Dallas Wine Chick

A Night of Tapas and Spanish Wine

I recently attended the Lakewood Country Club wine dinner, which was Spanish themed and for the first time in a long time did not feature a particular wine maker.  It was styled as a “Spanish wine and tapas” event and focused on particular geographies – Monstant, Priorat, Rioja, Valencia, Ribera del Duero and finished with an aged sherry.

William Koval, the executive, and incredibly talented, chef who put the French Room on the map continued to wow patrons with six courses of food showcasing Spain at its finest.  And, Tony Zaranti, the club house manager who has brought Lakewood’s wine list to award-winning status, did not disappoint.

The reception began with a Gran Sarao Brut Rose Cava, which was 65 percent granacha and 35 percent mouvedre.  Basic, simple, crisp and non-fussy, it went well with Spanish themed tapas that you might be served at any bar in Spain.  In the spirit of full disclosure, during a past trip to Spain, I had so many of those that my poor husband had to honestly answer the “do I look fat in these jeans question.”  I guess after being married for almost 18 years, honesty is the best policy.

The first course served was Gambas al Ajillo with Jamon Pata Negra (garlic shrimp with Iberico ham).  Mine was slightly altered due to my pork allergy, but the 2010 Acustic Blanc from Monstant was full of passion fruit with a minerality that went perfectly with the spiciness of the shrimp.  This was a really nice, crisp, “off the beaten path” wine that is now on my buy list. 

The second course was a Cucido de Cordero (lamb shank with white bean stew) served with a 09 Galena “Formiga de Galena” Priorat.  Very rich and earthy with notes of berry, chocolate and spiciness. 

The third course was Abondigas (meatballs of Spanish pork, veal and beef – or just veal and beef for me) served with the 07 Marques de Vargars Rioja.  I find this to be a fine utility player wine, but it’s never knocked my socks off.  It was a nice match with some of the best meatballs I have ever eaten.

The fourth course was a Mejillones con Hinojo (mussels and fennel) with a 08 Bodegas Hispano Suizas Pinot Noir from Valencia.  It was deep, intense, floral, earthy and fabulous.  Who knew that Spain made such a nice Pinot Noir?

The fifth course was a mix of Spanish cheeses — Iberica Curado from La Mancha, Montenebro from Avila and Idiazabel from Navarra paired with the 07 Comde de San Cristobal, Ribera del Duero.  This was my favorite wine of the night.  Very complex and deep with big notes of fruit, earth and mocha.  Just fabulous stuff.

The dessert course was vanilla bean ice cream paired with an 85 Albala “Don PX” Gran Reserva sherry that highlighted everything good about older sherry.  I described it as “raisin in a glass,” but I avoided the vanilla ice cream and let the sherry stand on its own.

Wine-ing Through Europe

Many of you know that I recently took a marketing role at an international company based in Stockholm which requires that I spend at least once a month on the road.  While this sounds fabulous and glamorous, it usually ends up being planes, taxis, conference rooms, airports, little sleep and interesting dinners – some good, some really bad.

It’s rare that I get to take in the local sites – let alone the local wine bars, but this trip proved to be an exception.  It also turned into quite the adventure – from bomb threats at the airport in Amsterdam to a sad Cupid trying to buck tradition in Valentine’s Day apathetic Stockholm.

After finding out that British Airways had Tattinger by the glass, I happily accepted a few glasses on my DFW to London leg of the trip.  However, while the flight attendant on the London to Amsterdam flight tried very hard to convince me to have champagne, it was only 8:30 a.m., and even I have my standards.  I was very thankful that he convinced me to take the split of Pommery to drink at a later time.

We landed in cold and snow in Amsterdam and were greeted by our tour guide and colleague, Rose, who had set up a wine and cheese tasting of a well-known, Holland-based cheese maker, Reypenear.  We had two very drinkable French wines – a La Croisade Viognier and a Syrah that were nicely priced around $12 a bottle and port that rocked with the cheese.

After touring the heart-breaking Anne Frank museum, we went to a wine bar named Wine & Bubbles that had fabulous flights.  Our group sampled bubbles, French and Italian flights and everyone was very happy.  There was a great line-up of very fun wines and a cool atmosphere.  That’s where the culture ended and a very interesting night out begin.  Let’s just say that seeing the various sites of Amsterdam is very different by night than by day.

After the meetings, I headed to the Amsterdam Airport just a few hours after the bomb threat happened.  Security, chaos, lines that were more than two hours long and lots of very angry people that had no chance of making their flights.  Thankfully, the two million miles that I have on American/British Airways served me well and I found a frequent flyer line that only took 45 minutes.  And then I discovered the wheel of wine in the lounge. 

Fast forward to the Stockholm portion of the trip that happened to take place over Valentine’s Day.  Stockholm is not as “Hallmarked” as we are in the U.S. and I saw no flower deliveries of general giddiness at the office during the day.  However, as I ate dinner in the hotel, I did see a little guy with a bouquet of roses waiting and waiting and waiting for his date.  Sadly, she never showed.  I hope she met him elsewhere.

My Valentine’s night included lots of work emails and a very hearty battle with the aforementioned split of champagne that refused to open.  However, there is nothing that stands between me and champagne and I’m happy to say that I triumphed.

My trip ended with a child seated in business class who cried for nine hours straight.  This time, glasses of Tattinger, Bose headsets and a string of movies kept me sane.

The Power of Stemware, Openers and Blind Pinot Tasting

What was evolved into a group with the “tongue in cheek” name, The Dallas Wine Mafia,  recently met this month for round two of #BBWT.  The theme was Pinot Noir, which was less enthusiastically embraced by one of our members and we set out to try to prove him wrong.  What we didn’t know is that the theme turned more into the art of opening a bottle combined with the power of drinking wine out of the right glasses. 

We gathered at Kozy’s, which is one of my favorite restaurants with no corkage charge.  They could not have been more hospitable and the organic menu of fish, game and chicken was a nice match with the wine.   For some reason though, that night the pop music was turned up and hearing the notes of “Party Rock” made me laugh.

I always try to bring an “off the beaten path” wine and today it was my friend Lindsay Woodward’s.  Lindsay is the owner of Retour, a newish winery that makes one wine, pinot noir, and blows it out of the water.  Lindsay’s creation was going to be my secret weapon.

But before I jump into the wines we tasted, I must make mention of the art of opening my bottle.  I was the last to arrive and the other wines were open.  One of the group had this super space age looking automatic wine opener that immediately ripped the cork in the Retour to shreds.  The chaos that ensued between several members of the group and the waiter to open the wine was comical.  Between a coffee filter, a knife and an old fashioned wine opener, we avoided floating cork and the day was saved.

The wines we tried included the following:

• Four Graces Pinot Noir 09 (Oregon) – lots of terrior and black cherry.  I think I would have enjoyed this more if we gave it more time to open. ($26)
• Acrobat Pinot Noir 10 (Oregon) – cherry and a vegetal flavor to it.  I enjoyed this one. ($20)
• Kings Estate Winsor 08 (Sonoma) – cherry cola taste to it and interesting texture ($32)
• Bearboat Pinot Noir 07 (Russian River) – originally chosen because the label was annoying, this had some good balance and surprised us as being a good wine ($24)
• Decoy Pinot Noir 10 (Napa) – very full in body, bold, black cherry, spice ($28).  This was one of my favorite wines of the night.
• Chandon Pinot Meunier  09 (Sonoma) – the zinger of the night. Obviously a different grape than the Pinot Noir we tasted and we all knew “one of these things were not like the other.” ($32)
• Nuitts St Georges Premiere Cru Burgundy 08 (Domaine Henri Gouges Close, France) – this was caramel in a glass.  Over the dinner, it opened up very nicely and teased it what it would be with a little more decanting time.
• Retour Pinot Noir 06 – Big notes of cherry but with an elegant bouquet that had a lavender note to it ($55).  Voted by the majority as the favorite of the night.

I also happened to bring a six pack set of Spiegelau wine glasses, which showed how much glassware can make a difference in showcasing the nuances of a good wine.  I loved watching the reactions of some of the group discover this for the first time. 

Moet Hennessy Portfolio: Taking Dallas By Storm

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!

New Zealand Pinot Noirs Worth Noting

I was invited to participate in the New Zealand Wine Day #nzwineday this past week.  We were sent six wines to taste that represented the region.  I logged on at the appropriate time and experienced a technical difficulty that happened for many bloggers.  We were supposed to see a simulcast by Cloudy Bay winemaker, Sarah Burton, but instead we saw colored bars.

The whites were what I consider very traditional New Zealand wines.  The grass, the grapefruit, the tanginess known in New Zealand sauvignon blancs rang true.  The chardonnay had an off taste to it so I’m not sure if that was the wine itself or the bottle shipped.

We tried the following:

• Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc
• Cloudy Bay Te Koko 06
• St Clair Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 09
• Kumeu River Chardonnay 07
• Seresin Rachel Pinot Noir 07
• Escarpment Pinot Noir 08
• Craggy Range Le Sol Gimblett Gravels Syrah 07

My favorites were the Cloudy Bay Te Koko 06 and the Pinot Noirs.  The Te Koko had depth, passion fruit, citrus and a complexity to the wine that I wasn’t expecting.   The pinot noirs blew me away because I had never had New Zealand Pinot Noirs before.  I never expected the depth of fruit, but with a vegetal overtone that was very nice.  The Craggy Range Le Sol Gimblett Gravels syrah was also a big, deep red that was elegant and powerful.

My take-away is that New Zealand reds are definitely worth exploring.

Tapena’s Most Creative Piropo Winner

Now it’s time to announce the winner of the poetry into action contest with Tapena.  You were all creative and had some fun ways to personify your love affair with the grape. 

I’m happy to announce that Jacqueline Medina is the winner of the most creative Piropo.  She wins a four-pack of wines, a Spanish-themed cookbook and some other fun material for her “love is like wine, it tastes much better as it gets older.”  As someone who has been married for nearly 18 years, I raise my glass and respectfully agree.  Jacqueline, contact me  and I’ll get your prize to you.

Tapena’s Most Creative Piropo Winner

Now it’s time to announce the winner of the poetry into action contest with Tapena.  You were all creative and had some fun ways to personify your love affair with the grape. 

I’m happy to announce that Jacqueline Medina is the winner of the most creative Piropo.  She wins a four-pack of wines, a Spanish-themed cookbook and some other fun material for her “love is like wine, it tastes much better as it gets older.”  As someone who has been married for nearly 18 years, I raise my glass and respectfully agree.  Jacqueline, contact me  and I’ll get your prize to you.

Evening Land Vineyards: The Romance Continues

Last July, I became acquainted with Evening Land Vineyards through an event with Pioneer Wine Company.  So when I got the invitation from Natalie Vaclavik, the company’s Southeast Regional Sales Director of Evening Land, to attend a dinner at Bailey’s, I jumped at the chance.  When I got there, I found out that I was the first media outlet in Dallas to cover the wine.  Based on what I tasted, I’d make sure you try a bottle or two before the word gets out.

Originally, Larry Stone, master sommelier, president of Evening Land and one of only two Americans to have won the competition for International Best Sommelier in French Wines and Spirits from Food and Wines from France, was supposed to attend. However, as it often does, life got in the way. But, Natalie made up for his absence with her knowledge, passion and enthusiasm for the wines. And when you add the insight from Bailey’s Sommelier, Jennifer Jaco, you have created a wine lover’s dream. FYI – Jennifer has built one of the best wine lists in town at Bailey’s with over 715 labels and it’s on par with the Fairmont Hotel’s, which was the best I have found in terms of fun/unique and scope of wines.

The winery owns land in Occidental Vineyard in Sonoma and Santa Rita Hills Estate in California, Eola-Amity and Seven Springs in Oregon as well vineyards in Burgundy in collaboration with Dominique Lafon of Domaine des Comtest Lafon. Evening Land is committed to selling the best pinot noir and chardonnay possible. The wines have a color-coded, tiered label system of blue, silver, gold and white, which reflects pricing. Blue is the most affordable and starts at about $25 leading up to the white label, which runs about $120 a bottle. Isabel Meunier is the wine maker in Oregon; Christophe Vial is the winemaker in Beaune, France, and Sashi Moorman in California. Lafon continues to consult in France.

Executive Chef Grant Morgan created a number of dishes matched with the different wine regions from France to Oregon to California. We were served a pinot noir and chardonnay with each course.

Our first course was Foie Gras, Black Pepper Lavash and Apricot Jam served with the 10 Evening Land Vineyards Etoile Pouilly Fuisse ($28.99), France, which had notes of lemon, minerality, a little butterscotch and a nice mouth texture. It was fabulous with the food and the Old World style of white that I enjoy. The next wine served was the 10 Evening Land Blue Label Bourgogne Rouge ($25.99), France, which earthy with notes of black cherry.

The second course was served with my favorite white wine of the night, which is almost impossible to procure since only 100 cases are made. The 09 Evening Lane Vineyards Summum Chardonnay, Seven Springs Eola-Amity Hills from Oregon ($125.99) was a treat. Citrus, apple, tropical and minerality. Very old world style and my favorite chardonnay. When served with the cherry stuffed Oregon quail breast with creamy polenta and sweet onions, it was a match made in heaven. The 09 Evening Land Vineyards Seven Springs Estate Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills from Oregon ($39.99) was the epitome of Oregon in a glass — earthy, Old World, black cherry. I really liked this wine.

We then moved to California with roasted duck breast, almond toast, braised California rhubarb and watercress. The almond toast was almost like dessert, and when I asked Grant about it, he told me I didn’t want to know how fattening it was because it was cooked in duck fat. Sigh. Oh, but it was worth it. The wines served were the 10 Evening Lands Blue Label Chardonnay, which was full bodied with some apple, flint and citrus. The 09 Evening Land Vineyards Santa Rita Hills Estate Pinot Noir, had ripe blackberry and dark fruit with a big finish.

We finished with a fabulous tray of desserts, that I couldn’t stop eating, and joined Natalie and Jennifer for a fun chat about wine and a rich 20-year-old glass of Ramos Pinto 20 Years Old Quinta do Bom Retiro Tawny Port from Portugal.

Love Affairs, Piropos and Free Wine

In honor of Valentine’s Day and putting poetry into action, I have teamed up with Tapeña wines.  It’s time to be creative and talk about your love affair – this time with the grape. 

The most creative Piropo will win a four-pack of wines, a Spanish-themed cookbook and some other fun material.  What is a Piropo you may ask?  Translated literally it is a “flirtatious or poetic compliment to a woman.”  Things like, “If beauty were a sin, you’d never be forgiven” or “So many curves, and me without brakes” (shudder).  But, that’s been so done.  I want to see how clever and unique you can voice your appreciation for wine.

Tapeña—the wine with the little fork on the label—is a blend of tradition, camaraderie and gathering close friends.  I had the chance to partner with them a few years ago on an event so if you want to know more about the  wine.

For more info about Tapeña, check out their website, Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/tapenawines or Twitter @tapenawine.  They also have a reward program, for those of you who become fans, where you can get more free stuff.

 The fine print – you must be 21 years or older to enter, and that by entering you verify you are over 21.  The contest will close on January 31 and you can enter here.  Looking forward to seeing your poetry in motion.

Brown Bagging: A Blind Tasting Experience

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:

• Cooper L’inizio – 2008 (Washington).  After hosting Neal Cooper on his first Dallas visit last year and being impressed with Washington State wine at the Wine Bloggers Conference 2010, I thought I’d bring something that the rest of the tasters couldn’t get in Texas.  Note that I did break the rules a bit and bring a bottle that is now estimated to sell around $40 in very limited quantities.  Definitely in my top three wines.
• Inwood Estates 2008 Cornelius (Texas) I admit it – I continue to struggle with the price point and payoff of this wine.  @jftxwine brought it as the zinger of the night and I tasted concrete and something sweet that didn’t work for me especially at $40.
• Petalos Bierzo 09 (Spain).  I tasted blueberry, spice and a hint of floral, which may have been lavender.
• La Vierge,” Cahors 07 (France), smoky, dark cherry, flinty, meaty and earthy.  This wine is referred to as the “French Malbec”
• Mollydooker The Boxer (Australia) – After having the ability to spend some time with Sparky and Mum late last year, talking about these guys is like talking about family.  I tasted big berry, licorice, oak and cedar.
• Bodini Malbec – 2010 (Argentina).  Berry, meaty, licorice abound in this juicy Malbec.
• Toasted Head Cabernet Sauvignon 09 (California).  Cherry, cassis, coffee and some spice.
• Haven’s Meritage 09 Rutherford (California).  Blueberries, vanilla, spice and a big juicy red.  Definitely in my top three wines.
• Domaine Alain Graillot Crozes-Hermitage Blanc 09 (France).  Raspberry, cardamom, smoky with a little pepper.  On my top three list.
• Pagos del Moncejo Garnacha 08 (Spain).  Cedar, spice, vanilla and cherry.

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.