Top Bottles

The Club’s wine guru offers her picks of
CHOP Steakhouse’s award-winning wine list.

Flipping through the collection of wines at CHOP Steakhouse now means browsing the world’s best medium-sized wine list.

The World of Fine Wine magazine bestowed that honor on the restaurant last month, making CHOP the only dining spot in Japan to win three stars from the venerated publication. It is also one of just 22 three-star restaurants in all of Asia. The judges praised CHOP’s diversity of wines and, in particular, the collection of California wines.

To help Members explore this remarkable selection, the collection’s curator and the Club’s wine program director, Anna Tyack, picks out 12 of her favorites.

Volcanic Red
2012 Girolamo Russo ’a Rina Etna Rosso, Sicily, Italy
Made by former classical pianist Giuseppe Russo from vines planted on the slopes of Etna, Sicily’s famous active volcano, this outstanding red boasts cherry and oriental spice aromas and a vibrant cinnamon and pepper lift. Pinot Noir and Nebbiolo lovers will enjoy the grip and minerality of Nerello Mascalese.
¥8,000

Smashable Red
2013 Bedrock Wines Old Vine Zinfandel, Sonoma Coast, California
Thirty-four-year-old winemaking prodigy Morgan Twain Peterson produces a fascinating array of wines from old vine sites throughout California. This Zinfandel (with a touch of Carignan) is made from vines around 80 years old. Seductive and lush, with notes of raspberry, black cherry, forest, earth, pepper and spice, it’s a steal at the price.
¥7,780

Plain Crazy
2011 Scholium Project The Prince in His Caves, Farina, Sonoma, California
New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov wrote that “to call Scholium Project a winery and its proprietor, Abe Schoener, a winemaker is a little like calling Salvador Dalí a painter. It’s true, but it does not begin to capture his visionary character.” Abe, who holds a doctorate in ancient Greek philosophy, is a free thinker and makes the most unique wines in California today. This is a mysterious wine, with intense herbal notes, fruit skins, honeyed richness and crisp acidity.
¥8,920

Perfect Pinky
2013 La Porta di Vertine Sangiovese, Rosato Toscana, Italy
In 2006, La Porta di Vertine’s owners, Dan and Ellen Lugosch, acquired the amphitheatre-shaped vineyard in Vertine, a tiny, ancient hamlet in the Chianti Classico area of Gaiole. This fantastic, berry-nuanced, organic rosé is 100 percent Sangiovese and 200 percent pleasure. Salute!
¥1,300 (glass)

Summer Bubbles
Domaine Belluard Les Perles du Mont-Blanc Brut, Savoie, France
This traditional method bubbly is made from Gringet, an obscure local variety found only in Ayse, about 60 kilometers from Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps. Dominique Belluard, the vigneron, owns 10 hectares, which is about half of the varietal’s worldwide production. Smoky, with yellow plum, melon and a hint of fresh ginger to invigorate a long finish. A mountain sparkler with attitude.
¥7,200

Old School Meets New School
2009 Mayacamas Mt. Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California
Founded in 1889, this storied winery is located in the Mayacamas Mountains, west of Napa. The dry-farmed, mature vineyards were planted in the early 1950s at up to 730 meters on Mount Veeder. Spirited and energetic, with black cherry, wild strawberry, sage, licorice, fig and red rose notes, this old-school Cali is one of my favorites, and it won’t break the bank.
¥18,700

New Kid on the Block
2012 Domaine Olivier Pithon Cuvée Laïs Blanc, Côtes Catalanes, Roussillon, France
Soft-spoken and driven, Olivier Pithon started the winery in 2000 and now farms 17 hectares biodynamically on cooler sites. I can’t get enough of his Macabeu-based whites, and this is voluptuous yet utterly refined and vibrant, with mango, pink grapefruit and herbal notes and a firm mineral character. Oh, and the “Laïs” moniker is from the name of his Jersey cow.
¥7,880

Magnum on the Terrace
2013 Van Volxem Saar Riesling, Mosel, Germany
Farming old vines (from 50 to 125 years old) organically, Van Volxem is a star in the Saar region. This dry Riesling has an incredible texture and energy, with juicy peach and pear, substance and well-balanced slate minerality, acidity and fruit. A good reason to support the #summerofriesling cause.
¥10,800

Japan-Exclusive Wine
2013 Jamsheed Laneway White, Yarra Valley, Australia
Available only in Japan, the Laneway label is a collaboration between a local importer and Gary Mills of Jamsheed in Victoria. With mineral-laced aromas of fresh citrus, white peach and quince, this delicious, fleshy blend of Roussanne and Chardonnay brings the rebel laneways of Melbourne to the streets of Tokyo.
¥1,300 (glass)

Japanese Expat Winemaker
2013 Sato Wines Pinot Gris, Central Otago, New Zealand
Yoshiaki Sato worked as an investment banker in Tokyo before taking a winemaking course and settling down with his wife, Kyoko, in Central Otago. He crafts some of the most delicate, soulful wines I have ever tasted, and sipping this white, with its pear, nectar, citrus rind and honeyed finish, is an immensely evocative textural experience. Producing miniscule amounts of wine, he pours his passion into each bottle.
¥8,000

Biodynamic Guru
2012 Littorai Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley, California
Ted Lemon made history when Domaine Guy Roulot hired him as the first (and, to this day, only) American winemaker and vineyard manager in Burgundy. In 1993, he and his wife, Heidi, started Littorai, and they now make some of the finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in Sonoma. A biodynamic evangelist, Ted firmly believes in the “power of observation” in the vineyard. This Pinot has energy, intensity and notes of smoke, sweet red cherries, menthol and tobacco.
¥12,520

Tribute to Serge
2007 Chateau Musar, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
The great Lebanese winemaker Serge Hochar, who passed away last year, enjoyed a cult following. Chateau Musar was founded in 1930 by his father and Serge became winemaker in 1959. During the country’s civil war, he refused to abandon his wine and lost only the 1976 and ’84 vintages. I was once lucky enough to enjoy a vertical tasting of back vintages with the man himself. Seven years in the making, this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan is packed with finesse and complexity, earthy nuances and a gamey hint.
¥8,800

Photos: Anna Tyack