Skip to main content

Pol Roger Champagne Event at The Tasting Room

Last night, my husband and I went to the Pol Roger Champagne event at The Tasting Room in Uptown Park. This tasting was set up with a live feed with the winery and with the importer for a question and answer type discussion during the event. This was the first event of this type that TTR had hosted. It was an intimate group setting which was limited to only twelve guests. I think the format does hold great promise but we did experience some technical difficulties on our end which I am sure will be rectified in the future.

Pol Roger is one of the smaller Grand Marque Champagne houses which has been family-owned and operated since its establishment in 1849. They own 50% of the vineyards from which their grapes are sourced which is very unusual and obtain the rest exclusively from 1er and Grand Cru vineyards. Their total production is 1.5 million bottles per year yet they maintain their traditional production methods including hand-riddling every bottle.

We were fortunate enough to taste four of their offerings:

Pol Roger Brut Reserve "White Foil" NV- The blend was equal parts Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. It displayed light toasty aromas with touches of lemon zest and floral notes and had a creamy-smooth dry apple lightly lingering finish. $61.99

Pol Roger Pure Brut NV-I was very excited to try this one as I had not had this particular zero dosage style and it did not disappoint. It was also equal parts Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. It had fresh aromas of citrus, peach and yeasty bread dough with a fabulous acid attack in the mouth with a zesty green apple, chalky finish. $71.99

Pol Roger Brut Blanc de Blanc Vintage 1999-100% Chardonnay, of course. This was a more complex, full-bodied style with a warm brioche and honey bouquet with some mineral and floral notes. It had a toasted almond, lightly-spicy long buttery finish. $143.99

Pol Roger Brut Rose Vintage 2002-A blend of 50% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Meunier. This wine was a bright salmon pink with endless bubbles and lots of ripe strawberry and raspberry aromas with some floral notes on the nose. It was full-bodied with a lingering dry, fruity finish. $112.99

All four of these Champagnes exhibited the expected crisp, dry elegance of each particular style. All were exceptional, you are only limited in your selection by your own style preferences, occasion and budget. (Prices shown here are those at The tasting Room). 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Lust Zinfandel 2007

     My husband loves this wine so he purchased quite a few bottles at a recent Michael~David  dinner that we had attended. Last night, I decided to open a bottle to serve with dinner. I was making a roasted southwestern pork tenderloin, sweet potato fries (w/ chipolte ketchup) and a salad consisting of baby lettuce (fresh from my garden) with strawberries, red bell peppers, red onions and walnuts tossed with a white balsamic-raspberry vinaigrette.      This turned out to be a great pairing. It is a bold wine that really stood up to the strong chipolte seasoning while complementing the fruit flavors. I opened the bottle a 1/2 hour before I served it as I have found this wine to be more enjoyable when I do so.      The Lust Zinfandel by Michael~David 2007  was a dark purple color with a ruby rim. It has intense aromas of very ripe mixed berries and baking spices-both allspice and ginger with hints of cedar. It has flavors of creme de cassis, milk chocolate and also more of the baking

An Immersive Introduction into the World of Asolo Prosecco

Dinner Views at Osteria Alla Baracca. I was very excited to visit the Asolo DOCG Prosecco region at the end of May on a press trip as it is an Italian area that I have not previously traveled through. Asolo is located in the Province of Treviso at the foot of Monte Grappa in the high hills to the west of the Piave River with views of the Dolomites. The grapes are grown in 17 communes surrounding the town of Asolo. The days were very warm while I was there but I needed a sweater or light jacket on most evenings due to the diurnal swing that makes it a great area for grape growing. Wines from the Master Class Tasting. Asolo was elevated to the DOCG level in 2009. The majority of the Prosecco that I have found in Houston is Prosecco DOC which is mostly from very large producers. Asolo was separated from this category and the region was given this higher status because there are terroir elements that make it distinctive in the world of Prosecco. The Sant'Anna Vineyard. Many of the vin

Nocera - A Native Grape from Sicily

Nocera is a native grape from Sicily. It comes from the Messina province which is located in the northeast. Nocera is a quality red wine grape that is most known as a blender in the red wines of the Faro DOC. I had the opportunity to taste some pure versions (which according to Wine Searcher are rare) this week at a trade tasting held at Roma Restaurant in Houston. Wine production in the region dates back to the 14th Century BC, however, phylloxera decimated the vineyard area in 1881 leaving it at a fraction of its original size. The area boasts a Mediterranean climate with sunny days and coastal breezes, moderate rainfall, and mild winters, all ideal for grape growing. The Nocera grape is a bluish/black color and has a thick skin which allows for the production of structured wines with prominent tannins which are balanced by good acidity. High alcohol is common. Red wines produced from the grapes are an intense ruby color with purple highlights and aromas and flavors of dark fruits a