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.