What I’m Drinking Tonight: Dotson ~ Cervantes, 2010 Gotas de Oro

Fixed a pretty nice Mother’s Day dinner for my wife tonight, but the best was at the finish. We ended the meal with a piece of cake, Italian cream cake, just like the wedding cake we shared over 28 years ago. This cake was a dense concoction, packed with cream, vanilla, coconut flakes and chopped walnuts.

The wine pairing was a wine from a very special couple that reside and grow grapes in the rural metropolis of Voca, Texas (population of about 50-60 people, Zip code 76887, located in McColloch County at the geographic center of the state). The people are Alphonse and Martha Dotson and the wine was Dotson ~ Cervantes 2010 Gotas de Oro, comprised of 61% Muscat Canelli balance Chardonnay. You may recall my previous encounter with this wine (see: http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?p=5581). Well, with about 6 month more time in bottle since my last tasting, this sweet, crisp and luscious wine has gained complexity with well integrated citrus, floral and ginger notes, completed with a refreshing lift of acidity.

Going back to our wedding day, we also served the Italian cream cake with a wine made from Muscat Canelli, Muscato d’Asti.

Memories like wine are great things to appreciate and share. Enjoy!

Tasting Among Old Friends: 4.0 Cellars and a New Texas Wine Experience

As I left my Texas Hill Country cottage, there was a recently unfamiliar sight: patches of sky reflected up from puddles on the pockmarked country road. The wet coolness of the afternoon reminded me of driving another wine road through California’s Sonoma County and their Russian River district. It was a place of many friends and shared glasses of wine in tasting rooms with many of these visits in the cool damp time of early Spring.

My Hill Country destination was a new winery and tasting room on the Fredericksburg Wine Road 290 called Four Point Cellars or simply 4.0 Cellars. While the destination was new, it held an opportunity to meet up with old friends. For some time now as opportunities arose, I’ve stopped in to taste wine at three favorite Texas wineries generally considered off the beaten path. They are: Brennan Vineyards in Comanche, TX; Lone Oak Winery in Burleson, TX, now with the new name of Lost Oak Winery (after coming back from a California wine competition with a gold medal and threat of a law suit for use of their old name), and McPherson Cellars in Lubbock, TX. Each has the demonstrated ability to make quality and award winning wines at show well on the national and international stage, but up to today, they required some forethought, planning and a long drive across Texas to enjoy a glass of wine or to buy enough to stock your cellar.

As I approached 4.0 Cellars, their modernistic tower welcomed me from a distance. Once out of my car and approaching the 4.0 facilities, the graceful architecture and inviting landscape was equally alluring as if requesting my presence inside asking me to get reacquainted with old and favorite friends: the wines from three wineries of Brennan, Lost Oak and McPherson, but only a short fifteen minute drive from Fredericksburg, TX.

Inside 4.0 Cellars, Kassandra McPherson greeted me and welcomed me to taste some of my favorite Texas wines and many that are simply not in wide distribution around the state, and perhaps under appreciated by the Texas wine-drinking public at large.  Kassandra is the daughter of Kim and granddaughter of Clinton “Doc” McPherson (both prime movers of the modern Texas wine experience). She’s back from University of California – Davis where she studied viticulture and enology and interned at Trefethen Vineyards, and now operates 4.0 Cellars. Hopefully, in time, she will get her chance to make wines of distinction in this Hill Country operation and thus fulfilling the 4.0 Cellars name.

Due to a recent trip to Lubbock to attend Literary Lubbock that featured my book, The Wineslinger Chronicles, and a follow-on tour of vineyards in the Texas High Plains AVA, I missed the opportunity to attend Four Point Cellars media launch event where Pat Brennan (Brennan Vineyards), Gene Estes (Lost Oak Winery) and Kim McPherson (McPherson Cellars) explained their new winery’s mission – The Texas Wine Experience. As summed up best by Pat Brennan, “4.0 Cellars is about giving the people of Texas the quality wines that they’ve been looking for,” and I’ll add, the convenience of having 4.0 Cellars in close proximity on the well-trafficked Route 290 Wine Road and, according to Orbitz, in the second fastest growing wine and culinary destination in the USA – The Texas Hill Country.

Photo by Matt McGinnis, WhatAreYouDrinking.net

As I got reacquainted with my old friends – The Viogniers from Brennan Vineyards and Lost Oak Vineyards, McPherson Cellars Roussanne, La Herencia and DBS (blend of Dolcetto, Barbara and Sangiovese), and Lost Oak’s Tempranillo – I looked around and found the surroundings comfortable and quite appealing; a complement to the quality wine experience now offered at Four Point Cellars.

But, you now what? Before I left, I’d made a few new friends, too. And, so can you.

See the May TXwine Twitter Tuesday Stats, Photostream and a Surprise from 4.0 Cellars and its partner wineries: http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?p=6253

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4.0 Cellars

10354 E. US Highway 290

Fredericksburg, Texas 78624-5761

Tel: 830-997-7470

Toll Free: 1-855-480-WINE (9463)

HOURS: Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm

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For more on the Fredericksburg Wine Road 290 go to: http://www.wineroad290.com/

May TXwine Twitter Tuesday Stats, Photostream and a Surprise

This past Tuesday sipping and savoring was in order, the online variety. TXwine Twitter Tuesday had a great turnout as it featured 4.0 Cellars, likely the newest wineries in the Texas Hill Country along with its partner wineries: Brennan Vineyards in Comanche TX @BrennanWines; Lost Oak Winery in Burleson TX @LostOakWinery and McPherson Cellars in Lubbock TX @MCPhersonCellar.

The event also provide stellar stats on Twitter for the hashtag #TXwine to 24 hour total of nearly 300,000 media impressions to approximately 45,000 followers, up from the usual 30,000 to 50,000 impressions

My surprise of the night was to find a bottle of Lone Oak’s 2001 Reserve Merlot in y wine cooler earlier that day. I really didn’t give it much of a chance before opening it. But, as Yogi said, “It ain’t over, ’til it’s over!” and this wine still had something to give. It still had tinge of purple color (not brown or even brick red) and a wonderful complex nose of red plum, leather, cedar and spice; the mouthfeel was soft and smooth. These are all descriptors of a fine old Merlot. Most people don’t give Texas’s wines much credit for the ageability, but this one proven the wrong.

The photostream brought in some interesting photos: as shown below:

from @TXwineLover

from @TXwineLover

]]> http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=6253 1 http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?p=6246 http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?p=6246#comments Mon, 07 May 2012 16:43:15 +0000 admin http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?p=6246 [...]]]>

A Bit of Texas High Plains Wine Legacy: Staked Plains Winery

Text from: Llano Estacado Website (click here). Photograph of bottle taken in the McPherson Cellars tasting room (May 2012).

• 1975: Llano Estacado Winery charted in Lubbock, Texas.
• 1976: Llano Estacado officially opens in January. First bottle of wine placed underneath cornerstone, taken from Lubbock’s first courthouse. Production: 1,300 cases.
• 1977: Llano Estacado bottles its first wines (Cibola Blanca and Cibola Roja) under the “Staked Plains” label.

Trivia question: Who started this winery? Who made this wine?

Sullivan's Duck - Frog Leap Merlot Pairing

A Perfect Pairing: Sullivan’s Steakhouse Frog’s Leap Vintner Dinner

It’s been a lot of windshield time recently for Doc Russ, Texas Wineslinger. But, it’s been well worth it. Great people, places and happenings abounded. My Wineslinger book is doing great, both within and (surprisingly???) outside Texas. While driving the state of Texas, I’ve made recent stops in Austin, Fredericksburg, Buffalo Gap and more, and at the same time “skirted the Mediterranean” albeit virtually with stops to taste wines made from grapes that derive from Italy, Southern France, Spain and Portugal, and even Germany and Colorado. However, I never left Texas.

While on some recent downtime in Houston, I received and invite from Kristie Farmer, Wine Sommelier at Houston’s Sullivan Steakhouse to attend  a Frog’s Leap Winery Vintner dinner at Sullivan’s with Owner and Vintner, John Williams.

Frog's Leap Owner & Vintner, John Williams

To say John’s a talkative free spirit is an interesting understatement. Vine Seuth blogger Amy Gross and I shared a table with him for at least a portion of the evening. John is a mad mingler without an anchor, but he has a long list of fascinating “Coming to Napa” stories and frog jokes that he readily shares.

Sullivan’s dark wood paneling melded with the dark nuances of red wine and red meat for most of the evening. But, the wines of Frog’s Leap were balanced (not over extracted, overly alcoholic as many Napa wines have become). They were made from 200 acres of Napa Valley vineyards that were dry land (non-irrigated) farmed, and thus, left to their own resources to limit their yield and maintain balance with their terroir.

Best pairing of the evening: Sullivan’s Chili Crusted Sliced Duck Breast and tropical salad served with Frog’s Leap 2008 Merlot. See photo above.

Gold Medal Texas Wine Panel - from CultureMap Austin

Austin Food & Wine Fest Sunday, April 29^th – What a Texas Wine Panel! A Gold Medal Line Up

I’ll admit, when I was asked to assemble a Texas wine panel for the Austin Food & Wine Festival, I had my doubts. Texas wines did not exactly draw the top time slot – ours was 11 am on Sunday morning. But, with the help of top rated Austin-based Sommeliers June Rodil, Craig Collins MS and Devon Broglie MS we quickly came up with a list of wines (mostly based on our personal experience and list of faves) that we thought were top rate, national-quality Texas wines. In fact, most had just received gold medals at the recent Dallas Morning News Texsom International Wine Competition.

But then, having been in conversation with Ray Isle, Food & Wine Magazine’s Executive Wine Editor, on my book, The Wineslinger Chronicles, I slipped him the question about being on our Texas wine panel. Graciously, Ray accepted and we were off the races with gold medal winning Texas wines and a “gold medal” panel of wine specialists.

I also have to admit that most people who attended the Texas wine tasting panel probably didn’t know much about the wines we selected. Gold Medal winners from the recent Dallas Morning News / Texsom International Wine Competition. The list included:

• Duchman Family Winery Vermentino (Bingham Vineyards – Texas High Plains) 2010
• McPherson Cellars Roussanne Reserve (Bingham Vineyards – Texas High Plains) 2010
• Pedernales Cellars Tempranillo (Texas) 2009
• Kiepersol Estates Stainless (No Oak Syrah) 2010
• Sandstone Cellars VII (Touriga Nacional – Mason County Texas) 2009
• Haak Vineyards  Madeira (Blanc Du Bois – Texas) 2008

Vermentino and Roussanne are white grapes that came to Texas from the coastal areas of Italy and the French Rhone Valley, respectively. The red grapes, Tempranillo, Syrah and Touriga Nacional come from Spain, southern France and Portugal. The ringer in the bunch was Blanc Du Bois, which is Texas’s own wine grape. While developed in Florida for hot humid regions, more of it is grown here than anywhere else in the modern wine world. For more on the new lexicon of Texas wine, click here.

The rest is history with over 100 attendees participating in Sunday’s Texas wine panel. There wasn’t a spare seat left in the tent. The reviews….well, it’s always best to get them directly from the source. See what people had to say of Texas wines (see below). Also, click here (TEXAS WINE FACTS – FINAL 4-23-2012) for a copy of the Texas Wine Fact Sheet I made for the attendees.

Jess Mitchell – Attention turns to wine on last day of food fest (Video)

http://austin.ynn.com/content/local_news/284461/attention-turns-to-wine-on-last-day-of-food-fest

Matt McGinnis – Austin Culture Map

http://austin.culturemap.com/newsdetail/04-30-12-10-07-are-texas-wines-for-real/

Jessica DuPuy – Texas Monthly Eat My Words

http://www.texasmonthly.com/blogs/eatmywords/?p=6537&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Jeremy Parzen – HoustonPress Eating Our Words

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2012/04/ray_isle_texas_food_wine_magaz.php

The consensus: Texas wines ARE for real!

Gold Medal Texas Wines - CultureMap Austin

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Small Scale Winemakers Symposium: May 5, 2012 in Cat Spring, Texas

The Grape Growers Committee of Austin County will be sponsoring a Small Scale Wine Makers Symposium on Saturday, May 5, 2012, at the Cat Spring Agricultural Hall in Cat Spring, Texas. You will have the opportunity to hear from local wine makers as well as commercial winery owners about how to make your own wine from traditional wine grapes such as Blanc Du Bois and Lenoir, as well as from native Mustang grapes and various fruits. The program will cover the basics of good wine making practices, equipment needed, the importance of sanitation, and TABC regulations. And because many commercial wine makers start out making amateur wines, there will be a section on making the transition from a home winery to a commercial operation. The day will finish with a wine social, where area wine makers will have samples available and share a secret or two about their own techniques.

The program is scheduled to begin with registration from 8:30 to 9:00 a.m. The program will begin at 9:00 and last until 4:00 p.m. A registration fee of $20.00 per person will be charged at the door — cash, check, or credit card. The registration fee will include all of the handouts, break refreshments, and a catered meal at lunch. Anyone interested in attending the program is asked to register by calling the Texas AgriLlife Extension Service Office of Austin County at (979) 865-2072 or by email at Austin-tx@tamu.edu.

The symposium schedule is available in PDF (Click here Small Scale Winemaking Symposium Cat Spring).

A registration fee of $20.00 per person will be charged at the door — cash, check, or credit card. The registration fee will include all of the handouts, break refreshments, and a catered meal at lunch.

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Sponsorship for this event are available at $100.00, and includes a space for an exhibit (10X31/2 tables), a free lunch, a chance to visit with winemaking enthusiasts and an opportunity to briefly speak about your product during the break or before lunch.

Please consider this opportunity to participate in one of the first home wine makers educational meetings of its kind, and potentially the largest such event on the Texas Gulf Coast.  If you are interested, please contact Philip Shackelford at (979) 865-2072 and he will get you fixed up with your sponsorship.  You may also confirm your participation by email p-shackelford@tamu.edu.

Swirl, Sip and Savor Texas Wines with Texas Sommeliers Sunday 11 AM at the Austin Food & Wine Festival

“The Gold Medal Wines Of Texas Are Upon You”

11:00 – 11:45am

Austin Food and Wine Festival

Multiple Exhibitors

Auditorium Shores – Oak Tent

Get in the know about the Lone Star State’s new grand vinos when Texas wine expert and author Russ Kane (Doc Russ Texas Wineslinger) leads a tasting with Austin’s own Master Sommeliers Craig Collins and Devon Broglie, Ray Isle of FOOD & WINE Magazine and Sommelier June Rodil.

Will Texas wines always be a cottage industry or is there potential to become a major player in the world’s wine trade? Hear the latest from the grapevine, taste these experts’ favorite Texas wines and learn why choosing local is the way forward for this great state. The discussion will bare all there is to tell on Texas wines past, present and future!

Sunday’s wines were selected primarily from the International Gold Medal winners from the recent Dallas Morning News / Texsom International Wine Competition. The list includes:

• Duchman Family Winery Vermentino (Bingham Vineyards – Texas High Plains) 2010
• McPherson Cellars Roussanne Reserve (Bingham Vineyards – Texas High Plains) 2010
• Pedernales Cellars Tempranillo (Texas) 2009
• Kiepersol Estates Stainless (No Oak Syrah) 2010
• Sandstone Cellars VII (Touriga Nacional – Mason County Texas) 2009
• Haak Vineyards  Madeira (Blanc du Bois – Texas) 2008

Get your tickets online at: http://www.austinfoodandwinefestival.com/#!!tickets Purchase a weekender package or select the schedule for Sunday April 29^th to order.

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Check out the upcoming 2012 Texsom – Texas Sommeliers Conference

TXwine Twitter Tuesday Features the Wines of 4.0 Cellars, May 8, 2012!

Denise Clarke (@DeniseFraser), Jeff Cope (@TXwineLover) and I (@VintageTexas) hope you can join us for the next TXwine Twitter Tuesday at 7 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday, May 8th. We will feature the wines of the new 4.0 (Four Point O) Cellars and have their winemakers talk about this new winery, its wines and answer your questions.

4.0 Cellars was created as a collaboration among three Texas wineries – Brennan Vineyards, Lost Oak (formerly Lone Oak) Winery, and McPherson Cellars, which are located respectively in Comanche, Burleson, and Lubbock. While each started out as small-concept tasting rooms, their collective vision and reputation for quality Texas Appellation wines rapidly evolved into something much grander – something beautiful, memorable, and undeniably unique. Earlier this month, 4.0 Cellars opened its doors, along the Wine Road 290 Trail in the beautiful Hill Country of Fredericksburg, Texas. The combination of setting, architecture and fine winemaking make for your ultimate “Texas Wine Experience.”

For the May #TXwine Twitter Tuesday, pick up your favorite wine from any of the three wineries and join us for our Texas wine chat and tasting. We will be joined by representatives and winemakers from each of the four wineries and they will share their insights, experiences and answer your questions on their wines.

The wines from Brennan Vineyards, Lost Oak (formerly Lone Oak) Winery, and McPherson Cellars are available at the winery tasting rooms in Comanche, Burleson and Lubbock and at the new 4.0 (Four Point O) Cellars in Fredericksburg. You can also visit their websites, order wine and they can ship to your door step. Alternatively, many of their wines are available at Spec’s, Sigel’s, HEB, Goody Goody’s and Central Market. Examples of award winning wines from these wineries include wines made from: Whites – Viognier, Roussanne, Albarino, Blanc Du Bois; Reds – Tempranillo, Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah just to name a few. They also have proprietary blends like: McPherson La Herencia (Spanish-style red blend), Brennan Vineyards Lily (Rhone-style white blend) and Lost Oak Rosa Blanca (semi-sweet rose).

Please remember to use the Twitter hashtag #TXwine.  If you can find the wine, but a different vintage, or want to taste a different wine from one of these three wineries, go ahead as it will make for an interesting and expanded discussion.

NOTE: If you’re new to Twitter, here’s how you participate:  just sign up for a free Twitter account at www.twitter.com. To make it easy to follow and participate in the discussion, go to the Tweetchat room set up for TXwine Twitter Tuesdays: http://tweetchat.com/room/TXwine.  No registration is required; you can login using your Twitter account.

In the Tweetchat room, participants are invited to follow tweets, add comments, and share thoughts as the participants taste and discuss the wines. Participants should use the hashtag #TXwine with Tweets, if using TweetDeck or another Twitter application.

Get Your Tickets: Gala Texas Food & Wine Pairing and Book Event Friday Night in Fredericksburg, Texas

Texas Hill Country Wine and Music Festival

Texas Wine Tasting and Food Pairing Evening with Book Signing
Friday 4/27, 6:00-9:30pm

BON APPETIT from the TEXAS HILL COUNTRY! Salute!
Our incredible Friday Night prelude Event – “Texas Wine Tasting and Food Pairing” was “Specially” planned for the “Texas Wine and Food Lover”! Join your hosts, acclaimed Texas authors, Dr. Russell Kane and Chef Terry Thompson-Anderson for a delightful evening of EXPLORING TEXAS WINE and FOOD, with music by award winning Texas singer/songwriter, John Arthur Martinez!

Sample Texas Wine and delectable “Local Texas” culinary offerings and find out why TEXAS is so special! Your hosts will be “Signing” copies of their recently released books: The Texas Hill Country – A Food and Wine Lover’s Paradise by Terry Thompson-Anderson and The Wineslinger Chronicles – Texas on the Vine by Dr. Russell Kane. Your hosts have collaborated to pair wines from Becker Vineyards, Grape Creek Vineyards, Messina Hof Winery, Sandstone Cellars, Texas Hills Vineyard, and Torre di Pietra Vineyards with tapas-style recipes from Terry’s book. Our Festival’s first silent auction will be held in conjunction in this event. What a NIGHT IN THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY! Event admission price of $100 includes signed copies of both author’s books. Please purchase your tickets now as attendance is limited (Wine and Food Pairing Menu below).

Grape Creek Pinot Grigio

Shrimp-Topped Crisped Tortilla Rounds with Chanco en Piedra Sauce

With Scattered Cotija Cheese

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Becker Vineyards Viognier

Beet, Avocado & Shrimp Salad on Red Lettuce with Handmade Horseradish

And Simple Vinaigrette

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Sandstone Cellars XI

Grilled Lamb Chop with Garlic & Cilantro Pesto with Jalapeño Pesto

On a Bed of Soft Polenta with Onions

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Texas Hills Vineyard Toro de Tejas

Spanish Chorizo and Manchego Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms

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Torre di Peitra Midnight Nymph

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Port Glaze on Grilled Sweet Potato Plank

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Messina Hof Riesling Father and Son Cuvée Texas 2010

Hopelessly Blue Cheesecake

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Fredericksburg Winery

Slow Burn Brownies