Updated 12-30
I’m closing out what has been a wonderful 12 months of swirling and sipping on two continents with a typically eclectic array of wines, three of which hail from Texas and all of which I have enjoyed recently. And I’m especially happy to report that, with New Year’s Eve less than a week away, my four sparklers can all be found on shelves locally.
Here’s wishing everyone a splendid 2024. Cheers!
Bubbles
Frerejean Freres Grande Réserve
From the winemaker: “Our signature wine is a blend of chardonnay and pinot noir aged for a minimum of five years, producing an elegant Champagne that embodies the richness of the Frerejean Frères terroir. Low brut dosage and late disgorgement mean that it’s both balanced and generous.”
From me: Brothers Guillaume, Richard and Rodolphe Frerejean-Taittinger struck out on their own a few years back, leaving the giant Taittinger brand to other members of the iconic Champagne family. They’re boutique growers and producers in every sense of the term, although their intention wasn’t to reject their famous heritage. Their wine satisfies at a savory price.
$59.84 at Spec’s
Madame Zéro Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru
From the winemaker: “All fruit that we grow is from one village, the iconic village of Vertus in the champagne region of France, and derived from 47-year-old vines. We grow beautiful chardonnay, so we focus on singularity and aging four times longer than traditional champagne. We don’t need the added sugars normally found in champagne to achieve balance like many of the large brands. We are the first champagne house to include nutrition facts on the label out of France.”
From me: Healthy bubbles? Hey, count me in. “House” founder Matthew Massey (quoted above by Texas Lifestyles Magazine) may have grown up on Galveston island, but it didn’t take him long to grasp the glories of champagne after he’d made good money working in the energy sector. As a fitness buff, Massey felt compelled to deliver a low-cal sparkler that can run with the big dogs. He succeeded . . . and then took things to an even higher level with his 2013 vintage brut “Mille,” featured below.
$63.64 at Spec’s
2013 Madame Zéro Grande Vintage “Mille”
From the winemaker: “Offers a delightful nose of honeycomb, lemon zest, and white flower. On the palate, this Champagne exhibits exceptional structure with a silky mousse, chalky minerality, and crisp acidity. The deep and elegant character unfolds in layers, showcasing stone fruits such as peach and apricot, accompanied by fresh lemon, white raspberry, and honeysuckle notes that linger on the long, elegant finish. “Mille” promises to evolve beautifully with time, with its crisp acidity and fine structure maturing and flourishing over 10 to 20-plus years of cellaring. True to the progressive and transparent foundation of Madame Zéro, the our vintage sparkler is also ultra-low sugar with less than half a gram per glass, and openly provides nutrition info on the label.”
From me: The hand-picked fruit, 85 percent chardonnay and the rest pinor noir, grew on 45-year-old vines in Vertus. Aged for more than nine years on the lees, the wine is equal parts complex and in-your-face delicious. Why “Mille?” Only 1,000 bottles were made, and 300 of them come in gorgeous gift boxes largely hand-crafted by Massey’s dad. These bubbles check all the boxes at fair price, given the exquisite quality.
$200 at Central Market
Gran Moraine Brut Rosé
From the winemaker: “Aromas of strawberry shortcake, canned pear, white peach, lightly toasted broiche, and rose petals. The palate flirts with tangerine, kumquat, nectarine on the finish with warm watermelon rind and lemon meringue pie. Balanced fatness and acidity on the texture, vibrant and exceptionally clean all the way through to the finish, phenomenally precise.”
From the Wine Spectator, which scored it a 94: “A rare domestic rosé that captures the vibrant acidity of Champagne, offering delicate strawberry, raspberry flavors laced with steely minerality and sprinkle of graham cracker on the finish.”
From me: It’s a classic Champagne blend of estate-grown pinot noir and chardonnay with a bit of pinot meunier too from the Yamhill-Carlton AVA in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Shane Moore, who has been at Gran Moraine since 2013 after working in cellars all over the world, from Western Australia to the Golan Heights. took charge of the winemaking in 2016. He’s known for picking his fruit early, explaining “that’s how I was going to achieve the tension and energy that I was seeking from my wines.”
$52.60 at Spec’s
WHITE
2021 Cormorant Cellars White Blend
From me: Charlie Gilmore blended the certified organic grenache blanc (64 percent) and marsanne from Preston Family Vineyards deep in the Dry Creek Valley, during fermentation to “combine the aromas of the wine early in its life.” Like all of Gilmore’s offerings, fermented primarily in 7-year-old barrels, it was bottled unfined and unfiltered and could easily pass as a fine white Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This is a superb first-vintage effort at every level from a winemaker best known for his sauvignon blancs. And it comes in at only 12.9 percent alcohol, perfect for an apero.
$27 at http://cormorantcellars.com/purchase
2020 Saint Tryphon Clement Sangiovese
From the winemaker: “The wine is supple and fresh, with red plum and dusty cherry lead the charge, and a pleasant floral character and smooth, lively tannins, too. I was aiming for this wine to fall somewhere between a Brunello di Montalcino and a DOCG Chianti. It is broad, but not too big, embracing vivacity over power.”
From me: The quote above from Silouan Branford, Saint Tryphon’s owner-winemaker, was shared by Russ Kane in his http://vintagetexas.com. The “Texas Wineslinger” also shared the wine, bless him. The Brunello clone fruit from Neal Newsom’s High Plains vineyard was subjected to wild fermentation and thrice daily punch-downs. One barrel aged in new French oak.
$45 at http://sainttryphon.com
RED
2018 Rouge Bleu Lunatique
From me: Winemaker Caroline Jones, who hails from Australia, worked only with grenache from Rhone Valley floor vines, most of them growing in Sainte Cecille between Gigondas and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, that were planted in 1910. The “lunatic” reference relates to the fact that the grapes are biodynamically farmed, not to either Jones’ or her French husband Thomas Bertrand’s mental state. The wine is equal parts powerful and elegant.
$53 at French Country Wines
2020 Tenuta Luce LaVite Lucente
From the winemaker: “The nose is rich in black fruits such as blueberries and blackberries, accompanied by a light balsamic and pan brioché note. The palate is soft supported by a nice freshness, with enveloping tannins and a long fruity aftertaste.”
From James Suckling, who scored it a 93: “A rich and flavorful red showing subtle cocoa powder, roasted spices, cassis and sweet berries. Juicy and medium- to full-bodied on the palate with fine tannins and a long, polished finish.”
From me: A beautiful intersection of quality and value, this one. It will pair splendidly with haute cuisine or hamburgers. Interestingly, the winery was initially a visionary collaboration between Vittorio Frescobaldi and Robert Mondavi plus their sons Lamberto and Tim respectively. Lamberto took charge by his lonesome when the Mondavi family pulled out of the partnership in 2005.
$23.99 at http://wine.com
2021 C. L. Butaud Cease & Desist Red Blend
From the winemaker: “For the Cease & Desist wines we have made here in Texas, we start with a base of our flagship tempranillo, tipping our hat to the red blends of Spain from Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Toro, et al. Blended in the past with syrah and mourvèdre, these wines have been voluptuous, showstopper wines, with my artistic focus based more on the hedonistic pleasure of drinking robust and velvety wines.”
From me: Houston native Randy Hester began Ceast & Desist as a California project, with grenache front and center. But that variety struggles in Texas so Hester deftly shifted gears. Note that it comes a very heavy bottle, often a marketing tactic that confers gravitas to wines that lack same. Not in this case, folks.
$48 at http://clbutaud.com
2021 Juggernaut Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
From the winemaker: “Aromatics of cherries, raspberries, ripe strawberries, caramelized brown sugar with an element of earth and subtle black tea leaf. Flavors of plush red fruits, red plum, rich viscosity and lingering vanilla bean and baking spices.”
From me: Juggernaut says its wines “harness the power of nature to produce robust, compelling wines.” Exhibit A would be this pinot, which spent an average of 12 months in both new and used oak. It packs a lot of flavor — vanilla is prominent — without being overly tannic.
$21.99 at http://wine.com
2017 RIVENYATES Kerrville Hills
From me: John Rivenburgh, who purchased Kerrville Hills in 2018, earned a reputation as a tannat savant during his previous tenure at Bending Branch Winery, which he and Dr. Robert Young co-founded in 2009. Ron Yates, in turn, may be Texas’ greatest champion of the tempranillo grape. Being good friends, they pooled their passions, became “co-conspirators” and created this truly unique bright red gem of a Texas High Plains wine. It opens slowly but closes fast.
The Sporty Wine Guy 