Niche Wine Blog

Chateau Marmont

Chateau Marmont (sha-'tO mär-'mOⁿ) adj. 1: discreet 2: discernable 3: modest 4: prudent 5: unobtrusive 6: unpretentious. Rather tame descriptors for a hotel with an iniquitous reputation as a place to misbehave. Marmont, or Chateau M, is known by many as “the castle on the hill,” the Hollywood glamour hotspot that rests in the hills above Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. Inspired by the royal Chateau d’Amboise, a medieval castle with a history all its own residing in the Loire Valley, France, Marmont was built in 1929 originally as apartments, two years later it became a hotel and the rest is history, or is it?

When it comes to Chateau Marmont, it’s hard to know where to begin. Perhaps the right place would be: Led Zeppelin riding motorcycles through the lobby, or Jim Morrison jumping/falling off a 5^th floor balcony, or John Belushi overdosing on cocaine and heroin, or Jean Harlow sleeping with Clark Gable while on honeymoon with her husband. In essence, Chateau Marmont was, and still is a place for people, most notably famous individuals whose careers put them in the limelight, to escape from real life, relax, and even express their rebellious side, in privacy. In 1939, I believe Harry Cohn, founder of Columbia Pictures, said it best when he told two of his stars, “If you must get into trouble, do it at the Chateau Marmont.” To this day, it remains a home away from home for many. This rather low-profile bohemian hideout, with its laid-back staff and superb amenities and service, has compelled certain personalities to reside, and sometimes disappear, here for months at a time. Specifically, Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio and Keanu Reeves. Even still, the Chateau mysteriously remains inconspicuous to many. However, those that know about it do what they can to be a part of it. Just recently, I was one of those individuals fortunate enough to spend a lovely Saturday afternoon relishing in the discreet lap of luxury that is Chateau M. 

When my parents and I were invited a few weeks ago, by Chateau Marmont’s sommelier, Nat Gunter, to have lunch and taste some of his wines, I may not have seen any stars or witnessed any incriminating activity (it’s a little different these days), but I definitely experienced the sense of timeless history that lingers in the atmosphere. The service was superb and the staff, especially Nat, was as courteous, attentive and laid back as one reads about. After a lunch of delectable food and wine, which I’ll recap later on, I received a tour of the grounds. The cottages are tucked away privately and seem modest, yet elegant. The private garden and pool is unassumingly beautiful. From the lobby to the garden, one gets a glimpse of the walk way leading to the main entrance, which has vaulted gothic ceilings painted with beautiful murals. The sitting room off from the lobby is warm, homey and inviting. All in all, a very charming place and I can understand why those who stay don’t want to leave.

Now for the main event: food and wine. Upon arrival, there were four bottles of wine, opened, sitting in an ice bucket (to survive the famed L.A. heat), ready to go. Nat was extremely knowledgeable and explained interesting facts about the wines as we went along. We started off with:

2005 Pierre Gaillard Le Secret Ivre (the drunken secret), VdP, St. Joseph, Rhone France

- Blended by Kimberly Jones

- Viognier and Roussanne

- Very floral and aromatic honey, apricot, nice minerality, full/silky mouthfeel; yum!

2006 Red Car wines “Boxcar Rose”, Santa Maria CA

- Syrah and Pinot Noir

- Nice full body from the Syrah, but delicate due to Pinot Noir; strawberries, raspberries, white flower and lemon

- aromas; yum!

2005 Betts & Scholl “The O.G.” Grenache, Barossa Valley

- Joint venture between Richard Betts (MS), sommelier at Little Nell in Aspen and Dennis Scholl, art collector from Miami. They buy grapes from families in Barossa Valley and make the wine.

- Very nice wine; ripe, sweet strawberry and raspberry, low tannins, drink now; Another yum!

2003 Petit Batard Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, CA

- Declassified Xtant from 03 vintage

- Tasted like $50, goes for roughly $15-20; very good!

These wines were enjoyed with the following appetizers:

- Seared ahi

- Oxtail ravioli - delicious

- Cheese plate

- Breaded, fried risotto and cheese – delicious

And last, but certainly not least, with dinner we enjoyed:

2001 Domaine de la Vougeraie Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

- Very delicate, silky, red fruits, nice structure and complexity

- Extreme yum factor!!

As most of you know, Red Burgundy is a pretty versatile wine so as you can imagine it went well with:

- Rosemary chicken sandwich

- Duck crepes

-     A steak dish (forgive me, I am blanking on the name)

As you can imagine, this place is rather close knit so I wouldn't rush out and try to book a room or restaurant reservation - it's probably not likely to happen very easily. 

 

District san francisco

There are no standards of taste in wine, cigars, poetry, prose, etc. Each man's own taste is the standard, and a majority vote cannot decide for him or in any slightest degree affect the supremacy of his own standard.

- Mark Twain, 1895

This is the philosophy at San Francisco's newest, hippest wine bar, bordering SOMA, South Beach, Mission Bay neighborhoods .  District, which opened last Monday, having a gradual build of customers throughout the week, was climactic Friday night.  I first heard about this wine bar opening up a few months back, and had been waiting in anticipation to check it out.  So, you can imagine the excitement when I received a notification email that they were finally open for business.  Without hesitation, my fiance and I hopped in the car and drove into the city for a night of curiosity and critical fun.  I say critical due to the fact that I inevitably was going to post a review on here, as I'm doing now, but I tried to go in with the mindset of a typical patron of curiosity, looking for a thrilling night on the town. 

With the amount of hype this wine bar received initially, I anticipated it being somewhat of a trendy meat market.   Upon walking in, sitting down, and waiting for initial service - this indeed seemed to be the case.  I was a little turned off in the beginning, but realizing they had just opened, I knew I couldn't be too critical.  In the end, I'm really glad we stuck it out because the night turned out to be wonderful - filled with good wine, surprisingly exceptional service, and meeting great people.  The ultimate: the chance to talk to part-owner, who dived into this endeavor with his brother, and learning of the intentions for this house.

Set in a refurbished 3500 sq ft. warehouse, the exposed brick walls, clean wood-beam ceiling, expansive, open-view u-shaped bar, and lounge restaurant seating, make up for the fact that with such a large crowd, it can carry a rather loud echo.  The design is clean and modern, yet rustic, providing a lot of warmth for such an expansive room.  I really liked the open design of the bar, that allows for seeing all around.  Too often, there is a dividing wall in the middle of the bar that creates a lot of closure and restriction.  Supposedly, main reason the wine bar took longer than expected to open was due to the features of the bar.  The counter-top is comprised of antiquated, old-world soft wood that adds a lot of character.  Unfortunately, because the wood is naturally so porous, the city required them to put a heavy protective sealant on the wood, for sanitation reasons.  While some thought it took away from the natural affect of the wood, I really don't know that it changed it in a negative way. 

Another feature I really enjoyed about the wine bar is the big-screen TV hanging on the wall showing old black and white, Film Noir flicks.  With the large crowd, I wasn't able to pay attention to it much, but it adds character and is worthy of notice.  Also, for all of you local artists out there, this may be the place to get noticed.  They will have art produced by local talent, rotating every couple of months or so, showcased on one wall, running the length of the house. 

District has an impressive food menu and tasty wine list.  With this being the first week open, coupled with a large turn-out, they had only alloted a certain quantity of food, which was done by the time my fiance and I arrived at around 8:30pm.  In terms of beer, I believe Stella Artois was a big hit as my fiance was the lucky man to get the last serving.  Other beers they on draft are Hoegaarden, an excellent white-wheat beer, Guinness, Red Hook ESB, and Prohibition Pale.  While I'm not a huge beer drinker, I like their diverse, less traditional selection. 

Lucky for me, they weren't running out of wine, obviously my drink of choice.  I started out with the Seven Hills Merlot, Columbia Valley, WA (2003).  This was ripe, floral, with hints of coffee and cassis, well balance acidity and wet-dry finish.  I moved on to a glass of Kunin Pape Star Rhone Blend, Santa Ynez, CA (2005).  This was a dryer wine, a little more subtle, with strawberry, peppery, smoky nuances.  I would probably have stopped there, but the guys we were talking with throughout the evening, also friends of one of the owners, ordered a bottle of Lucarelli Primitivo, Puglia, Italy (2004), which I got to try.  This wine was well balanced, housing a complexity of dark fruits, ripe, but not too harsh tannins, and a good long finish resting on the palate.  Check out the menus on the website for more information!

As far as service goes, I was skeptical at first, but very impressed by the end of the night.  We sat at the bar, as the lounge seating was taken, and our bartender was fabulous.  This guy was taking orders, remembering 6-7 different drinks at a time, all without error, and not just from one person, but from 2-3 at a time.  Now, granted I've never tended bar before so maybe this isn't that big of a deal, but considering I got lost after the 3rd, or 4th drink shouted at him, I was amazed at his memory and perfection.  I don't know how the other bartenders were, but I'm sure they were just as qualified to handle the constant rush.  In speaking with the owner, apparently he sifted through 600+ resumes, roughly 200 being for bartender positions alone.  He seemed to have made the right selections because I saw no flaws in dealing with the early stages of customer unpredictability.  And of course, I have to give 5 stars to the owner for jumping in and making drinks - really highlights the "wears many hats" attitude needed in this business.  Hopefully this service is able to be maintained.  I only see increased business for District san francisco, wine bar.

In short, probably not the place to go on the weekend if looking for a nice, quiet, relaxing evening.  But definitely the place to go for good food and wine selection (they do have a reserve list, ask for it!), energy, and friendly, attentive service.  Good work, District!