O' Yeah, O' Brien

We are a member of a small Napa Vineyard, o' Brien Estates. This weekend I opened a bottle of their most recent shipment, a 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon they call "Passion of the Heart". O' Brien's marketing strategy is to employ love and passion to describe his wine, names like seduction, flirtation and passion adorn every bottle. It is really pretty fun to see the names and read the poems. I have met the owner on several occasions and this definitely suits his personality. An ex- silicon valley exec turned winemaker, he certainly has a love for wine. The wine is perfectly smooth but still a nice big Cabernet. I always love when his wines arrive. They always have a great Poem on the bottle and a story behind every vintage. If you are looking for a wine club, might I suggest you look this one up. Www.obrienestate.com

Dallas Wine Blog

If you are looking for information about ordering wine in a restaurant in Dallas, finding deals around town, or better yet, planning a trip to the wine country check out my blog.   Please join and feel free to leave comments.   I hope you enjoy!

Lake with great friends and a superb Hall Cabernet Sauvignon

Had friends down to the lake this weekend - Donna and Clint, Libby and Kevin and their respective families.  Had a great steak dinner Friday night to kick off the weekend.  Libby and Kevin brought a 2006 Hall Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.   Our other friends Rob and Michelle are always raving about this wine as well and I have had many of the Hall wines before.  This is a great Napa winery, with tasting rooms in Rutherford and St. Helena.   In fact, the Hall family is from the Dallas area and in addition to being known as great entrepreneurs and winemakers, they also have a love for art and sculpture and display much of it at their wineries which makes them a fun place to visit while in the Napa Valley.   

Needless to say, the wine was great with our steaks.   I think Robert Parker sums it up best:     95 Points "A dense, full-bodied wine with lots of creme de cassis, charcoal, licorice and forest floor, the wine is opulent and already delicious and powerful. It should continue to drink well for at least 12-15+ years." -Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

Great food and unique wine selection at The Commissary in One Arts Plaza

It was another hot summer night in Dallas. As Meredith and I rolled up to the valet in One Arts at 8 pm the thermometer still read 103! We were seated at a small table, right in the middle of the crowded seating area. It had A real New York feel. Sommelier was helpful and suggested a Santa Barbara Sauvignon Blanc from Fiddlehead Cellars. Meredith and I both liked it. It was a nice crisp wine with nice citrus and very little grapefruit, which pleases Meredith, with a neutral to slight oak. It was $47 and considering the New Zealand alternatives, if you want a nice summer wine, go for it!

We had some cheeses and popcorn to start. Meredith had the crab burger on a fresh brioche roll and I had the Tandori burger, which was lamb on a pita with tzaziki. All the food was great and the staff and servers were all pleasant and helpful.

High marks for The Commissary.

Had some Pinot Noir and a movie tonight

It seems that all too often california Pinot Noirs disappoint. The 2007 Adestra Pinot Noir from Carneros Napa Valley was From one of the better areas in California for Pinots. It was marginal at first. As I watched the movie and had a bit more it actuallly opened open quite a bit and turned out to be pretty good. If I'm not mistaken it was under $20, so for the money I would have to say it was pretty good. Make sure to have your reds chilled a little, especially this summer.

Dee Lincoln Gets Serious About Wine

  May 4th, 2011:    Our good friends Michelle and Rob Rickman invited us to the opening of Dee Lincoln's Tasting Room, a new hot spot downtown, across from the Crescent Court and just north of Ocean Prime.   Dee Lincoln was one of the founders of Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse and this is her new project.

The scene was definitely a who's who list of Dallas, that's for sure.   The decor and the place were great.   There is an outside patio in front with plenty of lounging areas, so check this out before the Texas summer sets in.  There are bars upstairs and down and the wine list is broad; plenty of options and many price points.    There is a debit card system in place with self-service wine dispensers that offer all sorts of great options by the glass.   You can choose your pour, size by the ounce, and choose your price point.    Great Concept!

If you're thinking of a happy hour spot before a night out or a drink after dinner, i highly recommend stopping in a checking out Dee's new creation.   We had a great time and i know this place will do well, as there has been a need for such a place in Dallas for a long time.

Thanks Rob and Michelle for the invitation -  -  Meredith and I had a great time!!

Spring Far Niente Shipment Arrives - Life is Good!

The shipment included a 2003 Far Niente Estate Bottled Cave Collection Cabernet Sauvignon (Oh Yeah!), a 2008 Nickle & Nickle Suscol Ranch Merlot, a 2008 Nickel & Nickel Ponzo Vineyard Zinfandel and a 2009 EnRoute Pinot Noir.   Four bottles all red, I am a happy camper.

Well I just couldn't wait, so I cracked open the Pinot Noir over dinner last night with Meredith and tonight i am enjoying it again as i write this post.  The EnRoute Vineyard is a new edition to Far Niente up in the Russian River Valley.   Most good California Pinot Noirs will come from the cooler climates like this valley or along the sonoma coastal areas.   This Pinot is aged in oak for 11 months and has a very bold Pinot flavor; very few light notes here.    If i didn't know what i was drinking on this one, I might even guess it was a Merlot.    Maybe the heavy oak flavor gives is that bigger body, but it is definitely not a textbook Pinot.     No earthy aftertaste at all.

Now I cant wait to try the Cab, but it will have to be a special occasion for sure.

Marasco treats to an Itallian Dinner and a little Itallian wine education

April 5th, 2011 - Mike Marasco has a love for Italian Cuisine and Italian wine.    He has spent many weeks over the past few years in Italy in culinary schools learning about the finer points of the Italian culture.   He hosted dinner this week at Lombardi's new Tuscan Steakhouse, La Fiorentina, in Uptown, for the MPM Group; the Lummus', Mikeskas', Peschels' and McBees'.   He ordered some great appetizers and had some suggestions for main course which included the risotto, the ahi tuna and of course the osso bu co.

Italian wines are not my expertise, but Mike really took the lead.   He ordered a few great wines, including a 2007 Banfi Cum Laude, an Italian Blend which includes Cabernet, Merlot, Sangiovese and Syrah from Montalcino.   It was a great wine, very similar to other blended wines but much more subtle than a California blend, with less fruit and just a hint of oak.   You could really taste the dark, intense Sangiovese and Syrah grapes.  I never order Italian wines...   not because i don't like them, but because there are always so many American and French wines that I like that I just never get around to it.    I am so glad Mike took us for a tour of some of these wines.  

Thanks again Marasco!   Let's do it again soon.

It's Spring - Let's Go Antiquing! (grumble, grumble)

April 2nd, 2011 - Meredith talked me into joining her for a few days of antique shopping and a date weekend in Round Top, just East of Austin.   I have to say, we had a great time; it was a real taste of America.   Just imagine a scenario where every citizen, vendor, expert and hillbilly in a 3 town radius in the middle of Texas decides to set up a tent and display every piece of furniture, nick knack and yard art they can find.  It is quite an amazing scene really.   The vendors, which are a cross between professional garage salers and  Gypsies are negotiating and mingling with everything from vacationers to big city antique dealers and interior decorators.  All in all, the outdoor experience, food and fun was a must see.

We stayed just down the road at the Hyatt Lost Pines in Bastrop.   Had a Great dinner back at the hotel at Stories Restaurant Saturday night which included crab salad appetizer, red snapper and rack of lamb.    Our table was delayed a bit, so the gracious host delivered a complimentary glass of champagne.   We both loved it and I was surprised when I inspected the bottle; a Spanish Champagne.    Segura Viudas Brut Reserva from Pendedes, Spain.  Not sure how much they normally charge for the bottle, but I have found it locally for just under $15.   I will take this opportunity to mention, for those of you that don't know much about champagne, "Brut or Ultra Brut" is another way of saying "Dry".   Sometimes you might see "Sec or maybe Demi Sec" which basically means sweet.

We split a bottle of 2008 King Estate Pinot Noir, from Oregon.   It was a real reasonable buy (suggested retail $29) and we enjoyed it.     King is a family owned "Organic" winery in Eugene, Oregon, which is about 20 years old.  Our waitress for the evening was great, but ruined the surprise and mentioned strawberry...   she was right on.  This wine was rich with strawberry, other berries and chocolate.    This was a really nice Pinot for the money; we appreciate the suggestion!

By the way, we each only had one glass, and there was more than half of the bottle left.    We corked the bottle and took the bottle home, which in most places is perfectly legal and acceptable; so don't leave it behind. 

Trip to St. Louis - Bar at Ruth's Chris

In St. Louis tonight on Business.   Staying at the Hyatt Regency at the Arch and there is a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in the lobby, so I ventured down for an early dinner at the bar.  This is a really special restaurant; the atmosphere is very hip and the views of the St. Louis Arch are amazing as you are literally seated at the base of the massive structure.   I was greeted by the bartender, Katy, who took great care of me.   I looked over the wine list and settled on a 2007 Faust Cabernet for my dinner.   Faust is a Napa Wine made by winemaker Agustin Huneeus, who is best known for creating Quintessa, one of my most favorites.    I was introduced to Qunitessa back in 2002 by my good friend Mike Edwards, from Lubbock Texas.  


The Steak was perfect.   And after talking to Katy about wine all night she insisted that we try some of the other wines.  She said she would pour me some tastings and suggested I try a 2008 Murrieta's Well - The Spur Mertiage.   I looked this wine up after dinner and was really surprised that it is under $20 in the store.   It was great.   A really well balanced blend with a lot of body, even following the earlier Cab.  P.J. is the beverage manager in the restaurant and before we were done her was in on the fun.    He poured me a taste of the 2008 Argyle Reserve Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley, where some of the great Pinots are born.    I have had the 2007 non-reserve from Argyle and was not expecting great things, but it was pretty good.   Not too earthy and well balanced.   Although i have to admit, it is hard to taste a pinot noir after the Faust Cab.

Bottom line is that this Ruth's Chris Steakhouse here at the Arch is great; great atmosphere, great food and really, really great staff.    It was great hanging out tonight.

Dinner with Sr. and Clay

Neighborhood Services Tavern on Henderson on a Wednesday night...     Nothing like a good family boy get together.   Couple of cocktails and clay ordered the 2008 Patz and Hall Pinot Noir to go with our dinner.   $60 on the menu and $40 in the store...  Great choice, must run in the family!     NHS has a pretty simple wine menu but there are some great reasonable choices on the list.   We split the crab dip and asparagus apps, awesome; and we had the crab cake sandwich specials by recommendation, which were good but a bit underwhelming.    The Pinot was a perfect match with the dinner and as a restaurant to store value - an A+.    Patz and Hall Pinot Noir...    never a bad choice - Great pick Clay!

Las Vegas for work? Yep!

MARCH 8th: I was in Las Vegas this week for some continuing education and networking with some of my retirement plan brethren. When you are in this city for work you realize how many other people are in this city for work... it's amazing!

I headed out to dinner Monday night with my good friends Steve Silverman, his work associate Andrew Oliphant and my good buddy Cody Lummus.  Steve chose Nero's Steakhouse at Caesar's Palace. We sat down and had a little discussion about wines and we quickly agreed on picking a nice red wine to accompany the steaks. First up was a 2007 Groth Cabernet Sauvignon ($120), man how can you go wrong with a Groth? Steve had mentioned that he had the pleasure of trying a Silver Oak Napa Cab a few months prior and he wanted me to pick something similar, yet with a friendlier price tag. Groth is a favorite of mine because it is a nice oaky cab like the Silver Oak, yet not as strong, and it is a real smooth mid tannic wine to me. it was a hit for sure.

Next up was a Meritage, a 2007 Justin Isosceles. ($135, in Vegas dollars that's like 20 bucks). This wine is about $75 in the store so I thought it was a pretty good value considering they had a $12 wine on the menu for $70... Gotta love Vegas. Well the wine was good, had firm oak notes with hint of cinnamon and coffee. Everyone commented how different this wine was as compared to the first wine. I always try to pick a different second wine, why not try something else, right? This wine scored 90 Points by International Wine Cellar.

So remember next time your out, try to pick a wine that is close to its store value.   It is hard to always know, but often if you buy a little more expensive wine the price will be closer to what you would have paid in the store.

Remember Camille's favorite quote, "Life's too short to drink cheap wine!"

Paul's Birthday at Eddie V's

Last night Meredith and I met our friends Melanie and Paul and Matt and Mandy at Eddie V's on Oak Lawn to celebrate Paul's Birthday.    This was my first time there.    First impression was great as we were greeted by a friendly hostess and escorted directly to our table.    Our waiter was excellent and made some great recommendations, including an eclectic calamari and some wonderful cold crab claws.

Our first wine selection was a 2007 Nickle and Nickle's Vogt Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. ($168)  Big wine, that is this wine in a nutshell.  It was full of fruit and had that distinct California Cab Oak smell and taste which I love.  A little pricey, but you will find this wine from about $80 to $100 in the wine store.  This is a 90+ scorer on almost every guide.

Bottle two was one of my favorites and i think now it is one of Paul and Matt's favorites.    The 2007 Palmeyer Jayson ($120) is a Bordeaux blend by Jayson Palmeyer.    This was a real hit at the table, but you need to understand that this wine never disappoints.   This was a smooth wine with plenty of complex flavors of black cherry, berry and chocolate.   This wine spent 18 months on new French oak and it shows it.

There was a lot of conversation about this wine from around the table.  We had a long discussion about Meritage and Bordeaux blended wines.  Matt asked an awesome question... he made the comment that he likes blended wines. He wanted to know if wine experts view blended wines as inferior to pure varietals.    I told him that this is purely in the eye of the beholder, but I would suggest the most wine geeks view blended wines as some of the best wines (the French do for sure) as the winemaker is free to make the best wine possible from a variety of sources.   There is an argument to the contrary, but the point I want to make is that don't get trapped into buying a grape -  Cab, Merlot, Chardonnay or whatever.   If you are focusing on the Cabernet section of the wine menu you might be missing some great options.   Next time ask the sommelier to suggest a great blended wine.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAUL!!

Central Market has "Decoy" on Sale

One of my favorite value Caberbet's is Decoy from Duckhorn Vineyards and Central Market had it on sale today for $24 a bottle.   Duckhorn is another great Napa vineyard just off the Silverado Trail in St. Helena.  Decoy is made from 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc, aged in French Oak Barrels for 12 months.  It has great taste of berry and tobacco and mint.  

For the money, I always love this wine.   I highly suggest you run over to Central Market and pick up a few bottles while they are on sale.    Don't forget Central Market gives an additional 10% for 6 bottles or more.

Comittee Meeting

Our good friends Laura and Bart hosted 10 friends at their house last night.  We had a great time with all our close friends.   Dinner was great, thanks Laura and Bart.   Everyone brought along some wine for the evening and we had two that were quite a treat.      The first was a 2008, Cain Concept.  ($58)  Cain is a great winery on Spring Mountain in the Northwest Napa area.   I have been there and it is a beautiful winery; you can see the Pacific ocean from the vineyards.   This winery produces and distributes wine to restaurants so you will be able to find this in almost any restaurant.  Concept is a Bordeaux blend with plenty of punch.      it was a great wine, had plenty of fruit, very light notes of coffee and oak and it had a hint of a metallic taste, which is not common in read wines.

Ok, now for the next wine.   Melissa brought a 2002 Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  ($149) I have had Silver Oak in the past and have liked it but it had never been on my favorite list.   Well, let me say that this wine last night was awesome.   I am a sucker for big Napa Cabs and this one is the poster child for sure.   This 2002 bottle has had some time and it was really well balanced with fruit and Oak.  I tasted berry and a bit of chocolate.  I really enjoyed the entire glass, thanks Mel for this great gift for the evening.

Tried another one of my picks from Central Market

The 2008 Rowland Cellars Ramspeck Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was a great choice.  ($24) This first thing I noticed about this wine was the great smell.   No earthy or musty overtones, just fruit, almost a flowery smell.  Its got a true tanic Cabernet taste and I taste coffee and leather.

I did a little research on this vineyard and the wine.  Small family owned winery started in the early 90s.  after looking into the Ramspeck label, it makes more sense now that i like this wine; it is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, but has 9% Petit Verdot, 7% Merlot and  6% Malbec, which is a Bordeaux blend minus the Cab Franc.   Grapes are from the Stag's Leap Region which I also love. 

For a mid $20 wine, this wine is a great value.   Pick one up!

It's Good to See Old Friends

Met my old friend Price for a drink at Houston's in Preston Center last night.  He had arrived early and already had his selection picked out.   He was having the Mi Sueno Cabernet / Syrah blend and he suggested I do the same.   It was $16 a glass, but honestly I didn't find it all that impressive.   It was peppery, almost reminded me of a Malbec.  It was a bit musty, but had a lot of fruit and tanic taste.   It grew on me and Price and I were surprised by the amount of sediment left in our glasses at the end. 

For my second glass I chose the Chappellet Mountain Cuvee, $15 per glass.   This was much more my speed... ahhhh a Bordeaux Blend.   Big oaked fruit with a hint of chocolate.  This is a pretty popular wine and I have it quite often so I knew what to expect, this one is consistently a good choice.  Of this "by the glass" choices at Houston's, this is the one I suggest.

Price, thanks for the conversation and the drinks!

Trip to Central Market Results in some Great New Finds

Ran over to Central Market to stock up a few bottles in anticipation of the Super Bowl.   A cool bottle caught my eye.   edge, from Napa is in a dark bottle with silver and red simple markings and I picked it up for about $25.   This Cabernet is selected from various vineyards on the Silverado Trail in Napa.  

I have to tell you, I really enjoyed this wine.   It opened up quite a bit over the evening.    It was full of fruit at first, but then mellowed and the alcohol became more noticeable.   It was a typical Napa Cab with plenty of fruit, but this wine had a light earthy taste with a bit of smoke which was nice.   This one was a value at $25.   Try it, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Ice Storms and Pinot Noir

The entire city is under ice advisory and everyone is hanging indoors and cooking warm dinners.   Meredith made a great pasta dish and I chose a 2008 Concannon Pinot Noir Limited Release.    This is from the Santa Barbara area.   Pinot Noir grows best in cooler, wetter climates closer to the coast.   This is why some of the better Pinot are being grown farther North in Washington State and Oregon.  You will find a lot of the California Pinot grapes are grown in the the Santa Barbara or San Franssco Valley and some of the better ones in the Carneros District in the lower Napa Valley Region overlooking the Ocean.  It is really one of the prettier areas in Napa.

This Pinot Noir has very soft fruit tastes, maybe plum or cherry, and a slight oak aftertaste.   It is not to earthy, but has a definite Pinot Noir aroma.   13.5% alcohol and only 450 cases produced.  It is alright, and for the money I would say a pretty good value.  For $10 more I probably could have been a lot more happy this evening, but who's complaining?

Nick & Sam's - Dallas, Tx

Last week I attended a dinner at Nick and Sam's for a business dinner.   What a great restaurant!   Food is always superb, service never disappoints, and the wine list is always impressive.   We have two different wines that evening.   First one of the guests at our table ordered the the 2007 Hourglass Cabernet Sauvigon.   $300 bottle was definitely a treat to be able to try this.   It was not that quintessential big California cab.  It was 15.5% alcohol, but drank more like a true French Bordeaux blend, because it was smooth and tastes were subtle.    If you like a big fruity, jammy cab, skip this one, it is jut not built for that.   Next we ordered the 2006 Jordan, Alexander Valley Cabernet.    It was a great drinker.    Not particularly huge on the mouth, but a good wine for the price ($125) following the first barn burner.   Jordan is a classic California Red Wine maker.    They offer a range or wines and price points, and produce a consistently good product.

While in Jackson Hole, WY

Man there was a lot of snow this year.    14 inches overnight one evening.    This, however, did not stop us from getting out and hitting some of the great restaurants in town.    One of our favorites is Snake River Grill.  It sits atop the town square underneath a big commercialized sign.    At first sight you might confuse the place as a tourist trap or even a chain restaurant.    Once inside, you will be pleasantly surprised to find quaint decor, small seating areas all surrounding a center fireplace.   This is the best place in town if you like game such as Elk, Duck or other such trappings of the area.    I had the Elk Loin Medallions...   haven't stopped thinking about them since.   The appetizers are great; don't skip the Onion Rings.   

One of the best things about this restaurant is the big but reasonable wine list.    We ordered a bottle of the 2007 Clos Du Val Cabernet Sauvignon.   This is a Napa wine, found on the Silverado Trail by the way; its reasonable and a really good cab.    It was pretty big, with plenty of fruit and it went well with all of the the food we ordered.  I highly recommend the wine and the restaurant next time your in the Tetons!

It is not Wednesday, but I had some great wine tonight

Tonight, played tennis and then came home to work on some things.   Opened a bottle of 2008 Elk Cove Vineyards Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.    This is one of my "Go To" wines in the wine isle these days.    For about $30 you can get this wine in most wine stores.    I have found the close you are to Oregon, the bigger the distribution, but i find it pretty easily in Dallas.   15,000 case produced, so it is out there.  

You know I kind of like to keep some what I call "Wednesday night" wine around.   You have keep plenty of wine around that you don't ming opening in the middle of the week just to have a glass or two.  We all like to pull out the "Big Dogs" on the weekends, but you still need good wine for the weekdays.  But you can go broke drinking the expensive stuff all the time.   This is one of those great, drinkable, weekday wines.   Great with light chicken or pasta dinners.   It is a smooth wine and doesn't posses a great deal of the earthy flavor you find in many of the lower priced Pinot Noir wines out there.    13.5% alcohol, so it stands up to most dinners, but it is still light to me.   I taste cherry and smoke.   Great wine, check it out some Wednesday!

Welcome

I have been thinking about writing about my adventures in wine for a long time.    I have enjoyed wine for many years, having grown up around the business, and thought... Why not?   At least this medium is a place for me to take notes, remember my adventures and maybe share a little with others.   So here we go...