This month, I was excited about the assignment to explore one of West County’s newest wine lists. Only open a few months, Seasons St. Louis offers a fine-dining experience based around chefs Benjamin McNabb and Josh Striplin’s philosophy of “fresh, simple, inspired.” (Be sure to read Michael Renner’s review of the restaurant’s menu here.)
The wine list is barely 30 selections, with the most expensive offering the Honig 2006 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for $56 (a great price for a very good Napa Cab). Eight whites and eight reds by the glass offered an adequate range of choices, all in a very moderate price range. I was pleased to see two of my favorite whites on the by the glass list, the Riff Pinot Grigio from Italy ($6.50) and the Castle Rock Sauvignon Blanc from Mendocino in northern California ($6). Any of Castle Rock’s numerous varietals are worth seeking out; Castle Rock is winery name, but the operation purchases finished wines from many different producers throughout California, Oregon and Washington. The upside for consumers is that this always-inexpensive brand is just a reliable as most estate-bottled wines.
A very nice touch, and one that I would like to see in more restaurants, was the bringing of the bottle to the table for by-the-glass service, just as traditional bottle service would be presented. It is another step for the server, or bartender in this case, but it really adds to the dining experience.
For our entrées, I chose Artezin Mendocino County Zinfandel 2007 from the Hess Collection winery located on Mount Veeder in the Napa Valley. At $30, this was a really outstanding choice, both for value and for complementing the courses: We had a roasted chicken and a filet mignon, and this fruity, slightly spicy red had enough backbone and flavor to hold up to the beef and enough lusciously soft tannins to make the chicken happy. Blended with 9 percent Petite Sirah, it’s been one of my favorite dining out bargains in recent months and I was happy to see it on Seasons’ menu.
Although I skipped the option, the menu cleverly offers nightly $20 bottle specials; three wines were offered on my visit. With frequent changes in the $20 selections, you could easily enjoy Seasons St. Louis regularly and have a new and inexpensive wine for each visit.
The restaurant’s newness showed at times, most notably amongst the staff, whose nervousness sometimes resulted in problems with dinner and/or wine service. These are issues easily corrected with a touch more experience. It was also apparent that the restaurant’s young proprietors chose a single wholesaler from which to obtain the majority of the wine selections. Since the wholesaler is Anthony Bommarito Wines, they lucked out; Mr. Bommarito is a great local asset for small restaurants looking to obtain interesting wines. I look forward to going back to see what $20 goodies might be offered in the future.
This article appears in Jul 1-31, 2009.
