Wine Life - Houston

I was delighted to be invited to sit down with a small group for lunch with Michael Trujillo, the head winemaker for Sequoia Grove in Napa Valley, at Tony Mandola's  on Waugh Drive in Houston last week. An array of seafood appetizers was brought to the table to taste with the 2010 Sequoia Grove Chardonnay. Michael talked about his goal of creating wines that are not only well balanced but that also showcase the true character of the grapes and where they came from. I really enjoyed the Chardonnay, it was clean and crisp with aromas of apple and lemon tart. It was dry, with medium body, alcohol and acidity with flavors matching the aromas and a slightly toasty medium+ length. Highly recommended and available at Spec's for approximately $25. It was fantastic with the Oysters Damien, crab balls and fried calamari. I tasted the 2009 Sequoia Grove Napa Valley Cabernet with the seafood cannelloni from the lunch menu. This was a fruit forward Cabernet with aromas an...

As originally seen in Galveston Monthly in the February 2013 edition on page 33-34  

Gambero Rosso wrapped up its Houston event with a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano tasting and seminar. As I had already attended a Brunello tasting and met with a Chianti producer the week before, I was pretty excited to round out my top three wines from Tuscany tastings for the month. The noble wine from Montepulciano is based on the Sangiovese clone known as Prugnolo Gentile. It may be blended with Canaiolo, Mammolo or other international grapes. It is aged for a minimum of two years. The wines in the tasting: Tenuta di Gracciano della Seta Vino Nobile di Montelpulciano (90% Prugnolo Gentile and 10% Merlot) 1988 Clear, deep garnet with an orange rim. Low intensity, dried fruit, cherry and plum with dried leaves on the nose. Dry, medium body, acidity and alcohol, throwing sediment, losing oomph. Low intensity flavor. 2009 Clear, deep ruby color. Light aromas of fresh ripe cherry and plum with a hint of vegetal/green. Dry, medium+ body, acidity, alcohol and grippy tannins wit...

Gambero Rosso came to Houston to present their two part " Italian Wine Tales " tastings starting with a seminar on the Prosecco Superiore wines from Italy's Conegliano Valdobbiadene region. As a lover of bubbly wines, I was looking forward to this event. Prosecco wine is made primarily from the grape variety Glera using a minimum of 85%. It may be blended with up to 15% of Verdiso, Bianchetta, Perera, Pinot or Chardonnay. While basic Prosecco DOC wine can come from a much larger area in the Veneto and Fruili regions with an area that includes 600 municipalities, the higher quality Prosecco Superiore wines from the Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG come from fifteen municipalities in a much smaller delineated area set between the two named towns on limestone hillsides. The wines which are produced here have adhered to higher standards in both the vineyard and the winery than the more basic DOC wines. The wines may be vintage dated...

The Tasting Room at City Centre hosted a meet and greet with John Matta of Castello Vicchiomaggio last Wednesday evening. I had the opportunity to sit across from the IWSC Italian winemaker of the year of 1997, 2002, 2005 and 2010 and and his son Sebastian and taste through their wines before the event. John's philosophy is to make fresh, fruit driven wines with limited oak influence in a classic style. 2010 Ripa delle Mandorle Bianco - Toscana approximately $22. This wine is 85% Trebbiano and 15% Chardonnay. Crisp, fruity, a great patio option. San Jacopo Chianti Classico approximately $28. Easy drinking, traditional blend of grapes (90% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo, 5% Colorino), red fruit flavors with just a bit of oak in the background. 2008 Riserva Petri Chianti Classico Riserva approximately $54. A blend of 90% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo, 5% Cabernet. Rich, chocolate cherry with some vanilla. 2008 Riserva la Prima Chianti Classico Riserva approximately $63. My favo...

It is a great time to be an Italian wine lover in Houston. The Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino previewed some of the wines of the four-star rated 2008 vintage at the Wynden last week. The event called Benveneto Brunello USA is two exclusive tastings held every year in America, this year in Houston and New York. Wine professionals from all over Texas came to to the tasting to be the first in America to taste these wines. I felt fortunate to also be treated to a seminar and Brunello tasting with Kevin Zraly, author of Windows on the World Complete Wine Course. I plan on writing more about that later. I thoroughly enjoyed every wine that I tasted. The 2008 Brunellos were intense and complex yet elegant. Most were very approachable and ready to drink now though they can certainly be held. I really enjoyed all the Rosso di Montalcinos that I tasted as well, these were from both the 2010 and the 2011 vintage. There were also many Mo...