Spring and fizz

It's been a gorgeous day, here in our small part of the world. I took the day off and spent it with Fiona and RTL. After dropping the kids off at school we headed for Box Hill for a nice long walk. It was a special day: bright, clear blue skies, laser-sharp hues and a gently-warm sun. Lunch was consumed sitting outside at a pub in Chilworth, accompanied by a pint of Greene King IPA, followed by a short walk along the River Wey. These are the sorts of days that form enduring positive memories which you can feed on later.

Tonight I'm on the fizz again. Champagne Mumm Cordon Rouge 1998 is a more than respectable effort. It's bright, lemony and very fruity on the nose, but the palate is a good deal richer with notes of toast and vanilla, coupled with good acidity. It's quite fresh as well as being very full flavoured. I suspect there's a fair bit of both Pinots in here. It's fairly serious (I scored this as 91), and with its full flavour and body I reckon it's a good food Champagne. Fizz is expensive, though, compared with other wines. Majestic stock this on a 3 for 2 offer, which brings the price down to a very competitive £23, as opposed to the list price of £35.