Sommelier’s pick
Who: Carmelo Mauro, chef and owner of the Carmelo’s at 14795 Memorial and a second location in Austin, is a native of Taormina, Sicily. He spent 20 years in the hospitality industry in Europe and the Caribbean before moving to Houston in 1978, later opening his eponymous Italian restaurant, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. A member of the Texas Restaurant Association Hall of Honor (and a past president of the organization), Mauro has earned the Seal of Ospitalità Italiana from the Italian government for the authenticity of his cuisine, but he’s almost as famous for his community service as he is for his cooking.
What: 2007 Banfi Poggio alle Mura Brunello di Montalcino
Why: Mauro acknowledges that this particular Brunello from the excellent 2007 vintage is “my favorite special wine” because of its “sweet plum, cocoa and cherry notes, the full-bodied structure and now perfect maturity.” The grapes grow on the slopes below the historic, beautifully situated Poggio alle Mura castle, a site deemed perfect for the Sangiovese clones Banfi planted there in 1992. Following harvest, the fruit was macerated for about two weeks, and fermentation followed in hybrid stainless-steel and wood tanks. About 90 percent of the wine was aged in French oak barriques — with the rest in Slavonian oak casks — for two years, then spent an additional 12 months in the bottle before release. The wine will be among those featured at the “Four Hands” dinner at Carmelo’s on May 19. For the dinner, Mauro is collaborating with Maurizio Ferrarese, executive chef at Quattro in the Four Seasons downtown.
Price: $180 for a bottle at Carmelo’s