SOMM ENCHANTED DRINKING

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SOMM ENCHANTED DRINKING
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• At one of our restaurants, we host a monthly
  event called the Sommelier Showdown.  Our Chefs
  cook up a brand new menu of five dishes and I do
  battle with fellow wine professionals
  (Sommeliers, Chefs, restaurant owners, brown
  baggers, Im not picky) as we each try to select
  a wine that pairs best with each dish.

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• In a rather intuitive moment (some would say
  Counter Intuitive, but thats a whole other
  blog), I realized that a number of the wines
  poured at Somm Showdowns are wines made by actual
  Sommeliers!  Winemaking is, at its essence, all
  about farming. 

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• Certainly, theres science, and marketing, and
  math in the equation (theres always math in the
  equation! according to Master Mixologist Jason
  Asher, among others), but great wine starts in
  the vineyard.  How on Mother Earth do these guys
  find the time to be both Master Sommeliers and
  fantastic farmers?

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• Greg Harrington was the youngest to ever pass the
  Master Sommelier test at age 26.  He worked in
  all the major US foodie cities (NY, Chicago, LA,
  San Francisco, NOLA, Phoenix) for several big
  names, including Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang
  Puck. 

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• He found the wines of Walla Walla, Washington,
  particular earthy and balanced, yet displaying
  expressive, ageworthy fruit profiles.  What was
  originally a retirement plan become a five year
  reality and Greg is nearing his tenth harvest at
  Gramercy Cellars. 

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• They produce 6000 cases annually of syrah,
  cabernet, rosé, tempranillo, mourvèdre, picpoul,
  viognier and a grenache blend called the Third
  Man.  Across the board, the wines are rich yet
  elegant, dense yet nimble.

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• Master Sommelier Emmanuel Kimiji visited us at
  our flagship location to sell his first vintage
  of Miura chardonnay from the California Central
  Coast in 2000 and recently returned to introduce
  his new(ish) project from Spain, Clos Pissarra. 

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• Having left the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco to
  pursue winemaking full time in 1999, he is fully
  in charge of his direction and ambition.  His
  wines are a full-fledged variety show 09 Miura
  pinot noir from Silacci Vineyard in Californias
  Santa Rita Hills region a showcase of high-toned
  vibrancy and a kaleidoscope of aromatics ranging
  from husky groundcherries to pickled
  strawberries, while the 09 Miura pinot noir from
  nearby Garys Vineyard is, in one word (and yet
  in every sense), meaty. 

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• His expressions of Spain were no less intriguing
  07 Clos Pissarra Artisan, a syrah/grenache
  blend from the Montsant region, was clearly Old
  World in nature, reminiscent of a cool vintage
  Saint Joseph from France, while the 10 Clos
  Pissarra El Ramon, a mélange of cabernet
  sauvignon, carignan, grenache and syrah from the
  region of Priorat, had a New World bent,
  explosive fruit carrying notes of charred oak and
  black raspberry liqueur. 

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• Emmanuel also leads a pair of other projects in
  Spain (Arrels, Clos dOc) and California (Almvs,
  Antiqvs), because apparently being a Master Somm
  working in one winery on two continents isnt
  enough for some people.

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• Raj Parr is co-owner/co-winemaker at Sandhi
  Wines.  In his spare time, he oversees the wine
  progams of 19 restaurants in eight different
  states as the Wine Director of the Michael Mina
  Group. 

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• The Sandhi wines are as eclectic as Rajs
  selections for the Mina Group Burgundian in
  nature, but still true to the intense, vibrant
  fruit of the Santa Barbara vineyards he uses to
  create Sandhi chardonnay and pinot noir. 

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• Raj is one of the more influential Somms working
  in restaurants in the US, yet is constantly
  humbled by the winemaking process.  Oh, he also
  co-authored the tome Secrets of the Sommeliers. 
  The worst-kept secret being these cats are all
  massive overachievers, obviously.

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• There are others.  Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey
  (who also owns Frasca in Boulder, Colorado, and a
  partnership with Chipotle to create the Pizzaria
  Locale chain in Denver, has wines from Friuli,
  Italy, under the Scarpetta label) (see
  overachiever), Master Sommelier Richard Betts
  (Betts Scholl wines from France, Australia,

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• California and Spain, as well as Sombra mezcal
  and a new tequila, because, ditto) and perhaps my
  current favorite, Sommelier Paul Latos eponymous
  wines from Santa Rita Hills. 

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• Paul follows similar guidelines to the other
  Somm/Winemakers small lot production, minimal
  winemaking intervention, hold true to the
  expression of the vineyard but Paul has a
  stronger belief in intuitive winemaking, which
  takes us full circle. 

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• Like the old adage says, if you want something
  done right, you better get somebody with a Somm
  certificate and multiple jobs to do it.

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