Wine of the Week: Gemtree "Uncut" Shiraz

2007, Gemtree Uncut, Shiraz, McLaren Vale, Australia - $20-25

Gemtree is a very young, hip, organic boutique winery from one of Australia’s most renowned Shiraz regions. It was launched in 1998 and has since been led by winemaker Mike Brown, who joined Gemtree from the terrific wine producer d'Arenberg.

Due to a severe draught in 2007, the wines of their Uncut blocks ended up being very powerful and of very low yields. For those of you not familiar with what goes into growing a wine grape, years of very little rain can be terrific for wine. During a draught, vines are forced to fight for every bit of moisture. This struggle to survive leads the vines deeper into the earth and contributes to a wines complexity. Also, grapes during these years are very concentrated due to the fact that they are not diluted with an abundance of water.

The 2007 Uncut is a very powerful, berry forward wine of very deep color. On the nose you get some ripe blueberry and cherry which is mirrored on the palate. After that initial hit of berries you then may get the hints of oak imparted by the barrel aging. The acidity and mild tannins truly shine through. Due to its structure and acidity, this is a very food friendly wine. These are the reasons I selected this for the wine list at Juniper's at the Wildflower Inn (Lyndonville, VT).

Wine Spectator has not rated the 2007 as of yet, but past vintages have scored out in the 88-92 range. I feel that this wine is a very solid 92 point Shiraz, which would also make it a terrific value!

Wine of the Week: Gemtree "Uncut" Shiraz

When a wine list is more than a wine list!

A restaurant’s wine list say a lot about who they are, what their aspirations are, and what they think about you. This is very evident in locations that you will visit across the country. From Applebee’s, to The Cheesecake Factory, to Mario Batali’s Del Posto, you will find very different, yet appropriate, wine experiences that fit the atmosphere, cuisine, and crowd that typically dine at these establishments.

I bring up Batali’s Del Posto, because a good friend of mine recently dined there while taking a long weekend in NYC. Once he returned, he had a few questions for me regarding his wine experience at Del Posto.

"On a recent trip to NYC, I went out for a truly fine dining experience. After being seated I was greeted with a massive wine list. When I mean massive, I mean over 2,500 selections. How does a restaurant build and maintain such a large list, and is it necessary?"

This is a certainly a legitimate way to look at the situation. A wine list of this magnitude can be overwhelming to say the least. The answer to the first part of the question will be a bit wordy, so let me address the second part first.

Using my friend’s example, Del Posto is in the food and wine Mecca of the US. Day in and day out they go up against culinary giants such as Daniel, Jean Georges, Le Cirque, Tribeca Grill and countless others. Competition is fierce and there is a significant amount of prestige that is placed on an award winning wine list and the service that is provided by their resident sommelier(s). Having truly classic wines available is an appropriate necessity when you are dining on a truly classic meal! This is true not only for NYC, but anywhere a high level of importance is placed on quality.

Del Posto, as mentioned before, is one of many restaurants owned by Chef Mario Batali. Besides being an extremely successful restaurateur, he is also a partner in Italian Wine Merchants, which is a high-end wine shop that has a selection of Italian gems unlike any other I have come across. It is this passion for bringing together the complete dining experience that sets restaurants and restaurateurs, like Batali, apart. It is also what allows them to charge a premium for the experience that they provide, while maintaining a waiting list as long as Madison Avenue!

"How does a restaurant build and maintain such a large list?"

To build a wine list with the breadth and vision of Del Posto, locally based Left Bank at the Stonehedge Inn & Spa (Tyngsboro, MA) and Bedford Village Inn in (Bedford, NH) or any restaurant with a tremendous wine offering takes a very structured approach. Once the structure is in place, knowledgeable people are needed to implement the list, along with an owner(s) with exceptionally deep pockets.

Initially, the most important steps are to realistically assess your clientele, menu, storage space and budget. Not everyone can afford a bottle of a Bordeaux First-Growth, Chateau Petrus, Gaja Sori Tilden, or E. Guigal Ermitage Ex Voto, especially when marked-up to restaurant standards. This means that there must be a number of wines to bridge the gap between reasonably-priced wines and the classics.

The job of creating any wine list typically falls either to the owner, a wine director/sommelier, a consultant, or unfortunately in some cases, a distributor. Now a list that is of notable quality will probably not be developed solely by a distributor, so we will avoid speaking about them any further.

Depending on the size of a wine list, the owner, if truly knowledgeable, or a consultant can put into place something very special that will convey to the patrons that their experience is of the utmost importance. This takes a massive amount of time and effort, so unless you plan on doing all of the leg work, hire someone to do it for you. A good example of this is Unums in Nashua, NH. They have a modest wine list compared to Del Posto, but it is well thought out and looked over by the owners. A different example is Junipers at the Wildflower Inn located in Lyndonville, VT. The owners and management did not have the knowledge to put together a thoughtful and quality wine list. They decided to hire a consultant do so. It was rewarding to see them embrace what a thoughtful wine list could do, not only for their patrons, but for their restaurant.

Creating and maintaining a list such as the one at Left Bank at Stonehedge, which offers 2,000 selections (101,000 bottles in inventory), or Del Posto, which offers 2,300 selections (39,000 bottles in inventory) takes a team effort. The organization is typically led by a wine director and generally includes personnel working beneath them (i.e. assistant director and sommelier). The task is a daily exercise in taking inventory (thank goodness for computers), reordering, blind and regular tastings, negotiating, rotation, research, promotion, etc. It is a daunting task, but a task that is energetically undertaken, because wine professionals are exceptionally passionate about what they do.

Ultimately, a restaurateur’s goal is to create an experience that is positively unique and memorable. A strong wine list is essential in conveying the message of a restaurant to its patrons. If this is done effectively, the guests will leave happy and be more likely to return.

When a wine list is more than a wine list!

A terrific Merlot from Napa…No Way?!

Over the years I have become more and more aware of, and slightly cynical towards, Napa's propensity to overlook an exceptionally important varietal, Merlot. If you look at Napa's Merlot focus, there are only a few handfuls of wineries that take pride in producing outstanding Merlot. It has been some time since I have come across a truly exceptional bottle of Napa Merlot in the moderate to moderately-expensive price range (sometimes you have to bite the bullet and spend a little more then normal to get what you desire).

Back in the spring, while in Cleveland visiting family, my cousin Bob (from "A Cautionary Tale") graciously opened a number of bottles for me. During one of the evenings, he opened a bottle of Plumpjack Merlot. I remember it distinctly due to the name and surprising qualities it put forward. It was because of this experience that I jumped at the chance to include it on Junipers at the Wildflower Inn's wine list.

Last evening I had the chance to partake in another bottle of Plumpjack Merlot, this time with Jason Berkman, the Executive Chef of Legal Sea Foods in Burlington, MA. It again lived up to its reputation and delivered the best Merlot experience I have had in what seems like an eternity!

2006, Plumpjack, Merlot, Napa, California - $53
From the initial sniff, there was something unique going on in the glass. The aroma of black cherry is a typical characteristic of Merlot. However, this rich black cherry was very reminiscent of the nose of a terrific Zinfandel. The aroma is not where the similarities end. On the palate there was a nice harmony between the cherry and red currant that melded into a terrific Zinfandel-esque jamminess! This was followed by pleasant hints of spice leading to some muscular, yet ripe tannins. The finish was truly amazing, lingering for many minutes! This was everything that I love about Merlot.

To put it simply, this was a Barry Sanders type of wine: terrific balance, finesse, power, and grace. I guess that would be my unorthodox way of describing the 2006 Plumpjack Merlot.

Wine Spectator gave this a 91 pt rating which is very accurate. I upped them to a 92 due to the fact that this wine solidly realized its potential as great!

A terrific Merlot from Napa…No Way?!