David Hirsch

David Hirsch in vineyard

Lunch with David and Jasmine Hirsch

The Nantucket Wine Festival Who’s Who:  Alex Gambal, Bertrand Ambroise, Michel Anglada, John Arns, Alis Arrowood, Beaux Freres, Jack Bittner of Cliff Lede and Franz Hill, Chateau d’Esclans, Donelan, Ray Coursen of Elyse, Kristine Ashe Vineyards, Sean Larkin of Larkin, Jack Larkin & Tinknocker, Hall, Hirsch, Hourglass, Jordan, Justin Baldwin of Justin, Carissa Mondavi, Miner Family, Eric Munson of Dancing Bear Cellars, Jorge Ordonez of Fine Estates from Spain, Damaris Colhoun of Landmark, Martin Estate, Michael & Fiona Ragg of Mischief and Mayhem, Pride Mountain, Regan Wines, Comte Philippe & Beatrice Senard, Robert Sinskey, Bill ‘DANCING BEAR’ Bishop of Steele & Shooting Star, Tariquet, Dominique Demarville of Veuve Clicquot, Villa Sparina, Wishing Tree…

These are but a few of the all-star cast that is the 2010 Nantucket Wine Festival, but they, in particular, are near and dear to our hearts.  Some of them you hear about a lot, others fly under the radar.  Most, we sell their wines;  some, we just admire.  All will contribute to a stellar 4-day wine experience–I know, because I’ve spent time with almost all of them!

Just this winter, I was in Sonoma, lunching with David Hirsch and his daughter, Jasmine, at their new home on the rugged Sonoma Coast.  It is a 2+ hour drive from Sonoma, over hill and dale, and thus, we named it “Outward Bound” day.  It was a treat hanging with David, a pioneer of this appellation.  Hirsch makes pure, Burgundian-style Pinot Noir and sells his grapes to others such as Littorai, Failla and Siduri.  His Saturday seminar on “The True Sonoma Coast” will be very worthwhile.

Lunch with the Arrowoods

We (meaning Denis Toner of the Nantucket Wine Festival, our friend David Kuhn, Mark Donato and I) also lunched with Alis & Dick Arrowood of Arrowood and Amapola Creek in Glen Ellen.  The Arrowoods are a true wine country success story, in that they built up their label Arrowood, sold to Kendall Jackson (who retained Dick as winemaker), and now they’ve started a boutique label, Amapola Creek.

Ray Coursen & Kristine Ashe

We had dinner with Ray Coursen (Elyse) at Michael Chiarello’s Bottega in Yountville and again enjoyed his company at a winter feast in his home with veteran winemakers Sandy Belcher and John Arns, plus newbie Kristine Ashe.  On other nights, we dined with the Donelan Family team at Cyrus in Healdsburg and had a glass of wine with Carissa Mondavi of Continuum.

I’ve visited many beautiful properties, large and small, and having some of these wineries come to Nantucket brings back wonderful memories.  The vineyards and state–of-the-art caves at Hourglass and Hall are stunning and Justin is by far the most luxurious winery to spend the night in (except for, perhaps, Jordan!).  Pride Mountain is also a special property–Its high elevation, straddling Napa and Sonoma Counties offers terrific views and yields tremendous wines.  And in November, we’ll be back in Beaune to see old friends like Alex Gambal, Michel Anglada and the Senards.

With Michel Anglada at La Ferme de Rolle in Burgundy

Several luminaries I have had the pleasure of hosting at currentVintage.  Eric Munson, Jorge Ordonez and Robert Sinskey have all done store tastings in the past, and this year, we welcome Michael & Fiona Ragg of Mischief & Mayhem and Dominique Demarville, Cellarmaster of Veuve Clicquot.  The Raggs have the distinction of being British winemakers in Burgundy and Demarville made history as the youngest champagne Cellarmaster ever at age 36.

I am such a fan of Bertrand Ambroise and Jack Bittner that I selected the Ambroise Cremant and a Zinfandel from Franz Hill for a spring dinner pairing in a recent issue of Nantucket Today.  Jack is the General Manager of Cliff Lede (where all the parcels are named after rock bands and albums, eg Dark Side of the Moon) and Franz Hill is his own project.  Wines from Shooting Star, Wishing Tree and Domaine de Tariquet are among the value gems of the currentVintage wine collection.

Yes, it’s an all-star cast–Don’t miss these wineries and winemakers at the NWF next week…!

Alex Gambal

Alex Gambal is a festival favorite–As an American in Burgundy, he seems sort of like a hometown hero, even though he’s from D.C.  Here is a bit on Alex from a previous cV Lifestyle post:

http://currentvintage.com/blog/2009/09/27/alex-elyse-a-love-story/

Napa dinner with Kristine Ashe, Ray Coursen, John Arns & Elisabeth English

Ray Coursen of Elyse Winery is another NWF regular and was also featured in the above post.  Ray was deservingly honored as NWF Luminary of the Year in 2009.  I had a couple of excellent dinners with Ray in Yountville this winter, including this fun evening with fellow winemakers Kristine Ashe, maker of Entre Nous and John Arns, maker of outstanding cabs from Arns Winery .

Tasting Amapola Creek wines with Alis & Richard Arrowood

Elisabeth at Cyrus with winemaker Tyler Thomas and Tripp and Joe Donelan of Donelan Family Wines

Eric Munson of Dancing Bear Cellars & Eos with Andy Peay of Peay Vineyards at currentVintage

Elisabeth with Jorge Ordonez (Founder, Fine Estates from Spain) at currentVintage

http://currentvintage.com/blog/2009/09/17/ode-to-jorge/

Hourglass vineyards

Sean Larkin of Larkin Wines

http://currentvintage.com/blog/2009/05/27/six-degrees-to-sean-larkin/

Luxurious suite at Jordan Winery

Amapola plates 2

Amapola plates 1

Jorge Ordonez with Ateca "Atteca" Garnacha

Pioneer. Visionary. Legend.  These words are so overused (often by me)…so what do you call someone who really is a PVL?  In this case, I’ll call him a rock star, because just as a rock star is more than a musician and the president is more than a politician, Jorge Ordonez is more than a wine importer.  He is a rock star of the wine industry, and we’re not simply talking limestone and schist.

Three words are consistently associated with Jorge:

Quality.  Influence.  Charisma.

Before Jumilla was a household word, there was Jorge Ordonez, ambassador of the Spanish wine world.  In the 1980s, Jorge recognized that the Spanish wine trade needed an intervention.  The vines were there, the wines were there, but that wasn’t what was making it into the households of the American consumer.  The good wines were often not so, by the time they were shipped across the Atlantic in un-refrigerated conditions.  Grapes from the oldest vines in the world were being lumped in with new stock, resulting in mass-production plonk.  For the winemakers who were making great wines already, Jorge organized controlled shipping and distribution so that what went into the bottle in Spain was what arrived on our shores.  Recognizing the value in Spain’s pre-phylloxera vine heritage, Jorge championed the potential for low-yield, highly concentrated wines and guided these wines into bottle and ultimately, the international marketplace.

His quality standards from the vine to the restaurant are such that he has raised the level of the entire Spanish wine industry, as others must now compete on the field he has groomed.

Mark Donato & Jorge Ordonez at Cinco restaurant, Nantucket

Jorge’s aggressive management style has influenced every aspect of Spanish wine production from the vineyard to the bottle label.  Some bemoan the modernization of old world wines, but Jorge maintains that he is merely an adviser and only intervenes when asked or needed.  Nevertheless, modern technology has come to Spanish regions that were mere backwaters 20 years ago and dozens of indigenous varietals have reached a wider audience, while outside varietals, eg chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon have been introduced.

Jorge has developed some interesting and influential projects in the last decade.  In addition to importing and consulting, he is now highly regarded producer and his collaborations as well as his own projects have proved extraordinarily successful, in case you haven’t heard…El Nido,  a joint venture with Australian wizards Chris Ringland and Dan Phillips has been called the greatest wine ever to come out of Jumilla.  The “El Nido” is generally 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Monastrell and has received 93-99 points from Robert Parker every year of it’s brief existence since 2002, with it’s cousin Clio not far behind.  That is impressive even to those who pretend they don’t care about points.  These are modern wines:  big, extracted, fruit-forward mouthfuls of wine showing their Australian influence and appealing to an American palate.

Jorge has also endeavored to celebrate the Moscatel of his native Malaga through Jorge Ordonez & Co. a joint venture winery with the late Austrian, Alois Kracher, and his son, Gerhard.  Their original and aromatic Botani Moscatel Seco (high elevation, hand-harvested, air dried) is a revelation in dry Moscatel and the sweet moscatels are superior as well.

Lastly, this leaves charisma.  Just because you can sing doesn’t mean you’re the next Madonna.  You can be the most knowledgeable wino on the planet or represent the best wine in the world, but words will fall on deaf ears without personality and passion behind them.  Jorge’s demanding and dynamic style combined with unflagging determination have brought Spain much recognition and prosperity in just twenty years.  He represents nearly 50 Spanish wineries (which could easily be doubled), holding them each to his exacting standards, regardless of price, and he continues to bring his own innovative and quality wines to the market.  Considered the Martha Stewart or Oprah of the Spanish wine world, vineyards that are not meticulous don’t make the cut and there is a long line of wineries waiting to take their place.

In a nutshell,  since 1987, Jorge Ordonez has saved the Spain’s old vines from the tractor, brought them to their true potential, and then educated the world of their value.  It is exciting to think what the next twenty may bring…!

Jorge Ordonez wine tasting at currentVintage:

5-7 Monday, September 21, 2009

508.228.5073

Nantucket Food Pantry dinner at Cinco

Featuring Jorge Ordonez and wines of Fine Estates from Spain

6:00 Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Watch Jorge Ordonez interview on The Wine Library

Bottom two photos Courtesy of Gene Mahon, www.mahonabouttown.com

top photo courtesy of www.elephantjournal.com

We have been using the term “cult wine” a lot lately at currentVintage. That is risky business, because at any given moment, we might be asked to define “cult wine”, which is somewhat abstract–and more than a little bit controversial. Allocated. Highly-rated. WAITING LIST. These are terms often associated with cult-status wines. To some, that makes them more appealing. To others, a complete buzz-kill.

In this blog last week, I paid tribute to “The Two Garys” and, in doing so, referred to them as cult winemakers. I don’t think there is much to dispute there. Whether or not you like cult wines or buy them or think that they should or should not exist, the fact remains, that, some wines have a cult-like following, usually because of what’s in the bottle. Pisoni and ROAR are definitely in that club.
However, for the purposes of our store and this blog, we should be clear that some wines are considered cult wines because the world says they are and some wines are cult wines because I say they are.
In my world, cult-worthy includes Betts & Scholl.

Richard Betts is a Master Sommelier and the architect of the Wine Spectator Grand Award-status wine list at the Little Nell in Aspen, CO. I have been a fan of his for a long time, having seen and read glimpses of him over the last 10 years. He is not just knowledgeable and talented, but he has the natural charm and charisma that make him a great TV personality and of course, now easy to idolize as a winemaker.

In 2001, Richard partnered with Dennis Scholl, a Miami-based art collector, real estate mogul & card shark, and the two decided to make wine—in Australia. They started with Grenache and Riesling, and after much critical acclaim, moved on to Hermitage!

Everything about these guys is cool. Richard Betts is definitely a rock star of wine, but how about Dennis Scholl? There is something really endearing about a card counting math geek-cum-real estate tycoon who loves art? He is so passionate about modern art that he has commissioned seven different established and emerging artists to create the labels for the Betts & Scholl wines.  As he says, a wine label is like a record cover—you want it to stand out.  And they do—these labels are captivating and interesting, much like their contents. The Riesling is fruity and Vibrant with a capital V.  The O.G. Grenache, I truly loved; velvety & luxe. Full, yet elegant. Rich fruit, totally sexy.

Fun. Interesting. Different. Creative. Adventurous. Sexy.
Small-production. High & Lo. Rock Star & Geek.
Do you see why Betts & Scholl figures in my world of cult-worthy wines?

And currentVintage has them exclusively on Nantucket….

Richard Betts on PlumTV

Betts & Scholl Launch Party on PlumTV

Richard Betts on winetastetv.com

Betts & Scholl Riesling label from a still from Isaac Julien's film True North

Riesling Eden Valley 2008
Light, crisp and beautifully focused, with cantaloupe, papaya and lime flavors that bounce easily across the palate and into the long, fragrant finish. Subtle and absolutely enticing. Drink now through 2016. 250 cases imported. 92pts–HS (WS)

Betts & Scholl OG label by Anna Gaskell

Grenache Barossa Valley “The O.G.” 2006
Velvety, round and remarkably transparent, with raspberry, cherry and dusky spice flavors competing for attention as the flavors sail through the long finish, framed with fine-grained tannins. Drink now through 2013. 900 cases made. 90pts–HS (WS)

Betts & Scholl Hermitage Blanc label by Mark Grotjahn

2005 Hermitage Blanc

Ripe and showy, but with good underlying grip to the dried papaya, creamed peach, fig, yellow apple and brioche notes. The long, juicy finish has a nice gilding of toast. Drink now through 2013. 400 cases made. 93pts –JM (WS)

Betts & Scholl Hermitage Label

2005 Hermitage Rouge

Very juicy, with lots of fig, currant paste and crushed plum fruit flavors that race ahead of dark tar, licorice and bittersweet cocoa notes. The long, toasty finish has plenty of grip. Best from 2010 through 2017. 425 cases made. 92 pts –JM (WS)

my crush, Joel Gott

I was reading a wine blog recently and the writer referred to her  “wine crush”—and she was not referring to stomping grapes.  That made me think of Joel Gott, who I would say is my current wine crush.  He is one of the coolest, cutest and busiest winemakers in Napa.  He makes an $18 Zin they call “The poor man’s Turley”. When we met, he was wearing a killer preppy vintage green tweed blazer. Not getting a photo with him is one of my life regrets.

When you are born in a place that the rest of the world envies, you are considered a “native” of that place and other people will always be jealous.  If you are born on Nantucket Island, you are a considered far, far superior to all the other people in the world, including those that moved to the island when they were 6 days old or have lived on-island for 55 years.  If they weren’t born here, they’re not “natives”.

Joel Gott is a Napa native, but the pedigree is only part of makes him so cute.  His grandfather was the winemaker and President of Inglenook.  His Mother started Montevina out of their basement.  His Dad began as the first cellar rat at Sterling and worked his way up to CEO, and also founded Corbett Canyon.  Joel’s wife, Sarah, was the winemaker at prestigious Joseph Phelps and Quintessa.  They have kids who will probably grow up to do cool things.

Joel Gott makes great wine for the $.  He owns a car wash , the beloved Palisades Market in Calistoga, and, most famously of all, Taylor’s Refresher.  Yes, the original Taylor’s in St Helena and the spiffy one in the Ferry Building in SFO and one in Oxbow.

Taylor's Refresher, St Helena

I don’t know which I love more: his Zin or his Texas Burger w/ Jack, fresh guac and pickled jalapenos paired w/ sweet potato fries?  What I do know is that combined they make for the perfect lunch.

I can accept that he is married, I don’t mind that he makes some bulk wines and I am happy about his recent deal with Trinchero.  I only hope that he will stay the same cool, down-to-earth dude making really good, smartly priced wines that I presently have a crush on.

I ♥ Joel Gott!
http://taylorsautomaticrefresher.com/

photos courtesy of: http://www.volunteer.blogs.com/winewaves/

wines with soul

There is a lot of great wine in the world. In a way, you would think that makes my job easier, but actually, it doesn’t.  Not only do I have to carefully choose which wines we are going to put on the shelf, each week, I must also select wines with a story to share at our in-store tastings.  This means hours of research and reading, trips to trade events, travel to wine country and of course, frequent visits to fabulous restaurants in Nantucket, New York and beyond.

The emphasis at currentVintage is on boutique wineries.  To us, that means small-production, hand-crafted wines with a sense of place.  If 300,000-case Yellowtail is your thing, no problem, but my high is from meeting a winemaker who is also the viticulturist, who eats, breathes and sleeps in the vineyard to create a couple  hundred cases of a wine that deftly expresses the terroir.  Think Wes Hagen of Clos Pepe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhIoGpKAKiY
Of course, there are a couple of problems with using exclusively these criteria:

A Small production wines are often expensive
B  There are a lot of great wines from big(ger) wineries

So, I make sure that the selection at cV is a thoughtful mix–our only hard and fast rule is that the wine taste more expensive than it is.  With a mere 150-175 facings, editing the perfect mix is not easy.  It requires constant updating and rotations; the process is actually a way of life.

I found this bit on the Hahn Estate SLH website:
“What makes up the soul of a wine? Or a specific vineyard site? Or a wine region? It’s more than “terroir”—technically, the soil and climate; it’s that plus the sum total of the perseverance, dedication, commitment and simple trial and error of the people who came together at a specific place and time, with a vision to plant the vineyard and create the wine.”

And so, I realized, we actually have two rules, the second being:
the wine must have soul.

Elisabeth & Wes Hagen in the vineyard at Clos Pepe

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

Todd English & Elisabeth English...long lost cousins?

Opening Night of Figs at the old Woodbox was terrific.
An 8:30 reservation was civilized after a crazy Figawi work day and the cozy back room full of “Sconseters” (including Tracy Root, as our server) was intimate and clubby.  The tables were jammed with those lucky enough to get a resy—Marian & Russ Morash of WGBH & PBS fame, Dunn Gifford, Gene Mahon & Amanda Morgan (a bombshell in black 50s-inspired assymetrical chiffon), Bruce & Lisa from Orange St, Janice Rohlf (Editor of Cape Cod Life), photographer Terry Pommett, Toronto atty Michael Hartrick, the Forsters, et al.  At least one guest was spotted wearing currentVintage…!

Highlights:  Fig, Prosciutto & Arugula Salad, Old School Bolognese (a signature dish, but instead of resting on laurels, it rests on fontina burro buso) = outstanding!!  White chocolate bread pudding = elegant and ooohh inducing.  Once it’s on the table, it’s impossible to deny…

Dimlights:  Spaghettini w/ tomatoes, lobster & hot peppers

thePour: Whetstone 06 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
Cloudy, unfiltered; bright fruit, slightly sour cherry, spice on finish, $80
Our neighbors enjoyed numerous bottles of Sea Smoke @ $155

Awesome Highlight of Night:
Joking with handsome “Cousin” Todd and wondering if he really thinks I’m his cousin…

theVerdict:  The ceilings are still low, the floors crooked and the candles lit.  Cheers to Danielle and Peter…I think Dexter would be pleased.

Elisabeth, Todd & Mark Donato (Photos Terry Pommett)

http://www.pommettphotography.com/

Just when you think you can no longer be dazzled…an invitation to a Burgundy dinner at the East Brick comes along…

1er & Grand Cru wines of Louis Latour:  check
Winemaker Jean Charles in attendance: check
Handsome Celebrity French Chef:  check
Glorious renovated historical mansion:  check
Gracious hosts celebrating 5th wedding anniversary:  check

Rushing into the foyer to escape the drizzle, I was greeted with a glass of 05 Chassagne-Montrachet “Cailleret” and all was right with the world.  We progressed into the magnificent dining room, with its 1950s sepia whaling era Nantucket harbor wall murals and elaborate candelabras, to enjoy Maine halibut and pea risotto with 03 Corton-Charlemagne.  Chef Olivier Muller of DB Bistro Moderne in New York and Jenny, the sommelier from DB Palm Beach are professionals par exellence, and the Daniel sophistication was apparent in every course.
And on and on…the hosts were warm, the guests were interesting, the conversation lively.  An aprés dinner cellar tour was the icing on the gateau.  I knew the night had all the ingredients for a special, intimate evening of a lifetime—yet, the whole was even greater than the sum of its parts!

Friday was actually a 4 event day;  in addition to the Sultans seminar, Andy Peay event, and Latour dinner, I squeezed in a tasting of Gundlach Bundschu and Mark Kenward’s performance of Towle’s Hill at Bennett Hall.  The story of Towle Bundschu and his 1970s dilemna of whether to sell Rhinefarm, the family estate, was insightful and made even more moving by the presence of his grandson, Jeff Bundschu, who hosted the evening.  Jeff was visibly emotional after the show and we all felt like we had experienced an important moment in this 4 generation winery history.

A lot to pack in a day, but hey, it’s not like we can do this next week…

Watch Olivier Muller in action and get a tour of the East Brick!  Plum TV link:  http://tinyurl.com/ptje94

Andy Peay & Ehren Jordan at currentVintage Sinskey Wine Tasting

Thursday, we had Rob Sinskey, Napa legend, do a tasting at currentVintage.  The fact that Rob even does store tastings amazes me!  He has been established for 20+ years; he was organic before it was popular.  His wife, Maria, is a celebrated chef and cookbook author.  Yet, here they are, in my store, with their adorable daughters.  It’s all about passion and it’s contagious!  People turned out by the dozens; Rob talked to every single person about the wines, as he sampled them and signed the bottles of POV that are labeled with his own b&w photographs. All the while, his girls modeled angel-sleeve dresses and Candies.  Pinch me!

Thank God someone did, or I might not have snapped out of Sinskey-adoration mode and into my mauve ultrasuede maxi skirt adorned with felt grape bunch appliqués.  I quickly paired it with a Cheryl Fudge pink silk scarf halter and Lucite grapes necklace and moments later made my entrance to the NWF Gala, one of my favorite events of the year.  Within four minutes, I had lost my friend Robin and begun the 4 hour journey of international wine and food solo…ceviche and aligoté…duck confit and Alex Gambal Savigny les Beaune, Caymus and chocolate…

Nearly a week later, over all the flavors and voices and bottles that were swirling under that tent,  I most fondly remember Miner Family 07 Viognier  and John Arns 05 cab.  The viognier was remarkable, especially for the price (will be a mere $20 at currentVintage)—plump with honeysuckle, yet thoughtfully balanced.  Dangerous, really.  The Arns cab was sturdy, but lush, rich and velvety.  I was tentative in extending my glass—a big cab seemed like too much on a night of so many sips, but I was rewarded with a big smooch as soon as it hit my lips.

One would think that after the gala all would be sated and ready for bed, but not this crowd!  Ray Coursen (NWF Luminary of the Year) ordered several bottles of his Elyse Korte Ranch Zin, which is big and spicy and berry red, much like its charismatic maker.
And an hour later, there I was, belting out show tunes at the Club Car.  It was opening night, after all, and that only comes once a year☺

Elisabeth English & Maria Helm Sinskey at NWF Gala

Welcome to the inaugural (life)Style & Terroir blog post from currentVintage!

In general, blog posts are made in close proximity to real time–more like tweets—but in my world, there will almost always be a 7-second delay.  Not to censor or edit, just to process all of these amazing life experiences that I find myself in every day! This week,  I’m recounting some of the highlights of the 2009 Nantucket Wine Festival, which ended Sunday and already feels like 6 weeks ago…

Wednesday morning upon arriving at work, I was greeted by Comte Philippe Senard and his fashionable wife, Beatrice, who offered me a taste of their Corton-Charlemagne.  It was only 10:30a.m., but these Grand Cru opportunities do not present themselves to me every day, so I happily accepted.  It was fun talking with the Senards and showing them currentVintage.  And fascinating how that glass of Burgundy nectar evolved every few minutes, from the initial distinct minerality of CC to the honeyed finish a half hour later…sublime.

That night was the tremendous Ambroise dinner at Oran Mor.  Think Brut Cremant with Island Creek oysters and caviar, ‘04 Nuits St. Georges “Les Vaucrains” with decadent braised short ribs…served in the intimate, candle-lit warmth of one of Nantucket’s most beautiful restaurants. The charming Bertrand Ambroise spoke of each wine, each vintage with candor, wit, knowledge and affection…And Wednesday was just the warm up.