A Celebration in Taupo

I think I have drunk more Champagne in the past 12 months than ever before. I certainly haven't had reason to celebrate anything special, more a case of lots of wine education for Lion Nathan, judging the Champagne classes at the Liquorland Top 100 and NZ International Wine show and the subtle influence of one E Jenkins.  

The more I drink/taste/judge Champagne, the more I am convinced that it is a 'time and place' wine.  There seems to be little point in making definitive judgements when there are so many variables at play; when was the wine disgorged, how were the bottles transported to NZ,  how has it has been stored since arriving, the quality and condition of the cork etc.  

And even house styles can deceive ? How many times have I recommended Bollinger as a 'full bodied and autolytic style' only to be invited to a Negociants dinner and drink a glass of Special Cuvee and write in my notes " not as powerful as remembered . . much fresher and brighter,  red berry and apple . . less idiosyncratic than previous bottles  . . ."

Undoubtedly there are some wines that stand out. The Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill Champagne 1998 which scooped the trophy at the NZIWS last year a case in point.  

But usually I take the approach that Champagne is very much moment dependent and try and enjoy the whatever I am offered without getting too fixated on the label.

Saturday night was a case in point. In Taupo for the annual Scenic Cellars Bordeaux tasting I thought it only proper to celebrate Emma's success in the 2009 Master of Wine examination (passed the theory at first attempt) with a bottle of her favourite wine. I couldn't decide what to choose so in the end plumped for nv Jacquesson Brut Cuvee No 732, a cuvee I had not tried before and, at a shade under $70, thought was worth a punt.  

(Since the establishment of Jacquesson in 1798, cellar records show that each wine that passed through the cellars was given an individual number, starting with No 1. This system is still in use, and the latest nv blend is designated 732. A good way of tracking successive batches of non vintage wine).

According to the Jacquesson website, the wine is made from all three grape varieties and has a large percentage of 2004 in the blend. Disgorged mid 2007, it was beautifully restrained, tight and minerally, with a fairly austere flavour profile.  Pretty low dosage I would have guessed. A delicious toast to success.