Wendy, Elisabeth of currentVintage & Alison enjoying Laurnet-Perrier rosé champagne at The Pearl 10th Anniversary Party, 12/06/09. photo Gene Mahon

To Every wine I’ve loved before…

I remember that 1990 Nuits St George at Jean George so long ago.  And there was the Corton Charlemagne in the 18^th century caves of Latour. Aged and amber white burgundies at Jadot.  A thimbleful of 1964 Lafite-Rothschild (it was a half bottle shared among 8).

While these were great vintages, it’s the circumstance I remember so vividly, because what makes a wine truly memorable is usually the setting in which it’s enjoyed…the pleasure of the table.  While I’m a little spoiled in the fine wine department, it doesn’t have to be all pomp–a backyard BBQ makes me so happy in summer.  Friends and food—they can make a good wine unforgettable.  Of course, it doesn’t hurt when the wines are from Burgundy, but the point is that wines do not always need a white tablecloth to shine.

On a wine trip last year, I had an impromptu 2004 Dierberg chardonnay with Jim Dierberg in his majestic home in Happy Canyon, outside Santa Barbara.  We thought that we would be guided around the spectacular Neverland-scale property by a winery rep, but Jim showed up, himself, and after a tour over hill and dale in his Range Rover, he invited us in to share a glass–such an unexpected treat!  We learned so much about the man, the wine, the land;  a brief, but lovely visit and memory.

Wine and food.  The exponential pleasure derived from the combo still leaves me giddy.  Just last spring, a bottle of the unusual, distinctive (and inexpensive) 07 Conti di Buscareto Lacrima di Morro d’Alba at the Little Owl in the West Village made a phenomenal meal even more so.  I bought it for the store and when I opened a bottle, it was so…different.  The wine had been but one part of the perfect tsunami that was a super-memorable evening.  It’s still interesting and intriguing, but at the Little Owl, it was sublime.  A 2003 Sea Smoke “Southing” had the same effect at Blackeyed Susan’s:  good food became outrageously so.  I’m still dreaming of the Guy Charlemagne cuvee our hosts popped for us just last month in Ireland–a perfectly lavish wine that reflected the warmth and generosity of our friends.

A 1969 Remoriquet, a Kistler chardonnay, some Puligny-Montrachet…the wines of 2009 could be the start of a great musical, or at least a nice haiku.

Top 5 Wines I’d like to find under the tree:

07 Chateau La Nerthe Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc, $60 (sale $48 at currentVintage)

Lush, round and mouthfilling decadence.  They sell this by the ($24) glass at the Waverly Inn in NYC, a restaurant known for it’s extravagances, ie $55 truffle mac-n-cheese, no telephone reservations, larger-than-life clientele, that mural of who’s whos…The food is good, but not great, and the attitude borders on Theatre of the Absurd, but somehow the experience always exceeds the sum of its parts–and a glass of this wine plays a big part!

07 Radio-Coteau “Savoy” Chardonnay, $56 (sale $45)

This wine stood out in a line-up of standouts at my birthday dinner.   Even after magnums of Pax rosé and Bouchard Batard-Montrachet and others were served, this elegant Sonoma Coast chardonnay, with hint of pear and lots of finesse, provoked head-turning, label studying reactions from most.  This also reminds me of the Radio-Coteau “Las Colinas” syrah we had at American Seasons, which reminds me of another night at AS with a Loring pinot noir…

02 Bouchard Pere et Fils “Clos St Marc”, Nuits St Georges, $90 (sale $72)

What we love about Burgundy—nuance.  Lip-smacking, yet layered with a long and lovely finish. A  savory and sophisticated pinot that is ready to drink.  A favorite of my Mark—we savored it with burgers on a warm summer night.

05 Larkin Cabernet Franc, $72 (sale $58)

Sexy & voluptuous.  It was love at first sip with this one.  Reminds me of the old Secret commercial:  Strong enough for a man, yet made for a woman!  I don’t know if this is intentional, but I can just imagine charismatic Sean Larkin crafting wines with women in mind.  A Nantucket Wine Festival favorite, check out the cute photo of Sean in our previous post on him in the May 2009 archive (above right).

98 Billecart Salmon “Cuvee Elisabeth”, $175 (sale $140)

Another birthday treat, this champagne is pure beauty:  Stunning bottle, gorgeous pink-amber color, lovely to savor.

While most NV champagnes are carefully calibrated to maintain a consistent “House style”, a vintage champagne offers a snapshot of a particular vineyard in a spectacular year.  The house of Billecart-Salmon, established in 1818, is known for their rosés, with the “Cuveé Elisabeth” being the pinnacle.  This sophisticated, velvety and complex champagne fascinates.  I am thrilled that a champagne of this beauty and style has my name on it:  Elisabeth!

All I want for Christmas is…any of these wines that remind me of some really wonderful times in 2009.

Sean Larkin at NWF Gala

How can it be that Memorial Day Weekend has come and gone?  It seems like yesterday we were setting up the currentVintage table at the Nantucket Wine Festival Yacht Club Grand Tasting.  With over 100 wineries, dozens of food booths, live cooking demos, etc, the Grand Tasting is a tremendous event—and a logistical marvel.  Our table featured vintage grape jewelry—truly, much more tasteful than it sounds!  1930s celluloid, 1950s Mexican sterling, 1960s Lucite; a collection of amazing, interesting pieces, both novelty and collectibles.  Anyway, the patrons and the vendors loved it and we had a super weekend.

I was delighted to find our table right across from the charming Scotsman, Sean Larkin.  We sell his yummy Larkin cab franc and Jack Larkin merlot.  I feel a certain connection to Sean, because he was the first winemaker to visit currentVintage the week we first opened.  I might not have known it was him, had we not had a bottle of Larkin prominently featured on the shelf, to which Sean proudly & loudly responded, “I’m Sean Larkin!”. He brought in his buddies (fellow winemakers Jim Barbour, Ray Coursen and John Arns) to show off and we became fast friends.

Last Fall, at an auction to benefit the Nantucket New School, we bought a dinner catered by Sarah Leah Chase and a bottle of Jack Larkin Merlot.  One memorable night this spring, the dinner was realized at the home of Chris & Greg Bourbeau, where Sarah prepared a spectacular, world class dinner for us.  Beginning with a sensual warm olive and grape appetizer and featuring lamb with lavender honey, every course was flawless.  We poured the Jack Larkin and all agreed it was like a first-rate right bank Bordeaux. Sarah emailed the next day that the JL merlot was” truly among the top 10 wine-tastings epiphanies I have experienced in my lifetime”—high praise from a world-renowned author and caterer who has published cookbooks of her wine and dining experiences pedaling through Burgundy and Provence!

Another great night was in New York:  opening week of the swank re-gussified Minetta Tavern.  It being the hot new Keith McNally boite, all the beautiful people were there…Jennifer Creel was next to us in silver sequins; I was in jeans (thankfully black).  Curiously, the beautiful people across from us had an unopened bottle of Jack Larkin on the table.  We spoke to the waiter and then the sommelier, only to learn that the wine was not on the wine list.  Disappointed, we finally asked the beautiful woman where she got the coveted bottle, and she replied, “I’m Stephanie, Jack Larkin’s Mother.”  The bottle was a gift for her dinner friends, but in a brilliant marketing move, she had the wine perched on the edge of the table unwrapped, for all to see.  And so, luckily for us, wherever we go there seem to be far fewer than six degrees of separation from Sean Larkin.

Gushing Frank Bruni Minetta Tavern review: http://tinyurl.com/o6sapr