STARR Restaurants, a diverse restaurant group, has unveiled its first private-label wine—a 2022 vintage Pinot Noir blend.
Collaboratively crafted by STARR’s corporate wine director, Mikayla Avedisian-Cohen, and the biodynamic Brooks Wine, the latest vintage wine under the new label is both produced and bottled in Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA.
The Pinot Noir blend from the 2022 vintage is exclusively offered at STARR’s restaurants located in New York, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale.
The process began in 2022 when Mikayla and STARR project manager Sarah Starr visited the vineyard of Brooks Wine. There, they blended and blind-tasted a range of vintages to find the ideal match for each of STARR’s range of cuisines.
This led to the development of a light-bodied Pinot Noir with a fruit-forward profile, featuring savory finish notes reminiscent of fresh cherry, red raspberry jam, and wild strawberry.
Jarreau said, “When Sarah and Mikayla joined me at the table here in Oregon, they brought their own honed palates and vast hospitality experience.
“Working together, we were able to craft a Pinot Noir of remarkable vibrancy that is both a pure expression of the 2022 growing season in the Willamette Valley and incredibly well-suited to the diversity of cuisines the STARR group offers.”
STARR will provide the Pinot Noir wine by the glass and/or bottle, depending on the location of the restaurant.
Avedisian-Cohen said, “Working alongside Claire and her team at Brooks, and honing in on every layer, was beyond impactful. It was like I was given the keys to the castle and told to ‘rearrange the furniture however you think is best.’
“With both of us bringing our different palates, Sarah and I had so much fun collaborating to create a wine for all of the STARR restaurants, and we’re pretty damn proud of the result! It’s an excellent vintage with beautiful fruit that we can’t wait to share with our guests.”
