September 12, 2017 | Feature Features
1. Amy Cody
Dinner at The Hobbit begins with a cellar visit, where the Level 2-certified somm suggests the 2013 Pride Mountain Reserve Cab ($375): “It’s from one of the most phenomenal Napa Valley vintages of the decade.”
2. Sonya Villegas Kelsen
Colony Wine Merchant’s co-owner wants you to sip the 2014 CADE Estate Cab ($90). The wine is young but stunning, with “broad yet elegant tannins.”
3. Annette Latora
Pizzeria Ortica’s somm has a prima palate and a penchant for the 2013 Ferrando “La Torrazza” ($40). “I knew right away it was special.” It’s made with erbaluce, a white grape from the foothills of the Italian Alps that’s rarely produced by winemakers.
4. Nancy Milby
The well-traveled oeno of LCA Wine loves uncorking Châteauneuf du Pape—specifically, the 2013 Domaine Saint Préfert ($50). The estate is owned by Isabel Ferrando; she’s dedicated to “keeping things simple in the cellar.”
5. Kate Perry
Dine at Old Vine Café, and you’ll be privy to the Level 2 somm’s good grapes, like the 2001 Chateau Musar “Gaston Hochar” ($125) from Lebanon. The blend of cab, carignan and cinsault should be teamed with the red beans and farro to accentuate its “complex, foresty notes and spicy cherry fruit.”
Photography by:
