West Side Wine

TWG and Tony

Our launch of the first-ever West Side Rosé last Saturday was perfect. Tony Coturri came in to pour the gorgeous Cuvée Lucille that he  had created for us, and it was all sold out within an hour. (More coming in soon!)

The West Side Rosé is by far the darkest and richest of the 20 barrels of different cuvées Tony made this year, even though they were all made together. He still doesn’t know why ours turned out the way it did, but we’re really jazzed.  Everyone loved it, and we broke a few hearts when we had to turn some folks away empty-handed.  About 20 more cases are on the way (probably arriving the first week of June) so fear not America.  You will have some West Side Rosé Cuvée Lucille for the summer. That is, if we don’t drink it first.

I’m really excited about our tasting this Saturday, but I’m also prejudiced.  It’s with Tony Coturri, and it’s going to be a tasting of our very first West Side Rosé, a cuvée that Tony made just for us — a combination of Grenache, Carignan and Syrah. I like to think of it as our homage to the greatest of rosés in the world, those  from Tavel in France.  We had the privilege of living there for three weeks a couple of years ago, and got to understand why they are so special. Tony recreated this specialness — California style —  and we are amazed at the outcome. The wine is full-bodied, with incredible depth and complexity. With all due respect to its light, bright Provencal cousins, this is a wine that you can really get your teeth into. Imagine your fantasy summer barbeque with steaks, burgers, ribs, chicken on the grill.  It’s 90 degrees out there, and you’re dying for something that will slake your thirst and make that grilled whatever sing. You’ve got it with this baby.  And should you be lucky enough to have a bottle or two left in November (I can’t imagine how) this wine will make your Thanksgiving one memorable occasion. 

So, enough hyberbole. The proof is in the tasting. Come by on Saturday between 4-6PM and taste it for yourself.  Tony will be happy to pour you a sip. As a bonus, this wine is biodynamic. That means there’s nothing in your glass but grapes. No chemicals, no pesticides, no herbicides, no fungicides, no garbagecides. Just the wonderfulness of great fruit, beautifully and naturally fermented. We only bought a barrel, so first come first served. Can you tell that we’re excited? BTW we named it after our wonderful mutt who died a couple of years ago, hence Cuvée Lucille.

I have known a certain French importer for a number of years. He started out as a salesman for another importer, and finally started his own importing business a couple of years ago. He is the quintessential Frenchman, and I mean that only in a good way. He’s charming, he’s debonair (an old word, but it really fits), he loves animals (particularly dogs) and he is, of course, a ladies’ man. My favorite story about him is about the time I ran into him in Central Park one morning (very early) as I was walking my dog. He was obviously trudging home from a “night on the town.”  I think they call it “the walk of shame.” His held a cigarette and a cup of coffee, his hair was disheveled, his cashmere coat was a bit wrinkled, and tucked under his arm was a copy of the biography of Casanova. You can’t make this stuff up, as they say, and I’m not.

Anyway, flash forward several years to today. One of his salesman came to taste me on some of his wines. I asked after this friend (his boss) and was informed that he actually has a girlfriend.  “Wow”, I said.  Not only that, they have been together for a year!  “You’re kidding”, I uttered. Not only that, they are living together!   “That cannot be,” I stammered. Not only that, she is one of the Real Housewives of New York! I did not have a verbal response to that, if you don’t count the sound of my jaw dropping on the counter. Sometimes, life is indeed perfect.  Enough said.  I really do love New York.