Cabernet & Chops: Two Master Sommelier’s Ultimate Pairing at Keen’s

One of my life hacks is I sit around with the master psalms and I listen to their notes and then I just steal them and I go and drink with my non-psalm friends and impress them. When I don't have wine glasses and I'm out and I'm with, you know, muggles at a party and they have red solo cups, like, I'm ready to drink wine out of it because of the angle of the red solo cup. Like, you can swirl, the aromas come out. Don't sleep on drinking out of the red solo cup. This Ruchi Creek is, like, starting to, like, really open up in me right now and every time I smell this wine I cannot stop smelling it and smiling. It's a perfect bottle of wine. Welcome to The Wine Show. I'm Master Sommelier Jonathan Eichholz and we're going to explore the world of wine one grape at a time. Today's episode is all about Cabernet Sauvignon. Wild Cabernet, the world's most planted grape variety. How did this humble grape from southwestern France take over the whole world? Today we see herbal mountainous examples from Chile, fruit forward deliciousness from Napa Valley, and very serious smoking jacket wearing wines from the left bank of Bordeaux. It's all about what's in the glass. Cabernet welcomes you in with this delicious black fruit element of plums and cassis, but after that it keeps you around thanks to the savory herbal elements. We get dried tobacco, leather, and all the things you imagine in your grandfather's library. But the most important thing here is the structure. The elevated acidity and tannins make it perfect for new oak and making it a wine that ages in your cellar for decades upon end. Today we're playing the hits. I'm meeting up with fellow Master Sommelier and Wine Director of Union Square Hospitality Group, Vincent Mauro. We're going to start off the day at Flatiron Wines, picking out two of our favorite bottles of Cabernet. And after that we're headed to the legendary King's Steakhouse to enjoy some red meat alongside one of the great sommeliers of America, Angela Mauro, and one of the world's most amazing wine collectors, Tim Parks. Cheers. How's it going Vinnie? How are you? Great. So when you're thinking of the world of Cabernet, where does your brain go first? To get to Cabernet, I always think of Bordeaux as a reference point, so I feel like that's where we should begin. Specifically for Cabernet, we'll end up in the left bank or the western portion of the Garonne River in Bordeaux. And what makes that area just so special for Cabernet Sauvignon? Cabernet doesn't like to have wet feet, so to speak, and this is an area with a lot of gravel and in turn a lot of very well-drained or less water-retaining soil. This region, you know, six, seven hundred years ago, didn't exist. We can thank the Dutch for kind of draining the swamp and showcasing all this beautiful gravel soil. So to kind of give a little bit more context on those villages, we kind of start up north with Saint-Esteve, where we're going to find kind of those more rustic and earth-driven and kind of cooler climate Bordeaux styles of wine. And as we work our way down that left bank, we have kind of the power and weight and structure of Pauillac. Then to me, I always think of Saint-Julien as kind of this Goldilocks, where you have the structure of Pauillac, but the aromatics of Margaux. And then kind of as we head further south, we have that village of Margaux, which is so perfumed and lifted and just such a fun example of Bordeaux. And talking of looking at art, you know, all these labels of Bordeaux are so beautiful and so classic, but there's kind of these words we see on a lot of these bottles where it says Grand Cru Classé. So when we're talking about the left bank, what does that mean? This ties back to the history of Bordeaux when Napoleon Bonaparte was getting ready for the Paris Exposition and wanted to showcase some of the best wines coming out of Bordeaux. So what they did was they classified estates on the left bank, which key exclusion there is right bank wines. Based on the price that they were fetching on the market, which we look back 170 years, not a whole lot of that classification has changed. So one of the things I'm curious about is we've walked kind of back and forth in this Bordeaux section. I mean, I know we have our rules below 40 and above 60. What bottle is kind of speaking to you as a thing we should be picking up? With all of that as context, you can then see a price tag of 2012 Potent Sac. It's got 13 years of age and it's under $40 a bottle. I think that's a great, it's a great example of what is still possible in Bordeaux, but as soon as you dig, you know, one or two layers deeper than just the 1855 classification. There's only three kinds of vintages in Bordeaux. There is a vintage of the century, a classic vintage, and a restaurant vintage. And I think what's funny here is 2012 is one of those vintages that's called kind of a restaurant vintage. It doesn't maybe have the power or structure or body and weight to age for the long run like something from 80, 89, or 90. What's really cool about these wines is they're ready to drink right now and offer us an opportunity to check into what other Bordeaux's can be like 10, 15, 20 years down the road. And again, to your point, like for $37.99, I'm getting a wine that's coming from 2012 from a producer that was classified as exceptional. So should we grab this one off the shelf and maybe learn more about the world of Cabernet over in Napa Valley? First of all, in Napa it's very different from Bordeaux in that Bordeaux is relatively flat. There's little kind of mounds and hills, but for the most part it's flat. And you get a lot of that influence still from the Atlantic Ocean. So it makes it humid. It can be a challenging environment in some years where you get rain in the summer or during harvest. Whereas in Napa, California, Mediterranean climate, it's pretty much April 1 to October 1, sometimes November 1, where you might not see a drop of rain. So you get all the abundance of sunshine and ability to ripen Cabernet. So that just from a climate perspective is pretty important. But then we get into Napa where you might be at sea level or you might have your vineyards at 2,000 feet and all of a sudden you're above a fog layer. And that has different impact on growing anything, particularly grapes. So Spring Mountain is in the northern part of the valley, or what we'd say up valley, and it can go all the way up to 2,000 feet. Oftentimes you have eastern exposed hillsides that aren't getting all the warm afternoon sun. So you don't get as maybe of intense as a ripening cycle and you might have some more herbaceous or other types of things beyond fruit that show up in the wine. I know there's a lot of younger vintage stuff, some older vintage stuff here, and we still have to fulfill that price point above $60. So what's really speaking to you here? Definitely the Ritchie Creek. That is not something that just doesn't exist. I mean, you really have to dig deep. And also doesn't mean it's a great wine, but based on I think what we'd enjoy, that is special for many reasons. So I think some of our guests later might also quite enjoy that. What's also really important about this is a word we use called provenance. So what you're kind of looking at right now is the fill level of the wine, as well as kind of the color of it in the bottle. So when wine ages, kind of over time it's going to lose color, but also in the bottle it might evaporate because a cork allows oxygen exchange and things to come in and out. So with that kind of on first look to see a bottle from the 80s have this kind of what we call as a fill level is insane and like truly exciting to see. How's it going? I'm going to pick these off your hands if you don't mind. I've never been to Keene's, so this is very exciting. Yeah, one of my favorite restaurants in New York City. It's one of those unapologetically old-school spaces that makes absolutely delicious porterhouse, but the secret to their menu is the mutton chop that they have. So it's going to be really fun to see how the Ritchie Creek plays alongside both of those kinds of meats and we'll get something fun off of their list as well to compare and contrast with. So we just finished up over at Flatiron picking out some amazing bottles of Cabernet and now it's time to play the hits, a little Cabernet and steak pairing. So we picked up a great bottle of 1986 Ritchie Creek Cabernet. So what are your thoughts on comparing that against a bottle of Bordeaux? You guys know of course Bordeaux, it's more maritime and it's cooler. Napa, it's sunny and hot and you know the diurnal spread and all that nerdy stuff you guys can talk about. And what's really cool about that too right in Bordeaux you see these blends because they were hedging their bets based on how crazy the weather was every year and Napa was able to establish itself as 100% Cabernet because of the climate. So definitely fun off of Tim's point to see those climates kind of get closer and closer together to see how they both behave in the glass in front of us. And we're going to be having you know something from Spring Mountain so it's going to be much more like like you have elevation, cooler temperatures. I feel like there might be a lot more in common than like different between the two so I'm excited to see. This is one of the deep traditions in the world of wine right comparing Bordeaux next to Napa. We have this legendary thing that happened in 1976 the Judgment of Paris where the first time Bordeaux and Napa went against each other and we won. Fine wine only really blew up in the late 80s early 90s and with that there were a few critics that were at the forefront of the world of wine and their kind of ratings and styles of wine they enjoyed kind of drove the taste in wine. So to your point like do you like wines from that era when you know wines were expected to be you know deep purple and fruit driven and powerful? You know this is sort of the era that Robert Parker he started I believe the late 70s early 80s and so his uh you know his initial contribution he didn't everyone didn't start making wine to satisfy his palate randomly. He earned the credibility and he earned his reputation and I think the way he primarily got that was because in the late 70s early 80s he was calling out the inferior French wines of the 70s and you know the advantage is we can go back and drink those 70s Bordeaux now and realize that those wines that he was criticizing they weren't good and like by all accounts these wines were you know you could argue the 70s were the worst decade of all time for French wine. Well as you said I entitled to one's opinion in the world of wine so a cheers to being entitled to our opinions in the world of wine and sharing them with others. And really interesting move here to decant this wine since you know it's quite a young wine and to you all like what is decanting a young wine do? For most people you would think this is kind of an older wine it's 2016 it's almost 10 years old but it does not look like you know a wine that has been aging that shows you like the strength and the power of Bordeaux and like Bordeaux varieties. The sort of like visual like the image when I was first learning about wine like you ever have a really hot bowl of mac and cheese and then you you like stir it up and you see the steam coming out and in my mind when you decant a wine or even you swirl it in your glass it's that same image of like the aromatics being unlocked and coming out of glass. What are kind of your classic tasting notes for wine from the left bank of Bordeaux? I feel like there's always that like factor that you can differentiate like California and like France this is this instance is really the the ripeness of the fruit might come off a lot like aromatically but then as soon as you taste it like there is a bit more restraint to like the fruit character it's not as like it's not jammy and ripe and like luscious but it still has like a freshness and more of a tartness to it than it would like on the nose. One of my life hacks is I sit around with the master psalms and I listen to their notes and then I just steal them and I go and drink with my non-psalm friends and impress them. When you first get into wine and you hear people say leather and dark chocolate and tar and asphalt and part of you is like who the hell would ever want to drink asphalt and tar and leather. For me the note I always go to with Bordeaux is like the farm like the barnyard and everyone has like a different one to me it's like it's horse manure almost and the best tasting horse manure you've ever had. Does this have the farmhouse feel that you really look for? It does although it has more it doesn't have quite as it has more fruit still to me like yeah that I would have guessed for an 86. Because it has like that sweet almost like toffee kind of like sweet cigar like shop kind of scent. Like fernet like dj steve like piney bitters type things but like you said they're still they're still or you said they're still fruit. And I'm so excited to see how both of these play with all the really great meat we have coming we'll have porterhouse we'll have mutton and the most important part of every steakhouse the sides. This Ritchie Creek is like starting to like really open up and peak right now and every time I smell this wine I cannot stop smelling it and smiling. Crazy. It's a perfect bottle of wine. Right now we're in a place where you do not need to order a secret Manhattan on the side like both of these wines I think are showing beautifully and in the first couple of bites any pairings standing out to you all? I mean I love the like still the fruit ripeness and like it's I'm not gonna use the word sweet because it's a dry wine but there is like a like a really ripe kind of luscious fruit character to the Ritchie Creek that's really lovely like even with like the little sweetness in the carrots and the creamed spinach it's really it's nice the cut of meat too. One of the things I just want to highlight is you know the steak in the cabernet is super classic but it's fun to have mutton or lamb with cabernet. I think to me this is where the Mallartique Le Gavier shines like all that fresh juicy welcoming fruit kind of enwraps kind of the lamb on my palate and almost lamb you typically see with right like mint jelly and to me it's like that fruity sweet but it's a dry wine like juicy fruit that kind of enhances the bite and the gaminess of the lamb. Which wine are you guys finding really enjoyable with the lamb? I feel like the Mallartique is quite nice. Yeah. Well it brings out different things in both wines but I feel like more of that the savory sort of like really pretty elegant things and the Mallartique or in the Bordeaux were unlocked through pairing with the lamb particularly with the with the mint jelly but whereas the if you do it with the Ritchie Creek because of its age and that like piney herbal quality a lot more of that almost like fernet and digestif bitters type quality comes out and it gives that fruit a place to live and kind of reset and unlock everything else in the wine so it's you know neither one is better or worse or good or bad actually I don't think either is bad but they both do it well they just approach it from a different angle. Jonathan, Angela, Vinnie I appreciate the invite I still don't really know what I'm doing at this table but I thought I would bring an interesting wine that I would love to hear your thoughts on. 1974 Ridge Montebello. 74 is you know we've had 74 Heights, Martha's Vineyard. I'm in the mood right now for this. Some 74 Insignia and I think it's one of the great Napa Valley vintages. This is such a special wine and like truly this is a meal I'm already not gonna ever forget in my life but like this is a wine I've only ever had once or twice before. We were talking earlier about Parker and how sort of the style of Napa it all coalesced to like sort of one endpoint and I think these 70s wines they're very profound representations of a certain site like you were saying and I think this one represents that place. It's one of those things with old wine is it's different and we should kind of experience wine you know across its entire lifespan not only when it's young. The cool thing is when you find a really old bottle that's actually still delicious. It's not delicious because it's interesting or different or you're like oh I got to say I tried in 1943 you know an occupation wine from France it's still delicious and so I would say this this 1974 Ridge is still delicious and I would define delicious as in if we sat here for another hour I'd want another bottle right another bottle another bottle when the finish is so lingering on the tip of your tongue you want another sip and so I would say this is delicious. You do get these different elements of you know primary fruit things that are developing and things that are like fully dried but to me it's structure. Like the tannin here is kind of this mouth grippy thing that pulls all the water of your mouth because like that's what tannin is right it's this part of the plant cell that holds in water and therefore extracts water when you drink it and that softens over time and to here it's just like kind of this gentle velvet hug like me touching my own shirt is like how the tannins feel here whereas this is like still abrasive this is kind of there and structured but this is just like so warm and embracing and like easy going. Cabernet always wins like if we go 100 years Cabernet will win 60 years Cabernet will win and so there's something about old old Cabernet that just you cannot replicate. You know we think in this sort of modern era that like we have all our technology and all these advantages and it's a little bit of a reminder that you know maybe our ancestors had some things figured out right like maybe these traditions were traditions for reason and it's one thing about wine is it's it's charmed human beings for you probably know 10,000 years and everybody from Egyptian kings to Jesus Christ to right it's such a good important to to a grad student in you know Columbia University right now and so there's something about this quality that's so captivating and I think you know that's one thing that makes us all appreciate it. I think coming off that point there's a reason that Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted grape on planet earth. That's why we have you know a whole episode dedicated to this grape variety because it's a great that everyone connects with but at the same time one that has the longest staying power and the opportunity to really create like truly profound and life-changing experiences. Thank you for bringing them together. Thank you all so much. It's such a treat. Pleasure to hang out with you all and tell the story of one of the world's most fascinating and special grape varieties and be able to explore it across of its life cycle with you all and obviously eat some crazy steak and lamb but definitely an outstanding experience. Looking forward to drinking some more wine with you all too. Cheers.