Gone . . . but never forgotten!

But first I wanted to salute a couple that will likely be impossible to find, both from the 2007 vintage. First, I salute the Quatro Caballos Tannat. A Houstonian had financed the project and the winemaker was José Ignacio, a rock star vigneron in his native Uruguay. The bottle had been gifted to me more than a decade ago by a colleague with the caveat that I should lay it down for a good long while. Mission accomplished. In fact, I’d completely forgotten I had it until I decided to go about reorganizing my “cellar” last week.

However, my “patience” was rewarded as the wine proved to be equal parts earthy and hedonistic – in short, a perfect expression of the grape, which first became famous in southwestern France’s Madiran AOC, then wound up being Uruguay’s star attraction. (It works pretty well in Texas, too, as you’d know if you have tasted Bending Branch’s tannat.) But, best I call tell, it’s no longer  being produced. Although Ignacio remains a prominent player in Uruguay with his Bodega Océanica, internet searches turned up no information on more recent vintages of Quatro Caballos. Too bad.

Another wine I will remember with great fondness was the 2007 Domenico Clerico Aeroplanservaj Barolo. Getting to know Clerico a few years back was both a pleasure and an honor and his wines never failed to wow me, this one included. The odd name, as I recall the story, honored his fascination as a child with making paper airplanes.

Sadly, it’s probably the last time I’ll taste a wine he crafted because this original “Barolo Boy” – the new-wave pioneers of the mid-1970s in the Langhe who changed how Barolo was made – passed away five years ago. Fortunately, the magnificent estate just outside of Monforte d’Alba carries on splendidly with Clerico’s widow and niece running the business and his protégé, Oscar Arrivabene, making the important decisions in the cellar.  

Sippin’ with Sporty

Bubbles

* Graham Beck Brut Rosé NV – A former Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Grand Champion wine and a double gold winner in the most recent competition, its tiny bubbles offer a very big bang for the bucks. This South African gem is a blend of pinot noir and chardonnay from the winery’s Robertson (no relation, dammit!) and Stellenbosch vineyards. $16.89 at Spec’s. 

White

* 2021 La Crema Sauvignon Blanc – The Sonoma-based winery, which launched in 1979 and now has significant footprints in Los Carneros, the Central Coast and the Willamette Valley, has long been famous for its pinot noirs and chardonnays, but this relative newbie in the lineup is a worthy addition. The fruit comes from the Sonoma Coast and the wine checks all the varietal’s boxes for a lovely price. $15.99 at Total Wine. (lacrema.com)

Rosé

* 2021 Domaine de Mourchon Loubie Rosé – Year in and year out, it was always among the highest scorers when my Chronicle panel convened for our annual rosé tasting. The winery is located just outside the Southern Rhone village of Seguret, one of the most beautiful in France, and what’s inside the bottle is gorgeous, too. Note that its oak-influenced sibling, the Suis Bois, was selected as France’s best rosé last year in a blind tasting conducted by one of the country’s premier wine mavens. There wasn’t enough of that one made to make it to Houston, unfortunately, but the Texas importer, Dionysus’ Douglas Skopp, was kind enough to share his final bottle with me last night. $17.69 for the Loubie at Specs (domainedemourchon.com)

Red

* 2019 Oberon Merlot Napa Valley – Syrah and zinfandel add subtle layers of flavor and texture to this spot-on superbly-priced merlot, which underwent extended maceration before going into French oak barrels (45 percent new) where it then underwent a lengthy malolactic fermentation. $18.99 at Total Wine. (obreronwines.com)   

* 2014 Ceretto Barbaresco Bernardot – I was also told to cellar this bottle for as long as I could stand it, and the payoff was worth it. Smoky and spicy with balsamic notes and a dark fruit core, it’s a fully mature wine that way over-delivers for the price. Vinous scored it a 94 and the Wine Advocate a 93, by the way. $52.50 at saratogawine.com (ceretto.com)

* 2018 Newton Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – I hadn’t tasted a Newton Unfiltered Cab in quite some time until this one arrived on my doorstep. Mey loss. This was a reference-standard wine for me in my formative (wine) years and the 2018 loudly reminded me why. James Suckling scored it a 93. $89.99 at wine.com (newtonvineyard.com)

* 2019 Turnbull Oakville Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon – It’s a great wine from a great vintage and a great producer. The end. The layers of flavors and silky tannins are prolonged by a wonderfully lengthy finish. Four national critics scored it 90 or higher with the Wine Enthusiast awarding a 95. $109.99 at wine.com (turnbullwines.com)

H-town happenings

* Free tasting (tonight),Brunello di Montalcino virtual dinner (Thursday night), Italian movie night (Tuesday April 4) – Roma, 2347 University. https://bitlydeal.com/o0hlxD

* Chateau Montelena wine dinner – Thursday, April 21, at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, 5061 Westheimer. https://www.delfriscos.com/event/chateau-montelena-wine-dinner/?ref=lwe

* Katy Sip N Stroll – Saturday, April 23, at the ARK by Norris Event Center, supporting the Ballard House. $65-$95. https://www.foodandvinetime.com/events

Jock shorts

* A standing ovation is in order for my erstwhile rival and long-time friend/colleague John McClain, who’s retiring this week after a brilliant 46-year run with the Chronicle. I won’t do it here, but I could go for hours about “The General,” a for-real NFL Hall-of-Famer and a for-real kind and generous human being. God, we had some fun together, starting with when we went mano-a-mano for three seasons on the Oilers beat, me with the Post and him with the Chron. OK, we had some awful times, too (the Jerry Glanville era comes readily to mind), but no need to dwell on those. Bravo, John!  

* Meanwhile, I’m again temporarily un-retiring to cover the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships at River Oaks Country Club next week. Thanks to COVID-19, we’ve endured 1,084 days without big-league ball-whacking on the red clay at RO and I can’t wait to get back out there. The club hadn’t gone even a year, never mind two, not hosting the elite men since World War II, and I’d covered at least part of every River Oaks tournament from 977 through 2019. Believe me, there’s no better place on this planet to watch tennis.         

* Twitter: @sportywineguy

* Instagram: sportywineguy

* Facebook: Dale Robertson

* Podcast: Sporty Wine Guy

Other folks to follow

* Sandra Crittenden (winelifehouston.com) – Sandra looks back at our recent dinner at Roma featuring Castello di Volpai’s Federica Stianti, the first winemaker to appear in person at the restaurant since before COVID-19 changed everything. Note that she’s currently in California going deep into zinfandels. Expect a report on same soon.     

* Russ Kane (vintagetexas.com) – Russ tells you why you MUST take his Specialist of Texas Wine class at the Texas Wine School, and how you go about taking it. The sessions have been pushed back with sessions now scheduled for April 27, May 4 and May 11 with the exam to follow on May 12. 

 * Jeff Kralik (thedrunkencyclist.com) – Jeff, a man after my own heart, offers up his rosé touts perfectly timed for our gorgeous spring weather.

* Jeremy Parzen (dobianchi.com) – My podcast partner in crime rightfully blushes and dimples about his lovely family having received prominent mention in Wine Enthusiast story titled “Raising Kids Around Wine.”    

Jock shorts

* A standing ovation is in order for my erstwhile rival and long-time friend/colleague John McClain, who’s retiring this week after a 46-year run with the Chronicle. I won’t do it here, but I could go for hours about “The General,” a for-real NFL Hall-of-Famer and a for-real kind and generous human being. God, we had some fun together, starting with when we went mano-a-mano for three seasons on the Oilers beat, me with the Post and him with the Chron. OK, we had some awful times, too (the Jerry Glanville era comes readily to mind), but no need to dwell on those. Bravo, John!  

* Meanwhile, I’m again temporarily un-retiring to cover the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships at River Oaks Country Club next week. Thanks to Covid, we’ve endured 1,084 days without big-league ball-whacking on the red clay at RO and I can’t wait to get back out there. The club hadn’t gone even a year, never mind two, not hosting the elite men since World War II and I’ve covered at least part of every River Oaks tournament going since 1977. There’s no better place on this planet to watch tennis.        

A gem from the Garda

I have this love-hate relationship with the Taste of Italy, which had become one of my favorite annual events before COVID-19 shut it down the in-person version for two years.

Federica Mascheroni Stianti

Speaking of Chianti, I also had the pleasure of meeting Federica Mascheroni Stianti of Castello di Volpaia when she hosted a dinner Thursday night at Roma. Federica’s visit was extra special because she was wrapping up her first international trip since the pandemic locked down Italy more than two years ago.

Tony Elsinga

I got to know Tony Elsinga not long after he moved to Houston from Seattle in 2006 when I became the Chronicle’s wine columnist. He was equal parts delightful and informative as one the first sommeliers at the Tasting Room in Uptown Park and our paths crossed frequently when he took gigs at other locales, all the while hoping to start his own import company. That dream became a reality when he launched Medallion Global about a decade ago. 

Nick Maloney is a Californian who makes wines in both California and Burgundy, where he trained with some of the best in the business while honing his own palate in the process. Hence, Maloney is a New World guy with an Old World soul, which insured that his Father John/Père Jean wines, whatever their provenance, would be hyper-low in alcohol relative to modern standards.

“But,” he said, “I was told repeatedly that’s not going to work” because of how 21^st century tastes have evolved, or devolved as the case may be.  

Maloney refused to listen. And, when he took a first sip of what would become his inaugural Napa chardonnay, the 2020 Mesnil sur Blanc Cuvée 7, not long after the grapes were pressed, he felt vindicated. He knew he’d nailed it. Alcohol-wise, this newbie wine made from seven primo sites – with the Hyde Vineyard in Carneros front and center – came in “on the dot,” 12.5 percent alcohol. Flavor- and structure-wise? Well – and this is no exaggeration, friends – I thought I was tasting Grand Cru Burgundy. Le Montrachet even.

What elegance. What structure. What a juxtaposition of power and finesse. In a word, amazing.

Now, the bad news. Production was miniscule it will be available in Houston – in the entire U.S. market, for that matter – only at Stella’s, the sleek new wine bar in the Post Oak Hotel. Apparently, the head sommelier there, Julie Dalton, reacted much as I did and pounced. Maloney said she could have it on the condition that Stella’s wine list price would be no lower than $750.

Yep, Le Montrachet territory.

Maloney plans to also release the wine to just a single restaurant in six other countries, although it’s not placed anywhere yet. Clearly, he’s counting on similar reactions to Dalton’s, mine and his.

So who is Nicholas “Nick” Maloney? For starters, he makes his home in Katy – yes, Katy! – with his wife Ana Briz and their son Niko, whose next birthday will be his second. He met Ana on a serendipitous visit to a local ice house after he’d stopped here to explore distribution options in Texas. Briz, recently arrived from Guatemala, had landed a job with Texas Children’s Hospital and was out celebrating with new friends and colleagues. 

Soon after they fell in love, Maloney concluded Houston would be a good half-way point between California and France and, in addition to Ana’s work ties to the area, Katy offered value in terms of real estate, certainly compared to California’s wine country. And, now, who knows? Niko could grow up to be a football star. Katy is more known for producing same than world-class vintners like his dad. 

Maloney himself grew up on an apple farm in Sebastapol in Sonoma County and eventually founded his winery there in 2010, naming it after his grandfather, the Reverend John Weaver, a beloved Episcopal priest with, he recalls, “a big heart and a larger-than-life personality.” After driving a tractor in a vineyard in high school, he aimed higher, moving to France and honing his wine-making skills in such places as the Haute Savoie, Margaux, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Savigny-lès-Beaune, Pernand Vergelesses and Chablis.

Regarding the latter, Maloney said, “I love the linear acidity you find in those wines.”

He’s also a huge fan of white wines from Switzerland, which he also knows well and where he currently sells the most wine. He says through his travels he has uncovered a wine-making “technique, our house secret” that he believes is unique to Father John Wines and helps explains the straight-from-the-chute magic of the Cuvée 7. Pushed for more details, however, he politely declined.

“If you go to the great Burgundy houses and start knocking on their doors, asking for their secrets,” Maloney said with a sly smile, “they won’t tell you either. Why should I?”

He did reveal one thing, though. Almost all the other wineries who source their fruit from the Hyde Vineyard “are letting their grapes hang for a month longer than mine.” There you go. That’s how he keeps the alcohol in his (not so sweet) spot.

Go to fatherjohnwinery.com for info on all of Maloney’s wines.

Kudos

Three of Wedding Oak Winery’s 2019 vintage Texas wines claimed gold medals in the recent San Francisco International Wine Competition:  

* Granitique, Cherokee Creek Vineyards, High Valley Block – It’s a syrah (50 percent), mourvèdre (45) and Carignan blend that spent 18 months in French oak, 25 percent new. Weddingoakwinery.comwine-club members can purchase it for $35.     

* 2019 Tempranillo Tallent Vineyards – The fruit, all tempranillo, is from Drew Tallent’s prized property in Mason, just west of Fredericksburg. It aged in American oak, 30 percent new. It’s also a member’s-only wine, selling for $40.

* 2019 Sangiovese Buena Suerte Vineyards – The High Plains sangiovese is blended with a little primativo and teroldego to add color and structure. This wine also spent 18 months in French oak, 15 percent new. It’s available to everyone through the website for $30.    

H-town happenings

* Saturday, March 12 – Empanada and Wine Night, SERCA Wines Tasting Room. 6-8 p.m. 713 405-0082. $35 per person or $90 for four with a bottle.

info@sercawines.com

* Monday, March 14 – Taste of Italy Houston. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Hilton Post Oak Hotel, 2001 Post Oak Blvd. tasteofitalyhouston.com 

* Ongoing through March 20 – The Champion Wine Garden at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Go to rodeohouston.com for a complete list of entertainers and wine-seminar presenters. 

Breaking news!

I’m working with a longtime Houston chef-restaurateur on a revamped wine list that will feature a greatly enhanced rosé program, perfect for the season and for his spicy, frequently Asian-influenced dishes. I might even spend a little time on the floor, at least during happy hour. Details coming soon.

Podcast Update

Jeremy Parzen and I will be dropping hot wine takes right and left. Look for it to drop Friday afternoon (March 11) by going to “Sporty Wine Guy” wherever you find your podcasts.   

Follow me

* Twitter: @sportywineguy

* Instagram: sportywineguy

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* Podcast: Sporty Wine Guy

Follow these guys, too

Recently updated postings:

* Sandra Crittenden (winelifehouston.com) – Sandra shares her latest Galveston Monthly piece on Chiantis that she tasted at a recent Italian American Chamber of Commerce event in Houston.

* Russ Kane (vintagetexas.com) – It’s last-call time to enroll in Kane’s “Specialist of Texas Wine” class scheduled for March 23 at AOC, and he’s got all the information for you on his site.   

 * Jeff Kralik (thedrunkencyclist.com): Jeff evaluates and rates wines from his personal collection – not freebie samples! – that have recently made him very happy.  

* Jeremy Parzen (dobianchi.com): The Roma wine director and my podcast partner in crime shares a touching story about how, during the COVID lockdown period, he helped a musician friend discover the wonders of Italian nebbiolo. 

* Katrina Rene (thecorkscrewconcierge.com) – Kat showers some love on the Ribbon Ridge AVA in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.  

Houston food and wine-lovers lost out on a lot of in-person fun over the last couple years because of COVID-19, but the parties are mercifully returning. I had a ball at Sunday night’s Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo’s Best Bites competition and I’m now looking forward to another one of my favorite gastro-oenological confabs, the eighth annual Taste of Italy, March 13-14.

Kudos to Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Texas for rallying the troops after two years of having to do everything virtually. More than 500 folks are expected to attend the various events at the Hilton Post Oak where 150 Italian brands and more than 750 Italian products will be showcased. Also returning will be a competition for local sommeliers (I’m looking forward to making my debut as a judge) that, considering the prizes at stake, figures to attract many of our best and brightest wine stewards. The champion pockets $750 and a sponsored trip to Verona to attend Vinitaly, one of the world’s most famous wine trade shows, while the runner-up collects $750 and $500 goes to third place. The Texas Wine School is also offering two scholarships on the side.

Kroger’s Jaime Deleon is the primary force behind the competition, which had to be shelved the last two years because of the pandemic, with help from his AwwSommHouston study group. Entrants will be tested on theory, tasting and service skills. In the inaugural competition in 2019, the Post Oak Hotel’s Danny Steiner took top honors.    

Panel discussions on Monday include one at 10:30 a.m. on responsible, sustainable wine-making focusing on two Umbrian producers and another at 2:30 p.m. on pairing Texas barbeque with Chiantis. My podcast partner in crime, Jeremy Parzen, heads up the morning session with me and Pappas Bros. Master Sommelier Steven McDonald joining him on the dais. Harlem Road Barbeque pitmaster Ara Malekian, Spec’s Italian wine buyer Tom Dobson and Culture Map food writer Eric Sandler are leading that talk.

A walk-around tasting for registered guests follows from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Information on all of the above and more can found at tasteofitalyhouston.com.

And, speaking of the Rodeo, the popular Wine Garden at Carruth Plaza is back in business, too, with the most highly decorated bottles from the International Wine Competition being showcased plus an excellent lineup of live music every day and terrific food-and-wine seminars most evenings from Feb. 28 through March 20. Reservations can be secured at rodeo-houston.com((where you can also peruse the Best Bites! Winners).

Wine lecturers include Master Sommelier/vintner Guy Stout and fellow local vintner, Ryan Levy, whose 2018 Nice Winery Cabernet Franc earned Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show honors. That’s a remarkable achievement made all the more special by the fact that, back in the day, Levy’s earning a Rodeo scholarship set him on his current life trajectory. Click on the Wine Garden link at the Rodeo web site above for the complete lineup of seminar hosts.

In case you missed it, the category champions are as follows:

* Grand Champion Best of Show – 2017 J. Lohr Vineyards Cuvee PAU Red, Paso Robles

* Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show – 2018 Nice Winery Cabernet Franc

* Top Red Wine – 2019 Three Sticks Pinot Noir, Gap’s Crown Vineyard, Sonoma Coast

* Top White Wine – 2020 Ruffino Italian Orvieto Classico DOC

* Top Sparkling Wine – 2020 Meiomi Sparkling Rosé, North Coast

* Top Dessert Wine – 2019 Pillitteri Estates Winery Vidal Icewine, Niagara-on-the-Lake VQA

* Top Value Wine – 2019 Apothic Merlot, California

* Top Wine Company – E&J Gallo Winery

* Top Region Wine Company – Ste. Michelle Wine Estates

* Top Region Wine – 2018 Revelry Vintners Limited Edition Reveler Red, Columbia Valley

* Top All-Around Winery – J. Lohr Vineyards

* Top Texas Winery – Becker Vineyards

* Top Texas Wine – Hye Meadow Winery Boooom Red, Texas High Plains, 2017

Sippin’ with Sporty

Bubbles

The Villa Sandi Prosecco family

* Villa Sandi Prosecco Superiore – Diva Moretti Polegato was in town over the weekend working to get more of her family’s delightful Villa Sandi wines into our market. (https://www.villasandi.it/en/) All that I tasted were delicious, including a new pink Prosecco, but my favorite was the winery’s higher-end bubbles from Valdobbiadene, the region’s epicenter. It’s bright and acidic with a medley of fruit flavors playing off each other and some creamy mousse to boot. $22.99 at wine.com    

White

* 2020 Marco Bonfante Roero Arneis Persté – Marco and his sister Micaela launched their lovely winery (marcobonfante.com) in 2000 in Ninza Monferrato across the Tanaro River from Barbaresco. The arneis grape has grown in their Roero neighborhood since the 1500s. “Persté” honors Micaela’s first son, Stefano, born in 2014 (“Persté” = per Stefano). How they can produce this good of a wine at this price point is beyond me, but a hearty “bravo!” is order. You’ll love the stone fruit notes on the nose and the fresh minerality in the glass. It’s only $9.89 at Costco. Are you kidding me? But hey, folks, please save me a couple of bottles!  

Rosé

* 2020 Rose Gold Côtes de Provence – I’ve added this gem from the countryside above Saint Tropez to my short list of favorites, now that it seems to be widely available around town. Dallas’ Casey Barber fell in love with Provence and its pink wines while traveling there years ago and the “affair” led to her launching the Rose Gold brand in 2018. Savory red fruit takes center stage. Spec’s price is only $17.89.

Red

* 2017 Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre – The Allegrinis are legendary in the hills just north of Verona, in Valpolicella country. (https://allegriniwine.com)  Three national critics have scored this vintage of the Palazzo Della Torre at least a 90 and I’m right there with them. An intensely flavored blend of corvina, corvinone, rondinella and sangiovese, it’s a steal for $16.89 at Spec’s.  

A pink, a white and a red all under $20

Sporty Wine Guy Podcast

A new one drops in the next couple of days. Parzen and I weigh in all manner of wine topics – and, sometimes, other stuff – weekly. Go to “Sporty Wine Guy” wherever you get your podcasts.     

H-town happenings

*March 5 – Taste of Two Legends: Morton’s and Michael David Winery. 6:30 p.m. at both Morton’s locations, downtown and in The Woodlands. $149 plus tax and gratuity. mortons.com

* March 13-14 – Taste of Italy Houston. tasteofitalyhouston.com 

Follow my friends

* Sandra Crittenden (winelifehouston.com) – Sandra assesses the “undiscovered” wines of Mexico that she paired with Hugo’s cuisine.

 * Russ Kane (vintagetexas.com) Russ weighs in Thomas Volney (T.V.) Munson, a fascinating and seminal wine-world figure whom Kane suggests was Texas’ original Renaissance man.

* Jeff Kralik (thedrunkencyclist.com): Jeff offers an eclectic list of seven wines that have recently impressed him.   

* Jeremy Parzen (dobianchi.com): Jeremy provides all the pertinent facts on the aforementioned upcoming Taste Of Italy.

Follow me

* Twitter – @sportywineguy

* Instagram – @sportywineguy

* Facebook – Dale Robertson

Jock Shorts

* The Texans got it right in the end by hiring Lovie Smith. But they couldn’t have gotten it more wrong in how they got there. Privately, Lovie is laughing all the way to the bank. 

* Kudos to my indefatigable former Chronicle colleague Jonathan Feign for somehow making the nowhere-bound Rockets worth reading about. Note that they’re comfortably on track to posting fewer than 20 victories in back-to-back seasons, after having just one comparable death march in their previous 53 seasons.           

* Anybody missing spring training yet? I didn’t think so.