Champagnes from the Bollinger estate are the choice of 007:

Live and Let Die: Bollinger
Moonraker: Bollinger RD ‘69
License to Kill: Bollinger RD ‘75
The Living Daylights: Bollinger …
Goldeneye: Bollinger Grande Année 1988
Tomorrow Never Dies: Bollinger Grande Année 1989
The World Is Not Enough: Bollinger Grande Année 1990
Die Another Day: Bollinger ‘61
Casino Royale: Bollinger Grande Année 1990

While Dom Perigon, Veuve Cliquot and Moet & Chandon are household names, Bollinger has quietly built an impressive reputation. Perhaps the strongest tie to this being James Bond’s champagne is the fact that in 1884 Bollinger was deemed to be the official champagne of England’s Royal Court. High honors indeed, but what impressed me most as I researched this legendary estate was the fact that Bollinger is still an independent grower – which we at Tavola Rosso advocate heavily.

Although it could be a little difficult to find, Bollinger’s non-vintage brut retails for around $50. If you are into collecting Bollinger’s R.D. and Grand Année champagnes will run you several hundred dollars. Not only are those two wines vintage, but both are very unique in how they are produced.

The Grand Année is only produced when Bollinger believes there is an exceptional harvest. This choice is designed to express the character of the vintage. The house will select the best wines, cru by cru. The wine spends five years on its lees and is aged in bottle under cork, instead of crown seal.

The R.D.  takes the Grand Année further by extending the aging on lees. R.D. spends eight years on its lees, and is also, like the Grand Année, aged under cork, not crown seal. R.D. is a registered trademark of Bollinger which stands for récemment dégorgé (”recently disgorged”). In the mid-1990s, Bollinger sold Année Rare which was an R.D. that had gone under even longer aging on the lees. The disgorgement date is given on the back label. The 1981 R.D. is unique in that there was no Grande Année produced from that vintage.

For your next special occasion – or if you are just looking to add a little romantic intrigue like 007 – look for a bottle of Bollinger as a fantastic substitute to the usual suspects. Cheers.

It was French monks who were the first to bottle a sparkling form of wine called Champagne, named after the Champagne region of France. The method of making “mousse” (another name for bubbles) in a bottle was enhanced by the efforts of Frère Jean Oudart (1654 – 1742) and Dom Pierre Pérignon (1639 – 1715), Benedictine monks and cellarmasters at their respective abbeys of Saint-Pierre aux Monts de Châlons and Saint-Pierre d’Hautvillers.

The appellation of Champagne has a colder and shorter growing season than the rest of the French wine growing world. Therefore, Champagne grapes had to be picked late in the year, with less time available for fermentation. For those that have tried fermenting wine in the cold (Sean) you will know that the cool temperatures stop the process of converting the sugar from the grapes into alcohol. The French monks perfected a new method of making wine – methode champenoise – by using a second fermentation process that took place in the bottle during the following spring. The second fermentation created carbon-dioxide bubbles that are the sparkle of Champagne.

On behalf of all lovers of bubbly: Merci beaucoup, Dom Pérignon et Frère Jean.

You can pick up a bottle of the Dom Pérignon 2000 vintage for about $125. Salut!

We went to two wineries: Becker and Torre de Pietra. Critique #1: having a huge tasting room jam packed and with pourers who know little if anything about the winery or the wines is lame. Critique #2: a portfolio of over a dozen wines is a bit much, right? Both places committed these errors.

That said, the chenin blanc and reserve cab from Becker were solid wines at good prices – $16 and $24 respectively. The vintage port from Torre was a nice surprise too.

There still much to be discovered in the world of Texas wines, but my hope is we can find a place that cares more about their craft than simply offering $5 tastings to folks excited about having an excuse to drink before noon.

With a nice little Italian dinner made and my mom in attendance we opened a wine we bought at a wonderful enoteca in Florence a year and a half ago: a 2003 Monterponi Chianti Classico riserva.

Twenty months ago we drank the non-reserve from Monterponi at dinner with our good friends the McIntyres. The manager of the restaurant and wine shop recommended the reserve when we asked him about a good bottle to bring home with us. The wine was excellent: perfectly Italian, just enough dryness but full of deep berry flavors that Sangiovese gives. This was not a simple wine, as I would have a drink, continue in conversation, then stop to have another drink thinking ‘wow, this is really good.’

Like many of the great wines from our memory the Monterponi brought us back to a place and a time – Florence at Christmas, with friends and a table full of great Tuscan food. Therein lies the beauty and charm of wine: it helps us remember truly joyful times.

It has been several weeks, but the 2006 Lincourt Chardonnay we had is definitely worth writing about. My only previous exposure to this Santa Barbara winery came at a dinner Mark’s in Houston a couple of years ago. I had their pinot noir and to this day rates in my top 3 pinots of all time. It’s a small production winery so I was surprised to see a bottle of their chardonnay at Whole Foods. Much like Lincourt’s pinot, this chardonnay did not disappoint – and it was only $18. Proclamation: best chardonnay under $20 I have ever had… by a long shot.

The wine had all of the silkiness of a good chardonnay, but where most bust with oak and butter flavor, the Lincourt touched on great and refreshing citrus notes. This was a wine that is great to drink on its own – especially as the days keep getting warmer – and it’s an excellent food wine. We had this wine with a white fish dinner and most chardonnays can be too dominating to such a meal. The Lincourt found it’s place though and complimented the meal quite nicely. Next time you make a trip to Whole Foods see if the Lincourt is there and you will not be disappointed.

I’ve had great California and Washington syrahs, as well as the Australia cousin, shiraz, but after having this South African syrah from Gilga I have to say it tops them all! I like a touch of spiciness in syrah, but the Gilga managed to pull off both a touch of spice as well as excellent finesse. Tasting notes: great earthiness – real terroir of the Stellenbosch wine region – and a black currant sweetness to balance.

Odds are you are going to be hard pressed to find this specific wine in your local shop, but I would keep an eye out for it. This was as an outstanding $29 wine that ranks easily with $50+ wines. If you don’t see Gilga take a shot at any other South African syrah you might come across. Ask your local wine shop about this varietal from South Africa or if your are really ambitious, look up some importers or winesearcher.com and see how you can track down this type of wine… it’s worth it!