Michael Martini at Spec's Downtown

     A couple of friends from one of my wine classes suggested we attend a Louis M. Martini tasting at the downtown Spec's last week. Winemaker Michael Martini was there to present five of his wines and regale us with stories about growing up in one of California's well known wine making families.
     We started with the 2009 Sonoma County Cabernet priced at approximately $12. Simple, black fruit with soft tannins.
     Next, we compared the 2009 Alexander Valley Cabernet and the 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet which Mike called his "every night at home drink". He explained that the 2009 growing season had been cooler than normal resulting in higher acids than usual. The Alexander Valley Cabernet had a pronounced blueberry character while the Napa had more of a black cherry quality. They are priced around $25.
     The 2008 Monte Rosso Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon at $65 followed. The Monte Rosso Vineyard is located on the southwest side of the Mayacamas mountain range in Sonoma Valley. I have this marked as my favorite but I did not make a note as to the why so I guess that is a 'lost thought'. We ended the tasting with the 2008 Napa Valley Lot 1 Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a limited bottling (450 cases this year) and it is priced at approximately $120 and it delivers all that you expect when you think of Napa Valley Cabernet.

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Lust Zinfandel 2007

My husband loves this wine so he purchased quite a few bottles at a recent Michael~David dinner that we had attended. Last night, I decided to open a bottle to serve with dinner. I was making a roasted southwestern pork tenderloin, sweet potato fries (w/ chipolte ketchup) and a salad consisting of baby lettuce (fresh from my garden) with strawberries, red bell peppers, red onions and walnuts tossed with a white balsamic-raspberry vinaigrette. This turned out to be a great pairing. It is a bold wine that really stood up to the strong chipolte seasoning while complementing the fruit flavors. I opened the bottle a 1/2 hour before I served it as I have found this wine to be more enjoyable when I do so. The Lust Zinfandel by Michael~David 2007 was a dark purple color with a ruby rim. It has intense aromas of very ripe mixed berries and baking spices-both allspice and ginger with hints of cedar. It has flavors of creme de cassis, milk chocolate and also more of the baking

Nocera - A Native Grape from Sicily

Nocera is a native grape from Sicily. It comes from the Messina province which is located in the northeast. Nocera is a quality red wine grape that is most known as a blender in the red wines of the Faro DOC. I had the opportunity to taste some pure versions (which according to Wine Searcher are rare) this week at a trade tasting held at Roma Restaurant in Houston. Wine production in the region dates back to the 14th Century BC, however, phylloxera decimated the vineyard area in 1881 leaving it at a fraction of its original size. The area boasts a Mediterranean climate with sunny days and coastal breezes, moderate rainfall, and mild winters, all ideal for grape growing. The Nocera grape is a bluish/black color and has a thick skin which allows for the production of structured wines with prominent tannins which are balanced by good acidity. High alcohol is common. Red wines produced from the grapes are an intense ruby color with purple highlights and aromas and flavors of dark fruits a

The Salta Tour 2012

Vine Connections and Pioneer Wine Company hosted a seminar and tasting event for Houston's wine trade and media at Backstreet Cafe yesterday. All but two of the wines were from the Salta Province of Argentina. Salta is the most northern wine region in Argentina lying close to the Bolivian border. The climate is very extreme due to the high altitude. Plantings start at 5,000 feet above sea level and climb to 9,000 feet, making these vineyards the highest in the world. The intense sunlight the area receives helps to create grapes with more anthocyanins, these are the color pigments which result in softer tannins, lower astringency and more intense flavor. The wines produced are extremely pure, concentrated and terroir specific. Torrontes Riojano which is considered the best of the three Torrontes clones is the most widely planted grape with plantings of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Tannat increasing. The seminar started with a tasting of four Torrontes wines, three from diff

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