Dom Perignon to end the year

You need bubblies to end the year properly.

There are many different sparkling wines, such as Prosecco, Cava, Cremant, etc., made with different methods and from international or local grapes.
They all give the festive feel and fresh and friendly characters: perfect drink to welcome the brand new year.

I enjoy all of them, but when I had a chance to attend a small tasting of  Dom Perignon at Leo's Oyster Bar in San Francisco, I felt, once again, that Champagne is in a class of their own.
Even the wines made with the same method and grape varieties, no other wines can recreate the Champagne's delicacy.

I tried Brut and Rose, both 2006 vintage.

The bubbles are crispy and delicate, creating velvet-like soft texture.
The bubbles and flavor stay long and pleasant in the mouth.
They show freshness and complexity at the same time, which makes this wine good by itself, also great with food.

Dom Perignon is one of the most famous Champagne brand.
It is always a vintage wine and it means that it is made only in good years and not in poor vintages.
This is not an easy task since Champagne's location is at the northern edge for the wine producing region. Although the cool temperature helps to retain high acidity, ripening of grapes can be challenging in some years.

Having a great wine made under this strict condition at the end of the year was a good idea.
It gave me an opportunity to stop, think and prepare to gather myself and jump into the new year!

Left-over yarn blanket project part 2

Last year I made a blanket with left over yarn.
It was a mere effort to decrease the stash of yarn but I really liked the blanket.
I still have a mountain of left-over yarn, so I decided to make another one.

This time I only used white and brown color yarns.
In the warp I used yarns which I spun when I just started to learn spinning.
These yarns are bumpy and somehow charming, and can be made only by beginners.
It is a kind of sad that I can't recreate this charming yarn anymore, but I at least can cherish them every time I use the blanket if I use them in this project.

Double weave just like the last one.
This method enables to make a blanket double the width of the loom.

The thick white yarn is the charming bumpy yarn

The result is ... I think it really looks good! I like it!

...and warm! (my cat agrees, I think)

Saint-Emilion 2016

There was a tasting event of Saint-Emilion 2016 (and some other) vintages in San Francisco.

Saint-Emilion is in the Right Bank of Bordeaux.
Soils in the Right Bank is more clay soil than in the Left Bank, and Merlot is the dominant grape, which is suited to the cool soil.

According to the Association de Grands Crus Classes de Saint-Emilion, 2016 had cool, wet spring and hot and dry summer.
Cool night-time temperatures around the harvest time helped grapes to retain freshness as they became fully ripe.

Here are some of the wines I liked.

Chateau Ripeau 2016
Chateau Ripeau is located near Chateau Cheval Blanc and close to the border with Pomerol.
Fruits are restrained but has beautiful expression.
Aromas of fruits, exotic incense and spices are supported by good amount of acid and tannin.
A wine with a sense of decency.

Chateau Jean Faure 2016
50% Cabernet Franc, 45% Merlot.
Smooth texture with high, fine-grained tannin.
Aromas are complex: floral and meaty at the same time.
2014 vintage had clean perfume of flower and fruit.
I really liked both of them.

Chateau Grand Pontet 2009
Chateau Grand Pontet is located in the western plateau of St-Emilion.
Rich aromas of ripe fruits, sugar-coated flowers and coffee, which are supported by well-integrated firm but tender tannin

Chateau Grand Corbin 2012
Chateau Grand Corbin is located on the northwestern part of the St-Emilion plateau.
Beautiful combination of concentrated red and black fruits and spice.
Powdery tannin and acid are well balanced.
Finish is long and pleasant.

Chateau Chauvin 2016
Chateau Chauvin has a long history in St-Emilion and had undergone restructuring of the viticultural and winemaking techniques under the new ownership since 2014.
Beautiful wine. It is strong yet delicate.

Overall impression of 2016 vintage was the wine with vibrant and charming flower and fruits with smooth tannin.
It is approachable now but with firm structure, these wines would be long-lived.