(300th post!) Navigating Otto's Wine List

Navigating a wine list can be a daunting experience.  When the options exceed 600, as is the case at Otto Enoteca e Pizzeria, the experience can be overwhelming.  Many factors go into curating a wine list and one of the most important is pricing.  Restaurants markup wine at roughly 3 times what they pay for it.  If a wine is purchased at $20 per bottle, the restaurant will charge $60.  In retail, wines are marked up at one and a half times the purchase price.  The same $20 bottle would retail for $30.  There are certainly variations to the rule, but this markup structure is common ground here in the city. 

When Otto opened in 2003, wine was marked up according to prices that were in place that year.  A 1997 Barolo may have cost the restaurant $40 in 2003, so it's priced on the list at $120.  Ten years later, that same bottle of Barolo is likely to go for $60; which would have it at $180 on a list that's being put together today.  This situation occurs all over Otto's wine list and it makes for some incredible values, you just have to know where to look.  As Otto approaches its ten-year anniversary, we decided to take a look at their decade old wine list and come up with a road map for you.

Otto's wine list also has a large selection of wines that are 15+ years old.  In order to sustain this kind of list, old wines are bought in bulk.  Since most of these wines were purchased 10 years ago, Otto is able to sell them at a markup that coincides with the price they paid for them, which is much lower than they would cost today.  The profit isn't as great for the restaurant in these instances, but in order to remain competitive and provide value to guests, the list continues to be priced this way.  At two or three hundred dollars some of these back vintages aren’t an everyday value, but to a serious wine drinker they’re a clear bargain.  We'll get to the $50 and under values soon.  For now, here's a look at some of the great deals in older wines.

Sparkling:

2000 Bellavista Pas Opere: $120 - There is no such thing as Italian Champagne.  Champagne comes from Champagne, France.  Italy's version is called Franciacorta and comes from the northern region of Lombardia.  It is produced in the same way as Champagne, referred to in Italy as Metodo Classico, whereby the secondary fermentation takes place inside the bottle.  This production method is what gives sparkling wine its fine, elegant bubble structure (perlage).  A lot of sparkling wines are labeled NV (non vintage), meaning the grapes were sourced from more than one harvest.  When sparkling wines are made from single harvests they become far more expensive.  Bellavista is one of the premier producers of Franciacorta in Italy and the 12-year-old Pas Opere would make any die hard Champagne drinker happy.  It's rich, lush, and yeasty, but still has a bright acidity and a lot of life left.

White:

2002 Lis Lis Neris magnum (1.5L): $105 - This wine is a blend of Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay and is available in large format (1.5L) on Otto's list.  Most white wine doesn't age well.  However, the big, robust blends being made in Friuli carry a complexity that makes for very interesting and age worthy wines.  If you plan on drinking two bottles of white wine next time you're at Otto, look no further.  A single bottle (750mL) of Lis Neris retails for $45.  The 1.5L format is two of these, or $90.  At $105, the "Super White" is a steal.

2009 Monte di Grazia Bianc: $54 - Just missed the $50 and under category.  This wine comes from Campania in the south of Italy.  It is a blend of indigenous grapes (grapes only grown in Campania) and ferments and ages in stainless steel, resulting in one of the truest expressions of a Campanian white.  The region has a unique terroir (growing conditions) that makes for incredibly interesting wine.  The warm climate mixed with the volcanic, mineral rich soil produces fascinating wine from this region on Italy's Mediterranean side.  Otto's extensive list has no shortage of gems like this wine.  Monte di Grazia is a small producer whose wines are lesser known, but the depth of Otto's list gives guests the option to taste some of Italy's undiscovered grape varietals.

Red:

2001 Gaja Sori Tilden Barbaresco: $550 - Angelo Gaja's wines are some of the most expensive Italian wines out there.  They are produced in small quantities from some of the most prized plots of land in both Barolo and Barbaresco.  The Sori Tilden vineyard is prime real estate, like Central Park's Great Lawn.  This wine, made from 100% nebbiolo, is incredible elegant.  Coming from the great vintage that was 2001, this wine is no everyday value, but you'd be hard pressed to find it retail for less than $400.  A modern markup would have this wine on a list around $800.

2000 Gaja Conteisa Langhe Nebbiolo: $290 - This is another great value from Gaja.  The price tag may raise a few brows, but it's important to understand the current retail value to see the deal in this wine.  This wine retails today for around $140, which would make it $420 if it were added to a list today.

1995 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano D'Abruzzo: $200 - Emidio Pepe is one of Italy's cult producers.  These wines are biodynamic, hand harvested, and some of the greatest expressions of montepulciano available on the market.  To drink a nearly twenty-year-old Emidio Pepe for $200 is unheard of.  Otto also has the 1985 for $292, which we have seen on other lists for $350.

2004 Palari Faro: $145 - Palari makes some of Sicily's most exciting and elegant wines.  The Faro region of Sicily is incredibly small and yields very minimal amounts of wine.  That automatically puts these wines at a higher price point.  Comprised of indigenous grapes, fermented in steel and aged in barrique, this wine is a mind-blowing expression of Sicily's terroir.  A truly unique drinking experience.

1998 Montecalvi: $135 - The '98 vintage of this "Super Tuscan" retails for the same price as Otto has it on their list.  This 100% sangiovese is great for the California wine drinker.  It's aged in both French and American oak and drinks like an uppercut.  It's big, rich, heavy hitting and full bodied.

1998 Parusso Bussia Munie: $105 - The $105, 14-year-old Barolo is drinking beautifully.  Classic Barolo expressions of dried mushrooms, cherry, and tobacco hit the nose and the tannins glide through the wine like a skater across ice.  The wine has retained a good amount of acidity and provides a brightness necessary to old wines.

1997 Le Vigne de Zamo Ronco dei Roseti: $75 - 1997 was a classic vintage in Italy, meaning the climate and other growing conditions were optimum for winemakers.  Ronco dei Roseti is a blen of merlot, cabernet, cabernet franc, and pignolo.  At $75, it is a great value and a chance to taste a complex, developed wine from norther Italy.

Otto's wine list is full of value at the $50 and under price point.  Half the list falls under this category, but with over 300 choices at $50 and less how do you know which one to make?  What can you look for?  Our advice is to look for price and vintage.  Wine gets more interesting the older it gets, assuming its a wine that will age (most reds will).  If you can find a wine that's five, six, or seven years old for under $50, we say go for it.  Quality is unfortunately something you won't know until the bottle is opened and it's already on your check, but there are a few signs that can help steer you towards a solid choice.  Here are a few of our favorites.

2005 San Francesco Ronco dei Quattroventi: $50 - This wine comes from Calabria and is 100% gaglioppo, a grape indigenous to the region.  Gaglioppo is sort of like a cross between cabernet and pinot noir.  This 7-year-old expression has the ripe cherry notes common in pinot noir and a robust, subtle spice that develops over time with cabernet.  The Ronco dei Quattroventi is a perfect, off the beaten path choice that showcases the versatility of Otto's wine list.

2005 La Manna Rosso Cerignola: $50 - This wine is a blend of uva di troia, negroamaro, and malbec from Puglia in Italy's south.  It's a rich wine with notes of dark fruit from the negroamaro and smoke and spice from the uva di troia.  A unique blend and an option you're not likely to find on many lists in the city.  This wine is also a great expression of the potential of Pugliese wines.

2006 Podere Brizio Rosso di Montalcino: $48 - Rosso di Montalcino is referred to as Baby Brunello.  Brunello is Tuscany's noble wine in the same way that Barolo is Piedmonte's noble wine.  Rosso di Montalcino's are the same as Brunello, but aged for less time.  This is the main reason why they are at least half the price of Brunello.  The 2006 Podere Brizio is a steal for $48.  With 6 years on it, the wine is developed and complex and drinks not unlike its older Brunello brethren.

2008 Piano Moro De Leonardis: $40 - This is 100% aglianico from Basilicata.  De Leonardis provides guests the opportunity to sample aglianico as it grows in the south of Italy, from the same region where the far more expensive Aglianico del Vulture wines are produced.  Notes of ash pervade this wine from the vineyards proximity to the extinct Monte Vulture volcano.

2008 Taurino Salice Salentino: $35 - It's uncommon to find exciting wine at such a low price point.  When you enter the realm of high 20s and low 30s, quality tends to take a back seat.  Wines at this price are kept on lists for the young twenty somethings celebrating birthdays and college graduation or what have you.  In most cases, the wines are a mass produced disgrace to their country of origin.  This Salice Salentino is a fine exception to the rule.  From a great producer, this blend of negroamaro and malvasia nera is a brambly, approachable, and expressive wine.

Otto's wine list has a little something for everyone.  The abundant selection is not to scare anyone, but to provide guests further opportunity to have that Italian experience.  No grapes are left untouched.  Whether you want to splurge on one of the older Barolo's, or have your meal with vitovska, gaglioppo, tintore or one of the dozens of other Italian varietals represented on Otto's wine list, there will always be a value.

Comments

[tuzz]

i've gone from perfectly hydrated to insatiably thirsty after having read this post.