Champagne Castelnau brut reserve NV

 

It was in 1919 when Europe was awakening from the ravages and blood-spill of the 1st World War, a period that left indelible scars both on the French landscape as well as on the human psyche. 

As France emerged from the wreckage it was, of course, the Champagne region itself that had been among the worst areas affected. The graveyards and memorial sites are still maintained to this today as a stark reminder of how much dismay aggressive ambition between peoples can bring.

The Tour de France is one of those French institutions that has not only captured the imagination and hearts of the French people but it also excites athletes around the world who come to prove their mettle in this excruciating contest.

A fresher celebratory look


Pascal Prudhomme of Champagne Castelnau explains the tribute bottle

In 1919, keen to put a fresh new face on the tournament, the Tour de France organisers, Amaury Sport Organisation (A.S.O) introduced the famous yellow cycling jersey worn by the winners of the race. 

Tanya Baxter art advisory LondonHeart by Michael Olsen
Tanya Baxter Art Advisory London and Hong Kong 

100 years on, event sponsor, Champagne Castelnau, are celebrating this milestone with a tribute limited edition label for their very highly esteemed “Cuvée Siècle Jaune” Brut Reserve NV.

Castelnau “Cuvée Siècle Jaune” Brut Reserve NV is a traditional Champagne blend of 40% Pinot Noir, 35% Pinot Meunier, and 25% Chardonnay. With 6 years ageing on lees, it has an attractive balance of rich brioche flavour, structure, and fresh lift as the liquid crosses the finish line.

Probably exactly what I'll be needing when working up a sweat watching the magnificent riders conquer ascents and speed perilously into the depths of mountain passes this summer!

The Castelnau “Cuvée Siècle Jaune” Brut Reserve NV will retail this summer for £35

 

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Last week a picture was posted on Twitter of vines in Shabo, a large estate that lies to the west of Odesa on southern Ukraine’s Black Sea coastline. The image seemed benign at face value but the reality, of course, is that the city of Odesa has been bracing itself for attack by Russian forces. 

 

As COVID-19 conspires with the grimmest of winds and rain to force a societal retreat behind our own front doors, the word ennui springs to mind. The muddle of displeasure is pierced when Natalia hands me a large bulbous glass of a liquid I do not recognise.

 

 

Britain’s lamentable exit

On the eve of Britain’s official departure from the EU, my partner and I decided to explore a small town on the Italian Riviera where thewintry cold doesn’t feel so much like cold war bite.

I had warned my significant other that I would be having an inverse departure party, a release of the sanity valve if you like!

 

Sitting inside the ancient castle walls inside the town of Soave, a short drive from Verona in northern Italy, the unique slightly almond aroma of the indigenous grape, Garganega, rises gently from my glass. The castle sprawls up the side of an extinct volcano that gives the region its variant soil structures that mark out the better quality of Soave wines.

 

Tanisha Townsend decided to move to Paris 4 years ago after regularly passing through the city en route to the world’s most famous vineyards. In fact, it was about 2 years ago at the Printemps de Champagne Bouzy Rouge tasting in Reims that I saw (who we shall now refer to as) GirlMeetsGlass chirpily speaking to her web followers on Snapchat.

 

The cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, the final resting place of Saint James, rises out of the landscape, infested with antiquity. The rambling steep streets give way to shafts of dramatic light, emblazoned chapels, and tightly packed tapas bars, dusty, as old novels pressed together in antiquarian bookshops.

 

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