The March Wine Hit List: Il Buco, Lola Taverna, Decibel, Winner, and More

The polymathic David Giuliano — opera singer by training, wine guy by vocation — earned a loyal following during his years at Little Owl, bringing an impeccable selection to that sliver of Bedford St. Now he’s been handed the keys to the kingdom, as it were, on the other side of the Village: the atmospheric trove of a cellar underneath Donna Lennard’s longtime Bond St. spot, the contents of which were assembled over two decades by Roberto Paris.

The net effect is special: an Italianate list (with accents from France, Spain, Slovenia, and elsewhere) that finds a perfect balance of classic and contemporary. The outré Massa Vecchia can sit next to traditionalists like Cantina di Terlano, and everyone gets along. And the years spent building out the Il Buco collection means back vintages are sprinkled through the list like semi-hidden gems.

La Staffa Rincrocca Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi 2016 ($75)
The fortunes of verdicchio have improved markedly in recent times; no longer is it a simple seafood wine, so much as arguably northern Italy’s most soulful, compelling white grape. Here the young talent Riccardo Baldi shows off how profound a wine it can make, namely from a selection of old heritage vines.

Dal Forno Romano Valpolicella 2006 ($225)
Once upon a time, Amarone — the Veneto’s answer to late-harvest Zinfandel, basically — was Kind of a Big Deal. Lo, those days are kind of gone, with tastes growing lighter and fresher, which makes it precisely the moment to rediscover Valpolicella, which is Amarone’s lighter, fresher sibling. Here’s one from the region’s reference name, with a good 15 years ago — a reminder that this region, and its wines, are overdue for a New York comeback.

Giuseppe Mascarello Toetto Langhe Freisa 2017 ($85)
Freisa is among that gaggle of less-known Piedmontese grapes that the great Barolo and Barbaresco makers — including this particular Mascarello, whose cantina is in Monchiero — take deep pride in.  The mineral headiness and forward fruit are everything you want for spring.

The latest arrival at this West Village Greek newcomer (opened by restaurateur Cobi Levy in the waning months before COVID) is wine director Luke Boland, a veteran of Crown Shy, the Grill, Del Posto, etc.

The same magic he brought to Crown Shy — A-lister wines priced to move, plus raw gems — is on display at Lola, too, which means you can have that $1,650 bottle of Grands Échezeaux Romanée Conti, or that $60 bottle of Beaujolais, and no one’s judging either way. As you may have deduced, there’s a distinct tilt toward France, although Greece doesn’t get overlooked, with a page each of reds and whites that balances between benchmarks (Skouras, Kir-Yianni) and discoveries like the little-known but historic Santorini producer Venetsanos.

Also, one of Boland’s best moves at Crown Shy was a Champagne list priced for everyday drinking. That’s here, too; in fact, it takes enough effort to top $100 a bottle for bubbles that you might think you’ve landed in the Upside Down.

Pierre Paillard Les Terres Extra Brut Rosé Champagne ($95)
Antoine and Quentin Paillard have emerged as two of the best talents in the village of Bouzy, known for its intensely powerful pinot noir-driven Champagnes. No surprise, given the location, that their rosé is particularly swank. It’s actually mostly made from chardonnay, but the pinot (including some added as still red wine) brings tannin and oomph to a luscious glassful.

Domaine Tatsis Macedonia Malagousia 2016 ($75)
If Lola’s kitchen can make memorable kebabs with Impossible meat, why not a heady orange wine from Macedonia to go along? Periklis and Stergios Tatsis are among the pioneers of natural-minded wine in Greece, having turned to biodynamics in 2002. If you’re looking for the Greek new wave, here it is.

Mont d’Oraas Les Cluques Béarn Red 2018 ($50)
Little known fact: The region of Béarn (due west of Jurançon, in France’s far southwest) was once a highly respected region for red wines. Thierry Frontère is on a quest to bring back that repute, having started this property, now in conversion to organics, in 2003. This is mostly cabernet franc in full, ripe southern guise, never heavy but all about the sunshine.

Last fall, Kenneth Crum — Red Hook Tavern’s esteemed wine director — took the leap into Manhattan, joining Ariel Arce and her crew as beverage director at Niche Niche (literally 30 seconds walk up from Lola) and her other restaurants: Air’s Champagne Parlor, Tokyo Record Bar, Special Club. Brooklyn’s loss is MacDougal Street’s gain: Crum’s impeccable curating talents are a perfect fit for this new gig.

As evidence, look no further than this month’s Niche Niche pairing menus, which focus on various parts of Italy — Crum’s specialty, as an alum of Lupa. This means, for example, tuna carpaccio with the perennially underrated Casale Marchese Frascati; as the theme moves south in Italy, expect island wines like Graci’s Etna Bianco. It’s all en route to next month’s focus on North America, and then, hopefully, a return to Niche Niche’s dinner-party format.  Meantime, guest chefs are showing up on Sundays and Mondays, like Nicole Ponseca of Jeepney (March 28-29).  And as always, a deep full list is available to mine — now even better that Crum’s in house.

Jeremy Arnaud Vau de Vey Chablis 2017 ($60)
Finding a new name in Chablis happens approximately never, but Arnaud is that, having started with this vintage fresh out of winemaking school. And launching like a rocket — this is serious, deeply textural chardonnay, almost explosive in its flinty mineral qualities. Just part of a strong lineup of white Burgundy in the mix.

Felsina Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia 1995 ($157)
Well-aged Chianti from one of that region’s most essential producers? This is a reminder that Chianti can be an important, age-worthy wine. And it’s part of a passel of older vintages of Italian (1994 Flaccianello from Fontodi) and American (1976 Louis Martini Cabernet) wines now on the Niche Niche list.

Adrien Renoir Les Vignes Goisses Champagne 2016 ($148)
Renoir is among the young talent in the heart of Champagne, specifically the grand cru village of Verzy. This is his latest release: all pinot meunier from a single parcel, showing the nuance of that often-underloved Champagne grape in much the same way as pioneers like Jérôme Prévost and Christophe Mignon.

Daniel Eddy’s bakery-turned-takeout storefront in Park Slope has been getting warranted attention, not surprisingly given Eddy’s tenure at the restaurant Spring in Paris, and then as Rebelle’s opening chef. In addition to the hearty breads and memorable roast chicken, wine factors here in a meaningful way — which makes sense given the original plan for a wine bar next door.

While we wait for said wine bar, selections by Lisandra Bernadet find a sweet spot between classic and modish, in a vein similar to other cherished Brooklyn spots like Popina. You might end up with a bottle of Morgon Corcelette ($37) from Mee Godard as the pairing for Eddy’s chicken dinner, but the broader set of takeout choices are equally appealing — and effectively priced at retail. If this model of buying wine lives on after the pandemic, most definitely count us in. More info here.

Royal Tokaji Wine Co. The Oddity Dry Tokaji ($23)
This winery, founded by the legendary Hugh Johnson, has for years been helping to rebuild the reputation of Hungary’s most famous wine region, more recently dabbling in exceptional dry wines from this historically crucial area for sweet wine.  The Oddity gets its name not only from drawing outside the lines, in terms of Tokaji’s typical style, but also in blending the traditional furmint grape with the obscure hárslevelű and the very non-obscure muscat. Waxy, tangy, intense — it’s an adventure.

Succes Vinicola Experiencia Parellada 2019 ($22)
This small naturally-tilting Catalonian property in Tarragona brings out the best in that Spanish region’s indigenous fare, including the parellada grape, more typically used in cava. Here it gets to shine as a still white wine, though, herbal and twangy and evocative of the spring.

Hervé Villemade Gamay ($21)
Villemade works in the Loire area of Cheverny, not the first place that comes to mind for gamay noir — but his skills with white wine extend into red, too. Juicy, more overtly mineral than Beaujolais, and carefree in the best way.

New York’s original sake bar is not only still on point after more than a quarter-century, but over the winter transformed its moody underground digs into a rad outdoor setup — even replicating the graffiti that seemed to cover every single inch of the walls. The inside is partially back open but especially with spring here, the patio or newly launched, self-contained (and heated) “sake shacks,” are the call.

If the selection overseen by Decibel’s trio of managers is slightly slimmed down from earlier times, it currently updates on a weekly basis, and it’s better than ever: lots of reasonably priced junmai (including a fondness for the esoteric, delicious yamahai style), and lots of less-known names. Plus whisky highballs and of course the low-key snacks that have been a Decibel staple from the beginning. Pro tip: An evening at Decibel is not an evening at decibel without wasabi shumai.

Senkin Kamenoo Junmai Daiginjo ($55)
From Tochigi prefecture, between Tokyo and Fukushima, this uses the revived heritage Kamenoo strain of rice for a polished but assertive daiginjo — splitting the difference between that style’s fine bones, and a distinct intensity.

Fukuchitose Yamahai Junmai ($60) (Junmai)
From Fukui, on the coast due west of Tokyo (and north of Osaka), this brings more oomph than the specimens found north in Niigata. In part because of the relatively low polish (60% remaining) on the rice, and in part because it’s a classic, savory yamahai — an old-fashioned style that slowly develops acidity in the sake and builds both tang and texture.

Ichinokura Tokubetsu Junmai ($65)
Ichinokura is kind of a supergroup of breweries — founded in 1973 by four brewers who wanted to pioneer the idea of a sake microbrewery. Local rice from Miyagi prefecture is almost always used, and the style of the Tokubetsu is brisk but not overly forceful, essentially a highly polished ginjo but not quite that delicate.  It’s beautiful as atsukan, or warmed to about 120 degrees, which is what you might want when the next spring chill comes along.

Pre-pandemic, the garden patio at LaLou was one of our fave spots to enjoy a bottle. After a long wait, it’s back (along with limited indoor seating on the Vanderbilt Ave. storefront) and we’re very much here for it. The sublime list comes from the duo of Joe Campanale, whose list at Fausto has been one of Brooklyn’s gems, and Dave Foss, an alumnus of Anfora and elsewhere.

As at those places, the selections here give Italy ample love but there’s no playing favorites, and no getting trapped in dogma, a malady in some other corners of Brooklyn. And the minimalist dishes from chef Jay Wolman’s kitchen, like mussels with green garlic and spring onions, are confident without getting in the way of the wine.

Maisons Rouges L’Éclos Jasnières Sec 2014 ($56)
Chenin blanc is finally getting its star turn as a white wine, especially from the Loire, which means the same much-desired names keep showing up everywhere. But the appellation of Jasnières seems to have escaped this bout of fame, as has Maisons Rouges, one of its most promising producers. Here’s dry, intensely mineral chenin from biodynamic parcels, an insider’s treat if there was one.

Maloof Van Duzer Corridor Scrambled Stick White 2019 ($73)
Anfora, in particular under Campanale’s watch, was one of the places that introduced New York to orange wine, so no surprise there’s a healthy selection here. This is a curious specimen from Ross and Bee Maloof in Oregon, a mix of ribolla gialla, tocai friulano, pinot gris and chardonnay, left to macerate and aged in a mix of old barrels and amphorae. It’s eclectic and complex, which might also be said for the ethos of LaLou itself.

Moric Mittelburgenland Blaufränkisch 2018 ($72)
Roland Velich is the undisputed master of this Austrian grape, which has all the fragrance of pinot noir and the spice of syrah. When you see a bottle of Moric, buy it. Got it?