CorkRules - Episodes | The Four Horsemen The Four Horsemen

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About this Episode

Wine educator and certified sommelier, Grant Wood and Robert Tas take a trip to Brooklyn where they navigate the 50-page wine list of The Four Horsemen. This delightfully simple and welcoming wine bar is a great place to order small plates while sampling a glass or two of wines from around the world. Grant reviews what’s new on the list, identifies a rare still, not sparkling, red from the Champagne region, in addition to the value wines, the fun wines, and the special bottles on the list.

Wines reviewed include:

2017 Eric Rodez Coteaux Ambonnay Rouge Pinot Noir
2020 Enderle & Moll rose of Spätburgunder
2017 Saulétas by Sebastien Riffault in Sancerre

Transcript: The Four Horsemen

The Four Horseman

Located on 295 Grand St in Brooklyn, near Williamsburg, The Four Horseman is a cozy wine bar with great small plates that merry well with a very thoughtful wine list and was started by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem.

Alright Robert, so looking at their almost 50-page wine list, I think this is a very passionate list with tons of personality so this is a place I would definitely lean into the staff and ask what is most exciting to them in the moment as I’m sure they’ll be more than willing to share with you. Let’s dive in and look at what caught by attention though.

I’d like to start by saying that I like how their table of contents is laid out but starting with “what’s new’’ and ‘’last call’’ as a fun way to show you something new that they’re excited about as well as things that might be on the way out and might not get in for a while. It’s a useful tool that my favorite wine shops use to keep things fresh and make sure you don’t miss out. For their new additions, I’d go for the 2017 Eric Rodez Coteaux “Ambonnay Rouge” Pinot Noir which is very rare to find a still red Pinot Noir from Champagne. For their last call, I’d go for the 2020 Emmanuel Haget “Palabres” which is Pineau d’Aunis from the Loire, which is light, spicy, and easygoing at a very accessible price.

Since we’re in summer and it’s always a good idea for rose then I like the 2020 Enderle & Moll rose of Spätburgunder coming from Baden in Germany but if you want to splurge then I can’t say no to the 2010 Lopez de Heredia “Vina Tondonia” Gran Reserva from Rioja which is, yes, an ageable rose.

For bubbles, I think the "Jus Jus Day" Chardonnay and Muscat Blanc by Martha Stoumen and Julia Sherman is super fun and a great value. The 01’ ‘Reserve Privée by Bérêche et Fils would be a great banger to splurge on from the Montagne de Reims.

For whites, I’d go for the 2017 “Saulétas” by Sebastien Riffault in Sancerre but of course, I can’t pass up 2016 ‘Pur Sang’ Blanc Fume de Pouilly from Dagueneau. They also have a fair amount of Burgundy so don’t pass up a good rec from your server if that’s what you’re in the mood for. There’s a great selection but not enough time for me to really get into on this pod. Alternatively, I think the 2019 Côtes du Jura Pollock’s Chardonnay is a great way to experience a different side of French chardonnay.

On to reds, a great value is the 2018 syrah from Jean-Michel Stephan who makes amazing Côte Rotie but his regular syrah is a banger for the price compared to his more coveted bottlings. If you want to splurge, then, of course, you can go with Chave or Clape as well which never disappoints. Moving away from France, I know you like big wines with age Robert so if you go here anytime soon then you have to order the 9’ Côtes du Jura Pollock’s Chardonnay who is a true OG of barolo and worth the splurge. Another fun wine with some age is the 10’ Priorat Dits del Terra by Terroir al Limit which is a project by Eden Sadie and Dominik Huber doing awesome things with unique sites from Spain’s Priorat. One last wine I’ll mention that would be fun is the 2019 Port Phillip “Ray-Monde Vineyard” pinot noir by Josh Cooper down under in Australia. These are not the big, ripe Aussie wines that most people think of though. This is a much more of a light and more delicate style of Aussie juice.

There’s a great list of mags too, so don’t be shy and I’m sure you’re in for a good time at The Four Horseman.

Cheers!