Dec 12, 2008
I had dinner last weekend at the new ZED451 in Boca. It’s a modern American take on the Brazilian churrascaria, with an impressive roster of appetizers and side dishes on s
everal “Harvest Tables” and white-jacketed cooks threading through the dining room bearing skewers of variously marinated meats and poultry. The food was actually pretty good. Nothing on the Harvest Tables (it makes me feel kinda silly to say that but that’s what they call ‘em) looked or tasted old or tired, and for the most part the meats, poultry and occasional seafood item were well-cooked and tasty. I’ll have a lot more details in the March-April issue, but what I wanted to blog about here was ZED’s wine list. There are certainly wine lists that are larger and more comprehensive, encyclopedic tomes full of haute producers and ancient vintages, with prices to match. But ZED’s list is a good example of the tight yet broad selection of wines carefully chosen to partner nicely with the cuisine, also one that sprinkles a few lesser-known jewels in there and offers diners the chance to experiment without breaking the bank.First, there’s a selection of six wine flights, from Champagne and full-bodied reds to off the drinkin’ path wines and interesting blends. Flights consist of three two-ounce pours and cost from $11 to $15. There’s also a roster of more than 25 wines by the glass, as well as about 75 different bottles. By-the-glass prices range from $5 to $22 and bottle prices from $20 to $1,500 for a 1998 Chateau Latour.
What I like about this list is that many of the really cool wines are available by the glass or in a tasting flight. For some reason this is the exception rather than the rule in local restaurants, who wines by the glass tend to be mostly all the usual suspects pours about as interesting as cold cream of wheat. So what are some of these cool wines? I hear you ask. There’s the terrific 2005 Bearboat Pinot Noir, a wine that’s everything I want in a California (Russian River Valley) Pinot—fruit that’s more generous and immediately drinkable than many Burgundies but with lighter body, more complexity and a distinct terroir, yet none of the over-oaked, overripe, overly alcoholic character of far too many California Pinots these days. In the same style and equally delectable is another of California’s finest Pinot Noirs, the 2005 Bouchaine. Don’t miss either the 2005 Bouchaine Chardonnay, an exquisite blend of lush fruit and steely acidity.
There’s also the 2004 Veramonte Primus, a robust blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Carmenere, the national grape of Chile and one that gives a lovely smoky-dusky edge to its fruitier partners. Other wines you don’t see every day and are worthy exploring are the 2006 Bonterra Viognier, 2005 Clos du Bois “Marlstone” and the elegant, Bordeauxstyle 2005 Justin “Isosceles.”
They’re all good. Check ‘em out.
Bill Citara's article will be published in the March/April issue of BOCA Magazine and on his blog.
