Wines downeast Maine and back home (long, rambling)

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 Prices are higher than on the outdated website, but still very reasonable.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

Great report - we are headed back to Bar Harbor this summer. Last summer we ate at Havana and had a 2014 Allemand Chaillot off the list - it was reasonably priced given latest retail. I also visited a very nice retail store in Southwest Harbor called Sawyer’s Specialties - good selection. Will check out Salt & Steel.

Dan said 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.

I think the Sauv Blanc is one of the more delicious SB’s that I tasted (several vintages). Never disappoints, and fairly priced in the NY Metro area (mid / upper $30’s last I looked).

It’s been over 25 years since I last visited coastal Maine. One of my memories was a beautiful long and broad beach close to the NH border. Dozens of people swimming, I jumped in and immediately went into hypothermic shock. I swam hard for five minutes and never warmed up.
I really miss smoked bluefish, lobster and Ipswich clams, but can’t complain about the seafood here in the PNW.
Thanks for the report and TN’s.

Just what is in Caribou (besides the aforementioned moose)?

And I never think of ‘fine dining’ and Maine as combined words, but sounds like there are places to
grab something beyond fried scallops and poutine. Thanks for the inventory!

Markus,

Caribou is a small, rather poor town in a large, rather poor county. It has potatos. 10 miles south, Presque Isle is both livelier and more prosperous, but that is just in comparison to its neighbor.

As to the rest of the state, your image is seriously out of date. To start, the raw materials available are of unbelievable quality. Maine has the largest organic farmer’s association in the U.S. A few years ago, Food & Wine named Portland, ME (~75,000 people) as the best restaurant city in the country. In Portland, Fore Street is, simply, one of the world’s very great restaurants. There are a few dozen other exceptional restaurants in Portland. I haven’t eaten at the White Barn Inn in Kennebunk, but it should be in the same class. Primo in Rockland definitely is. I could go on, but won’t. Please come here if you get the opportunity. We can share a glass of wine and some good grub.

Dan Kravitz

Then you are missing out! Portland is an incredibly foody town, with fantastic restaurants. As Dan mentioned, I agree that Primo, farther up the coast is worthy of at least two Michelin stars, and there some (nearly) equally outstanding restaurants closer to the NH border in Kennebunkport and Arundel.

That said, I often find many of the wine lists either lacking, dramatically overpriced, or both. I would love to have the right to pay a corkage fee in the state.

Don, your posts are greatly appreciated. I love northern New England for traveling and hiking but it’s never been a place where I’d associate much of it with fine, or event half way good, dining (larger towns like Portland of course are exceptions). So helping us find some better gems is really helpful.

I’ll be visiting my daughter in July this summer, who lives near Saco. Are there other restaurants, besides the White Barn Inn, in the area that are worth reserving for a special meal? TIA.

I do love Maine. I have tended to spend my time in the Biddeford(across the river from Saco)-Kennebunkport-Wells area over the past 20+ years, so most of my experience is limited mostly to that area and Portland (an easy drive from Saco).

As much as I love Maine and concur with Dan that there are some great restaurants, I’ve not found that they are abundant - lots of fun places to eat, but great NY style restaurants take some finding. Biddeford had an up and coming food/dining scene for a minute, but the pandemic has really seemingly set that back, and there were other impactful closings (like Grace in Portland, a terrific restaurant that converted exclusively to an event space). I’ve gotten lots of great ideas from this board for lops of places I’ve gone, so I will pay it forward with a few that jump to mind:

Fore Street (Portland) - as mentioned by Dan. Great, pretty much at the top of every list. Everything is grilled/cooked over a wood fire, great for seafood and meats - rustic but refined.

Street & Co and Scales (both also Portland) are two sister restaurants that are also very good, though perhaps less refined - Street & Co is fish and pasta, Scales is a broader menu

Joshua’s (Wells) - I think this is a hidden gem - lovely, farm to table American bistro type

Eventide (Portland) - great seafood tapas and oyster place - extremely popular

Bandaloop (Arundel) - maybe a bit weaker than the rest of this list, but still a solid place - organic, global cuisine, good vegan/vegetarian options but other stuff as well

MC Perkins Cove (Ogunquit) - run by the two James Beard award winning chefs that used to run Arrows, which was phenomenal but closed a number of years ago - classic american fare, great views

The Tiller Restaurant at The Cliff House (Cape Neddick) - haven’t been in a while so can’t say for certain, but when I went it was a solid, American fare place and definitely has unbelievable views

Duck Fat (Portland) - maybe not what you are looking for because it specializes in sandwiches and Belgian frites (and poutine), but most everything is made in - you guessed it - duck fat, and it is delicious

White Barn Inn (Kennebunkport) - fanciest place on this list - classic fine dining in a rustic-ish setting

I’ve heard that Earth at Hidden Pond (Kennebunkport) is very good and looks beautiful, but I haven’t been yet.

to Bob G: From Saco, you are as close to Portland as you are to the White Barn. David Rosewater gave you a good overview of Portland, but I find Scales close to Fore Street in quality and ambience, with Street & Company a small step behind. Chaval is also excellent, a candidate for special occasions. The Well at Jordan’s Farm is closer than either and can be exceptional. Even though I live and sell wine here, I cannot keep up with the laws. The Well somehow manages to both have a wine list and permit BYOB, which is otherwise apparently illegal if you have a license. Perhaps it’s because you eat outside in screened cabanas. I’m sorry, but I know very little about most of the restaurants south of Portland as I live 30 miles north. Empire in Portland has exceptional Chinese food. The ambience is so-so, but the grub is excellent, original and local. Wonton soup is usually used dishwater used as a ferry for industrial dumplings; Empire’s is home made duck stock carrying dumplings your grandma wishes she could make (in any ethnicity).

To David: I agree that Maine doesn’t have many fine restaurants in the New York sense, but you can eat as well at most of the multitude of lobster shacks as you can anywhere on this planet. Inelegant settings with incomparable seafood, especially if not too breaded and fried. If the better sit-down places don’t have the ambience and feel of NY, why should they? The Dolphin here in Harpswell is excellent and elegant in an exceptionally beautiful setting, but half of their customers are there in shorts, t-shirts and flip-flops, because they docked their boats and walked on in.

Dan Kravitz

From what I’ve been told, by people I trust very much, Earth at Hidden Pond may be the top answer, well above White Barn Inn (not to discount the latter). There are a LOT of nice places in Portland, but very few are near this level, in these people’s opinions. Portland has a lot of very nice restaurants with wine lists that don’t live up to the caliber of food, so be ready for that.

I’ve never been to Earth at Hidden Pond, but will try it this fall. If it is as good as Fore Street, it is a very great restaurant. The glass list on line looks OK.

Dan Kravitz

I am with you Dan - I’m perfectly happy with lobster shacks and informal places. One of the many great things about Maine is basically no pretention! Just responding to what Bob seemed to be interested in. One of these days when I’m up there we will have to find a time to hit a picnic table and BYOB!

Fun read, and interesting conversation. I would love to spend some time in Portland, and can’t believe I never have. I have made several trips to Bar Harbor over the years and have eaten twice at Havana. The last time was three years ago. The food was very good and the wine list, as noted, was terrific for a small resort town.

In the warmer months, Maine is one of the most beautiful places I have been to. I have also been there in January and found it slightly less appealing at that time of year. Maybe it feels different, though, if you live on the coast.

Restaurants could assemble a small but particularly decent list of wines from folks with Maine affiliations in their backgrounds!

I do hope, in a fashion, to be able to pick up the mantle of fine, still red Blueberry wine from Bartlett Vineyards later this summer. Still, with Kelley, have every intention of making a few barrels. Honors both the Maine roots and the agricultural industry here in Oregon.

Dan, Thanks for the fun post. I’m guessing that 04 Pegau was quite delicious!

Some restaurants in this thread I hadn’t heard of, even though I’ve spent at least part of every summer of my life just south of Portland. (And now live there almost half the year). FYI, The Well at Jordan”s Farm indeed now has a wine and beer license, but that also put an end, sadly, to the BYOB option. They are very strict now about that- no BYOB. A few lobster shacks seem to be our last byob option… Twin lights being closest to us, in Cape Elizabeth.

I’m excited to see what you come up with, if we’re ever able to get our hands on some out here.

I’ll be at both Earth and White Barn next week and will report back. From past visits, I really didn’t understand all the buzz about Earth.

Given my druthers, I would have every meal at Nunan’s Lobster Hut.

Adding in more praise for Fore Street, runner up with Street and Co. Street and Co is a little more straightforward in terms of prep and menu items than Fore st, but the quality of food is terrific at both. Scales is in the same restaurant family but is a little more touristy since it’s big and right down on the water, I’d probably avoid it if there’s a cruise ship docked down there. Chaval and Leeward are supposed to be good too - I believe they’ve both been in the running for james beard awards in the last few years. For BYOB lobster shacks, two lights is definitely worth the trip, I normally get the fried clams but the lobster’s good as well.

Twelve is a new restaurant opening this summer in downtown portland, headed by a chef who spent the last decade at DANIEL and 11 madison park in NYC. Curious to see how it’s received, but would imagine it’s worth checking out.