Peppe’s Apt. 2 is, in some ways, like many of the countless Italian restaurants in St. Louis. It is cozy, comfy and offers a relatively small list of good, if not exciting, wines.
The list features Italian wines, of course, including a Trebbiano and a Sangiovese, both offered by the glass and both described as “house wine” – something that I had not seen in quite a while. Both are pleasant, solid wines, but offered at nearly the same price as the other varietals by the glass, which was slightly confusing but very old school.
Among the bottles, the four Italian whites did include two of my very favorites: Pieropan Soave, a superb value at $34, and Jermann Pinot Grigio, also a great buy at $36, both from tremendous, small, family-run producers. The 11 Italian reds covered most of the bases, including a “bargain” Brunello di Montalcino from Frescobaldi at $95 and an unusual offering of the famed Super-Tuscan, Ornellaia 2006, at $223. Not that the wine was unusual – it is outstanding – but when the rest of list is under $100, it was a bit odd to have a single entry at $223.
The list includes other values. For years, one of “best buys” among Italian reds in town has been the Righetti Amarone, and the $60 price here is an example of the fair margin that Peppe Profeta uses on his wine list. The La Spinetta Casanova is also a great value at $42.
I did find the list’s selection of American wines surprising. Five whites and six reds by the glass is adequate, but the offerings weren’t particularly interesting. Not that they’re bad; the Castle Rock Sauvignon Blanc is a quaffable, well-made white and a good value, as are all of the Castle Rock bottlings. Toad Hollow winery in Sonoma is one of my favorite “go-to” wineries because all of its wines are solid and well-priced. The Toad Merlot was just fine and a very easy drink at $7 per glass, $26 by the bottle.
Of the American bottle choices, six Chardonnays seems like a reasonable number, except that that was nearly the entire American white wine list – not very interesting, although Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel are outstanding labels. One of the two Pinot Noirs was the beautifully made Three Saints (at $38) from the Santa Barbara area, owned by the Dierberg family of St. Louis. The West Coast grape that fits best with much of Italian cooking is Zinfandel, and the Zin from Joullian Winery has been one of my favorites for many years; I was pleased to see it on the Apt. 2 list.
The Port selection was confusing, but our server did find a very good Cockburn’s 10-year Tawny Porto, which was fairly priced at $9, but a very small portion.
Overall, diners should enjoy the list that Profeta has put together.
To read Michael Renner’s take on the menu at Peppe’s Apt. 2, visit Gourmet Guru in the reviews section.
This article appears in Aug 1-31, 2010.