The extensive wine list is not to be missed, with 45 bottles coming from Germany—27 of them Rieslings, Seeger’s personal favorite. “German wines have always been an important part of any of my restaurants,” Seeger says, who sources the wines through longstanding relationships with winemakers and distributors. For those unsure of the particular styles listed, beverage director and sommelier, Ryan White, is on hand to guide guests seamlessly through Germany’s many wine regions, like Rheingau and Pfalz.
“This list contains several of the top German classics in white and red, and even sparkling,” says Robert Parker Wine Advocate reviewer Stephan Reinhardt. “There are prestigious names such as Dr. Loosen, JJ Prüm, Willi Schaefer, Emrich-Schönleber, Rebholz or von Buhl, but also great wines from the younger generation such as Keller, Wagner-Stempfel, Kühling-Gillot, Schäfer-Fröhlich or Rainer Schnaitmann. The really stunning thing is that most of the wines are available in vintages that have just received the best drinking window. If I were there tonight, I’d order the 1990 Riesling Berg Bildstock Spätlese Trocken and/or the 1994 Wallufer Walkenberg Kabinett Trocken from JB Becker in the Rheingau—his dry Rieslings age terrifically well. Any money I saved here would be invested in Fürst’s 2008 Centrafenberg or Schlossberg Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) Grosses Gewächs, whose freshness, finesse and elegance are unrivaled in Germany.”
All wines are poured in Zieher glasses, individually hand-blown and designed by Silvio Nitzsche. The glasses aerate from the center, providing maximum aroma and optimum development. Seeger imports them from Germany.
If German wines aren’t your thing, a vast selection of wines are available from other regions including Burgundy, the Loire Valley, Italy and California. (Though you’re in the house of Günter, so try a Riesling!)
In less than a year after opening, his impeccably hospitable staff, home-style decor and executed tasting menus earned him a Michelin star and two stars from the New York Times. So what lies in store for Seeger’s future? “I’d like to buy some land in Baden-Baden… and have a vineyard in the Black Forest,” he says. Günter Seeger knows what he wants.