GOAT Roping in Carmel: The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Pebble Beach Golf Links, February 1-4, 2024
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After writing about wine lists in 30 or so cities near PGA Tour stops, I’ve stumbled into Wine Nirvana, namely the compact area between Carmel and Monterey. Everyone knows about the golf courses in this little piece of paradise. I now think it’s also got the highest concentration of world-class wine lists in one place, period. The first four picks listed below would rock it in any city anywhere. Talk about a dream foursome. Add the event’s status as a Signature Event drawing the strongest pro field in its venerable history and you just can’t lose.
Restaurants
Aubergine reigns supreme. I was initially taken aback by their 165-page list until I realized at least online it only has about 12 wines per page. Still, it’s pretty damn impressive to scroll through 10 pages of Champagne and sparkling wines at the front. Fantastic coverage of Old World whites, especially Germany and Austria, but there are too many other strengths to effectively summarize. Burgundy and Bordeaux collections are off the charts and not just at the high end, where seemingly everything you’ve ever dreamed about is available, albeit for a princely sum. I love how in California they take special care to feature wines produced nearer to Monterey and not just Napa or Sonoma (this tuns out to be true for all the Top 4) . Hundreds of fun, interesting choices under $100 if that’s what you want including eight Spatburgunders (German pinot noir, don’t scoff, try the Enderle and Moll). They don’t miss a trick. One of the greatest wine lists I’ve ever seen, it deserves a direct link
Just as I was running out of superlatives I came across Casanova. I’m starting to sound like a college professor who grades on how much the paper weighs (sorry if you’re not a Boomer this won’t make sense), but Casanova clocks in at 105 pages and it’s more densely packed. Rating it against Aubergine is a fool’s errand, like Nicklaus and Palmer dueling down the stretch of a major. While it rivals Aubergine in every classic region, it has a decided and perhaps not unexpected advantage in Italy.
No, it can’t be. Here comes Sarazen and he might catch them at Grasing’s! Another Hall of Fame list with incredible strength in all classic regions, breathtaking in California and Burgundy, both red and white. The most distinctive feature is the multiple vertical/horizontal collections from great producers across New and Old Worlds. What to choose? Wow, they have a bunch of Leroy and other top Burgundy bottlings at lower than retail prices and that would be hard to pass up.
Now Bobby Jones looks like he’ll make a run for the honors at The Sardine Factory in Monterey. What is happening here? Seriously, this list is sick, especially for their ability to keep something in the tank and showcase stunning older vintages. 1919 Margaux anyone? Prefer more bottle age? Try the Chateau Gruaud Larose 1870. The list provides two pages of “Selections from the Cellarmaster” mostly under $100 and then it’s Whoa, Nellie! A 15-vintage vertical of Ridge Monte Bello is perhaps the highlight of a frighteningly large selection of cab-based wines from the West Coast. Maybe not quite the same caliber of producers in Burgundy as the competitors above until you run into a full-page offer of DRC.
The Bench, located at Pebble Beach is no hacker either. In fact, it’s like a slightly slimmed down version of Aubergine, touching many of the same bases and with its own extremely impressive collections in certain regions. It may exceed Aubergine in Italy and Spain and give it a run for the money in Cali cab and Red Burgundy. A 6-vintage vertical of Comte de Vogue Musigny comes to mind. Like Aubergine, prices run the gamut, but if you can afford $600 to play a round at Pebble, you may not mind a splurge here.
Peppoli at Spanish Bay is also terrific. It seems to be an Antinori Ambassador given the opening salvo featuring collections of all their many top bottlings. I’d have to go back and forth between the list here and The Bench to see what’s really different since they’re equally great and both part of the Pebble family. But that would take a lot of work and why bother? They easily stand on their own.
I love the sensibility at Passionfish. They take pains to explain their philosophy both on what they sell (focus on smaller, high-quality producers) and how they price (lower mark-ups than typical). The list is compact, well-curated, and whimsical. “Refreshingly jubilant” anyone? The diversity of grape varieties on offer is admirable and as advertised, prices are excellent. Another place that has so many attractive options it’s hard to choose, but I might jump on the Guilia Negri Barolo Tartufaia ’17 for $78
Anton & Michel’s list begins with an entertaining overview of wine bottle sizes and related statistics. For example, per their math, one bottle of wine requires 2.4 pounds of grapes and equals 4 glasses. If this is how they literally pour wine by the glass, i.e. a little more than 6 ounces each, then it’s among the more generous fine dining restaurants you’ll run into. Their list is reasonably comprehensive but predictable for the most part. Exceptions are a nice collection of William Selyem pinot and their Bordeaux portfolio, which features some nicely aged claret but at elevated prices.
Fandango tends to focus more on California but manages a respectable showing in Bordeaux and red Burgundy. It’s a balanced list with a lot of less expensive options, although a few of the whites I saw look a bit long in the tooth. I’d be suspicious of a 10-year-old Arneis for example. It’s a bit predictable but will sneak up on you with some surprising options at the high end.
Retail
Don’t let the name fool you. The Cheese Shop stocks over 500 well-curated wines at a wide range of price points. Tilts decidedly toward Old World and French with some fairly priced Burgundy under $100 and lots of Champagne.
