Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires 1995

What is to be said of a champagne that, when first consumed, several years before its prime, strikes one as near perfect, then, several years later, when tasted again is even better! I am speaking not in hypotheticals, but of Charles Heidsieck’s Blanc des Millenaires 1995, and as superb as it is now, I believe it still has room to improve. This wine has been a stand out for me for several years, and when a client recently inquired as to a recommendation for a great champagne this immediately came to mind, but I was absolutely sure there would no longer be any available; miraculously I was wrong and, while the prices have gone up a bit, it can still be readily had.
The light fruits really stand out in this champagne, with pear taking center stage, followed by a crisp apple; the yeast flavors are not heavy and overbearing but more rich and toasty. The bubbles, oh, the bubbles, are among the finest I ever encountered, being small and nimble, and the entire drinking experience is what I dream of every time I pop a cork on a bottle of champagne.
The Charles Heidsieck Blanc des Millenaires 1995 will probably require an effort to track down, but trust me, if you are looking for a memorable champagne that will absolutely wow the senses this is it, and it will be worth every bit of labor put into aquiring the bottle the moment those perfect bubbles role gracefully across the lips.

Dom Perignon Vintage 2000

Dom Perignon, do you love it or hate it? This is a question analogous to asking one their political persuasion during an election year, meaning, in my experience,  it is most often best left un-asked. All too often the conversation devolves from a pleasant discussion of attributes and draw backs, as I find most wine talks with good company, to petty comments as comebacks to snide remarks, often having to do more with money and percieved class issues than the actual bottle or glass supposedly being discussed. I am most definitely not one to claim that all good champagnes are over one hundred dollars, but I also will not dismiss a bottle solely because it it; I say let the wine speak and the experience decide.
On that note, and on the eve of New Year’s eve, I would like to briefly mention Dom Perignon’s 2000 vintage. I am not a devotee of Dom Perignon, nor do I despise them, they are simply another long standing maker of consistent champagne, that I do drink from time to time, and often enjoy I might add.The 1996 vintage was grand but now is all but unavailable, the 2002 and 2003 are not ready, so that leaves us with the 2000 as the only reasonable Dom option this New Year’s eve, if that is the direction one chooses to go, and I have to say it is a pretty good way to go. The 2000 vintage started off unimpressive to me, but has grown exponentially as it has matured. It is still vibrant, but has mellowed well, with plenty of yeast and soft earth flavors and the fruits are more impressive now than two or three years ago (which has surprised me).
So if on the eve of this new year you feel that a bottle of Dom Perignon is what your situation demands, and assuming you do not have a bottle of 1996 laying around, then please enjoy the 2000 and leave the younger vintages to rest for a bit longer. And remember that, while I will not dissuade anyone from enjoying a bottle of Dom, there are many amazing champagne producers out there, and variety is the spice of life.

World’s End “If Six Was Nine” 2009

Okay, I admit it, I am a through and through music junkie. It is a life long passion, and occasionally problem, and it has conditioned me to be exceptionally sensitive to music references in marketing; when they are done poorly, as they most often are, I find it difficult not to track down the marketing “expert” that came up with the idea and let loss every bit of pent up angst I can muster, but when done well, as I have pointed out before, it is pure bliss. World’s End’s If Six Was Nine is pure bliss. Seriously, the marketing, the wine making team, and especially the wine itself are truly superb.  The wine is a Bordeaux style cover of a California Cabernet Sauvignon reserve, meaning, of course, it also has a bit of Merlot and Cabernet Franc and I certainly won’t complain.  The mouth feel is like velvet, the flavors range from tobacco and leather to the most pleasant strawberry tart I have every came across in a wine (really, not a bit annoying and definitely not jammy). Grab a bottle, enjoy it with the best guitar track you have, as the name is a Hendrix reference, and remember that this is only the lower end of their line, and trust me that is a great thing.

Airship Coffee Black Apple Dark Roast 2012

I am, as a general rule, extremely cautious of dark roast coffees, not because I do not enjoy them, in fact it is quite the contrary, I love them, it is my preferred roast, but, I also think it is the most difficult to do well. A good dark roast coffee sits precariously on the edge of palatable; it pushes the coffee bean and our taste buds to their extreme, a small step further would end only in bitterness (both figuratively and literally) and, unfortunately,  this is where most dark roasts fall. A stunningly good example of all that a dark roast should be is Airship Coffee’s Black Apple. Roasted in, of all places, Brentonville, Arkansas, this coffee just explodes with smokey dark chocolate, a sweetness reminiscent of a heavy molasses (this flavor is wonderfully understated), and dark fruits dominated by a luscious cherry. It is what every dark roast should be, and what just about all fail to achieve; I commend Airship Coffees for not following the trend of over roasted, bitter dark roast coffees that have, unfortunately, become the norm and, instead, producing a balanced and flavorful coffee that I can not recommend higher.

Headley Grange by Crowned Heads Cigars 2012

Marketing is a powerful thing, and generally I curse it, but, occasionally, I come across sincere, interesting marketing for a quality product and I love it. That is definitely the case with the Headley Grange cigar by Crowned Heads; named after a once English poor house turned 1960’s musician work area and sometimes recording studio (and the inspiration for countless songs) most associated, popularly,  with Led Zeppelin.  That whole story would seem a bit trite and cliche if not for the history of music related cigar titles by Crowned Heads, and, to further the cause, the cigar definitely lives up to the lofty name. The Headley Grange line will be a full product cigar line with five sizes by the spring of 2013, but, for now, it has been debuted in one size, the Estupendos which measures 5 1/2 by 52 ring gauge, in a limited run of 1,000 boxes.
This cigar has a versatile medium- full body and, befitting the name, almost a split personality (luckily both are quite pleasant); it opens with a beautiful draw and a plethora of smoke. The first flavors one encounters are a strong leather, a moderate cedar and a subtle maple syrup, then, rather abruptly, almost exactly halfway through the profile changes dramatically to chocolate and espresso (somewhat rare to find in a medium body cigar), curry spice, a touch of black pepper.
The Headley Grange is one of those rare cigars that will, in my opinion, please just about any cigar smoker and fit almost all smoking situations. I highly recommend pick one up, if one can be found,  and I am anxiously awaiting the full release in 2013.

Chateau Potensac 2008

The 2008 vintage, from Bordeaux, has been largely forgettable to me, but for some reason there have been a few stand out Medocs. Many of these have been surprisingly modest in price, with the 2008 Chateau Potensac being nicely indicative.  With a blend of primarily Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon,  with a good amount of Cabernet Franc, the wine comes through with rich dark fruits, mainly blackberry and black cherry, nicely varied earth flavors, and a hint of bread and espresso.  This is not the most amazingly complex Bordeaux,  nor the one you will remember forever,  but it is balanced, rich, and definitely of quality, and it shows the potential to improve for, perhaps, another decade.

Philip Togni Spring Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2007

Okay guys and girls, sirs and madams, this is a special wine, in fact, it is beyond special, it has the potential to be life changing. I am speaking of Philip Togni’s 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, which is estate produced, with grapes from their Spring Mountain vineyard, but, to be completely honest, I could be speaking of any of Philip Togni’s cabs. I am sure most are asking, rightfully so, how can a wine few have heard of change one’s life? The answer lies in one well prepared sip, and the sensory immersion and lingering bliss that follows.
This wine is reminiscent of a high quality
Bordeaux, or of a premium Napa Cabernet, but in truth, and in practice, it is neither and both. It teases you with familiarity, then plunges you into a well of new sensation simply to pull you back up to do it again. The wine tastes of dark berries, and jam that is none too sweet, of leather and tobacco that provide perfect depth, but it is the earth and the mushrooms that make it truly unique.  The mouth feel is velvet and the tannins are supremely balanced.
I know if have been gushing, and, upon your first bottle I hope you will understand. This wine should be served to any true wine lover, to any lover of wine that is questioning that love, and to anyone who fears they have lost it, for it will both revive and inspire. This is also a wine that deserves a place in any well stocked cellar, for I see, perhaps, twenty years of further growth within these bottles. But, beyond all it deserves to be recognized and celebrated, so please find a bottle or a glass and enjoy it, let it fully consume you for a few moments, and remember what it was like, that first bottle that stole your heart.

My Father Limited Edition 2012

Every year there are a select few limited edition cigar releases that I anxiously await, like a child waiting for Christmas, and, possibly, the top of that list for the last three years is the My Father Limited Edition. First issued in 2010, the cigar has consistently been a benchmark of superb quality and this year’s is no different. The 2012 My Father Limited Edition has a run of only 2500 boxes of 12 cigars, which means there are not many to be had and they will be gone in most places quickly, but, trust me, it is worth the effort to track them down.
The dimensions of the cigar itself are 6 1/2 inches by a 52 ring gauge (a toro) and the construction is flawless; the cigar burns beautifully, with a firm but easy draw and an immense amount of smoke. The flavors run from spice, nuts, and leather at the start to coffee, dark chocolate and, believe it or not, truffles (I have to say that I do not think I have ever tasted truffles in a cigar, and I smoked a second the next day to be sure I was not losing my mind, and it is awesome)  toward the second half, with a pleasant creamy sweetness laying below the other flavor notes the whole way. I would place the strength just above medium to start and a notch or two higher by the end, though still not full.
I do not know what else I can say other than find, smoke, and enjoy these truly wonderful cigars.

Joe Van Gogh “Cafe Femenino Blend” 2012

There is a lot to be said for a quality coffee with a clever name, there is even more to be said for a coffee with solid ethics, so what do you say about a great coffee with a name that, while a touch cliche,  is fun and clever and an ethical stance that is almost unmatched? The answer is you start by trying it then you tell everyone about how great it is! It is impossible not to tell people about Joe Van Gogh’s (a little cliche, but fun and clever, right?) Cafe Femenino Blend, it is a fantastic quality organic, fair trade coffee that supports a great charity.  This is a muli-region blend that has clean spice, cocoa and smoke notes with a pleasant, understated, sweetness; the charity is the Cafe Femenino Foundation,  which started in 2004, in Peru, with the aim of enhancing the lives, and increasing the visibility, of women in coffee production around the world. The have grown substantially since then and are definitely an organization worth supporting; you can find more information about them here: www.coffeecan.org. So you really can not lose with this one, a great coffee supporting a great cause; it doesn’t get much better.

Krug Sharing Set 2012

Every year it seems like a slew of champagne makers, of tremendous variation in quality, put out some form of gift box, usually with horrible, cheaply made glasses that I would not wish on, let allow give to, anyone. For this reason I rarely recommend them to clients, or give them as gifts myself, but this year brings us a stunning exception.

The name Krug, in the world of champagnes, is inseparable from images of luxury and quality, so if anyone were to be expected to produce a high quality gift set it would undoubtedly be them, but, even with that assumption, they have truly out done themselves this year. The Krug Sharing set is simply stunning in every facet; the presentation in beautiful, the champagne in the set, a bottle of Krug Grande Cuvee, is, in my opinion, the best non vintage champagne to be had, but what really places this set apart is the glassware that comes within.

To start, the glasses are made by Riedel, and that should catch your attention right there, I mean, a gift set, or in the more demure terms of Krug, a sharing set, with actual quality glasses is almost unheard of, but they get better. Not only are they made by Riedel, but they are a one of a kind design made to Krug’s specifications called the Joseph, in honor of the man who founded Krug (and to whom every champagne lover is eternally indebted), that in many ways are unlike any champagne glass I have used or owned, and the differences are all grand. They have a wider flare, a longer stem, a more solid feel, and a perfectly classy K monogram and Krug diamond etched on them, just to name a few of the unique attributes of the glasses.

So this year, not only am I recommending a champagne gift set to my clients, but I could not resist giving one to my self.