Weekend wines

This weekend offered a classic setup; Champagne, white and red wine.

2006 Bérèche Instant Rosé No. 1

2007 Fanny Sabre Mersault "Charmes"

2001 Felsina "Fontalloro"

Friday with Sushi, I had the 2006 Instant Rosé No.1 from Bérèche. I simply can't keep my hands of this Champagne and even though there is plenty of rewarding potential in this utterly beautiful breed, I think there is risk of those wonderful strawberry/raspberry notes will evaporate slowly over the coming years. I can't underline enough how much I treasure this Rosé. It simply has to be one of the most exquisite, elegant and fragile rosé Champagnes on the market. As with my first encounter with this Champagne - you perceive it first as being simple, but as you get acquainted you slowly fall in love. Its firm tallness, elegancy is persistent - even when you raise it to 15-16 degrees in temperature. Utterly stunning stuff. (See my previous TN on this wine, here)

Glass: Spiegelau Adina “Red wine”

Saturday, I made an on paper wicked Pasta Dish - which my good friend Martin / Berlinkitchen.com recommended me. Pasta Carbonara with smoked eel. Well -it worked, but what wine do you drink with such a rich and fat fish? I thought of something oily and why not a Mersault?. The only one I had in the wine cabinet was from Fanny Sabre - the 2007 vintage Mersault "Charmes".

It worked...sort of....I mean the eel flavours is really rich and this Mersault is a firm and elegant example. I have to say, I favour this type of Mersault and not those who are so fat, oily and buttery in their profile. Here you have sublet notes of toast and smoke - but the smoky notes could even come from a warm soil element and not linked to normal sweet oaky components. Nor does it have this rich oily texture of a Mersault, but far more feminine, fresh and sleek, with a firm anchored mineral snap on the palate. It's not completely perfect I would say - I missed a few layers here and there, but still a splendid well drinking and defined wine.

Glass: Zalto Burgundy

Sunday it was homemade Pizza - and of course an Italian red. Sangiovese was my first thought and why not the 2001 Fontalloro (100% Sangiovese) from Felsina. I have been quite happy with this wine in its youth, but was about to face a rather disappointing wine. The taste is fairly all right. It curls with good bite, structure and acidity profile, but the aromas from the bouquet are however not okay. The wine has naturally lost some of the young sweet aromas, which unfortunately also means the red cherry scents is replaced by black cherries. The wine is also covered in earthy and dusty components - which can sometimes be good with Italian wines. However they have companionship of some spicy notes - mainly old thyme and that's simply the drop, which kills of the purity completely. Despite the okay taste - it's not enough and I found it very disappointing.

Glasses: Zalto Bordeaux, Riedel Sommerliers “Bordeaux Grand Cru”