Those of you who remember last year when I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in my first Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla, WA, I mentioned meeting Neil Cooper. Neil was working on opening his winery when I made my visit to Red Mountain with Margot. Fast forward almost 11 months and COOPER: A Red Mountain Winery is not only up and running, but has taken home a slew of awards and medals for its Bordeaux-style reds. Having taken on several states successfully, Neil set his sights on Texas and I was more than happy to host the Dallas stop on his Texas tour.

Neil originally followed in the footsteps of his father, a farmer, and began growing grass seed. But he always had a strong appreciation for wine due to his family’s close relationship with Bill Preston, wine maker for Fidelitas. While I was drinking Gallo blush in a big jug, he and fellow members of the St. Luis Obispo water skiing team, would pool their money and buy wine. When they didn’t have tournaments, they went tasting in different cities in California. Grass seed farming was lucrative, but Neil found himself getting stuck in corporate politics and began to think about the wine business.

Around the same time Neil and his partners – all who were not in the industry — were looking for a place on Red Mountain to make wine. After three years of negotiating, the winery that they desired was for sale and, Neil decided to make the plunge into running a winery including the operations, sales and building a brand from scratch. Long story short – with the wine being made today by Charlie Hoppes from Fidelitas – COOPER has some fantastic wines that provide a great value as compared to the Napa blends. He brought the full line up with him to Dallas, which gave me the chance to throw a party that coincidentally fell during the kick-off of my husband’s birthday week.

About 50 folks rolled up to find the Urban Crust pizza mobile kitchen in front of our casa and were treated to Neil’s fantastic wines. I loved that the top wines differed among so many of our guests, but what didn’t change was the universal agreement that we need these wines in Texas. Here’s the line-up:

2008 Pinot Gris (Columbia Valley). This wine was crisp, bright and refreshing. I tasted tropical fruit and some floral hints. This is the first wine that I have ever heard my mom ask to have shipped to her and I totally understand why. Neil was sweet enough to let her have a bottle.

2009 COOPER Estate Chardonnay (Red Mountain). This is not your typical buttered toast bomb. It’s definitely an Old World style with butterscotch, pine nuts and a bit of lemon. There is lots of depth to this first estate wine. 2007 and 2008 Cooper L’inizio (Columbia Valley) L’inizio is a Bordeaux-style blend that showed spice, berry, tobacco, licorice and oak. While both were great wines, the 07 was my favorite as it was much more elegant with the gift of time. L’inizio means the beginning and is the cornerstone of the line-up and shows big notes of coffee, vanilla and cherry.

2008 COOPER Merlot (Columbia Valley) This is a very full bodied merlot with lots of berry. This one was the favorite of a good friend who is also a distributor in Dallas. I’d recommend some decanting time if you open it young. 2007 Cooper Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley) Dark fruit, cherry, spice and coffee made up this great tasting, full-bodied cabernet.

2007 COOPER Cabernet Sauvignon * Walla Walla Valley This is a big, complex, earthy cabernet. Lots of dark fruit and herbal essences like rosemary and even a little cardamom. Definitely one of my favs.

2008 COOPER Cabernet Sauvignon Hightower * Red Mountain This is the model for what Red Mountain Cabernet should be. Lots of tannins, minerality, cherry and a dry finish.

Cheers to l’inizio for COOPER wines in Texas and Neil Cooper, one heck of a great guy who followed his dream.

But blog duty called and I got dressed and ready.  My sentiments immediately changed after being handed my first glass of Raptor Ridge 08 Pinot Noir and talking to the delightful Annie Shull, one of the winery co-owners.   Annie’s husband, Scott, serves as the winemaker and Annie is responsible for all other operational aspects of the Chehalem Mountain-based winery.  Raptor Ridge is named after the many birds of prey that live on the property — red-tailed Hawks, kestrels, sharp-shinned hawks and owls – that share the winery’s 27-acre estate.  The vineyard is named “Tuscowallame,” the indigenous word for “place where the owls dwell.”  In fact, each bottle features a feather from a particular bird.  The winery gives a percentage of proceeds to the Raptor Rescue Foundation and to a program that helps to provide medical and dental care to vineyard workers.

Surprisingly, Annie’s love affair with wine didn’t begin until she met her husband and he introduced her to more subtle French wines vs. the big fruit bombs that she had been drinking.  After they moved from California to Oregon due to a promotion for her successful job in technology, Scott started to take correspondent classes at UC Davis and collaborate with the other Oregon vintners.   After her husband received enough outside kudos for the home wines that he was blending, he decided to give commercialization a try in 1995 – a decision that Annie describes as “a hobby that went awry.”

We started our first course with the Raptor Ridge 09 Pinot Gris paired with Chilled Alaskan King Crab, Roasted Lemon and Pear Salad.  The wine’s pear, lemon and floral notes paired perfectly with the seafood goodness brought to our table.  I wanted this course to never end.

The second course was a Braised Milk Fed Porcelet, Anson Farms Polenta, Goat Cheese and Fresh Fig for the other attendees, but due to my pork allergy, I got a revised version.  The short rib substitute paired perfectly with the 07 Raptor Ridge Reserve Pinot, Willamette Valley, which had big cherry and cranberry flavors with a silky texture.

The third course was the Raptor Ridge Shea Vineyard 07 Pinot Noir paired with a Colorado Lamb Chop; a Dried Cherry, Zucchini Shallot Bread; Acorn, Crushed Spinach and topped with Mint Pinot Sauce.  This was a juicy wine with notes of earthiness pairing perfectly with the lamb.

The finale was a Crème Brule, Almond Cake and Honey Ice Cream paired with the 05 Raptor Ridge Blanchefleur, Pinot Blanc from the Willamette Valley.  I’ve been really good on the diet plan lately, but ended up polishing off half of this before I realized what I had done.  Just sublime.  The presentation for the birthday of my friend Susan, who was in attendance, was a special touch.

The success of Raptor Ridge is a story of hard work, collaboration between Oregon winemakers and a focus on excellence from the vineyard to bottle.  I am so happy that these wines have made it to Texas (hats off to Pioneer Wines) so you can try them.

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.

My uncle was pretty high up at Gallo at the time (I’m so sorry, Uncle Mike) and he set up a hosted day of tours for us at three of Gallo’s higher end vineyards.  Because I was clueless, I booked our a room at a cute looking hotel – MacArthur Place – conveniently located in Sonoma – almost 80 minutes away from where most of our activities occurred – mistake.  Rule number one – stay near where you will be tasting or start the day with your first visit at the winery furthest away and work your way back to where you will be sleeping that night.  Better yet, hire a car to drive you.

We figured that if we gave ourselves 90 minutes to get there, we’d be fine – mistake.  Rule number two – make sure you account for Napa Saturday traffic – it can slow to a crawl even if you understand “the ladder” and use the Silverado Trail.  So, we rolled in late for our first tasting, which did I mention was set up by my uncle? - mistake.  Rule number three – never be late for a pre-arranged tasting, especially one planned upon your behalf.

We had a lovely day of tasting with a start at Gallo of Sonoma, where we were driven around by a wonderful hostess and had glasses – not really tastes – but glasses of their reserve wines overlooking the pond by the vineyard.  I was amazed how high tech every detail was at the vineyard. Previously I had only been to the smaller vineyards and the differences were eye opening.

Next we visited MacMurray Ranch, which was previously owned by Fred MacMurray, the Hollywood legend known for his role in My Three Sons.  We had a tour and lovely patio lunch overlooking the vineyard.  They opened about four bottles of the Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir, which I took full advantage of enjoying.  At that point, I realized that there were lots of empty glasses on the table (mostly mine) and I really should be thinking about how much I was drinking.  But, I was having too much fun – mistake.  Rule number four – you might want to monitor how much you are drinking and for God’s sake, spit and don’t finish everything offered to you.

Our last stop was Louis Martini Winery where we  toured the facility and sampled the wines offered to us.  My friend, Karen, and I spotted a bottle of Old Vines Zinfandel that wasn’t on the tasting menu and only sold by the bottle.  Oh course we had to try it – mistake.  Rule number five – if you have been drinking all day, you don’t need the bottle.  Buy it if you must and drink it the next day or take it home.

This is the point where everything gets a little hazy for me.  Karen and Jim have very good friends, Dave and Annie, who live in Calistoga.  We were going to meet that night for dinner.  We drove to their house in Calistoga where they had a lovely cheese and cracker tray out.  I can’t confirm this, but I have this visual of myself going all drunken Dan Akroyd with the salmon in Trading Places.  This is how I met Dave and Annie.  I was quickly cut off from the wonderful wines they had out to greet their friends and this couple (us) that they were told “they had to meet” - mistake.  Rule number six – never meet new people when absolutely bombed from tasting wines all day. 

Well, I survived the dinner remembering very little of it except being belligerent and arguing with my husband about how I was not drunk  (true as I was actually totally bombed).  I reintroduced myself to Dave and Annie the next day and apologized for my awful behavior the night prior.  Because Dave and Annie are incredibly gracious, we have become friends and look forward to visiting them about once a year at their home in Calistoga.

As I looked around that first Friday night at this group of women that I loved with all of my heart and because I liken many situations back to wine for the purpose of Dallas Wine Chick, I realized that I had inadvertently chosen wines that reminded me of my friends and how we evolved from crazy college kids to the women we are today.  In the spirit of full disclosure, I have one friend who has turned into a beer aficionado and other than champagne in mimosas, has no use for the grape.  Because of our friendship, we have agreed to disagree. 

The Pinot Gris Phase (the age of the 20’s):

Capalanca Pinot Gris Sueno Profondo – this reminded me of when we all first met.  Our outlook on life was fresh and crisp – we had the whole world ahead of us and the world was literally our oyster (coincidentally this wine would go well with oysters).  Fresh and crisp also translated into young and stupid at times, not with this wine, but with this group back in the day.  I may or may not have dropped a class once because a test coincided with Kappa Alpha’s Old South three-day party.   I do believe that my friends are a bit incredulous that I eventually found career success in my chosen industry of public relations due to my college choices.  

The Cabernet Phase (the age of the 30’s):

David Arthur, Sojourn and Del Dotto St Helena Cabernets — This is when we became much more nuanced as we matured.  We realized that we were no longer the center of the world (at least most of us did).  We were knee deep in kids, families, careers and the realities of life.  Like these wines, we were working on balance – trying to be a good wife, mother, employee, friend, relative, etc. – and often because of our Type A standards, failing miserably in our own eyes.

The “Off the Beaten Path” Phase (now – you read between the lines, okay?)

Quinta de la Quietud Toro, Turley Duarte Zinfandel, Mi Sueno, Fefinanes Albarino “1583” – We’ve reached the stage of being comfortable in our own skins – working to find balance from realizing that family and friends are the most important things in the world.   For me, this is the most fun stage.  As I say, “it is what it is” and you realize that you no longer care about appearances the way that you used to in your youth.  As I reconnected with my friends and got to know their families, I realized that we all did well on the most important thing in life – raising well mannered, ethical, smart and fun kids. 

While times have definitely changed and we have a few more wrinkles than we used to as well as 17 kids (holy crap – 17 kids) between us, it felt like time had stood still when we got together.  So much had changed – a successful battle with breast cancer, deaths/illness of parents, one of us now lives in Saudi Arabia – but so much remained the same including the fact that we were all still married to our college or right after college sweethearts. 

While I don’t like to admit that I have hit my 40s, I’m looking forward to what the next wine phase will bring.

Whaaaaatttt? While I don’t personally follow the steak to cabernet sauvignon rule, I can understand a local steakhouse having a larger selection of those wines. So, I decided to go for a sanity check. I reached out to Terri Burney, owner of  WineTastic, who told me that while she has some customers that would fit the bill, even more are trying Malbec, Rioja, Albarino and Champagne.

Brooks Anderson, owner of  Veritas, had some great insights. “To say that Dallasites drink only overpriced, big labels of Cab and Chard is absolutely ridiculous and wholly inaccurate. If that were true, Veritas would have gone out of business long ago. We do not carry Cakebread; we do not currently carry Silver Oak; we do not currently carry Caymus; we do not currently carry Far Niente; we do not carry Nickel & Nickel; etc. Instead we carry lots of fun, boutique Cabs and Chards (and other wines from around the globe) that aren’t necessarily cheap and we sell them all day long. There are plenty of Dallasites who love to explore new labels, who would rather offer a delicious wine that their dinner guest has never heard of rather than an overpriced ‘label’.”

He went on to say that “in addition to ‘not cheap’ Cabs and Chards, we sell loads of Chateauneuf du Pape, Brunello, Barolo, Barbaresco, Burgundy, Amarone, Sancerre, etc. Dallasites are trying inexpensive wines like White Rioja; White Bordeaux; Gavi; Albarino/Alvarhino; Cotes du Rhone; Spanish Garnacha; Carmanere; Malbec; Baby Super Tuscans; Nero d’Avola; etc.”

So, where do we go from here? We need to take a stand. While there is a place for Cabernets, Chardonnays and other mainstays in our lives, let’s try some new varietals.

I had the recent opportunity to meet Anne-Laure Helfrich of Helfrich wines to try wines produced in her family’s Alsatian vineyard. The price points were fantastic — $14.99 for the Noble Tier wines that were really good (Riesling, Pinot Gris and Gerwürztraminer). The Grand Cru wines with the same varietals were fantastic and priced at $24.99. The Grand Cru Riesling was elegant with orange blossom, apricot and minerality. The Grand Cru Gewurztraminer had a floral nose with honeysuckle, citrus and a floral nose. I personally am adding these to my wine “off the beaten path” selection list.

In Dallas, you can find these wines at Whole Foods, Costco, Majestic Liquors (Fort Worth), Winestyles (Arlington and Fort Worth), Vino 100 and Veritas.

Let’s prove to Tim that we’ve moved from a “safe label zone” and into wine drinkers that have the courage to put an unfamiliar bottle on the table.

This was the photo that I got from my lead footed husband as he made the solo drive from the Portland Airport to join me on a tour through Prosser, Red Mountain and Yakima.  I was lucky enough to have one of the top experts, Margot, and her husband, Dave,  show us Washington “wine o’clock” style.

You see, John didn’t join me until after #wbc10 was over. He’s a bourbon boy from the South and while he has a strong appreciation of wine and a collection that reinforces that point, seven days of wine tasting would render him to a state where he would want to poke his eyes out with a fork.  For the sake of our marriage and my enjoyment of the experience, he arrived late on Sunday. 

Unfortunately he missed out on some wonderful experiences.  Our first stop was family-owned L’Ecole. The name, L’Ecole Nº 41 is French for “the school”.  The winery is located in district 41 in historic Frenchtown, a small community outside of Walla Walla that was named for the many French Canadians that settled there in the early 1800s. 

We arrived at the converted schoolhouse that serves as the tasting room and were greeted by Jamie, a fun new friend who hosted us for a fantastic vertical tasting of library wines.  We began with a refreshing glass of the 08 Estate Luminesce ($19) that I loved, but alas, it was completely sold out.  We then tasted the 99, 03 and 07 Apogee from Pepper Bridge Vineyard and the 03 and 07 Estate Perigee from Seven Hills Vineyard.  I personally loved the Apogee – especially the earlier vintages that tasted of earthiness, black cherry, cassis and notes of chocolate.  The evolution in the glass was noteworthy and I left with a case of my own to taste test in the future.

Our next stop was to Va Piano Vineyards to meet Winemaker Justin Wylie.  Its motto: “Chi va piano, va sano e va lontano.” The translation is “He who goes slowly, goes safely and goes far” – an old Italian saying and the winery’s approach to living. This recommendation came from Greg Kassanoff, who owns Pioneer Wine here in Dallas.  We started with two Brunos Blend I and VI wines, one Sauvignon Blanc and one red blend as well as the Semillon.  Father Bruno Segatta, who Justin met during his time at Gonzaga University, is an artist and selfless priest.  Father Segatta inspired Justin to give back to the community. When the Bruno blends are sold out, Va Piano donates a portion of the proceeds to a charity of Father Bruno’s choice.  We tried two Syrah’s – the 07 Syrah and 08 Estate Syrah, which were inky black, spicy and fabulous.  But it was the 07 Cabernet that made me a card carrying member of Va Piano’s wine club.  At $38 a bottle, it rivaled some of Napa’s heavy hitters currently in my cellar.  Let’s just say that I cancelled my Far Niente membership because I liked it that much (the rule in my house is that if I add a wine club, I must cancel a wine club – actually my husband made up this rule after one particular Visa bill).

The next day, we made a brief stop at Airfield Wines where my favorite wine was the Aviator ( $30). It was a big Bordeaux style blend and since my cousin is in process of finalizing his clearance to be a fighter pilot, I loved the history of the winery.

The next day we headed to visit Alexandria Nicole Cellars.  Because Margot and Dave were wine club members, we were given VIP treatment and access to the back room, where we tried more than 16 wines on their tasting list – we even showed restraint as they have 21 varietals.  My favorites included the 07 Jet Black Syrah, 09 Rousanne, 08 Quarry Butte (ah Quarry Butte…), 07 Cabernet and 08 Crawford Viognier.  We also had the chance to sample some older vintages – the 03 and 05 cabernets and merlots from Alexandria Nicole’s enomatics system.  Again, the evolution in the glass and the changes over a two-year period were notable.

Then it was time for lunch.  I was excited to finally meet Scott who has been a long-time friend on Twitter, but I wasn’t prepared for the red carpet that was rolled out by my new Washington friends.  We went to eat at Tuscany and were met by Coop, Sara and Kevin.  Coop brought a bottle of his not yet released 08 Pinot Gris and it paired perfectly with the delicious food.

Mark your calendars for the debut of Cooper Wine Company’s Red Mountain grand opening on Sept. 11.  If his Bordeaux-style reds rival the Pinot Gris, you won’t be sorry. 

We left Tuscany and I had the chance to experience Fidelitas Wines in Red Mountain.  We originally planned to visit several wineries on Red Mountain, but were drawn in by Charlie Hoppes’ big red wines at Fidelitas Wines along with the hospitality of Marilyn and Cindy.  Let’s just say that another case of wine now has a home in Dallas that includes the 07 Red Mountain Cabernet Franc ($40), the 07 Jaguar red ($20), 2007 Champoux Vineyard Cabernet  ($60) and 07 Red Mountain Red ($50).   

P.S. Here is a photo of the not debuted yet packaging…

Our last and final stop was Sean Gilbert at Gilbert Cellars in Yakima where we tasted an array of reds, whites and a Rose’ of Mourvedre paired with cheeses, olives and Marcona almonds.  While I enjoyed every one of his wines, it was the 07 Cabernet Sauvignon ($28) and 07 Cabernet Franc ($32) that will be joining us in Dallas once the Texas heat has diminished.

Sean also talked us out of our dinner selection and sent us to an unmarked sports bar with a hunter complete with a scoped rifle as the signage.  Thankfully we trusted him and enjoyed a great dinner with a bottle of Gilbert Cellars’ Malbec.  We ended the evening hanging out with Margot and Dave in their room where we told stories and toasted a wonderful trip with a few special favorite wines.