A Passionate Wine List

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to lunch by David Marstseller, the young founder of Great Sommeliers.com.  David is a talented videographer with a growing passion for wine and his site reflects both.

We met at Nice Matin on the upper Westside of Manhattan.  The restaurant is owned by a group whose holdings include The 5 Napkin Burger and Marseille to name a couple.  The bistro food here is good, but it is the lengthy and passionate wine list that is the real star here.  It was obvious to me that it was put together with great attention and passion being paid to wines created by passionate winemakers.  It is an amazing list of 2500 selections, that includes wine collections such as JFK's that features pre-phylloxera historical vintages and the famed Restaurant Chanterelle collection, among others.  There are wines rarely found on wine lists such as the amazing Cabernet Francs of Charles Jouget and Olga Raffaut of the Chinon (Loire Valley); Cuvée Faustine Ajaccio from Comte Abbatucci on the island of Corsica.  The list goes on and on and is priced reasonably and intelligently.  It is easy to see that Wine Director Aviram Turgeman and sommelier Sean Cummings are interested in making it easy for their customers to experience and enjoy great wines at reasonable prices.  My hats off to you two gentlemen.

Along with our lunch that included a delicious homemade vegetable beef soup and Croque Monseiur, the French version of grilled ham and cheese we reveled over 2006 Clos Rougeard Saumur-Champigny “Les Poyeux”, an absolutely gorgeous Cabernet Franc that had a compelling and enticing earthy aroma. On the palate it was full-bodied, pure and elegant with a long velvety finish. The wine is still very young and will benefit from a few years in the cellar. This wine should last for another 20 years at least.   Very little Clos Rougeard wines are imported into the U.S., so to enjoy this vintage you need to go to Nice Matin.  I have the wine in my cellar and I paid $80 for it in 2011.  Were it to be available today, I would venture it would set you back about $150.  Nice Matin has it on the list for $135.  A remarkable price.

There is a terrific video interview with wine director Aviram Turgeman on the Great Sommeliers website.  Click here to watch it.

Saluté