2015 Botanica Wines Mary Delany Collection Pinot Noir Elgin 750 ml

Rolling Three Cherries on the Sommelier Slot Machine

The sommelier species is an interesting one. The best of them can charm like George Clooney, taste like Robert Parker, and crunch numbers like Warren Buffett. Creativity and individuality are defining traits, which is why getting three sommeliers to agree on anything is basically impossible … or so we thought.

On a recent Saturday night, we decided to stay up past 11 to visit three of our favorite spots in New York City. You can imagine our surprise when we discovered that all three were offering an unfamiliar South African Pinot Noir, both on the list and by the glass! At Bar Boulud, the 2015 Botanica Pinot Noir “Mary Delany” was $16/glass and $64 on the list. We asked the new head sommelier, Amanda Smeltz, why she decided to feature it. “I love the elegance of the wine and its rosy and spiced aromatics,” she explained. Amanda recommended it with Boulud’s duck breast with pistachio and cherry. The marriage was superb, but we didn’t stop there.

At Betony, we were eager to see how Dean Fuerth was running the wine program near the end of his first year there. He had the Botanica “Mary Delany” by the glass as well — again for $16. We asked Dean what dish he enjoyed best with the Botanica. Smiling broadly, he said, “Without question, the foie gras.” He went into a soliloquy about the pairing, saying “Our hot foie gras goes against the grain of typical preparations — it’s grilled on charcoal, wrapped in Swiss chard, served with puffed wild rice, and finished with a smoked duck consommé. The pure, opulent fruitiness of the 2015 Botanica Pinot Noir serves as a delicious counterpoint to the savory nature of the dish.” He was right.

At our last stop, we caught our good friend Aldo Sohm at his new wine bar connected to Le Bernardin. He had finished his shift and was sipping on a frosted glass of pilsner when we walked in. Perusing the wine list, there it was AGAIN. How could it be? We asked Aldo. He smiled and said nothing. He ran back into the kitchen and after 5 minutes returned with a hulking plate of charcuterie in one hand and a full bottle of the 2015 Botanica in the other. The fatty and black-pepper-spiced dried meats were enhanced and lifted by the high acid and baking spices of the Botanica — though less flashy than the first two pairings, this was probably our favorite of the evening.

The next morning we called the winery, ready to shell out for as much Botanica as we could get our hands on. Unfortunately, there were only 85 cases available — the rest was committed to the somms.

The rising star behind Botanica is Ginny Povall. Born in New England, Ginny got her start making wine in her Massachusetts basement with grapes shipped all the way from California and Argentina. Passion was never a question, Ginny just needed a place to dig in. Fate took her to South Africa to work a harvest in the world-renowned Stellenbosch region and she never looked back. She decided to stay after purchasing 53 acres of land — 24 acres of protea flowers (South Africa’s national flower) and 12 of grape vines. In her first vintage in 2009, Ginny was off to the races, earning 91 points from Robert Parker and 92 from Steve Tanzer.

Ginny told us the 2015 Pinot is her best wine from the greatest vintage she’s seen so far. The vintage of the century in Stellenbosch started with a cold and wet winter, so the vines were well-rested with ample reserves of water. Spring was warm and dry, so growth was nice and even. The growing season’s one heat wave came at the perfect time — veraison, when the grapes change their color — making for an even ripening. Perfect cool weather all the way to the end of harvest allowed a patient pick for each vineyard and variety in its own time.

Ginny Povall’s hard work, combined with the Stellenbosch vintage of the CENTURY, has given us a wine that has NYC sommeliers going gaga for South Africa.  Only $24.99/bottle, 85 cases on hand today for WineAccess members who want to taste what all the buzz is about. Shipping included on 6.