Sommelier’s pick
Who: Sean Beck, the sommelier/beverage director at Backstreet Cafe who also oversees the extensive wine programs at the three other Tracy VaughtHugo Ortega restaurants: Hugo’s, Caracol and Xochi. Beck prides himself in having curated wine lists at each spot “that elevate food while highlighting passionate producers that farm ethically and are vineyard driven.” He believes “in seasonality and embracing the beautiful and occasionally extreme climates of Houston as starting point for any good wine list.”
What: 2014 Anne-Claude Leflaive Claude de Nell Anjou Cuvée, Loire Valley, and 2017 Loveblock Sauvignon Blanc, Awatere Valley, New Zealand
Why: Beck is an unabashed fan of wines from France’s Loire Valley (“a magical place” where he spent his honeymoon) and New Zealand sauvignon blanc, of which he says: “Serving New Zealand sauvignon blanc is like handing someone a sonnet in a glass. It woos the drinker with purity and earnest style that is aromatic, fresh and engaging.” The Loveblock is a labor of love from Erica and Kim Crawford, whom Beck met years ago when they owned the famous Kim Crawford Winery. This “second act,” he suggests, “is a more sophisticated version of sauvignon, showing the textured flesh of nectarine, pithy citrus, melon rind and touches of tropical fruit. It has a lithe spiciness that tingles the tongue and reminds of a peppery, fragrant salad.” He awards “serious bonus points for being amazing with Mexican food and a lot of Thai and Vietnamese cuisine.” The Anjou Cuvée is a cabernet franc made from biodynamically-farmed grapes grown in a “hallowed” 20-acre plot above the town of Anjou and crafted by the “brilliant” Sylvain Potin.
Price: $88 for a bottle of the Anjou Cuvée, $11 per glass, $42 per bottle for the Loveblock at Backstreet Cafe, 1103 S. Shepherd