5 tasters issue recommendations
The Houston Chronicle’s tasting panel remains on hiatus until further notice, but we haven’t stopped swirling and sipping on our own. Here are five recommendations, sampled blindly, from a mix of eminently trustworthy individual tasters.
SUMMER SIPPER
Overall score: 19.2 (9.2 for quality, 10 for value)
Taster’s notes: “Expressive citrus, peach and pineapple notes. Bright minerality, bracing acidity. Refreshing!”
Winemaking: The blend includes sémillon (7 percent) and a touch of sauvignon musque, too, with the fruit sourced from three Alexander Valley Vineyards featuring distinctly different terroir, giving the wine a surprising complexity for the price. The vintage was almost perfect, with a long growing season and a sizable yield. Alcohol: 13.8 percent.
Winemaker notes: “Zesty citrus with fresh tropical fruit flavors including fresh pineapple and mango on the palate. Savory notes of wet stone and distinct minerality round out the lengthy finish.”
Critical acclaim: 91 points from the Wine Advocate and 90 points from Jeb Dunnuck, who praised its “good acidity, terrific purity of fruit and a deliciously balanced profile that's already a joy to drink.”
Price: $22 at matanzascreek .com
DRINK PINK
Overall score: 19.3 (9.3 for quality, 10 for value)
Taster’s notes: “Dry, fresh and fruity. Ripe cherry, peach and tangerine with dried herbs. Very drinkable.”
Winemaking: Most of the grapes came from MacRostie’s Russian River Valley Thale’s Estate Vineyard, a block that winemaker Heidi Bridenhagen says “provides a fruit profile that’s ideal for rosé with its high acid and bright, aromatic red-berry flavors.” Alcohol: 13.5 percent. Winemaker’s notes: “The only perception of sweetness is from this wine’s alluring peach, tangerine and ripe strawberry aromas. In the glass, it has an inviting pale pink color that hints at its delicate aromas and flavors. The strawberry and peach notes are echoed on the palate, alongside hints of tangerine and watermelon, all of which are underscored by a beam of acidity that carries the wine to a long, soft finish.”
Price: $28 at shop.macrostie wine.com
GRILLIN’ AND CHILLIN’
Overall score: 19 (9 for quality, 10 for value)
Taster’s notes: “Blackberries and rose petals on the nose. Ripe cherry flavors. Plush finish.” Winemaking: Using only organically grown grapes, winemaker Jeff Cichocki utilized the same ruby-hued hard press from its rosé program but added some malbec to what’s otherwise a Rhone blend “for added character.” Yes, it should be served chilled. Alcohol: 13.4 percent.
Winemaker’s notes: “Aromas of red roses, fresh fig, red berries and orange peel give way to a lively palate of raspberries, watermelon rind and pomegranate.”
Critical acclaim: The Tasting Panel awarded it a 91, saying, “This youthful, rhubarb-hued beauty offers up a tartly sweet nose of peppered cranberry and rose petal. Spiced raspberries and fig coat a dry, lean mineral core as bright acidity and red berries lend a lovely accent similar to a cru Beaujolais.”
Price: $12 at Bonterra.com
SPLURGE A LITTLE
Overall score: 18.6 (9.1 for quality, 9.5 for value)
Taster’s notes: “Deep, rich and
earthy forest floor. Mushrooms. Savory, elegant.”
Winemaking: Director of winemaking Joe Nielsen mostly used certified sustainably farmed grapes from vineyards near Acumen’s Carneros estate. Alcohol: 14.4 percent.
Winemaker’s notes: “Fresh raspberry, hibiscus tea, dried cranberry and wet steel bring this cool-climate Pinot Noir to life. An alluring Asian plum sauce builds a contrast between the fresh fruit aromas, making this wine enjoyable on its own or with the company of food.
Price: $48 at ramsgatewinery .com
SPLURGE A LOT
Overall score: 19.2 (9.7 for quality, 9.5 for value)
Taster’s notes: “Rich, fruit forward, nicely structured, integrated tannins. Raspberry, blackberry, violets, pie crust, pencil shavings, smoky tobacco note, long slightly savory, spicy finish.”
Winemaking: Winemaker Christopher Tynan, who is from the Houston area, blends a little petit verdot (7 percent) and even less malbec (1 percent) with cabernet, then keeps the wine in élevage for 21 months in French oak (85 percent new). Alcohol: 15.2 percent. Winemaker’s notes: “A spark of intensity in the luscious cassis and raspberry flavors are tinged with savory iron, graphite, and grilled steak juices. Bright and fleshy, the finish carries a dark mix of roasted red peppers, slate and dried fig flavors.”
Price: $110 at ledefamily wines.com 2018 Matanzas Creek Winery Sauvignon Blanc Alexander Valley 2017 Cliff Lede Dancing Heart Cabernet Sauvignon Stag’s Leap District 2018 Bonterra Young Red 2017 Ram’s Gate Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2019 MacRostie Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Rosé