Château Clarke’s “Le Merle Blanc” Bordeaux White Wine

A delicacy from one of a handful of estates to produce white varietals in the Médoc

The word Bordeaux tickles sense memory, conjuring the deep colors and lavish aromas of medium- and full-bodied red wines with tannic gravitas. Château Clarke, which sits on roughly 150 hectares in Bordeaux’s Listrac-Médoc appellation, produces such wines—and yet their white, Le Merle Blanc, represents something of greater rarity. Few estates in the Médoc nurture white wine varietals; even fewer offer a white wine as elegant …

From Yamazaki to Hakushu: Exploring Suntory’s Single Malt Distilleries

Witnessing the nature that envelops the birthplaces of Japanese's prestigious whiskies

Trekking the Kentucky Bourbon Trail or carving along the Highlands of Scotland on a scotch whisky tour, expert and novice travelers observe that distilleries differentiate themselves through water, wood and their particular method in bringing it all together. Thousands of miles from those well-traveled routes, and separated by a four-and-a-half hour drive through the Japanese countryside, Suntory‘s Hakushu and Yamazaki distilleries do much the same. …

Echo Park’s New Sake Bar, Ototo

A minimal but warm space that aims to make the Japanese tipple more approachable

Ototo is a venture for chef Charles Namba and sommelier Courtney Kaplan (of Tsubaki next door) to share their joint passion for sake and food. While Namba helms the kitchen, Kaplan is sharing her extensive knowledge of sake—telling vivid stories of breweries throughout Japan—and recommending sakes to bar-goers, who range from rookies to experts. The food and sake at Ototo (and the pairings that occur) may …