Mise en Place

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Nick and Adam Franscioni's great-grandfather came to California from Switzerland in 1886. You might have heard of their father, Gary, who began the family's wine adventure. (Richard Green Photo)

Brothers in Wine: Adam and Nick Franscioni Talk Pinot Noir, Family, and ROAR

September 29, 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. 

One thing (among many) to which I am looking forward when we can venture forth and mingle with those outside of our quarantine pods is meeting in person some of the individuals I have met during Zoom virtual tastings and seminars. Adam and Nick Franscioni are two of those people.

The brothers — and sons of Gary and Rosella Franscioni — participated in a Santa Lucia Highlands AVA gathering and seminar (virtual) to which I was invited, and their enthusiasm and dedication appealed to me immediately.

Adam is the vineyard manager at ROAR — the Franscioni family’s label — and Nick holds the position of winery manager. Adam graduated from the University of San Diego, and joined the family business in 2011, while his brother has a degree from USC and, following a stint in the consulting world, began working at ROAR in 2017.

ROAR was founded by Gary and Rosella in 2001 (Scott Shapley has been their winemaker since 2012), and the wines the family produces — Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah, Grenache, and Viognier — need to be on your radar screen and in your inventory.

After the SLH virtual seminar, I knew I wanted to feature Adam and Nick in Wine Talk, and here they are:

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

Nick Franscioni: Outside of our workplace, it completely shut down our market visits and tasting events. At work, it hasn’t had a significant impact, since our winery team consists of just three people and our vineyard team maintains a natural spacing of 6 to 8 feet per vineyard row. We are small but mighty!

The bright side is that we have spent more family time and meals together. Also, we have a new family member to welcome, and that has brought a lot of excitement for us. We are excited for my brother Adam and his wife, Tamara.

Rosella’s Vineyard is named after Rosella Franscioni, Nick and Adam’s mother. It was planted in 1996 and is composed of Arroyo Seco sandy loam. (Wildly Simple Productions)

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?

Adam Franscioni: My wife and I are always fans of Champagne, and we are enjoying Champagne Gonet-Medeville Premier Cru Brut, ( around $30 a bottle). We love the bang for your buck. It is so fresh and has beautiful apple crisp notes. We pair it with blue cheese or Salmon.

Next, the 2016 Walt Bob’s Ranch ($80 a bottle). Walt is a label of Hall Wines and Bob’s Ranch is their part of their estate fruit. They always make great wines and their Bob’s Ranch is no different. I am enjoying it with lamb.

And Jacob Toft 2017 Mary Jane’s Cuvée ($60 a bottle). Jacob Toft is small label located in Paso Robles, and the Mary Jane’s Cuvée is their GSM blend. The winemaker sources from great Paso Robles vineyards, and this wine is just fun. A lot of dark, red fruit and the tannins are beautiful. It’s a very complex wine. I usually enjoy this bottle with steak.

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

NF: My pick is very cliché, but I’m okay with that. Romanée-Conti. My reasoning is because it is consistently heralded as the most fascinating and desirable piece of history in wine. More important than the wine itself is the place that it comes from and the hands that carried it. I would take 1989 vintage as a birth year, please).

JB: What is your favorite varietal, and why?

AF: That’s a tough question, as I enjoy a lot of varietals, but I’d have to say Pinot Noir is probably my favorite because of it s versatility. It goes well with so many meals, yet you can find Pinot Noirs that can stand alone on their own. Whatever the social situation calls for there is a Pinot Noir out there to enhance the experience.

Rosella’s Vineyard is the source of some outstanding Pinot Noir. (Nick Franscioni Photo)

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? 

NF: A great family friend of ours is winemaker Adam Lee. Adam makes wines under several labels nowadays, and one of the most special Pinot Noir bottlings comes from our home ranch, Rosella’s Vineyard. He created a new label called Clarice in honor of his own family member. The 2018 vintage was very special in California and one that has incredible aging potential. After tasting this bottling, I am sure that it is bound to dance and delight for the next decade and beyond.

JB: Where is your go-to place when you want to have a glass or bottle? COVID-19 has put a crimp on going out, but pre-pandemic, where did you go?

AF: Spruce Restaurant in San Francisco. They have an amazing by-the-glass menu and their food is unreal. 

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

NF: Think about what type of wines you enjoy, and more specifically what exactly you love about those wines. Whether it’s the fruit, the spice, the herbs, whatever … take note of those things you love to taste and that will help you find more of the wines you enjoy.

Gary, Nick, and Adam Franscioni during harvest. (Richard Green Photo)

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

AF: It was December 2012 and I was at a Pinot Noir blind tasting amongst friends.  Most people brought Burgundy and we guessed AOC’s until we were blue in the face. Most of the wines were young (2008-2010), so they weren’t hitting their stride yet. But one wine stole the show — it was a 1985 Chalone Vineyard Pinot Noir. I could not believe how fresh it was still tasting. We all thought it was Old World. It was so fun to see that California wine could age that well and it taught me about judging wines before tasting them.

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

NF: Well, at the ripe age of 10, I was visiting France with my family for a summer vacation and experienced my first barrel tasting, for which I was busy training my palate. We quickly learned that I could not hold my liquor after stumbling around, blowing out candles, and using “adult” words. Our French guide was notably courteous and asked that I be excused. My memory is hazy from that day, but it is a moment that no one else will forget.

The Sierra Mar Vineyard’s Island Block. The vineyard, planted in 2007, is situated 1,100 feet above sea level, and is marked by decomposed granite and gravelly loam. (Richard Green Photo)

JB: What is your favorite wine reference in a work of literature or in a film?

AF: “Sideways” has two moments that I appreciate. I loved the end scene in which Paul Giamatti’s character is drinking 1961 Chateau Chevval Blanc at what appears to be an In-N-Out. I found that so funny and, sadly, something I might find myself doing. 

A thin skin, temperamental …

He also has a beautiful line about Pinot Noir in the middle of the movie. It still rings true to me: “It’s uh, it’s thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early. It’s, you know, it’s not a survivor like Cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and, uh, thrive even when it’s neglected. No, Pinot needs constant care and attention.”

Want more wine? Read on:

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.

The cordon rouge sash has been around since 1876.

One Thing I’ll Be Drinking on Derby Day This Year

September 3, 2020 / / 0 Comments

I have always admired horses, and if I owned land enough would love to share my life with a few of them. One of my uncles raised cattle — Black Angus — and also always had a horse two around. They were my introduction to the equine world.

Since then, I have ridden on occasion, and I’ve attended horse shows and equestrian exhibitions. And I’ve been an avid fan of the Kentucky Derby.

I don’t know which year marked my first Derby viewing, but it’s must-see television for me. In 2013, I was in Louisville for the running, and neither inclement weather nor a haunted bed and breakfast dimmed my experience.

A day at the Derby, 2013 edition

This year, I will not be in Louisville for the Derby. I’ll be in Los Angeles, but the horses will be running and the television will be on and I’ll make a cocktail to celebrate the occasion. The foundation of that cocktail is already chilling in the refrigerator …

It’s a bottle of G.H. Mumm Grand Cordon, and with it I’ll concoct a (modified) Ken-Tiki Derby Julep (more on that soon). This Brut Champagne is 45 percent Pinot Noir, 30 percent Chardonnay, and 25 percent Pinot Meunier (residual sugar is 8 g/l). It is cellared for 30 months.

Lots of tradition in this bottle.

During the past several months I have tasted a number of Mumm Napa sparkling wines, including a Brut Prestige, a Brut Rosé, the 2013 DVX Rosé, and the 2011 DVX, and I’ve featured Tami Lotz, the Mumm Napa winemaker, in Wine Talk. I’ve also popped open a few G.H. Mumm bottles in that time, and not one of them was less than highly pleasing.

Here’s how I’ll make my Kentucky Derby cocktail:

Ingredients:

2 ounces G.H. Mumm Grand Cordon Champagne
1.5 ounces Aberfeldy 12 (the original Ken-Tiki uses Jameson Black Barrel)
.5 ounces lime juice
.25 ounces pineapple syrup
5 mint leaves

In a highball glass, combine mint, pineapple syrup, and lime juice. Muddle the mix, then add the Aberfeldy. Next comes crushed ice and a stir to combine. Pour Champagne over the top and add 3 dashes of Angostura bitters.

Storm the Court is my pick to win the 2020 Kentucky Derby. (Photo: Emily Shields)

My Derby tip, you ask? Well, if I was betting, I’d pick Storm the Court to win, followed by, in this order, Authentic and Ny Traffic.

Want more wine? Read on:

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


Nate Klostermann loves sparkling wines, and he's been making some great ones in the Willamette Valley.

Argyle’s Nate Klostermann on Riesling, Rainy Harvests, and Townes Van Zandt

August 27, 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. 

Earlier this year, I received a few bottles of wine whose arrival made be happy. Very happy. I was excited because I had not had a taste of Argyle sparkling in about five years, and a bottle of it was in the box. It was a 2016 Vintage Brut.

A few days later, the bottle properly chilled, I opened the Brut. It was excellent, as I expected. If you are not familiar with Argyle, I promise that you want to get to know the winery and its offerings, which include — but are not limited to — Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, Rieslings, and Pinot Meuniers.

Looking for a sparkling wine for your table? The 2016 Argyle Vintage Brut is one to consider.

The 2016 Vintage Brut is a continuation of what began in 1987, when Rollin Soles went on a mission to produce great sparkling wines in the Willamette Valley. In order to do so, he would need to grow outstanding Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

More than three decades later, it is widely held that Soles accomplished what he set out to do. The estate program he envisioned and developed now encompasses more than 400 planted acres.

Rollin Soles, who grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs, hangs out with some fine people. (Courtesy Rollin Soles)

Enter Nate Klostermann, who is the subject of this Wine Talk. He succeeded Soles as winemaker at Argyle in 2013, having been chosen by the man himself after serving as his trainee for eight years. Soles has good taste, and is a discerning judge of character, because Klostermann’s portfolio is full of noteworthy vintages.

The Knudsen Vineyard, in the Dundee Hills AVA, is planted with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Petit Meunier.

Klostermann was born and raised in rural Wisconsin, and has a degree in food science from the University of Minnesota. The hobby of home brewing sparked an interest in wine, and he took a job at Falconer Vineyards — located in Red Wing, Minnesota — an experience that cemented his career path.

I like Klostermann’s approach to winemaking; he loves to experiment (skin soaking, mixing ripeness levels, whole cluster), and he’s making wines that will last.

In addition to the Brut, I also sampled the 2018 Argyle Nuthouse Pinot Noir, and the 2018 Nuthouse Chardonnay, both of which are drinking well. (I have another bottle of the Pinot cellared away.) My next Argyle tasting will be Riesling-centric. I look forward to visiting the Willamette Valley next year, and Argyle will be on the itinerary.

Let’s see what Klostermann has on his mind.

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

Nate Klostermann: The daily operations in the winery have slowed down a bit in terms of pace and spacing with bottling and disgorging, but we have been lucky in that we have such a spacious facility, we’ve been able to keep good distance from each other. We’ve been tasting and blending wines outdoors more recently, which has brought a new and interesting aspect to the interpretations of the wines. No more travel, public tastings, or wine dinners, but the Zoom tasting experience has been positive in that we can interact with more tasters across the globe. 

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?

NK: 2009 Argyle Extended Tirage Brut ($80) — Disgorged one year ago, this wine is really coming together, highlighting the freshness of recent disgorgement with the deep and complex palate of extended lees aging. I like to drink this on its own to feel the different levels on their own, but I would pair with grilled prawns. 

2018 Argyle Nuthouse Riesling ($30) — I love the depth of the 2018 Riesling vintage; it really builds power and length with incredible acidity. We’ve been experimenting with extended barrel aging on our Riesling in the last five years, and I think we’ve hit the sweet spot of freshness and depth at about 11 months of aging. It’s a great food wine; I always gravitate to Southeast Asian, as it can pair with so many foods from there. We’ve developed an annual tradition of including a food pairing only for the Riesling in the tasting notes since 2003 — this year I’ve chosen Cao lầu from Hội An, Vietnam, a rice noodle dish with pork and greens. 

2018 Pray Tell Chardonnay ($40) — Fresh, vibrant, subtle spiciness, incredible length, and purity. This is very small production, made by a wonderful husband and wife duo in McMinnville whom I adore. Their wines are both serious and playful, and are a treat to get your hands if you can catch them in time. My favorite pairing with this wine is Oregon Dungeness crab with lots of melted butter and flaky sea salt. 

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

1979 Krug, Clos du Mesnil. I’d love to try any of these Clos du Mesnil wines from this era, but 1979 was the first vintage of this bottling and I feel would be an incredible glimpse into the historical style of blanc de blancs, which is my favorite style of Champagne. 

JB: What is your favorite grape, and why?

NK: Chardonnay is my favorite grape because there are so many beautiful expressions throughout the world, both with still wine and sparkling wine. 

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? 

NK: I would recommend the 2018 Nuthouse Pinot Noir to lay down for 10 years. With incredible balance of depth and freshness, it also has firm structure from the Eola-Amity Hills that will age gracefully and provide tension for many years to come. 

Pinot Noir and Argyle are a great team.

JB: Where is your go-to place when you want to have a glass or bottle? COVID-19 has put a crimp on going out, but pre-pandemic, where did you go?

NK: My favorite two places to drink and explore Champagne are in Portland: Ambonnay and Pix Pâtisserie/Bar Vivant. They have incredible curation and a selection of wines at great prices from the two most passionate Champagne heads I know. 

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

NK: Sparkling wines should be drunk more often than just on special occasions and celebrations. Incredibly versatile and food friendly, they should be enjoyed year-round and with foods of all kinds. 

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

NK: My “aha moment” was when I started as an intern at Argyle in 2005, tasting a freshly disgorged 1995 Extended Tirage Brut. I was young and was just starting to learn about sparkling wine. I was blown away by the time invested, precision, love, and purity that went into it. Explosive freshness, deep complexity — the idea that you could make a wine like this for a living got me hooked and has kept me continually engaged in the exploration of long-aged sparkling wines. 

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

NK: The strangest/most challenging moment in my career was the harvest of 2013. The fruit was right on the edge of ripeness and Mother Nature opened up a deluge of rain upon the Valley. Some say that we got 8 inches in one weekend. It was my first harvest officially being in charge. Grapes were exploding on the vine and juicing out on the trucks. We had to drink a lot of whiskey to get through it. Thankfully, we were still able to make some excellent prestige wines that year, despite the challenging vintage.  

Townes Van Zandt: “Now I’ve seen the light and heard the word
And I’m staying away from that ol’ dirty Thunderbird
A message come from heaven radiant, and fine,
All I drink now is communion wine
Six days a week”

JB: What is your favorite wine reference in a work of literature or a film?

Townes Van Zandt, Talking Thunderbird Wine Blues. Favorite songwriter of all time … playful, dark, brilliant 

Want More Wine? Read on:

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

It's simple to make, and it is good.

Meatballs and Cauliflower a Comforting Casserole Make

August 20, 2020 / / 2 Comments

I often share images of dishes that I make, and since early March of this year, I have been posting them on Facebook under the title Lockdown Kitchen at The Brockhaus.

Almost as often, I am asked to share recipes of the dishes, something I don’t do as often as I’d like to. Well, I am going to rectify that, beginning with this piece.

For a week or so, I have been meaning to use a cauliflower I bought about 10 days ago. I like to roast the cruciferous vegetable, and I recently sautéed some florets and served them in a pasta dish. This time, however, I did something different.

With this head of cauliflower, I made a casserole, adapted from a recipe I found in the Los Angeles Times (link here). Ben Mims wrote it, and here’s how I made the dish (feel free to use separate baking gratins if you wish):

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower
salt, fresh black pepper
1 pound ground beef (or lamb, pork, or a mixture of the three)
1 medium white onion, chopped
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons EVOO
1.5 cups whole milk (or preferably, 2 cups heavy cream)
3 cups cheese
red chili flakes to taste (optional)

  • Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Trim the head of cauliflower and separate it into bite-size florets (wash them before cooking, of course). Put one cup of water in a large skillet over medium heat, season with salt and pepper, and add florets. Cover and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes, uncover and stir. Cook for 4 minutes more.
  • Place florets in large baking dish. In same skillet, sautée onion in olive oil until soft. Add onions to cauliflower in baking dish.
  • Using your fingers, separate beef — 80 lean/20 fat — (I’m going to use lamb next time, and pork would work as well) into small pieces — think the size of a dime — and then spread Dijon mustard over the beef. Add some some salt and pepper, and if you want to replicate my recipe, squirt a tablespoon or two of Sriracha over the mixture. You might also throw in some diced peppers (Serrano, jalapeño … or). Mix well, but do not overheat your meat. (Here is where I added the chili flakes.)
Beef, Dijon mustard, Sriracha sauce, and salt and pepper
  • Make meatballs. I followed Mims’ recipe and rolled walnut-size meatballs. Arrange them on top of the cauliflower florets.
  • I was out of cream, so I used whole milk in this step. Poured about 1.5 cups over the meatballs and cauliflower. I would have preferred cream, or at least half-and-half. However, the results were more than satisfactory using milk.
Comfort food
  • I had Cheddar and mozzarella on hand, so that’s what I used. Mims calls for 3 cups, and I concur. But you can add more if you wish. Never less. I grated the Cheddar over the top of the mixture, and tore the mozzarella into small pieces and distributed them evenly in the baking dish.
  • Put dish into the 450F oven, and bake for 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add about 2 .5 cups of Panko breadcrumbs to the oil, and stir well. Cook until toasted. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Remove dish from oven, spread Panko over the top of the cauliflower and meatballs in an even layer, and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until the top is browned and crisp.
  • Remove your dinner from the oven and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
It is done …
A Pinot Noir from the Sta. Rita Hills AVA was a great pairing.

I served this in bowls with a handful of baby arugula nestled on top. We drank a Pinot Noir (a 2017 from Alma Rosa) with it. The evening was a good one.

Matt Dees and Chardonnay: an evolving, dynamic relationship.

Matt Dees and the Electric Acidity of Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay

August 14, 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. 

What initially drew me to this winemaker was the way he talks about soil and rocks. I have read many interviews with (and stories about) Matt Dees, and immediately after finishing the first one I wanted to feature him in Wine Talk.

My journey with wine began in Germany, during high school, which I attended in the Pfalz. Riesling was my first companion, of course (it is still my favorite traveling mate wine-wise). Early on, I learned about and came to appreciate the qualities of slate and granite and limestone and greywacke (and many more types of soils and rocks) and how they affected and nurtured vines and imparted flavor and other characteristics. I became a lifelong amateur researcher in the field. So Dees appealed to me immediately. (And little did I know that he also likes Nina Simone, one of my favorite musicians.)

Dees, who studied plant and soil science at the University of Vermont, has been the winemaker for The Hilt and Jonata since 2004, and loves to talk dirt, in all its forms.

In 2014, a 3,600-acre piece of land (the famed Rancho Salsipuedes) that includes two prime vineyards — Radian and Bentrock — became part of Dees’ Hilt playground, and his creativity and experimentation in Santa Barbara County have been running wild, much to my delight. I plan to store up as much of his wines as I can, because I know they are bottles I will enjoy drinking for the rest of my life.

A little background on Dee’s three projects (all owned by Stanley Kroenke, the man in charge of Screaming Eagle and the Los Angeles Rams, among other things): Jonata, located in Ballard Canyon in the Santa Ynez Valley (around 5,000 cases a year, with recent bottle prices ranging from $185 for a 2015 El Alma de Jonata, $160 for the 2016 La Sangre de Jonata, and $80 for a 2015 Felix — all prices from wine.com ); The Hilt, based in the Sta. Rita Hills (7,000-8,000 cases annually … look for a 2016 Old Guard Chardonnay for $70, the ’16 Vanguard Chardonnay for $65, and the 2017 Vanguard Pinot Noir for $17); and The Paring (15,000-16,000 cases per annum, wines “made from vineyard blocks that are either too young or don’t fit into the vintage style” of Jonata and The Hilt selections — try the 2016 Sauvignon Blanc for $23, the 2015 Paring Red for $27, or the 2018 Rosé of Pinot Noir for 2018). There’s something for all budgets here.

A fine trio of Chardonnay

Last month, I had the pleasure of participating in a Zoom tasting with Dees and sampling three of his The Hilt Chardonnays — a 2017 Estate, the 2018 Radian Vineyard, and a 2012 Vanguard. It was a satisfying day, to say the least. The contents of the bottles were singing beautifully.

Dees, who was born in Kansas City, is as engaging live as he comes across in articles and interviews, and he’s someone I know I’d enjoying share a long meal with. (Note his food pairings below, and you’ll no doubt conclude he is a serious and thoughtful eater and drinker, my favorite type of person.)

Drinking these wines reaffirmed my enthusiasm for Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay; Dees speaks of its “electric acidity,” and if you have not experienced it, do so as soon as you can. I look forward to meeting this gifted winemaker in person one day, but until then, here he is in Wine Talk.

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

Matt Dees: In terms of my job, we’ve changed our approach as a winemaking team. We are wearing masks and keeping distance. We now have two teams with two different bathrooms, two different dining tables, two different coffee makers, etc.

In the vineyard, we are working in smaller teams and keeping them as far apart as possible. Beyond the day-to-day changes in routine, I’d have to say that I’ve had far more time to myself than I’m used to. I’ve never had so much time and space to myself in the vineyard. I’ve really been able to closely watch all the subtle changes in the vines over the growing season. I definitely have a more intimate understanding of our property and our vines after this time alone.

In the cellar, I’ve become my own worst enemy with all this newfound space and alone time. I’ve been tasting our wines so much more these past few months. I’ve never spent so much time in my own head tweaking and tweaking blends. My blending neurosis and self-doubt surely put Woody Allen to shame.

An excellent choice …

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?

MD: 2015 Jean-Marc Vincent Auxey-Duresses “Les Hautes.” One of my absolute favorite Burgundy producers. I always grab bottles of this blend whenever I can find it. Like all his bottlings, this is vibrant and precise with depth and power. All the things I love so much about white Burgundy. We just enjoyed this bottle with black cod en papillote. 

2013 Franck Balthazar “Cornas Sans Soufre Ajouté”. My goodness! We just popped this bottle a week ago, and it stunned me. Such an elegant wine with incredible structure. Isn’t Cornas just about perfect? I loved it. Wish I had more. I seem to recall that this worked incredibly well with grilled Portobello mushroom tacos.

2017 The Hilt Estate Chardonnay. I’m so excited about the energy, tension, and salinity that shines in our estate Chardonnay bottling. In 2017, the green citrus notes are at the forefront, and they seem to welcome so many different food pairings. Our go-to dinner pairing at home is a simple lemon-and-garlic roast chicken. It’s a Sunday-night tradition these days, and is such a welcome celebration with our family. 

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

MD: As a history buff and a lover of classic Bordeaux, I’d absolutely love to taste a great bottle from a top-growth chateau from 1865. That’s not even classic Bordeaux, that’s “ancient and old school” Bordeaux. That’s before phylloxera and even before the familiar cast of characters (grape-wise) had settled in. I would just be fascinated. If anyone wants to share a bottle, just give me 24 hours notice! I’ll be there.

A few selections from The Paring

JB: What is your favorite grape, and why?

MD: I’ve got a pretty serious love affair going these days with Chardonnay. Ditto with Cabernet Franc, but let’s focus on what I’m drinking as I write this.

When I moved to Santa Barbara, back in 2004, Chardonnay probably wouldn’t have even cracked my list of the 100 grapes I wanted to work with for the rest of my life. If it had, it would have been 98 or 99, and that would have been after some French hybrids and a couple of extremely esoteric Russian varieties. No joke.

Now, fast-forward 16 years and it is number 1 on my list. It is a magical variety that has the ability to express the site, soil characteristics, aspect, elevation, etc. so clearly and with such precision. Some see this extreme malleability as a fault or weakness, but for me this is the crux of its true beauty. Its natural acidity is such an important factor in California wines today and should be a driving force in the years to come.

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? 

MD: A 2015 El Desafio de Jonata. Our Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend from our estate vineyard in Ballard Canyon. Mother nature gave us these tiny clusters with BB shot-sized berries and then perfect conditions throughout the harvest. The Cabernet Sauvignon fermentations went without a hitch, and we were able to capture all the quantitatively massive and quantitatively exquisite tannins. This wine needs time, but has so much fruit density to go along with its currently imposing stature and structure. In 10 years it’ll be just coming into its own. It should be a beauty. Also good drinking today with a long decant.

Matt Dees urges you to open the “big bottles” early in the evening.

JB: Where is your go-to place when you want to have a glass or bottle? COVID-19 has put a crimp on going out, but pre-pandemic, where did you go?

MD: My favorite place to have a glass/bottle and more often than not, a magnum, is my brother’s home in Los Angeles. I take my family down and we join forces with my brother’s large family. We sit around a table, break bread together, pop some beautiful corks and have conversations that matter. I can picture the sun setting over Los Angeles. I miss it and I miss them. Looking forward to that opportunity again soon.

A sampling of Jonata …

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

MD: I think many of us find a really special bottle that we want to share with our family and friends. We plan a special night and a special meal together. Our guests show up (or used to show up, and will again one day!) and we welcome them with sparkling or beers and passed apps. We start with some fresh and easy white bottles. We might even open a few other nice bottles before we sit down and get into the main event: the bottle of impact and importance.

As humans, we’ve evolved to have the sharpest senses when we’re hungry and thirsty. By eating and drinking our way through the early hours of the evening, we’ve dumbed down our ability to sense and appreciate the beauty and special nature of the bottle in question. Next time, greet your guests with a glass of the “big” bottle, or at least make an effort to enjoy it earlier in the evening. If it is too late in the evening, it might as well be light beer.

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

MD: Drinking the 1995 Staglin Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and the 1989 Château Certan de May in New York City with my brother back in 1998-1999 changed my world forever. I had planted a vineyard in Vermont in 1998, but after tasting these two wines I knew I was going to be a winemaker, there was no doubt.

The Hilt Estate from JONATA, The Hilt, The Paring on Vimeo.

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

MD: Oh where to start! I’ve had a tarantula walk across my boot in the cellar. A peacock wandered into our production facility. I’ve seen a giant container of meat pies fall into a press of Chardonnay (not in the U.S.). I’ve presented a series of wines I didn’t make to a large audience. I’ve been trapped in a festival tent in Chinon during a massive snowstorm. I’ve made three 45-minute presentations in French in Burgundy (in front of many of my winemaking heroes) without really speaking French. This is a great industry for strange incidents. I can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow …

JB: What is your favorite wine reference in a work of literature or a film?

Lilac Wine, Nina Simone

Dees has great taste when it comes to wine and music.

Want More Wine? Read On:

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

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.

Inprint Is Still on My Cultural Agenda

August 4, 2020 / / 0 Comments

One of the things I miss about Houston is Inprint, the city’s literary arts nonprofit organization. If you are interested in the written or spoken word, and aren’t familiar with Inprint, you need to be, no matter where you live. Its programming agenda is rich and diverse, and includes myriad writing workshops for children and adults, podcasts, and other engaging events. It also supports emerging writers through fellowships and prizes.

The component of the organization that I most enjoy is the Margarett Root Brown Reading Series, which, since 1980, “has featured more than 370 writers, including winners of nine Nobel Prizes, 62 Pulitzer Prizes, 56 National Book Awards, 50 National Book Critics Circle Awards, 15 Man Booker Prizes, as well as 19 U. S. Poets Laureate. The authors read from their work, followed by on-stage interviews and book signings at which audience members can meet the writers.”

It truly is one of the city’s treasures.

I’m a resident of Los Angeles now, and before COVID-19 hit I had been devouring the riches of the city’s vibrant arts and culture scene, including the Geffen Playhouse, the LA Phil, the Mark Taper Forum, to name but three of the hundreds of stages and venues at our disposal. When the virus has played itself out, I’ll be back in attendance at plays and concerts and exhibits. That cannot come soon enough.

Kevin Kwan: A chronicler of vanity, excess, and status anxiety.

Despite the distance, Inprint is still part of my existence. The pandemic has thrown events online, and at the end of this month I’ll be (virtually) at the live reading series, which is featuring Kevin Kwan, who’ll be reading from his new novel, Sex and Vanity. Kwan, as you are likely to know, wrote Crazy Rich Asians, which was made into a successful film of the same name. Expect droll and witty repartee and lots of humor.

You should join me on August 31, so get your (free) ticket here.

Kathleen Inman is fond of Baudelaire, and Champagne.

Kathleen Inman: A Soul of Wine

August 3, 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. 

Kathleen Inman. Whenever I hear that name my mind immediately goes to France. Inman makes wine in Sonoma County as the owner of Inman Family Wines, but the story behind her Endless Crush Rosé captivated me when I first heard it, and since I love Provence …

I don’t know why I waited so long to feature Inman in Wine Talk, because she is a great conversationalist — a recent Zoom tasting confirmed my initial impression, which I made based on quotes, articles, and conversations with others. Her laugh rang through, and when I heard it during the virtual tasting it was uncannily similar to the one I heard in my head when reading descriptions of Inman.

Inman loves Rosé, and she loves Champagne, and her way with Pinot Noir makes me happy. She studied French literature in college, which is another reason I look forward to meeting her (Baudelaire, Rimbaud … what’s not to like?).

Oh yes, she farms the Olivet Grange Vineyard, from which comes some fine Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris fruit.

Memories of Provence …

If you are seeking a new Rosé to add to your list, order some Endless Crush. During our tasting, I sampled Inman’s 2017 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir Special Blend. I loved it. Complex, elegant, wonderful acidity, and a fascinating fruit makeup (Olivet Grange, Sexton Road Ranch, and Vine Hill). This wine grandly represents Inman’s approach to her craft.

Let’s get to her Wine Talk.

James Brock: Tell us about three wines you think are drinking well at the moment. How about a food pairing for each one?

Kathleen Inman: First, 2018 and 2019 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé. I pair this with anything and everything. Kermit Lynch or Wine.com, $56

Next, 2019 Crocker & Starr Sauvignon Blanc Crocker Estate. Although it’s a little heavier in alcohol than past vintages, I have been drinking this recently. Crocker & Starr is the only wine club I belong to. I paired it recently with a caponata using eggplants and tomatoes from my garden. Purchased from the winery, $40

2015 Inman Family Extra Brut Luxe Cuvée, a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that spent years on the yeast. It’s currently a favorite of my husband’s, Simon, and is $78 (available from the winery only).

Inman Family WInes Experience from Inman Family Wines on Vimeo.

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

KI: 2004 Krug Clos du Mesnil would be my choice. I had a bottle of this last year for my birthday, and it was very delicious. Clos du Mesnil, a tiny, walled vineyard, is a little gem. Krug, my favorite Champagne house, makes from it a single-vineyard, single-vintage, single-varietal sparkling wine that has mouthwatering Chardonnay fruit, crystalline acidity, and such a sense of place. This wine inspired me in making my sparkling wines; although they are made from Pinot Noir from the Inman Family OGV Estate vineyard, I kept the structure single-vineyard, single-vintage, and single-varietal, inspired by the Krug wines I love.

Clos du Mesnil: Do not tear down this wall.
Kathleen Inman with some Pinot Noir.

JB: What is your favorite grape, and why?

KI: I have to be really predictable here: It is Pinot Noir that I am most passionate about. I love it in all of its guises: rich and redolent in ripe fruit, elegant and savory with texture like silk satin, made into Rosés, made into sparkling wines … all the Pinots!

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? 

KI: We tend to buy vintage port for birth years since it can cellar for much longer than 10 years, but of course, not every year is a vintage year. Of my own wines, the OGV Estate Pinot Noirs really come into their own after 10 years. I would recommend the 2017 vintage. It is elegant, and each time I taste it, it has a subtle, haunting character that is more beguiling as the months pass. I would love to have this in 2027 with a seared duck breast with lentils and sautéed spinach.

JB: Where is your go-to place when you want to have a glass or bottle?

KI: COVID-19 has made us very solitary homebodies these days. However, in pre-pandemic days, Corkage, in Bath, Somerset, UK was our favorite place to enjoy wine by the glass or the bottle with small plates. We have been going there often for some years. A fantastic list. I do miss being able to travel.

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

KI: On the business side, I think wine consumers should keep in mind that the best way to support small wineries is to buy from them directly. Distributors and retailers all make more money than the winery when a consumer purchases at a store. About 50-60 percent of the price of that bottle is all the winery gets — and from that they have to pay the taxes as well as the production costs. As often as you can, support wineries by buying direct.  

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

KI: My “wine eureka moment” that led to my passion for wine — as a consumer and later as a maker — was probably when I did a wine-tasting class offered by a local retailer when I was at UC Santa Barbara. I was fascinated by how the same grape grown in different places could result in wines that tasted so different, and then grapes grown in the same place but made by different people into wine were also different. Add in vintage differences and the variations were endlessly fascinating. Pinot Noir and Riesling were my first wine loves, but when I discovered Champagne … wow!

JB: What is your favorite wine reference in a work of literature or a film?

KI: Can I give two? Having studied a lot of French literature at university, I am a fan of the French Symbolist poets, and Baudelaire’s “L’âme du vin” (“The Soul of Wine”) is a favorite, but I would be remiss if I did not mention my friend Regine Rousseau, who, besides being a wine entrepreneur (Shall We Wine is her business), is a poet. Her recently published book — “Searching for Cloves and Lilies: The Wine Edition” — pairs her poems with wines, including one paired with my Endless Crush Rosé of Pinot Noir.

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James MacPhail on Pinot Noir, White Burgundy, and Russell Crowe
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A Merlot That Your Snob Friend Will Love
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A Pinot Noir Full of Flavor
This Pinot Gris From Oregon Pairs Well With Cheese
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A Value Rioja
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Ms. Champagne Wants a Nebuchadnezzar
The Wine Artist Goes for Chardonnay
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Houston’s Wine Whisperer Has a Soft Touch
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Mr. Pinot Noir: Donald Patz of Patz & Hall
A Cork Dork Wants to Spend More Time in Tuscany
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Texas Master Sommelier Debunks Wine Geeks
A Bottle From Gigondas Changed This Houston Man’s Life
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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

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