Christy Lemire at the Oscars
Check out my column today in Culture Map Dallas where I interviewed Associated Press Movie Critic Christy Lemire to find out what she thought the persona of the wines would be based on the celebrity. Then Jasper Russo, who runs the fine wine program for Sigel’s, and I tried the wines.
Picture a group of very driven, professional folks that have a passion for wine, like to have fun, enjoy off the beaten path wines and make sure to not take ourselves too seriously. The last part a total 180 from what you would expect a somewhat serious wine club to look like especially from a group representing a snapshot of corporate America.
We tried taking ourselves too seriously in the beginning where we voted members in, selected favorite wines and then tried to store them for the right period of time before opening and officially voting on our favorites. That all changed one fateful night of tasting Turley Zinfandels where we threw all decorum out the window and had an amazing time. There may or may not be a YouTube video that you will never find capturing our version of MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This.” Throughout the years, we changed the goal of the club to enjoying wines we haven’t had before while putting the emphasis on fun. And, you know, I ended up learning and retaining a lot more knowledge.
As most groups go, life got in the way for awhile and we had not met in a few months. When Peter and Jen revived the group, I was excited. I walked in with my Spiegelau glasses and no idea of what surprises were in store.
It turns out we were having a Mardi Gras theme with homemade Cajun food. Our hosts wanted to do a Spanish red theme, but knew that it wouldn’t match the food, so another theme was added to go with the dinner. We started with wines that would go well with spicy food. Our first line-up included the following:
Then it was truly showtime – a line-up of highly rated Spanish reds, all from the highly-rated 2004, of which I have not had the opportunity to try. Our line-up was:
And if we hadn’t tasted enough great wines, one of our participants had just returned from a trip to Napa, so out came the Guilliams Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 07 and Seavey Cabernet 09. And that was a fabulous end to our evening and a foggy start to a Sunday morning.
We were co-hosting a party of the first grade parents at my daughter’s school and expected about 70 people. I was stumped by the age old question — if you are throwing a party, how much wine do you buy? The general consensus at least on the web is about half a bottle per person. Experts say to plan for a 3:1 ratio of red to white. If a normal 750 ml bottle of wine contains 25.361 oz. and a normal glass of wine is usually 4-6 oz., I needed to plan about 4 – 6 glasses per bottle. So 70 wine drinking people would consume about 35 bottles. Or not.
Also, my husband insisted on having a bourbon, vodka, scotch, beer and other bar selections. In retrospect, walking in with almost three and a half cases of wine alone, was a big overkill. So, if you are having a cocktail hour reception that goes for 2-3 hours, unless you expect a group of college kids on a bender, I’d recommend cutting that in half.
It is my mantra to not serve safe wine choices and push people out of their comfort zone. I did that by purchasing mostly European and Australian wines with the exception of my value Cabernet, 2010 Blackburn Cabernet, which I feel in love with at Russo’s Coal Fired Italian Kitchen during my “can you get a decent glass of wine at a chain” quest. It is priced between $10-$13 a bottle and I believe it rivals $25 cabernets.
Of the 6 wines served, we had one white and one red group favorite:
The good news is that we had enough leftover wine to have yet another party and I found some more great wines perfect for a Tuesday.
It had a curious beginning. It came as an anonymous email from the Brand Action asking a select group of global bloggers to participate in The Label Project. This was shortly followed by the arrival of a lone book, The Catcher in the Rye, with a tongue in cheek note that we were about to embark upon a journey where we needed to focus beyond the label and uncover the true character of what was in the bottle.
Then the wine showed up – three individual boxes in total – a series of region and varietal clues for each wine along with aromatizers of scents that would help us navigate. I took out The World Atlas of Wine (the wine bible) and went to town. The wine clues were as follows:
Wine One:
This wine came with the following clues about its origins.
Region clues:
Varietal Clues:
This one threw me off a bit. I got the honeydew and melon and was a little overwhelmed by the lemon scent (it reminded me of lemon pledge on the nose).
Wine Two:
Regional clues:
Varietal clues:
I liked this wine. It was spicy and I got the rich fruit cake hint. I was torn on the varietal – I tasted elements of a Shiraz but wondered if it was a blend.
Wine Three:
Region Clues:
Varietal tasting notes:
So then the unveiling which proved that my wine bible came in handy for region guessing but my palate was off on the varietals and a gentle reminder to trust my initial judgments. Again, showing that blind tasting is a humbling experience.
My guesses were a Verdelho from Hunter Valley OR a Semillon/Chardonnay blend. Both were totally wrong as it was an Adelaide Hills Chardonnay.
The second wine I guessed correctly – a shiraz from Barossa.
With the final wine I was correct with the region – Coonawarra – but the varietal was wrong. It was a cabernet sauvignon, which was my first guess, but I talked myself into thinking it was a zinger and guessed shiraz.
And, finally, who hosted this brilliant and well-funded promotion. The Label Project wines were revealed to come from Jacobs Creek Reserve. If you want to know more, click here to watch the finale video to find out more about these wine regions.
I recently attended a trade event at the Mansion on Turtle Creek hosted by Sigel’s featuring the Moet Hennessy portfolio available in Texas. When I received the invitation, a few things caught my eye. First, Manuel Louzado from Numanthia was on the list and I love, love, love his wines. Second, Cloudy Bay winemaker, Sarah Burton, who recently hosted ##nzwineday, was also in attendance so I wanted to talk to her about that event and her experience.
It was a star-studded winemakers line-up featuring Cape Mentelle, Chateau de Sancerre, Chandon, Numanthia, Lapostolle, Newton, Cheval des Andes, Cloudy Bay and Terrazas de los Andes. Most of the vineyards had their wine makers in attendance. I was in heaven.
I tried a number of wines that day, but I thought I’d give you some of the highlights that I really enjoyed. You can find all of these at Sigel’s if you want to “taste along.”
Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir 07 – If you read my recent column about my New Zealand wine experience, you’ll note that I was very impressed with the Pinot Noirs. This one continued that trend for me. It was spicy with cherry notes and an earthiness that made me want more.
Cape Mentelle – I really enjoyed the Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend from this Australian winery, but the 04 Cabernet stood out to me. It showed very well with notes of blackberry, tobacco and a nice balance.
Chandon – What can I say? I’m a sparkling girl and the Etoile Brut was elegant with notes of hazelnut, apple and citrus. I had a great conversation with winemaker, Tom Tiburzi, and he told me about how this blend changes yearly based on what he feels will work the best from the grapes as opposed to his other more value-oriented sparkling that must stay true to what consumers expect. I also tried the Extra Dry Muscat Cannali, which is definitely the perfect off dry sparkling wine with Asian food.
Chateau de Sancerre had two wonderful whites. I first became a fan of this after Scott Barber from the Commissary served it at an event. I tried the Chateau de Sancerre white, which had floral and citrus, but with the minerality that I like in a Sancerre wine. Then I tried the Chateau de Sancerre Cuvee du Connetable. Wow – complex, while intense, creamy, almost buttery with mineral notes and vanilla. Bravo!
Lapostolle – I have a soft place in my heart for them because they have a very drinkable and affordable Sauvignon Blanc that becomes my wine of choice when we go to Punta Mita. However, I had never ventured out of their value wine category. I really enjoyed three of their wines. The first was the Borobo, a blend of five different French varietals, originally put together due to a bet between two winemakers to see if a blend could be made from two vineyards. The winemaker upped the ante and blended three. Trust me – he could and it’s good. The second one is Canto de Apalta, a fabulous Bordeaux blend that will debut in May and retail for $19. This has been described as the “baby Apalta,” one of the top cuvees and rated #1 by The Wine Spectator in 2008. You should discover this when it launches and quickly. It is a fabulous deal. The final wine was the los Apalta, the flagship wine I described before. Lots of blackberry, cherry, spiciness and a velvet finish.
Newton Vineyards – Winemaker Chris Millard was representing this popular Spring Mountain winery. If you are a chardonnay fan, you should try the 09 unfiltered chardonnay deemed as a “non-Chardonnay drinkers” Chardonnay. Lots of almond and a very nice wine either with food or without. Then we jumped to the 08 Puzzle, a red blend that changes yearly- hence the name. This was a wine with finesse, elegance, silkiness, cherry, licorice, vanilla, chocolate and mocha.
Terrazas de los Andes – I had the chance during a wine event in 2011 to try the value and mid-range wines, so I immediately asked for the Afincado Malbec. I tasted vanilla, blackberries, oak and some floral notes.
Cheval des Andes – Would love to have tasted the fruits from the partnership of Terrazas de los Andes and well-known Chateau Cheval Blanc in Bordeaux, but alas, they had no more wine. Next.
Finally, Numanthia and Manuel Louzada. I had the chance to talk to Manuel about a wine group that I belong to and the second and third-growth tastings that we did of iconic wines. His wines were fabulous in every tier. I loved his descriptions of the three wines. He talked about the Numanthia Termes as being geared to capture the vibrancy and the loveliness of the fruit with “newbie” vines between 30-50 years old. The 08 Numanthia, featuring vines between 60-100 years old, is built to deliver massive power and elegance. Louzada compared this to the body of an athlete with “beautiful lines outside, massive character inside.” It’s an elegant wine and wonderful. But then we moved to the 07 Termanthia. He described it as one of the few vineyards where “all the stars aligned.” I admit it – I had to stop him to “take a moment” to savor this wine. It’s velvet, it’s silky, and it is dark. I smelled truffles, mocha, chocolate, black fruit and this was just of a bottle not decanted for long. Also, I was fascinated with the story of the vines being compared to the city of Numanthia that survived a 20-year siege only to come under attack again. The city decided it would not be taken and essentially they burned it with everyone inside. It’s called the Numanthia resistance. These vines have survived their own resistance – through pholoxia, through extreme temperatures and through hard growing conditions. Viva de Numanthia and long live these grapes!
Before the holidays, a group of Dallas-based wine folks gathered together for our first brown bag tasting event. We tried ten wines in an informal format at Campania Pizza in Uptown, who was generous enough to waive the corkage fee.
The parameters were wide open – a red wine in the neighborhood of $20-25 a bottle. I was really intrigued to see what the group would bring as it was a varied group of wine lovers – some formally trained and some self taught – all interested in continuing their journey with wine.
Here was the line-up and my reactions:
We had a great time, ate some really good pizza and enjoyed diverse wines from around the world. Our next brown bag tasting is in early February and we’ll taste Pinot Noirs. I just happen to have another surprise in store.
When I received the invitation to attend a Mollydooker tasting, blending and dinner exercise with Sparky Marquis, I was a little star-struck. As a marketing person by day, I have long admired the winery’s efforts to connect with other “Mollydookers”, or left-handed people, and build a brand that was unique, fun and appealing. Krissy Miller, marketing guru at Mollydooker, and I have communicated for a long-time on Twitter and I was excited to meet the voice behind the social media effort for the wine label, so I asked her to meet aside from the tasting. We made a plan for lunch and the request was Mexican food. I offered to pick her up and she told me there’d be some others folks attending and they’d meet me at Gloria’s. Naively, I didn’t ask who else would be coming and assumed it would be a larger team of PR and marketing folks from Mollydooker and maybe a few folks from the Texas distributor.
I was wrong. When I arrived at the restaurant I noticed a team of three people in branded Mollydooker shirts bearing bottles of their top labels. As I got closer, I realized that aside from Krissy, none other than Sparky Marquis, co-owner and winemaker (along with his wife Sarah) and his mum, Janet were joining us. I was immediately greeted with a left-handed shake by the team.
We began our lunch by tasting the 2010 Enchanted Path, Carnival of Love and the Velvet Glove. I am a huge fan of the Velvet Glove which is harder to find since a forklift dropped a crate of it containing 462 cases in July of this year. Mollydooker lost one third of its inventory — almost all of its U.S. allocation — of this almost $200 a bottle wine. But instead of “crying over spilled wine” and the profits lost, they approached it as an opportunity and five days later called the local TV stations and newspaper to see if anyone had an interest in the $1 million loss of wine. The story immediately went global. In a note of irony and a bit of luck, the insurance company had upgraded Mollydooker’s insurance status six days prior to the accident because of the care they took in storing their wine in three separate tracks vs. one. And judging from the comments Sparky made during the lunch, I think it may become harder to obtain the remaining Velvet Glove inventory as Sparky Marquis himself has expressed a commitment to drink as much of this wine as he can.
Sparky, who is known for his time at Fox Creek, Henry’s Drive, Parson’s Flat and Marquis Phillips, began to tell me their story with fun interjections from Janet. I had assumed Mollydooker was backed with big marketing dollars and lots of money however the true story is that Mollydooker was almost a story of failure, but that changed due to the perseverance of just four people and a miracle or three thrown into the mix.
Mollydooker was founded with an investment of $1,000 in 2005. In March of 2006, Sparky and Sarah realized money was running low and let their grape growers know they could only afford to pay $200 a ton for grapes. They encouraged their suppliers to sell to someone who could afford to pay but every last grape grower who could afford to stay did. As Janet put it, “they had more faith in us than we had in ourselves.”
They were nearing the wine blending and bottling stage and received a call from their financial and legal advisors requesting a meeting. Mollydooker was down to its last $17 and the advisors were worried they would be in default based upon the payments still due. Because Sparky and Sarah believed in paying their invoices on time they realized they had about two weeks for a miracle. A couple of days late that miracle arrived. A gentleman, who Sparky had impressed at a local networking luncheon a few weeks prior, came to the winery and asked him if there was anything that he needed. Sparky proudly said everything was fine. The businessman asked the question again and said he was leaving for China for a month and wanted to make sure Mollydooker was around when he returned. At that point, Sparky broke down and told him the truth. Without asking for a business plan, the businessman asked what Mollydooker needed to survive the month. A check was written on the spot for $300K. The blending continued during the month and the label was named a few days later after a brainstorm between Sparky, Sarah, mum and his father.
Sparky and Sarah knew they would run out of money again soon, so they tried to think about the one avenue where they could get out publicity about their wines in the biggest way. Enter Robert Parker. Sarah was sure that Robert was also “a Mollydooker” (or left hander) from a prior meeting. The team analyzed several photos, but couldn’t be sure. Robert usually doesn’t take random appointments and is booked for months ahead so after much debate they sent him an overnight package of wine on a wing and a prayer. Surprisingly, Parker bit and Sarah was right about him actually being left-handed. He gave them two dates in a two month period to come visit him. They chose the first one on June 10 as they knew they’d run out of cash by the second. Maxing out their credit cards, they booked two flights to Baltimore. Upon arriving in the States and knowing this was their last shot, they were disheartened to hear that Parker had suffered an injury, was hospitalized and might not be able to make the tasting. But miracles happened again and Parker rallied. He literally hobbled to the Oregon Grill on that date refusing to take his pain medicine, so he could properly taste the wine.
He invited them to stay for lunch after the tasting and suggested that the Mollydooker Violinist would be perfect with soft shell crab. He ordered some and Sarah immediately ate it like you would eat traditional crab. Parker first stared, asked her what she was doing and then taught her the etiquette of eating soft shell crab. At the end of the lunch he made an offhand comment that he’d try, but couldn’t guarantee, to fit them in his Best Value Wine Guide as it had been delayed for ten days at the printers.
Sparky and Sarah had no idea had no idea what the Best Value Wine Issue even was or how quickly their lives would change. On July 1, they received a phone call at 3 a.m. The Mollydooker Boxer was rated the best value wine in the world under $20. The Mollydooker Two Left Feet, named in honor of Sparky’s inability to dance, was named second best value. The Mollydooker Maitre’ D was named fourth best value and the Violinist was named the top white. The winery sold out of its existing inventory in America in 19 days. But they still had no money, only purchase orders, and had to convince the bank to lend them the money to get the shipments to their customers. With this success, they immediately paid back the angel investor, growers, and creditors and gave the staff bonuses and raises.
A little while later, Parker reviewed Mollydooker’s two new wines, The Carnival of Love and Enchanted Path, and gave them 99 and 96 point reviews. A wine that no one had ever tasted sold out in five days and by September they were cash flow positive. When a year later a vineyard that met their requirements came up for sale, they jumped at the chance and acquired the label’s first real asset and that became the home of Mollydooker.
Is it a charmed life, miracles or luck? I’ve heard that you make your own luck and I am a big believer in karma. When hard working, talented, generous, hospitable, charitable and kind people set out on a path — especially with an infectious enthusiasm — I’d like to think the world wants them to succeed. When I asked about their success, Sparky answered that he doesn’t think about things that way, the family is just having the time of their lives and doing what they love. The simple premise behind making Mollydooker wines is to take the time to do things right and the results will follow. Sparky wants the wines to taste two times more expensive than the list price to give his customers a value and make the wines accessible. And, the founders believe in miracles and know those miracles became the pathway to their success.
I learned much about the family during my conversations and thought it would be fun to talk about the top things you don’t know about Sparky, Mum and Mollydooker:
A long-awaited gathering of our wine club took place this month with a fun theme – food/wine matches made in heaven. Ok, technically that wasn’t the theme, but when it worked, it was a good description. We were all assigned food pairings to bring and the wine was taken care of by the couple hosting the party. Because my husband was out of town and I don’t cook, I begged for ingredients that required little to no assembly. So, I came bearing foie gras pate, a baguette and black truffle butter.
The format was to pair two wines with variations of one food. Our first pairing was an Old World Chablis (08 Isabelle et Denis Pommier Chablis) and a traditional oaked chardonnay (09 Neyers Carneros) with smoked and fresh mozzarella. Hands down the smoked mozzarella went best with the Neyers and we all couldn’t come to an agreement about the Chablis pairing due to the citrus/mineral notes.
Our next pairing was my favorite – fabulous yellowtail and tuna sushi along with blinis and caviar matched with Iron Horse Sparkling and 10 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. I liked them both, but was surprised how versatile the sauvignon blanc was with the sushi.
The next pairing was a surprise to us all. We tried sausage (veggie and Italian) paired with Dijon mustard and then just crackers with mustard coupled with 08 Domaine Zind Humbrecht Pinot Blanc and the 07 Chianti Castilla. Who would have thought that my second favorite pairing would be Dijon mustard and crackers?
We followed with black bean burgers with a sour cream/lime sauce with onion rings paired with 10 Les Plautiers Du Haut Brion White Bordeaux and the same Chianti. The onion ring paired well with the white, not the red. The black bean burgers, which were fantastic on their own, were even heartier with the chianti.
We then matched a guacamole and tenderloin with chimicurri sauce with a 05 Samuels Gorge Syrah and the 05 Abel Rioja. I personally liked the tenderloin and rioja pairing better, but it was interesting to see what flavors the guacamole brought out in both wines.
Next, we paired a simple grilled piece of baguette with black truffle butter with a 05 Chauvernet Chopin Nuis St Georges fer Cru Burgundy. This was a classic example of the symphony in your mouth that happens with the right food and wine pairing. Divine.
Our last pairing was a foie gras with a 05 Chateau La Tour Blanche Donation Osiris. Bliss on a cracker and another example of a food/wine match that had to be made in heaven.
Last month I attended the Texas/New York Gridiron wine challenge had the opportunity to sit at a table with Hunter Hammett, sommelier for the Dallas Fairmont Hotel. Surprisingly enough, our conversation shifted to wine and he told me about the Fairmont’s wine list which he had totally overhauled including a large number of Texas wines. I was intrigued, so I asked Hunter if I could spend some time with him learning more about the list.
He’s an agreeable guy and very passionate about wine, so I found myself in the totally revamped Pyramid Restaurant & Bar at the Fairmont – with a tasteful local focus on Texas products and a rooftop garden. I was handed the list, which received a Wine Spectator 2010 Award of Excellence, and like a kid in the candy store, I started perusing. As Hunter hand-selected the 250 wines that are on the list, it was important find a variety of on and off “the beaten path” wines at any price that patrons would love. I especially enjoyed the Underrated Reds and Underrated Whites sections that had a number of wines I have enjoyed in small little wine bars or across the country. I never expected to see them at a restaurant in a national hotel. You’ll also find grapes you’ve probably never heard of nor had the opportunity to try like Aligoté, at least in Texas, until now.
Gruet was one of the selections on the Underrated Reds list and I mentioned that I had never tried its still wines. In short notice, I had a glass of the 06 Gruet Pinot Noir Cuvee Gilbert in hand. Hunter also had a large selection of wines that are positioned by varietal vs. region to encourage experimentation of all different types of grapes from around the world.
Of course, because this is Texas, you will find the usual big suspect Cabernets -we all know that restaurants have to carry these to please certain patrons. Also, I believe that having some of the big steakhouse wines gives people the trust factor to try other wines that may not have considered otherwise.
Wines that are sustainable, organic and environmentally farmed are given special consideration. You’ll probably see a future focus on building out the French section of the list in 2011. Hunter’s credo, like The Wine Century Club, is to broaden the wine drinking scope at every opportunity. I, for one, look forward to my trip around the world with his wine list as my guide.
Those of you who I had the chance to meet at #wbc10 know I am a big fan of Mollydooker’s Velvet Glove wine — especially when it is offered to me free on my birthday. When a three pack of wines arrived on my doorstep courtesy of Mollydooker, I was excited. That excitement was heightened when their public relations person told me that they shipped the wrong releases and that three more bottles would be arriving. I knew that I needed to share these with a group of folks that would appreciate them, so I enlisted the help of my couple’s wine group.
I did this with a little trepidation. This was Texas/OU weekend and the tasting was going to be at my house. You may ask why this game would have any bearing for me since my husband and I both went to Auburn. Well, the truth is it doesn’t affect me. However, for my husband it is a different story. For the last five years he has adopted this day as “Attend a Party, Act like a College Freshman and Drink Too Much” day. But, I forged on and he didn’t disappoint. (I will give him credit for ordering the food before leaving the house as well comic relief later in the evening.)
We knew we needed more than the six wines provided, so we decided to go big on almost the entire Mollydooker portfolio. We started with the Mollydooker shake for the younger wines, which is suggested by Mollydooker to get the nitrogen out of the wines and bring out their full potential.
Our starting wine was the 09 Violinist, which is a great white wine. It was full of citrus and tropical fruits, but with the right mixture of acidity to make it a great sipping or food wine. We then moved into three different flights of wines.
The first flight was verticals of the 07 and 09 Carnival of Love; the 07 and 09 Blue Eyed Boy and the 08 and 09 The Boxer. My personal preference was for the older wines and the crowd favorite was the 07 Carnival of Love. You could definitely taste the evolution of the wine – big blackberry, liquorce and black pepper. But, the wine had mellowed and you could taste the smoothness of the fruit. I found the 09s to be too young for my taste with the exception of the Blue Eyed Boy, which had big notes of plum, chocolate and mocha. I’d love to put this one in a decanter and see what magic happens. For the others, these were good wines, but I’d buy them and cellar for a few years vs. drinking off the shelf, which is usually my modus operandi for most wines anyway.
The next flight led with an Enchanted Path vertical from 06 and 09. I am enamored with the 06, which was a great year for Mollydooker. Lots of currant, berry and spice, but with a smooth mouth feel. We also tried the 09 Maitre D’ and the 09 Scooter.
Our final flight ended with a glass of 08 Two Left Feet and the grand finale – the 09 Velvet Glove. Smooth — violet, chocolate and berry with a big finish. Everyone agreed that this was a great wine. The group debated if this was a $175 wine. The folks who like big Australian wines not surprisingly responded with a resounding yes, the folks who love smoother blends gave it a resounding no. But, you know, wine is like art. It’s a matter of taste and I’ll be happy to keep the Velvet Glove all to myself.
