Twenty years ago this summer, on a diabolically hot day in France’s Midi, I would stumble upon a ramshackle building south of Narbonne that had been repurposed as a winery/tasting room. Well, I think it was a winery, too, but I was only interested in the tasting part.

I had driven down from a dreadful place, essentially a failed amusement park in the middle of nowhere that Tour de France organizers had inexplicably deemed worthy of hosting a crucial individual time trial, with only one thing on my mind: a cooling breeze off the Mediterranean. And Narbonne Plage was only minutes ahead. But a  Dégustation sign with an arrow pointing off to the right turned my head. The beach could wait. A short detour was very much in order.

The place was called L’Hospitalet and the interior was, curiously, mostly decorated with rugby action photos. Lots and lots of them. Fortunately, the bloke behind the bar spoke perfect English — it turned out he was an Irishman — and had a ready explanation for me. The owner was both an aspiring winemaker and, it seemed, the former captain of the French national rugby team.

His name? Gérard Bertrand.

As a sports writer and a wine maven, although not yet an official wine journalist, that combination intrigued me. Better still, the wines I tried were excellent, something that, back in the day, wasn’t a certainty when one tasted in the Languedoc, which for much of the 20th-century had been known for mostly producing plonk.

At any rate, I vowed to return one day, especially after how wonderfully charming I found Narbonne Plage. For a day or two, I thought seriously about buying a condo there but quickly came to my senses. Did I really need to own a second property in France? Uh, no. So that was the last I thought of L’Hospitalet and its rugby-playing proprietor for a very long time.

Cut to February of 2019 and the weekend I retired from the Houston Chronicle. I was visiting another beach town, Miami Beach, attending a party at the Versace Mansion hosted by . . . Gérard Bertrand. There, I got to finally meet the man himself, and he was impressive in every way possible. Late in the evening, he even rapped with a band that he’d flown in from France. Yeah, rapped. Learning that my wife and I had a permanent residence in France, his team invited me to visit the Bertrand headquarters in the Languedoc for a full-scale tour and immersive experience.

So, on another brutally hot July afternoon in the South of France — as I sped through the Southern Rhone Valley, my Peugeot told me was 114 degrees outside — I again found myself heading for Narbonne Plage. But this time there was much fancier sign pointing toward a splendidly restored building that had been transformed into a luxury inn with a top-drawer restaurant.

“Merde,” I said. “That’s the same place. I’m back!”

And I’ll return again next week, leading a group of very nice people on a wine tour through Provence, the Southern Rhone and Bertrand’s neck of the woods in the Languedoc, where he has built a wine empire upon a foundation that his father Georges, one of the region’s most respected and forward-thinking grape-growers, laid decades ago.

Gérard worked his first harvest with his dad in 1975, when he was 10, and they spent a dozen good years together in vineyards when he wasn’t honing his world-class rugby skills. After his father died tragically in an accident in 1987, he made the decision to keep the family’s Villemajou estate and, five years later, he launched his own company, soon purchasing the Cigalus Estate, Château Laville Bertrou and the Aigle Estate. L’Hospitalet had become his in 2002, not long before my serendipitous visit.

Today, Château la Sauvageonne, Château la Soujeole, Clos d’Ora, Clos du Temple, Château les Karantes, Château Aigues-Vives, Cap Insula, Château des Deux Rocs, Château de Tarailhan and the Estagnère Estate are all his, too. His entry-level Cote des Roses wines and the Gris Blanc rose are widely available in Houston — Spec’s and Kroger are where I find them — and around France. I buy the same bottles in my town’s Casino supermarket.

The Clos du Temple may be the world’s most expensive rosé at $250. Bertrand’s flagship, the Clos d’Ora, a blend of syrah and carignan from very old vines and mourvedre and grenache from turn-of-the-21st-centry plantings in the hills of La Viviniere, sells for close to $300. Like the Clos du Temple, it’s worth every penny. But the wines mentioned in the previous paragraph go for under $15.

One day, every bottle with Bertrand’s name on it — and that’s a whole lot of bottles — will be biodynamic. He became a true believer in same after starting with Cigalus in 2002. He’s got three children. He’s determined to do what he can to keep the planet liveable for their kids and grandkids.

I’m delighted my crew is going to experience firsthand what I accidently stumbled upon years ago. And I’m delighted to be returning myself to again experience what Bertrand calls l’art de vivre. I do believe the man has figured that out. Did I mention that he also hosts a world-class jazz/pop festival at L’Hospitalet every July?

Anyway, I’ll be hyper-focused on my tour over the next couple of weeks — it begins Thursday in Aix-en-Provence before wrapping up in Nice June 4 — so I’ll be off the blogging grid until after I return to Houston in mid-June. However, I’ll be posting like a crazy person on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as we visit many of my favorite wineries, starting in the Var Friday at La Mascaronne, owned in part by the new Hall-of-Fame hoopster turned vigneron Tony Parker.

Unfortunately, Parker won’t be on-site today. I would have loved to quiz him about Victor Wembanyama, presumably the next great French hoopster who will surely come to torture the Rockets, too. Damn lottery!

Sippin’ with Sporty

Bubbles

Faiv Blancs de Blancs

From the winemaker: “Dry and fruit forward but has a definite acidity to cleanse the palate. Elegant and smooth. Pair with pasta with creamy or truffle sauces and fish.”

From me: It’s not everyday that you see Arneis bubbles. A friend who loves traveling to Northern Italy gifted me a bottle here in France and damned it wasn’t being sold in Houston at Tuttili, too. Wonderfully refreshing minerality and citrus notes in this Marchisio Family Organic Estate sparkler from Castellinaldo d’Alba, about 25 miles southeast of Turin.

$28 at Tuttili

Red

2019 Chateau Pas De Rauzan Bordeaux Supérieur

From the winemaker: “A pretty garnet colour, it’s dark and intense. Beautiful aromas of small red fruits on the nose. The expressive and supple palate is embellished with crunchy red fruits.”

From the Wine Enthusiast: “Packed with fruit, this is going to be a generous wine. Certainly its tannins are very present, but the weight of the ripe berry fruits will come to dominate. There is a juicy crisp aftertaste.”

From me: It’s a merlot-centric (70 percent) wine that’s truly a superior Bordeaux Superieur at a super price. The winery, with 80 hectares of vines, has been in the Fourestey family since 1890.

$11.57 at Spec’s

H-town Happenings

Il Palazzo wine dinner with co-owner Lorenzo Pitirra — 7 p.m. Thursday, May 25, at Roma. 713 664-7581.

Nine and Wine — National Wine Day: 6 p.m. Thursday, May 25, at Riverhouse Houston. $30 http://eventbrite.com

Tolaini Tuscan Wine Dinner with Lia Tolaini-Banville: 6 p.m. Thursday, May 25, at the Rainbow Lodge. $165 plus tax and gratuity. https://www.rainbow-lodge.com/tolaini-wine-dinner

Woodlands Wine & Food Week: Monday, June 5, through Sunday, June 11. http://www.wineandfoodweek.com

The Sports Page

Pouring one out for . . . Jim Brown

Truth to tell, I hated him as a kid because of how he ran over, under, around and through my beloved Baltimore Colts in the 1964 NFL Championship Game, pounding out 114 yards in a 27-0 Browns romp, after which I stayed in a funk for a week. But he forever defined what a running back should be. Although the NFL season was only 12 games long for his first four years, he averaged 1,368 yards over his nine seasons and 104.3 per game. He led the NFL in rushing eight times and claimed three MVP trophies before walking away while still in his prime, which goes a long way toward explaining how he lived to the ripe old age of 87. After a second career as an action-movie hero — Remember the Dirty Dozen? — he became a vocal and widely respected advocate for social justice.

One of my sports-writing idols, Shirley Povich, composed one of the epic sentences in sports-writing history after Brown had shredded the still lily-white Washington Redskins in 1960: “Jim Brown, born ineligible to play for the Redskins, integrated their end zone three times yesterday.” Ironically, it would be Bobby Mitchell, Browns’ backup in Cleveland, who became Washington’s first Black player in 1962.

Follow me

Podcast: Sporty Wine Guy, wherever you get your podcasts.   

Instagram: http://@sportywineguy

Twitter: @sportywineguy

Facebook: Dale Robertson

Others to follow

Jeremy Parzen (http://dobianchi.com)

My podcast partner in crime reports on the catastrophic, “unprecedented” rains and flooding in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, which have forced tens of thousands to abandon their homes and killed at least nine people.

Sandra Crittenden (http://winelifehouston.com)

Sandra shares her latest story for Galveston Monthly, featuring wines she tasted recently in Paso Robles.

Russ Kane (http://vintagetexas.com)

The Texas Wineslinger shares his thoughts on, and personal history with, Gary Gilstrap’s Texas Hills Vineyards, whose wines are made, he says, in a lean Italian style.”

Jeff Kralick (http://thedrunkencyclist.com)

The Drunken Cyclist and a group of Houston wine pros recently tasted 53 “true” American rosés, which is to say rosés made from grapes grown specifically for making pink wines. You’ll find their conclusions in two posts. He swears this is the largest such sampling in the whole USA.

Katrina Rene (http://thecorkscrewconcierge.com)

Kat provides a rundown of Texas wine happenings in the merry month of May.

I spent some quality time last weekend one of my favorite expats, Wendy Heinicken Gobbi, who a good while ago traded in life in the American corporate world for a grand adventure in France. Today, Wendy and her husband Jean-Marc, reside near Aix-en-Provence, where he founded and still presides over the acclaimed International Bilingual School, with students from 75 countries. She used to work there, too, but it seems running a winery — the Gobbis bought St. Pierre de Mejans near Loumarin in the Luberon in 2021 — that’s also a luxury boutique hotel and, now, a popular wedding venue is a fulltime job in its own right.

“So Jean-Marc fired me,” Wendy jokes.

A second property near the 12th-century chateau (shown above) that houses all of the above has recently been added to their holdings, giving them another 10 rooms to let in the not-too-distant future. I should also mention that Jean-Marc bought Aix’s professional team handball club last year. Alas, this hasn’t been a great first season and he recently fired his coach, which is what sports team owners do, right?

I told Wendy she might be in line to take over as general manager, but she demurred, saying, “I think I have the right job” overseeing St. Pierre de Mejans, which is expanding its vineyards and wine offerings. Recent additions include two new sparklers, one made from only clairette and the other a mostly cinsault pink blend.

At the winery, all sell for under 18 euros a bottle. In Houston, you can buy the 2021 “1118” Cotes du Luberon white blend and rosé for $22 and the 2019 “Vielles Vignes” Rouge for $33 at http://aoc.selections.com. The “1118”? That’s said to be the year the original castle was completed.

Wendy, who grew up in Kingwood before attending the University of Texas, was briefly back in Houston recently, lunching at Tony’s with her importer, Douglas Skopp of Dionysus Imports, and dining at Ruggles Black with her extended family, some 15 folks total. Both chef-owners, Kate McLean and Bruce Molzan respectively, tasted her wines and hopefully will add them to their lists.

Far be it from me to nag, though.

Parlez-vous Bordeaux?

The Alliance Francaise and http://thetexaswineschool.com are partnering up again for a wine seminar/tasting, this one featuring wines from Bordeaux presented by my great friend and Master somm Guy Stout, who will present 10 of his favorites — two whites and a mix of Right and Left Bank reds — from the famed region in Southwest France from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 23.

The price is $75. Don’t wait to register. The Wine School’s owner, Liz Palmer, has currently capped the class at 45 people. At our last tasting — I say “our” because I’m president of the Alliance’s board of directors — we had way more tasters show up than we expected. Suffice it to say we have refined the registration process. The address is 427 Lovett Blvd., two blocks east of Montrose.

Lots of wine (and food) in The Woodlands

The predictable expansive program for http://wineandfoodweek.com June 5-11 in The Woodlands will rock as usual, co-founder Constance McDerby promises, and be assured that Constance always delivers. This year’s theme is “Wine + Food = Art” with McDerby explaining: “Wine and food are like art because they express the culture, imagination and passion of the people who create them.”

In addition, Texas Monthly food writer Patricia Sharpe, whose tenure with the magazine spans almost five decades, will be a most deserving honoree. Tickets for all the fun stuff — there’s way too much to recount in detail here — can be purchased at the website.

Sippin’ with Sporty

White

2021 The Paring Sauvignon Blanc

From the winemaker: “Few Sauvignon Blanc wines this youthful can also boast this level of complexity. The nose is deliciously exotic, with lemon, melon and white peach soaring out of the glass. The wine’s laser beam of acidity refreshes and cleanses the palate, while its decadent texture demands another mouthwatering sip.

“From me: “What he said! Kudos to Matt Dees. This is the best sauvignon blanc I’ve tasted this year, and I’ve tasted a few.”

Red

2018 The Paring Red Blend

From the winemaker: “This Cabernet-inspired blend displays classic notes of cassis, tobacco and chocolate. Focused fruit and shapely tannins shine as hallmarks of what we’ve come to expect from the sandy soils and slightly cooler climate of the winery’s outstanding vineyard sites.

From Jeb Dunnuck: “It’s a medium to full-bodied, ripe, rounded, nicely concentrated blend with lots of ripe currant and blackberry fruits (plus) an herbal kick in its tobacco, earth, and ripe herb aromas and flavors. Ideal for drinking over the coming 5-7 years or more.”

From me: The Paring wines represent an intriguing counterpart to their better known siblings, JONATA and the Hilt, having been made with grapes primarily from vineyard blocks in Santa Ynez Valley, Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley, Dees says, “that are either too young or don’t fit into the vintage style (of the aforementioned). The Paring is a cut of each estate. The Paring puts pedigree first, and then lets imagination take over.” Surprisingly given the neighborhood, it’s a Bordeaux-style blend with cabernet sauvignon making up 50 percent. Like the white, it’s a superb effort at this price point.

$25.99 at http://wine.com

H-town Happenings

Wagyu and Wine Night: 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, at R-C Ranch. $125. http://eventbrite.com

Wine Tasting Class — World of Whites: 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, at Crust Pizza Co. $5 http://eventbrite.com

Texas Wine Night: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 18, at JMP Wines Tasting Room, Humble. http://eventbrite.com

Nine and Wine — National Wine Day: 6 p.m. Thursday, May 25, at Riverhouse Houston. $30 http://eventbrite.com

Tolaini Tuscan Wine Dinner with Lia Tolaini-Banville: 6 p.m. Thursday, May 25, at the Rainbow Lodge. $165 plus tax and gratuity. https://www.rainbow-lodge.com/tolaini-wine-dinner

Follow me

Podcast: Sporty Wine Guy, wherever you get your podcasts. I’m hoping a new one will drop next week.   

Instagram: http://@sportywineguy

Twitter: @sportywineguy

Facebook: Dale Robertson

Others to follow

Jeremy Parzen (http://dobianchi.com)

My podcast partner in crime has been on the road again — isn’t he always? — and raves about recent memorable meal at the famed Ballato’s on East Houston St. But he’ll be back in H-town for a Chianti Consorzio tasting he’s conducting Wednesday.

Sandra Crittenden (http://winelifehouston.com)

Sandra shares her latest story for Galveston Monthly, featuring wines she tasted recently in Paso Robles. She gets around, too.

Russ Kane (http://vintagetexas.com)

The Texas Wineslinger focuses on the Bingham Family Vineyards Trebbiano, tasted on a visit to the winery in Hye.

Jeff Kralick (http://thedrunkencyclist.com)

Jeff gives us the lowdown on the best samples (right, freebies) he has tasted through recently.

Katrina Rene (http://thecorkscrewconcierge.com)

Kat provides a rundown of Texas wine happenings in the merry month of May.

As much as I love kicking back in the French Alps for a few months every year, it comes with a price, and no small measure of regret, because it means missing lots of cool wine folks passing through Houston. We’re a front-burner destination for pretty much everybody these days with so many brilliant sommeliers, first-rate restaurant wine lists and deep-pocketed collectors.

It was a group of the latter that brought Cyril and Blakesley Chappellet to our neck of the woods a few weeks ago and, fortunately, I was still in town to have lunch with them at Tony’s, which sells both the Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. That evening, they would host a dinner at Bludorn for their local wine club members, more of whom, they swear, live in our neighborhood than almost anywhere else. Further proof that we H-towners have exquisite taste.

After the confining horrors of COVID-19, the Chappellets, shown above of course, are making it a point to get out to see their people firsthand as frequently as possible. And they’ve got plenty to celebrate, having recently become the first American winery to be represented globally in Châine des Rôtisseurs restaurants. This is a very big deal, folks, and it’s much deserved. Just one man’s opinion here, but I believe their Pritchard Hill Cab is consistently America’s finest red wine, a grand cru in every sense.

And Pritchard Hill (replete with lavender fields, as seen above) represents the best-of-the-best mountain terroir. Consider the Chappellet’s neighbors up on those fabled slopes east of Oakville: Brand. Bryant Family. Colgin Cellars. Continuum. Dalla Valle. Ovid. That’s a seriously chichi/chin-chin neighborhood, although, ironically, it’s not an official AVA — nor will it likely ever be — because of Donn Chappellet. Cyril’s visionary late father, who bought his first vineyard property there in 1968, trademarked the Pritchard Hill name in 1971. Only Chappellet can use it on a bottle.

Were an AVA created, Donn once explained, “dozens of wineries could put Pritchard Hill on the label, and destroy the valuable name.”

Blakesley refers to their neck of the woods as “a lieu-dit,” which is how the French describe a unique geographic area. With 100-plus acres, consisting of 48 distinct blocks at 800 to 1,000 feet above sea level, the Chappellet’s have more land under vine than anyone else. Hence, they can make more wine than their “cult” brethren, which keeps their prices manageable for us non-gadzillionaire collectors.

The 2019 Signature Cabernet goes for an eminently reasonable 90 bucks at http://wine.com. OK, the same vintage of the Pritchard Hill Cab (shown above) is $300, but that still represents value given that all the major critics scored it from 94 to 99 points and a comparable bottle of Colgin, if it could be had, would sell for $700+.

The Chappellets are cutting-edge vintners in numerous ways. Aside from having one of the most visually stunning winery buildings — the Ed Moses-designed structure (pictured below) mirrors the shape of an ancient pyramid — they are now able to offset their entire PG&E bill by using solar power, and their their grapes have been all organically grown since 2012. The water used for irrigation is runoff from rainstorms, of which they have had plenty lately.

This is a good thing. Far and away the most striking bit of news Cyril revealed during our conversation was that he spends about 70 percent of his waking hours these days focusing on finding solutions to the monstrous fire issues Pritchard Hill and the rest of Napa and Sonoma now confront almost annually. He now has a full-time fire chief on his winery staff, and he owns his own fire truck. In August of 2020, when hundreds of lightning strikes during violent thunderstorms ignited out-of-control infernos across the Vacas, the Chappellets narrowly averted catastrophic damage.

“It’s the single important issue we’re facing,” he said. “Everything we’ve built could be gone in 24 hours.”

Considering how much they’ve built, and how much good they do at every level in California’s wine community, that’s a horrifying thought.

Breaking news

The new Sonoma Wine & Cheese in the Stomping Grounds complex on W. 34th St. in Garden Oaks opens to the public at 2 p.m. Tuesday. (Yep, I wish I could be there.) It again gives Farah Cauley three locations, joining the original on Richmond Ave. in the Upper Kirby District and the suburban destination in Katy. In effect, it replaces Cauley’s lovely spot on Studemont in the Heights that closed last summer.

The Stomping Grounds will be home to a variety of food- and beverage-centric businesses and also offers an 8,000-square-foot greensward where all manner of fun things will be taking place.

H-town Happenings

Central Coast and Paso Robles wine dinner: 6 p.m. Thursday, May 4, at Atkins House. $85 http://eventbrite.com

Derby Wine Fest: 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at Brenner’s on the Bayou. $150. http://eventbrite.com

Central Coast and Paso Robles wine dinner: 6 p.m. Thursday, May 4, at Atkins House. $85 http://eventbrite.com

Derby Wine Fest: 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at Brenner’s on the Bayou. $150. http://eventbrite.com

Mother’s Day Charcuterie Workshop and Wine Tasting: 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 13, at JMP Wines Tasting Room, Humble. $75. http://eventbrite.com

Cesari Italian Wine Tasting: 4 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at Memorial Wine Cellar. $50. http://eventbrite.com

Mother’s Day Rose Tasting: 1 p.m. Sunday, May 14, at We Olive & Wine Bar. $35. http://eventbrite.com

Wagyu and Wine Night: 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, at R-C Ranch. $125. http://eventbrite.com

Texas Wine Night: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 18, at JMP Wines Tasting Room, Humble. http://eventbrite.com

Nine and Wine — National Wine Day: 6 p.m. Thursday, May 25, at Riverhouse Houston. $30 http://eventbrite.com

Tolaini Tuscan Wine Dinner with Lia Tolaini-Banville: 6 p.m. Thursday, May 25, at the Rainbow Lodge. $165 plus tax and gratuity. https://www.rainbow-lodge.com/tolaini-wine-dinner

The Sports Page

Raising a glass to . . . Nick Caserio

The Texans’ much-maligned general manager, previously best known for his mumbo-jumbo press conference non-answers, had himself one helluva draft, didn’t he? Only three picks into the first round, Casserio had already snared both a for-real quarterback in Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and a defensive game-changer in Will Anderson. Better still, Anderson played linebacker at Alabama, just like his new coach, DeMeco Ryans, did back in the day. Further, both were the second picks by the Texans in drafts with first-year head coaches (Anderson, though, went third to Ryans’ 33rd overall). Karma out the wazoo here.

Follow me

Podcast: Sporty Wine Guy, wherever you get your podcasts   

Instagram: http://@sportywineguy

Twitter: @sportywineguy

Facebook: Dale Robertson

Others to follow

Jeremy Parzen (http://dobianchi.com)

My podcast partner in crime gives us the lowdown on the Valpolicella tasting he’s hosting for the “Famiglie Storiche” association (Historic Families of Amarone) at the Hotel Za Za on Main St. Wednesday, May 3. Be there or be square. Being in France, I guess I’m stuck with square this time, dammit.

Sandra Crittenden (http://winelifehouston.com)

Sandra shares the comprehensive piece she wrote about Italian pinot grigios for Galveston Monthly.

Russ Kane (http://vintagetexas.com)

The Texas Wineslinger touts Fall Creek Vineyards’ 2021 Lescalo Rosé, a low-alcohol (9.8 percent) springtime sipper.

Jeff Kralick (http://thedrunkencyclist.com)

Jeff shares some bad news: ACORN, one of his favorite California wineries, is closing its doors, although owners Betsy and Bill Nachbaur will continue to farm their Alegria Vineyard with its 111 different varietals.

Katrina Rene (http://thecorkscrewconcierge.com)

Kat extolls the virtues of the excellent primitivos from Manduria, in Italy’s Puglia region.

The one “problem” with having a home in the Southern Alps is that, once I’m here, I don’t much want to venture far afield. This spring, however, presented us with a dilemma, and, in the end, an opportunity. We always lease a new Peugeot through a wonderful outfit called Auto France, but there were no cars available for pickup before April 15 and we already had our tickets for an April 11 departure. At first, Paris was going to be our stopover, but the ongoing chaos there over President Macron’s determined efforts to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 — I know, zoot alors! — made that detour unappealing.

It didn’t take long to choose an alternative. Champagne, less than two hours to the northeast. Bien sur!

My only previous visits to bubbles country had been during my Tour de France slogs, which left little time for tasting, never mind actually exploring. I considered this a huge hole in my resume. But, although I was way past due for making a real pilgrimage, I didn’t want to visit any of the big champagne houses. I know their wines. I respect their wines. But there was no reason to taste them in France when I can easily taste them in Houston. I also wanted to avoid Reims and it’s big-city traffic snarls, so we instead randomly chose three relatively-off-the-beaten-path family-owned producers:

• Sabine Godmé in Verzenay just across the road from the landmark Phare lighthouse (pictured above)
• Guy Charbaut in Mareuil-sur-Ay, a stone’s throw from the Billecart-Salmon headquarters
• Marion-Bosser in Hautvillers, only a short walk from the abbey where the 17th-century monk Dom Perignon made his name as the spiritual father of Champagne, and also where he’s buried.  

All were excellent in their own ways. Unfortunately, availability for each in Houston seems to be an issue. You’ll see a Hugh Godmé champagne on Shawn Virene’s extensive list at a’Bouzy, but Hugh is Sabine’s brother. Some years ago they divided the 11-hectare grand cru Godmé property on the Montagne de Reims and agreed to disagree, going their separate ways.

A striking common thread among the three multi-generational houses is that each has a new-generation winemaker taking over, determined to reinvent their respective wheels. At Sabine Godmé, son Matthieu is doing is doing his own thing — and replacing his mom’s name with his on the label. His dad, Jean Marie Guillaume (pictured below), said with a chuckle, admitting that, to truly pass the torch, “You have to kill the father.” Or mother, in this case. In three years, the business will be Matthieu’s alone to run. Sabine and Jean Marie are contemplating resettling in Brittany.

At Marion-Bosser, Elodie Marion becomes the fourth woman in her family to call the shots, while Hélène Charbaut has launched her own distinct lineup of wines at Charbaut. Interestingly, the three young vignerons have all put aging in neutral wood barrels front and center in their respective wine-making strategies, something that was once largely unheard-of in their neck of the woods.

What I’d forgotten about the region’s terroir is how stunningly beautiful it is, from the vineyard-covered slopes of the Montagne de Reims south to the visually similar and no less striking chardonnay country in the Côtes de Blancs with bustling yet still charming Épernay in the middle, hard by the Marne River. There, of course, you’ll find the châteaux-lined Avenue de Champagne, a street dating from the 18th century that’s so remarkable it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015. Underneath the pavement? Some 60 miles of champagne-filled caves dug through the limestone that defines the flavors of these wines.

Having barely scratched the surface, we will surely return soon . . . But probably not in mid-April. The weather was, in a word, miserable, equal parts cold and wet. No matter. Those wonderfully therapeutic tiny bubbles proved the perfect antidote.

Cheers!

H-town happenings

Black Wine: 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, at Agora Haus. Free. http://eventbrite.com

Central Coast and Paso Robles wine dinner: 6 p.m. Thursday, May 4, at Atkins House. $85 http://eventbrite.com

Derby Wine Fest: 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at Brenner’s on the Bayou. $150. http://eventbrite.com

Mother’s Day Charcuterie Workshop & Wine Tasting: JMP Wines Tasting Room, Humble. $75. http://eventbrite.com

Wagyu and Wine Night: 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, at R-C Ranch. $125. http://eventbrite.com

Tolaini Tuscan Wine Dinner with Lia Tolaini-Banville: 6 p.m. Thursday, May 25, at the Rainbow Lodge. $165 plus tax and gratuity. https://www.rainbow-lodge.com/tolaini-wine-dinner

Follow me

Podcast: Sporty Wine Guy  

Instagram: http://@sportywineguy

Twitter: @sportywineguy

Facebook: Dale Robertson

Others to follow

Jeremy Parzen (http://dobianchi.com)

My podcast partner in crime speaks of rekindling an old love affair on his recent trip to Italy. It’s a restaurant, though, the Dispensa Pani e Vini in the heart of Franciacorta country.

Sandra Crittenden (http://winelifehouston.com)

Sandra shares the comprehensive piece she wrote about Italian pinot grigios for Galveston Monthly.

Russ Kane (http://vintagetexas.com)

The Texas Wineslinger touts the 2021 Airis’Ele Vineyards Redlin Dry Rosé made from a blend of Farmhouse Vineyards Texas High Plains red grapes.

Jeff Kralick (http://thedrunkencyclist.com)

Jeff reviews wines he has tasted of late and gives a particularly loud shout-out to a bottle of the 2010 Skewis Pinot Noir Lingenfelder from the Russian River Valley.

Katrina Rene (http://thecorkscrewconcierge.com)

Kat tells us everything we need to know about what’s happening in the world of Texas wine in April.

Assuming the tennis at River Oaks ever gets done, and the weather sure isn’t cooperating, I’m heading back to France for a couple months come Tuesday. It’s going to be a great stay punctuated with a nine-day wine tour through the (hopefully) sunny south that I’m helping lead with my friend Pablo Valqui. But I do very much regret not being here to cover The Chevron Championship at Carlton Woods April 19-23 — formerly the Dinah Shore, it’s one of the five majors on the LPGA Tour — and I’m going to miss by a single day the opening of a hip new wine outpost, Padre’s, in the Heights.

At least William Farley’s stylish “bottle shop by day and a “speakeasy” by night,” which goes live next Wednesday at 3522 White Oak, will still be here when I return, whereas the lady golfers will be long gone. Padre’s represents a major life course correction for the Louisiana-born, Houston-reared Farley, who, in 2019, quit his day job in oil and gas to travel to Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, where he threw himself into the fascinating world of wine. Bottles from those countries will be front-and-center in the Padre’s portfolio, although France and Italy will be well-represented, too.

There’s a membership component, too. Monthly is $75, good for three wines and five-percent off bar purchases. Quarterly costs $300, but you get 12 wines — delivered free on the last Monday of each quarter — plus the five-percent discount in house.

As for the name, Farley explains, “It honors my father, who friends, family and strangers alike endearingly referred to as ‘Padre.’ Padre’s Wine is an effort to not only share and teach about good wine but to create a space in the Heights for people to come together as a community, enjoy good wine, taste new things, kick back and relax.”

Farley hired Nick Nguyen, a 20-year veteran of the Houston hospitality scene, to serve as his manager, sommelier and restaurant operations specialist. You’ll recognize Nguyen if you frequented Musaafer, Riel, Kata Robata and most recently Da Gama, his previous postings. It seems the two of them (shown above) first met, then bonded, over indoor bouldering. Well, why not?

“William’s vision and passion for wine aligns with mine,” Nguyen said. “We can talk for hours about anything while enjoying it over a glass of wine. That’s what we want for our guests at Padre’s. We want to make sure that attention to detail is never missed, from stylish furniture to the smell of the trees and the sound of the music to soothe your inner soul.”

Best of luck and cheers, guys! As for me and my inner soul, we can’t wait to drop by this summer.  

Sippin’ with Sporty

BUBBLES

Chandon Garden Spritz

From the winemaker: “It’s a blend of an exceptional sparkling wine and a unique bitters recipe crafted with locally sourced fresh oranges macerated with dry orange peels, herbs and spices carefully selected from the finest terroirs in the world. We bring nature to the world of spritz. No artificial flavors and no artificial colorants are used at any stage in its production.”

From me: One fellow reviewer nailed this spot-on spring/summer aperitif perfectly, describing it as being “an orange version of a kir royale where the fruit flavor is provided by a thick rich liqueur instead of fruit juice.” In fact, no actual fruit juice from the Valencia oranges goes into the wine. I wasn’t expecting all that much when I saw the bottle, to be honest, but I’m all in now. While it’s super easy to drink, it’s got plenty of nuance, too, with a very pleasing price.

$18.99 at Total Wine

WHITES

2021 C.L. Butaud Blanc de Noir

From the winemaker: “Blanc de noir is a white wine made from a red grape, a technique you see all the time with pinot noir and pinot meunier in Champagne, where base wines are blended in the creation of a single wine. It is more unusual to make it as a still wine. Here red grapes are gently pressed just until very clear, pale juices run out of the fruit. Since the skin doesn’t imprint any color or tannin, the wine expresses the aromatics of the grape, allowing the brightest, purest expression to come through. This is what makes it interesting to me: it’s a different way to explore the taste of a grape.”

From The Terroirist, Isaac James Baker, who scored it a 90: “The aromas pop with tons of flowers and dandelion, along with crunchy white cherries and red apple peel, and there are also these cool tobacco, mint, and sliced cucumber elements. The palate sports crunchy acidity on a medium-bodied, steely frame. Flavors of white cherries and tart green apple mix well with notes of white pepper, basil, and dandelion flowers.”

From me: A half-and-half blend of grenache and mourvedre, it’s a wine that I think, in many ways defines Randy Hester, who, by the way, grew up in Houston. In short, he’s always looking for ways to think outside the box. Note that Hester suggests we don’t try to over-analyze the flavors (Baker, it seems, had other ideas) but rather just kick back and enjoy it. I’m with you, Randy.

$48 at http://clbutaud.com

2021 The Paring Sauvignon Blanc

From the winemaker: “Defined by powerful fruit and balanced by mouthwatering freshness; an exotic, decadently textured and electrically framed bottle of sauvignon blanc. The nose is deliciously exotic, with lemon, melon and white peach soaring out of the glass. The wine’s laser beam of acidity refreshes and cleanses the palate, while its decadent texture demands another sip.”

From me: My wife is the family’s most savvy sav blanc taster and she absolutely loved it. I did, too. Winemaker Matt Dees aged the wine for 10 months in a combination of new and neutral French oak as well stainless steel, then bottled it unfined and unfiltered. A marvelous effort for under 25 bucks.

$23.99 at http://wine.com

RED

2020 Juggernaut Hillside California Cabernet Sauvignon

From the winemaker: “Dense and velvety with vanilla and ripe black currants. French oak beautifully transforms intense hillside fruit into a wine with uncommon richness and smooth, luxurious texture. Juggernaut Hillside Cabernet is a wine that is fierce, brave, and delicious.”

From Wilfred Wong of wine.com, who scored it an 8.9: “The wine is a medium red with satisfying textures on the palate. It shows aromas and flavors of savory spices, dried earthy notes, and light berries.” 

From me: I’ve long been partial to cabs made from hillside vineyards so this one checks that box bigtime. Exactly which hillsides are in play doesn’t get explained anywhere that I can find, but, even if the fruit isn’t sourced come from the highest-rent districts, it’s plenty satisfying, certainly at this price point.

$18.99 at http://wine.com

2019 Relevant Cabernet Sauvignon Crown Point

From the winemaker: “An inspiring introduction to Crown Point, it aptly mirrors the attributes of the 2019 vintage with dark fruit, balanced, smooth structure, trademark Mediterranean spice and finishing with length and tension. The after-palate is tremendously pleasurable, bringing notes of violets and rhubarb.”

From the Wine Advocate, which scored it a 95: “Deep ruby, it features pure aromas of cassis, grilled meats, warm chocolate, dried herbs, roasted peppers and hints of violet. The medium-bodied palate is powdery and fresh, striking a balance between ripe blackcurrant fruit, classy new oak spices and alluring herbal streaks. It’s a balanced, drinkable style of Cabernet that’s a pleasure to drink! Best after 2022.

From me: Truth to tell, I got a crazy good deal through a buddy on this wine made from grapes grown in an aptly named corner of Santa Barbara County called Happy Canyon, but it offers bigtime value even at the price below, having spent 20 months in French oak, including some new barrels. I know what you’re thinking, though: Cab from Santa Barbara? Wut? Well, apparently the microclimate is perfect for the varietal with the narrowness of the valley concentrating heat and keeping that cold damp wind off the Pacific away from the vines.

$89.99 at http://wine.com

H-town happenings

SERCA Wines Tasting: 4 p.m. Saturday, April 8, at the SERCA Tasting Room in the Heights. $15. http://eventbrite.com

Three-Course wine tasting: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 11, at Roma. Free. 713 664-7581. http://romahouston.com

National Malbec Day Tasting Celebration: 6-8 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at SERCA Wines tasting room. $72 (Club members $60) http://eventbrite.com

Katy Sip N Stroll: Saturday, April 15, at The Ballard House. http://sipandstroll.com

Vin de Table: Noon, Sunday, April 16, at 1412 W. Main. $70. http://eventbrite.com

JMP Wine Night — Truly Greek, Truly Unique: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 20. $75. JMP Tasting Room in Humble. http://eventbrite.com

Black Wine: 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, at Agora Haus. Free. http://eventbrite.com

Central Coast and Paso Robles wine dinner: 6 p.m. Thursday, May 4, at Atkins House. $85 http://eventbrite.com

Derby Wine Fest: 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at Brenner’s on the Bayou. $150. http://eventbrite.com

Mother’s Day Charcuterie Workshop & Wine Tasting: JMP Wines Tasting Room, Humble. $75. http://eventbrite.com

Wagyu and Wine Night: 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, at R-C Ranch. $125. http://eventbrite.com

Follow me

Podcast: Sporty Wine Guy  

Instagram: http://@sportywineguy

Twitter: @sportywineguy

Facebook: Dale Robertson

Others to follow

Jeremy Parzen (http://dobianchi.com)

My podcast partner in crime, shown above, speaks of pairing matzah with wine, both of which will, of course, be served for this year’s Passover Seder.

Sandra Crittenden (http://winelifehouston.com)

Sandra shares the comprehensive piece she wrote about Italian pinot grigios for Galveston Monthly.

Russ Kane (http://vintagetexas.com)

The Texas Wineslinger announces his next Level 1 Zoom class in May for those interested in becoming certified Texas wine experts.

Jeff Kralick (http://thedrunkencyclist.com)

Jeff offers a visual tour of his current Napa-Sonoma tour, where he’s catching up with old friends and sampling as much wine as possible. A full tasting report, no doubt, will follow.

Katrina Rene (http://thecorkscrewconcierge.com)

Kat tells us everything we need to know about what’s happening in the world of Texas wine in April.

This old house turned into the pour house again Thursday night and a good time was had by almost everyone with the Dionysus Imports French portfolio, co-presented by importer/distributor Douglas Skopp and AOC Selections director of operations Brandon Kerne, taking center stage.

Fifty folks showed up when we were expecting maybe 30. That’s both good news and bad news . . . but mostly good news. It told me people are delighted to return to the Alliance, which through the years Spec’s Bear Dalton had turned into one of Houston’s best wine destinations before his untimely passing in 2020, despite our parking challenges in the heart of Montrose.

Logistically, we were a little overwhelmed given the thirsty crush and things got a little raucous at the end, forcing Skopp (pictured below) and Kerne to shout above the din. But we promise to do better next time. Hey, baby steps . . . Most importantly, the 10 Dionysus wines, all from the Rhone Valley, were outstanding across the board and it was especially fun to converse with people who weren’t familiar with a number of them, or even the region itself.

My favorite by the narrowest of margins proved to be Evan Bakke’s 2015 Clos de Trias from the Ventoux AOC, a red I hadn’t sampled in a number of years and a wine you’ll read more about later in this space. I’ve already bought three bottles through http://aocselections.com, where all the wines presented can be purchased.

Looking ahead, please put June 21 on your calendar and 427 Lovett Blvd. on your GPS. In France, they celebrate the Summer Solstice with the Fête de la Musique and we intend to do the same with a piano concert paired with Madame Zero Champagne, a France-Houston hybrid if ever there was one from Galveston-born Matthew Massey. More details forthcoming as the date draws closer!

Sippin’ with Sporty

WHITE

2015 Fiddlehead Cellars “Bebble” Grüner Veltliner

From the winemaker: “Elegant and sophisticated notes of ground vanilla bean with hints of coriander and citrus, along with the traditional white pepper notes, barely ripe pineapple, cucumber and honeydew melon. There is wonderful leanness buried beneath its weighty expression. You can almost feel the chalky, wet stone minerality translating from our clay soils, littered with chert and shale, to give mineral depth to this beauty.”

From me: You think grüner, you think Austria. Well, think again. This is a lovely effort from winemaker Kathy Joseph, whose just under three-acre Fiddlestix Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills of Santa Barbara County delivers the bracing minerality the hand-picked, night-harvested, field-sorted grapes needs to fully express itself. The name honors her mom, Babette, who answered to “Bebble” around the house.

$42 from http://shopfiddleheadcellars.com

REDS

2020 Notre Dame de Pallières Rasteau

From the winemaker: “Sourced from the Roux family’s plot “Les Ribes” at the top of Ratanaud, the hill that shares the valley of the Aygues and Ouvèze, comes this rustic mouthful of a Rasteau. The old vines here enjoy unusually cold nights and the pebbles on the ground are bountiful.

From the Wine Enthusiast, which scored it a 90: “Cassis and blackberry flavors are ripe but mouthwatering in this full-bodied red. A grenache-dominant blend augmented by smaller proportions of mourvèdre, syrah and cinsault, it’s buoyantly fruity but maintains a twist of herbal freshness. The wine finishes on complexities of crushed stone, bramble and charred cinnamon. Ready now it should hold well through 2025.”

From me: Right in my wheelhouse, this Southern Rhone gem. It’s a wine I’d gotten away from drinking — just forget about it, I suppose — but it’s back on my shelf again, to stay.

$22.99 at Spec’s

2020 Bonarrigo Family Wines Heritage Reserve

From the winemaker: “A bold blend of traditional Italian varieties this wine has savory nuances of herbs and spice. Beautiful dark fruit flavors and tannins coat the palate with elegant complexity.” 

From me: I’ve always thought Messina Hof made a world-class sagrantino and that grape, most famous in Umbria, is front and center in this bold, well-structured red, joining forces with primitivo and sangiovese. One of the best bottles I’ve tasted in 2023, it’s a perfect pairing for brisket and a whole lot of other hearty entrees.

$40 at http://messinahoforderport.net

H-town happenings

Charcuterie workshop and Wine tasting: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 29 at JMP Tasting Room in Humble. $75. http://eventbrite.com

“Rascally Rabbits” Spring Taste and Buy — 1-4 p.m. Saturday, April 1 at http://aocselections.com

SERCA Wines Tasting: 4 p.m. Saturday, April 8, at the SERCA Tasting Room in the Heights. . $15. http://eventbrite.com

Katy Sip N Stroll: Saturday, April 15 at The Ballard House. http://sipandstroll.com

JMP Wine Night — Truly Greek, Truly Unique: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 20. $75. JMP Tasting Room in Humble. http://eventbrite.com

The Sports Page

Raising a glass to . . . Jose Altuve

And hoping he returns better than ever after suffering a broken thumb when hit by a pitch in a WBC tournament game two weeks before the Astros begin their championship defense. My guess is he’ll be out until late June. Right, ouch! It’s bad for team, of course, but it’s terrible for a guy who’s viably chasing 3,000 hits. Every day counts.

Follow me

Podcast: Sporty Wine Guy  

Instagram: sportywineguy

Twitter: @sportywineguy

Facebook: Dale Robertson

Others to follow

Jeremy Parzen (http://dobianchi.com)

My podcast partner in crime, shown above, weighs in on the merits, of lack thereof, of organic wines, a favorite topic of his.

Sandra Crittenden (http://winelifehouston.com)

Just back from a whirlwind excursion to Paso Robles, Sandra gives us a review of the city’s cool wine quarter called Tin City.

Russ Kane (http://vintagetexas.com)

The Texas Wineslinger weighs in on the mysterious origins of the Black Spanish grape, also called Jacquez and Lenoir.

Jeff Kralick (http://thedrunkencyclist.com)

Jeff touts more of the top wines he has been sent as samples of late. Two earned “excellent” ratings with 90-point scores.

Katrina Rene (http://thecorkscrewconcierge.com)

Kat tells us everything we need to know about what’s happening in the world of Texas wine this month.

As a rule, Mondays aren’t fun days, but for every rule there’s usually an exception. For example, take my last two Mondays. Most recently, a high-end Duckhorn pairing lunch at Bluedorn overlapped with the again annual Taste of Italy event at the Omni Riverway. There, I sat on a panel with my podcast partner in crime, Jeremy Parzen, and Spec’s wine buyer Tom Dobson discussing the merits of pairing Italian wines with Texas Barbeque, in this case prepared by one of our finest, Ara Malekian, a Swiss-trained chef turned uber-pitmaster at his Harlem Road Barbeque in Richmond.

We’ll get to those wines in a moment. First, let’s speak of Duckhorn, which has long been dear to my heart. One of my earliest wine epiphanies happened while tasting Tom Rinaldi’s mid-1980s Napa Valley Merlots, especially the Three Palms, and we were fortunate to have the opportunity to sample the 2019 vintage of same this week (and note my recommendation for regular 2020 Duckhorn Merlot). It didn’t disappoint. Rinaldi has long since moved on to other projects, including crafting Houston Master Sommelier Guy Stout’s wines, but the current team hasn’t missed a beat.

The star attraction of the lunch, however, were the two new Kosta-Browne offerings . . . from Burgundy.

Really.

Duckhorn, of course, owns Kosta-Browne and had the financial clout to take on such a seemingly complicated venture, one that had Kosta Browne GM Neil Bernardi “holding my breath” as the project came to fruition. You can almost count on one hand how many Americans have ventured into the fabled French AOC. Duckhorn, it seems, entered into a hush-hush partnership with a Côte de Beaune winery that’s calling most of the shots, certainly when it comes to harvesting decisions.

Working with the negociant model — Duckhorn hasn’t yet tried to acquire any vineyards, which are the world’s most expensive — it has released pinot noirs from Beaune and Gevrey-Chambertin (the two we had the privilege of tasting) as well as Pommard and Volnay, plus a chardonnay from Mersault. The reds will sell for $125 and the white for $120. Mailing list wine club members will get first crack at purchasing the wines, although “select markets” will get some, too. Presumably, Houston will be one, since it did make the cut for Duckhorn’s 2023 Pinnacle Tour itinerary.

The wines were vinified and aged in Burgundy — about 30 percent in new oak, at Kosta-Browne’s behest — then transported via temperature-controlled containers to the home base in Sebastopol, Calif., where they were bottled. Both already-fermented juice and whole grapes/must went into the mix.

I found it interesting that Kosta-Browne choose to have the word’s “pinot noir” and “chardonnay” printed on the respective labels. Bernardi — that’s him below — said it was important “to educate the consumer” as to what varietals they would be tasting, although one would assume anyone who would fork over $100-plus for a burgundy wouldn’t need to be told they were drinking, by French law, pinot noir and chardonnay.

But my top tout in the tasting? The spot-on 2020 Calera Mt. Harlan Jensen Vineyard Pinot Noir. Calera is, of course, now under the Duckhorn umbrella, too. It also sells for $125 and is arguably the closest California cousin to the Burgundian reds because of the limestone in the dirt.

Calera’s visionary founder Josh Jensen, who died last summer at the age of 78, found his perfect location for growing pinot noir on the remote slopes of Mount Harlan in San Benito County about two hours southeast of San Francisco. The Calera Wine Company, taking its name from the Spanish word for limekiln, opened for business in 1975. Jensen, Bernardi pointed out, had paid $53 an acre for the hardscrabble land, which is 2,200 feet above sea level in the Galiban Mountain Range. You couldn’t touch a single vine for that today in Gevrey- Chambertin.

Now, back to Italy. All of Dobson’s selections, shown below, worked splendidly with Malakien’s sublimely smoked brisket and ribs, including, somewhat counterintuitively, a pinot grigio. Better still, all can be purchased at Spec’s for under $30, cash price. And one was the 2018 La Casa in Collina Barbaresco from ViteColte, a steal at $29.44. My other favorite in the mix was a 2020 barbera from the Cerrino cooperative, priced exactly the same as the can of Illy coffee beans I purchased on my Spec’s excursion: $14.99.

As per usual, there were way more lovely wines in the walk-around room than could be possibly be tasted and most were here seeking importers/distributors in Texas. I’d had the same overwhelming experience the previous Monday when a band of Bordeaux brothers and sisters passed through town. But it’s flattering to see how valuable the Houston market has become for the new wave of winemakers around the world. They wouldn’t be arriving en masse if we didn’t matter.

The surprises in the French lineup were the half-dozen cremants from Bordeaux, pictured below. I’d never tasted one before. They dazzled while offering way better value than those from Burgundy. But, for the moment, availability remains limited.

Separate from the Taste of Italy shindig, I also spent quality time with Alessandro Rotolo, who now presides over the Schiopetto wines launched in 1970 by the legendary Mario Schiopetto, and the Rotolo family’s slightly less famous but no less satisfying Volpe Pasini portfolio. (That’s him below with Schiopetto’s world-class “M.”) Nobody does it better in Friulli than Rotolo’s two teams. My pick in that lineup was the Volpe Pasini “Grin” from the 2021 vintage, which might be the most satisfying pinot grigio I’ve ever tasted and it can be purchased through http://aocselections.com for well under $20.

Sippin’ with Sporty

PINK

2022 Revelation by Goose Ridge

From the winemaker: “The blush pink hue with a floral bouquet is only just the beginning, followed by bursting notes of strawberry and watermelon. A reminder that style and strength are more than just this season’s fashion, they come from within.” 

From me: The blend of fruit from the expansive Pacific Ridge Vineyard — Washington’s largest — in the arid southeastern corner of the state is syrah-centric but includes grenache, mourvedre, chardonnay and pinot grigio, surely the first of its kind. The wine has a bit of heft to it and lovely lingering finish. It’s a project of the three generations of women in the Monson family and was released to celebrate International Women’s Day. Brava!

$18 at http://gooseridge.com

WHITE

2017 Capella Sant’Andrea Vernaccia Di San Gimignano Clara Stella

From the winemaker: “Pale lemon in color. Scents of apple, yellow fruits and some white flowers. Fresh acidity and light complexity. Good length with somewhat creamy texture.”

From me: Grape growers and winemakers Flavia Del Seta and Francesco Galgani are organic, minimally interventionist farmers through and through, right down to their use of only spontaneous fermentation. This is a beautiful expression of a wine that often disappoints when made by less meticulous producers.

$22 at Tuttilili Wines and Specialty Foods (http://tuttilili.com)

RED

2020 Duckhorn Merlot Napa Valley

From the winemaker: “Embodying the alluring beauty of great Napa Valley Merlot, this wine reveals vibrant aromas of red currant, ripe plum, black raspberry, cherry and sweet baking spices, with hints of tea leaves and cocoa. The palate is rich and luxurious, with silky tannins and flavors of ripe red berries, pie crust and fig compote gliding to a bright, elegant finish.”

From James Suckling who scored it a 93: “A juicy and fruity Merlot blend with plum, chocolate and hazelnut aromas and flavors. Full and layered with fleshy tannins and a flavorful finish. Velvety texture. Lovely approachability.”

From me: This reference-standard California merlot has a 17-percent cabernet sauvignon component plus tiny amounts of cab franc and petit verdot in the blend. It’s something of a miracle wine given the terrible impact wildfires had on the region in 2020. Renee Ary’s winemaking team did a splendid job of getting the tainted grapes out of the mix. The yield was smaller, of course, but there was no downtick in quality.

$47.99 at http://wine.com

H-town happenings

Boutique wines from Spain tasting: 4 p.m. Friday, March 10, at Memorial Wine Cellar. Free http://eventbrite.com

Downtown Wine and Bear Walk: Noon, March 18, in Rosenberg. http://bit.ly/3WZ81Ja

Bay Area Wine Fest: 4 p.m. Saturday, March 18, at Morgan Falls Event Center, Alvin. http://eventbrite.com 

Rodeo Whiskey and Winefest: 4-7 p.m. Saturday, March 18, at Big Brothers and Sisters. $50 http://eventbrite.com

Dionysus Imports French wines tasting: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 23, at the Alliance Française Houston. 713 526-1121 $25.

Champion Wine Garden Presented by Frost Bank at NRG Carruth Plaza, in conjunction with the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo: http://eventbrite.com

Katy Sip N Stroll: Saturday, April 15 at The Ballard House. http://sipandstroll.com

The Sports Page

Raising a glass to . . . Kelvin Sampson

The real season, a.k.a. March Madness, starts now, but finishing the practice season as the No. 1 team in the country is nothing to sneeze at. This old Coug ar stands in awe of Sampson’s magnificent rebuild of the University of Houston basketball program. Eat ’em up, eat ’em up, rah rah rah!!!

Follow me

Podcast: Sporty Wine Guy  

Instagram: sportywineguy

Twitter: @sportywineguy

Facebook: Dale Robertson

Others to follow

Jeremy Parzen (http://dobianchi.com)

Jeremy, shown above, gives us the full lowdown on the hot new Nizza appellation for barberas in Italy’s Piemonte.

Sandra Crittenden (http://winelifehouston.com)

Sandra reports on a recent tasting she participated in at the Texas Wine School with Jean Trimbach, whose Maison Trimbach sells more wine in the U.S. than any other Alsatian producer.

Russ Kane (http://vintagetexas.com)

The Texas Wineslinger takes a far-afield detour from his usual stomping grounds and samples the wines from Sojourn, which works with some of the best vineyards in Napa and Sonoma Counties.

Jeff Kralick (http://thedrunkencyclist.com)

Jeff touts the best wines he has been sent as samples of late. All of them, as it happens, are French.

Katrina Rene (http://thecorkscrewconcierge.com)

Kat tells us everything we need to know about what’s happening in the world of Texas wine this month.

Most of what follows appeared in the Houston Chronicle’s Rodeo Section a week ago. But I’ve made a few updates, too.

Although it may seem incongruous at first glance, bubbles and bull riding will share almost equal billing during the 2023 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. But it makes perfect sense considering that promoting agriculture through a vast array of scholarships is at the center of the Rodeo’s mission and grape-growers are most definitely farmers.    

However, the man behind the current Grand Champion Best of Show bottle is the rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, which segues nicely, too. Music, of course, is a critical component of the 20-day jam on the NRG grounds that’s part sports spectacle, part music festival and part wine-tasting. Once again, the Rodeo’s Champion Wine Garden at Carruth Plaza between NRG Stadium and the Astrodome, will become the city’s most visited wine bar for 20 evenings – Feb. 28 through March 19 – and Jackson’s Le Chemin du Roi Brut Champagne figures to be flowing freely there, along with the other most decorated wines.

Jackson considers Houston home these days, so his Le Chemin du Roi champagne’s topping a field of 3,071 entries from 18 countries is all the more special. A regular bottle of his bubbles sell for about $142 at Spec’s, but a special nine-litter bottle brought in a record $325,000 at the Rodeo Uncorked Champion Wine Auction and Dinner Sunday night. Le Chemin du Roi had previously claimed Reserve Grand Champion honors in 2021.

Jackson stepped up personally, too, spending $165,000 for a nine-litter bottle of the Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show, the 2020 Bernhardt Winery Antiquity Reserve Chardonnay Danube Plain.

Live music adds to the Wine Garden’s nightly energy and there’s an added educational component with almost daily seminars featuring food and wine pairings presided over by some of Houston’s leading oenophiles. The series kicks off Wednesday evening with Ryan Levy’s presentation about pairing wine with “decadent” chocolate.” Levy, co-owner of the Houston-based Nice Winery, is himself a former Rodeo scholarship recipient, and he readily credits that assistance for helping make his career in wine possible.

His 2018 Cabernet Franc from California’s Paicines AVA was the Reserve Grand Champion for 2022 and a nine-liter bottle of same sold for $200,000 at the Champion Wine Auction. Three of his wines earned double golds this year. Levy will also conduct a a tasting of the competition’s highest-scoring bubbles on Thursday, March 9.

Master Sommelier Guy Stout presides over a tasting of the top award-winners Tuesday, March 14. Reservations for the complete seminar lineup can be made at rodeohouston.com/wine.        

The Wine Garden will be open from 4 to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4 to midnight on Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. on Sunday. And everything you need about the 77 wines in the lineup can be found at http://rodeowinegardenwine4me/home. My wine friend Amy Gross did a remarkable job of setting up this app. Brava!

The Rodeo wine “season” officially kicked off with the Round Up and Best Bites competition at NRG Center last Sunday, when more than 450 wines and signature dishes from 100-plus local restaurants were available for tasting.

The top two finishers in each category:

Outstanding Showmanship Award — 1, Eculent. 2. Brother’s Produce.

People’s Choice Award — 1. Cotton Culinary, The Cotton Pearl (duck fat crostini with wagyu beef and lemon verblanc pearl). 2. Patra Lee’s Kitchen (caramel stracciatella ice cream with praline ethiopie and whiskey caramel swirl).

Tasty Tradition Award — 1. Joyce’s Seafood & Steaks (white chocolate bread pudding). 2. Carrabba’s (meatballs and romano cheese with homemade pomodoro sauce).

Trailblazer Appetizer Award — 1. Low Tide Kitchen & Bar (Ceviche with Cilantro Citrus Sauce on Corn Tortilla Chip). 2. Terrace 54 Bar & Table (Bang Bang Shrimp tossed in its signature bang sauce.

Lone Star Entrée Award — 1. Patagonia Grill & Café (sausage-ribeye outside skirt Steak). 2. Calavera Mexican Kitchen (Taco Al Pastor with grilled pineapple, salsa taquero with onion and cilantro, corn tortilla)

Two-Steppin’ Dessert Award — 1. Mostly Chocolate (Tequila añejo 2.0, barrel aged tequila chocolate bonbon, a caramelized, lime sea salt & tequila infused ganache layered with a creamy milk chocolate tequila ganache). 2. Whisky Cake (whiskey cake).

Rookie Award — Patra Lee’s Kitchen (caramel stracciatella ice cream with praline ethiopie and whiskey caramel swirl).

The Barbeque Cookoff champions will be determined this Sunday, while the Champion Wine Auction happens Sunday night. It figures to raise in excess of $1 million through both live and silent bidding. In 2022, a consortium of bidders paid a Rodeo record $250,000 for a nine-liter bottle of the Grand Champion Best of Show, the 2017 J. Lohr Vineyards Cuvee PAU Red from Paso Robles. 

Once the Rodeo starts, the Wine Garden will be open from 4 to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 4 to midnight on Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. on Sunday.

The 2023 Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition champions:

* Grand Champion Best of Show: Le Chemin du Roi Brut, Champagne AOC, NV

* Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show: Bernhardt Winery Antiquity Chardonnay Reserve, Danube Plain, 2020

* Top Texas Wine: Becker Vineyards Barbera, Tallent Vineyards, Texas Hill Country, 2019

* Top Red Wine: Bernardus Marinus Estate Red, Carmel Valley, 2015

* Top White Wine: Chateau Saint-Roch Old Vines White, Cotes du Roussillon AOP, 2020

* Top Sparkling wine: Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte Reserve Exclusive Brut Rosé Champagne AOC, NV

* Top Dessert Wine: Dandelion Vineyards Legacy of Australia Pedro Ximenez, Australia, NV

* Top Region Wine: Henschke Henry’s Seven Red, Barossa, 2020

* Top Value Wine: Risata Wines Moscato d’Asti DOCG, 2021

* Top Wine Company – E&J Gallo Winery

* Top Region Wine Company – Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits

* Top All-Around Winery – Becker Vineyards

* Top Texas Winery – Messina Hof Winery

Grand Champion Best of Show wines though the years:

* 2023 – Le Chemin du Roi Brut, Champagne AOC, NV

* 2022 – J. Lohr Cuvee PAU Red Paso Robles 2017  

* 2021 – Alexander Valley Vineyards CYRUS Alexander Valley 2014

* 2020 – Piper-Heidsieck Brut Champagne

* 2019 – Graham Beck Brut Rosé South Africa 

* 2018 – J. Lohr Vineyards Signature Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2014

* 2017 – Arinzano Gran Vino Blanco, Pago de Arinzano 2010

* 2016 – Orin Swift Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Mercury Head Napa Valley 2013

* 2015 – Rombauer Vineyards Diamond Selection Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

* 2014 – Antinori Guado al Tasso Bolgheri Superiore 2009

* 2013 – Alexander Valley Vineyards Cyrus Alexander Valley 2008

* 2012 – Antinori Guado al Tasso Bolgheri Superiore 2007

* 2011 – Alexander Valley Vineyards Cyrus Alexander Valley 2006

* 2010 – Davis Family Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2005

* 2009 – Vina Robles Suendero Paso Robles 2006

* 2008 – Stags’ Leap Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2003

* 2007 – Clos du Bois Marlstone Alexander Valley 2003

* 2006 – Raymond Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2001

* 2005 – Hang Time Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valley 2003

* 2004 – Alexander Valley Vineyards CYRUS Alexander Valley 1999

I’ve had several memorable visits with wine folks over the last several weeks and I’d like to share their stories with you, at least briefly. In order, they were . . .

Tony Parker

Yep, that Tony Parker, the basketball player, the guy who won four NBA championships over his 17 seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and who, as of this weekend, is a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame. He’s also the part-owner of La Mascaronne, a gorgeous winery on a lovely spot in the Var above St. Tropez that American Tom Bove oversaw until he sold it to the entrepreneur Michel Reybier, who subsequently brought in Parker as a partner. Back in 2000, Reybier paid $115 million for the famed Bordeaux estate Cos d’Estournel and remains its proprietor.

Parker grew up French, of course, and began drinking wine as soon as he was old enough to buy it — well, maybe a little before then — but it was his long, fruitful relationship with Spurs coach Greg Popovich, a hyper-serious oenophile, that turned him into a knowledgeable consumer in his own right. If Parker and Popovich weren’t talking hoops on Spurs flights, they were talking wine. And they are still talking. Parker splits his time between Texas and Lyon, where he owns the men’s and women’s pro teams. He still frequently picks Pop’s brain on matters of personnel and strategy.

And wine.

“It was nice to have a coach share his passion with me,” Parker said. He might have added, “And his palate.”

I spent quality time on the phone with Parker recently and I’m hoping to speak with Popovich, too, when the Spurs return from the All-Star break for a story I’ve been asked to write for the San Antonio Express-News. Basketball-wise, it has been a terrible year for the 74-year-old coach, his worst ever in fact, but he can find some solace in a wine collection that numbers in the thousands of bottles. I’d bet Pop even has a few left from the historically great 1982 vintage in Bordeaux, which also happens to be Parker’s birth year.

An intriguing coincidence, to be sure.

Giorgio Pelissero

Pelissero, a third-generation grape-grower/vintner in Treiso in the heart of the Barbaresco country (pictured above with yours truly), has been making wines under his family name since 1989, 29 years after the first Pelissero vintage was released, and they are across-the-board excellent. He’s especially proud of his dolcettos because, rather than pull out those vines and replace them with nebbiolo like so many of his neighbors have done, he’s defiantly leaving them to thrive right where they are, in places he knows aren’t conducive to making Nebbiolo d’Albas.

Given nebbiolo’s exalted status in the world’s wine pecking order, is it a good business decision? He doesn’t care.

“(Winemaking) for me is a passion, not a business,” Pelissero explained. “I don’t like the word ‘business.’”

You’ll be able to taste Pelissero’s wines at Sofia in the Heights March 3 (see below) and hopefully the Long Now Langhe Rosso, a particularly compelling 50-50 nebbiolo-barbera blend, will be in the mix. The name pays homage to the Long Now Foundation, founded in 1996 to foster “long-term” thinking. Or, as the website explains, “Our work encourages imagination at the timescale of civilization — the next and last 10,000 years — a timespan we call the long now.”

Yes, Pelissero’s wine is age-worthy.

Sam Jaoude

Jaoude, who now lives in Houston, had been importing a variety of goods and food items from his native Lebanon for a number of years before he decided to explore the possibility of bringing in wines, too. But, while most consumers had heard of Lebanon’s most widely distributed producer, Chateau Musar, he would be starting ground zero with the wineries he began to consider for his portfolio.

Most were tiny, family-run businesses with no infrastructure for exporting, so they were eager to speak with him. Ultimately, he settled on a group of 15 that checked all the right boxes — from diverse producers, many of them relying heavily on indigenous grapes that grow no place else such as obaideh, merwah, meksassi, and sobbagiegh — then, fingers crossed, submitted samples to the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo International Wine Competition last fall.

He wouldn’t be disappointed. Some 21 of them earned medals with four claiming golds and a fifth, which garnered a silver, being saluted as a Reserve Class Champion. If you’re attending the Rodeo Uncorked! Best Bites event Sunday night, do make a beeline to Jaoude’s table and give them a taste. I have and you will not be disappointed.

I’ve got a comprehensive story coming for the Chronicle as soon as the wines arrive in bulk in Houston and find some kind of retail outlet, so watch this space. It will appear here as well.

“The Trio”

Phelicia Colvin, Sheri Lawal Price and Tamesha Hampton, friends from Pearland who all have good day jobs and kids to raise, thought they needed another plate in the air. So they launched Wine Vibes (https://winevibes.revelup.online), a micro-winery in Missouri City where they make their own non-vintage wines from purchased grape juice from California, North Carolina and even Tennessee while serving chef Phillip Hare’s excellent munchies in a casual, airy bistro with a fine little patio out front.

For the moment, they’ve got a still moscato, a chardonnay, a cabernet and what they call — for obvious reasons — The Trio, an equal parts blend of syrah, petite sirah and zinfandel. It was my favorite, but all the wines are quite quaffable. Two more are coming, a reisling and a rosé, just in time for spring. They’ve also got a sangria they’re quite proud of, but it wasn’t available for sampling the night I visited.

The idea began to germinate for Colvin 14 years ago when she visited Napa Valley to attend a wedding and became intrigued by the whole winemaking thing. Many conversations with her eventual partners later and lots of heavy lifting, made way harder by the pandemic, Wine Vibes opened on Feb. 7 at 9018 Sienna Crossing Dr, Suite 100. They had wanted the business to be located in Pearland for convenience’s sake, but Brazoria County, oddly, doesn’t allow micro-wineries. Its loss, Fort Bend County’s gain.

Steve Matthiasson

Matthiasson, who wanted to be a farmer as far back as he can remember, took his first vineyard job in 1994. By 1999, he had co-authored the California manual on sustainable vineyard practices. He arguably knows as much as the myriad terroirs and micro-climates in Napa Valley as anyone alive or dead. We got to sample six very different Matthiasson cabs at a seminar he led for the Houston Sommelier Association last week at the Texas Wine School and it was eye- or, better, palate-opening.

Best of all, this so-called “new wave” winemaker, whose business attire is a T-shirt and blue jeans, is actually an old-school devotee in his “pursuit of balance” approach, which keeps the alcohol levels in his wines routinely below 13 percent.

He and his wife, Jill, will celebrate their 20th harvest in 2023. Today, they have their own winery and own three vineyards outright, one of which in West Oak Knoll features, besides cab franc, merlot and petit verdot, the way lesser known — in California anyway — ribolla gialla, tocai friulano and schioppettino varietals that are each well-suited for the alluvium soils around the nearby Dry Creek. In all, the Matthiassons farm some 55 acres, all of which are certified organic. 

How much does soil type matter. A lot, he said. Grapes grown in volcanic dirt, for example, tend to deliver the most satisfying tannins.

BUBBLES

2019 MacRostie Sparkling Brut

From the winemaker: “Expressive aromas of white flowers such as jasmine, as well as bright lemon citrus notes that are both lively and inviting. On the full, impeccably balanced palate, the wine’s crisp acidity melds elegantly with the mouth-filling, slow-forming bubbles.”

From me: If you’re intrigued by this delightful sparkler, which was made in the classic champagne style, you better pounce now. It’s listed on the MacRostie website as a “last call.”

$48 at macrostiewinery.com

PINK

2022 Sophie Marie Rose

From the winemaker: “Flavors of freshly picked cranberries, rose petals, and ripe raspberries. This wine has structure, a bright acidity, and light floral notes. It shows shows elegance, youthful sass and the beginnings of boldness and maturity.”

From me: Named for the Messina Hof founders first grandchild, it’s the first Sophia Marie made from sangiovese. Hopefully, it won’t be the last.

$19 at http://messinahoforderport.net

RED

2018 Newton The Puzzle Napa Valley

From the winemaker: “Deep ruby color with a purple hue. Notes of black fruit, bay leaf and sage mingle with iodine and oyster shell characteristics, creating an extremely complex and pleasant bouquet. Wonderful now, but can age for another two decades.”

From James Suckling, who awarded a score of 95: “Dried violets, potpourri, pine, blackcurrants and cloves on the nose. Ash, too. It’s medium-to full-bodied with firm, silky tannins. Layers of juicy blue and purple fruit and flowers. So sleek and refined. Builds on the palate. From organically grown fruit.” 

From me: It’s a beautiful cab-centric Bordeaux-style blend with all five grapes playing nicely in the mix. But the percentages vary slightly from year to year, which presumably explains the “puzzle” thing. Suckling suggested holding it until 2024 and I would except, sadly, I don’t have another bottle.

$135 at http://newtonvineyard.com

H-town happenings

Updated Feb. 23

Fantinel Wine Dinner — 7 p.m. Thursday, February 23 at Roma. 713 664-7581. $89 plus tax and gratuity http://romahouston.com

Bordeaux Undiscovered — 6-8 p.m. Monday, February 27, at Studio 3. http://eventbrite.com

A Night in Friuli — 4-Course Wine Dinner with Volpe Pasini & Schiopetto

6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, at Sofia. $150 713 804-0429. http://www.tratoriasofia.com

A Night In Piemonte with Pelissero Vineyards — 4:30 p.m. Friday, March 3, at Sofia. $22. http://eventbrite.com

Boutique Wines From Spain tasting –– 4 p.m. Friday, March 10, at Memorial Wine Cellar. Free http://eventbrite.com

Bay Area Wine Fest: 4 p.m. Saturday, March 18, at Morgan Falls Event Center, Alvin. http://eventbrite.com 

Dionysus Imports French wines tasting — 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 23, at the Alliance Française Houston. 713 526-1121 $25.

Champion Wine Garden Presented by Frost Bank at NRG Carruth Plaza, in conjunction with the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo: http://eventbrite.com

The Sports Page

Raising a glass to . . . the Astros

Spring is springing and baseball’s back!!!! They return to work in Florida as defending World Series champions, and none too soon with the Rockets and the Texans on the bottom of their respective sports’ heaps.

Follow me

Podcast: Sporty Wine Guy  

Instagram: sportywineguy

Twitter: @sportywineguy

Facebook: Dale Robertson

Others to follow

Jeremy Parzen (http://dobianchi.com)

My podcast partner in crime extolls the virtues of being a blogger over being a mere “influencer.” One of his students at the Slow Food University in Bra, Italy, has launched a blog and Parzen couldn’t be prouder of her.

Sandra Crittenden (http://winelifehouston.com)

Sandra reviews the new Greek-centric tasting menu at March, a restaurant clearly deserving of some love in the form of stars from the Michelin people.

Russ Kane (http://vintagetexas.com)

The Texas Wineslinger goes deep with C. L. Butaud’s Randy Hester about his unique and excellent new Blanc de Noir, a still 50-50 blend of grenache and mourvèdre from West Texas fruit. I can vouch for it, having tasted the wine with Kane.

Jeff Kralick (http://thedrunkencyclist.com)

Jeff weighs in on one of his favorite online wine sites, Last Bottle, which has been sued by Beckstoffer Vineyards for, among other things, breach of contract, false advertising, and trademark infringement. Oh dear.

Katrina Rene (http://thecorkscrewconcierge.com):

Kat’s latest post features six wines she recommended for Valentine’s, but that’s perfectly OK. They’re still good, right?

This post has nothing to do with wine, but those of you who still follow the Texans may find it interesting. I first interviewed DeMeco Ryans on his 23rd birthday, which coincided with his first Texans training-camp practice in 2006. I’ve rarely been more impressed with a rookie than I was with the well-spoken Ryans, who, 17 years later, has returned as the Texans’ head coach . . . still trying to get them to the Super Bowl.

The prospect of having an undersized rookie start for them at middle linebacker this season should make the Texans cringe.

Except for one thing. Last year an undersized rookie started at middle linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks, who weren’t seen cringing until they had lost the Super Bowl.

No, Lofa Tatupu couldn’t beat the Pittsburgh Steelers by his lonesome. That would have been a bit much to ask. But, fresh from the playing fields of Troy, the USC product definitely had a good enough season on Seattle’s behalf for everyone in Houston to keep an open mind about DeMeco Ryans, a Tatupu type who lined up in the middle for the Texans’ defense Monday morning.

“Ideally, it’s nice to have a veteran in that position,” concedes defensive coordinator Richard Smith, who is quick to remind that Ryans isn’t yet permanently ensconced as the MLB. “But if the cards are dealt another way, that’s all right, too. Right now the position is competitive. We moved him to the ‘Mike’ today. You never know what might happen tomorrow. Everybody’s trying to earn a position.

“We’re really pleased with what we saw in the mini-camps and off-season work. DeMeco is very knowledgeable and was obviously well-coached in college. (The job) isn’t too big for him. We think his movement skills are perfect for the position. He’s smart. He’ll handle it. He upgrades the athletic ability at the position.”

Defying conventional wisdom, the Seahawks had reached the same conclusions last summer about Mosi Tatupu’s son and look how nicely things panned out for them. The conference title was the first for the franchise in its 30 seasons.

Like Tatupu, Ryans comes from a college football colossus, Alabama. He knows what big games in front of big crowds are all about, so he’s psychologically prepared for the aura of the NFL, as was the former Trojan. Also, Ryans and Tatupu weigh about the same, close to 240 pounds. And, although Ryans lost points with the pickiest draft analysts because he’s “short” for an NFL linebacker, he’s 6-1, which makes him an inch or two taller than Tatupu.

The Texans love his intelligence and athleticism. They have concluded there’s only one real question to answer about the man they made the first pick of the second round of the draft: Can he handle calling the defensive signals and still play instinctively? Smith will spend the preseason ferreting out the answer.

“As with anything,” the coach said, “he’s going to learn with experience and game-time situations. If he can, it’s a bright spot for the organization.”

Ryans intelligence isn’t at issue. He made the SEC’s Academic All-Conference team in each of his last two seasons at Alabama.  Head coach Gary Kubiak calls him “studious” in the classroom and “accountable” on the field.

“The kid loves to play,” he said. ” If you could see him in a meeting room and the way he goes about his business for Joe (Marciano) and our team, he’s like a seven or eight year veteran already. He’s a great kid, and we knew that. His character is tops, and is football is pretty good, too.”

Ryans, for his part, doesn’t appear to be overly stressed by the responsibility he may be asked to bear.

“It’s a little harder,” he said. “In college everybody turned to the sideline and got the signals. Here, one person gets them and relays to the defense. I did it in high school. For me, it’s like going back to high school a little bit.

“You’ve got to have your mental part cleaned up so you can go out and be confident with what you’re doing. If you’re having to think too much you can’t get the job done.”

All things being equal, Ryans admits he prefers  being the MLB to playing on the flanks, but he’ll go where he’s put. After his NFL career officially began on his 23rd birthday – with the opening of his first training camp Friday – he seems excited just to walk onto the field every morning, the heat and the drudgery be hanged.

“I think it was hotter in Alabama,” he said, flashing a smile you’ll see often when he speaks. “I’m just glad I have the opportunity to come out here and compete for a starting job. I’m trying to get better, to hone my skills. I like the middle, but it doesn’t matter. I feel blessed to have the opportunity. A lot of people wish they could be in your shoes. Honestly, I don’t think I could have ended up in a better place.”

Ryans grew up near Tuscaloosa, breathing in the Alabama football tradition from the day he was old enough to know what a football was. The Texans’ comparatively sterile environs couldn’t be more different. He’s taken by the newness of everything,  not the least of which is Kubiak’s coaching staff.

So far, the NFL’s 32nd franchise has only known defeat in its four seasons. Ryans sees a role for himself in changing that.

“I’m in a place where I have a chance to prove something,” he said. “Other teams have had the great players who paved the way. Now I’ve got a chance to be one of those for this organization. Here we’re a new team with new coaches that’s up and coming. I like that. It’s a way to establish our own tradition and get things going in the right way. It’s time to put the bad seasons behind us.”

Coincidentally or not, the Seahawks put their bad seasons – close to three decades worth – behind them with the arrival of Tatupu, who was also a second-round draft pick, taken 45th overall to Ryan’s 33rd.  Informed of the many parallels between the two of them, Ryans replied: “You know, I hadn’t thought about that. But I’d like to go to the Super Bowl, too.”

While might be getting a little ahead of himself there, the Texans have to appreciate his way of thinking.

And they still do. OK, back to wine with my next blog. Gonna be talking about stuff I’ve tasted, fun folks I’ve met and a very cool French tasting event coming up Thursday, March 23, at the Alliance Française Houston in Montrose.