Planning to go to a restaurant somewhere in the world often requires making a reservation ahead of time. Usually the procedure is straight forward by either making a phone call or now more frequently booking on line. You may have difficulty in getting a confirmation for the time requested but at least you maintain the control and know how things stand. However, in New York City the hospitality platform of RESY (An American Express Company) has taken over management of most top restaurants spots for this system – maybe uniquely so around the globe. The intention was for helping restaurants control reservations with improved efficiency. In most cases it seems to be working well with excellent customer service for booking times on line for inside, outside, and even bar/counters dining at select 15 minute intervals. It also helps the restaurants with their management calculations on table turnover and maximum capacity in an organized orderly manner rather than just manually as before.

However, for the most popular in demand places Resy is not working. Your scribe tried unsuccessfully many times recently to book restaurants such as Via Carota, Don Angie, Penny and Shukette. It always comes up to request “Notify Me” but they never do. Instead to get in it is necessary to just show up and grab one of the reserved for walk-in openings immediately or wait. Better odds if you show up for dinner at 4-5 pm early or after 9 pm late to increase your chances. This strategy worked for me. Resy needs to have another look IMHO at this glitch in their reservation situation. Impossible to book so many.

That being said the dining in NY is still stellar with these 7 tried this month and all recommended by me:

VIA CAROTA: Italian so popular fun casual in Greenwich Village but impossible to book. Still outstanding $28 Polipo – grilled octopus & green olive pesto.

DON ANGIE: Another Italian spot in same West Village area but never available on Resy. Fantastic signature dish of pinwheel lasagna for two at $68. Broccoli Di Ciccio $14 with black garlic & hazelnuts a good side item. Best value $85 on Wine List is elegant cherries of lovely aged 2014 Barbera d’Asti Nuj Suj by Icardi.

SARABETH’S: Upper West Side (other locations too) VALUE of Prix Fixe $45 Three Course Menu of quality appetizer large Caesar Salad with 5 lettuces including kale and shaved crisp parmesan. Mains of Salmon & Chicken are well done, and delicious dark chocolate dessert. Amazing deal on Wednesdays with a few wines available on lost leader price. Enjoyed a bottle of 2021 pure fresh Chablis AC Dom. de Vauroux at the steal price of $30.

LA PECORA BIANCA: All day Italian VALUE dining several NY locations easily reserved. Outstanding recipe for whole Branzino with spinach, olives, and Meyer lemon for $34 and all pastas are excellent – Calamarata $24 with arugula pesto is so tasty. Lots of wines by the glass including fruit loaded 2022 Barbera d’ Alba from Vajra.

ESTIATORIO MILOS: Returned to this fav again at Hudson Yards. Also enjoy their Las Vegas location. They always do a superb $45 great value lunch including fresh fish of the day together with other Greek goodies. A deal.

SHUKETTE: Middle East cuisine place busy at Ninth Avenue at 25th Street. Wonderful breads like Frena for flavourful dips of Hummus, Labneh, and similar. Spanish 2022 Albarino Pazo das Bruxas $16 by the glass. Hot spot.

PENNY: Fortunate to find one of their only 31 all counter seating as a walk-in at this outstanding small newer restaurant. Impressive innovative seafood! Really enjoyed Octopus + Potato Salad $18, Grilled Mackerel + Long Hots $24, Swordfish + Jimmy Nardellos $35, and freshly baked warm sesame Brioche $8. Unique Wine List well assembled with hard to find labels including some great Alsace whites. Explore. A treat.

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Question: How have the weather conditions affected Burgundy grapes for the 2024 harvest that is already underway?

Answer: Very difficult year. At least it comes after two years in 2023 & 2022 of higher production volumes. The hail and rain has been extreme which has worsened the continuing problem (around the world including Bordeaux and the Loire) of mildew in the vineyards. Definitely a shorter crop and obviously not a consistent vintage. Chablis volumes are way down. Selection of grapes will be an all important consideration in the quality of the resulting wine. Stay attentively tuned for specific vineyard updates on Vendange 2024. Stock up on previous best vintages like 2020 and 2019 reds.

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The website for Musique & Vin au Clos Vougeot captures their mission “to create a fusion between musicians of international fame and the winegrowers of Burgundy”. It certainly “offers an amplified experience to its public, pleasure that appeals to both the ears and the palate. ” It also is dedicated to supporting young musicians and providing funds for an innovative Instrument Loan Program among other worthwhile ventures. This excellence in both Music & Wine was held in Burgundy June 22-30, 2024 and the 17th edition is scheduled there for late June 2025. Aubert de Villaine & Bernard Hervet were there from the beginning with Founding Sponsors Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Domaine Faiveley, and Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin. Since 2019 Friends of Musique & Vin au Clos Vougeot has been formed to support this project as a “Franco-American cultural partnership”. The next event Concert + Gala + Wine Dinner is scheduled for October 22, 2024 at the French Club in San Francisco California hosted by Aubert & Bernard. Check it out.

Leader Bernard Hervet while in Vancouver last month attended a dinner at Boulevard on August 14, 2024 hosted by three members of our local Tastevin (Trent Gustafson, Felix Ho, and your scribe) who are helping to organize another group visit to Burgundy at the end of June 2025. Bernard is a fountain of outstanding wine knowledge including excellent experience as Director/GM with both Bouchard Pere (and Wiliam Fevre) for 18 years 1988-2005 and Faiveley for 9 years 2007-2015. The brilliant wines of both those houses have been reviewed several times on this Blog. It was wonderful to catch up with Bernard again as he is an avid wine collector with a surprising cache as well of top Bordeaux wines. It was a delight to dine with him and reminisce about our old experiences and discuss the merits of many memorable vintages. He has kindly offered to arrange our visits next year to Musique et Vin plus our opening dinner reception at his amazing social club of 1243 Bourgogne Society in Beaune.

A Michelin star sumptuous repast was prepared by the top crew at Boulevard from acting GM Lisa Haley to the kitchen brigade led by talented chefs Roger Ma & Kenta Takahashi. Choice Seafood Platter included both fat and leaner tuna to compare, Nass River Coho lightly smoked, quality chicken a la Bresse with Aussie truffles, and dark chocolate torte. Our 5 wines stimulated a lot of discussion:

1. 2010 PULIGNY-MONTRACHET 1ER CRU “TERRE DE BLAGNY” DOMAINE BENOIT ENTE: Produced by the younger brother of esteemed winemaker Arnaud Ente who acquired his own vineyards in 1997 but his style has evolved since 2004 from rich oaky battonage to a purer structured fresh acidity less oak. Lower yields in 2010 but still very light and fresh with almost too citrus lean bodied. Expected more weight. Bernard made a smart point that more Blagny cooler terroir is showing then the 2010 full balanced vintage. This white Burgundy coming from a Hong Kong purchase special label is actually unfiltered SOUS LE PUITS 1ER CRU at 12.5 abv.

2. 2019 MARTIN’S LANE NARAMATA RANCH VINEYARDS PINOT NOIR: Served blind to Bernard from this respected Okanagan East Kelowna Estate facing E/SE at 410-490 metres Clones 667 & 943 harvested September 24-October 1. Winemaker Shane Munn calls it “Gently Made By Gravity”. Dark colour, deep earthy aromas, solid full very soft less acidic textures with wonderful enticing pure pinot fruit at 13 abv.

3. 2017 CHAMBERTIN CLOS DE BEZE GRAND CRU DOMAINE BOUCHARD PERE: Bernard knows this site very well with East exposure on unique marl, limestone, clay and rock soils. LIghter vibrant vintage shows fresh cherry and raspberry/strawberry aromas with complex balanced textures and grippy finishing lift. No rush. Works paired with the fresh northern British Columbia coho course.

4. 2002 CORTON CLOS DES CORTONS GRAND CRU DOMAINE FAIVELEY: Another chosen wine from Bernard’s former employment producer that is so expressive of top red Burgundy. Lots of structure and energy here with harder tannins but may never get silky smooth enough in time to catch the medium fruit level. Enjoyable now at 20+ years for the charm it brings though some further potential is there. Matches the fantastic earthy truffles and non-oven cooked juicy chicken off the grill. Brings back memories of that ultimate delicious Bresse whole chicken at Le Bistro de L’Hotel in Beaune.

5. 1999 MAZOYERES CHAMBERTIN GRAND CRU VIEILLES VIGNES DOMAINE HENRI PERROT-MINOT: Son Christophe took charge from his father Henri since 1993 destems and uses Remond barrels from Allier/Troncais (50% new Grand Cru) usually not racked. A bit heavy riper and closed in with coarser style lacking in elegance from this classic red year. Bernard offered that “perhaps picked too late”. May evolve better with more time.

Become more familiar with Musique & Vin au Clos Vougeot.

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Question: Who is the well-known Italian winemaker who moved recently to a Bordeaux classified growth?

Answer: Yes, Axel Heinz who produced so many great Ornellaia & Masseto Super Tuscans vintages was hired last year as CEO of Second Growth Margaux estate Chateau Lascombes. Admire their 2010 vintage but expect a bright future is ahead for this property producing wines in a more Margaux elegant style.

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Another Vancouver Paulee for the wonderful opportunity to taste and study the complexity of white Burgundy. As followers of this Blog know well there have been quite a few previous write-ups of this fantastic annual event. This time on August 24 at the Acquafarina restaurant your scribe tried 36 Meursault Premier Cru over 13 vintages from fresh 2022 back to 2009. An excellent variety of quality producers including the innovative Bouchard Pere under CellarMaster Frederic Weber who joined in 2002 and became Cellar Master in 2013. Even back in the hotter 2009 vintage they were picking early for lower pH and higher acidity – which now with global warming is being done by most everybody. The 13 vintages showed the importance of weather conditions with 2014 impressing for the youthful vibrancy and 2020 is underrated for balance. The frosts affected 2016 but Les Perrieres Albert Grivault had steely notes while hot conditions of 2015 (better for reds) and the more recent years too showed popular more powerful lush extracted wines. The vineyards showed their different terroirs as expected with Perrieres fuller more minerals best long ager, Genevrieres consistent finer subtle less weight, and Charmes full body rounder opulence less minerals. These characteristics were confirmed by the single bottle of 2009 Perrieres Bouchard being more advanced than the magnum, the 2009 Genevieres Bouchard in magnum (contributed by yours truly) was subtle and still developing needing extended airing, and the Charmes varied from lush 2015 Dom. Brisson-Charles to elegant 2014 Henri Germain. Paulina Zhang & Blair Curtis provided excellent insightful comments and enjoyed the latter wine plus 2017 Genevrieres Domaine Michelot which IMHO was still showing a lot of sulphur. There was such a broad selection of top wines so many diverse favourites chosen.

A Top Five that impressed me:

1. Best YOUNG Meursault 1er Cru: 2020 LES CHARMES-DESSUS BENJAMIN LEROUX. Really like what this producer is doing. Amazing quality wines for value like 2020 Meursault Vireuils (near Auxey-Duresses) with limestone soils. Charmes-Dessus is young but superbly balanced needing more time to open up. Look at my photo of the outstanding use of Diam 30 (not Diam 10) closure for long aging.

2. Best OLDER Meursault 1er Cru: 2009 PERRIERES BOUCHARD PERE. Again the hot 2009 vintage shows much better than expected for this white wine (and the reds) with freshness continuing with depth and developing complexity.

3. Best AGING Meursault 1er Cru: 2014 PERRIERES BOUCHARD PERE. June hail 2014 reduced the crop in Meursault producing concentrated fruit with firm acidity. Two bottles tried showing quite differently with one as just described and the other starting to develop a fuller more mature very classy style. Bottle variation at 10 years.

4. Best UNDERRATED Meursault 1er Cru: 2013 PERRIERES BOUCHARD PERE. Cool year for reds but a lighter lean crisp pure well defined terroir here that was not fully appreciated.

5. Best LIEU-DIT Meursault: 2019 CLOS DU CROMIN (Domaine Genot-Boulanger) & 2022 LES TILLETS (Domaine Patrick Javillier). In Meursault there are highly rated lieu-dit vineyards (not official 1er Crus) including these two served to everyone paired with the baby gem lettuce & truffle. Clos du Cormin is a walled site within the larger lieu-dit of Le Cromin. Young and stylish vintages though less classic than 2014 & 2010. These Lieu-Dit wines now are the good values to look for and purchase – that includes my fav Les Vireuils. Also Les Narvaux, Les Clous, Les Cases-Tetes, and others.

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