This month we asked our team to come up with wines they feel they would love to talk about and share with our club members and guests. We have a great line up for you and we hope you enjoy each of these very enjoyable and tasty wines.
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Micah has fallen in love with Sauvignon Blanc and his favorite has been one we have been pouring regularly here at Steve's for several months.
For more than 85 years, family-owned, Wooden Valley Winery has been producing award-winning wines from the Suisun Valley appellation. Mario Lanza and Lena Carlevaro Lanza met in Oakland, California in 1934, and married three years later. Their families both came from the small town of Silvano Di Orba, in northern Italy. Mario loved this land. He purchased the ranch next door to the winery, and gradually replaced its 36 acres of pear and prune trees with vines. The property would grow to over 300 acres of prime vineyards. The current generation of Lanzas have a vision for Wooden Valley Winery and Vineyards – to establish Suisun Valley as a world-class wine region. And as the family’s fourth generation matures, the future certainly looks bright for Mario and Lena’s great-grandchildren.
When they say their wine is made in the vineyard, the wine is the exact definition of what they are talking about. The grapes are harvested early in the morning so they are cold when they are crushed. This is done to avoid premature oxidation, keeping the juice clean and fresh tasting, which allows the wine to be fresh and tart. The wine opens with aromas of peach and grapefruit. On the palate, the grapefruit continues with the addition of hints of lemon. It is a fun and pretty wine that should pair well with chicken, pork, and turkey.
Svetlana asked for us to put a very enjoyable Rosé on the club this month. Her choice is a French wine with a very interesting profile.
Often used in small amounts in Rosé blends throughout the Loire Valley, the Grolleau grape is rarely seen gracing the label on its own. Vignoble Malidain’s Rosé use of the odd grape offers a refreshing change to the Provence Rosé's currently dominating store shelves. The wine pours a brilliant, light pink. Sour strawberry and raspberry notes spring out of the glass, with the palate displaying fresh red fruits enveloped in mild tannins, zingy acid, and a round texture. With some more power than the standard “porch-pounding” Rosé, food pairings could range from rich seafood dishes to roast pork.
Brian's choice for this month is, as you might imagine, an old world classic Malbec.
Argentina is currently acknowledged as the Malbec capital of the world, but there was a region focusing on this Bordeaux-afterthought well before. The ‘black wines’ of Cahors date back to the Middle Ages, and have long focused on rich, elegant concoctions of Malbec supplemented by Tannat and Merlot. Chateau Nozieres’ Ambroise de L’Her is a modern example that pays homage to traditional wine-making methods. As the vernacular would suggest, the wine pours a rich, opaque purple with ruby tinges. The nose is filled with lovely fresh blue and black fruits, with baking spice highlights. Supple tannins and acidity help balance against the richness of the fruit on the palate, creating a balanced wine that can be paired with rich lamb or beef dishes.
Margie loves a full bodied dry red wine. She is very partial to Spanish wines and her request is a very full flavored Garnacha.
In 2005, The Juan Gil Wine Family established Bodegas Ateca to take advantage of the fertile vineyards of the Calatayud DOP within the larger Aragon region. Though known largely as a rose-producing region, Aragon, and consequently Calatayud, also produce rich reds composed of one of Spain’s most recognizable varietals: Garnacha Noir (Grenache). Honoro Vera represents one of the recent super values in the world of wine, with minimal winemaking interference creating a fresh and powerful product. This purple-hued wine gives off scents of blue and black fruits accented by spice and tea. The palate shows off much of the same, with granite and supple tannins followed by a long, ripe finish of plum and blackberry. Pair this with grilled red meats or rich, creamy cheeses.
Courtney is in love with our Quilt Chardonnay and wanted to make sure it was considered for this month's wine club.
Crafted by superstar winemaker Joseph Wagner (Meiomi, Elouan, Belle Glos, etc.), Quilt aims to put out high-quality, multi-AVA, and Napa-sourced wines. The 2017 vintage of Quilt Chardonnay represents one of the more critically-successful attempts, receiving praise from multiple wine review outlets. Sourced from the Oak Knoll and Carneros AVA’s, this wine is aged for 15 months in 70% new French oak barrels before undergoing malolactic fermentation, which imparts the wine’s characteristic butter and vanilla notes. It pours a brilliant golden color, with apple, pear, honey, and melon notes on the nose. The palate screams Cali-chardonnay with luscious Meyer lemon, apple, and pineapple accented by kiwi and lemon zest. Per the winery, this dish is best served with sautéed chicken served with garlic fingerling potatoes or an angel hair pasta tossed with a white wine sauce.
Codi loves her some UNT, and local wine maker John Cassaro has created a special Tempranillo for UNT to help raise funds for the alumni organization as well as a very enjoyable and easy drinking wine. $5 of every bottle sold goes to the UNT alumni organization.
Blending Texas wines with Italian tradition, John and Jill Matthews and Cassaro Winery bring a Tuscan wine-tasting experience to the Dallas – Ft. Worth metroplex. Located on nearly three acres in historic downtown Ovilla, their 1910 Texas farmhouse has been remodeled into a Tuscan-style tasting room and winery. The Cassaro family’s wine-making history dates back to when John’s grandfather Giuseppe Cassaro emigrated to the United States from Italy. John wanted to continue the tradition, and planted his first European varietals in 2015. Today, John uses 100% Texas grapes to make Texas wines in true Italian fashion.
This 2017 North Texas Tempranillo is 100% Texas High Plains grape. Native to Spain, this Tempranillo is a favorite among dry, red lovers with its bold and earthy texture and hints of cherry. A portion of the proceeds from all sales are donated to the UNT Alumni Association to support student scholarships and other alumni initiatives.
Wendy picked a wine that we have never poured here at Steve's Wine Bar. It's good know that our team is always looking for outstanding wines to present to our club members and guests.
Ammunition wines is the realization of the vision shared by Bill Kerr and Andy Wahl to create well-produced Sonoma-sourced multi-AVA wines. Their flagship product is the ‘The Equalizer’; a red blend composed of Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petite Sirah, and Mourvedre sourced from the Sonoma Valley AVA. The wine is aged for 18 months in 35% new French Oak, imparting notes of vanilla and creme brulee. This supports the rich dark, reduced red and blue fruit notes found on the nose and palate. This is all woven into a well-structured wine with supple tannins and acidity, creating a powerhouse wine rich in alcohol capable of 5-10 years of additional aging. This combination screams barbecue, and should be present at your next gathering.
Karen demanded we put a Zinfandel on the club....well demanded is a bit strong, but we both love our Zinfandel and one of the wines we always looked for when going out to drink, before we owned a wine bar, was the Oakville Zinfandel.
Napa is often overlooked as a hub of Zinfandel production for the more commercially-active appellations such as Dry Creek Valley, Lodi, and Paso Robles. Napa’s offerings are generally more-structured and less fruity, but will offer the Zin-lover something marvelous regardless. Oakville Winery’s Estate Zinfandel is an excellent example of this, offering a more savory version of the grape supplemented by its customary fruit and richness. This Zin is sourced from two of the family’s Oakville vineyards, and aged in a combination of American and Hungarian oak for 12 months. It pours a rich ruby color with red hues. Raspberry sauce, pepper, and clove scents arise from the glass, followed by tastes of the same accompanied by a rich round texture on firm, but supple tannins. The finish is long, and filled with ripe plum and berry notes. Much like the ‘The Equalizer’ this Zin could be at home paired with BBQ, but could also stand up to rich short rib or steak dishes.
So come join us this month and taste through all of these wines.
Gold club members can add-on the Platinum tasting for only $10 a person.
For those who are not club members, you can still join us for tasting. The Gold Club Tasting may be purchased for $15 a person, and the Platinum Club is available at $20 a person. If you are feeling adventurous, you may try all 8 wines for $30.