New York winemaker content to keep his hand in a variety of things: 'That's the beauty of being small'
The Nathan K Chardonnay was one of the wines poured at the regional wine and cider tasting in downtown Philadelphia last month.
One of the New York wineries featured in the Mid-Atlantic Wine & Cider Tasting at The Mulberry in Philadelphia last month was a Nathan K Chardonnay.
It’s one of more than a half-dozen that Nathan Kendall makes under his label, and it was one of several wines that Steve Wildy, of Cloche Wines, poured that day for those walking around the upscale Center City pub that served as host of this event for the first time.
Also being sampled that day was a sparkling from chëpìka wines, and it was one of my favorites of the afternoon. It’s one of a handful of wines that have come out of a collaboration of winemaker Nathan Kendall and Pascaline Lepeltier, beginning with the 2016 vintage. Per the website, the chëpìka sparkling wines are crafted in the ancestral method, relying exclusively on natural yeasts without anything added. Since 2018, Kendall and Lepeltier also make a still version of the Catawba, also with no additives. The Delaware and Catawba grapes are grown organically in a certified vineyard near Keuka Lake.
The goal of the project, according to the website, is to work diligently and respectfully with the land, using the native varieties to recreate the traditional wines of the Finger Lakes, and to produce a delicious, affordable, local wine made from the natural and historical resources of the region.
Few endeavors on the East Coast are as unique as this one.
Wildy was one of Food & Wine’s 2015 “Sommeliers of the Year” and nominated by the James Beard Foundation as a semi-finalist in the category of “Outstanding Wine, Beer, or Spirits Professional” in the same year. He spent years working for restaurateur Marc Vetri, moving from general manager at one of the restaurants to beverage director and then to director of operations. Wildy oversaw the integration of all platforms and standards throughout the company’s acquisition by Urban Outfitters, Inc, where he stayed on through 2020 and oversaw numerous new store openings across five states.
He and another former restaurant sommelier founded Mad Wild Wine after Wildy left Vetri. The company focuses on connecting people to wine, stemming from experience in the hospitality and beverage industry. Per Instagram, Cloche Wine Co. is a Philly-based import and distribution co. founded by ex-fine dining somms.
Wildy also poured a 2024 Gewurztraminer from Barbichette Wines in the Finger Lakes, and a 2021 Rosso Fresco from Channing Daughters, one of Long Island’s top producers.
Kendall said during a phone conversation on Sunday that while adding more distribution spots in a market such as Philly is always welcome, the bigger priority is working with “like-minded individuals” like Wildy.
“I don’t want to work with the biggest wholesalers in the world,” he said, adding, “I’d rather work with somebody where it’s like, I know them personally. We have a good working relationship. I can pick up the phone and know who I’m going to talk to.”
Kendall’s lineup ranges from the Chardonnay he sent to the tasting to a dry Reisling and a solera method Riesling (a process for aging liquids, such as wine, beer, vinegar and brandy, by fractional blending, so that the finished product is a mixture of ages), a Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Franc Primeur (more fruit forward) and a brut.
“That’s really it,” he responded to a question if any new wines were in the works. “I added a Pinot Blanc a couple years ago, which I’m having fun with. I tend to mix things up. So this last year, I didn’t make any … ‘25 was a strange year, a great year. But, you know, we had really high sugar and ripeness, like a warm vintage, but we also had some real brisk acid, like a cool vintage. So the sparkling base kind of felt like smashing the round peg through a square hole. So I did another Vin Claire Rose, which has been a really fun project. So this is my second year doing that, and this year I blended in Pinot Blanc for the first time. So that was a lot of fun.
“The Cab Franc Primeur … this year, I kind of got inspired by Côte-Rôtie and co-fermented 2 percent Riesling in the Cabernet Franc, which has been a lot of fun. That’s just starting to trickle out in wholesale. Always tinkering.”
On average, he said he makes upwards of 2,000 cases annually, with a majority of it available in the mid-Atlantic. One sure place to find it is at his parents’ winery: Hickory Hollow Wine Cellars, 5289 State Route 14, Dundee.
He’s happy to keep the production at that level, he said, amid other endeavors.
“I really like what I do. Once it starts feeling like a full-time job, I don’t want to do it,” he said. “That’s the beauty of being small. It’s like, if I don’t feel like doing wine making, I can go play in the vineyard. If I don’t feel like playing in the vineyard, I’m probably behind on, you know, paperwork and compliance, and then I work in the tasting room. I’m regular down there, so the advantage of being small is I don’t really get bored, because if I get bored, I can just move on to another task.”