Bollinger

I opened a bottle of Bolly, on Saturday night. It was a combination of celebrating one of my kids going up a book group and me becoming a "Clean, Lean Warrior".

Having lost half a stone, I thought if I am going to drink anything, I need to drink the best. Bolly is definitely that. When I was working at a famous hotel on Hyde Park Corner, the house Champagne was, and still is Bollinger. The hotel had their name on it, I was told the first time ever, for this Champagne house.


Even better, on my very first day, in my very first hour, while working in the bar, a check came on for a bottle of the stuff. The bar has glass covered tables and cut crystal glasses, it was my first day and I was nervous. I was made even more so, when told to pour the bottle in one hand, with my thumb steadying it, inside the dimple at the bottom.

Stone the Crozes

Nearly a decade ago, I was asked to start and stock a wine cellar, in a private house.
Since then, the house has been lovingly refurbished. During this time, the wine was shipped out of the cellar and randomly stored in an out-building.

I was asked to put the wine cellar back together and give it a little TLC. As I was re-assembling the cellar, I saw that some of bins were going over. There are a few whites, that would have died, two of the reds, I was unsure of and so brought home as sample.

One of these is a Crozes Hermitage, 2004, from Domaine du Colombien. It is from the North of Rhône and is made from the Syrah grape.
The nose reminded me of a house, I used to visit as a boy. The man used to smoke a pipe and the women used to bake  for the local W.I. There was always a wood fire burning. Throw in the smell of homemade chutneys, lavender and coal tar soap and you have it.

It is pinkie to the edge, showing a little room for age? The taste is slightly metallic on first sip, there is the piped tobacco, berries and cherry compote melded together.

A beautiful wine, that still has some life.