Houston Wine Merchant has always told our customers that it was impossible to produce a sulfite-free wine. There are naturally occuring sulfites on grape skins that show up in any wine. Well, it turns out that there is another take on it. Winemakers Tony Norskog and Donn Berdahl have found that these grape-skin sulfites are absorbed by yeast in the fermentation process! They seemed to have approached the issue in the most scientific way that we have seen so far. In fact, they’ve done such a good job that we are now selling one of their wines. It’s called Our Daily Red and it’s available at $8.99. See what you think.
L’Ecole No. 41 ~ 11/11/11
Posted by: Kenan Hester, CSW (@VinoKeno)
Friday, we tasted the lineup from an iconic Washington producer, none other than L’Ecole No. 41. The L’Ecole Winery folks are considered by many to be pioneers in the Walla Walla and Columbia Valleys of Washington, where they were the 3rd bonded winery established in the state. The winery is named for the old schoolhouse in Walla Walla, built in 1915, where the winery has made its home since 1983. It is important to note that L’Ecole recently underwent a label change (you can see shots of both the old and new label designs below). It was generally agreed by those who attended that the wines were very nice, but that the reds are built in a style more conducive to aging than drinking young. These wines will definitely benefit from some time in the bottle, and have the structure to age for upwards of 10-15 years. The night’s events went a little something like this:
2010 L’Ecole Chardonnay, Columbia Valley – $19.99
We started off with the Columbia Valley Chardonnay. The wine had fresh, clean flavors with vibrant green apple, tropical fruits and nice mineral notes adding a little richness and complexity. Nice Chardonnay for the price, and not overly oaked by any stretch of the imagination!
2009 L’Ecole Semillon, Columbia Valley – $15.99 (old label pictured left)
The Semillon came second and was easily the crowd favorite among the two whites. Rich and soft with honeysuckle, lychee, and citrus blossom notes. This is not overly weighty, like Semillon can sometimes be, but the wine had nice vibrant acidity which kept the wine light on it’s feet, despite the fuller body.
2009 L’Ecole ‘Red Wine’, Columbia Valley – $19.99
A great value at this pricepoint, this blend contains all 5 grapes of Bordeaux as well as a healthy chunk of Syrah. Red cherry, plum and cola join dark fruits on the palate culminating in a wine that was agreed by most who joined us as the best of the reds for drinking now.
2008 L’Ecole Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley – $31.99
We tasted the Cabernet first because L’Ecole’s Merlot is a monster! This is pretty classically styled Cab, and at this pricepoint makes an excellent bottle to lay down for a few years, without breaking the bank. Aromas of leather saddlebag and cassis transition to a palate with lush black fruits joined by plum and hints of bittersweet chocolate. The finish is full of earth and beautiful spice notes. Lovely!
2008 L’Ecole Merlot, Columbia Valley -$26.99
Washington produces some of my favorite domestic Merlots, and this one is very nice! This has a brooding quality that is just gorgeous with elegant aromas of baking spices hinting at clove and nutmeg on the nose. Dark fruit is abundant on the palate with blackberry and black cherry interwoven with toasty spice notes carrying through a persistent finish. I like this a lot, and with a few years of bottle age, this could prove to be a tough to beat value for the savy drinker!
2008 L’Ecole ‘Apogee’ Blend, Walla Walla Valley – $53.99
60% Cabernet Sauvignon / 29% Merlot / 8% Malbec / 3 % Cabernet Franc
This was the only one of the Walla Walla series wines from L’Ecole that we tasted, and I think that this is where L’Ecole really shines. Agreed by most who tasted to be the favorite of the reds, this wine had very expressive fruit character, beating most of what you will see from Napa at $20 more than the cost of this bottle! All of the fruit for ‘Apogee’ comes from the well known Pepper Bridge Vineyard in Walla Walla, known for producing wines with spicy and bold aromatic expressions. The nose hints at tea, herbal notes and sweet tobacco (very expressive indeed). On the palate, there is dense, dark fruit wrapped in a blanket of smoke, cocao and mint nuances. The finish is long and heady. This will also age quite nicely for the patient and savy drinker.
Thanks to everyone who came out and joined us Friday night. We had a great time! The wines are on the shelf, so come and check ‘em out if you missed the tasting.
Tasting Announcement: Terra Blanca Estate Vineyards of Red Mountain
Posted by: Kenan Hester, CSW (@VinoKeno)
It seems hard to believe that it has already been a year since I was driving through the Cascade Mountains on my way to Red Mountain in Washington’s Columbia Valley for harvest. Since then, I’ve had the joy of introducing you to some of the fantastic wines that come from this special place, but rest assured: I’m not done yet! 
About 6 months ago, I was having a conversation with one of the Managers for a small distributor here in town. He was picking my brain for ideas on new wines to bring in, and I told him, “without a doubt, you have to get your hands on some good wines from Red Mountain!” When he called me a few months later to give me the news that he had picked up an awesome producer from this tiny AVA, I was naturally very excited. Allow me to introduce you to Terra Blanca!
I had heard about Terra Blanca while working the harvest, but didn’t get a chance to visit last year. I tasted the wines for the first time here in Houston with Keith Pilgrim, the winemaker and owner. Keith is a former geologist who developed a love for the good juice early in his career. 
His Terra Blanca Estate sits on 300 acres of the southwest corner of Red Mountain, with 80 acres planted to vine. Keith married his two passions (geology and wine) together when he completed Washington’s first underground wine storage caves on property at their estate. The caves naturally maintain a 58 degree temperature and 95% humidity, perfect conditions for aging wine in barrels. Due to the higher humidity, the alcohols evaporate more rapidly from the barrel, so Keith is able to pick his fruit at higher ripeness and sugar levels and still maintain low alcohol levels in the wines. Red Mountain sees very warm days and very cool nights, so the fruit reaches optimum ripeness, while still maintaining brilliant natural acidity. The resulting style is a well-structured wine that is balanced and elegant with rich, opulent fruit, all in a low alcohol package.
Please join us this coming Saturday from 2-4 PM for a tasting of the Terra Blanca wines. We will be pouring the Chardonnay & Syrah from their Arch Terrace line as well as the Merlot, Cabernet, and Bordeaux blend from the Signature Series line. Last, but not least, we’ll wrap things up with Terra Blanca’s premium blend called Onyx (a tribute to all 5 grapes of Bordeaux). You won’t want to miss these. We look forward to seeing you this weekend!
DeSante Wines from Napa ~ 11/5/11
Posted by: Kenan Hester, CSW (@VinoKeno)
For today’s tasting we were joined by the lovely Gretchen Reeves of Vintage Select Wines to taste the oustanding wines from DeSante in Napa. If you missed this tasting and talk to anyone who came, you’ll be kicking yourself. The wines are made by David DeSante who received his Masters in Oenology at UC Davis. He worked initially in the Margaret River of Western Australia, renowned for its Bordeaux varietal wines. After turning down an internship at Chateau Lafite in Bordeaux to work doing clonal research with Mr. Robert Mondavi in the 1970′s, David continues to make wine in Napa for big name wineries such as Tierra Roja, Oakville Terraces, and Jaffe. The DeSante wines are his personal project, and I’m pretty sure you’re going to fall in love with them. We sure did! Today’s tasting went something like this:
First Wine:
2008 DeSante ‘L’Atelier’ Sauvignon/Semillon (Napa, California) $22.99 - 350 cases produced
This 60% Sauvignon Blanc 40% Semillon blend has what I refer to as “sense of place” from beginning to end. Both of the vineyards contributing fruit to the blend are organically dry-farmed; the result is beautiful concentration and purity of fruit. The nose is distinctly earthy with bell pepper notes that sting the nostrils gently in the most pleasing way. The entry to the palate brings a wave of soft fruit and mineral with texture and a little more mid-palate weight & roundness contributed by the Semillon. Gorgeously balanced, this blend is reminiscent of Bordeaux in style, but the fruit is distinctly Napa. Love it!
Second Wine:
2008 DeSante ‘Old Vine’ Sauvignon Blanc (Napa, California) $33.99 – 125 cases produced
This is the first wine we tasted from DeSante a couple of months ago, and it’s already a staff favorite here at HWM. This is a show-stopper and worth every penny, trust me! It’s a departure from your typical Napa SB, as the style is completely different. The fruit comes from the historic Varozza vineyard in St. Helena. This vineyard boasts the only true old vine Sauvignon Blanc in Napa (planted in 1974) according to David DeSante. The nose is a playful swirl of warm soil aromas and sweet peach fruit, lovely and quite unlike most of what you will see from other domestic SB’s. The juice spends a short time in French barrels, so the palate is rich and decadent but not weighty at all. There’s some old vine complexity going on here that you just won’t find in most domestic Sauvignon Blanc. Super cool stuff and one of a kind.
Third Wine:
2007 DeSante ‘Old Vine’ Chardonnay (Napa, California) $32.99 – 500 cases produced
The fruit for DeSante’s Old Vine Chard comes from the unique and beautiful head-trained Chardonnay vines of the Varozza vineyard. The juice spends 9 months in old French oak barrels, more for texture than for flavor. If you love Chablis or the classic Chardonnays from the Napa of the 1970′s, you’re gonna be all over this. On the nose you get salty honeycomb notes coupled with hints of wildflowers and pears. More pear fruit on the palate is wrapped in mineral and acidity that dances gracefully on the tongue. The finish just seems to hang around. Wow!
Fourth Wine:
2008 DeSante Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa, California) $67.99 – 450 cases produced
100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville. The fruit comes from the Tierra Roja, Oakville Terraces and Gargiulo vineyards, so we’re talking some serious pedigreed fruit here. This is unusually expressive for a stand-alone Cab, with hi-toned aromas of sweet tart candy backed by warm fig and cherry notes wrapping up the nose. On the palate this wine is soft and round with underlying acidity that will ensure the wine can age beautifully for years to come. Rich and ripe, but deftly balanced. Think dark fruits on the palate with a dusty mocha finish that just doesn’t stop…absolutely bangin’ Cab and worth every bit of the ticket!
Fifth Wine:
2006 DeSante ‘Oakville Terraces’ Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa, California) $84.99 – a miniscule 85 cases produced
100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Oakville Terraces vineyard, owned by Gary Raugh. This vineyard site is unique, with extremely steep slopes overlooking the Harlan Estate, Screaming Eagle and Dalla Valle wineries. All work in this vineyard is done by hand; the harvest requires 30 men to pass the fruit in a bucket-brigade-style line down the hill. The shallow soils, less than 18 inches deep, stress the vines enough to coax every bit of flavor possible from this unique terroir. The wine has a beautiful dark purple color with an herbal nose of sage, dust and dark currant fruit aromas. On the palate, black cherry, blackberry and chocolate transition to blueberry and graphite-like mineral which is contributed by the white porous volcanic rock layers beneath the red gravel soils. The finish is focused with bright acidity that keeps the wine light on its feet. Gorgeous!
The wines are on the shelf, so come and check ‘em out!
A look at the stunning Oakville Terraces vineyard property.
Hope you enjoyed. We’ll see ya next week for tastings of a couple of our favorite Washington producers, L’Ecole from the Columbia Valley and Terra Blanca from Red Mountain….. Cheers!
Stephen Miles Selections from Spain ~ 11/4/11
Posted by Kenan Hester, CSW (@Vinokeno)
So here we go with our first HWM Tasting Recap! This will be a new tradition. Each week on Friday and Saturday, we will recap our tastings and tell you a little bit about each wine we tried. If you miss the tasting, this will be a great place for you to get “the skinny” on what you missed.
Today we tasted some killer little Spanish beauties from the Stephen Miles Selections portfolio. You will remember today’s last wine, the Huerta Albala Barbazul, from April/May’s Wines of the Month offerings. That wine was a huge hit with our customers, and these are some more of the gems from this groovy portfolio that we’ve discovered since then! Let’s get straight to the wines we tasted today. One white, five reds… and it went something like this:
First Wine:
2010 Pazo Barrantes Albarino (Rias Baixas, Spain) $17.99
This Albarino isn’t actually one of the Stephen Miles Selections, but we had to at least taste one white, so we threw it in the mix for good measure. This is a little bit more round than your typical Albarino. Think more along the lines of slightly bitter pear notes versus the citrus that you typically see from this varietal. The mineral is the there, and a little bit of that salty sea-spray thing that you expect from Albarino. It has a little funkyness to it, not my particular favorite Albarino, but several expressed that they liked it this evening. It reminded me of a lot of Torrontes that I’ve had, so if you like those Mendoza Torrontes wines, chances are you’ll really dig this.
Second Wine:
2009 Pasion de Bobal (Utiel-Requena, Spain) $15.99
This little beauty was a bit of a surprise for many of us, being made from a grape that was all but passed off as good for producing nothing more than cheap jug wine. Bobal is the name of the grape; I’ve heard about it before when studying, but this was the first one I had tasted. It was a smash hit tonight, and agreed by most to be the favorite of the tasting! It starts with brooding cherry pie aromas with just a touch of perfume, reminiscent of Grenache in that manner. The palate is medium bodied, and well-balanced with both red and dark fruits, just a touch of acidity lifting it and framing in the structure. This is a very nice drink!
Third wine:
2009 Matiz Roble (Ribera del Duero, Spain) $15.99
I remember this wine from the first time I tasted it about 2 months ago. 100% Tempranillo, and what an awesome little value from the Ribera del Duero! It’s super earthy on the nose with some spice in the background. A dark colored wine with lots of dark fruits on the palate and plenty of big chewy tannins on the finish. This is an awesome weeknight dinner wine to go alone with anything from burgers to steaks.
Fourth Wine:
2009 Pieque Tinto Mencia (Bierzo, Spain) $13.99
This little Mencia was quite the surprise of the night. I think it was my personal favorite, perhaps. You just don’t see Mencia of this quality and complexity at this pricepoint. We’ve had lots of success with Mencia as a variety here in the shop this year, and this one will certainly see lots of action. Dusty cocao and earthy manure on the nose (very pleasing and quite fragrant). Round and bright, with just enough acidity and a touch of tannin to wrap things up. This makes an awesome food pairing wine, but stands alone very well too. I’m thinkin Chicken Enchiladas with Mole sauce would be awesome!
Fifth Wine:
2008 Hispanos Suizos ‘Bassus’ Pinot Noir (Valencia, Spain) $39.99
What?! 100% Pinot Noir from Spain??? Let the shock wear off a little bit, then have some fun with this one. Not your typical Pinot, more full bodied certainly. That being said, this is one that needs air. You’re going to notice more of those “Pinot” qualities after it’s had some time to breathe. That being said, it was generally agreed that everyone liked it quite a bit. I’m re-tasting it now a couple hours after it’s been open and the acidity is singing now, whereas it seemed more round before. I officially dig Spanish Pinot Noir. “Who woulda thunk it?!”
Sixth Wine:
2008 Huerta Albala Barbazul (Tierra de Cadiz, Spain) $14.99
Last, but certainly not least… a fan favorite around here. Barbazul is a blend of Tintilla de Rota, Syrah, Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon. I was shocked to read the back label and find that it is 15% ABV, cause this little puppy is balanced and drinkable. Quite drinkable actually! Earth and fruit together on the nose with no burn whatsoever. On the palate the wine is balanced with more red fruits than dark.. think red berries. The finish keeps going for a while. Yepp, still like this!
Thanks to everyone who came out tonight! Great to see you all as always, hoping you will start chiming in here in the comments. Leave us your own recap! The wines from tonight’s tasting are on the shelf, so come check em out!
We will see everyone tomorrow to taste the wines from DeSante in Napa. One of my favorite ’07 Napa Cabs in the house and a super groovy Sauv Blanc that comes from the only true Old Vines of Sauvignon Blanc planted in Napa. We’re joined by Gretchen Reeves with Vintage Select Wines for our tasting, guaranteed good times on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon… Cheers!
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