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Review: ROCO “Gravel Road” Willamette Valley Pinot Noir (2022)
A fresh and lively Willamette Pinot Noir is on the table tonight. “Gravel Road” is the entry-level Pinot from ROCO Winery, founded by Oregon wine pioneers Rollin Soles and Corby Stonebraker-Soles. It’s a solid–though not life-changing–weekday wine at $25-$30. It opens with a friendly burst of fruit: Cherry, strawberry fruit leather, and Bosc pear. The…
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Merlot Thursday: Meeker “Winemakers’ Handprint” Sonoma County Merlot (2022)
Every bottle of Meeker‘s “Winemakers’ Handprint” Merlot is marked by the winemaker with acrylic paint. Fingerprints grasp the curves of the bottle in neon smears of fuschia and yellow, wrapping the glass in a handshake–or reaching out from the shelf in a friendly wave. The handprint is meant to remind drinkers that wine is made…
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Review: Santa Cruz Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (2023)
This dive bar is better known for birria tacos–and for bad decisions involving tequila–than it is for wine. But I really want a glass of red wine with some carne asada, so here goes nothing. Santa Cruz Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is sitting in mini bottles, next to vials of beer salt and a frozen-drink machine…
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Merlot Thursday: St. Francis Sonoma County Merlot (2021)
“This lady reviews more cheap house wines than anyone I know.” That’s how I was introduced by a friend to a small group of wine folks earlier this week. While it was meant as a playful jest, it’s certainly true. Especially on #MerlotThursday, when Merlot’s ease of use propels it to the top of the…
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Merlot Thursday: Ron Yates Friesen Vineyards Texas High Plains Merlot (2021)
“Texas wine is bad” is one of those wine-industry truisms that I wish I could erase from conversation. The truth is, Texas wine runs the entire gamut of quality, from undrinkable to world-class. In that way, it’s a lot like Merlot–another wine category that has fallen victim to unfair generalization and unfair disdain. The only…
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Merlot Thursday: Anterra Terre Siciliane Merlot (2024) + a meatball Ferris wheel
Today’s Merlot is doomed to be overshadowed by its food pairing: An audacious, silly carnival ride for meatballs. The Meatball Ferris Wheel is the signature appetizer at The Sicilian Butcher. Created by Chef Joey Maggiore, the Italian chain has 7 locations in Texas, Arizona, and Tennessee. It popped up last year in a North Dallas…
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Merlot Thursday: Les Cadrans de Lassègue Saint-Émilion Grand Cru (2022)
Once again, I’m in the North Dallas suburbs and searching for Merlot. It looks promising: The steakhouses here are wedged into the crevices between every parking garage and highway median. However, this is the land of Caymus and Austin Hope, and finding a fresh glass of Merlot is never a sure thing. I pop into…
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Pinot Forum Dallas: Tasting the Russian River Valley
What could be better than traveling to your favorite wine regions? Not much–except having your favorite wine regions come to you! That’s what happened in April when I met up with the Russian River Valley Winegrowers in downtown Dallas. Located just north of the Bay Area and cooled by fog from the Petaluma Gap, Russian…
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Review: Cantine Due Palme “Pillastro” Primitivo Puglia IGP (2022)
Sometimes, in the midst of all the tasting and study that is my new wine life, I just want to drink something liquid and red. I keep a modest stash of bottles just for this purpose. Sangria wines, pasta-night wines–wines you drink with your mouth and not your nose. “Please don’t be gross,” I whisper…
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Merlot Thursday: Bodegas Volver “Juntos” Alicante Merlot (2024)
A ripe ‘n rowdy Merlot from Spain is our pick for this #MerlotThursday! “Juntos” comes from the sunny Mediterranean coast in the region of Valencia. Wine lovers may hear “Alicante” and think of Alicante Bouschet, the red-fleshed grape that lends its irresistible color to blends. And indeed, Merlot-Alicante blends do exist in the table wines…
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Three winemakers, three Spanish regions: Juan Gil, Bodegas Shaya, and Bodegas Morca
Spain is one of my favorite wine-producing countries. Even though I’ve yet to collect that stamp on my passport, when I drink a Spanish wine I can almost taste the Mediterranean sunshine in my glass. Recently in Texas, I got to sample some marvelous wines (and meet the winemakers!) at The Wine Authority. They came…
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Merlot Thursday: Shafer Napa Valley Merlot (2023)
The 2023 vintage in Napa Valley has wine writers using some immoderate language. “2023 was as perfect as any Napa vintage in living memory. It was Napa’s ‘1961 Bordeaux,’” writes Karen MacNeil in Decanter. “The Vintage of a Lifetime,” proclaims the Napa Valley Harvest’s vintage summary. “With consistent, mild weather throughout the season, above-average crop yields,…