Sommelier’s pick
Who: Lindsay Huntsman, beverage director at Emmaline Background: A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone campus, Huntsman spent 10 years working in California, from kitchens in L.A. to postings in wine country. Before relocating to Houston two years ago, she ran the front of the house and wine program for Glen Ellen Star in Sonoma County. Houstonians initially got to know her as the floor sommelier at Backstreet Cafe. The wine list Huntsman has shaped at Emmaline divides varietals and regions into two sections, time-honored and less well known. “This list is meant for generating discussion,” she says. “It’s about giving guests the option to try wines they might not have tried — more boutique, exciting and experimental — (opposite) some amazing classics from well-loved producers from well-known regions.” What: 2012 Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010 Paolo Bea Sagrantino di Montefalco Secco Pagliaro. Why: Huntsman suggests the 2012 Mayacamas as the time-tested wine and the 2010 Paolo Bea Sagrantino as her worth-exploring option. “I like them tasted side by side because they are more about showing the vineyard site than the winemaker,” she says. Mount Veeder is the perfect mountainous location for growing cabernet sauvignon, and Mayacamas Vineyards has been making cab there in the traditional style since 1889, way before the juicy and tannic Robert Parker-favored wines became the new Napa norm. Similarly, Paolo Bea, a classic producer of organic, natural wines from the hill town of Montefalco in Italy’s Umbria, highlights the terroir without over-relying on modern winemaking techniques. It’s 100 percent sagrantino, a very tannic grape, and Huntsman loves the wine for its “nonaggressive finesse. In terms of body and flavor profile, (the two wines) are similar in that they show red fruits, black fruits, are earthy and have incredible soil minerality.” She recommends both be decanted for at least an hour: “That’s when they begin to show you how beautiful they are.” Price: $275 for a bottle of the Mayacamas, $144 for a bottle of the Paolo Bea at Emmaline, 3210 W. Dallas