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Vinous Table: Le Dôme Montparnasse, Paris France
France, Vinous Table
, Mar 2024
Aside from the obligatory foie gras dish, the menu at Le Dôme is pretty much all fish and seafood. I can’t say if the other options are as good as the seafood tower, but I have made it a point to find out very soon. Paris can be a challenging city for eating, especially on the weekends, when so many places are closed. Le Dôme is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, which makes it a very useful address. Service is incredibly professional and friendly.
Evoe! German and Austrian Sekt Report
Germany, Austria, featured
, Mar 2024
The landscape of Austrian and German sparkling wine, or Sekt, has changed beyond recognition – at long last. What began with the heroic and often lone efforts of a handful of determined individuals in the 1970s and 1980s is finally in full fizz. It took decades of legal changes and challenges to create this new category, but even more so, it took years of cultural re-assessment to rehabilitate the historical term “Sekt”. Traditional method Sekt is now a serious, exciting and growing category in both countries. The ambition is palpable. This inaugural Sekt report covers bottle-fermented Sekts from Styria to the Weinviertel in Austria and Baden to Saxony in Germany. The revival was slow, but today, you can hear corks popping everywhere.
Borgo del Tiglio Rosso Riserva: The Road Less Traveled
Verticals & Retrospectives, Italy: North, featured
, Mar 2024
Why would one of the greatest producers of white wine in Italy want to organize a tasting of the second label of their red wine? This is the question that was on my mind as I drove down the country road that leads to Cormòns, the small hamlet that is home to Borgo del Tiglio.
Test of Endurance: Bordeaux 2014 Ten Years On
Verticals & Retrospectives, France: Bordeaux, featured
, Mar 2024
The Bordeaux 2014 vintage has reached ten years of age, an ideal opportunity to look back, both in blind and sighted tastings, and see how the wines are evolving. As usual, there were plenty of surprises, not always positive, however.
Cellar Favorite: 1991 René Balthazar Cornas
Cellar Favorites, France: Rhône & Beaujolais, cellar favorite
, Mar 2024
The Northern Rhône is a region that I would like to know better. There is too little time with Burgundy and Bordeaux under my charge, so I look forward to future reports from my colleague, Nicolas Greinacher. A recent Riesling/Syrah-themed dinner was bejeweled with exquisite bottles and fodder for several Cellar Favorites. This one caught my eye.
Vinous Table: Caffé Toscanini, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Vinous Table, Netherlands
, Mar 2024
Toscanini should be high on the list for any Italian epicures or oenophiles. The lively atmosphere is worth the entry price alone. Speaking to Pacenti later, he explained how regulars tend to come on Friday night and how customers are exacting in their demands with respect to seasoning, consistency of pasta and so on. At Toscanini, this is no problem. It is all part of the service. Factor a wine list that is so chock full of gems that I considered putting in a request to swap Bordeaux for Italy (only joking). Then you understand why this restaurant has been part of Amsterdam’s dining scene for almost four decades.
Slovenia: Just the Beginning
Slovenia, featured
, Mar 2024
So similar to northeastern Italy yet alien all the same, the wines of Slovenia are increasingly of note. The country is exploding with new projects, young talents and even cross-border collaborations. Now is the time to get in on the ground floor.
Merci, Monsieur Amiot: Clos des Lambrays 1923-2021
France: Burgundy, Verticals & Retrospectives, featured
, Mar 2024
Behind every label of an iconic wine lie nameless men and women whose combined talent and labor led to its creation. This vertical of Clos des Lambrays is dedicated to Etienne Amiot, a predecessor of Jacques Devauges, who oversaw the creation of these sublime wines.
Domaine de la Romanée Conti: A Survey of the 2021s
France: Burgundy, featured
, Mar 2024
What a difference a year makes. After the decidedly exuberant 2020s, the 2021s from Domaine de la Romanée Conti show another side of Burgundy, one marked by a highly challenging growing season that tested the mettle of growers. In many ways, difficult years make for the most interesting discussions because individual choices so deeply inform the wines. There was plenty to talk about as Co-Directors Bertrand de Villaine and Perrine Fenal showed the 2021s in this tasting organized by long-time US importer Wilson-Daniels.
Cellar Favorite: 1971 Staatsweingut Eltville Rauenthaler Langenstück Riesling Spätlese
Cellar Favorites, Germany, cellar favorite
, Mar 2024
My adoration for any bottle of wine born the same year as myself is well-known. I sound like a broken record proselytizing the 1971 vintage. But then a bottle sashays along and vindicates my opinion, reconfirming that this is such a trove of outstanding bottles, arguably none more so than Germany.