Five bottles at five restaurants that are worth the splurge.
You’ve seen that bottle for over a year—that esoteric wonder from a small village in Spain—and you’ve wondered: Is it worth it? Eighty dollars for a wine made out of grapes you’ve never heard of and from a region you’re not even sure you’re pronouncing correctly? Tonight may not be the night to go for it, but when is?
Restaurant Week. Because you’ll be paying less than you typically would for your food (see details, page 51), you can take the opportunity to splurge on that bottle you’ve been wondering about. Here are five bottles at five local restaurants that are worth the extravagance. (And if you’re not feeling so spendy? Check out five lower-priced, offbeat bottles in the accompanying story on page 119.)
Serpico ($280)
Café di Scala
Tony Lemmo and David Thompson have put together one of the best 100 percent Italian lists, and they get extra points for doing it in Iowa. There are many gems on this list, but you can bet Serpico (100 percent anglianico grapes) is what I’m missing my car payment for. Everything Feudi di San Gregorio produces is outstanding, and Serpico is its grand cru. Smelling it for the first time is like wandering back in time into the barn of a pipe-smoking horse breeder—leather, tobacco, chocolate, pecan, mushroom and burnt yeast. Serpico is like nothing you’ve ever had before. The 2001 vintage is one of the most outstanding in the past 20 years; call the restaurant ahead and arrange for the wine to sit for an hour. Serpico hails from Apulia—the heel of the boot of Italy. Tony’s menu comes from Calabria—the toe of the boot. This is a marriage that will never falter.
Zind Humbrecht ($75)
Bistro Montage
White wines are often overlooked. I hear all the time: “All white wines taste the same.” The Riesling Zind Humbrecht helps blow that fable out of the water. It’s a fantastic example of Alsatian winemaking. Beginning with pear and apricot overtones, the juice soon changes on the mid-palate, leaving a lingering of sweetness, but then transforms into tight, mineral-like crispness of peach pit and grapefruit. Zind Humbrecht is at once chardonnay round richness, riesling sweetness and sauvignon blanc crispness. If Enosh Kelley is offering the skate wing that night, there is no better pairing on his list. When you consider the wine’s limited availability in Central Iowa, it’s well worth the price.
Geol ($56)
Proof
Spain is making some of the most exciting wines in the world right now, and Geol by Tomas Cusiné is no exception. Hailing from the tiny Costers del Segre region, Geol is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and the native cariñena. Scents of dark rum, wood-smoked cherries and plum flesh strike the nose immediately. When chef Carly Groben puts a plate of Mediterranean beef in front of you, $56 seems like a bargain as the wine’s flavors pop open with vanilla, cinnamon and currant. Groben’s food combines the sweet, the savory and the spicy, and Geol does not disappoint.
Nuthouse Pinot Noir ($70)
Sbrocco
Combing Sbrocco’s reserve list, you’ll find spectacular Napa and Sonoma, but when I want to splurge on the home country, my mind goes to one place—Oregon’s Willamette Valley. My old friend Argyle Winery is there, making its experimental Nuthouse Pinot Noir. Released a year behind the winery’s other pinots, this 2005 bottle makes the most of a difficult vintage.
Gooseberry, bergamot and lilac hit when the cork is popped. What follows is a Burgundian experience of elegance that can complement chef Andrew Meek’s seafood, particularly his flagship scallop appetizer. Nuthouse has some heft to it, featuring a juicy mid-palate full of clove and blueberry. But its femininity wins out in its creamy finish. Seventy dollars puts this beauty in your glass, but give it some time to kiss oxygen, as Nuthouse can age for several more years.
Mourvèdre ($65)
Mojo’s on 86th
The most esoteric is saved for last. Typically found in France and Spain (where it is known as Monastrell), Mourvèdre thrives in hot climates, so it makes sense to find it hidden in Australia. The best grapes are produced by the oldest vines; the older the vine, the higher the price. These berries are picked from the oldest reported Mourvèdre vines in the world—dating back to 1853!
The 2006 Hewitson “Old Garden” can be found on the wonderful list at Mojo’s on 86th, and, at $65, it is by far the steal of metro wine lists. Inky black tobacco and coffee surrounds rich pomegranate and black cherry aromas. You will find deeply concentrated meaty red fruits, hints of cumin and brown sugar and a vegetal funk that relaxes into a bittersweet cocoa. It’s extremely impressive, and my top pick to splurge on.
