are they crazy?
CultureMap Wine Guy Chris Shepherd reveals the wine den serving up possibly the craziest pricing in Houston
Our Wine Guy discovered that the entire wine list at Lees Den isn't actually marked wrong.
Editor's note: Long before Chris Shepherd became a James Beard Award-winning chef, he developed enough of a passion for wine to work at Brennan's of Houston as a sommelier. He maintains that interest to this day. When Chris expressed interest in writing about wine-related topics for CultureMap, we said yes.
In this week's column, he shares his favorite spot for drinking bottles of wine at deep discounts. Take it away, Chris.
Man, have I got a spot for you! A few months back I was asked by CultureMap food guru Eric Sandlerif I would write up the nominees for the Tastemaker Award nominees for Wine Program of the Year. Most of them I knew pretty well but a few places were new and I hadn’t been yet.
So I got on the interweb of knowledge and took a gander at some of the programs. All of these wine lists are, in my opinion, award-winning. They are thoughtful, some small, some big, but all of them bad ass.
One really caught my eye, and I couldn’t believe it — so I had to experience it for myself firsthand. Are you ready to drink killer wines at absolutely killer prices? I thought the whole list was marked wrong. To my happiness, it wasn’t.
Enough suspense. Get your ass to Lees Den! I feel like I am taking advantage of the situation by ordering the things that I feel are underpriced, but that’s the entire list!
Chrisanna Shewbart is the general manager and wine director. She has assembled just an outstanding variety of things which you can drink on site or take to go. I would say sit back, relax, order something delicious from the wine list. Then hit the food menu, which is also delicious.
I haven’t seen Comte Lafond Grande Cuvee 2020 in so long. It’s freaking delicious, and at $65, I want more! Even better, it’s in this pirate-looking bottle that makes it just plain fun. Order two and start pillaging!
Let’s dive more deeply into this list now. It’s divided into styles. When it comes to delicious bubbly, Lees Den offers method Champenois and Ancestrial (think pet net and such). Then come the rosés, followed by orange (skin-fermented whites), then whites divided by style — crisp, light, and full. Then the light, medium, and full reds. You will know many of these labels, and you should ask about those you don’t.
Here are a few things that I want to drink. If you drink it all before I get there, I will know it’s you! For the bubbly world, here are some of my favorites:
- Soter Mineral Springs Brut Rose, 2018 for $85
- Ruinart Grand Cru Blanc de Blanc , NV for $90. Both for me, hands off.
- Roederer Cristal, 2007 for $250. Who does that???
On to the rosé and whites. Let’s go!
- Robert Sinskey Vin Gris rosé for $40. Just take my money.
- Domaine La Borderie which is a still Chardonnay from the Champagne region of France. There are a few producers that are making still wine from that region and this is a really great example.
Moving on to the red side of life.
- Big Sun Energy Grenache: $31, Las Jaras Glou Glou: $38
- Hirsch Vineyards San Andreas Fault: $80
- Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape, 2020: $110
- Gaja “Sito Moresco,”2018: $70. Just stop it! This is insanity in the best possible way!
I hope that by writing this I don’t mess it up for everyone! (Editor's note 2: Well Chris, you are the Wine Guy. )The list is deep, thoughtful, sometimes adventurous, and sometimes safe. Most wine lists have a few steals that the sommelier just loves and wants people to try.
At Lees Den, that’s the entire list.
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Contact our Wine Guy via email at chris@chrisshepherdconcepts.com.
Chris Shepherd won a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest in 2014. Last year, he parted ways with Underbelly Hospitality, a restaurant group that currently operates five Houston restaurants: Wild Oats, GJ Tavern, Underbelly Burger, Georgia James, and Pastore. The Southern Smoke Foundation, a non-profit he co-founded with his wife Lindsey Brown, has distributed more than $10 million to hospitality workers in crisis through its Emergency Relief Fund.
