The Champagne house of Nicholas Feuillatte has a long-standing, enviable reputation in Durham as one of the finest wineries that has always kept affordability in mind through fat times and lean. Their 2004 Blanc De Blancs carries on this tradition. It's a superbly complex wine at 1/3 the price of some competitors similar efforts. Five years aging on its yeasty sediment preceded the final bottling.

 

2004 Nicolas Feuillatte Blanc de Blancs Chardonnay Millesime $46 srp (It's the green bottle in the photo at left)

Exquisite, ultra-fine mousse on a lithe nose of green apple, lime, pineapple, ginger and toast. All the while, there's a wonderful underlying minerality that permeates it all. Expressive mouth texture with spice and chalk enhancing the pinpoint ripe fruit. A concentrated, creamy finish underscored by mouth-watering acidity. Should flesh out even further with bottle age. Delicious now-2014.
91/probable 93/100 points

The Junior League of Durham and Orange Counties is urging anyone in our community who is able to donate a box or two of diapers today and tomorrow to help low-income mothers and their children.

Drop off unopened packages of diapers in any size to the Welcome Baby facility at 721 Foster St. by 5pm tomorrow, Sept. 2.

The drive is in conjunction with Huggies' Every Little Bottom program, which aims not only to make free diapers available to needy families but also to raise awareness of the many thousands of moms who have to cut back on other necessities like food and utilities to be able to afford diapers, which are not covered by government assistance programs.

The JLDOC has a long-standing relationship with Welcome Baby, the division of Durham County Cooperative Extension that offers education and support to more than 3,000 young families throughout Durham. The Junior League gave a seed grant of $50,000 to Welcome Baby when it started 20 years ago, and their relationship has remained strong since.

The JLDOC is planning at least two more diaper drives throughout the year, so be sure to check with us or on their site for updates.

It's starting to feel a bit like fall might just be around the corner. While still just a bit warm for my taste, you can actually walk around our downtown digs more than a few blocks without breaking a sweat.

All that is to say, why not do a little outdoor shopping today and/or tomorrow right here in downtown Durham?

Fifi's Fine Resale Apparel and Uniquities are teaming up for a sidewalk sale in their adjacent stores at 1000 W. Main Street.

Fifi's owner Lauren Calderazzo told us she's taking up to 75% off on summer dresses, shorts, capris, handbags, sandals and more.

So stop by both these two cool downtown Durham stores, two of the businesses really turning that Main Street corridor in and around Brightleaf Square into the heart of the downtown retail district.

I'm pleased to formally introduce you, dear reader, to our new senior editor, Eleanor-Scott Best. She joined us earlier this summer, replacing departing senior editor Lisa Rossi.

A native of Goldsboro, Eleanor-Scott has an English degree from Wake Forest and an MFA in Creative Writing from Queens University in Charlotte. Eleanor-Scott joins us from Charlotte's skirt! Magazine, where she served as editor.

As Lisa did, Eleanor-Scott will be dividing her time between here and our sister magazine in Chapel Hill. She's eager to delve into both communities, so drop her a note at best@durhammag.com if you've got a story idea or just want to introduce yourself or your organization.

Eleanor-Scott took the time to answer a few get-to-know-you questions.

MD: What's most exciting about this new opportunity at Durham Magazine?

E-SB: What excites me most about my new job is getting the chance to learn this new city through writing about it. Working on the Foodie Issue made me want explore Durham one restaurant at a time.

MD: What are your initial impressions of Durham?

E-SB: I've always thought Durham was a pretty cool place. My fiance is a huge Durham Bulls fan so, most of my previous experiences in the city have been spent at baseball games. My initial impression of Durham is that it is a lot bigger and has a lot more to offer than originally thought. I look forward to exploring Durham beyond DBAP (even though I'm sure we'll be there quite often).

MD: What do you do in your spare time?

E-SB: I love to cook, spend time with my nieces and nephews, and tailgate during football season.

MD: Who are your favorite authors?

E-SB: Always on my nightstand: Mary Karr, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Joyce Maynard, Sylvia Plath and Ernest Hemingway.

Fresh seafood + squid ink pasta + lobster cognac cream sauce = yum.We told you earlier this week about the new Italian restaurant opening in the West Village space that until recently was home to Tosca.

My wife and I had the chance to check it out Wednesday night. I have to say, in all honesty, 604 West Morgan Italian Eatery exceeded our expectations.

General Manager Clarissa Kussin told me she's going to need a personal trainer to burn off the irresistible dishes Chef Rob Sumber is preparing. We didn't doubt her, but we did expect maybe a hiccup or two for a restaurant just getting started.

Well, there weren't any. The service was attentive, the ambience lovely (though there still are a few traces of Tosca in the decor) and the food ... well, it was perfect.

We started with Goat Cheese Polenta cake served over a very fresh and flavorful wild mushroom ragout with truffle oil. The polenta cake was crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, with just a hint of pungency from the goat cheese. Very nice.

My wife went with the Wild Striped Bass (at right), a healthy portion, pan seared and served with roasted fennel, red bliss potatoes and chickpeas in a lobster broth. Fish was firm but flaked beautifully, and that lobster broth was as good as it sounds.

I chose the scallops, crabmeat, lobster, shrimp and mussels served over homemade squid ink pasta in a lobster cognac cream sauce. (See above.) It was the winner of the evening, as evidenced by my wife's fork finding its way more than a half a dozen times onto my dish. Seafood was very fresh - not to mention generously portioned – the pasta was perfectly al dente and that sauce. Wow. I want to put that stuff on my cereal.

We finished it off with their homemade tiramisu, which I must have been too full to remember to photograph. I've never been a huge fan of that Italian dessert staple, usually finding it a bit dry and kind of bland. Not this version. The coffee liqueur flavor shined through, balancing the sweet creaminess nicely.

All in all, that was a really strong showing for any restaurant, let alone one just getting off the ground. Go check it out for yourself, and let me know if you agree with my assessment.

Masi is a benchmark wine estate in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Best known for their variations on a Valpolicella theme, Masi's recent 2006 releases are stunning in their balance, ripeness and typicity. I'll be writing about their classic Amarone in the fall. For now, here is their junior version – a wine that started the trend of refermenting the wine on the skins of partially dried grapes, called  "appassimento." (Sometimes referred to as ripasso). This is the 36th bottling of this special wine and among the best I've tried.

2006 Campofiorin, Masi $19 srp
Crushed, dried sweet cherry and cranberry impressions, all within a coating of unsweetened dark chocolate. With hints of leather and licorice, it's intense and brilliant. Medium-bodied, dry mouth feel – fullness without weight, sumptuous but not stodgy – unlike many  heavy-handed competitors using the second fermentation, "appassimento", process. Campofiorin stresses elegance first and foremost. Extremely food friendly and versatile. Drink now-2014.
91/100 points