This article is part of series of articles on various Dallas restaurants' wine lists. We will also be organizing a wine dinner at each restaurant. If you'd like to be informed about these dinners, please send the author an email at dilek@tastingworld.com.
When sommelier Ryan Tedder showed me his updated and freshly printed wine list a few weeks back, I was quite happily surprised. It looked like one of those lists I was used to seeing in some of the best wine restaurants of New York City: fresh, concise, to the point, full of good choices, unpretentious and not at all stuffy. To help the diners who’d like to peruse on their own and make their own selections, Ryan also listed pairing suggestions next to each wine. But if you like talking to sommeliers and chat a bit about wine, still try to catch a few moments of his time. He not only knows his list very well and might turn you onto something new that you’ll like, but he is also one of the rare people in the industry who can pronounce German wine names impeccably.
Ryan must have had some courage to have put together a list like this. Instead of taking the easy route and blindly adding all the well-known names of California Cabernets he focuses on the really cool stuff, most of them not obscure, but known better to the insiders than the casual wine enthusiast. His list is full of elegant classics and a great deal of them are sold at very reasonable mark-ups. Close your eyes, point to a wine on a random page if you’re feeling lucky, and the chances that you’ll hit something that you’ll like is quite high. This is a restaurant that I would want to visit again and again to drink the next wine on the list. According to Leslie Brenner’s Dallas Morning News article , the food is up to par too.
Below are some of the wines I would love to drink at FT33. I tried to keep my shortlist short but in the end I couldn’t get it any shorter. The first line under each wine’s name indicates if any of the following descriptors apply to it and here is what they mean:
Smart budget – Appropriate if you are on a tight budget but still want a certain level of quality. I included the wines under $50 that are well-worth exploring.
Great values – Not necessarily inexpensive wines, but represent great values within their own price ranges.
Classic – Made by a benchmark producers in a region, or otherwise very well-known wines. Tried and tested.
The above are my own terms and are not from the original wine list. Now, on to the wines…
August Kesseler Riesling Kabinett Rheinhessen Germany 2011, $35
(Smart budget)
If you are on a tight budget, like a little bit of sweetness in your wine and still don’t want to give up on the aspect of great food compatibility, go with this one. And please remember, contrary to the popular belief, off-dry wines are not only for the meek. There are many manly man and powerful women who do enjoy sweet wines.
Schloss Gobelsburg Gruner Veltliner Kamptal Austria 2010, $35
(Smart budget, Great value)
The grape is Gruner Veltliner and is perfect for you if you don’t quite like the aromatic style of Riesling or the full-bodied, oaky Chardonnays. Can’t there be something in between? Well, yes, this one is. Great food wine too.
Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio Alto Adige Italy 2011, $40
(Smart budget)
Another budget wine that’s going to be very well-made, refreshing and minerally. Treat yourself to this wine if you like Pinot Grigio.
Clos la Coutale Cahors France 2010, $42
(Smart budget)
This is Malbec from France. Still has the full body and dark fruit of the Argentine version, but with more restraint in the ripeness.
Muga Rioja Reserva Spain 2008, $50
(Smart budget, Classic)
If you like a bit more elegance and more red than black fruit flavors, you can’t go wrong with Muga Rioja at this price. It is versatile and pairs well with a lot of dishes.
De Ladoucette “La Poussie” Sancerre France 2010, $54
(Great value, Classic)
When you see the word “Sancerre” on a label, always read Sauvingon Blanc. De Ladoucette is an excellent producer and this is another extremely well priced wine on the list. If you like your Sauvignon Blanc a little more subtle but still with some floral notes along with the grapefruit and herbaceousness, go for this one. If you want the extra powerful, riper, passion-fruit-y style, you can always go to Cloudy Bay which is also on the Sauvignon Blanc section.
Trimbach Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile Alsace France 2005, $94
(Great value, Classic)
This is one of the best deals here and when spotted on a wine list, Frederic Emile is the cuvee that elates the spirit and warms the soul of any wine geek. First thing to know about this wine is that it is bone dry. It has no perceptible sweetness and has razor sharp acidity that makes it a perfect match for most white meats, fish and vegetables. 2005 is not one of the best vintages in Alsace but Trimbach is a very good producer and the grapes for Frederic Emile come from excellent sites. That may be one of the reasons that this is such a good value. One way to spot great deals on wine lists is to look for less than great years but great producers that are not very well-known among the general population, all of which this wine satisfies.
Vietti Barolo Castiglione Italy 2008, $79
(Great value, Classic)
I have to caution you here. Do NOT order this wine if you are a big fan of any of the following: California Cabs or Merlot, Argentine Malbec, Australian Shiraz etc. You will not find the deep dark color, the high viscosity and the ripe fruity fruit in this wine. But you will find a lot of elegance, floral and earthy notes and a superb acid/tannin structure. Just make sure it breathes well before being served and make sure that you have food with it. FYI, the grape is Nebbiolo.
Chateau La Nerthe Chateauneuf-du-Pape France 2007, $87
(Great value, Classic)
One of the prettiest Chateauneufs there is. I’ve always liked La Nerthe for its red fruit dominant palate and the fact that it is not as big as some of the other great Chateauneufs. La Nerthe is made mainly of Grenache, followed by Syrah and several other Southern Rhone grapes.
Matrot Premier Cru “Les Chevaliers”Meursault France 2010, $70
(Great value, Classic)
An affordable white Burgundy from the prestigious Les Chevaliers Premier Cru vineyard. One of Ryan’s favorites too. Premier Cru means that it comes from a vineyard that has a higher official quality rating. If you don’t already know what grape this wine is made from, I won’t tell you. First, drink a glass and then ask Ryan what’s in it.
Mugnier Premier Cru “Clos Marechale” Nuits-St-Georges France 2008, $102
(Great value, Classic)
Red Burgundy (read Pinot Noir) from a great producer and a great vineyard. If you are more used to the California Pinot Noir styles, expect more acidity, more earthiness, more tannins in this one. Should be great with most meat dishes that are not too intense. This wine is such a great value on this list. Just to give you an idea, in a NY wine store (Union Square Wine and Spirits) it currently sells for $95. So if you bought this wine there and took it to a restaurant that accepts outside wines, and paid a corkage fee of $30, it would still be more expensive. Imagine that!
Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino Italy 2006, $115
(Great value, Classic)
The grape is Sangiovese and Il Poggione is one of my favorite producers from this region. Expect full body, ripe fruit but not a fruit bomb. Ideal wine for many red meat dishes.
Ridge Lytton Springs Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley California USA 2010, $65
(Classic)
Classic Zinfandel with the ripe fruit of California while managing to remain elegant. Great match for red meat dishes. As good as many Bordeaux or California Cabs without the crazy spike in price. Get a bottle, drink it, then go to a store and buy a couple of more bottles, or cases. Lytton Springs is great and also look for Geyserville.
Vilmart & Cie Grand Celier Brut Champagne France, $135
(Classic)
Vilmart is one of the grower producers in Champagne and this is one of the most amazing Champagne’s that I had ever tasted. Peter Liem and I had visited him in 2007 and he opened this wine for us that he had already cooled for another journalist, a very famous one who didn’t show up at the end of the day. Well, his loss. The wine was fabulous.
Sauzet Premier Cru “Champ Gain” Pulingy-Montrachet France 2010, $130
(Great value, Classic)
Etienne Sauzet is known as one of the most prominent producers of Puligny-Montrachet and Champ Gain is among the best premier crus. An elegant but also concentrated Chardonnay.
Rene Rostaing Cote Blonde Cote Rotie France 2006, $250
(Classic)
This is what I would order if money was no object. Rostaing makes a classic Cote Rotie with almost transparent site expression.
Kosta Browne Kanzler Vineyard Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast California USA 2010, $174
(Great value, Classic)
I would never have tasted this wine if a friend hadn’t brought it to a blind tasting last year. It’s not widely available, all the more reason to order it here. When I looked online, I also couldn’t find one that sells for less than $135 at a store. From last year’s blind tasting I remember that it showed perfectly ripe red and black fruit character without being overripe and without losing anything from its refreshing acidity. It was everybody’s favorite wine of the tasting. If you like Pinot Noir (Burgundy, Oregon, California…) and wouldn’t mind the splurge, look no further.
Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia Tuscany Italy 2009, $300
(Classic)
And did I say historical? This is a wine that single handedly made history and in the end got its own appellation in Italy. It’s a bit like having your own zip code. It also started the “Super Tuscan” frenzy, where most Tuscan producers made up a non-traditional blend and some of them named those wines with words that ended in “–aia” to even greater effect. So, you’re looking at the granddaddy of all the Super Tuscans if you will.
2009 Sassicaia is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Merlot.
Gramercy Cellars Syrah Walla Walla Valley WA USA 2010, $87
(Great value, Soon to be classic)
Last but certainly not least, Gramercy Cellars is another inspiring wine story that is still being written. Master Sommelier Greg Harrington came up with an elegant Syrah with old world acidity and freshness, that doesn’t give up on its balanced ripeness of new world fruit. Since then, his wines have defined a new style of Washington Syrah. Read an interview with Greg Harrington on Washington Wine Report here.
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