Social Wine Bar

Ask any somm what their favorite white varietal is and more often than not , the answer is going to be Riesling.

Riesling is easily the most misunderstood varietal of the wine world.  In most people’s mind, Riesling equates to sweet wine, yet there exists this whole other world of dry Riesling.  It’s ability to produce such a variety of styles has made it the pet of the somm world.  The stylistic options coupled with its naturally high acid make it a natural choice for food and wine pairings.

Riesling also functions in the same capacity as the beloved Pinot Noir in its ability to demonstrate its terroir, the environmental and climactic conditions that define a wine.  Essentially, you know where that particular bottle of Riesling was produced due to the specific aroma and flavor profiles associated with that region.  For example, the Mosel region in Germany produce a style that has a distinct petrol characteristic, while Clare Vally in Australia is known for its limey character.

The best thing to happen to Riesling is the trend of producing more of it in a dry style, giving it broader appeal to the wine-consuming masses.  Hopefully, this movement will start to earn Riesling its place as the best white varietal in the world.

Recommendations for Dry Riesling:

Kuentz-Bas, Alsace, France, ’09

Albert Boxler, Réserve, Alsace, France, ’07

Alzinger, Federspiel, Dürnsteiner, Wachau, Austria, ’07

Robert Weil, Trocken, Rheingau, Germany, ’08

Pewsey Vale, Eden Vally, Australia, ’09

It’s upon us…the most highly anticipated event of the year- New Year’s Eve.

And there is only one beverage of choice…Jager!!

No wait…Champagne!! (and sparkling wine after things are getting fuzzy.  Don’t waste the cash on the good juice if you’re not going to remember it anyway.)

So here’s what we’ll be drinking:

Champagne

It’s the go to.  Start your night off right with a killer bottle (and while your palate is fresh).  All of the listed bottles are super affordable.  (Sorry Selosse…you know I still love you!)

Aubry:  Best-valued Champagne ever.  Nuff said!

Pehu-Simonet:  Everything from this producer just rocks (Brut, Rosé, Blanc de Noir).  All of his bottlings contain at least 80% Pinot Noir and worth the effort to seek out.  See why this newcomer is quickly becoming a fave of the somm world.

René Geoffrey:  Straight hedonism.  Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir dominate this house’s blends, creating vibrant, rich and seductive bubbles.

Diebolt-Vallois: Purity and Focus.  These Chardonnay-driven examples are some of the most linear and expressive Champagnes on the market.  Serious Champagne for serious drinkers.  Look out for the ‘Prestige’ bottling in particular- it’s one of the best sparklers I’ve had all year.

Non-Champagne Sparkling

Wish I was super rich but turns out I’m in the F&B industry.  Maybe I should’ve listened to the folks and pursued finance…hmmm….decisions.

I LOVE Champagne but needless to say, it’s not always (by which I mean rarely) in the Ballstein budget, which has made me a resourceful bugger when it comes to sparkling wine.  Here be my faves!!

Baumard Brut Rosé, Crémant de Loire: Just so happens that one of my favorite producers out of the Loire makes some spectacular sparkling from Cab Franc on the side.  Known for their intense Savenniéres and stunning Coteaux du Layons, Baumard is rightfully considered one of the premier producers of the Loire valley.  Take advantage of the stupidly reasonable pricing; it might just be the best deal in the sparkling wine world.

Jean-Luc Joillot, Crémant de Bourgogne:  This might as well be Champagne.  Produced from the classic Chard and Pinot blend, this is a better representation of Champagne than quite a few Champagnes I’ve experienced.

Castelroig, Cava Rosada:  Obviously, I hold the French sparkling wine industry in a high esteem since it’s all I have recommended thus far.  Well, I gotta give Cava its due shout out as well.  Penedes, the ‘real’ home of Cava has quickly progressed over the past couple decades to become a quality player on the international level.  This particular producer is killing it and this Trapet-based (obscure, indigenous varietal) is plush, giving and straight up hedonistic.  Tons of fun!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

Ballstein

Bartolo Mascarello, Vigna San Lorenzo, Barbera d’Alba, ’05

The Man.  The Myth.  The Legend. The Godfather of Barolo.

One of Italy’s greatest winemakers known for his steadfast philosophy towards crafting one of the greatest wines in the world: Barolo.

He is a traditionalist to the core.

While many of his peers hopped on the single-cru and barrique boats*, Bartolo asserted that the individual crus are not the proper representation of Barolo and that only by blending the various crus could produce a Barolo of sublimity.  Coming from a gent who spent his whole life (85 years) making Barolo, this is a strong source of opinion that he took a very strong stance towards in his various diatribes.

Unfortunately, he passed away in 2005.  He’s like the guy from Into the Wild, but he died old and awesome.

His daughter is now at the helm and the estate has not missed a beat.  Every wine I have ever tasted from them has been breathtakingly awesome (only the Barolos until now).

Turns out, they also make a badass Barbera.  Incredible perfumy aromatics of freshly cut flowers, sweet spice, bright blue fruit exalt this wine into that category of ‘it’s hard to drink this wine because the nose is so mesmerizing’.  It’s so complex and dynamic yet comes together so harmoniously that individual notes are difficult to discern.

On the palate, it’s classic Barbera- tart fruit and high acid with an underpinning of minerality.  It is a classic food wine since they can be a bit too lean on the palate and this one was no different.

Luckily, I recently read where a high-profile somm suggested Barbera with pepperoni pizza and I decided to give it whirl with the addition of mushrooms (Gotta have my shrooms!!).

The pairing was spot on.  The weight of the Barbera stood up to the richness of the pizza and the acidity cleaned up the fatty, cured quality of the pepperoni.  Both the wine and pizza were enhanced by the combination- Bammin!!

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*Producing Barolos from specific crus and aging in new, small French barrels respectively

…it just may be the coolest name ever.  Luckily, I popped out the womb a Ballstein, so I’ll accept a very close second…this time.

Anyways, who is Savio Soares?  A brooklyn-based wine importer from Brazil who focuses on natural, sustainable, organic and biodynamic wines from Germany, Austria, France, Italy & Portugal and let me tell you, his portfolio ROCKS!!

I was cordially invited to attend an intimate tasting and lunch with Savio at my now new favorite restaurant, Il Buco (www.ilbuco.com) in Soho.  It was a whirlwind of a trip that included 9 hours of travel and 6 hours in the NYC that still seems more like a dream than reality.  The follow-up e-mails prove I was there though.

Quick Recap of the Juice:

Simply put- AMAZING!!  Rarely do you have wine epiphanies and this particular tasting made me reevaluate my entire approach to wine and Social’s wine program.  It’s like the  the bottle of ’98 Prieuré-Roch Vosne-Romanée ‘Aux Reas’ or the first time I went to Terroir wine bar (www.wineisterroir.com) in the East Village.  It makes me question my existence.

Here’s the best part of the whole story:  Best in Show- Domaine l’Octavin Chardonnay Pamina 2008 from Arbois in the Jura region of France.  WHAT??  That’s right.  My arch-nemesis Chardonnay bringing home the gold- this is the main reason that I was pretty sure I had dreamt this whole experience.  However, this obviously ain’t no ordinary Chardonnay.  It comes from 35 yr old vines in Limestone soils and is naturally fermented in oak without sulfur and not filtered.  It is the definition of natural wine and has some serious funk to it in that awesome blue cheesy kind of way.  Has some stank but you just can’t get enough of it.

This wine makes me seriously happy (like a teenage girl who just met Justin Beiber happy..I felt new, oddly pleasing sensations)!!

Moving on- I can’t go wine by wine because there were too many I freaked out over, but I will be featuring more of Savio’s juice (www.savinho.com) in “New Favorite Wine Ever of the Week”.

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We are introducing a new segment to our blog and could not be kicking this off with a more excellent selection.

Yves Cuilleron, Les Serines, Saint-Joseph, ’05

WHHOOAAA!!!  This juice is smokin’…literally.  This Cuilleron is one of the single best wines I’ve ever sampled out of the Northern Rhone.  It’s classic Syrah with its smoky, gamey notes balanced perfectly by the blue and black fruit and an underpinning minerality that brings it all together.  This medium + bodied wine is super intense yet has a finesse attributable to the well-integrated tannins and acid.

I knew this wine was going to be good- single-vineyard Saint-Joseph from the original Saint-Joseph* from an all-star producer backed by an all-star importer, Neal Rosenthal.  Expectations were high but I was quickly put in my place.  I nearly smelled the wine for 5 minutes before I could even dare taste it due to the remarkable complexity of this wine[-] and the palate was just as glorious.  The skies opened up and sweet baby Jesus touched me on the forehead…or so I thought.

The price tag is a little unnerving for a Saint-Joseph, but this has seriously surpassed the majority of the Hermitages and Côte-Rôties I’ve encountered at 2-3 times the price.  Don’t be scurred, daddy’s got ya!

On the Ballstein 5-star scale of radness, it scores 6 stars- EPIC!!!

*Saint-Joseph is over nine times the size it once was…BOO!!!!

Chardonnay, the world’s most planted varietal, also seems to be one of the most polarizing- either you love Chard or you hate it.  If I had to choose sides, sorry Chard but it’s been a fun ride.

But Wait!  There’s one expression of Chardonnay that I truly enjoy: Chablis.  Actually, all well-made, cool-climate Chards that don’t see a judicious amount of oak are pretty fantastic.  The problem is that these other examples from the Loire, Northern Italy and Austria are produced in miniscule quantities and rarely seen, so therefore, we shall focus on our more widely available buddy Chablis.

What makes Chablis special?

The Climate.  Chablis is technically in Burgundy but is actually closer to Champagne in the north of France than the rest of Burgundy in the South.  It is significantly cooler, producing a high-toned style with higher acidity and because the wines tend to be much leaner, the wines are aged in stainless vats or large, neutral barrels.  In the other parts of Burgundy and the New World, judicious amounts of new barrels have become the norm, producing a rounder, oakier style of wine.  If Chablis is all about finesse, heavily oaked Chard is about as graceful as a newborn’s first steps.

The Soil.  All the prime sites of Chablis sit in a dried-up ocean bed full of oceanic minerals combined with chalk known as Kimmeridgian soil.  These attributes are reflected in the wines and possess a chalky, steeliness that is more reminiscent of Sancerre than any other version of Chard.  For those who prefer crispier whites, these are the Chardonnays for you.

Value-Oriented Chablis:

William Fevre, ‘Champs Royaux’, ’08

Gilbert Picq, ’08

Both of these wines rock for the price.  These bottlings represent an awesome chance to have a glimpse into the possibilities of Chablis without breaking the bank.

Non-Value-Oriented Chablis:

There are 3 rockstar producers of Chablis and the prices reflect their efforts: Fevre, Dauvissat and Raveneau.  These guys predominantly work with only the best Premier Cru and Grand Cru sites, so if you have the chance, jump on it and drink that juice because it is probably on somebody else’s tab.

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My patient people, I have returned.  Travel and high season at Social has caused my disappearance from the blogosphere but don’t worry, Ballstein is back and better than ever.  Here goes nothin’!

Post-Argentina

Recently, I had a wonderful opportunity to spend some time touring Mendoza, home of the Argentinian wine community, courtesy of William-Harrison Imports.  First and foremost, a sincere thanks to William-Harrison Imports is warranted.  It was an absolutely wonderful experience.

Now to the juice.

I’m not going to lie- I’ve never been a huge fan of Argentinian Malbec or really any of their reds.  They are great values but tend to be to overbearing and lack complexity.  Sadly, this was mostly reaffirmed during my stay there.

Mendoza is a hot desert and subsequently, the wines produced are over-extracted and lack nuance.  I’m sorry but 100% new American oak does not provide nuance, just intense vanilla and coconut flavors to add to the jammy berry fruit.  This has become the go-to style down there and unfortunately, just about everybody is hopping in.  I honestly tasted the same wine 100 times.  It reminded me of our buddies on the other side of the globe, the Aussies, and for anyone who keeps up with the wine biz, the future is not bright and does not require shades.

HOWEVER,

There were some big winners!  Two areas in particular that impressed me were Patagonia and the Cafayate Valley near Salta.

Patagonia is a significantly cooler area than Mendoza and the wines show much more refinement.  The only problem is that there are currently only 7 wineries down there compared to the 1,100+ in Mendoza.  Keep your eyes peeled for the producer Nemesio in particular- very impressive juice across the board.

The Cafayate Valley is actually north of Mendoza which would lead one to believe that it is warmer.  Not so.  This area is home to the highest vineyards in the world (over 10,000 ft) and produces some wines of stunning quality.  The best juice here is by far the wonderfully aromatic white Torrentés.  It is reminiscent of Alsatian Gewürtztraminer with intense lychee and rose pedal notes, but its lineage is actually Muscat crossed with a little known indigenous varietal.  If you haven’t the chance to experience it, put it on your list.  Recommended producers who are easy to locate are Susan Balbo’s ‘Crios’ and Columé.

ONE NOTE- the Torrentés being produced in the other regions of Argentina, such as Mendoza and La Rioja, pale in comparison to the Cafayate version.

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First and foremost, to all our loyal (and even the occasionally loyal) patrons of Social, THANK YOU!!!  We appreciate all your support and will do everything in our power to strive to make the Social experience better everyday.

The impetus for all this love is that Social won 3 categories in the Charleston City Paper “Best of”, right on the heels of our 3rd anniversary.  It has been a roller coaster of a ride (think one of those new, super intense, Superman-style ones at Six Flags) and being able to earn such accolades makes all the effort 100% worth it.  I could not be more grateful to our wonderful staff and of course, all our fantastic customers.  None of this could have been possible without the contribution of all involved, both directly and indirectly.

We won “Best Wine Selection” for the 3rd year running, “Best Happy Hour” (we really do have the best happy hour if you have yet check it out- let’s just say $3 for most anything), and “Best Upscale Bar”.  Our goals for this upcoming year are loftier and we will strive to be the best at all capacities in which we operate.  Your feedback is necessary in making this happen and we will be adding a section to our website to allow for anonymous criticisms and (hopefully) praises about your experience (keep you posted when this becomes live).  Until, Thank You and we look forward to seeing you soon.

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First and foremost, I must apologize to my legions of loyal fans (aka my mom) for not making one post in the month of February- the idea of a blog seemed so effortless on paper.

Moving on…What a jammed pack month.  Social celebrated its 3rd anniversary- it is still incomprehensible that three years have passed.  A gigantic ‘thank you’ to all who attended the festivities as well as made it possible.  The juice was flowin’, the music via Space Invaders was bumpin’ and the debauchery was incitin’.

Next, I competed in the Regionals of the Youth Sommelier Competition.  Didn’t win, didn’t advanced but I learned a massive amount and plan to be a tour de force next year.  I’m gunnin’ for the gold mofos.

More importantly, our new GM, Zach Smith, started on the 1st and is now in full swing.  He hails from Charlotte via Houston has been a GM for Upstream restaurant and XO wine bar and lounge.  One should expect higher standards in all facets of the operation so pop by and make friends.  He happens to be a really nice guy too.

Lastly, I was accepted to sit the Advanced Sommelier Examination (Level 3) in Anaheim at the end of April.  The pass rate is painfully low at 20% but everybody needs a challenge.  Over the next two months, I will be sure to keep you posted of all the odd rules, regulations and appellations that I must learn to pass.  The wine world is a funny place and quite often, bureaucracy as opposed to logic, becomes the driving force- just ask Tyler Coleman(www.drvino.com).

That’s the update.  I have a lot of big, big plans for this blog in 2010 so stay tuned…or just check back in a few days.  Tell then, drink some delicious juice and stay warm (unless you are currently cold, then get warm).

Ballstein

Hola amigos,

So I had the most awesome of opportunities to attend the Wine Entrepreneur Conference in DC last week and I figured  that the least I could do is share with you the insights I learned from it.  Sit back, relax, and enjoy two days worth of seminars condensed down into this bite-size blog post.  I realize that this post would have to be of an extraordinary length to actually fully cover all the material covered, so here are the big picture lessons.

1. Buying a vineyard = Worst Business Model Ever!!! Don’t buy a vineyard and produce wine with the intentions of making millions.  I must reiterate the most classic wine business joke, “How do you make a million dollars in the wine industry…Start with 10 million!”.  I will take my chances in the airline industry.

2.If you want to make wine, source the grapes, rent part of an already existing warehouse and start producing juice immediately.  Not overly capital-intensive and if you can make some good enough wine and market it properly, you can grow organically and one day you can have a winery of your own.  Baby Steppin’!

3. Importing is a beast horse!  Lots of laws, lots of time trying to sell your product in your market, very little time traveling around the world sourcing products aka writing off awesome vacations.  It’s one of those ‘if it was easy, everybody would be doing it’ kinda things.

4. Wine Journalism=Super Fun…but hard to monetize (though becoming easier).

5. Can’t underestimate the power of social media in the wine industry.  Just ask Hardy Wallace.

6. How do you combine the aesthetic and rigidity of a glass bottle with the sustainability of an aluminum can?  That’s right- The Aluminum Bottle…aka the way of the near future.

Can’t wait until next year!

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