And cold Champagne on Sunday night….. sorry Zach Brown, I took some liberties.

Sunday, August 8th is not only my oldest daughter’s birthday, this year it also happened to be the day after my youngest daughter’s wedding. The wedding was gorgeous, we were blessed with great weather, friends, and family.

If you’ve ever been the Mother of the Bride (MOB for those in the know), you also know that helping to plan your daughter’s wedding is a busy time, and sometimes downright stressful. My daughter chose a venue that was stunningly gorgeous, but that I endearingly call “logistically difficult.” An hour and forty-five minutes from our home, and half way up a mountain, where every item, from tablecloths to candles had to be sourced. Licensed bar tenders had to be found, but they are licensed to pour not sell, so the alcohol had to be sourced elsewhere. You get the idea I’m sure. An outdoor wedding in Georgia is always a dicey choice – heat, humidity, afternoon thunderstorms.

Did I mention that that the Bride and Groom did not live in Georgia during the planning? Almost all of the decisions were made blind – no tastings, no in person meetings. And Covid decided to become a major player in the 2 weeks leading up to the wedding. For a few months, we thought we were winning that battle didn’t we?

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Guess what? It was beautiful! I couldn’t be happier with how everything came together, and I think the Bride & Groom were too, which truly is the only thing that matters. On Sunday, I was equal parts exhausted and happy. By the time we arrived at home on Sunday afternoon, there was not one molecule of energy for cooking, or even going out for that matter, but we were definitely starving. We were also feeling very celebratory – I mean I pushed a whole nother human out of my very own body on this day 27 years ago!

A cursory glance in the fridge and I spied this Champagne Pommery – bingo! I swear the label said “drink me.” But what to eat? We were seriously hungry.

We debated between popcorn – which we had on hand – and Publix fried chicken. We were really hungry so the latter won, even though running to Publix was more than we wanted to do. We added a bag of kettle chips, and pre-cut fruit. The pre-cut fruit proves how tired I was, I never buy pre-cut fruit – its such a ripoff! lol!.

Pommery|Brut Champagne|2004 Cuvee Louise|12.5% ABV|$139.99

Cuvee Louise is named in honor of the matriarch of the Champagne Pommery house, yet another widow, that not only took the helm of the business upon her husband’s passing, she grew it to previously unimagined success. The Brut style was first introduced by Louise Pommery – it wasn’t a hit for everyone, some called the lack of sugar “brutish”, hence the Brut name. Face forward a couple of hundred years and it is the preferred style. Always trust your gut ladies.

The grapes – predominantly Chardonnay, with Pinot Noir, come from three different Gran Cru vineyards. I couldn’t find a lot of technical details, but the wine spent 10 years on the lees, wow.

This is the oldest Champagne I’ve ever experienced, and it was magical. Words escaped me when it came to writing down the “something” that just made each sip perfectly splendid. Or maybe it was just equal parts basking in the moment, and exhaustion. I can assure you I wasn’t trying too hard to figure it out.

There were gorgeous aromas of brioche, nuttiness, citrus, and whiffs of something floral. And I swear I could taste the fossilized seashells that they say lie underneath all of the vines in Champagne.

On the palate, the minerality carried over, with notes of lemon curd, toasted nut, and that lovely yeasty note. The perlage was fine and consistent, with perfectly balanced acidity, and a decadent creamy texture. All of it came together for a silky, delicious, medium bodied mouthfeel. Rich, complex, and generous.

If you have had Publix fried chicken then you know, if not, I would make it a point to grab some the next your travels bring you to the southeast. It’s delicious all by itself, but if you can pair it with Champagne – perfection!

Cheers to celebrating life’s big moments, and to the simple splurges! Cheers friends.

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