Nick Maloney is a Californian who makes wines in both California and Burgundy, where he trained with some of the best in the business while honing his own palate in the process. Hence, Maloney is a New World guy with an Old World soul, which insured that his Father John/Père Jean wines, whatever their provenance, would be hyper-low in alcohol relative to modern standards.
“But,” he said, “I was told repeatedly that’s not going to work” because of how 21st century tastes have evolved, or devolved as the case may be.
Maloney refused to listen. And, when he took a first sip of what would become his inaugural Napa chardonnay, the 2020 Mesnil sur Blanc Cuvée 7, not long after the grapes were pressed, he felt vindicated. He knew he’d nailed it. Alcohol-wise, this newbie wine made from seven primo sites – with the Hyde Vineyard in Carneros front and center – came in “on the dot,” 12.5 percent alcohol. Flavor- and structure-wise? Well – and this is no exaggeration, friends – I thought I was tasting Grand Cru Burgundy. Le Montrachet even.
What elegance. What structure. What a juxtaposition of power and finesse. In a word, amazing.
Now, the bad news. Production was miniscule it will be available in Houston – in the entire U.S. market, for that matter – only at Stella’s, the sleek new wine bar in the Post Oak Hotel. Apparently, the head sommelier there, Julie Dalton, reacted much as I did and pounced. Maloney said she could have it on the condition that Stella’s wine list price would be no lower than $750.
Yep, Le Montrachet territory.
Maloney plans to also release the wine to just a single restaurant in six other countries, although it’s not placed anywhere yet. Clearly, he’s counting on similar reactions to Dalton’s, mine and his.
So who is Nicholas “Nick” Maloney? For starters, he makes his home in Katy – yes, Katy! – with his wife Ana Briz and their son Niko, whose next birthday will be his second. He met Ana on a serendipitous visit to a local ice house after he’d stopped here to explore distribution options in Texas. Briz, recently arrived from Guatemala, had landed a job with Texas Children’s Hospital and was out celebrating with new friends and colleagues.
Soon after they fell in love, Maloney concluded Houston would be a good half-way point between California and France and, in addition to Ana’s work ties to the area, Katy offered value in terms of real estate, certainly compared to California’s wine country. And, now, who knows? Niko could grow up to be a football star. Katy is more known for producing same than world-class vintners like his dad.
Maloney himself grew up on an apple farm in Sebastapol in Sonoma County and eventually founded his winery there in 2010, naming it after his grandfather, the Reverend John Weaver, a beloved Episcopal priest with, he recalls, “a big heart and a larger-than-life personality.” After driving a tractor in a vineyard in high school, he aimed higher, moving to France and honing his wine-making skills in such places as the Haute Savoie, Margaux, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Savigny-lès-Beaune, Pernand Vergelesses and Chablis.
Regarding the latter, Maloney said, “I love the linear acidity you find in those wines.”
He’s also a huge fan of white wines from Switzerland, which he also knows well and where he currently sells the most wine. He says through his travels he has uncovered a wine-making “technique, our house secret” that he believes is unique to Father John Wines and helps explains the straight-from-the-chute magic of the Cuvée 7. Pushed for more details, however, he politely declined.
“If you go to the great Burgundy houses and start knocking on their doors, asking for their secrets,” Maloney said with a sly smile, “they won’t tell you either. Why should I?”
He did reveal one thing, though. Almost all the other wineries who source their fruit from the Hyde Vineyard “are letting their grapes hang for a month longer than mine.” There you go. That’s how he keeps the alcohol in his (not so sweet) spot.
Go to fatherjohnwinery.com for info on all of Maloney’s wines.
Kudos
Three of Wedding Oak Winery’s 2019 vintage Texas wines claimed gold medals in the recent San Francisco International Wine Competition:
* Granitique, Cherokee Creek Vineyards, High Valley Block – It’s a syrah (50 percent), mourvèdre (45) and Carignan blend that spent 18 months in French oak, 25 percent new. Weddingoakwinery.comwine-club members can purchase it for $35.
* 2019 Tempranillo Tallent Vineyards – The fruit, all tempranillo, is from Drew Tallent’s prized property in Mason, just west of Fredericksburg. It aged in American oak, 30 percent new. It’s also a member’s-only wine, selling for $40.
* 2019 Sangiovese Buena Suerte Vineyards – The High Plains sangiovese is blended with a little primativo and teroldego to add color and structure. This wine also spent 18 months in French oak, 15 percent new. It’s available to everyone through the website for $30.
H-town happenings
* Saturday, March 12 – Empanada and Wine Night, SERCA Wines Tasting Room. 6-8 p.m. 713 405-0082. $35 per person or $90 for four with a bottle.
* Monday, March 14 – Taste of Italy Houston. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Hilton Post Oak Hotel, 2001 Post Oak Blvd. tasteofitalyhouston.com
* Ongoing through March 20 – The Champion Wine Garden at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Go to rodeohouston.com for a complete list of entertainers and wine-seminar presenters.
Breaking news!
I’m working with a longtime Houston chef-restaurateur on a revamped wine list that will feature a greatly enhanced rosé program, perfect for the season and for his spicy, frequently Asian-influenced dishes. I might even spend a little time on the floor, at least during happy hour. Details coming soon.
Podcast Update
Jeremy Parzen and I will be dropping hot wine takes right and left. Look for it to drop Friday afternoon (March 11) by going to “Sporty Wine Guy” wherever you find your podcasts.
Follow me
* Twitter: @sportywineguy
* Instagram: sportywineguy
* Facebook: Dale Robertson
* Podcast: Sporty Wine Guy
Follow these guys, too
Recently updated postings:
* Sandra Crittenden (winelifehouston.com) – Sandra shares her latest Galveston Monthly piece on Chiantis that she tasted at a recent Italian American Chamber of Commerce event in Houston.
* Russ Kane (vintagetexas.com) – It’s last-call time to enroll in Kane’s “Specialist of Texas Wine” class scheduled for March 23 at AOC, and he’s got all the information for you on his site.
* Jeff Kralik (thedrunkencyclist.com): Jeff evaluates and rates wines from his personal collection – not freebie samples! – that have recently made him very happy.
* Jeremy Parzen (dobianchi.com): The Roma wine director and my podcast partner in crime shares a touching story about how, during the COVID lockdown period, he helped a musician friend discover the wonders of Italian nebbiolo.
* Katrina Rene (thecorkscrewconcierge.com) – Kat showers some love on the Ribbon Ridge AVA in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.
The Sporty Wine Guy 