Showdown at Sunset

How would you like to try $480 worth of wine for only $27?  Of course you would!!! Come try my new “Showdown at Sunset” wine flight featuring:
"Which $120 Red Wine on our list is the BEST?"

Comparative tasting is an enjoyable pursuit. We often try the same variety side by side, or wines from the same region. When it is all said and done what it boils down to is which wine would you rather have and how much do you want to pay for a wine.  In our “Showdown” tasting; all bets are off and any rules are out the window...four wines are poured, two ounces each, and you tell us which one you like the most.  Simple & fun!

August 29th 2014

July and August we featured our French wines on the list; guest who had the Syrah from St. Joseph said; “It was so good we did not leave a drop.”  We know it is a great wine and a good value.  How does it compare to other red wine that sell for the same price?

2 oz each of four wines for $27. with tasting notes.
(8 oz of wine valued at $38.40)

-Syrah, Paul Jaboulet Aîné, Domaine de La Croix des Vignes, St.-Joseph, Rhône, France, 2009
“2009 will mark the full and complete resurrection of Paul Jaboulet Aîné to the highest level of quality in the northern Rhône!” Robert Parker, March 2011
From a tiny 3.75-acre estate and aged in 50% new oak, shows terrific raspberry and mineral-laced black currant and cherry fruit intermixed with aromas of flowers.  Complex, elegant, pure—Syrah!
The Paul Jaboulet story is of a magical encounter between a generous land on a hill along the Rhone river and a family passionate about growing vines and making wine. Founded in 1834 generations have helped these vineyards soar as beautiful and profound wines for the world.



-Malbec 75% Petit Verdot 25%, RAVEN, Becker, Texas Hill Country, 2010. (VOTE = 2)
“Look no further, you have found Texas’ Greatest Wine!  Dark and brooding colors in the glass with pleasant aromas of oak and vanilla over Texas’ characteristic ‘Trail Dust’.   The flavors are big, rich and juicy, with blackberry, black cherry, a creamy coco tease over the vanilla laced oak and smoke notes.  In the complex layers chestnuts, spice and woodsy flavors emerge, followed by a great finish.” -Steven Krueger, Resort Sommelier
Established in 1992 by Richard and Bunny Becker.  In addition to the grapes planted on site they buy grapes from great Texas growers like Drew Talent.  His vineyards in Mason County are the excellent source for the grapes that make this wine.

-Cabernet Sauvignon 83%, Merlot 8%, Malbec 5%, Cabernet Franc 4%, Orin Swift, "Palermo"  Napa Valley, California, 2011 (VOTE = 2)
Only the third vintage of Palermo; this wine represents years of experimentation with different lots, varying grape maturity levels, complex  French cooperage programs, and some proprietary intuition, they call “separate among equal parts.”  As time has passed, Orin Swift has carefully assembled a diverse network of vineyards to work with, in an ongoing effort to make better wines. The spirit of Palermo resides in an allegorical catacomb that stands to honor the past, cloaked in deference to the vine, and strives to artfully frame what the harvest yields every year.


-Zinfandel, Turley, Dragon Vineyard, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, California, 2012 (VOTE = 2)
Dragon Vineyard is an estate-owned and certified organic vineyard. Planted at 2400 feet at one of the
highest points on Howell Mountain, the vineyard sits well above the fog line and faces east.  These important features, along with the rocky, red volcanic soil, make for a very unique, full-bodied and powerful Zinfandel.
Turley Wine Cellars makes single vineyard designate Zinfandels and Petite Syrahs.  Focusing on old vine vineyards in Turley aims to both create and preserve California’s unique winemaking culture.

Make reservations at Francesca's at Sunset in La Cantera Resort.

(Showdown ended with a three way tie!  The only looser being my beloved Syrah.  This showdown exercise is fun and tough.)

Texas WineMonth- Austin Quote

“Nature seemed to have intended Texas for a vineyard to supply America with vines.” Stephen F. Austin. I love this quote. The exact wording and context the Founding Father of Texas said it in is not as important to me as the mindset and experience these words reveal. Mr. Austin and his contemporaries won Texas' independence and were "hacking their living out of the wilderness with their own two hands, burying their children along the way!" (to quote Hawkeye in The Last of the Mohicans. (Great movie!)) Many of them were new immigrants from the Old World; Germany, France, Spain, Italy and other homelands. Some were from places just as hot and dry as Texas, and they had grown vines and made wine in the Old World! They looked around the Texas landscape and could easily imagine vast vineyards here too. Prior to Prohibition, Texas had almost fifty commercial wineries! This was the beginning of what would have been a great industry for our state. Prohibition closed all but one winery; Val Verde in Del Rio.

In the years immediately after Prohibition the California wine industry grew exponentially. They have done a incredible job; growing grapes, vinifying wine and marketing their wine and state. Today they make ninety percent of the wine in the U.S.A. Most wine drinkers in North America who think about wine are really thinking about California wine. Because of this many think that wine country has to be as cool and as wet like California. This is NOT TRUE, there are other regions in the world hot and dry like Texas and they make world class wines. I encourage you to look for Texas wines that are taking their inspiration from these other regions. You might have to go outside your comfort zone and drink a wine other than Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet or Merlot. But, you will be okay and you might even find a Viognier, Roussanne, Blanc du Bois, Trebbianno, Picpoul Blanc, Syrah, Tempranillo, Malbec, Sangiovese, Lenoir (a.k.a. Black Spanish) or Aglianico grown in Texas that you love even more than those California wines! And, who knows, maybe someday Texas wineries will make enough wine to begin shipping them to the other states in our union and other countries! Achieving that elusive dream that started back when Texas was a brand new state (country.)

Please follow my blog; I will have more to share with you about Texas, wine and the lessons we learn along the way.

Claret, BECKER, Texas High Plains, Texas

"LES TROIS DAMES" has graced this label for years in honor of the matriarchs of grape growing in the Texas High Plains; Eunice Hunter, Laverne Newsom and Dorothy Cooper. This great trio of ladies have a state full of grateful Texas wine drinkers and wine makers indebted to them. It is them and their families who lead the states grape growing. Recognition of them from Becker Vineyards, one of our states most successful wineries, is a right and good thing.

• SUCCULENT and POWERFUL 
• Red and Black Berries 
• Raspberries 
• Chocolate 
• Spices 
• Vanilla 
• Oak 

CLARET blends should only contain varieties that are authorized for use in the red wines of the Bordeaux region of France. Currently, the varieties are: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Carmenere is another permitted grape, but rarely used except in red wines from South American. The term Claret has no regulated meaning or legal status so it is best to investigate how each winery is using the term. In the United States, red wines labeled as ‘Meritage’ (www.meritagewine.org) can be included in the category of Clarets and the term ‘Meritage’ is regulated with a legal meaning.

For more on the Becker Claret visit; http://vintagetexas.com/blog/?s=Becker+Claret&searchsubmit=

BRANNON'S CAFE

WINE LIST

Malbec, SANTA JULIA, “ORGANICA” Mendoza, Argentina

Created in honor of the only daughter of Jos Zuccardi, Santa Julia represents their commitment to achieve the highest of quality standards; developing sustainable policies that contribute to environmental care while being useful to the community.

• SCRUMPTIOUS
• Blueberry
• Fresh Plum
• Cherry
• Strawberry
• Chocolate 

Santa Julia is a clear example of the combination of the quality and diversity of Mendocinian soils, resulting in modern wines.  A family company founded in 1963 by Engineer Alberto Zuccardi. Who began planting vines in Mendoza experimenting with an irrigation system of his own creation based on a method used in California.  Forty five years later there are three generations joined by a passion for wine. In September 2007, the prestigious magazine DECANTER acknowledged José Alberto and Sebastián Zuccardi as being among the five most influential personalities of Argentine Wine.

BRANNON'S CAFE
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Malbec, COLORES DEL SOL, Mendoza, Argentina

‘Colors of the Sun’ is the English translation for this wines name, because the grapes bask in bright, pure sunlight in their vineyards at elevations reaching 3,500 feet, making them among the highest, driest, and sunniest in the world!  The wine has been crafted in a distinct style, combining cutting-edge winemaking skills with the authenticity and singular charm of the Malbec grape.

• SCRUMPTIOUS
• Blackberry
• Spice
• Raspberry
• Lush Mouthfeel
• Fine Grained Tannins

Colores del Sol is sourced exclusively from the Luján de Cuyo vineyard district within Mendoza, South America’s most prestigious wine-growing region.  Just to the south of Mendoza city, across the River Mendoza, lies Lujan de Cuyo, a village now entirely surrounded by vineyards and wineries. As they are situated so close to the river, the majority of these vineyards have alluvial soil types, i.e. sandy, stony surfaces based on clay substrata. A significant benefit of being located close to a glacial river is a lower level of salinity in the water, and a lack of impurities compared with other river types.

BRANNON'S CAFE
WINE LIST