I could go on and on and on about all the wonderful array of wines I’ve tasted over the past six weeks here in la belle France and Italy’s Piemonte, but I’ve limited my touts today to wines that I know you can find without too much rooting around. I’ve added some salient sports stuff, too, free of charge. Cheers!
White
2022 Ceretto Blange Arneis
From the winemaker: “Crisp and bright, it’s a perfect match for the white-wine person who enjoys freshness (over oak) on their palate. With vibrant acidity and enticing aromas of green apple, Bartlett pear and orange blossom intertwined with subtle hints of almond, this wine will pair well with a wide variety of food and is lovely on its own.”
From James Suckling, who scored it a 90: “This is fresh and floral with notes of lemons, pears, chamomile, jasmine and chalk. Medium-bodied with juicy acidity and vivid, citrusy character. Flavorful finish.”
From me: This was the first arneis I had ever tasted and, hundreds of bottles later, it continues to be my favorite. The Cerettos didn’t save this once-obscure varietal from extinction, but, with their huge production, super-cool label and consistently excellent quality, they deserve as much credit as anyone for its current popularity.
$22.99 at http://wine.com
Pink
2022 Chêne Bleu Le Rosé
From the winemaker: “Fresh but disciplined. A blend of syrah and grenache, our Le Rosé is a finely textured, complex Syrah-Grenache blend. Importantly, it is made in a multi-step process relying on skin contact – a short maceration, not by the traditional saignée method – in order to reveal the full texture and character of the grape variety and give it nice length and structure.”
From me: This age-worthy pink is a complex blend of grenache (60 percent), syrah (15), vermentino/rolle (12), mourvèdre (8) and cinsault from the Ventoux AOC. It’s equal parts fresh, fruity and floral, with a longer, nuanced finish than you’ll get from most rosés.
$36 at Double Decanted (http://doubledecanted.com)
Red
2020 Pio Cesare Nebbiolo d’Alba
From the winemaker: “The sources of the grapes, enriched by a small proportion of nebbiolo from the Barbaresco and Barolo regions, provide body, structure and a long ageing potential. The fruit is intense and ripe, but at the same time fresh with very sweet tannins. Nice aroma and longevity.”
From James Suckling, who scored it a 92: “Perfumed and floral with hints of citrus. Strawberry. Medium-bodied with firm and fine tannins, and a bright and fresh finish. Pretty. Baby Barbaresco. Drink or hold.”
From me: A mid-1980s Pio Cesare Barolo turned me on to nebbiolo and my love for same has only heightened through the years.
$38.99 from http://wine.com
2021 Pio Cesare Fides Barbera d’Alba
From the winemaker: “Shows full body, balance and concentration. Ripe fruit with a spicy edge. Can be laid down for a very long life in the cellar.”
From James Suckling, who scored it a 94: “A linear and fresh barbera with dark fruit, bark, walnuts and orange peel. It’s medium-bodied with well-integrated tannins. Focused and fine. Sophisticated. Tangy finish. Very long.”
From me: Back in the day, oenophiles didn’t take barbera seriously. These days, that would be a big mistake. Complex, concentrated barberas like this — and those coming out of the relatively new Nizza DOCG — must be taken seriously. I’d also suggest you try the two crazy-good Nizza from Amista that are on the list at Andiron. You’ll very quickly taste what I’m talking about here.
$55.99 at http://wine.com
2020 Domaine de Mourchon Grand Reserve
From the winemaker: “This wine is deep purple in colour with a nose suggesting spices, liquorice and cooked red fruit. The palate is full bodied with elegant fruit intensity, some spice and harmonious tannins.”
From me: A blend of grenache (65 percent) and syrah grown on 60-year-old vines around the lovely village of Seguret in the Southern Rhone Valley, it’s vinified in a mix of barrels and concrete vats. I’ve tried every vintage since 2000 and have never been disappointed.
$31 at http://aocselections.com
2021 St. Pierre de Mejans Côtes de Luberon Rouge Vielles Vignes
From the winemaker: “This red wine from our most beautiful plots delivers strength and power, all coated in sweetness. It’s a beautiful balance between the sun of Provence and the spices of Syrah.”
From me: In a word, it’s simply delicious and pairs splendidly with all manner of meat, fish and fowl. I’d be a huge fan even if the winery’s owner, Wendy Heineken Gobbi wasn’t from the Houston area.
$33 at http://aocselections.com
The Sports Page
Raising a glass to . . . Dusty Baker
They simply don’t come any better than Dusty, who retired this week after the Astros’ Game-Seven ALCS loss to the Texas Rangers. I was of the opinion he should have said his farewells after he became the oldest manager to win a World Series last year, but, in retrospect, Baker made the right call at every level by returning because that’s who he is. If he could claim one championship, he reasoned, why not try to go for a second? And, by sticking around, Dusty treated his players, the media and the fans to an extra priceless year of Dusty.
Sadly, I barely got to know the man because he arrived in H-town just as I was bidding adieu to the city’s press boxes, so I’ll leave to my friend and former colleague Jerome Solomon, the Chronicle sports columnist, to put in proper perspective the remarkable scope of Baker’s first-ballot Hall-of-Fame career:
“The story of baseball cannot be told without including Johnnie B. Baker . . . He broke into the majors as a 19-year-old outfielder in 1968. He shared a box score with Hank Aaron in his first game as a player and carried Satchel Paige’s golf clubs as a rook with the Braves. He finished his playing career on a team with Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco. In Baker’s first game as a manager, 25 years after his debut as a player, Barry Bonds was on his roster. Baker was in the on-deck circle when Aaron hit home run No. 715, and he was in the dugout as a manager when Bonds hit a record 73 homers in 2001.”
Yea, we were truly blessed to have Baker in our midst for four seasons, which became four of the greatest in Astros history:
Pouring one out for . . . H-town’s sports fans
We’ve been through worse times — check out the Oilers’, Rockets’ and Astros’ records in 1972, for example — but have we ever had a more thoroughly disappointing seven-day stretch? Not in my 50-plus years as a resident of Space City. To wit:
- Monday, Oct. 23: The Astros were deprived of an historic third consecutive trip to the World Series by getting blown out 11-4 on their own field by a Rangers team they had routinely pounded all season long.
- Wednesday, Oct. 25: After a promising preseason in which they went 4-1 under new coach Ime Udoka, the Rockets suffered a 30-point thumping in their season-opener at Orlando.
- Thursday, Oct. 26: Dusty retired.
- Friday, Oct. 27: The Rockets succumbed in overtime to the San Antonio Spurs, who were led by their top draft pick, Francis Wembanyama, the generational talent who would have landed in Houston if not for the NBA’s friggin’ draft lottery, which robbed the Rockets of the No. 1 slot.
- Saturday, Oct. 28: The University of Houston Cougars were thoroughly humiliated at Kansas State, going down 41-0 and incurring their first shutout in 23 years and a span of 291 games. They have lost four of their first five games as members of the Big 12.
- Sunday, Oct. 29: Playing at Carolina against the 0-6 Panthers — the NFL’s lone remaining winless team, the Texans were beaten by a walk-off field goal for the second time in three games. Later, the Rockets watched old Warriors nemesis Steph Curry bury them in a flurry of late three-pointers in their home-opener to fall to 0-3.
I should probably also mention the Tennessee Titans’ galling decision to wear throwback Houston Oilers uniforms in their game against Baltimore in Nashville Sunday, At least the scumbags lost.
H-Town happenings
Tastings Every Saturday at French Country Wines: Noon-5 p.m. Free. http://frenchcountrywines.com
Tastings Every Wednesday at Montrose Cheese & Wine: 5-7 p.m. Free. http://montrosecheeseandwine.com
Tastings Every Thursday at Cueva in the Marriott Marquis Houston: 6:30-7:30 p.m. $40 http://eventbrite.com
Symposium Saturdays: 4-5 p.m. at Stella’s Wine Bar in the Post Oak Hotel. $75. http://eventbrite.com
VinellIo Wine Club presents Piedmont Collectibles: 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30. $45. http://eventbrite.com
A Taste of Tuscan Legends: 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at Morton’s Steakhouse Downtown. $169. http://eventbrite.com
The Magic of Tuscany: 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at Morton’s Grille The Woodlands. $159. http://eventbrite.com
Wine Tasting: Noon Saturday, Nov. 4, at Light Years. $50 http://eventbrite.com
Balboa Wine Dinner: 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at The Grotto Downtown. $120. http://eventbrite.com
Wine & Real Estate Tasting: 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at the Texas Real Estate Investment Center. Free http://eventbrite.com
Bowling & Beaujolais In Celebration of Beaujolais Day: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, at Bowl & Barrel. $35. http://eventbrite.com
The French Food & Wine Festival: 6:30-9:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, at the Post Oak Hotel. $2169 early bird, $229 regular. French Festival 2023 | FACC Texas
Catena’s Wine Garden: 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, at Brenner’s Steakhouse. $95. http://eventbrite.com
Vino Vinyasa: 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 19, at the C. Baldwin Hotel. $30. http://eventbrite.com
Wine Dinner Celebrating the Season and Cabernet Franc: 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7, at the Atkins House. $85. http://eventbrite.com
The Rado Wine Club Tasting Experience: 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, at the Rado MKT. $50. http://eventbrite.com
Follow me
Podcast: Sporty Wine Guy, wherever you get your podcasts. A new one will drop in the next day or two. Lots to talk about, particularly regarding my guided tour next spring to the Piemonte. Anyone up for lunching at a three-star Michelin restaurant? Welp, we’ve got four spots open.
Instagram: http://@sportywineguy
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And, finally, from my Podcast Partner in crime, Jeremy Parzen, at http://dobianchi.com . . .
“On Friday of last week, the Consorzio dei Vini d’Abruzzo (Abruzzo wine growers association) published this video of its president Alessandro Nicodemi talking about the current peronospora (downy mildew) crisis in Abruzzo. The average drop in production in the 2023 vintage in Abruzzo, he says, is 70 percent, with estimates exceeding 90 percent in some cases. The cause, as has been widely reported, was peronospora, downy mildew, a fungal disease that affects the vines after excessive rainfall. Last week, I led a group of top U.S. sommeliers through the region. Nearly every where we traveled, we saw entire vineyards that had been left unharvested. We also saw many sites where the plants had lost all their vegetation . . .”
The Sporty Wine Guy 