Neighborhood: Financial District
Address: 70 Pine Street New York, NY 1005
Written by: Brandon Borcoman, Advanced Sommelier, Founder of Vin-Decision
Visited: Thursday, February 6, 2020 | Lunch
When you walk into Crown Shy you are immediately greeted with a well-lit, minimalist design that feels sophisticated yet still welcoming. The ceilings are tall and the kitchen is open, so while there is an underlying grandeur, there is also an approachability. While certainly appropriate for a date night, I find this restaurant better suited to business lunches and dinners.
I first viewed this wine list in a text from a client. It was just a file containing about 40 pages of wine, but I immediately noticed some of the world’s best producers. Most of the Burgundy is young, though very much approachable, and if you’re looking for vintage depth, then the Piedmont and Bordeaux sections is where you’ll find the most age.
WINES TO LOOK OUT FOR
Most Well-Known Wine on List:
On the high end, the bottle of choice is Comte Liger-Belair’s ‘La Romanée’ 2007, which is arguably more coveted than DRC’s ‘Romanée-Conti,’ though if you can’t decide, they have both (the DRC is 2014).
The Hidden-Gem (not to be overlooked):
There are a few hidden gems on the list as Luke Boland, the wine director, seems to reward those who are wine savvy. My pick would be Chanterêves Saint-Romain ‘Combe Bazin’ 2016, which is a white Burgundy from a village located just outside of Meursault. At $115, this bottle will not only over perform, but no one really knows about the estate yet, so it will likely be a good choice for a few months to come.
What We Drank & Paired It With: Domaine Michel Niellon Grand Cru Chevalier-Montrachet 2015–a Chardonnay from Burgundy.
Find out more about this wine at the link here.
This was a celebration bottle that came out of our cellar (on the list it would be around $1200-1500), however due to its youth we weren’t sure how fast it would open up. Fortunately, it was perfect and one of the better whites I’ve had in years (this was not expected as 2015 can be a bit too decadent and luxurious at this stage). Grand Cru wines have a lot of structure so they do best with like-minded food. As such, I ordered the Acorn Squash with Stracciatella to begin–sweetness from the squash and the creaminess from the cheese were both excellent complementary flavors. Next, I ordered the Grilled Quail, as there weren’t any seafood dishes that hold up, nor did the steak seem the right fit. The quail was a great pairing, which highlighted the savory tones of the wine without overpowering it.
The level of service and service execution lend this restaurant to business lunches and dinners. This is a great restaurant to keep in your back pocket if you’ve got a deal to close or client to impress.
Check in with Sommelier Ramsey Boyd, if you want to explore the wine list in detail on your next visit.
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Brandon Borcoman founded Vin-Decision in an effort to help clients drink better on a regular basis. He saw a large gap between the ultra-rare and the everyday bottles and thus sought to establish a platform for sourcing the great wines that are lost in between. Brandon relies primarily upon his experience as an NYC wine director, though he actively participates in auctions all over the world. He’ll likely never turn down a Grand Cru bottling, however the wines that most excite him are those that over-achieve and exceed expectations.
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