Dinner with Charlie (and Tricia, and some really good wines)

Parker Board stalwart Charlie Neuhaus and his wife Tricia spend their summers in Maine. Last night we got together at Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster in South Freeport Maine (or SO. FREE. ME., as they call it).

HL&L is a deeply classic lobster shack. Charlie and Tricia had lobster (duh). My guest had a fish basket (haddock). I had scallops. The table had shrimp and onion rings.

Charlie and I each brought two wines. Charlie loves wine with bottle age. So do I. I brought two whites (one young, one pre-teen), he brought reds at 12 and 20 years. ‘Good’ would be a serious understatement!

2018 Sandar & Hem Chardonnay, Mindego Ridge - The board raves about this new producer, I bought a mixed 4-pack. I normally wouldn’t open anything from the SCM at three years, but was anxious to try this.
Well, it was a puzzle. It got to the shack near room temperature, the aromas were an open panoply of cactus flower, cilantro and hazelnut. On the palate it was surprisingly rich and soft, but with chilling it developed more backbone. It did not have either the conifer or lime elements I associate with SCM Chardonnay, but it was a good wine that got better the longer it was open. The long finish is really promising. Rated 87 on opening, 89 later, up to 4 points of improvement likely in 2 - 7 years.

I import the other white, so no note.

Charlie’s reds were impressive!

2009 Chateau des Tours Cotes du Rhone ‘Reserve’ - This was spritzy on opening! Charlie shook it up and released the gas. After that, it was a ripe, voluptuous beauty in glorious middle age. Rich, verging but not crossing the line into overripe, this had tons of Grenache black raspberry and garrigue character. Perhaps not the wine and food match made in heaven, it worked surprisingly well with the onion rings and the shrimp with cocktail sauce. It screamed ‘drink me!’. Rated 91.5.

2001 Daniel Schuster Omihi Hills Vineyard Selection - This is a New Zealand Pinot Noir from an absurdly obscure producer than may no longer be in business. It is great wine. Healthy crimson color for 20 year Pinot. The aromas are incredibly fresh and amazingly subtle… black cherry, a hint of ginger, a hint of roses, a touch of mineral, nothing remotely earthy or old. The palate is light to medium in body, tannins fully resolved, acidity present but muted. What is impressive is the seamlessness and harmony of this wine. It is subtle but complete, every element in place, just sheer beauty. Clearly identifiable as Pinot Noir, I could not have begun to place it. Definitely not Burgundy, or anywhere in California, or Oregon, or Patagonia. The best NZ Pinot I’ve ever had. Rated 94.5.

Dan Kravitz

and how was the food?

The 09 Ch. des Tours CdR is generally flawed with spritziness, but I’ve found that almost all bottles recover well with extended air (lots of shaking or up to two days of decanting). I spoke to one sommelier in France who found it irredeemably flawed and even opened a bottle for free to convince me. That was the night I had 2005 Rayas for €200, and Raveneau, PYCM, etc. my sales guy who was picking up the check was scared shitless until he saw the bill. Customer was really happy, though.

I have a few bottles left from a case of the ‘99 Ch. de Tours, and the last five or so have had lots of spritz as well. After shaking, it was still just a decent grenache. While not an ugly duckling, it will never be a swan.

The lack of BYO in Maine is disappointing, but at least there seem to be plenty of lobster shacks that don’t care if you open some bottles while eating there. I remember a lobster roll shack with a couple of picnic tables outside, on the way to Boothbay Harbor, where the owner looked at me like it was a silly question when I asked if we could drink wine there.

Alan,

The food was as expected: The fried seafood is impeccably fresh and impeccably fried. Like most lobster shacks, the fried food is heavy on the batter.


Doug,

Maine law prohibits BYOB in licensed establishments and sadly the law is enforced. There’s no shortage of lobster shacks, but not many of them are open in the winter.


Dan Kravitz

I think I’d trade a good portion of my cellar to have lobster shacks near by.