WineInk: Cycle and wine with The Little Nell

People in Aspen are passionate about many things, but high on the list for some is a love of cycling and a love of wine. Each year, The Little Nell hotel pairs those two passions in special Ride + Dine events.

This week at The Catto Center at Toklat, 12 miles up the Castle Creek Valley, 30 or so cyclists braved the rain and smoke for an evening of fine wines and a sumptuous dinner following their e-bike powered peddle from the Gondola Plaza.

It was the first of three Little Nell Ride + Dine events that will take place this summer in partnership with Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) and The Catto Center at Toklat. The riders, a collection of Aspen locals and hotel guests, were treated to a selection of wines curated by the Nell’s wine director Chris Dunaway, which featured, appropriately, wines from the regions of France that are hosting stages of this year’s Tour de France. They also enjoyed a three-course menu prepared by the hotel’s executive sous-chef Cesar Gonzalez and his stellar team.

Chris poured wines from Burgundy, the Jura, and the Rhône. As is always the case with a Dunaway tasting, the wines he selected were as thoughtful as they were delicious. An aligoté from Domaine de Villaine, grown in the commune of Bouzeron in the Côte Chalonnaise, was a wine that only an insider might suggest. A top producer, this wine is hand-picked and hand-sorted and made with the same devotion given to the most prestigious white wines in Burgundy. A Clos Maïa Grenache Field Blend Terrasses du Larzac Languedoc, France 2015 served with the main course was earthy and wild and a ringer for a quality Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Again, an unexpected treat. All of the wines poured are on the Nell’s extensive wine list.

There was much to celebrate during the evening at the ACES-owned and -operated Catto Center at Toklat, which reopened this past December following a three-year restoration project designed by Michael Fuller Architects. This is the 75th anniversary of the year that Stuart and Isabel Mace first launched the facility and moved their family into the historic mountain lodge. It was also Christy Mahon’s (ACES vice president of development and mountain athlete extraordinaire) birthday.

And the Nell’s wine team of Dunaway, Jesse Libby, Rachael Liggett-Draper, and Adam Darlington was honored this month for the third consecutive year by the “World of Fine Wine” magazine as the winner of Best Hotel Wine List for North America. They have taken the title of Best Hotel Wine List in the World for each of the last two years at the publication’s London finals and hope to do it once again this September.

For the uninitiated, the Ride + Dine Series events begin when a “peloton” of hungry riders gather below The Little Nell in the Lower Gondola Plaza at 3:30 p.m. the day of the ride for registration, introductions, and a safety talk. Everyone is encouraged to be “ready to ride” with their bike, helmet, and a bottle of water. Riders who need a bike can find rentals of e-bikes (which are highly recommended) at Four Mountain Sports or the Aspen Collection at the Gondola Plaza.

Riders commence the 12-mile uphill ride to the Catto Center at 4 p.m. The ride, which takes between one and a half to two hours to complete features a climb of 1,600 feet. Once the Tour de Castle Creek winds its way to its conclusion, riders are treated to a glass of sparkling wine and hors d’oeuvres. A tour of the renovated property is presented by ACES and dinner prepared by The Little Nell’s culinary team featuring fresh ingredients from local and regional purveyors follows. And, of course, the paired wines. Following the dinner, at around 8:30 p.m., guests and their bikes are transported to Aspen where they will be dropped back at the Nell. Easy peasy.

There are two amazing Ride + Dine Events left on this year’s calendar, and both will be at The Catto Center at Toklat.

On Tuesday, July 29, Steve and Jill Matthiasson will bring wines from their eponymous family-owned and operated winery in the Napa Valley.

“Steve and Jill have had a massive impact on influencing and shaping the current generation of winemakers in the Napa Valley as they’ve helped evolve stylistic practices more towards elegance and restraint,” said Dunaway about the Matthiassons. “Additionally, they’re incredibly involved with helping to lead the community towards more sustainable vineyard practices including championing regenerative farming in Napa.”

Oh, and their son has worked as a naturalist at ACES.

Then, on Tuesday, Aug. 12, The Little Nell wine team will host an evening with Willette Wines, an importer and distributor of fine wines from France and Italy.

“Liz is an absolute force in the wine industry,” said Dunaway about Liz Willette, who manages the company in Boulder. “I had met Liz a number of years ago before she had launched her own distribution company and was completely floored by the level of knowledge and how much passion for wine she exuded. She actually lived in Burgundy for some time with Erin Chave, Jean Louis Chave’s wife. I’m so excited that Liz will be on the ride with us in August and she’s going to be pouring some of her best producers for the event.”

Fine wines and meals from The Little Nell are always a great culinary experience, but to be able to pair it with an epic ride and the legacy of Toklat provides a forever memory. 

For more information and booking, visit thelittlenell.com/experience/events-calendar#!/event/6b1a7f9e-628a-4210-bf2d-4d5724388bb4.