Wine Life - Houston

A visit to Sterling Vineyards was a recommendation from a marketing acquaintance. In addition to seeking new material for various articles, this trip was also a fact finding mission for a trip with a group of consumers being planned for this spring. Sterling Vineyards is a larger operation making numerous styles of wine. They are set up to move large groups of people through the winery with a bit of a Wine 101 self-guided tasting tour. There is the sense of being at an amusement park when you arrive and get your ticket for the gondola ride up to the  winery. You get to enjoy expansive views of the surrounding area during your ride to the top. Guests are greeted and tagged in the portico after their ascension. We were treated to the "Silver Experience" which means that after the self guided walking tour, we would enjoy a seated tasting of some limited releases in the terrace tasting room. We received our first glass of wine and were directed to the next tasting area. Al...

For our final day in Napa Valley, we headed up to Calistoga for a 9:30AM tasting at Chateau Montelena . Kevin Jordan, our tasting room host, had a question for us, "Have you seen the movie?" ( Bottleshock) . Of course, we've seen the movie. The next question, "Do you know how much was fiction?" "I think I do," I replied, "I read the book, too," ( Judgment of Paris -by George M. Taber). I could tell this earned me a bit more respect in Kevin's eyes, he spends a lot of his time during tastings explaining the fictionalized moments in the movie's rendition of the story.  We would start our discussion closer to the present time. Then, from my husband, "That wasn't all true?" I gave him the big eye roll while poor Kevin had to politely return to his usual routine. Many people that visit Chateau Montelena, like my husband, have seen the movie and believe they "know" the story of Bo and Jim Barrett, they are ...

A visit to  Matthiasson Wines  was high on my list when I created my schedule for my harvest trip to Napa this year. I had discovered their Ribolla Gialla last spring and I was so struck by what a different wine it was for Napa Valley that I was curious to go and see what was happening there.  Steve Matthiasson was off-site overseeing the impending harvest for one of the wineries for which he consults, a peril of visiting wine country during this time of year. His wife, Jill Klein Matthiasson, graciously received my husband and I at the family's homestead where she gave us a taste of the current releases out back at a picnic table overlooking the vineyards while she shared some of their story with us. They started making wine together when they were in grad school at UC Davis. They got their grapes from the student vineyards. Both she and Steve had a background in agriculture and both had been promoting sustainability. Jill was involved in the local food movement an...

Day 2's second stop was at  Franciscan Estate . This is a larger winery with a rather busy tasting room. My media tasting here was like a typical walk-in experience at the bar with a choice from their current releases of Napa Valley wines, their limited editions and their exclusives from Mt Veeder Winery, offered daily at $15 to $25 per person. Make advance reservations for tasting experiences like a 3 course lunch with wine pairings or a "create your own blend" class. Wines have been produced by Franciscan Estate since 1973. Though a larger operation, winemaker Janet Myers and team focus on small lot production through regular evaluations and paying close attention to detail. Sustainability is important; they are certified Napa Green, California Sustainable and Fish Friendly and they continue to look for ways to improve and minimize environmental impact.  I was able to sample several different wines here.  A few favorites in the extensive line up were: 2...

I had been looking forward to touring Corison Winery since I took a  Napa Valley wine class from Matt Stamp, Master Sommelier . He brought in a fantastic array of wines for the tasting but the 2008 Corison "Kronos Vineyard" is the one wine that stood out for me. I made a mental note on it then and I remember thinking that I would visit soon; 2 1/2 years later, I finally made it out here. Day 2 started at Corison Winery where I briefly got to meet Cathy Corison before she was called back to the front line to start the new vintage. It was great fun to see her step into action at every level while inhaling the aromas of the newly fermenting wine filling the air. You could see the care she takes from the very first steps of the winemaking process. Sales manager, Justin Boudrie toured us through the  gnarly old grapevines in the Kronos  Vineyard . The  old vine Cabernet Sauvignon is  s ustainably farmed  on  gravelly loam soils. The vineyard is ...

ZD was our fourth and last tasting on our first full day in Napa Valley. I've been a longtime fan of ZD Wines and their commitment to the environment but this was my first time to visit. I was excited for my media tour and tasting and I was particularly interested to learn more about their organic and green efforts. The Tasting: 2014 ZD California Chardonnay (SRP $40)- A blend of Chardonnay grapes from long-term grower partners in Carneros, Monterey and Santa Barbara Counties; rich, full-bodied, very tropical, round, good acidity. 2013 ZD Carneros Pinot Noir (SRP $50)- Ripe red cherry/berry and clove. 2013 ZD Founder's Reserve Pinot Noir (SRP $75)- Plum, black cherry, herbal, cedar. 2012 ZD Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (SRP $150)- Half the fruit comes from ZD's organic Rutherford vineyard and the rest is blended from other premium properties; intense, ripe blackberry character, chocolate, full body, dusty tannins. ZD continues to celebrate 45 years o...

Mumm Napa was a must-do for my Napa Harvest 2015 trip. I have recommended their wines several times in various articles but I did not know much about their operation besides their affiliation with G.H. Mumm Champagne.  The first thing that I learned was how little land they own. They, like most of the Champagne houses in France, source the majority of their grapes from local growers. Practicing sustainability on their estate vineyard and purchasing from growers that have the same ideals has earned them Napa Green certification. The next thing that I learned was how many different styles of sparkling wine they produce. Mumm Napa is very available in the Houston market yet I don't think I realized how many style options were out there. Miguel was on hand to educate us on all things Mumm Napa and bring us any wine from the list that caught our fancy. Aside from being very informed, he is very entertaining, he had us laughing before we had even tasted the first wine. Upo...

One of the highlights during a recent trip to Napa Valley was my media tour and tasting at Opus One . After my immersion into Robert Mondavi during my April 2015 visit, I was eager to learn more of his story for an upcoming magazine feature I am writing. The continuation of the story, of course, involves his project with Baron Philippe de Rothschild . The visual impact of arriving at Opus One is not to be understated. Beautiful rows of vines invite you up to a complex that is clean, modern and classic all at once. Upon entering, you have the sense of being in a museum, an art gallery or a very gracious home. My tour started in the salon where Christopher Barefoot, VP of Public Relations, told the famous story of how the partnership was formed and he continued with the history of the winery through the present day. We viewed several works of art that were selected for the winery by Margrit Mondavi and Baroness Philippine de Rothschild. From there we headed down to see more of t...

Wineries with stories immersed in an area's wine producing history are always interesting to tour. I was excited to include Beaulieu Vineyards on my recent visit to Napa Valley.  I was most familiar with the point in time that André Tchelistcheff is brought in as winemaker. I enjoyed learning more about the very beginning of the story from Curtis Graham, my wine educator for the tasting.  Georges de Latour's wife, Fernande, named the land "beau lieu," or "beautiful place”. The area was originally a four-acre ranch but Georges de Latour had dreams of making wines that would rival those made in his homeland of France.  De Latour began selling wine to the Catholic Church, a strategic move that allowed Beaulieu Vineyard to remain in business during Prohibition. By the late thirties, he would bring in André Tchelistcheff, who would then go on to influence so many others in Napa Valley with his style of winemaking. The wines would become the benchmark for Rutherfo...

As originally seen in Galveston Monthly - September 2015