This Note's For You (Mar. 30, 2012)

"I'm special, so special..."

If I like you, if I really like you, I'll open my best bottles for you. If you're not there to share the joy, I'll just share the beauty with the best words I can find.

Case in point: today I ran another race. the 10K at the Tel Aviv Marathon. I was pleased with my time and treated myself to a special wine and drank a silent toast to one of my best friends ever.

A. Margaine, Special Club, Blanc de Blancs, Brut, Premier Cru, 2004

The reason I prefer Chardonnay in its Champagne incarnation is the way the citrus-y aspects of the grape are emphasized in this form (same as in Chablis, my other favorite Chard). Here, the citrus fruit is coupled with gorgeous chalk and typical brioche on the nose, while the palate is steely in a Chablis Grand Cru way. Yet, while it's very delicious right now, the tension on the palate only hints at potential complexity. Do I feel any remorse at opening this now? Nah, the fact that this will only get better doesn't diminish the pleasure it offers now. I wanted to spoil myself, and no matter how good this will get, it spoiled me silly today.

All of the above only begins to hint at the abstraction of the Champagne experience this offers. Hey, there's a reason the Special Clubs are called "special" as opposed to, say, "same old, same old".

Boutique de Champagnes, 329 NIS.