Champagne & Tea Soirée
This past Monday, together with Peter Liem of ChampagneGuide.net and Caleb Ganzer, wine director at Compagnie des vins Surnaturals, we paired three champagnes and teas with explored the similarities (and differences), and how the tasting notes of both complimented each other harmoniously.
The night started with Darjeeling 1st Flush from Muscatel Valley, a high-elevation site on the Goomtee Estate in India, paired with Ulysse Collin's 2013 Les Pierrières to match its floral, brisk, and liveliness. The flavor profiles surprisingly matched well, both showing a sweet fragrance of green vegetables.
Next up, the 2014 Spring Fortune, a exquisite semi-oxidized oolong from Lala san (拉拉山) in northern Taiwan with a notable rich aroma, held well next to the Marguet's 2010 Ambonnay. The perfumey liquor was reminiscent of a freshly baked apple pie, some baked spices- cinnamon, cloves. One guest even pointed out the Taiwanese oolong reminded me of pizza, highlighting the tea's jammy character.
To finish, we stepped up some Tie luo han (铁罗汉), a rare tea from a small grower in Wuyi Shan (武夷山), in Fijian Province. The tea is not available for sale and was given to us from the producer as a sample (now that's rare!). Such an exceptional tea only makes sense to be paired with a wine of similar caliber. Peter Liem paired the bold and smoky Tie luo han with a 2015 Domaine Jacques-Selosse.
