Balthazar
Address:
80 Spring St
New York, NY 10012
Phone:
212-965-1414
Website:
Rating:
Good For:
Mature vintages, Great Value, Biodynamic / Organic, Quirky, French
List Summary
Balthazar’s list still stands as nothing short of awe-inspiring as the original Chris Goodhart conglomeration of nerdy outer-regional values, quirky back vintage finds, and well-priced standards. This is the kind of list that makes you pause, all but fall off your chair, and whisper to your wino companion, “let’s max out my Amex tonight.”From beginning to end, this wine list reads like a French wine lover’s Valhalla. The mark-ups are downright humanitarian, the selection is damn near perfect, and the range is, well, you get the idea. One more adjective and this borders on melodramatic.
Standard G-hart party favors apply, with 17 wines by the glass and 4 fifteen oz carafes that are not only well priced but hardly rudimentary (see: ’89 Prince Poniatowski Vouvray at $15). The Champagne section reads like a lesson in terroir-driven bubbly on one side and a hall of fame on the other, and is priced to make you feel as if you’ve sailed a pirate ship in and out of this place unnoticed. The reserve list is unbelievably varied in depth, breadth, and scope , but isn’t about length here. This list, like all of the Goodhart captained lists in the city (Morandi, Pastis, Minetta), achieves more in a few pages than many of the city’s wine lists do in 50. It is succinct, varied, and reads like a greatest hits album. Is there any need to continue?
Who is this man? Is he a pagan god sent to educate us mere mortals on how to really live?
In a nutshell, please reserve Wine Chap and our fellow chums season passes to the barstools, and perhaps that mag of ‘79 Jouët Fleur du Champagne Rose? Ok fine, just the barstools.
List Review Wine Key:
Sparkling
White
Rose
Red
Sweet
Fortified
| By The Half { Most interesting available by the half bottle } |
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| Menetou Salon 2008, Chatenay | $28 |
| One of the unsung value regions in France. Menetou lies right next door to Sancerre and produces similarly snappy Sauvignon Blanc. This version from one of the region?s stalwarts is a little princess. |
| Chablis 'Vieilles Vignes' 2007, Dampt | $30 |
| Chablis-heads dig on Vincent Dampt?s opulent and tropicalicious take on this mineral driven, seashell loaded Chard. |
| Value Option { Best under £35/$50/bottom 20% of list PLUS any particularly rare bargains at ANY price point } |
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| Muscadet De Sévre-Et-Maine 'Le L d’Or' 1995, Luneau-Papin | $54 |
| Muscadet isn?t just for oysters, madras, and the occasional sailboat romp. In the correct hands, this is built for greatness. At 15-years-old, this earthy and briny Musca is bound to blow your seersucker socks off. |
| Savennières 'Roche Aux Moines' 1994, Aux Moines | $54 |
| Amazing 15-year-old Cheny that sorts serious complexity at this price point. Still highly vivacious, aromatic, and earthy. One of the list?s great values. |
| Edelzwicker 'Sept Grains' 2005, Barmès-Buecher | $39 |
| Husband and wife team putting out powerful, principled wines. This ?Sept Grains? (seven grapes) is a field blend bottled from the free run juice from the first press of all of the grand cru fruit. Wonderfully aromatic and plush vintage velvet couch of a wine. |
| Cour-Cheverny 'Cuvée Renaissance' 1996, F Cazin | $60 |
| A true treat to find Cazin?s Cuvee Renaisssance in back vintage. 100% Romarantin--one of the oldest French varietals in production?a grape that sports a Chenin-like nose of wool, spice, nuts, and mineral. Broad and elegant with plenty of youthful acidity intact. |
| Cornas 1996, Auguste Clape | $300 (1.5L) |
| Another steal on a classic drinking in peak form from the big bottle. |
| Morgon 'Côte du Py' 2008, Foillard | $64 |
| St. Estephe Canon-Fronsac 2001, Moulin Pey-Labrie | $70 |
| VDP Des Bouches-du-Rhone 2001, Trevallon | $100 |
| A Vin de Pays from Provence, an ‘illegal’ combination that has become a cult favorite in France. Great smoke and dark red fruit—made for meat, butter, and bedroom. |
| Sancerre Rouge 'La Croix du Roy' 2006, Lucien Crochet | $66 |
| 1st Date { Impressive but not too showy: circa £50 – but a wine that shows one’s connoisseurship rather than just size of wallet/expense account } |
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| Savennières 'Clos du Papillon' 1999, Closel | $90 |
| Another beaut from the Valley that is Loire. The searing acidity that is so prominent in young Savennieres has taken a step back and allowed this to show it bones. Tons of earth, dried citrus, and a warm, broad palate. |
| Coteaux Du Languedoc 'L’Ècriture' 2004, Le Mas de L’Ècriture | $90 |
| A great example of the new breed of Languedoc wines. Blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre all grown on Jurassic Park limestone. Dense (nearly opaque) with tons of decadent dark fruit, earth, and spice. Coming into its own at present, but give it a swirl in the decanter to shake off some residual fuss. |
| Off the Beaten Track |
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| Arbois Savagnin 2001, S Tissot | $60 |
| We love the Jura for the off-the-wall oxidized (on purpose) wines that challenge the expectations of unassuming wine folk. Funky, salty, plumped up Vin Jaune-esque wine reared by the region’s masters. |
| Reuilly 'Les Pierres Plates' 2008, Domaine de Reuilly | $39 |
| The AC is Reuilly. A tiny area (170 hectare) that abuts Quincy. Similar in style to Sancerre--vibrant, citric, and grassy with a pronounced wet stone quality. If you are bored to tears with the endless rivers of Sauvignon Blanc pouring forth from every nook and cranny of the New World, this is a good old school juice that?ll cheer you up. |
| Trousseau 'Sous La Roche' 2006, Ganevat | $63 |
| Another one of our favorite Jura masterminds that has only recently begun to gain stature in the eyes of U.S. wine buyers. This baby is sourced from 85-year old vines and drinks like a hybrid of Cabernet Franc and Beaujolais with a thoroughly quirky edge that can only be classified as that of the Jura. |
| Old School Classic { Classic (usually French or Italian – depending on dominant cuisine), from the middle of the list – a good wine, with age to stick on expenses and impress crusty wine bores/board members } |
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| Riesling ‘Clos Ste-Hune’ Vendanges Tardives 1989, Trimbach | $370 |
| Bonnes-Mares 1989, Comte Georges de Vogüe | $500 |
| St-Émilion 1982, Château La Gaffeliére | $380 |
| Treat Yourself { Remember when you used to get a bonus? not necessarily most expensive – but a real treat, rare, particularly good vintage etc } |
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| Blanc de Blancs Brut ‘Initial’ Grand Cru NV, Jacques Selosse | $250 |
| One of the region’s true Mavericks He has forced producers and consumers to change their expectations of Champagne and pay attention to terroir. This is raw, perspective-changing bubbly. |
| Savenniéres ‘Clos de la Coulée de Serrant’ 1985, Nicholas Joly | $150 |
| We can?t even begin to tell you how rare it is to find this iconic wine in a back vintage and at simply unbelievable pricing. The godfather of biodynamics deserves a page long rhapsody, but we?ll keep it brief. Clos de la Coul�e de Serrant is this estate?s flagship wine, sourced from a tiny parcel of 7 hectares of land on predominately red schist soil, from vines averaging between 30-40 years of age. One of the greatest arguments for Chenin Blanc?s nobility is here in one bottle. |
| Meursault 1er Cru 'Goutte D’Or' 1999, Comtes Lafon | $250 |
| Château Grillet 1997, Château Grillet | $160 |
| Côte-Rôtie 1996, JP & JL Jamet | $205 |
| Jamet is one of the leading Côte-Rôtie houses these days. His wines far surpass other better-known regional competitors. If you’re feeling like a glass of cherry glazed ham, smoked bacon, black olives, and lavender dust – you’ve arrived. |
| Volnay ‘En Champans’ 1985, H de Montille | $400 |
| For the love of Burgundy. Stumbling upon a wine like this--so itself, so perfectly integrated and so heartbreakingly beautiful is what it’s all about, folks. |
| La Grand Rue 2001, F Lamarche | $310 |
| La Grand Rue is a monopole of Domaine Lamarche, and it only acquired Grand Cru status in 1989. Rare as a rent-controlled apartment in SoHo, this wine shows the complexity and finesse of the Vosne with the elegance of a Chambolle. |
| Crowd pleaser { Well known, trusted producer, region or varietal. No surprises, no disappointments } |
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| Graves Blanc 2008, Château Magneau | $30 |
| Côtes-Du-Rhône 'Les Promesses' 2007, La Font du Vent | $40 |
| House Wine Index
{ Number of House wines available by the glass & the mean price } |
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| 17 wines available by the glass at an average price of $12.38 |
| Krug Index
{ Price of a bottle Bollinger } |
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| $315 |
