Updated April 22

Sorry, folks, lots of ground to cover today. We’ll start with sports because I was away from the blog for a couple of weeks while covering the Texas Children’s Houston Open (that would be Houston’s PGA Tour golf tournament for you non sports folks) and the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U. S. Men’s Clay Court Championship. (Right, tennis.) In short, both proved to be extraordinary.

The final round of the golf sort of summed up for me why I squandered my life going to ball games, etc. (It wasn’t for the big bucks, to be sure.) We woke up Sunday morning with five men tied for the lead, four of them guys I really hadn’t heard of before Sunday morning, and Scottie Schleffer, the former Texas Longhorn who’s the world’s best golfer and who was trying to win his third consecutive Tour start. Had he prevailed at Memorial Park, he would have won four in a row because, after he left Houston, he went to Augusta, Ga., and won a second friggin’ Masters.

But, in H-town, Scottie blinked. The German Stefan Jaeger, ranked 43rd on the same leader board that Scheffler is the runaway No. 1, didn’t and therefore claimed his first-ever PGA title. Hey, that’s why we play the games and the tournaments. Nothing is pre-ordained on the field, in the arena, or on the course. On any given Sunday . . .

Except on the LPGA Tour? Nelly Korda did what Scottie couldn’t do, extending her Tour-record tying win streak to five events with a dramatic closing round of her own Sunday in the Chevron Championship at Carlton Woods.

Meanwhile, at River Oaks, arguably the best man — because he was the No. 1 seed — won, never mind that said best man is all of 21 years old and had never prevailed on red dirt anywhere. Kid’s name is Ben Shelton (pictured below). Remember it. He’s special. The Rivers Oaks final was special, too, pitting two Black American men in an ATP Tour final for the first time ever. And it happened at a venue that that has a somewhat murky racial past.

I’ve been blessed to to have covered tennis at that gorgeous venue for 48 years now, and my first tournament in 1977 came only two years after Arthur Ashe made his first and last appearance on the grounds. There’s probably no one left alive who really knows the truth, but the indisputable fact is this: Ashe didn’t play in Houston until seven years after he had won the U. S. Open. Some will tell you he wasn’t invited because of the color of his skin. Others will say he didn’t think he would feel welcome because of the color of his skin and rejected the club’s overtures for that reason.

Anyway, Shelton’s three-set victory over Frances Tiafoe, the 2023 champion, was a near-classic between two gifted, immensely athletic players who also understand life’s bigger picture better than most jocks I’ve met. Note that Tiafoe hadn’t been the first Black to conquer the Stadium Court at River Oaks. That distinction belongs to Bryan Shelton, Ben’s dad, who won the River Oaks International in 1992, and was back on site this spring as Ben’s coach.

It’s important to add that both Shelton and Tiafoe insisted they have never been treated better anywhere on the ATP circuit than at River Oaks. All credit to the current members and, of course, to tournament director Bronwyn Greer and her right-hand person, Haley Wallace. Real pros, those two. Cool stories any way you slice them. Let’s raise a glass to Jaeger and both Sheltons. May many more titles follow!

And kudos to the Texans for landing Stefon Diggs, a huge addition on several levels. An elite receiver by any measure, he’s is going to be very good for young C. J. Stroud. And, yes, vice-versa.

As for the Astros . . . Da hell! Say it ain’t so, Joe. We should be worried, very worried, especially with the bullpen in collective free-fall mode. Two years ago, in route to winning a second World Series, they hadn’t lost their 16th game until May 23. Even last season’s so-so start — 11-10 through April 22 — seems red-hot by comparison. They’ll have to go 84-56 the rest of the way just to equal their so-so 90-72 finish in 2023.

Now, back to wine . . .

The day before I left for France I attended a tasting of Portuguese products, where I encountered an old friend . . . in a bottle. Anybody remember the Mateus Rose? Full disclosure: That was my go-to wine as a teenager with a fake ID in El Paso. I probably hadn’t tasted the stuff in more than 50 years and I would have expected it to be sickly sweet, given my, shall we say, unrefined taste back in those days.

Nope. The Mateus was a bit on the sweet side but not overly so. It was bright and fresh and, at under 10 bucks a bottle, a for-real bargain. Winemaker Diogo Sepulveda calls his wine, which has always been non-vintage and is a blend of baga, rufete, tinta barroca and touriga franca, “very appealing with a bright hue. On the whole, it is a fresh and seductive wine with fine and intense bouquet and all the joviality of young wines. In the mouth, it is a well balanced and tempting wine, brilliantly complemented by a soft and slightly fizzy finish.”

I liked the Mateus so much I made it a point to taste every Portuguese pink wine at the event, and there wasn’t a disappointing one in the bunch. Unfortunately, most of the others didn’t have distributors. Or such a lustrous history.

And, speaking of old friends, I made it point to catch up with two of the human kind on my third day in France, Domaine de Mourchon founder Walter McKinlay and Wendy Heineken Gobbi, who, with her French husband Jean-Marc Gobbi, owns the Château Saint Pierre de Mejans winery in the Luberon. Both have strong Houston ties because McKinlay began doing business in our fair city in the 1960s — North Sea oil shipping — and Heineken Gobbi grew up in Kingwood.

The Mourchon and Mejans wines, brought to Texas by my buddy Douglas Skopp’s Dionysus Imports, offer remarkable quality and value, not to say consistency. (Four of my current favorites are pictured below.) That has a lot to do with the face that McKinlay’s winemaker Sebastian Magnouac has been in the cellar near Seguret in the Southern Rhone Valley since the turn of the century, while Mejans’ Brice Doan de Champassak is celebrating his 27th year, having long preceded the Gobbis who bought the winery from Brice’s family only a few years back.

But both guys are still thinking outside the box and have recently released new reds into the market, although not yet the Texas market. I haven’t tasted either but intend to in the very near future.

Walter and Ronnie are living pretty much full-time in London now — his mobility ain’t what it used to be, but, then, who’s is? — so daughter Kate is running the business side at Mourchon. She has turned her parents’ hilltop villa, with a perfect view of Mont Ventoux to the east, into a rental residence that couldn’t be more perfectly situation for touring the Southern Rhone Valley. Ditto the ancient castle and neighboring mas at Mejans for taking in the many wonders of Provence.

Go to http://vrbo.com/france to book the former (http://domainedemourchon.com) and http://airbnb.com to book the latter (http://saintpierredemejans.com). Gorgeous destinations both, and only about an hour apart.

H-town happenings

Wine and Live Art Dinner: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 25, at Potente. $250.

Butcher’s Wine-Pairing Dinner: 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 26, at Central Market. $100. http://eventbrite.com http://eventbrite.com

Kemah Boardwalk Spring Wine Fest : 2 p.m. Saturday, April 27. $59.95. http://eventbrite.com

Derby Wine Fest: 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at Brenner’s on the Bayou. $150.00. http://eventbrite.com

Wine Dinner with a four-year vertical of Serca reds from Argentina: 6 p.m. Thursday, May 9, at the Aktins House. $105. http://eventbrite.com rom $105.00

Wine Lovers Run Houston: 7:30 a.m. Saturday, May 11, at Eleanor Tinsley Park. $35. http://eventbrite.com

Revana Wine Dinner: 6 p.m. Thursday, May 16, at La Griglia. $250. http://eventbrite.com

Wagyu and Wine Night: 6 p.m. Thursday, May 16, at R-C Ranch. $100. http://eventbrite.com

Six-Course Dinner and SERCA Wines Pairing with Chef Kristin Qassom: 6 p.m. Friday, May 17, at SERCA Wines. $195. http://eventbrite.com

Bazaar Food and Wine Festival: 5 p.m. Saturday, May 18, at Sugar Land Town Square. $150. http://eventbrite.com

Instagram: http://@sportywineguy

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Podcast: Sporty Wine Guy, wherever you get your podcasts. That’s me with my sidekick Jeremy Parzen above. Expect a new one sometime this week, or next. Hey, we’re busy blokes!     

Friends of mine to follow

Sandra Crittenden: http://winelifehousthon.com

Russ Kane: http://vintagetexas.com

Jeffrey Kralik: http://drunkencyclist.com

Katrina Rene: http://thecorkscrewconcie

White

2021 Kosta Browne One-Sixteen Chardonnay Russian River Valley

From the winemaker: “Expressive aromatics of fresh mango, honeyed lemon peel and toasted brioche encompass the senses. Stunningly balanced with a refined, smooth palate, lively acidity, and a weightless texture on the finish.”

From James Suckling, who scored it a 96: “Aromas of gunpowder, dried peach and sliced cooked apple. Sea shell. Pineapple. Medium to full body with a creamy texture and lots of fruit but still reserved at the end. Hints of brioche and caramel and then cream. Plenty of fruit and length.”

From me: You think of Kosta Browne and you think pinot noir. Well, think again. This is a world-class chardonnay and, yes, priced accordingly. But, having said that, try buying a bottle of Le Montrachet for 100 bucks.

$99.99 from http://wine.com

Rosé

2023 Figuière Méditerranée

From the winemaker: “Pale salmon pink in color. Nose has notes of white flowers that then develop into white peach skin. The palate expresses the velvety texture of citrus peel and the zestiness of an essential oil. Not mandarin, not lemon, not orange, more like kumquat. There’s something astringent, green, tight and fresh.”

From me: This family-owned domaine with its 210 acres of vines overlooks the Iles d’Or on the French Riviera. It may not be in the high-rent grape-growing neighborhoods of the South of France, which explains the price, but this wine fully captures the best of the sunny South of France in the bottle.

$16.99 at Whole Foods

White

2021 Kosta Browne One-Sixteen Chardonnay Russian River Valley

From the winemaker: “Expressive aromatics of fresh mango, honeyed lemon peel and toasted brioche encompass the senses. Stunningly balanced with a refined, smooth palate, lively acidity, and a weightless texture on the finish.”

From James Suckling, who scored it a 96: “Aromas of gunpowder, dried peach and sliced cooked apple. Sea shell. Pineapple. Medium to full body with a creamy texture and lots of fruit but still reserved at the end. Hints of brioche and caramel and then cream. Plenty of fruit and length.”

From me: You think of Kosta Browne and you think pinot noir. Well, think again. This is a world-class chardonnay and, yes, priced accordingly. But, having said that, good luck trying to buy a bottle of Le Montrachet for 100 bucks.

$99.99 from http://wine.com

Red

2019 J. Lohr Signature Cabernet Sauvignon

From the winemaker: “The cabernet from this vineyard ripens early with excellent color, purity of fruit, and phenolic maturity. Adding the rare Bordeaux variety saint-macaire to the blend brings dense savory elements, while a small amount of malbec contributes bright fruit notes to the finish.”

From the Wine Enthusiast, which scored it a 95: “Nearly opaque in the glass, this luxury-level bottling lays all of J. Lohr’s extensive tools on the table, and succeeds with an intense, complex package. Aromas of dark fruit, densely packed flowers, cocoa and coffee leads from the nose into a palate wrapped in expertly polished tannins. They’re firm, but relent at the right time to allow cassis, graphite and cappuccino flavors to shine.” 

From me: Again, $100 is real money. But, like the Kosta Browne chardonnay, it still over-delivers. It’s the best red I’ve tasted so far this year, and it has been a good year for tasting reds.

$100 at http://jlohr.com

2018 Hestan Vineyards Grenache Napa Valley

From the winemaker: “The grapes are pressed using 100-percent whole cluster fermentation and aged 20 months, providing the wine with great structure and freshness throughout the palate.The wine exhibits highly expressive notes of allspice, white pepper, and ripe red fruits, with a medium body mouthfeel it expresses a rich red intensity on the palate.”

From me: I tasted this side by side with one of my reference-standard wines from Gigondas. It was a wash. Impressive, to say the least.

$60 at hestanvineyards.com

2021 Hahn Pinot Noir Arroyo Seco

From the winemaker: “Ruby red in color, with aromas of black cherry, ripe red berry and subtle hints of vanilla and warm spice. On the palate, soft and delicate flavors of cherry and raspberry are followed by creamy nuances and spicy minerality, culminating in a pleasantly long finish.”

From me: Arroyo Seco couldn’t be more perfectly situated for growing great fruit. The rocky soils drain well and the ocean breezes blowing off Monterey Bay through the Salinas Valley ensure gradual ripening of the grapes. Longer hang times equals riper fruit. Location, location, location . . .

$17.99 at http://wine.com

2019 Zenato Alanera Rosso Veronese

From the winemaker: “Brilliant ruby in color, Alanera delights the senses with a variety of aromas and flavors that include fresh and dried cherries and prunes, sweet spice, and hints of coffee and tobacco. On the palate, Alanera is full-bodied with elegant and velvety tannins. Vibrant acidity brings balance and freshness, and supports a long and harmonious finish.”

From, the Wine Enthusiast, which scored it a 91: “This wine has forward aromas of black plum and blueberry pie. Though not an Amarone, the winery partially dries 50 percent of the grapes for a few months, creating a wine made from both fresh fruit and dried fruit that’s lush and rich on the palate but vibrant and intense in equal proportions. It is silky smooth, with a long finish of spiced plums and dried herbs.”

From me: Sergio Zenata, whose estate is located not far from the eastern shore of gorgeous Lake Garda, is known for making great wines that don’t cost a lot. I love people like Sergio Zenata.

$17.95 at http://vivino.com

2020 Malabaila Bric Volta Roero

From the winemaker: “Bright garnet red color. Red fruit aromas like raspberry, strawberry and blackberry that grow in elegance with spices, balsamic touches and mountain herbs. Powerful and elegant but with soft tannins.”

From the Wine Spectator, which scored it a 90: “Intense and sappy, featuring rose, strawberry, currant and tobacco flavors. On the elegant side, with firm, yet refined tannins and a lingering finish.”

From me: The estate, near Canale, has been owned by the Malabaila family since the beginning of the 15th century. That’s staying power. This nebbiolo is a baby Barbaresco, way overdelivering for the price.

$19.97 at Spec’s