| Issue #35, November 24, 2006 |
Letter From Dan’s Wine Guide Editor: From Cutchogue To The Cote d’Or
If a braised lamb shank could order wine, it might say something like this: “Have you a nice little Claret? Or maybe a Pommard? Please, hold the Opus One for my dinner partner, the grilled rib-eye. He can handle those 100-point tannins.”
As writer Chris Miller points out in “Soul Mate Wanted,” the old saw “white with fish, red with meat” is really outdated. Today we need to seek out wines that compliment the lighter fare we also favor. So the former ‘21’ Club sommelier offers advice on how and what to serve together. If a few things consciously learned will push toward perfection what might otherwise be an ordinary act, follow Chris’ pairing suggestions and avoid yet another bad blind date. Remember, bigger isn’t always better, especially when it comes to wine.
Bedell Cellars is one of the oldest vineyards on Long Island. Founded by Kip and Susan Bedell in 1979 the vineyard – along with Corey Creek just down the road – is meticulously overseen by new talent Trent Prezler, part of a team assembled by owner Michael Lynne, along with John Levenberg and Kelly Urbanik. Lenn Thompson catches up with Trent in “Out of the Cellar and into the World,” a candid Q&A with the COO who’s helping to usher Bedell wines into the new century.
Two more vineyards hit the auction block – Sherwood House and Lieb Cellars – joining Ackerly Pond, Schneider, Galluccio and Borghese. Mass exodus or golden opportunity for new owners and ideas? Depends who you ask. And while you ponder the Long Island wine region’s present state, partner Hal Ginsburg at Clovis Point bets on the future, with three wines currently in release and plans to open a tasting room on his Jamesport property.
As for me, I have been supremely lucky (and as a result nothing short of rapturous) over recent opportunities to taste some of the world’s indisputably great wines. While we often pour local wines at home – the Lenz 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, Bedell’s 2005 CC Rosé, and Borghese’s 2002 Pinot Noir are current personal favorites – David and I have decided that life is too short to miss out on the wine world’s greatest offerings. And so we have tasted, or more accurately swooned over, a sumptuous 1997 Il Poggione Brunello di Montelchino Reserva and a 1990 Domaine LeRoy Richebourg (best wine I have tasted to date).
Brunello is a new passion of David’s that I am delighted to abet. Proof is in the cellar waiting for us to taste: a 1997 Madonna del Piano Brunello di Montalcino, and a rare 1995 Soldera Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Intistieti.
Good Brunellos are great food wines, but our hearts really belong to the Cote d’Or, and what could possibly make them beat faster than a Grand Cru red from the incomparable (and impossible to find) Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. Luck brought us a deal on a 1997 DRC Richebourg, and a 1995 Leroy Latricieres Chambertin also awaits. But the crown jewel is the 1985 DRC Richebourg. Pale and fragile now with age, it will be a magical moment (and special occasion) indeed when the cork is pulled. I can see it in my mind’s eye: a little bit of ruby-colored history spilling into a glass. Cheers.
– Susan Whitney Simm
Susan Whitney Simm is Dan’s Wine Guide Editor. This is the last guide of the year, but look for a special holiday edition of “Through the Grapevine” in Dan’s North Fork section in December. Email ssimm@optonline.net
 |
