Esca
Address:
402 West 43rd St
New York, NY 10036
Phone:
212-564-7272
Website:
Rating:
Good For:
Italian
List Summary
As another notch in the Batali/Bastianich belt we assume this will sport a well-wielded list, and that it does.Given Esca’s seafood centric cuisine, we are immediately drawn to the reds to find out what on Earth they’ve come up with. The seafood restaurant dilemma is certainly a trying genre and one that the other members of the B&B species (Lupa, Babbo, Otto, etc.) can’t possibly imagine. They have the luxury of pork fat—which is the trap door to all things big, red, and show stopping.
However, Esca shows restraint and poise despite its handicap. There is a clear preference for Northern reds, which tend to be leaner and more amicable to items of the crustacean persuasion. Of course, there are some wines on the list that would blow a hole straight through anything aquatic, but perhaps this is a necessary evil. Some like Aglianico with crudo, and who are they (and who are we) to stand in the way. Thankfully, they’ve managed to keep such accommodations to a minimum.
The white selection is as it should be. It is well selected and covers a considerable amount of regional ground in a finite space. Need we go further? Not really. This is not the place to show up if you are looking to drink mags of back-vintage Super Tuscans and tip tables. This is a place to (shhh), drink some Friulian whites and eat incredibly tiny pieces of raw fish, and the list plays to this with gusto.
List Review Wine Key:
Sparkling
White
Rose
Red
Sweet
Fortified
| By The Glass { Most interesting available by the glass } |
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| Marea 2007, Bisson | $19 |
| Fiano ‘Donnaluna’ 2008, De Conciliis | $15 |
| Cannonau Riserva ‘Dule’ 2005, Gabbas | $18 |
| Gaglioppo 2007, Statti | $14 |
| Value Option { Best under £35/$50/bottom 20% of list PLUS any particularly rare bargains at ANY price point } |
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| Verdicchio di Matelica 2009, Fontezoppa | $41 |
| Bottled ocean breeze, care of an Adriatic standby. Briney citrus fruit and well integrated acidity keeps things classy. |
| ‘Vinnae' 2008, Jermann | $48 |
| Silvio Jermann is a king among men in Friuli, making bianco blends that are consistently a thing to revere. Made from a patch of badass Ribolla Gialla, Riesling, and Tocai Friulano caught huffing a field of wildflowers behind the cellar. |
| Timorasso 2006, Claudio Mariotto | $58 |
| - Covert spy varietal that straddles the border between Lombardia and Piedmont, keeping an incredibly low profile. Medium bodied, floral, spicy, and a little nutty. Creamy mid-palate with a crisp exoskeleton |
| Frappato 2008, Valle dell’Acate | $48 |
| One of the great Italian reds for summer. Light, punchy, shamelessly catchy wine pop. Ask your server to throw a chill on it. |
| Teroldego 2006, Foradori | $46 |
| Teroldego is one of Northern Italy’s unsung heroes, and no one does it like Foradori. Even this intro bottling seamlessly translates the singularity of the varietal. Bright red fruit and laden with earthy treasures and herb-filled nooks. |
| 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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| Veliko Bianco 2004, Movia | $78 |
| One of our all-time favorite producers. Born of the biodynamic, non-interventionist canon, Ales Kristancic puts out some of the coolest, and most affordable wines in all of Italy (although technically in Slovenia). Rich, dense, slightly oxidative, and ready to roundhouse-kick any Super Friulian opposition. |
| Cerasuolo di Vittoria 2007, COS | $74 |
| Who says, elegant high-toned wines can’t come out of Sicily? COS takes Cerasuolo to a new octave level, effectively trampling on detractors. Biodynamic, careful winemaking yields a complex, medium bodied well-argued case for Sicily. |
| Off the Beaten Track |
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| Nebbiolo (Spumante) 2005, Erpacrife | $87 |
| Same fruit found in the earthy and ethereal wines of Barolo created this stunning rose bubbly. Deep in color with huge floral aromatics and plenty of structure. Fantastically successful little experiment. |
| Vitovska 2005, Zidarich | $99 |
| One of the most thoughtful winemakers in Italy and certainly the most successful in the red clay infused Carso valley. Here one of the region’s great indigenous varieties. |
| Kaplja 2004, Damijan | $102 |
| Student of Gravner. No Amphoras here but long macerations and lees aging all combine to produce a wine that fits neatly into the non-interventionist genre. Heaven for wine nerds. |
| Pulin 2006, Bruna | $90 |
| One of Liguria’s great producers sneaking into red wine territory with ease. Blend of Garnaccia (Grenache), Syrah, and Barbera. This is a surprisingly lean, mineral-driven wine with an enchanting sachet of aromatic herbs that is only produced in superior vintages. |
| 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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| Grattamacco Rosso 2001, Grattamacco | $198 |
| ‘Fontalloro’ 1995, Felsina | $180 |
| One of the great 100% Sangiovese bottlings out of Italy, here from the underappreciated 1995 vintage, drinking in its prime. |
| 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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| Barolo Riserva 1999, Vigna dei Dardi | $159 |
| One of our favorite reclusive producers who is rarely spotted outside of their meek La Morra abode. Elegant, traditional Nebbiolo that is drinking to impress. |
| Carema ‘Etichetta Nera’ 2000, Ferrando | $119 |
| Always a genuine treat to drink this wine--tough to find a better value in Nebbiolo . Going outside of Barolo and Barbaresco really pays off here. Tons of aromatic complexity and plenty of backbone. Ask for a decant to get the full treatment. |
| Infanticide { Wines being sold too young, and a prime indicator of sommelier’s integrity. Usually found towards the expensive end of a list with big names thrown in for several or more hundred pounds despite being years off drinking to that price. } |
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| Granato 2004, Foradori | $125 |
| Crowd pleaser { Well known, trusted producer, region or varietal. No surprises, no disappointments } |
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| Falanghina ‘Caulino’ 2008, Fattoria Alois | $368 |
| Savuto 2004, Odoardi | $36 |
| House Wine Index
{ Number of House wines available by the glass & the mean price } |
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| 17 wines by the quartino (2 spumanti by the flute), avg cost: $16.73 |
| Krug Index
{ Price of a bottle Bollinger } |
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| N/A |
