Caribou Maine is a sad potato town. I wanted to find things to like, had a hard time. I didn’t get a vintage on the
Chateau Sainte Michelle Rose: Surprisingly good. No idea what’s in it, I’m guessing Cabernet. Rated 87.5. Good value for sure!
Lubec Maine is a beautiful, magical, sparsely populated waterfront town. The Inn on the Wharf is a thoroughly comfortable, enjoyable hotel which takes full advantage of the setting. You need your passport and vaxx to drive across to Campobello Island and the International Park. The restaurant is your basic lobster shack. Prices are higher than on the outdated website, but still very reasonable. The $12 crabcake may be the best I’ve ever had, including those I make myself.
Chateau Saint Jean California Chardonnay (I didn’t get the vintage) was OK. Correct varietal, with more pear than apple, a little soft and a little dilute, but balanced. Rated 86.
Next stop was Bar Harbor. We’re not in Kansas any more.
Bar Harbor is one of the world’s great resort towns. In 1604 Champlain was the first European to run aground there. It was incorporated as Eden in 1796. It is the gateway to Acadia National Park, with 3.5 million visitors, the nation’s most popular. Until a fire in 1947, it was the summer capital of American capital, with “cottages” (20 - 90 bedrooms) owned by Rockefellers, Astors, Vanderbilts, &c.
Bar Harbor has always been known for good food, not fine dining. That is changing. We dined at Salt & Steel, on the edge of downtown. Excellent, sophisticated grub.
My guest and I shared a bottle of wine I sell, but before that I had a glass of:
2019 Cedar + Salmon Pinot Gris - Moderately rich, well-balanced, this is a good glass wine for a restaurant that seeks interest as well as quality. There is more earth than mineral, more apple than pear, this is both lush and piquant, not a great wine and not the greatest intensity, but a real pleasure with my octopus. Rated 88.5.
I haven’t yet eaten at Havana, across the street, but it has a world-class wine list. Unlike many great lists, there are plenty of good, interesting bottles under $100, they also do their btg wines in 2 ounce flights.
The next night’s dinner was at Primo in Rockland. This is deservedly a destination restaurant. If Michelin did Maine, at least **.
My guest and I shared three glasses:
2019 Stag’s Leap Chardonnay - This was a pleasant glass, with good intensity, but the flavors were a little bland. There was ripe apple, there was some oak, there wasn’t much else. Rated 85.5
2019 Navarro Pinot Noir Anderson Valley - Now we’re talking! The aromas offer vivid red cherry fruit. In contrast, the palate has black fruit notes with some deep earthiness in a light-bodied, beautifully balanced format. Rated 91, should hold for at least 3 years but I don’t think it will improve. This is for the fresh, tender present.
2020 Bandol Rose ‘Adrets’ - Here’s vivacity in a very polite format. The aromas are wild strawberry, with a hint of watermelon. The palate is lively but with some depth. The finish is surprisingly long. This is why Bandol sells for more than other Provence Roses. Rated 91.5.
Brunswick, the nearest town to my Harpswell home, has a couple of pretty good restaurants, but the first fine dining establishment has just opened. 555 was a Portland staple, closed, and has just reopened here as 555 North. I dined their second night open… frankly, it was a little rough, but I know that these people will have it running smoothly very quickly. The glass list is noteworthy; good quality, interesting wines; fairly priced and available in whole or half glasses.
2021 Daou Chardonnay Paso Robles - served at about 60 degrees, this was lovely, with pear and slight herbal aromas, beautifully balanced, both fresh and luscious, outstanding value for a $7 half glass. Rated 92.
2019 Massaya ‘Le Colombier’ from Lebanon was also really good. Moderately rich, the aromas were more black fruit than red, mostly cherry, with some intense earthy undertones. The palate was fine and balanced. A blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Tempranillo, it had both Rhone and Rioja characteristics, intriguing and satisfying. Rated 91.
2019 La Crema Pinot Noir, Monterey - This had some pleasant red cherry fruit and a light texture with reasonable acidity. Balanced and pleasant, it lacked intensity. Acceptable, rated 86.5
Back home with a guest, I raided my newly acquired stash of Greek wines:
2011 Tatsis Xynomavro - Beautiful forest-floor aromas blended with black fruit. More body than expected from this varietal, the acidity was lively, the tannins mostly resolved, strong notes of spice (white pepper) and a very long finish. Very fine, fully mature but not at all old. Rated 92.5.
Last but not least, board member Michael Drew met us at a lobster shack. I brought wine I sell (including my last bottle of ’94 Pegau Reservee… sob!), so no notes on those, but Michael, just in from Alaska, managed to snare a stunning white in Portland:
2019 Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc, Russian River Valley - the aromas offer excellent intensity of lime, orange zest and cactus flower. The palate is extremely rich, opulent but with exceptional balance. There are touches of honeydew melon, but the flavors and texture remain firmly dry. I’ve had close to a dozen of her Pinot Noirs, but never a Sauvignon Blanc. This is extraordinary. Rated 95.
Dan Kravitz