This unassuming 20-seat chandelier-lit den in southeast Portland seduces oenophiles from across the city, with a list devoted to Champagne and sparkling wine. Those bubbles—from grande marques as well as small producers like Georges Laval, JM Sélèque, Guillaume Sergent, Déhu and Marie-Noelle Ledru—come poured into Burgundy stems rather than flutes, the better to show off their aromas and flavors. Plus, owner David Speer points out, the glasses change the conversation about Champagne, emphasizing its qualities as a food-friendly wine to pair with any meal—or snack, like the truffle popcorn he pops behind the slender bar. Speer also stashes a few “off-list” bottles in a hideaway fridge for visiting wine geeks, like Cédric Bouchard’s Creux d’Enfer, Chartogne-Taillet Les Barres and the single-vineyard, single-vintage, 100 percent pinot meunier Champagnes from Jérôme Prévost.
This review appears in the print edition of the June 2016 issue. Like what you just read? Subscribe now.
This story appears in the print issue of June 2016.
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