Wine Life - Houston

Merry Edwards "Meredith Estate" Pinot Noir 2017 - Robust, yet elegant, with fresh aromas of black raspberry, cherry, and cocoa with floral notes of violet and a slight hint of forest floor. The full bodied wine is dry and beautifully structured with smooth fully ripe tannins and bright acidity with juicy flavors that mirror the nose throughout the persistent white pepper laced finish. Lovely to drink alone and even better with food. 14.5% ABV. I served it with Moroccan braised lamb shanks, a recipe that came from the Merry Edwards website, this rich and savory meal was a perfect pairing for this beautifully layered wine. Find the recipe at MerryEdwards.com . This wine was sourced from a 24 acre vineyard site that Merry Edwards and her husband purchased in 1996. It is located on the southern edge of the Russian River Valley in a cooler area where summer fog covers the area until the afternoon. The vineyard was planted in 1998 with Dijon clones on Goldridge sandy loam soils an...

This was one of the featured wines on last week's episode of the Somm Con Geographical Digest series. Aly Wente was on and spoke about the family’s five generations of winemaking in Livermore Valley, the region's coastal influences, and the Charles Wetmore Vineyard from where this wine was sourced. The Wente Wetmore Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Petite Sirah, 8% Petit Verdot, and 2% Malbec. It is grown in the Charles Wetmore Vineyard which is n amed after one of Livermore’s most prominent early wine pioneers who is believed to have brought vine cuttings from many of Bordeaux’s top Châteaux to the Livermore Valley. It is located between the two major arroyo’s, or steep gullies, in the Valley Arroyo del Valle and Arroyo Mocho and ranges in elevation from 460 to 735 feet. This vineyard site was primarily planted to Cabernet Sauvignon because of its climate and gravel soils which allow for a later harvest and help the vines to fully ri...

I registered to participate in SommCon 's live educational series  Geographical Digest  last Thursday which focused on some of the top American wine regions in the western United States. That week's webinar was called  Domestic Bliss: The West Coast - California, Oregon and Washington .  This wine tasting series is in conjunction with  The SOMM Journal  and  National Geographic Books who publishes  The New Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia . I tuned into the Zoom webinar to watch it live but t he monthly series is also available through an on-demand streaming platform,   SommGo . This is a  new service that provides year-round training and education for both beverage professionals and wine enthusiasts. It can be watched live one Thursday a month or it can be viewed at a time that is more convenient.  Wines for each seminar are also available for purchase from  BottleTribe . Sarah Quider with Chalk Hill Estate Winery and  Heidi v...

These wines were sent to me from the Texas Fine Wine Group as part of an online group blind wine tasting. They were bagged and taped to conceal their identity. My husband uncorked them for me so I did not see any branding prior to tasting. Tasting notes were written before the reveal. Afterwards, winery representatives discussed each via zoom. The Texas Fine Wine group is comprised of five well respected wineries who have set the goal of making high quality, benchmark wines from 100% Texas grown grapes. They make estate wines as well as source from some of the top growers in the state. All of the following wines are recommended and are excellent examples of the caliber of wines that Texas can produce. Bending Branch "Lost Pirogue Vineyard" Texas Hill Country Picpoul Blanc 2019 - Clean, fresh, and dry with notes of honeydew, pear, and lemon zest on the nose. The wine is medium bodied with medium+ acidity and flavors that echo the aromas with the addition of a grilled pineapp...

In the October 2020 issue of Galveston Monthly magazine, I talk about the Sangiovese grape, its home in Italy and some of the places that make magnificent wine from it. I also talk about how Sangiovese is doing in Texas. As seen in Galveston Monthly magazine - on the stands now.