from CellarTracker
2 Likes
I don’t think I’ve had that bottling from Nowack, they have a lot of Meunier and Pinot Noir (not surprising given the region).
-Al
Long story here with a happy ending, even though last night’s bottle didn’t show its best.
We went back to a local restaurant last night, nearly a year to the day since our last visit. On that day in 2023, we were really enjoying a great meal before a concert, and a wonderful bottle of 2007 Taittinger Comtes Rosé. Near the end of the dinner, my wife suddenly went from laughing to telling me she didn’t feel good. I felt for her pulse but couldn’t palpate one. She passed out for a short while, then awakened. I thought it was vasovagal hypotension (you can’t feel a radial pulse if your systolic blood pressure is less than 80). It turned out her heart had actually stopped due to complete heart block. After a few days in the hospital, they made the diagnosis, initiated the proper treatment, and she’s completely cured.
Last night we decided to punch the demon (or tempt the fates), going back to the same restaurant with the same wine we’d had that fateful night. While we had a much better night than a year ago, the wine didn’t show as well as the bottle last year. Slightly muted, maybe mildly corked. Drinkable, but below its usual caliber.
Life is very good. I love that woman, and there will be many great bottles shared going forward.
24 Likes
We sell our capsules at the local brocante (street market).
€0.2-€0.5 each.
2 Likes
Great story Warren and one about completion, an important thing to do when the initial outcome was not as desired.
It’s also about life, health and happiness being more important over other things.
I’ve enjoyed many a bottle of the 2007 Comtes Rose since release as it seemed to be ready to give out of the gate.
Thanks for sharing and modeling an important way of being.
1 Like
There you go, Warren. Hug your wife today again for good measure. We’re lucky people.
1 Like
I think I am going to make my wife that heart shaped piece for Valentine’s Day next year. Probably not what she would want but it would be a gift from the heart.
Thankfully that did have a happy ending. Here is to many more years of you two drinking great Champagne together.
Btw, love your cap collection.
1 Like
I brought a magnum of 242 to a college graduation party last night. This drinks really well out of magnum (even from a plastic cup) and for just over $100, it’s a good choice for casual event.
8 Likes
Jon, in the spirit of Warren’s post, may I suggest you give it to her now. Why wait? Tomorrow brings a chance to express everything from the heart that we didn’t do today. Just saying…
1 Like
You have a great point Frank. I am heading over to Amazon now.
Speaking of not knowing what tomorrow may bring, I saw this morning that Chef James Kent just died at only age 45. Here is an article from NY Eater.
There you go.
As a point from experience, when you build that thing you’ll find that if you use a mix of still wine corks and champagne corks it will come together nicely but you have to have both in order for it to fit snugly.
As with any wine YMMV, but this is on my do not buy list.
That’s good to know, thanks Frank.
I am going to see how it looks if I use the Champagne corks that have the caps still attached.
That should work, and that is a cool twist that I had not thought of until you said it. Awesome idea for the capsules.
1 Like