The Tasting Panel magazine

January/February 2015

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january/february 2015  /  the tasting panel  /  75 Oyster Bay at The Langham Hotel, Pasadena, CA Oyster Bay Pinot Noir has been a staple on the wine list of Pasadena's landmark hotel, The Langham, for at least ten years, says Food & Beverage Director Vern Lakusta. Himself a 20-year veteran of the wine world, Lakusta has helmed the Langham for the last three, and doesn't envision a Pinot "deliver[ing] consistency, flavor and balance between Old and New World" will be out of favor any time soon. This top-selling wine by the glass shares a similar stylis- tic ethos with the 100-year-old property, which strives to blend Old World elegance with a contemporary sensibility. This couldn't be any more evident than in The Tap Room, a stylish space that nods to the original bar, which opened shortly after Prohibition ended. The Langham houses three other dining venues, all of which serve the New Zealand wine by glass and bottle, including flagship steakhouse The Royce. While the 750- label list spans the globe, it draws heavily from California and the New World. "When we switched from a French restaurant to a steakhouse, the New World really took over, and we started to focus on places like New Zealand," Lakusta said. He notes a dramatic rise in Pinot sales in the last two years, a demand that Oyster Bay meets with aplomb: "It is a good quality glass at a great price point. That's very difficult to find in the Pinot category." —L. M. Vern Lakusta is the F&B Director at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena. PHOTO: ADAM JAMES Oyster Bay at Casa Oliveira, New York City When Paul Nani and his son, Mark, bought the iconic Casa Oliveira Wines & Liquors, a West Village mainstay since 1935, five years ago, there were only a few classic Pinot Noirs on the store shelf. Mark recalls becoming interested in New Zealand's red offerings as a way to branch out, and chose Oyster Bay based on its proven in-store track record with Sauvignon Blanc, which, at about 20 cases a month, is his number-one seller all year around. "When we got the store, New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs were just making headway, and became such a big seller, I said, 'Let me try their Pinot, too,'" he remarks. And though he tried other varieties, Nani said "what stood out to be me was this Pinot that worked side by side with an already stellar white." "It's a big plus in that they're screwcaps," he says, both for the freshness and for the fact that his store is frequented by tourists who like to take a bottle on the go. Nani says people might select Oyster Bay for the convenience, then they stay with it for the structure and flavor—and the price: "It's a great bottle for under $20," he says. He compared the Marlborough Pinot to others in the category. "The California Pinots are always very ripe in their fruit. The fruit is there in the New Zealand stuff, but it's not overbearing," he noted. "This definitely has some minerality and the acidity is there, a little bit more than in California Pinots. Oregon is definitely a little pricey . . . and the French wines will always be some- what mysterious—they don't like to put anything on the labels to help you out." The shopkeeper says Pinot Noir, in general, is the go-to red in his store. "It's the most versatile of all the reds; you can drink it in any climate and with dishes from fish to meats. I think New Zealand Pinots go better with a lot of fish dishes." During a normal month, Casa Oliveira moves about two to three cases of Oyster Bay Pinot. During a recent promotion timed for Thanksgiving, that was upped to eight cases. Nani notes that's only the beginning. "Before, people would have played it safe and grabbed a California Pinot. I think the [NZ] Pinots can only go up from here, with more producers and [as] the word gets out that Sauvignon Blanc is not the only wine from New Zealand on the map," he says.—L. B. Paul and Mark Nani introduce their customers to the new Noir at Casa Oliveira in New York City. PHOTO: DOUG YOUNG

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