The Somm Journal

120 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2017 { rhône } 120 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2017 FERNANDO SILVA, Wine Director of GlenArbor Golf Club in Bedford Hills, NY "These are just the type of wines that appeal to me. My clients are very into wine, and many are collectors, so we simply must have Cabernet on the list. The issue for me is getting them to think outside the box. Côtes du Rhône Crus, particularly those from the Northern Rhône regions like Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage, are wines I can carry that give my customers the top qual - ity they demand while introducing them to new wines they may not know." TOMOHIRO SATO, Sommelier and General Manager at New York City's Kaoru "The hne Crus fit y needs, particularly the ones that produce white wines, which work well with our cuisine—though this is not so important. We are primarily a high- quality sashimi bar, so during their meal my customers tend to stick to saké. Then, once they finish their eal, they lie to order a good wine to sit and enjoy. They will only buy wines of the highest quality; label recognition is paramount, and price is unimportant—a bit out of the norm for most Western res - taurants to grasp, but it allows me to sell lots of very high-quality wine." JONATHAN EICHHOLZ, Sommelier at Aquavit in New York City "We have a great wine list and the Rhône is well represented. What I like about the Côtes du Rhône Crus wines is the variety, differing styles and sense of place that become apparent as you move from nor th to south in the Rhône Valley. For instance, Syrah-based Côte-Rôtie wines are ver y different from say, the Grenache- dominant Lirac wines—though, as a Scandinavian restaurant, we are more focused on white wines. I love the Rhône whites that give great possibilities to our type of cuisine, par ticularly the Viognier- based wines from Condrieu." Our Esteemed PasSOMMgers Fernando Silva, Wine Director at the very exclusive GlenArbor Golf Club in Bedford Hills, NY. A pensive Tomohiro Sato after a sip of Paul Jaboulet Aîné 2012 Cornas "Les Grandes Terrasses." Jonathan Eichholz extends his glass to revisit the Condrieu. RECENTLY IN NEW YORK CITY, a wide selection of Côtes du Rhône Crus was presented to a group of about 50 seawor thy sommeliers during what was fittinly dubbed the "Cruise with the Crus." The event was held in order to give an overview of the region and highlight the diversity of the Côtes du Rhône Crus. Select wines from nine of the 17 Crus were presented during the Cruise to edu - cate sellers to more effectively promote these upscale wines when presenting them in the workplace. By definition, the hne alley is the heart of France's wine production with two distinct areas: the cooler Northern Rhône, which produces only 5 percent of the wine made in the Rhône Valley, and the far larger and warmer Southern Rhône, which pro - duces the other 95 percent. By the num- bers, the Valley is France's second-largest AOC/AOP in geographical size and its largest by production volume, with nearly 372 million bottles produced in 2016. There are four separate classifications under the AOC Côtes du Rhône umb - rella: Côtes du Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Côtes du Rhône Villages with a Geographical Name and the prestigious Côtes du Rhône Crus. Côtes du Rhône is the largest appellation of the Rhône Valley. The AOC Côtes du hne is now hoe to 2 official rape ari - eties and 86,000 acres of planted vineyards. Côtes du Rhône-Villages AOP is the next level up the scale and focuses on select areas of the Southern Rhône and its regions, with 20 villages mainly in the south. Finally, the Ctes du hne Crus classification encompasses villages and surrounding ineyards that are classified as uniue ter - roirs for wine production and don't require Wines with (Sea) Legs! CÔTES DU RHÔNE CRUS HOSTS A SEA CRUISE IN NEW YORK CITY by David Ransom / photos by Ryan Zimmerman

• Cover