Clay
Hudson Valley's Best Kept Wine Secret
Gardiner · Gardiner · American
Reviewed April 8, 2026
Wingman Metrics
First Impression
You're in a farmhouse in Gardiner, New York — population not many — and the wine list opens to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Giacomo Conterno Barolo. That's the whole bit right there. Clay earns its Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence not by playing it safe, but by betting big on a list that would make sense in a Manhattan dining room and somehow landed in the Hudson Valley.
Selection Deep Dive
The list runs 200-350 deep and threads a needle you don't often see: serious Old World anchors (Château Pichon Baron, Domaine Tempier Bandol, Leroy Bourgogne) sharing real estate with thoughtful New York representation from Red Tail Ridge and Hermann J. Wiemer in the Finger Lakes and Channing Daughters out on Long Island. California doesn't get the generic treatment either — Bedrock Wine Co. and Scribe alongside Matthiasson Napa Valley signals that someone actually thought about this. The region focus maps cleanly to the WS citation — New York, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhône, Italy, France, California — and none of those categories feel like an afterthought.
By the Glass
Twelve to twenty pours by the glass is a serious commitment for a restaurant this size, and sommelier Carlos Salazar keeps it from feeling like a random grab bag. Expect rotations that reflect the full list — meaning there's a real chance you get something from a Finger Lakes producer next to a Rhône or Burgundy village wine. That's a rare thing to find outside a dedicated wine bar.
Hermann J. Wiemer (Finger Lakes) — $45-$55
Wiemer is one of the most serious Riesling producers in the entire country and still flies under the radar for most diners. At the lower end of Clay's bottle range, you're getting a wine that punches well above its price point and matches perfectly with the farm-driven menu.
Channing Daughters (Long Island)
Most people skip Long Island on a list this deep because they're distracted by the Burgundy and Barolo. Don't. Channing Daughters is one of the most adventurous producers in the state, working with obscure Italian varieties and orange wines that nobody else in New York is touching — it's the list's sleeper pick.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
DRC on any list is going to carry serious hospitality markup on top of an already stratospheric secondary market price. Unless you're celebrating something that genuinely warrants it, there are far better value plays throughout this list. Save DRC for a wine shop.
Domaine Tempier Bandol + Hanger Steak
Tempier's Bandol is built around Mourvèdre — a grape that's dense, savory, and earthy in a way that doesn't overwhelm, it complements. Against a hanger steak cooked with any kind of herb or smoke, it's one of the more instinctive pairings on the menu.
🎲 The Bottom Line
Clay is what happens when a serious wine person gets a blank canvas in the middle of nowhere and runs with it — the Hudson Valley setting undersells a list that would turn heads in any city. Yes, send a friend here for wine, and tell them to book a table.
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