Wine Life - Houston

Chateau Talbot 2005  - This dry, velvety smooth, medium- body red was still youthful with fruity aromas and flavors of cherry and black currant along with tobacco and licorice notes in the rich, slightly spicy, lingering finish. Delicious right now though you can certainly continue to hold it. I bought this bottle a few years ago but it is still available in limited quantities at Spec's in Houston as well as on-line.  This Grand Cru Classe wine comes from the prestigious Saint-Julien commune of Bordeaux from an outstanding vintage. Consumed at a family dinner on 12/24/16 and thoroughly enjoyed by all.

As originally seen in the December issue of  Galveston Monthly magazine* *Incorrect photo for the Prosecco

Champagne Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve   is a dry, fuller bodied sparkling wine with sweet aromas of tropical fruit, cherries and brioche with a creamy texture and a light toasted almond note in the lingering finish. A recommended wine for $65. Champagne Charles Heidsieck Brut Réserve i s 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Meunier. This wine has been blended with 40% reserve wines with an average of ten years of age from the Charles Heidsieck cellar. Media sample for review purposes.

Ca' Del Bosco Cuvée Prestige Franciacorta Brut  is a dry sparkling wine with  sweet citrus aromas with baked pear and apricot and a lingering mineral note in the slightly savory finish. A recommended wine for approximately $35.  Ca' Del Bosco Cuvée Prestige Franciacorta Brut  is  made from 75% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Nero and 10% Pinot Blanc in Lombardy, a  small wine-producing area in northern Italy. The region is famous for its high-quality sparkling wines made in the same way as Champagne. 

As originally seen in the December issue of  Galveston Monthly  magazine

Master Sommelier Geoff Kruth hosted a GuildSomm Beaujolais Masterclass in Houston last month where he  discussed the wine region of Beaujolais, the crus and presented tastes of what he considers to be some of the best wines from the region. Beaujolais is located north of Lyon in eastern France. It is known for its granitic-based soils and fruity red wines made from the Gamay grape. It has ten crus that run from north to south. The Wines: Beaujolais-Villages Blanc, Dufaitre 2015 - The only white wine of the day, this dry Chardonnay-based wine had an interesting oxidized nuance with a slightly savory finish. Beaujolais Dupeuble 2015 - Kruth called this red "a good, straight basic Beaujolais" made in the classic style with some structure and typical fruity and floral aromas with a banana leaf nuance. Chiroubles Daniel Bouland 2015 - This red wine showed strawberry aromas and flavors and was a bit more tannic than is typical which Kruth said was vintage driven. ...

Wine production is believed to have begun in this region over 7,000 years ago. There are over 500 indigenous grape varieties in the country grown across ten major viticultural areas. The industry is dominated by small, artisanal winemakers. The wines: NIKI ANTADZE, Rkatsiteli 2014 - This dry, white wine is made from organic Rkatsiteli grapes fermented in qvevri with no skin contact. It is yeasty with a Belgian beer nuance; it has a creamy texture from lees contact and good acidity. NIKI ANTADZE, Rkatsiteli 2014 - This dry, white wine is made from organic Rkatsiteli grapes with some left in whole bunch clusters which were then fermented in qvevri with six months skin contact. This wine has a richer texture, it is more mouth-filling with aromas and flavors of dried fruits and walnuts with a light black tea note. OUR WINE, Tsarapi Rkatsiteli 2013 - This dry, white wine was made from biodynamically- farmed Rkatsiteli grapes fermented in qvevri for six month. This wine has a very ...

Mumm Napa Brut Rosé  is a sparkling wine from California made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes in the traditional method. It   has aromas of mixed berries with yeasty notes, fresh acidity and a clean finish. Recommended at approximately $18. I have found this  affordable pink sparkler   to be a guaranteed  crowd pleaser for many years. It makes an excellent party wine and will work with a wide array of menus. It's easy to find, always consistent and perfect for the holiday season.

As seen in the November issue of  Galveston Monthly magazine A recent trip to the Livermore Valley wine region in California inspired this month's feature.

Astoria Prosecco DOC Treviso*  has  light fruity aromas and flavors of peach and pear with a    touch of sweetness in the  fresh citrusy finish.  This traditionally made Extra Dry Prosecco comes from a four generation wine-making family. This wine is recommended and is a bargain at approximately $14. *Media Sample

Willi Klinger, Managing Director of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, was recently at Camarata at Paulie's to teach a seminar on the 7 Elements of Uniqueness in regards to Austrian wine. He said the wines of Austria are defined by an aromatic freshness combined with full physiological ripenesss. David Keck, M.S. was integral part of the discussion and shared his thoughts on the wines as well. The unique elements that help make Austria an exceptional producer of wine are:  1) The cool climate which helps to create the crisp, aromatic style. 2) The land which sits at the same latitude as Burgundy and has, in addition to the typical river valley and hillside growing areas, vineyards in the capital city of Vienna. They also boast a diverse range of soils to suit the array of grapes. 3) A signature grape, Grüner Veltliner, which has become a by-the-glass restaurant favorite. In addition to this, they have a number of other grapes, both indigenous and international, that can be m...

Tasting Notes from a Wines of Chile Masterclass taught by Fred Dexheimer, M.S in Houston on October 11, 2016. Viña Santa Carolina - Luis Pereira 2012 - Sourced from the Central Valley (Maipo, Colchagua and Maule), this wine is a blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec and 3% other grapes from ungrafted 70 year old vines from vineyards ranging from almost 500 to to over 2100 feet above sea level. Named after the man who founded the winery in 1875, this iconic Chilean wine has a surprisingly moderate 12.5% alcohol by volume. Classic cassis Cabernet aromas with cedar and violet with matching concentrated flavors through the long slightly spicy finish. SRP $130 Santa Rita - Casa Real 2010 - Sourced from a single vineyard Alto Jahuel in the Maipo Valley, this wine is 100% Cabernet sauvignon sourced from vineyards over 1700 feet. It also has classic cassis Cabernet aromas and flavors along with a minty note but with a grittier tannic structure and a fresher m...

Quintessa 2013 has concentrated, ripe, mixed cherry/berry aromas and flavors with a pencil box nuance and a subtle dark floral note. It is dry and full bodied with a long, lush, surprisingly smooth, slightly spicy finish.  Highly recommended. Quintessa 2013 is a red wine blend from the Rutherford AVA in Napa Valley, it is composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Carmenere. It was aged for 21 months in French oak barrels of which 85% were new. Tasted on October 5, 2016 in Houston with Larry Stone, MS.

Greece is the 17th largest wine producer in the world. Though they have a 5000 year wine making history, their modern winemaking story really begins in the late 1970's when new investment and a quest for higher quality is initiated. It is currently a very dynamic time in the Greek wine industry. The new generation of winemakers are highly educated and many have worked in multiple wine regions all over the world. They are bringing some of the most current thinking to some of the oldest and most remarkable wine terroir in the world. The country has over 300 unique indigenous grape varieties to create a wide variety of wines in an array of styles. There are now over 800 wineries in Greece and they export out about 15% of their production. Assyrtiko white wines from Santorini are some of the countries most important. The volcanic island soils create wines with an intense mineral or saline component. The grape is being planted in other more inland locations in Greece where it is...

As originally seen in the October 2016 issue of  Galveston Monthly A recent trip to Lodi this past August was the inspiration for this month's wine feature. 

Pour yourself a glass of some of Napa’s finest, then settle in to take a vicarious ride with one of the valley’s most perfect scoring couples. You will feel like you’ve joined them at their table as Kathryn and Craig Hall take turns telling their tale starting in Texas before they met on through the building of their California wine country empire.  A Perfect Score: The Art, Soul, and Business of a 21st-Century Winery is a story anyone can savor, it is one of two hard-working, determined people who come together first in love and, then together, dream a dream big enough for wine lovers everywhere to share with them.  Available today on Amazon  or at  Hall Wines .

As originally seen in the September issue of Galveston Monthly

I recently had the opportunity to taste The Lodi Native Project wines after an old vines tour of the area. In 2012, the Lodi Wine Grape Commission asked winemakers to make a more naked style of 100% Zinfandel wine from designated vineyard areas. These vintners were asked to create low intervention wines made with native yeasts, no new oak barrels, no fining or filtering and no adding acid or water to the wines. The goal was to give a true reflection of these special terroirs . Wegat Vineyard  sits on the west side of the Mokelumne River AVA. The vines were field grafted onto St Augustine rootstock in 1958. This wine is made by Chad Joseph of Maley Brothers . The vines here produce loose clusters with an intense fruit character. This wine had a fruity blueberry/blackberry flavor with an earthy touch of mushroom. Stampede Vineyard   is on the east side in the Clements Hills AVA. The vines are on their own rootstock in sandy loam soil and range from about 80-100 years...

The Livermore Valley AVA is situated in northern California’s Alameda County and has 3,400 vineyard acres. Terroir features include well-drained gravel-based soils and wide diurnal swings. These temperature shifts are created from both the early morning fog and the evening breezes that come in from San Francisco Bay which is located only 35 miles away. The valley is also distinctly oriented laying from west to east instead of the more typical north to south. This unique placement enables it to fully enjoy these daily maritime climatic advantages. The AVA gets its name from Charles Livermore who planted the first grapevines for commercial production in the area in the 1840's. Recognition for the region would follow when Cresta Blanca Winery, owned by Secretary of the California Viticulture Commision, Charles Wetmore, won the grand prize at the 1889 Paris Exposition. This wine was the first from California to win in a tasting competition in France. Long before the Judgment of ...

As Originally Seen in the August issue of Galveston Monthly magazine

One of the most important white wine grape varieties in Spain is Albariño. It makes a light to medium body wine that is fresh, crisp and elegant. The wines are  typically a pale gold or lemon-yellow color. They are dry and aromatic and loaded with sweet fruit flavors including ripe peach, apricot, melon, pineapple and mango. They often have a floral honeysuckle element as well. They all share good natural acidity and may have a light mineral note. They are easy drinking with a light to medium body and moderate alcohol.  The most important region for Albariño is Rias Baixas (pronounced Re-ass By-shass) which is located up in the northwestern corner of Spain near Portugal. The area is known as “Green Spain” . The climate is generally cooler than much of the country with plenty of rainfall. The Albariño variety does well in this terroir. The climate and soil are heavily influenced by the Atlantic as the vineyards lie along the  long coastal plains of Galicia...

I was very excited to receive some Moldovan wine samples. Though I had never tasted any wines from the country, I had heard from numerous people "in the know" that these were going to be wines of interest. Moldova is located in southeastern Europe between Romania and Ukraine in the Black Sea Basin. It has a compelling story in the world of wine history. Ancient artifacts discovered in the area prove that wine has been made in the region for over 5,000 years. Over the many centuries, a sophisticated wine industry developed including designated micro-zones for wine production by the early 1800's. Though the region was well-known throughout Europe as a source for premium wine, its history and reputation were not respected by everyone. Moldova lost numerous vineyards during Mikhail Gorbachev's anti-alcohol crusade before declaring its independence from the USSR in 1991. For the last 25 years, Moldovan winemakers have been hard at work rebuilding and revitalizing the i...

Jon-David Headrick was at Camerata Houston on Tuesday to educate local wine professionals on Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley and to participate in Houston's Loire Fest which is taking place all this month at local wine bars around town. He has a portfolio of wines called Jon-David Headrick Selections of which a portion were tasted during the lecture. Most of his wines are organic or biodynamic. All of the grapes used in these wines were hand-harvested which Headrick says is less common in the Loire Valley than one might think. He chooses wines that have no oak treatment or were aged in neutral oak for an added textural component rather than as a major part of the flavor. He spoke of the massive diversity in the soil types of the region and how this diversity is particularly reflected in the single varietal wines. The Loire Valley stretches from the Atlantic almost to Burgundy and the vineyards lie near the Loire River. Chenin Blanc is indigenous to the Loire Valley and is...

Lucio Matricardi, the  winemaker for  Stemmari , was in Houston at Coppa Osteria last month to introduce the Stemmari line of wines to a group of Houston writers. He spoke passionately about the many changes that have been taking place in Sicily regarding winemaking. He explained how the generations before him focused on the easily exportable Marsala cooking wine while younger generations on the island are now focusing on making higher quality dry wines.  He believes the climate and terroir lend themselves to more natural and sustainable vineyard practices. He says he is interested in making wines that he, himself, wants to drink.  Enjoying wine with meals is part of Sicily’s culture, it is part of “the art living Sicilianly”, according to Matricardi, and he wants his wine to be at the same quality level as the produce he would choose for his meals.  Across the region, growers and winemakers are committed to using the most modern winemaking technique...