Welcome to Empire Estate.

Grace and perfection are two of the many ingredients necessary to operating ‘the world’s best restaurant’. So too is a relentless focus on surprising and delighting guests with thoughtful touches that are uniquely of the moment and celebrate a sense of place.

Empire Estate was born out of this desire… it was originally crafted by the previous team at Eleven Madison Park and NoMad… and it reflected their sommeliers’ ambitions to highlight and share the winemaking potential of New York State through their unique lens.

Not only did they want to introduce their guests to the many exceptional producers already crafting beautiful wines, but they wanted to create a house style that exemplified their passion for Riesling and their love for the Finger Lakes.

Every detail had to be carefully considered. Even the logo, inspired by the art deco building at 11 Madison Ave, was designed by the late Milton Glaser – known for his playful style and iconic ‘I LOVE NY’ logo.

The first vintage [2014] was under a thousand cases, but allowed them to see what happens when you select grapes from different vineyards around Seneca lake, with different sun exposures, and vastly different soil types. Over the years they experimented more, carefully growing their production and – thanks to notable reviews and warm industry reception – introducing an occasional reserve expression and most recently a ‘Blanc de Blanc’ brut non-vintage 100% Riesling sparkling wine.

In a recent NY Times article [7/21/2022], Eric Asimov included it as one of this summer’s 20 great values. Click here for the link.

Don’t let the Blanc de Blancs fool you, this is 100 percent riesling. Blanc de blancs simply means a white made from white grapes. Generally, though, it’s used in the context of Champagne, where 99.9 percent of the time it means all chardonnay. It also connotes a wine made in the Champagne style, in which a second, bubbles-inducing fermentation takes place in the bottle. This wine is made in a less expensive, less labor-intense fashion, with the second fermentation taking place in tanks. No matter: It’s brisk, elegant, savory and refreshing.

Empire Estate co-founder and friend Thomas Pastuszak is a Cornell grad who fell in love with an Ithaca gal and continues to evangelize the Finger Lakes and its producers throughout the country. He will join me on the zoom as we discuss the region, their approach, and future ambitions.

— Cheers, RP