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http://www.wsj.com/articles/threestarsommeliersontheirfavoritebottlesrestaurantsandmore1479829723

WSJ.MAGAZINE | WHAT'SNEWS

Sommelierspossessanencyclopedicknowledgeofvineyards,vintagesandregionshere,
threeofthewineworldsbestsharetheirfavoritepleasures

ByLUCASWITTMANN
Nov.22,201610:48a.m.ET

Vantre,Paris

Leaveittoacharming
Canadiantobringaburstof
energytotheParisianwine
scene.AnativeofMontreal,
Pelletier,42,earnedadegree
incivilengineeringbut
quicklyrealized,afterworking
theharvestinChampagne,
thatwinewouldbehislife.He
hasdirectedthewine
programsattwoaugustParis
institutions:firstatthe
restaurantTailleventandthen
atthehotelLeBristol,which
alsoinvolvedtripstoSt.Barts
tostockLeBristolssister
property,EdenRock.Most
sommeliersmighthave
stoppedthere,butPelletier
MarcoPelletierPHOTO:COURTESYOFMARCOPELLETIER
wasthirstyformore.Since
2009,hehasbeen
collaboratingwithsomefriendsonawinery,DomainedeGalouchey,inBordeaux.And
thissummerheleftLeBristoltodevotehimselftoVantre,thebistrovinsheandchef
IacopoChomelopenedinParisinOctober.Thelisttherewilleventuallyfeaturemore
than1,500ofPelletiersfavoritewines.VantreisadreamIvehadsinceIarrivedin
France18yearsago,hesays.NowIminmyownhousewithmyownidentity.

1.EdenRock2.SanFrancisco3.Cantalcheese4.LesEauxPrimordiales5.NinaSimone6.TheWorldAtlasofWine
7.TicinoRegion8.BistrotPaulBert9.TailleventPHOTO:RICHARDBROADWELL/ALAMYSTOCKPHOTOTANIA&VINCENT
GETTYIMAGESKASIAWANDYCZ/PARISMATCH/GETTYIMAGESTHOMASDUVALHEMIS/ALAMYSTOCKPHOTOBON
APPETIT/ALAMYSTOCKPHOTOARCOIMAGESGMBH/ALAMYSTOCKPHOTOCOURTESYOFOCTOPUSPUBLISHING
GROUP

1.Whatsyourfavoritehotel?

EdenRockinSt.Barts.Itsparadiseonearth.

2.Whatplacedoyoumostenjoyvisiting?

SanFrancisco.Itshumansizewithmegacityculture.

3.Whatstheidealfood-winepairing?

CheeseslikeBeaufort,Cantal[shown]andComtwithabone-drynorthernwine.

4.Whatsyouressentialgroomingproduct?

LesEauxPrimordiales,artisanalperfumesbyArnaudPoulain.

5.Whosyourfavoritemusician?

NinaSimone,becauseshewasbothasingerandacomposer,likeasommelierwho
makesthewine,sellsitandpoursit,too.

6.Whatsthebestbookforlearningaboutwine?

HughJohnsonandJancisRobinsonsTheWorldAtlasofWine.

7.Whatsyourfavoritewineregion?

Energyisthekeyword.Northernclimatesandhighelevations.TheLoire,northern
Burgundy,theJura,Savoie,Switzerland[theTicinoregionisshown],theMosel[in
Germany]andsoon.

8.Whatsyourfavoriterestaurant,apartfromyourown?

TheBistrotPaulBert[inParis],foritssimplicityandcomfortfood.

9.Whatrestaurantswinelistdoyouthinkistrulyincredible?
BothLaTourdArgentandTailleventhavedeepbackvintagesfromgreatproducers,but
Tailleventismoreopentowine[shown]fromunderratedregions.

RougeTomate,NewYorkCity

LoireValleynativePascaline
Lepeltier,35,wasstudyingfor
amastersinphilosophywhen
shemethermentor,Patrick
Rigourd,athisAngerswine
shopandbegantrainingto
becomeasommelier.Butit
wasparticipatinginthe
harvestintheLoirethatreally
soldher.Isawhowbrilliant
thewinemakerswereintheir
understandingofbiodiversity
andsoil,shesays,andhow
thisrelationshipwiththe
earthproducessomething
transcendent.In2009,
Lepeltierwasworkingforthe
BrusselsrestaurantRouge
Tomatewhenshewasoffered
thechancetooverseethewine
PascalineLepeltierPHOTO:WENDYWILMOTH programatitsnewManhattan
branch,arolethatquickly
earnedheraccoladesandafollowing.TheMidtownlocationclosedtwoyearsago,buta
newincarnationopenedinChelseainSeptember.Withherlistfavoringlow-orno-
sulfurnaturalwines,Lepeltier,whoisnowoneofonly32femalemastersommeliersin
theworld,hasalreadyre-establishedRougeTomateasanimportantdestinationforthe
oenophilesofNewYorkandbeyond.

1.Surfing2.Cheningrapes3.ToriAmos4.1937CheaudYquem5.ElCellerdeCanRoca6.TheMet7.Cameraand
notebook8.porkrillettes9.theLoirevalley10.J.S.BachPHOTO:MICHAELBURRELL/ALAMYSTOCKPHOTOCOURTESY
OFELCELLERDECANROCASAMTOREN/ALAMYSTOCKPHOTOJONATHANGEIGERESBENKLINKERHANSEN/ALAMY
STOCKPHOTOHEMIS/ALAMYSTOCKPHOTOPHOTOBYSTOCKMONTAGE/GETTYIMAGESPICTORIALPRESSLTD/ALAMY
STOCKPHOTODEEPIXROOMTHEAGENCY/ALAMYSTOCKPHOTOPATTIMCCONVILLE/ALAMYSTOCKPHOTOPETE
TITMUSS/ALAMYSTOCKPHOTO

1.Whatsyourfavoriteindulgence?
Surfing.IwishIcouldgomoreoften.

2.Whatsyourfavoritegrape?

Chenin,ofcourse.Itsanextraordinary,versatilegrapethatcantranslateanyterroir
andagessowell.

3.Whosyourfavoritemusician?

ToriAmos.

4.Whatwasthefirstwinethatreallycaughtyourattention?

A1937[Chteaud]Yquem.Itmademedecidetobecomeasommelier.

5.Whatsyourfavoriterestaurant,apartfromyourown?

ElCellerdeCanRoca[inGirona,Spain]isveryspecial,notonlybecauseofthefood
[shown],butalsobecauseofthevisionandspiritofthebrothersRoca:their
commitmenttopreservingCataloniasnaturalpatrimony,theirinvolvementinthelocal
economy,theirvoiceattheUNasambassadorsforsustainabledevelopment.

6.Whatmuseumdoyoumostliketovisit?

TheMet[inNewYork].Itisendless.

7.Whatareyourtravelessentials?

Withanotebook,acameraandacreditcard,youcangoanywhereintheworld.

8.Whatstheidealfood-winepairing?

DryAnjouCheninandporkrillettes.

9.Whatsyourfavoritewineregion?

TheLoire,becauseitsthemostdiverse,excitingareawhereyoufindeverystyleofwine
possiblewithanincrediblequalityforvalue.Theresacalmbeautyinthesewines,too,
maybebecauseofthelightoftheriver.

10.Whoisyourfavoriteartist?

Bach.Hischaconneisprobablyoneofthemostsublime.

QuinceandCotogna,SanFrancisco

In2013,whenJeffKelloggbecamewinedirectoratNewYorksMaialinorestaurant,he
tookwhatmanyItalianshavelongknownthatFrenchchampagneoftengoesperfectly
withItaliandishesandmadeanartofit,buildingalistofbottlesfromFrancesmost
interestingproducersoffizz.ItdidnthurtthathealsofeaturedhundredsofItalian
wines,fromold-vintageBarolostoSicilianwhitestorareFriulanos.Withhisfascinating
pairingsandwell-pricedlist,Kellogg,35,quicklymadeanameforhimself.AnOhio
native,Kellogglearnedthebasicsofhospitalityfromlargefamilydinners.Therewere
eightofusatthetable,hesays.Itwasmyfavoritepartoftheday.Hisfirstsommelier
jobwasatTheGreenbrierresortinWestVirginia.ThenhemovedtoCalifornia,where
 heworkedtheharvestinNapa
andgothiredasasommelier
atReddinYountvilleandat
SanFranciscosRN74.After
threeyearsinNewYork,he
returnedtoSanFranciscothis
falltobecomewinedirector
forthethree-Michelin-star
Quinceanditssister
restaurant,Cotogna.

1.Whatareyourtravel
essentials?

Mostofmytripsinvolvean
unhealthyamountoffoodand
wine,soIalwaysliketopack
someBraulioasadigestivo.

2.Whatplacedoyoumost
enjoyvisiting?

Paris.Ialwayscomebackso
JeffKelloggPHOTO:CHRISTINASTETSON
energizedandinspired.Im

1.Braulio2.Paris3.Baroloregion4.Durandcorkscrew5.TupacShakur6.TheGreenbrier7.GraetersBuckeye
ChocolateChipIceCream8.Nebbiolograpes9.Frenchfriesandchampagne10.CharlieBirdPHOTO:PETER
PHIPP/TRAVELSHOTS.COM/ALAMYSTOCKPHOTOBALLANDALBANESE/ALAMYSTOCKPHOTOTOMHYLAND/ALAMY
STOCKPHOTOGABEPALMER/ALAMYSTOCKPHOTOLUCIELANG/ALAMYSTOCKPHOTONOAHFECKSCOURTESYOF
GRAETERSICECREAMPICTORIALPRESSLTD/ALAMYSTOCKPHOTOMARIAGRAZIACASELLA/ALAMYSTOCKPHOTO
COURTESYOFASTORWINES&SPIRITS

speakingmostlyaboutthefoodandwinesceneandthepassionatepeopledoingunique
things,butalsointermsoflifeingeneral.

3.Whatsyourfavoritewineregion?

Barolo,Italy.Thewineswillchangeyourlifewiththeircomplexityandaromatics.Were
inaspecialtimewithBarolopricing.Whileitsnotcheap,inthenearfutureitwillbe
muchmoreexpensive.

4.Whattoolisessentialtoyourjob?
MyDurandcorkscrew.Weopensomucholderwine,itsavesmeanincredibleamountof
timeinnotbreakingcorks.

5.Whatsyourfavoritealbum?

TupacsAllEyezonMe.TherewasntapartyoracarridewhenIwasinhighschool
withoutthisalbumplaying.

6.Whatsyourfavoritehotel?

TheGreenbrierinWestVirginia.ItssorareintheUnitedStatestohavesomuchhistory
andstillbesorelevant.TheyalsogavemeasommelierjobwhenIwasyounger.

7.Whatsyourmainindulgence?

WhenIgohometoCanton,Ohio,ImnotafraidtocrushmorethanonepintofGraeters
BuckeyeChocolateChip.

8.Whatsyourfavoritegrape?

Nebbiolo.Noothergrapeagesaswell.FindaGattinarafrom1964,noticehow
inexpensiveitisandthenbeblownawaybyhowdeliciousitis.

9.Whatstheidealfood-winepairing?

Frenchfriesandchampagne.

10.Whatsyourfavoriterestaurant?

ImobsessedwithrestaurantswhereIcangetthecaliberoffood,serviceandwine
selectionofhigh-endrestaurantsbutinacasualsettingIwanttovisiteveryweek.I
dontknowaplacethatcombinesallthosethingslikeCharlieBirdinNYC.

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