WineInk: A prodigal master returns to Little Nell, for a fest

“Are you kidding me? I always look forward to coming back to Aspen. It’s the best.” So stated Carlton McCoy Jr., CEO and managing partner of Lawrence Wine Estates as he stood in front of an enthusiastic gathering of wine lovers this week in the ASPENX Mountain Club.

He was returning to a place very familiar to him to present his company’s wines and educate attendees of the third annual Little Nell Culinary Fest (which is fast becoming an integral part of the local culinary calendar) on the nuances of the Napa Valley’s diverse terroir.

It has been just five years since he, a master sommelier, left his prestigious position as wine director at The Little Nell for, literally, greener pastures in the Napa Valley to become president and CEO of the iconic California estate, Heitz Cellar. While he left behind a legacy and many friends in the local Aspen wine community, in the short time since his departure, he has played a leading role in building from scratch one of the most innovative and high-profile wine concerns in the industry. Among many other things.

Lawrence Wine Estates was spawned from the original purchase of Heitz Cellar by McCoy and his business partner, Gaylon Lawrence Jr., in spring 2018.

“When we bought Heitz, we didn’t have a plan to expand; we just found opportunities that came along and we responded,” McCoy said about the genesis of the project. “We wanted to make great wines that we wanted to drink and run a great company, and we have found some historic and significant properties were available.”  

There are now seven estates owned by what has become the Lawrence Wine Estates (LWE) portfolio with six in Napa — Heitz Cellar, Burgess Cellars, Stony Hill Vineyard, Brendel, Ink Grade, and Haynes Vineyard — and one in in Bordeaux, the second growth Château Lascombes in Margaux. There is also an import company, Demeine Estates, and in all, over 130 jobs have been created by LWE since it was founded in 2020. McCoy, the first black CEO of a major Napa winery, manages the entire operation.  

He and Lawrence see their ventures in the broader wine ecosystem as being somewhat unique. They strive to give autonomy to each of the individual estates.

“All of the wineries have individual winemakers and leadership. They all run as independent entities,” said McCoy. “It’s a pain to operate in that way, but giving each winery own identities is important to us.” As an example, Heitz Cellar, the original purchase, is under the watch of a young team that features former Little Nell Sommelier Erik Elliott as estate director and Brittany Sherwood as the director of winemaking. “They are a great young team, and we give them lots of responsibility.”

LWE also is dedicated to sustainable agriculture and to farming their owned and managed vineyards biodynamically. And there is a commitment toward diversity in their hiring practices. McCoy is a cofounder (with Ikimi Dibose) of The Roots Fund, an organization focused on engaging and providing mentorship for people of color who wish to work in the wine industry.

And those are just some of his many recent accomplishments. He also serves on a number of industry committees and is host of the CNN “Nomad” series, which will include new episodes this year shot in Chile, Cambodia, and other destinations. It is a full life indeed.

WINE SEMINAR & LUNCHEON

Few luxuries in life exceed the opportunity to sip great wines at a summer lunch. Especially when that summer lunch is hosted in a sunny, art-filled venue at 11,000 feet atop Aspen Mountain and curated by the talented culinary teams from the kitchens of Virginia’s Inn at Little Washington and Vermont’s Twin Farms.

Such was the case as Wine Director Chris Dunaway of The Little Nell and his esteemed team (They were just honored with a Wine Spectator Grand Award once again) oversaw this distinctive luncheon as part of the Culinary Fest activities celebrating the Nell’s relationship with the Relais & Châteaux group of boutique hotel and dining properties.

McCoy had brought four wines, two reds and two whites, to pair with the rich cuisine. While all four of the wines came from the Lawrence Wine Estates collection of wineries in Napa Valley,  each showed the individuality of the terroir and appellations from which they hail.

A Heitz Cellar Quarts Creek Chardonnay 2020, from the cooler Oak Knoll District toward the southern end of the Napa Valley, displayed a fresh, bright, and balanced version of a California classic. The pairing of the wine with a delicate garlic custard with artichoke purée and Chanterelle mushrooms served in an open-topped eggshell was an inspirational start to an amazing luncheon.

“Most people, when they think of Sauvignon Blanc, think either of green, herbaceous, grassy wines or those that have been over-oaked,” McCoy said as he introduced the second wine. “I don’t like to drink either of those kinds of wines. But I love Sauvignon Blanc.”

So it was that the Ink Grade Estate Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley 2020 was poured and served alongside a “Tin of Sin,” a small can of Petrossian Tsar Imperial Caviar, with crab from the Chesapeake Bay layered underneath the sublime eggs.

The acidity and austere nature of the wine is testament to the terraced mountainside vineyard with volcanic soils on Howell Mountain, from which it is sourced, and winemaker Matt Taylor’s skills, which included aging this wine in concrete eggs.

“This is a winemaker’s wine,” McCoy said with reverence as the assembled indulged in their “Tin of Sin.”

The final courses, a Vermont rabbit roulade and a lemon verbena tartelette, were served with a pair of Napa Cabernet Sauvignons — a 2019 Ink Grade Estate and a younger 2021 Burgess Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Promiscua. Both were notable for the comparatively low alcohol levels, bright acidity, and the lighter weights of the wines. If your jam is big, tannic, over-extracted Napa Valley Cabernet, you best look elsewhere. These are wines of elegance.

The day after the luncheon, McCoy welcomed guests to enjoy a tasting of some other wines in the cellar at The Little Nell where he was a cofounder of the funky Red Light Lounge. It is a tiny tasting room within the cellar that became a mecca of sorts for wine lovers and celebrities who have signed the wooden walls, covering them in autographs over the years.

For a while, he was again in his old element, pouring wines, telling stories, and being himself in a place that holds a great deal of nostalgia for him.

“It was right here, right at this table,” he answered when asked how he first met Gaylon Lawrence. “He came in, and we started with one bottle of wine and maybe ended up with six. We hit it off right away.” He smiled wistfully. “Right here. That’s how it all began.”

A familiar place indeed.