Three hundred and forty three years ago today, Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was born. And right after that, three hundred and ten years later, I was born on the same day.
To commemorate Vivaldi and celebrate our birthdays this year, I kept the tradition and chose a special Champagne. This is actually the same Champagne house I chose back in 2017, it was the vintage 2003. This year my selection is Dom Pérignon from vintage 2010.
Dom Pérignon 2010
This wine is a result of a painstaking effort of the difficult vintage 2010. The rain arriving in the middle of August in Champagne putting grapes in danger of botrytis growth required fast action on harvest. Although many houses didn’t produce vintage Champagne in 2010, Dom Pérignon was able to save their best Pinot Noir plots. The story behind this amazing Champagne made me understand that I couldn’t choose a better wine for celebrating a birthday under conditions of 2021. We had a lot of global challenges since last year, but this also made us more resilient, and even brought new opportunities for many.
Dom Pérignon 2010 is a blend ofChardonnay and Pinot Noir. On the nose and palate, it’s a festival with tropical and citrus fruits and white flowers. It paired beautifully with my new recipe inspired by Top Chef France, a plate called “Jardin de legumes” (vegetable garden) by famous Japanese chef Kei Kobayashi. In my vegetable garden, we had beetroot and spinach puree, grilled asparagus, bell pepper and carrots, roasted brussels sprouts and tomatoes, fresh peas, baby corn and microgreens. It was a real garden, and almost as complex as the aromas found in Champagne.
Motivation from overcoming challenges, and inspiration from nature and its perfection, I wish a happy birthday to all March born wine lovers.
Cheers,
Nesli
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