I have been fortunate enough to be given a very cool opportunity. I will be putting together a wine list for a new restaurant out in Jamesport, NY at the Jedediah Hawkins Inn. The chef has a lengthy resume, starting with Le Cirque, youngest sous chef in the White House (Clinton), Little Nell in Aspen, Spruce in Chicago, Plumpjack winery, a few different Michelin rated place throughout Europe, and finally Executive Chef of the Herb Farm in Washington. He's also a James Beard award winner and has been a guest judge on Top Chef.
I'm taking this gig seriously.
The restaurant will be following suit with the Herb Farm, bringing farm to table meals, focusing on local agriculture and even going as far as growing their own herbs and vegetables from their own working gardens. So of course, local wines will be on the menu, which means Ive got my work cut out for me as I haven't tasted many Long Island wines. More on that in a separate post. I want to keep the list to smaller production, family owned and farmed wines. Organics and biodynamics a plus but not necessary. I want great, food friendly wines that you won't find at the restaurant next door. Wines that will attract the connoisseur but not scare away the casual drinker. Besides for my own company's wines, I wanted to look into the wines of Neil Rosenthal. So I called my old friend, Clarke Boehling, who recently went to work for them.
Clarke and I had a dialogue about things I was looking for. We came up with a nice list, met in his Carroll Gardens brownstone, and had a session. Here are my notes....
1) Bisson Prosecco N.V. (all 2008 fruit though) - A slight banana nose with a clean citrus zest. Bone-dry with a rich midpalate and pleasant finish. Complex for a prosecco and probably the best I have ever had.
2)Foreau Sparkling Vouvray NV - 100% Organic. 216 cases made Blocks Malo. Hazelnut overload! Holy Sh*t! So clean, and precise. Toasted hazelnuts on the nose and even lingering into the palate, and more pronounced than nutty notes I've had in champagnes.
3) Ferrando Erbaluce di Caluso 2008 - From northern Piedmont. Flint bubble gum candy pez type of thing going on here. Open for 3 days and still going strong. Round ripe fruit. I would have guessed it was from the alto adige if It were blind. 100% organic.
4)Lucien Crochet Sancerre "La Croix du Roy" 2007 - No notes.
5)Bisson Pigato - Jujubees and liquorice. A very rustic white. Pretty wine.
6)Jean Dauvissat Chablis AC "Saint Pierre" 2005 - Holy Sh*t! A mix of diarrhea and seashells! This IS an oyster.! Smoky, dirty, seashells, brine. pair this with raw oysters, they were made for each other. Rich, full, round chablis with great acid and mineral-packed finish. So diiiirty.
7)Domaine Rollin Pernard-Vergelesses 2005 - Getting a weird black fruit on the nose, almost black currants and blueberries. Very good. 24 months in barrel. 100% organic.
8)Mas Jullien 2006 - High altitude white from the Languedoc. Grenache Blanc, Carignon Blanc, Roussanne, Chenin Blanc, Clairette, Viognier. All vinified separately and blended. Waxy nose, bit of oxidation. This is the sh*t. Very Chablisienne, almost dauvissat-like with a seashell component. 100% organic.
9)Olek-Mery Chinon Blanc "Cuvee des Tireaux" 2005 - 100% Chenin Blanc. Barrel fermented and aged in 15% new wood. Filberts, graphite, smoke. Hazelnuts in the voubray times 1000. One funky white! Love it.
10)Grosjean "tourette" - Conralin, Fumin, Vien de Nus. All stainless steel.
11)Jean-Marc Morey Chassagen-Montrachet "Les Champs Gain" - Pierre Yves Colin's wife's father. 100% Organic.
12)Paolo Bea "Rosso de Veo" 2005 - 100% Sagrantino. Mint, eucalyptus, elegance of grand cru burgundy. Just one of my favorite producers ever. Such a pretty wine with a silent power.
So those are the notes I have. A very fun night with great wines. Some better than others, but all great. Some of the coolest whites I've ever tasted.
If you see a Rosenthal label on the back of any bottle, I wouldn't hesitate to buy it.
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