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Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Ben's Bubbly: Knipser Pinot Brut

Ben had several adventures this week. He had his first babysitting adventure while mom and dad went to the Colorado Corks and Cuisine event at the Four Mile Historic Park. Local caterers partnered with area wineries, breweries, distilleries and artists to provide a lovely event despite the rain. Grandma was very excited to look after the little guy while we enjoyed our first 'date' night out in more than two months. We sampled some tasty food (the lobster mac and cheese and the wild mushroom wontons stood out in my mind) and sipped on a selection of wines from Augustina's Winery, Bonacquisti Wine Company, Canyon Wind Cellars, Snowy Peaks Winery, Water 2 Wine and Wild Women Winery.

A few nights later we went up to Boulder to have dinner with friends. Ben was a perfectly behaved gentleman while we had dinner, which we started with a Sekt for this week's Ben's Bubbly, a 1999 Knipser Pinot Brut. We also enjoyed a far too young 2000 Cos d'Estournel alongside a 2001 Cottonwood Cellars Reserve Merlot and finished with a beautiful 1993 Weingut Gunderloch Nachenheimer Rothenberg Riesling Auslese Gold Cap that will hold for many years to come. Ben slept soundly as we drove home well past our bedtime.

Our final outing with Ben this week was to downtown Denver for EatDenver's Big Eat. We arrived thirty minutes before the event was supposed to end, but the vendors were all out of food and we were out of luck. Since Ben was asleep in our new Okkatots carrier, we decided to make the trip worthwhile and grab a bite to eat at Rioja. However, against my wife's better judgment, I left the diaper bag in the car six blocks away. Needless to say that was a bad idea with explosive consequences. Not three bites into my salad did I have to rush to the car to fix the problem. I have to thank our server, skinny Mike, for his awesome service and making an otherwise uncomfortable meal enjoyable even if we did have to finish it at home. We will definitely have to return more prepared to fully appreciate the restaurant.

1999 Knipser Pinot Brut, Pfalz

Hailing from Germany's largest wine, this wine was sort of an enigma. The back label said this was a rosé, but it definitely was a lovely golden color of a blanc de noirs. I assume that this error was due to the importer believing a sparkling pinot noir would be pink. Aged ten years on the lees, this wine was young at heart and would easily hold its own against much more expensive vintage Champagne. Slightly doughy and very fruit forward on the nose, this exquisite sekt tasted like brioche french toast with a strawberry compote. If you see this rarity from this world-class producer pick up a few bottles! 12.5% abv Purchased $34. Very Good/Excellent (tasted 5/21/11)

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