Nachtvogel – Giraud Esprit Nature

There is arguably no better way to celebrate something than to open a bottle of champagne. Especially, when the bottle in question is such a special one as the Giraud Esprit Nature. The champagne is completely vinified in wood and only uses two of the three famous champagne grapes. Yet, this should not mean that you cannot mix yourself a delicious champagne cocktail with it. In this case, I chose a recipe using a smoky Scotch.

Henri Giraud uses 80 % pinot noir and 20 % chardonnay grapes for his Espirt Nature. The grapes come from vineyards which work according to the “Haute Valeur Environnmentale”. Apart from that, the reserve wines, which make up 50 % of the cuvée, range from 1990 to today. Those wines are aged in Argonne oak casks with a capacity of 228 l. All in all, the champagne spends two years on the yeast and has a residual sweetness of 3,55 g / l and an acidity of 3,9 g / l.

Acidity and oak

Depending on the glass you are enjoying the champagne from, the Esprit Nature starts off with a noticeable acidity and green apples. However, when sipping it from a universal glass the Esprit Nature tastes balanced with more yellow fruits, especially peaches. On top of that, you can find a lot of yeast notes. The oak is noticeable and even gives the champagne a certain smokiness. In conclusion, the Giraud kind of grows on you. First, you get the impression that it is a bit too tart, but after a while you can taste complex flavours and a lot of depth.

A smoky champagne cocktail

The Nachtvogel cocktail is a rather unknown champagne cocktail, created by Markus Blattner. Yet, for me the drink deserves a place among the top ten of sparkling wine drinks. I especially like the contrast between smoky whisky notes and the luscious sparkling wine flavours. In this case, I used the Rock Island Sherry Edition from Douglas Laing. Furthermore, the port wine brings all flavours together and adds a silky mouthfeel. I prefer a tawny port here, but according to the Mixology article a ruby might also work.

I enjoyed a few Nachtvogel cocktails over the years now. However, I guess this one is my favourite so far. The Rock Island Sherry Edition just works perfectly with the port wine, but also does not overwhelm the champagne. The smokiness and oak flavour of the Giraud go extremely well with the other flavours. The bitters and the simple syrup round off the drinking experience.

*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. The whisky was provided by Bremer Spirituosen Contor.