“Big, round, chalky stone muscles.” “Invigorated Clementine candy smells.” “Am I allowed to call this a ‘cascade of flowers’? Am I?” Steven Grubbs is the Beat poet of our wine scene. The descriptions—and studious footnotes—make his exuberant list at Empire State South our favorite in Atlanta. He leans toward Old World varietals and has a fascination with Burgundy (he’s writing a book on the subject); its earthy but nuanced flavors also happen to match Hugh Acheson’s lusty Southern cooking brilliantly.
Drink This: 2007 Jean-Marc Morey Santenay La Comme Dessus, a Pinot Noir from Burgundy’s Côte de Beaune, which Grubbs describes as “so, so pretty with just the tiniest hint of leather”: $68.
999 Peachtree Street, empirestatesouth.com
This listing originally appeared in our June 2012 issue.
