The Wines of Pierre and Helene Seillan

Monique Seillan was in Houston recently visiting with local wine trade and media. I sat down with her at Mark's American Cuisine to sample some of the fantastic wines created by her husband, Pierre and her daughter, Helene Seillan along with Amy and Joe Power of Another Wine Blog and Denman Moody, wine writer for Houston Lifestyles and author of The Advanced Oenophile.

Monique explained that Pierre's wine making career began at his family's estate in Gascony where he focused on red Bordeaux varieties. After working at several different wineries, he began to develop his micro-cru philosophy where he attempts to preserve the unique nuances that each site can contribute based on soil type and topography. This more precise management of the vineyard allows many unique parcels to be vinified separately for more blending options. Daughter Helene joined the team over seven years ago and has worked closely with her father splitting her time between Sonoma County and Saint-Emilion, France.

We started with the 2004 and 2005 Lassegue Saint-Emilion Grand Cru. This is a right bank Bordeaux blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc with some Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2004 was from the cellar at Mark's, it was fresh and and balanced with a full-body with ripe red fruit aromas and rich flavors of cherry and plum with a bit of herbal marjoram and spice in the long finish. The 2005 was similar but the aromas and flavors were more intense while the tannins were a bit smoother. Very enjoyable.

We also tasted:

The 2009 Arcanum from Tuscany, a Cabernet Franc based blend with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine had fresh aromas and flavors of raspberry with nutmeg and white pepper with fresh acidity, smooth tannins and a lightly spicy finish.

The 2004 Helena Dakota Vineyard 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Knight's Valley had pronounced aromas and flavors of blackberry, cassis, coffee and graphite. It had a full body with velvety tannins and fresh acidity with a long mineral laced finish.

2009 Verite La Muse from Sonoma County is a Merlot based Bordeaux blend with fruity aromas and flavors of cherries, berries and plums with a touch of fennel. Full body, slightly grippy tannins with a slightly spicy finish.

The 2009 Cenyth Sonoma County Red Wine was overseen by daughter, Helene. This Cabernet Sauvignon based blend has aromas and flavors of red and black berries with chocolate mint. It had a full body, silky smooth tannins, fresh acidity and a lingering finish.

All were rich and elegant reds, all recommended and all absolutely fantastic with the bison strip steak on special that evening.

An Immersive Introduction into the World of Asolo Prosecco

Dinner Views at Osteria Alla Baracca. I was very excited to visit the Asolo DOCG Prosecco region at the end of May on a press trip as it is an Italian area that I have not previously traveled through. Asolo is located in the Province of Treviso at the foot of Monte Grappa in the high hills to the west of the Piave River with views of the Dolomites. The grapes are grown in 17 communes surrounding the town of Asolo. The days were very warm while I was there but I needed a sweater or light jacket on most evenings due to the diurnal swing that makes it a great area for grape growing. Wines from the Master Class Tasting. Asolo was elevated to the DOCG level in 2009. The majority of the Prosecco that I have found in Houston is Prosecco DOC which is mostly from very large producers. Asolo was separated from this category and the region was given this higher status because there are terroir elements that make it distinctive in the world of Prosecco. The Sant'Anna Vineyard. Many of the vin

Lust Zinfandel 2007

My husband loves this wine so he purchased quite a few bottles at a recent Michael~David dinner that we had attended. Last night, I decided to open a bottle to serve with dinner. I was making a roasted southwestern pork tenderloin, sweet potato fries (w/ chipolte ketchup) and a salad consisting of baby lettuce (fresh from my garden) with strawberries, red bell peppers, red onions and walnuts tossed with a white balsamic-raspberry vinaigrette. This turned out to be a great pairing. It is a bold wine that really stood up to the strong chipolte seasoning while complementing the fruit flavors. I opened the bottle a 1/2 hour before I served it as I have found this wine to be more enjoyable when I do so. The Lust Zinfandel by Michael~David 2007 was a dark purple color with a ruby rim. It has intense aromas of very ripe mixed berries and baking spices-both allspice and ginger with hints of cedar. It has flavors of creme de cassis, milk chocolate and also more of the baking

Effervescent Elegance

In the December 2023 issue of Galveston Monthly , I explore the world of classic method sparkling wine. The holiday season is always an excellent time to enjoy some effervescent elegance in your glass!

Wine Life - Houston

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