Brut Report INC, take cover folks!!
Ok, so having cleansed my palate from the Blue earlier, I've uncorked the Brut.
I'll mark my Better Half's remarks first:
Sweet, overly 'grapey' he says. I think by this he means its a bit heavier than the Blue he had tasted last night that he liked and said he'd drink. He easily gets a headache from most wines, so the easier on him the more he tends to like them. He says if the deal was just on the Brut alone he would not say he'd want to buy it. He normally prefers fruity wines, but not specific of the grape variety (strawberry, apple, etc) so he's more of a non-grapey fan than a grapes alone.
My interpretations so far:
The BRUT is a different animal. It's not the sister of the Cuvee, it's more like a cousin. I feel like it has enough similarities to be 'family' but stands out on it's own in different ways.
Mouth feel was like having the "Scrubbing Bubbles" commerical on tv in my mouth. More bubbly than the M, overall like my mouth was being scrubbed , tingles more than the M. I find less noticable bubble in the glass, more of it seems to be saved for the mouth. Tingle was good, lingering taste on the tongue, mostly middle to back of the 'grapey' taste that BH was reporting. I think it's a bit stronger in the fruit 'forward' than the M was (M was lighter, this is a bit heavier in thickness) but it isn't super heavy, just noticable between having one then the other. At this point, I'd say the 'citrus' taste was more prevelant.
Notes on the bottle mention Apple, which I think is what lingers on the back of the tongue, as if it's a hit of say, apple pie (non-spiced). I think I tasted more peach in the M than the Brut. Overall, I think the M was easier to drink when you weren't eating anything else, however the Brut might need something to balance out it's "weight" (it's a heavier hitter, it's like the difference between a light beer and a med beer, you notice the difference but it's not that extreme).
I decided to get some honey roasted peanuts to help bring out the nutty flavor that is hidden in the description listed. I did find that the sugar of the peanut covering didn't help, but the nutty flavor in general made it easier for me to associate with that taste in the wine, where as if you were at a bar it's possible all you'd have might be bar peanuts The honey taste of the nuts brought out the honey tinges of the wine, again, subtle but noticable. I will mention that the more of the nuts I ate, the stronger the honey taste from them started to highlight the honey affect in the wine. Many times what I describe are highlights of one flavor over another at one time, but none of them seem to dominate, very well balanced, and yes, a bit drier than the M from last night's sacrifical wine lamb.
After sitting some, I start to taste more peach and apple now, not quite as 'mouth cleaning' going on, but easier to handle, as if some of the weight has lifted by sitting in the glass some.
I do like this, and I think I'd have plenty times I'd find it a good suit. Maybe with a cobbler, helping bring some cooling to what might be an overly sugary sweet dessert. I think this would go well with say, pork chops? Perhaps that might be odd, but I think the flavor of it leads well to give a balance between the texture of the pork and the texture/flavors of the Brut. I wonder if this would do well baked in an Angel Food, but as I recall it's not a good one for having additives allow for rising of the dessert. Maybe as a side to it, say, an Angel Food with Chocolate syrup perhaps, and the Brut to match.
I wish I had some OJ to try making a mimosa out of, but I think it would go well if you wanted one that had a bit more 'bite' to it
Overall, I'm very happy that I got 2 of these orders, and I would have still been happy with another. I think having the variety will do well, and I could see over time how I might come to prefer the Brut over the M.
Thank you WD for the opportunity to be a labrat, and I do hope I didn't let anyone down!
(and I will say for the record I am a outward merlot lover, so I find that when I prefer something from "the other side of the fence" it's a big deal. I never figured I'd be a sparkly lover, but I have found that it's my one indulgence I have that allows me to mingle and drink when the party might only provide for those that do not have the refined tastes that I might be still developing. I love my merlot, but sparkling wine might just be that mistress I've been longing for My wines look best in a dark indulging red dress, but sometimes you gotta go gold and dazzle them!)
