No:65 Yellowglen Perle 2006

I had high hopes for the Yellowglen Perle 2006 as a quick Google brought awards and glory but generally Yellowglen seems to lurk in the supermarket aisles looking a little bit girls on tour. However if you are looking for something a little different to the disco divas of White, Pink, Yellow and Red then the 2006 Perle is an elegant little gem.

Toasty and rich with flavours of hazelnuts, quince, honey, lemon, biscuits, pineapple and a hint of yeasty fresh bread the 2006 is chock full of complexity with a tight bead and a real creaminess in the mouth. Although this is coming up for 5 years old there is a real youthful feel to the wine and would be interesting to taste over the next few years to see how it continues to age.  

The Perle was a real treat, we enjoyed it with the traditional fish and chip combo and it kicked off a great night seeing Mara and the Bushkas which ended far, far later than anticipated. Maybe I should have had the disco diva Yellowglen after all.... 

Open That Bottle Night: Augusti Torello Mata Reserva Cava Brut 2006

Open that bottle night is a great idea to drink those bottles of wine that you look at and occasionally stroke, hoping that the right occasion will just present itself. It is also probably a better idea if all my wine wasn't on the other side of the world. Nay bother, where there's a will there's a way and my way was to try the vintage cava I had  previously been eyeing up on The Matterhorn wine list.

Augusti Torello Mata has created a real gem that shows his passion and precision in producing sparkling wine. Located in the heart of Cava-land, Sant Sadurni d'Anoia, Penedes, Mata was the first of his family to get into the wine business back in the 1950's. The Xarel-lo, Parellada and Macabeo old vines are maintained with a nod to sustainability, hand harvested with each vineyard vinified separately and then aged for  three years before release.

Augusti hasn't been wasting his time, this was superb! Before I tucked into it, the wine was a sight to behold, columns of tiny bubbles formed fine beading on the rim and the nose was a pronounced mix of almonds, crisp green apples, crackers (edible not party) and yeasty fresh bread proving.

On the palate it was far softer and riper than I was expecting, those big flavours from the nose had mellowed to sit very comfortably together bound by a very creamy mousse. Not the longest finish I've had from a glass of sparkling wine but last night it performed beautifully. An absolute gem that would change people's minds about cava being just a party plonk.