Now?
Only once, but it was revelatory: Chinon. The sommelier at Chateay d’Noizay in Loire encouraged me to try some mature Chinons from top years; he had a deep list and very reasonably priced compared to Bordeaux and Northern Rhones. I’m not sure that I had had a Loire Cab Franc before then. And now look at me: Around 25% of my purchases are Loire reds.
That said, I agree completely with your comments about the notable importers and specialty retailers like Chambers and Crush. It is through them that I have learned about a lot of very unique, not so easy to find wines. This Board, too.
I thought it was a good article- I’ve seen plenty of “parentage/influence” charts/articles about chefs. The folks mentioned in this article changed a lot about wine service in NY, though of course there were other important people.
Well, I’m drinking Pacherhof Sylvaner as we speak.
I don’t eat out at restaurants with somms that much, and when I do it’s usually a BYO event. But a few years ago I had a truly awful day (literally most of a week’s takehome pay gone-stolen). We had a reservation for an early pre-Valentine’s dinner at Alto, where article’s author worked. I wasn’t a big spender, but he made it a memorable night:
As to the wine….I’m a geeky wineguy, and usually have fun choosing my wine, though after my disaster I reduced my mental budget quite a bit. Decided to go with a bottle of white, and eyed an Aligote, a couple Rieslings, a Pieropan La Rocca, a Verdicchio. But I realized our sommelier was Levi Dalton, who had made great by the glass suggestions when we were at Convivio (same group of restaurants). So I said “I’d like a bottle of white, we’re having the prix fixe with some seafood but also some richer stuff, I’d like to keep it in the $50-75 range, and I’m really geeky and would like to try something new.” Pointed out a couple things that I WOULD order, but asked for suggestions that I don’t know. He suggested an Alto Adige white, the 2009 Kuen Hof Silvaner. OK, I’ll admit, Italian Silvaner is not something I’d ever think of. But this guy knows (and praises) the wine, and knows the food. And the fact I’d have never chosen it myself is kind of the point, right? So let’s try it.
2009 Kuen Hof Silvaner
Lean, tensile, minerally. Citrus fruit, a saline edge. A really lovely wine that spanned a lot of complex dishes well, and opened/changed throughout evening. He gave me choice of keeping on ice or on table, I chose former which might have been a mistake, as a glass that sat for a while filled out with air and warmth. I’d never have chosen this wine on my own in 20 tries, but now it’s something to look for. Ranks with the absolute best Franken silvaners I’ve ever had. A-
So, the suggestion was a great success. But there was a surprise (wait, 2!). Since I had described myself as geeky and expressed interest in something different, all of the sudden he shows up with a bottle of the 1996 Francis Cotat "La Grande Cote Cuvee Speciale"Sancerre. Said since I was geeky I might like to try this, a wine from a superhot vintage that the Cotats (I think the brothers were still sharing cellar at this point?) let retain some residual sugar. Very cool and funky wine, with a HUGE exotic nose. Spearmint, fig, tropical fruits, Fresca. Despite the big ripe body, lots of chalky minerality showing on finish. As Betsy succinctly put it “I’ve never tasted anything quite like this.” She saved some and it did well with the chevre (I stole hers). I alternated between loving this and being perplexed by it. B+/A- ?
And that wasn’t the end of it. When Betsy’s veal arrived, he showed up again with the remainders of a half bottle of 2006 Vernay Condrieu, saying the Silvaner wasn’t quite big enough for the veal. The Condrieu certainly was, a rich full wine replete with floral/musky notes. Very interesting wine, though probably my least favorite of the three, unlike the Sancerre the ripeness seems to overtake the acidity, a bit fat (though for Condrieu this had reasonable acidity). I’ve enjoyed a lot of Condrieu, but never found one I’d want to pay the fare for - but this one was free! : B/B+.
All in all, my incredibly shitty day was made much better by a innovative and generous sommelier (and an attentive service staff and creative kitchen). The bonus pours were amazingly generous, but really the best part was trying a wine that went beyond my expectations and that was out of my comfort zone. Sometimes it pays to put aside one’s geeky control self and learn from someone who really knows their stuff
Maybe he should have put himself in the article.
I suppose it’s odd for me to think about New York much in terms of wine influence. Granted, it’s written regarding the New York wine scene, something I’m totally oblivious of, but this seems like an article that’s only really meaningful to those in New York City, or formerly from the city. Even more, it’s interesting, and maybe curious, to think about popular sommeliers being influential given the relational nature of wine service. You really only influence those that you serve within your limited reach. A sommelier from any restaurant, in any city could be immensely influential to any one person.
But again, it’s all about the New York wine scene. I know nothing about it and know only a couple of the names. The article likely wasn’t written for me and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Think you might be downplaying the influence of NYC on food and wine. I can tell you that here on the Eastcoast it does send ripples out through the whole region. I think it is one of the focal points and drives much of the interest and desires in old world wine. Certainly one the best things about the NYC wine scene.
I might be totally oblivious to it or perhaps its more limited to the east coast. Struggling to think of the potential influence on a significant scale beyond regions like Jura and Friuli. Even then that’s an awfully small segment.
I can tell you from a producer standpoint that many of them know and are very aware of NYC. It is the first place many of them land.
As far as I can tell, the article was written for, and published in, Eater NY. Hence, it was meant for those with interests and concerns for the New York dining and wining scene; otherwise, it would have been more generalized and published in, say, Eater SF or Eater LA. I have interests in it because I’ve eaten at some of the mentioned restaurants and I’m a big follower of the local dining scene. I also understand why the article means nothing to a few of those here. They care not for, nor follow, NYC dining/wining scene. As Seinfeld would say “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
Btw, I agree about the glaring omission of the contributions of the Batali restaurants. I consider myself fortunate to have been introduced to a few of wines that have helped shaped my Italian wine journey from those points on.
Agree that Batali’s restaurant would have been a worthwhile addition.
Also Spark’s Steak House, which offered an amazing list of wines at relatively low prices. It was perhaps the first destination wine restaurant.