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Chilling in the open air: A selection of wines from Reddy Vineyards.

Reddy Vineyards’ Eric Sigmund on Discovery, Viognier, and ‘Clean’ Wines

February 19, 2021 / / 0 Comments

I love to talk about wine with people who share my passion for it. We open bottles, we trade stories about travel and soil types, terroir and residual sugar, and we talk of taste and food and restaurants. We recommend wines to one another, we drink, and we learn a lot.

In Wine Talk, I introduce you to friends, acquaintances, and people I meet as I make my way around the world, individuals who love wine as much as I do, who live to taste, who farm and make wine. You’ll appreciate their insight, and I hope you’ll learn something from them as well. 

The wine bug can bite hard. Just ask Eric Sigmund. He took a part-time job at Total Wine & More to help pay off his student loans — Sigmund has a law degree — and discovered a new love, one that eventually forced him to put aside a career in international law and enter the world of wine professionally.

Sigmund is now the chief operating officer for Reddy Vineyards, and oversees sales and marketing, distribution, compliance, and human resources at the winery, which is based in Brownfield, Texas.

Reddy was founded in 1997 by Dr. Vijay Reddy, whose expertise in soil chemistry and experience as a farmer — cotton and peanuts in India — made him a natural at growing grapes. He came to the United States in 1971 and earned a graduate degree in soil and plant science, then, in 1975, a doctorate. He and his wife, Subada, started a soil consulting business, which led them to their first grape plantings. Reddy now encompasses more than 300 acres planted with 38 varietals.

Sigmund joined the Reddy team in early 2019, after having spent nearly five years with Total Wine, ending his tenure with the company as an associate buyer. He holds degrees from the University of Iowa and Syracuse (juris doctor). As you will learn, Sigmund is an avid ambassador for the Texas wine industry.

James Brock: How has COVID-19 changed your work and life?

Eric Sigmund: COVID has forced us to become more openminded and flexible. When the initial lockdowns began, in March, we were quick to pivot to maximize our online footprint. We emphasized driving traffic to our eCommerce site, utilized social media for customer acquisition, and brought our story and products into customers’ homes via virtual tastings.

Virtual tastings are a sign of the times.

Virtual and online touchpoints will continue to be core elements of our customer-service strategy. We also doubled down on our retail strategy. During COVID, we expanded our retail footprint within Texas and accelerated the development of a new series of wines designed for grocery and fine-wine retailers. We are extremely proud of these wines, as they provide consumers an affordable 100 percent estate-grown and estate-produced lineup of premium Texas wines that were previously not widely available within the state. 

JB: Tell us about three wines you think are drinking well at the moment. What makes them worthwhile? How about a food pairing for each one?

ES: The Reddy Vineyards Field Blend is our flagship wine. The 2017 vintage is drinking great. It’s a proprietary blend from a unique circular-shaped block in the vineyard that is planted with eight varietals. This 2-acre block is harvested together and co-fermented. Because of the way we craft this wine, it displays many layers, but is also very harmonious, since the wine started as a blend even in the vineyard. 

“The Circle” Field Blend

Everything about this wine is a bit unorthodox, but that’s what makes it so interesting to drink. This wine is available on our website for $35 and can be found in several retailers within Texas.  

Our 2019 TNT Red Blend is a 63 percent Tempranillo and 37 percent Touriga Nacional. These varietals do exceptionally well in the warmer climate of west Texas and produce an amazing synergy of aromatics, color, body, structure, and flavors when blended together.  It’s very “Texas.” I love to pair this with some good barbecue. The wine is young with good tannic grip, but it is still approachable. It retails for $40, and can be found at retailers including Total Wine and Central Market throughout Texas. 

The 2019 Reserve Viognier / Marsanne Blend is our premier white wine. These Rhône whites thrive in Texas. Viognier, in particular, is a star performer, but I really love Marsanne, especially when it sees some new oak. I see barrel-aged/fermented Marsanne as Texas’ version of oaked Chardonnay. This wine was aged 50 percent in new French oak for six months and gives the drinker a lot to enjoy. Secondary notes dominate the aromatic profile, but the Viognier lifts the wine on the palate with nice acidity and bright citrus, while the Marsanne adds body and creaminess.

A trio from Reddy Vineyards

This wine won Double Gold and Best-in-Class Viognier at the 2021 Houston Rodeo Uncorked! International Wine Competition, which is a great accomplishment. Pair it with lobster, scallops, or poultry. You can buy it on the Reddy Vineyards site ($50).

JB: If cost was no consideration, tell us the one bottle you would add to your personal collection, and why.

ES: This question doesn’t resonate with me. When searching for wines to buy, I’m looking for new and interesting experiences. Perhaps it’s a varietal or a region I don’t frequently taste, an up-and-coming producer, or the wine was made utilizing an interesting technique.

I’ve enjoyed plenty of rare, blue-chip wines, and there are many more I haven’t had the opportunity to taste, but seeking these wines doesn’t interest me. Wine needs to be more accessible (but don’t confuse accessibility with availability for the sake of quantity), so I’m generally looking for wines $50 and under, which overdeliver and can serve as a reference point for emerging trends or further research.

Currently, I’m particularly interested in aged (dry) white wines. These wines can be misunderstood and underappreciated. The best white wine I have ever tasted was a 2012 Texas Viognier that I drank last year, the Pedernales Cellars Reserve Viognier. It retails for about $40.  It was exquisite — a true wine epiphany moment.  It was still youthful and bright but had developed seemingly endless complexity. Every time I sipped it, I tasted something different, and the wine continued to evolve over the next two hours as I drank it.  That experience helped reshape my perception of old whites and of the incredible potential of Texas wine. (Editor’s note: The fruit for the Pedernales Viognier came from Reddy Vineyards.)

JB: What is your favorite grape, and why?

ES: I’ve always been particularly fond of Syrah. I love a bold and spicy Syrah from Rhône and enjoy expressions from Barossa or McClaren Vale as well. Meaty versions can be a lot of fun to drink, too. Syrah just hits the right notes — the dark fruit, the structure, the depth — it’s what I’m looking for in a big red. 

The 2019 Reserve Cabernet Franc from Reddy Vineyards

JB: How about one bottle that our readers should buy now to cellar for 10 years, to celebrate a birth, anniversary, or other red-letter day?

ES: Our 2019 Reddy Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Franc is tremendous. It is a blend of 89 percent Cabernet Franc and 11 percent Petit Verdot. 100 percent new French Oak. This wine was just released and will age well for a very long time. It sells for $75. 

JB: Where is your go-to place when you want to have a glass or bottle (outside of your home and workplace)?

ES: To be honest, when drinking outside my home, I tend to drink beer and cocktails. I like to drink something new every time I enjoy a beverage. It is much easier to find new and unique items on a beer list or cocktail menu since these rotate more frequently. Unfortunately, too many wine lists tend to be static and feature the usual suspects. Plus, the wine markups at restaurants are just crazy when I can purchase that item for a third of the cost at my local retailer.  

Good cocktails are handcrafted, so they are more unique to the restaurant. This is a huge problem for the wine industry. I’d encourage restaurant owners who are passionate about wine to focus on smaller, rotating menus that will keep guests interested. One positive of COVID is the wide adoption of eMenus, which makes it easier and more cost-effective for restaurateurs to run dynamic beverage lists. I hope this will continue long into the future.  

JB:If there was one thing you wish everyone would keep in mind when buying and drinking wine, what is it?

ES: I’d encourage customers to think more about where the wine came from and how it was made. Don’t be afraid to ask questions of the wine steward at your local wine shop. Hopefully, that person can help guide you — in a well-informed but unpretentious manner — to find a wine that not only fits your taste preferences, but also your values.

At the same time, shopping for wine shouldn’t have to be a chore. This is another challenge for the wine industry as a whole. This burden falls to the producers to be more transparent and communicative of these facts with consumers. It’s great to see more producers leaning towards transparency, but the wine industry should also be wary of those who try to capitalize on marketing things like “clean wine.” This, too, can be dangerous for the industry by legitimizing misperceptions and creating misinformed customers. 

Eric Sigmund: “Don’t be afraid to ask questions of the wine steward at your local wine shop.”

JB: What is your “wine eureka moment,” the incident/taste/encounter that put you and wine on an intimate plane forever?

ES: I previously described an experience I had with a Texas Viognier, which solidified my belief of the world-class quality of Texas wine. I’ve only had two other wines that elicited the same type of “eureka moments” — so these are very rare. 

Instead, my passion for wine developed as I began working a second job as a wine associate in a local Total Wine & More to help pay off student loans. At that time, I was a practicing attorney who had zero experience with wine. For me it was, and continues to be, “discovery”.  Each wine tells a story — about place, about geography, about weather, about people or family, about heritage, about the future — that is captivating.

There are also countless links between law and the alcohol business that add another layer of intrigue. Today, more than anything, I love sharing my passion for wine with others and seeing that same spark ignite interest in this journey of discovery. 

JB: What has been the strangest moment/incident involving wine that you have experienced in your career?

ES: Recently, I led a tasting at Cadillac Wines in Fort Worth, Texas. This tasting was set up through our distributor and I had never visited the location before the event, but had heard they were known for carrying a nice assortment of high-end boutique wines.

When I arrived, I pulled into a Cadillac dealership. I was confused. There was a small sign upon entry that read “Cadillac Wines” and offered a direction to follow.  I drove through the dealership and found no sign of anything related to wine. I Googled the shop again and, apparently, I was in the right place. I eventually parked and went inside to a beautiful showroom. Lots of luxury cars, no indication of wine. 

Finally, as I walked towards the main reception area, I saw an incredible floor-to-ceiling wine cellar at the end of the hall.  This 12’x20’ cellar was filled with unique and rare wines and is a destination for wealthy wine collectors. Now dazed and confused, I proceeded to taste through a selection of our wines with folks shopping for cars and loyal followers of the Cadillac Wines mailing list, right in the middle of the dealership. This was easily one of the strangest tasting experiences I’ve had in my career. 

Published in 1955, a pleasure to read today

JB: Your favorite wine reference in a work of literature?

ES: I thoroughly enjoyed reading An Invitation to Wines, written by John Storm and published in 1955. This book was written as a guide to introduce “uncomplicated people” who “consume millions of gallons of wine without any folderol whatsoever — without purrings or posturings or poetic rhapsodies” to the world of wine.  Widely outdated on many levels, it’s a glimpse into the post-Prohibition wine industry and how wine was perceived at the time. Interestingly, there are many parallel challenges observed by Storm that continue today. It an interesting and humorous read (the latter certainly not intended) that provides perspective into the world of wine that was and the challenges we face today.   

Want more wine? Read on:

Jeff Cole, Sullivan Estate’s Winemaker
Jon McPherson Talks Tokay and His Mentor Father
Two Reds From Chile
An Italian Chardonnay From the Cesare Stable
Mi Sueño’s 2016 Napa Valley Syrah
Joshua Maloney on Riesling and Manfred Krankl
Brothers in Wine
Two Bottles From Priest Ranch
A Derby Day Cocktail
Nate Klostermann is Making Some Great Sparkling Wines in Oregon
Matt Dees and the Electric Acidity of Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay
Baudelaire, Pinot Noir, and Rosé: Kathleen Inman’s Passions
Colombia, France, and California: This Winemaker is a Complex Woman
Michael Kennedy Talks Sailing and Zinfandel
Spain Opened the World of Wine for Spottswoode’s Aron Weinkauf
Alta Colina’s Molly Lonborg Wants a Bottle of Château Rayas
Mumm Napa’s Tami Lotz Talks Wine and Oysters
James MacPhail on Pinot Noir, White Burgundy, and Russell Crowe
A Very Proper Sparkling Wine
Talking With David Ramey
A Merlot That Your Snob Friend Will Love
French Couple Make a Sauvignon Blanc in California
A Perfect Afternoon Chardonnay
Terry Theise Talks Reisling
A New Wine Wonderland
Paris Wine Goddess Tells All
Rice Village Wine Bar Has a Cleveland Touch
A Texas White Blend for Your Table
A Pinot Noir Full of Flavor
This Pinot Gris From Oregon Pairs Well With Cheese
Willamette, Dammit!
A Value Rioja
Drink Pink!
Underbelly Veteran Goes for Grenache
A Man of Letters and Wine
Ms. Champagne Wants a Nebuchadnezzar
The Wine Artist Goes for Chardonnay
This American Loves Spain and Its Wines
Houston’s Wine Whisperer Has a Soft Touch
Blackberry Farm’s Somm Pours in Splendor
Mr. Pinot Noir: Donald Patz of Patz & Hall
A Cork Dork Wants to Spend More Time in Tuscany
Sommelier Turned Restaurateur Daringly Goes Greek
Texas Master Sommelier Debunks Wine Geeks
A Bottle From Gigondas Changed This Houston Man’s Life
Oil Man Falls in Love, and the Rest is Good-Taste History
Ryan Cooper of Camerata is a Riesling Man
Mixing It Up With Jeremy Parzen, an Ambassador of Italy
Sommelier at One of Houston’s Top Wine Bars Loves Underdogs

When The Past Comes Calling, To The Mind and the Stomach

February 15, 2021 / / 0 Comments

There are times when nothing will do but a comforting dish from the past, from one’s childhood perhaps. Sausage, cheese, eggs, and bread might be in the mix.

This morning was one of those times. A Valentine’s Day-Presidents Day weekend brunch of a rustic casserole the cool weather brought to my memory.

And the smoked paprika covered it all …

It’s what I made.

The sausage slid from its casing in a sensual manner, and it sizzled in the pan, sizzled. Dry mustard, brioche buns, smoked paprika.

At the table, it sat on a wooden trivet.

The past was complete, at least of portion of the past. It was good.

The wines of Azienda Agricola Poliziano are on display and for sale at the family's enoteca in Montepulciano. (Courtesy Michele Bindi Fotografia)

A Quartet of Italian Wines From The Carletti Family

February 12, 2021 / / 1 Comment

The opportunity to taste a number of wines from a single producer in the same sitting is an enjoyable experience. It’s illuminating to sample, say, various vintages of the same wine, or compare several single-vineyard selections of Riesling (or Merlot) made by one winemaker.

Recently, I tasted four wines from the Carletti family, owners of Poliziano and Lohsa —  the 2019 Rosso di Montepulciano DOC (SRP: $17); the 2017 Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG (SRP: $30); the 2017 Poliziano Asinone Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG (SRP: $63); and the 2018 Lohsa Morellino di Scansano DOCG (SRP: $16).

I’ll start with this: each of these wines is worthy of consideration and consumption. You will enjoy drinking them, pairing them with food, and recommending them to friends.

Dino Carletti purchased the Poliziano estate in 1961 (54 acres at the time), and it’s now run by a son of his, Federico — whose children, Francesco and Maria Stella, are being groomed to join the enterprise.

In a 2014 interview, Carletti told BKWine Magazine’s Ulf Bengtsson, “My father was not very interested in wine making, so when I wanted to take over he just said, ‘go ahead, that’s the vineyard, here are the keys!’”

Federico Carletti (Courtesy Vendemmia International Wines)

That was 1980, and Carletti, who considers himself first and foremost a farmer (he has a degree in agriculture) has since expanded the estate — located in the commune of Montepulciano — to more than 640 acres. In all, Poliziano’s annual output exceeds 83,000 cases produced from 400 acres in Montepulciano, Cortona, and Maremma.

My tasting began with the Rosso di Montepulciano DOC, and I recall writing at the time that, “it’s a wine I would happily drink every day.” It’s 80 percent Prugnolo Gentile (Sangiovese in Montepulciano) and 20 percent Merlot. Great fruit here, grown at 280-350 meters above sea level, and a robust yet sprightly body. Cherry, of course, but also a bit of humus and bright berry. Tasting this made me feel lighter, happier.

Fermentation takes place in cement tanks, and aging (10 months) is done 50 percent in French oak and 50 percent in cement (2-4 months in the bottle). This wine (250,000 bottles produced per year, 13.5 percent alcohol) rewards a lack of patience, so drink it when you get it. Pairings? Hamburgers, lamb chops, basil pesto and farfalle.

Drink this with or without a lamb chop on the side.

We proceeded to the next bottle, the 2017 Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG. (Note: We opened each of these wines after having chilled them in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.) Here, we have 85 percent Prugnolo Gentile, backed by Colorino and Canaiolo, along with a touch of Merlot.

I appreciated the interplay between the buoyant tannins and the shy floral notes in this wine, and want to revisit this vintage in three or four years. If I opened this bottle on a cold evening in November or December, I would love to pair it with wild boar. Fermentation takes place in large vats of French oak, and the wine is aged for 18-20 months in French oak (6-8 months in the bottle). Production is 200,000 bottles per year, and alcohol is 14 percent.

A noble bottle, fit for a meal of wild boar.

The third bottle in our tasting, what the Carletti family refers to as its flagship wine, was the 2017 Poliziano Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Asinone DOCG. Asinone is the name of the vineyard from which the fruit here comes — its shape resembles a donkey’s back, hence the moniker. Poliziano’s first vintage from the 14-hectare plot was released in 1983 as Vigna Asinone Riserva, and in its present form was awarded Tre Bicchieri from Gambero Rosso.

This wine is 95 percent Prugnolo Gentile (Sangiovese), and 5 percent Canaiolo and Merlot. (Vino Nobile regulations require 70 percent Sangiovese only.) Production is 20,000 bottles a year, and fermentation takes place in French oak vats (6,000-8,000 liters in size). Aging: 20 months in French oak, 20 percent new; at least 8 months in bottle. Alcohol level is 14.5 percent.

Not many bottles of this wine are produced, but I urge you to find one.

This vintage was marked by heat, and as others have remarked, I found that the tannins lacked some integration. Dark cherry and soil shine here, and this wine lingers in the mouth, desirably so. The fruit’s quality is evident in this bottle. I would pair it — again — with wild boar, and a hearty beef stew would also be suitable. Hold until 2023, and I would love to taste this in 2040.

We now visit our final bottle from the tasting, the 2018 Lohsa Morellino di Scansano DOGC. Morellino is the name for Sangiovese in the Maremma region of Tuscany, and for my money, this bottle represents outstanding value. Poliziano ventured into Maremma in 1998 with this wine, and the deft hand of Carletti is amply evident in the bottle.

From Maremma, a Sangiovese with another name.

It’s 85 percent Sangiovese and 15 percent Ciliegiolo, and I really likes this wine. Morellino di Scansano possesses a wonderful herbaceous quality, and you’ll find that in this bottle. Bright cherry, humus, a harmonious light-bodied wine that is fun to drink. I made basil pesto this week, and would be delighted to pair it and penne with this wine.

It’s aged 10 months in French oak and cement tanks — 2-4 months in bottle — and 60,000 bottles are produced annually. Drink now, with gusto.

The vineyards of Poliziano tell the story of a family’s love for the land.

Federico Carletti, who in the past served as the president of the Consorzio del Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (2008-2013), has guided his father’s purchase for decades now, and he has been producing wines that enhance one’s life. His enoteca in Montepulciano is a beautiful love letter to the region — make sure to pay it a visit when you are next in the area — and I look forward to tasting more of his family’s wines.

Historical note: Carletti’s father named the estate after Angelo Poliziano (1454-1494), a son of Montepulciano and scholar whose work was instrumental in the development of Renaissance Latin.

U.S. importer: Dalla Terra Winery Direct

Want more wine? Read on:

Jon McPherson Talks Tokay and His Mentor Father
Two Reds From Chile
An Italian Chardonnay From the Cesare Stable
Mi Sueño’s 2016 Napa Valley Syrah
Joshua Maloney on Riesling and Manfred Krankl
Brothers in Wine
Two Bottles From Priest Ranch
A Derby Day Cocktail
Nate Klostermann is Making Some Great Sparkling Wines in Oregon
Matt Dees and the Electric Acidity of Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay
Baudelaire, Pinot Noir, and Rosé: Kathleen Inman’s Passions
Colombia, France, and California: This Winemaker is a Complex Woman
Michael Kennedy Talks Sailing and Zinfandel
Spain Opened the World of Wine for Spottswoode’s Aron Weinkauf
Alta Colina’s Molly Lonborg Wants a Bottle of Château Rayas
Mumm Napa’s Tami Lotz Talks Wine and Oysters
James MacPhail on Pinot Noir, White Burgundy, and Russell Crowe
A Very Proper Sparkling Wine
Talking With David Ramey
A Merlot That Your Snob Friend Will Love
French Couple Make a Sauvignon Blanc in California
A Perfect Afternoon Chardonnay
Terry Theise Talks Reisling
A New Wine Wonderland
Paris Wine Goddess Tells All
Rice Village Wine Bar Has a Cleveland Touch
A Texas White Blend for Your Table
A Pinot Noir Full of Flavor
This Pinot Gris From Oregon Pairs Well With Cheese
Willamette, Dammit!
A Value Rioja
Drink Pink!
Underbelly Veteran Goes for Grenache
A Man of Letters and Wine
Ms. Champagne Wants a Nebuchadnezzar
The Wine Artist Goes for Chardonnay
This American Loves Spain and Its Wines
Houston’s Wine Whisperer Has a Soft Touch
Blackberry Farm’s Somm Pours in Splendor
Mr. Pinot Noir: Donald Patz of Patz & Hall
A Cork Dork Wants to Spend More Time in Tuscany
Sommelier Turned Restaurateur Daringly Goes Greek
Texas Master Sommelier Debunks Wine Geeks
A Bottle From Gigondas Changed This Houston Man’s Life
Oil Man Falls in Love, and the Rest is Good-Taste History
Ryan Cooper of Camerata is a Riesling Man
Mixing It Up With Jeremy Parzen, an Ambassador of Italy
Sommelier at One of Houston’s Top Wine Bars Loves Underdogs

This box contains an olive oil cake, from Little House Confections. It was a delicious version of the traditional dessert.

An Olive Oil Cake Worth Your Attention, and Two California Sparkling Pairings

January 26, 2021 / / 0 Comments

A week or so ago an email arrived that piqued my attention, and appetite. It was a pitch for Valentine’s Day story, one that involved cake. Olive oil cake, to be exact.

I like to make olive oil cakes, and I order them often for dessert at restaurants. I’ve had some great ones in Italy and New York and Los Angeles, so I accepted the email’s kind offer to have one delivered to me.

Little House Confections is the bakery behind the item, named Bomb Ass Olive Oil Cake, and I’ll be a regular customer.

Once I opened the attractively wrapped box from Little House Confections, this is what I saw.

Moist and flavorful, dense and light in the mouth at the same time — such a pleasurable sensation— and not overly sweet. Cut a slice and the crumb keeps its shape and texture. My dessert fork’s tines accepted this cake ($42) in a wonderful manner … it was attractive on the plate as well.

Here are the ingredients, according to the baker: extra virgin olive oil, flour, freshly squeezed orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, sugar, eggs, baking powder, baking soda, and love. (Yes, it is always better if one bakes and cooks with love … ) Note: You can order a gluten-free version of this cake.

Liz Roth, the owner and founder of Little House Confections, began the enterprise in April 2020 as a charitable campaign to raise funds and awareness for Covenant House of California. Once people in the Los Angeles area began tasting Roth’s wares, which were made in her home kitchen, the clamoring began. Little House is now an ongoing business, and Roth and her team are still contributing a portion of the bakery’s profits to a local charity each month — consult the Little House Confection website for details.

Liz Roth has a hit on her hands. (Courtesy Little House Confections)

Roth began her baking journey in her mother’s kitchen as a youth, and a passion was born there. She enrolled in Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in 2007, but had to undergo spinal surgery a few months later, which ended her studies. Interior design, her other passion, gained her talents when she left the culinary school, and Roth worked for Cliff Fong before opening Elizabeth Roth Home.

COVID-19’s arrival planted the idea in Roth’s head that took her back to the olive oil cake recipe she had perfected in her mother’s kitchen … and her charitable baking venture was born. Since then, Little House Confections has donated more than $25,000 to worthy organizations, and the cakes and other baked goods keep coming. (I’m looking forward to tasting Roth’s chocolate birthday cake.)

If you are in Los Angeles, I recommend that you order the Bomb Ass Olive Oil Cake for Valentine’s Day; unfortunately, Little House Confections does not yet ship its creations, but stay tuned.

The Laetitia Brut Cuvée seemed made to be quaffed with olive oil cake.

I had my first slice of the cake for dessert one evening last week, and paired it with two sparkling wines, a non-vintage brut cuvée from Laetitia Vineyard and Winery, and the 2016 Rouge from Frank Family Vineyards. I knew that both bottles would be ideal companions for the cake, and my dining companion agreed after we sampled them.

The Laetitia, hailing from the Arroyo Grande Valley AVA, is comprised of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc, and you can find it for $28 (or $22.40 if you join the Laetitia wine club). It’s Méthode Champenoise, and it represents great value. The fruit was harvested by hand, and was pressed whole-cluster. The brioche notes here are marvelous, and I think this wine deserves a place in anyone’s inventory.

If you want to pour a California sparkling wine at your table, this one, from Frank Family Vineyards, would be a great choice.

The Frank Family Rouge ($55) is a dramatic pour, in color and more. Its brilliant ruby tone is festive, rich, and inviting to the eye. It is 73 percent Pinot Noir and 27 percent Chardonnay. The acidity of this wine (Los Carneros AVA) appealed to me immensely, and I’ve added it to my “always have on hand” list. It was disgorged on April 26, 2020, after spending three years on its yeast. (Here’s a look at the people behind Frank Family Vineyards, a piece I wrote for PaperCity.)

I’m now inspired to make my version of olive oil cake, so check this space soon for the recipe and method.

Jon McPherson makes wine in California and Texas.

Jon McPherson Talks Charmat, His Mentor Father, and Tokay

December 21, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I love to talk about wine with people who share my passion for it. We open bottles, we trade stories about travel and soil types, terroir and residual sugar, and we talk of taste and food and restaurants. We recommend wines to one another, we drink, and we learn a lot.

In Wine Talk, I introduce you to friends, acquaintances, and people I meet as I make my way around the world, individuals who love wine as much as I do, who live to taste, who farm and make wine. You’ll appreciate their insight, and I hope you’ll learn something from them as well. 

A few weeks ago, a shipment of sample wines came my way from Texas, from Carter Creek Winery, which is located in Johnson City. I had previously tasted a Tempranillo from the producer, but that was several years ago, so I was looking forward to opening the bottles.

They did not disappoint, and I’ll have reviews of them in this space, but the man who made them is today’s subject. His name is Jon McPherson, and he has roots in Texas, and in the Lone Star State’s wine industry. In fact, one might call him a member of Texas’ Founding Family of Wine.

McPherson’s father, Clinton “Doc” McPherson, was a pioneer in the modern Texas wine industry; he began experimenting with grapes in Lubbock in the late sixties, and in 1968 planted Sangiovese in the Sagmor Vineyard (now owned by Kim McPherson, of McPherson Cellars, Jon’s brother). Doc and his business partner, Bob Reed, founded Llano Estacado Winery in 1976. McPherson senior passed away in 2014, at the age of 95.

Jon McPherson says that he has always known wine — he worked at his father’s winery digging postholes for stakes and planting vines, among other forms of manual labor. He attended and graduated from Texas Tech University (bachelor of science in food and technology) and holds a second degree in chemistry.

McPherson worked at the family winery for a while, then moved to California in 1985, taking a job at Culbertson Winery, where he earned much-deserved acclaim in the early 1990s for his sparkling wines. In 2003, he joined the Carter family group of wineries — Carter Estate Winery and South Coast Winery in Temecula, and Carter Creek Winery in Texas’ Hill Country.

McPherson has 43 harvests under his belt, and says that he hopes to make it to “at least” 50, a laudable and realistic goal, especially when you consider his mentor was “Doc” McPherson.

James Brock: How has COVID-19 changed your work and life?

Jon McPherson: We are viewed as essential workers, so beyond wearing a mask every day at work, we are making a little less wine, but still doing the same cellar work. Wholesale sales are up, but the tasting room is a little slower.

JB: Tell us about three wines you think are drinking well at the moment. What makes them worthwhile? How about a food pairing for each one?

JM: Our Carter Creek 2017 Maverick, a red Rhône blend, is drinking very well, especially if you pair it with grilled meat, like beef or lamb. The 2017 Viognier-Roussanne is showing wonderful fruit notes of peach and honeysuckle, very rich and very sexy. Any fish dish would be lucky to have this wine served alongside of it. Our new release of the brut sparkling is exceptional, and if bubbles are your scene, this wine gets very high marks. It is a Charmat product that drinks like a Méthode Champenoise.

Carter Creek Family Winery’s Brut Sparkling and Group Therapy red blend

JB: If cost was no consideration, tell us the one bottle you would add to your personal collection, and why.

JM: I would probably add a Château Haut-Brion or a Château d’Yquem. I think these wines are so elegant and such wonderful examples of Bordeaux and Sauternes.

JB: What is your favorite grape, and why?

JM: I love Pinot Blanc for its versatility in making not only great table wine, but for sparkling wine as well. Of course, that goes for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir as well.

JB: How about one bottle that our readers should buy now to cellar for 10 years, to celebrate a birth, anniversary, or other red-letter day? Can be one of your wines, but does not need to be.

JM: Cellaring for 10 years can be a bit of a crap shoot, but vintage Ports can cover that time span and then some. Late-disgorged sparkling (Champagne is always nice), or perhaps another first growth?  I recently had the 2013 Ayala Blanc de Blancs and it was amazing.    

Tempranillo and Texas: an evolving and growing relationship.

JB: Where is your go-to place when you want to have a glass or bottle (outside your home and workplace)?

JM: Jeune et Jolie in Carlsbad, California (post-pandemic, of course).

JB: If there was one thing you wish everyone would keep in mind when buying and drinking wine, what is it?

JM: Appellation and price are not always the answer.

JB: What is your “wine eureka moment,” the incident/taste/encounter that put you and wine on an intimate plane forever?

JM: I was in Hungary and drinking a pre-WW1 Tokay. The wine was amazing and the history that it held was equally amazing.  It came from the cellars of a producer that had been a supplier to the Czar.

The Carter Creek tasting room is located in Johnson City, Texas.

JB: What has been the strangest moment/incident involving wine that you have experienced in your career?

JM: When an intern left a valve off of a tank and she started filling it without us being aware she was operating a pump without supervision. A big no-no.

JB: Your favorite wine reference in a work of literature?

JM: Hugh Johnson’s Vintage: The Story of Wine. Not only a great book, but it became a great PBS series as well.

Want more wine? Read on:

Two Reds From Chile
An Italian Chardonnay From the Cesare Stable
Mi Sueño’s 2016 Napa Valley Syrah
Joshua Maloney on Riesling and Manfred Krankl
Brothers in Wine
Two Bottles From Priest Ranch
A Derby Day Cocktail
Nate Klostermann is Making Some Great Sparkling Wines in Oregon
Matt Dees and the Electric Acidity of Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay
Baudelaire, Pinot Noir, and Rosé: Kathleen Inman’s Passions
Colombia, France, and California: This Winemaker is a Complex Woman
Michael Kennedy Talks Sailing and Zinfandel
Spain Opened the World of Wine for Spottswoode’s Aron Weinkauf
Alta Colina’s Molly Lonborg Wants a Bottle of Château Rayas
Mumm Napa’s Tami Lotz Talks Wine and Oysters
James MacPhail on Pinot Noir, White Burgundy, and Russell Crowe
A Very Proper Sparkling Wine
Talking With David Ramey
A Merlot That Your Snob Friend Will Love
French Couple Make a Sauvignon Blanc in California
A Perfect Afternoon Chardonnay
Terry Theise Talks Reisling
A New Wine Wonderland
Paris Wine Goddess Tells All
Rice Village Wine Bar Has a Cleveland Touch
A Texas White Blend for Your Table
A Pinot Noir Full of Flavor
This Pinot Gris From Oregon Pairs Well With Cheese
Willamette, Dammit!
A Value Rioja
Drink Pink!
Underbelly Veteran Goes for Grenache
A Man of Letters and Wine
Ms. Champagne Wants a Nebuchadnezzar
The Wine Artist Goes for Chardonnay
This American Loves Spain and Its Wines
Houston’s Wine Whisperer Has a Soft Touch
Blackberry Farm’s Somm Pours in Splendor
Mr. Pinot Noir: Donald Patz of Patz & Hall
A Cork Dork Wants to Spend More Time in Tuscany
Sommelier Turned Restaurateur Daringly Goes Greek
Texas Master Sommelier Debunks Wine Geeks
A Bottle From Gigondas Changed This Houston Man’s Life
Oil Man Falls in Love, and the Rest is Good-Taste History
Ryan Cooper of Camerata is a Riesling Man
Mixing It Up With Jeremy Parzen, an Ambassador of Italy
Sommelier at One of Houston’s Top Wine Bars Loves Underdogs

The Baroness Philippe de Rothschild was passionate about making wine in Chile.

Two Red Wines From Chile, By Way of The Rothschilds

December 2, 2020 / / 0 Comments

A recent tasting featured two wines from Chile that I’m making sure will be in my holiday rotation. I tasted them on their own, and drank them with a standing rib roast, with which they were ideal pairings.

The wines are made by Viña Baron Philippe de Rothschild in Buin-Maipo, about 30 miles south of Santiago. (Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA is, of course, behind the brand, and it was created in 1999 by the baron’s daughter, Philippine de Rothschild.)

Emmanuel Riffaud, an agricultural engineer and oenologist who joined the Rothschild concern in 1999, has been the managing director of the Chilean enterprise since 2015.

Viña Baron Philippe de Rothschild planted its French roots in Chile in the late 1990s.

Escudo Rojo is the name of the wine — Red Shield in English — and I tasted the 2018 Gran Reserva (SRP $21.99) and the 2018 Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon (SRP $17.99).

We’ll begin with the Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon — this Escudo Rojo line also includes Carmenere, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc — which is the wine I sampled first in the tasting.

Pair this with meat.

It’s 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon — Chilean law requires at least 75 percent — and you would not likely mistake it for anything else. It’s deep red in the glass, veering into purple when viewed at certain angles in a certain type of light. (The sun was streaming brightly through a large window when I noted the wine’s color.) Tannins are smooth and succulent — you’ll enjoy this wine now, and feel free to hold it until 2024 or thereabouts.

Blackcurrant and dark cherry make themselves known on the palate here, in a pleasing way, as does plum. Subtle spice and soil are also in the mix. If you like to serve approachable wines on a daily basis, bottles that drink far above their selling prices, this one will find a place in your repertoire. Aging is carried out in one-year-old barrels for 6 to 8 months.

The Escudo Rojo Gran Reserva is a wine that punches well above its cost/weight.

The 2018 Gran Reserva is the Escudo Rojo flagship wine, and it’s an impressive blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (40 percent), Carmenere (38 percent), Syrah (20 percent), and Cabernet Franc (2 percent). Half of the 2018 vintage was matured in one-year-old oak for 12 months.

As with the Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, color in the glass (in this case, a Schott Zwiesel “Pure” stem) is deep, dark red, captivating to the eye. As one might expect, black fruit dominates here — plum, cherry, a touch of brambly blackberry —accompanied by fleeting graphite and lightly roasted coffee bean. Refined tannins proclaim themselves early on.

As I wrote, you’ll be happy pouring theses wines at a meal featuring a standing rib roast, and duck breast is another protein I’d serve with them. Add Bill Blass’s meatloaf or a rib eye steak to this category as well.

This rib roast for two married well with the Escudo Rojo selections.

If you typically avoid Chilean wines in this price range, thinking their heat and sweetness will repel, give these two bottles a chance. If you don’t like them, call me.

Want more wine? Read on:

An Italian Chardonnay From the Cesare Stable
Mi Sueño’s 2016 Napa Valley Syrah
Joshua Maloney on Riesling and Manfred Krankl
Brothers in Wine
Two Bottles From Priest Ranch
A Derby Day Cocktail
Nate Klostermann is Making Some Great Sparkling Wines in Oregon
Matt Dees and the Electric Acidity of Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay
Baudelaire, Pinot Noir, and Rosé: Kathleen Inman’s Passions
Colombia, France, and California: This Winemaker is a Complex Woman
Michael Kennedy Talks Sailing and Zinfandel
Spain Opened the World of Wine for Spottswoode’s Aron Weinkauf
Alta Colina’s Molly Lonborg Wants a Bottle of Château Rayas
Mumm Napa’s Tami Lotz Talks Wine and Oysters
James MacPhail on Pinot Noir, White Burgundy, and Russell Crowe
A Very Proper Sparkling Wine
Talking With David Ramey
A Merlot That Your Snob Friend Will Love
French Couple Make a Sauvignon Blanc in California
A Perfect Afternoon Chardonnay
Terry Theise Talks Reisling
A New Wine Wonderland
Paris Wine Goddess Tells All
Rice Village Wine Bar Has a Cleveland Touch
A Texas White Blend for Your Table
A Pinot Noir Full of Flavor
This Pinot Gris From Oregon Pairs Well With Cheese
Willamette, Dammit!
A Value Rioja
Drink Pink!
Underbelly Veteran Goes for Grenache
A Man of Letters and Wine
Ms. Champagne Wants a Nebuchadnezzar
The Wine Artist Goes for Chardonnay
This American Loves Spain and Its Wines
Houston’s Wine Whisperer Has a Soft Touch
Blackberry Farm’s Somm Pours in Splendor
Mr. Pinot Noir: Donald Patz of Patz & Hall
A Cork Dork Wants to Spend More Time in Tuscany
Sommelier Turned Restaurateur Daringly Goes Greek
Texas Master Sommelier Debunks Wine Geeks
A Bottle From Gigondas Changed This Houston Man’s Life
Oil Man Falls in Love, and the Rest is Good-Taste History
Ryan Cooper of Camerata is a Riesling Man
Mixing It Up With Jeremy Parzen, an Ambassador of Italy
Sommelier at One of Houston’s Top Wine Bars Loves Underdogs

The Il Bricco Vineyard, owned by Pio Cesare, in which Chardonnay was first planted in 1980.

A Chardonnay From Italy: Pio Cesare’s 2016 Piodilei Shines

November 2, 2020 / / 0 Comments

The Pio Cesare winery was founded in 1881, by the man himself, Pio Cesare, in Alba. If you appreciate Barolos and Barbarescos, you certainly know the name. The fifth generation of the family is now involved in the business, and I am comfortable stating that —barring a climate catastrophe — the 10th generation of the family will one day make great wines under the label.

The family that makes wine together stays together …

I wrote Barolo and Barbaresco, but a few days ago I drank a Chardonnay from Pio Cesare, the 2016 Piodilei Langhe DOC. It’s a barrel-fermented wine from the Il Bricco vineyard in Treiso and the Colombaro vineyard in Serralunga d’Alba. The Il Bricco vines were planted in 1980 (the very first Chardonnay planting of the winery).

I loved this wine. It’s a serious Chardonnay, with an elegant, long finish. Apples cooked for three hours at low heat, wet speckled stones, flowering lime, almonds … those things and more struck me while drinking the Piodilei. A profound and refreshing creaminess is also evident.

A serious Chardonnay

This Chardonnay begins fermentation in stainless, then is moved to French oak for eight months. Six months of bottle-aging then follow. It represents what the family says is “our desire to produce a white wine with the same body, complexity, and aging potential of the great reds historically produced in the area.” They met their goal with this wine.

It comes with a $50 suggested retail price, and you can enjoy it now, or hold until 2022. I would happily pair the Piodilei with a mussel risotto.

Want more wine? Read on:

Mi Sueño’s 2016 Napa Valley Syrah
Joshua Maloney on Riesling and Manfred Krankl
Brothers in Wine
Two Bottles From Priest Ranch
A Derby Day Cocktail
Nate Klostermann is Making Some Great Sparkling Wines in Oregon
Matt Dees and the Electric Acidity of Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay
Baudelaire, Pinot Noir, and Rosé: Kathleen Inman’s Passions
Colombia, France, and California: This Winemaker is a Complex Woman
Michael Kennedy Talks Sailing and Zinfandel
Spain Opened the World of Wine for Spottswoode’s Aron Weinkauf
Alta Colina’s Molly Lonborg Wants a Bottle of Château Rayas
Mumm Napa’s Tami Lotz Talks Wine and Oysters
James MacPhail on Pinot Noir, White Burgundy, and Russell Crowe
A Very Proper Sparkling Wine
Talking With David Ramey
A Merlot That Your Snob Friend Will Love
French Couple Make a Sauvignon Blanc in California
A Perfect Afternoon Chardonnay
Terry Theise Talks Reisling
A New Wine Wonderland
Paris Wine Goddess Tells All
Rice Village Wine Bar Has a Cleveland Touch
A Texas White Blend for Your Table
A Pinot Noir Full of Flavor
This Pinot Gris From Oregon Pairs Well With Cheese
Willamette, Dammit!
A Value Rioja
Drink Pink!
Underbelly Veteran Goes for Grenache
A Man of Letters and Wine
Ms. Champagne Wants a Nebuchadnezzar
The Wine Artist Goes for Chardonnay
This American Loves Spain and Its Wines
Houston’s Wine Whisperer Has a Soft Touch
Blackberry Farm’s Somm Pours in Splendor
Mr. Pinot Noir: Donald Patz of Patz & Hall
A Cork Dork Wants to Spend More Time in Tuscany
Sommelier Turned Restaurateur Daringly Goes Greek
Texas Master Sommelier Debunks Wine Geeks
A Bottle From Gigondas Changed This Houston Man’s Life
Oil Man Falls in Love, and the Rest is Good-Taste History
Ryan Cooper of Camerata is a Riesling Man
Mixing It Up With Jeremy Parzen, an Ambassador of Italy
Sommelier at One of Houston’s Top Wine Bars Loves Underdogs

The Somerston Estate, 1,682 acres of abundance and beauty. (Courtesy Somerston Estate)

Two Bottles From Priest Ranch That You’ll Drink Happily

September 23, 2020 / / 0 Comments

James Joshua Priest was his name, and he was a gold prospector. In 1869, he established Priest Ranch, in Napa Valley, 660 acres in an area then known as Soda Valley. (Priest, who died in 1896, at 70 years of age, had nine sons, and for a while marketed a spring water that came from his land, located on the eastern side of the Vaca Mountain Range.)

In 2004, businessman Allan Chapman bought the Priest estate, and David Ramey and Biale were among the first purchasers of grapes under his ownership. In 2006, Chapman added to his holdings with the addition of Lynch Vineyard (also known as Elder Valley), and the combined Priest-Lynch properties — 1,682 acres — were rechristened Somerston Estate.

Add this venue to your 2021 tasting schedule. (Courtesy Somertson Estate)

Winemaker Craig Becker had entered the picture in 2005 by buying grapes from Chapman. Becker is now the general manager and director of winemaking at Somerston Estate, having co-founded the Somerston Wine Company with Chapman.

Craig Becker, head winemaker at Somerston Estate, has at his disposal “fruit so distinctive that it requires only minimal processing.” (Courtesy Somerston Estate)

Which brings me to the two bottles of the headline: Becker and Chapman honored the legacy of Mr. Priest by founding the Priest Ranch Winery in 2006, and the 2018 Priest Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon ($50) and Sauvignon Blanc ($22) are those two bottles. I tasted them recently, and have added Becker’s portfolio to my “buy” list.

The Sauvignon Blanc is a wine I could happily drink every day. Crisp is a word often overused to describe a wine, but here it is more than apt. I chilled the bottle for 25 minutes or so, then poured. My initial taste was lively, refreshening. Becker produced some great value here. Light, pale yellow in the glass, bracing acidity.

This is a wine that deserves more recognition.

Some details: Stainless steel fermentation (100 percent) with native yeast at 60 degrees Fahrenheit, 1,480 cases produced, harvested on August 30 and September 4 and 10, released in June of this year. Drink this now, with sautéed or poached shrimp (I paired it with the latter).

The Priest Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon would be a fine choice to serve at a dinner featuring lamb as its main course (with a sparkling and the Sauvignon Blanc preceding it). I sampled this 2018 immediately following the Sauvignon Blanc, and the two provide an informative taste of Becker’s style: He respects each terroir at his disposal, and is unafraid to let them shine. He has confidence in his fruit, and in his ability as a winemaker.

The 2018 Priest Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon is priced well at $50.

This is a big wine, and while it is drinking well now, I look forward to revisiting it in a decade’s time. Deep, dark red in the glass, oak, licorice, and soil on the nose, cassis, evanescent lavender, mushroom, and dark cherry in the mouth. It comes in at 14.9 percent alcohol, and 5,880 cases were produced. It is 100 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and was released on May 1, 2020.

(Note: On September 23, Becker issued the following statement concerning the 2020 vintage:

“Today we made the difficult decision to not harvest any fruit from our 1682-acre estate for the 2020 vintage. In mid-August, the Hennessy fire engulfed our property, burning nearly 1,400 acres of native grasslands and woods. We take pride in the grapes we grow, sell, and vinify and make no compromises. We stand unwavering in our long-term commitment to this property, our winery partners, customers, and distributors. Quality in our world of fine wine is paramount, and due to smoke damage caused by Northern California’s Hennessey Fire, we won’t be making any wine this year.On a positive note, while the scrub pine, madrona, manzanita, bay trees, and other shrubs did burn, about 98% of the oak trees on our property did not. We expect that the estate will regain its beauty with thriving oak woodlands and grasslands in a few years. We look forward to the 2021 growing season next year, producing high-quality grapes for our wines and those of our partners.”)

Want more wine? Read on:

A Derby Day Cocktail
Nate Klostermann is Making Some Great Sparkling Wines in Oregon
Matt Dees and the Electric Acidity of Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay
Baudelaire, Pinot Noir, and Rosé: Kathleen Inman’s Passions
Colombia, France, and California: This Winemaker is a Complex Woman
Michael Kennedy Talks Sailing and Zinfandel
Spain Opened the World of Wine for Spottswoode’s Aron Weinkauf
Alta Colina’s Molly Lonborg Wants a Bottle of Château Rayas
Mumm Napa’s Tami Lotz Talks Wine and Oysters
James MacPhail on Pinot Noir, White Burgundy, and Russell Crowe
A Very Proper Sparkling Wine
Talking With David Ramey
A Merlot That Your Snob Friend Will Love
French Couple Make a Sauvignon Blanc in California
A Perfect Afternoon Chardonnay
Terry Theise Talks Reisling
A New Wine Wonderland
Paris Wine Goddess Tells All
Rice Village Wine Bar Has a Cleveland Touch
A Texas White Blend for Your Table
A Pinot Noir Full of Flavor
This Pinot Gris From Oregon Pairs Well With Cheese
Willamette, Dammit!
A Value Rioja
Drink Pink!
Underbelly Veteran Goes for Grenache
A Man of Letters and Wine
Ms. Champagne Wants a Nebuchadnezzar
The Wine Artist Goes for Chardonnay
This American Loves Spain and Its Wines
Houston’s Wine Whisperer Has a Soft Touch
Blackberry Farm’s Somm Pours in Splendor
Mr. Pinot Noir: Donald Patz of Patz & Hall
A Cork Dork Wants to Spend More Time in Tuscany
Sommelier Turned Restaurateur Daringly Goes Greek
Texas Master Sommelier Debunks Wine Geeks
A Bottle From Gigondas Changed This Houston Man’s Life
Oil Man Falls in Love, and the Rest is Good-Taste History
Ryan Cooper of Camerata is a Riesling Man
Mixing It Up With Jeremy Parzen, an Ambassador of Italy
Sommelier at One of Houston’s Top Wine Bars Loves Underdogs

Our evenings at the home of Russ and Judy Labrasca were full of laughter, conversation, cooking, and great food and wine.

He Was A Friend of Mine: Farewell, Tony Vallone

September 14, 2020 / / 1 Comment

I know he wanted otherwise, but I wish Tony Vallone had taken my advice and spent his final years in Italy, with Donna, near his beloved Naples.

Whenever I would tell him about my wish, he’d laugh, get a wistful look in his eye, and repeat what he had been telling people for years: “They’ll carry me out of the restaurant, a fish in one hand, and pasta in the other.”

Tony Vallone: January 3, 1945 – September 10, 2020

Tony has left the building. He passed away early on the morning of September 10 at home in Houston. He was 75, and had reigned over his beloved Tony’s for 55 of those years. He was laid to rest today. An era in Houston has ended, and I am sad.

Vallone was my friend, and I’ll forever cherish the meals and conversations we shared, from the first time I sat with him, at lunch at his restaurant on Richmond Avenue — the occasion our initial interview for a piece I wrote marking the 50th anniversary of Tony’s — to casual evenings with him and Donna and Angela and Russ and Judy at home, to our final encounter, perched at the bar at Tony’s on a crisp September evening in 2019. I was preparing to leave Houston, and Vallone had invited me for a last supper at my favorite restaurant in that city.

I introduced Patricia Baglioni, whom I met in Florence, Italy, to Tony in 2014, and our annual repasts at Tony’s were something I looked forward to with relish.

At the bar that night we discussed, as we always did, many things, including politics and the arts and our families. He told me I was a lucky man — he was referring to Angela — and I replied that he was as well, because, Donna. We meant those things, because we knew we had been given second chances at love.

But above all, we talked food. Always food, and the preparation of it, and the joy of dining, in restaurants or with friends and family at home. We could discuss that forever.

Angela and Tony

We talked of Alfred Portale and the best way to prepare sweetbreads, we joked about the latest food trends, and we recounted our experiences at the tables of favorite restaurants in Manhattan. I told him about a dish I was working on for one of my Brockhaus dinners — a foie-stuffed morel — and he told me to make him one so he could consider adding it to his menu. He asked me to hold a Brockhaus event at Tony’s, which I did, back in 2017. It was an honor to cook in that kitchen, and to serve my food in his domain.

I miss Tony’s smile, and I miss sitting with him. I was honored that he solicited my opinion about the food coming out of his kitchen. One evening, he asked me to taste a sauce — if I recall correctly, it was what the restaurant was serving with beef short ribs during Houston Restaurant Weeks. I told him I thought it was lacking a bit of salt. He excused himself from the bar, where we were sitting, and walked to the kitchen. He came back a few minutes later and thanked me, agreeing with my appraisal.

I miss the softness in Tony’s voice, and the way the skin around his eyes would crinkle when we talked about this or that restaurant or an article about food or a restaurant review. I miss the way his hands grew animated when we discussed cooking. Never before had I enjoyed such engaging, profound, and respectful conversations about the culinary world. I hope I can find that again, because I need it.

Dinners at home …

Tony’s was my favorite restaurant in Houston, and I dined there often. I liked it for many reasons, among them that it reminded me of some of the places I missed in New York. Detail matters, and Vallone and his team rarely missed a beat. I felt comfortable there. To me, it was at the time one of the few restaurants in the city that could have been picked up lock, stock, and barrel and placed down in New York, or Paris, and be received with open mouths (and wallets) by the citizens of those dining meccas.

And I ate well chez Tony. Corona beans, and lamb chops from Colorado. A perfect artichoke salad and soft-shell crab. Halibut and salmon and Kobe beef and red snapper and pasta stuffed with duck and langoustines and a delicious Caesar salad and … so many dishes whose flavors I remember still, including one of my all-time favorite pasta dishes, Tony’s Bolognese Bianco, which will be on my final meal menu.

Tony’s, my home away from home.

I wrote the following in the piece I mentioned above, marking the 50th anniversary of Tony’s: Watching Tony Vallone preside over the perfect little world that is Tony’s — in my opinion, the best restaurant in the state of Texas and among the best in the U.S. — the concepts of order, harmony and zen mingle in my mind. Vallone, who celebrates his namesake restaurant’s 50th anniversary this month, conducts every movement at the Richmond Avenue institution with the grace of a consummate and controlled artist. If a dining-room chair is not where it should be, a nod from the 71-year-old puts it in place. If a guest is on the verge of making a request, Vallone is the first to anticipate it.

Vallone was an institution, a Mensch; he was among the very few to have owned and run a restaurant for 50-plus years, anywhere. He founded fine dining in Houston, and set the bar high in a city whose diners were more accustomed to steak sauce than Béarnaise.

Again, from the story about Tony’s 50th anniversary: My first glimpse of Vallone in his restaurant is something I recall often. I was walking across the dining room, and through the large (mostly glass) wall that separates it from the kitchen, this is what I saw: The maestro was wearing a dark-blue suit, and he was sitting in a simple chair in the kitchen, in front of the pass, one leg crossed over the other at the thigh, cell phone in hand. His face spoke of calm order, though all around him cooks and waiters went to and fro with haste, plates and cutlery and food in hand.

Tony in his element. (Photo by Jay Tovar)

That image of Vallone will stay with me forever. Now, when I cook, I’ll be cooking with him (he joins my maternal grandmother, Ida, in my spiritual kitchen brigade). I have lost a dear friend, and though I know I’ll feel the need to make my way to Tony’s the next time I am in Houston — Donna has decided to keep the restaurant open, and about that I am glad — I am not certain I want to be in Tony’s place knowing that he’ll never again grace its environs. Whenever I sit at my favorite table, I’ll long to see him make his way around the dining room, greeting each of his guests, and I’ll want to shake his hand. I’ll miss feeling his hand caress my shoulder.

Tony and Donna Vallone

Of one thing, however, I am certain. Very soon, I am going to cook a meal at home, and it is going to be in honor of my friend, of his life and legacy and struggles and successes. It will include pasta and a fish and lamb. We’ll open a bottle or two of something Italian; a Barolo will definitely be on the table. And with every course, I’ll toast Tony.

Bye, my friend. I’ll miss you for a long, long time. I’ll miss you forever.

Pizza Sociale: Brooklyn Pizza in Los Angeles

August 5, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I am a pizza snob. And I’m unapologetic about it. I detest bad, poorly made pie.

To be clear, “my” pizza must have a thin, crisp, charred crust. (I will not shun anyone who prefers deep-dish monstrosities or any other of the myriad inferior forms of pizza, but I don’t pretend to understand their preferences.) It must have (depending on the pie I order) fresh mozzarella, and olives that are full of acidity and brininess. It must have a sauce made with care, but it cannot have too much of that sauce.

Above all, it must possess a crust that is moist, crisp, dense, and light, all at the same time. And it must be charred in the proper manner. When it is all of this, magic happens.

Last month, I found a pizza to my liking in Los Angeles, near our apartment downtown. The owners are from Brooklyn, and the name of their place is Pizza Sociale. (I am working on a story about them and their restaurant, so stay tuned for that in this space soon.) In the meantime, here’s a look at two of their pies.

The Mama Maria: Lioni mozzarella, provolone, Bava Brothers ‘Nduja and soppressata, cotto, shaved Parmigiano Reggiano, and oregano
Lioni mozzarella Truffle Cheese, caramelized onions, mushrooms, shaved Parmigiano, truffle shavings

Angela and I have found our local pizzeria.

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