Celebrating Cadel with average Champagne….

Cadel crossing the finish line. Emotional stuff. Gee I’ve spent a few weeks of late nights in front of this tv recently…

Apparently 2.4 million Australians watched the final stage of this years Tour de France on Sunday, a number which is said to be double that of last year. I was one of those 2.4 million bleary eyed fans, celebrating what is inarguably the finest moment in Australian cycling history: Cadel Evans mounting the podium to be the first Australian (and only third ever non European) to win the Tour de France.

Now as someone who dedicates a whole drawer to bike/outdoor/adventure (etc) clothing and may have spent far too much time putting together a Tour de France Fantasy team, you can imagine how exciting this was. Actually, I think any sports fans would have enjoyed Cadel’s win, particularly given how long (and at times heartbreaking) the journey has been to get there. The clincher though was the raw emotion on Cadel’s face, that look of someone who has worked so hard, for so long and failed so many times in the process, yet finally realises their dreams.

Suffice to say it was a rather emotional little period, and there may have been some moist eyes in the household…..

Pierre Gimmonet Paradoxe 2004 Not quite up to the task

But back to this Champagne. I grabbed it in a hurry at a large local liquor store (a store with a very vanilla range of Champagne), swayed by a positive Tanzer note and decent wines from the label before, hoping that a (somewhat) well regarded, small house Champagne, from a top vintage, may have been up to the task of toasting a great achievement (and considering that Paris is so close to Champagne, it seemed that only Champagne would do).

Sadly, this wine didn’t do Cadel justice. I enjoyed my night so much that a slightly disappointing bubbly wasn’t really going to derail the fun, but it still irks when you fork out $85 for something so far off the mark…

Pierre Gimmonet et Fils 1er cru ‘Pardoxe’ Brut 2004 (Champagne, France)
12.5%, Cork, $85
Source: Retail

It actually smells pretty good, with a richness and sherried and caramel lees development edge that is quite appealing. The problem lies on the palate, which has loads of acidity but little else, a thin, tart and lean/mean/green (fighting machine?) disjointed beast. Arguably it’s too young, yet I’m just not feeling the balance on the palate, which doesn’t have the depth to fight with that mount molesting green acidity. Hard going indeed (with even my less clinical Champagne drinking partner unable to get her head around it). 16/87