Back after a busy Labor Day Weekend I spent a day playing catch-up with my usual checklist of chores and issues as well as simultaneously trying to think through the organization of the retail end of this website, work on wine selections, and begin to flesh out notes and introductions. And mostly, trying to get to the heart of what the concept of the wine cellar section should be. The idea I am trying to zero in on and define is that I would like to see us create something that could function virtually the way we would like a wine bar to function. A place where people could drop in and get a chance to see, sample, and learn about the kind of things we (this particular group of sommeliers) enjoy.
Obviously, we can’t sell you a glass or tasting portion over the Internet, but we can show you what we like, what interests us, what we think is worth a try. And perhaps those who stumble across this will be enticed to order a bottle or a sampler-pack, and get some friends together and do some tasting.
Of course, all this cogitating makes a person thirsty, and it was an extremely welcome break when my 4 pm appointment showed up. Laurent d’Harcourt is the export director for the Champagne house Pol Roger. I have long been a fan of their wines, and at 4pm a glass of their white foil is very refreshing indeed. (As was the chance to chat with Monsieur d’Harcourt on a variety of topics). It had been a few years since I’d had a chance to taste through their full line-up, and I was intrigued to try their newest offering….called ‘Pure’. Like the ‘white foil’ it is also a non-vintage blend of a similar percentage of chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier but it is a brut nature, i.e. no dosage. It is quite pretty, very crisp and vivid, and something I will look forward to playing around with in our wine pairings. I also enjoyed the chance to sample the 1999 Brut Vintage and Blanc de Blancs, as well as the 2000 Rosé, they are all very good but I have to admit I couldn’t help my focus slipping to the 1998 Cuvée Winston Churchill poking out of his wine tote.
The Winston Churchill is always a favorite of mine and I had not yet had a chance to try the 1998. Amazing how a small pleasure can make your day. It is a delicious wine, with layers of smoke, mineral, floral, spice, and ripe orchard and tropical fruit notes intertwined with a really luscious texture. Though very tasty and satisfying on its own, it also made me want to go in search of something amazing to eat. It is no doubt a wine that will stand up to something bold and complex. And to circle back on what I started talking about, what I would want for our website is a broader opportunity (than we have in the restaurant) to turn people on to things as wonderful as this, and hopefully make them available in places where they are not as readily found. And, hopefully very soon, we will have the winebar up and running and at the end of a blog like this we can put a link for you to click on and have a bottle of Winston Churchill start on it’s way to your very doorstep.
Wines Mentioned Above
Pol Roger 1998 Cuvée “Sir Winston Churchill”
Joe Catterson, Alinea Wine Director
