CorkRules - Episodes | Aretsky’s Patroon Patroon

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About this Episode

Grace Hood, certified sommelier and wine educator, and Robert Tas visit the American-fusion restaurant Patroon where guests can experience a modern menu of seasonal American favorites an exceptional wine list that displays a deep commitment to wine in a lively sophisticated atmosphere and an unforgettable New York experience. In this episode, Grace recommends natural wines fermented from wild yeast, some spectacular whites, reds, roses and chardonnays for celebrating today and every day.

Wines reviewed include:

2017 Lemelson Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley
Gamay Noir, Barsotti Vineyard, California
2016 Domaine Leflaive Premier Cru Puligny Montrachet

Transcript: Patroon

Patroon

Robert Tas

Hello, and welcome to CorkRules podcast where we will review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I'm your host, Robert Tas, along with Grace hood, wine educator, and certified sommelier. Hello, Grace. It's great to have you back for another great wine list.

Grace Hood

Hey, Robert, happy to be here.

Robert Tas

So before we jump in, let's talk CorkRules. We created CorkRules to demystify wine lists, because we know from experience that sometimes when we get that list handed to us, well, it can be intimidating and even a little daunting. Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list. Find those hidden gems, value wines, or that special bottle to take your dining experience over the top. So sit back and listen as we review your favorite wine list. So great. Today, we're chatting about Patroon This is a classic New York establishment. Super excited to hear what your initial thoughts are about their list. Yeah, so

Grace Hood Tthey have a nice list. It's a good international mix. Definitely, a lot of French which you know, I never hate.

Robert Tas: Yeah, you and your French wine obsession. I love it. So, Grace, where are you going to kick us off?

Grace Hood

Well, you know, you can't go wrong with sparkling. And a really interesting one I saw on the list is a California sparkling from Cruz, which is a small producer from Petaluma. This is what we would qualify as a natural wine, in that the fermentation process occurs from the wild yeast, which just refers to the natural spores that are already on the grapes and the leaves in the vineyard as opposed to using a man-made yeast or a chemically produced yeast. This is the most old-school way of mind making the winemaker would take a few great clippings about a week before they're going to harvest the acreage. And in the lab, they'll mash up the grapes and leave them in an air-locked container to start growing healthy bacteria from the natural yeasts. And that will be added to the fermentation tank when they harvest and start processing the rest of the grapes is basically the same thing you would do if you were making a sourdough bread or a kombucha.

Robert Tas 01:59

Wow, that's awesome. Wine science lessons with Grace here. I love it. Now, I gotta believe they have some great whites. What caught your eye there?

Grace Hood

Yeah, so since the cuisine Patroon is kind of American fine dining fusion. We have a lot we can play with when it comes to flavors. If we wanted to go with a lighter style white, I would actually recommend an Australian riesling from the Vinta Looper vineyard in the Clare Valley. Australia is such an underrated country for wines. Sometimes the southern hemisphere gets forgotten because it's so far away from us here in America. But don't sleep on the southern hemisphere. Australia has a lovely temperate climate and makes it has very talented winemakers

Robert Tas

I can't believe you think Australia wines are underrated, but you're probably right. We all need to do some more Australian wine exploration including myself.

Grace Hood

Yeah, well, you know, I'm here to help anytime, Robert,

Robert Tas

I do I know you're going to take good care of me.

Grace Hood

And speaking of taking good care if we're looking for a richer, deeper white, I'm going to recommend the Coupe Busan from the central coast of California. I absolutely love this vineyard and have been drinking their juice for almost my entire wine career. Ruth odd is a traditional white Rhone varietals and really enjoys the heat and arid climates. That's why it's grows so well in the rocky soils and sunshine near Santa Barbara.

Robert Tas

That sounds nice. So, what are you thinking of for our red friends?

Grace Hood

Yeah, if we're thinking of a lighter style red, I would go with the gamay noir who are from Barsotti vineyard in the Sierra foothills of California. This one really caught my eye because you don't often see gamma noir in the American wine market. So, if a place like Patroon is putting it on their menu, then you know it must be something special. And then if you want it to go with a little bit of a heavier read, we're going to head north to Washington and I would grab the 2013 Hedges family red blend, I actually worked the 2021 wine harvest in Washington, and I have a really, really soft spot for their luscious delicious reds.

Robert Tas 04:05

Yum. I bet those are drinking fabulously right now. So, what about some unique wines that might be off the beaten path and maybe something special.

Grace Hood

Yeah, so if we're thinking about some more wallet-friendly wines for a white, I'm going to go with the Italian white from La minana. It's from Alto Aldige and then for a more high value and kind of a special white I would choose the 2016 Domaine Leflaive Premier Cru Puligny Montrachet and then on the red side, if you're feeling budget-friendly, I would go with the 2017 Lemelson Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley or if you're looking to go big or go home on a special occasion red the 2000 Chateau Petrus is arguably one of the most sought after vintages for that producer. So go for it.

Robert Tas

Oh my goodness, you certainly didn't hold anything back with that. That's fantastic. Amazing. Exactly, man. Miz right. All right, Grace, thank you so much for helping us navigate Patroon's fabulous wine list To our audience, thank you all for joining us here on CorkRules. If you would like Grace to review one of your favorite restaurants, please send us an email to info at CorkRules.com or visit our website where we have a request form available. We're looking forward to being with you on another CorkRules episode soon. In the meantime, please check out our website for all our latest episodes of your favorite restaurant wine lists.

And please follow us on social media at CorkRules and at wines with grace. And finally drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly. And we look forward to being with you on another CorkRules episode soon.

Cheers.