2007 Tenuta Castelbuono Montefalco Sagrantino

An issue with my outdoor grill has forced me back into my kitchen this summer which is not my favorite place to cook in the Houston summertime. Unable to cook outside along with the need for a large family dinner meant that I was slow roasting a pork shoulder inside.

Since I wasn't just throwing some hamburgers on the grill, I had to start early which gave me time to stare into my wine "cellar" fridge and contemplate what I wanted to open. I also needed a little bit of wine to add into the roasting pan.

This bottle of 2007 Tenuta Castelbuono Montefalco Sagrantino seemed the perfect choice. I popped it open and poured myself a taste. It was big, it was powerful and it had a higher level of tannins than most of the wines that I've been enjoying lately. I poured a quarter cup over my roast, decanted the rest and then re-poured it into the bottle. I then put it back in my wine fridge to keep it at cellar temperature until dinner. I also picked out some other lighter weight wine options for my guests to start the evening.

When I went back to this wine three hours later, I was enthralled. Intense aromas of sweet ripe dark berries with a touch of rosemary and fennel and a light earthiness. It was dry, full bodied with rich berry/cherry flavors and a slight spiciness in the, now, very smooth finish. It had both power and elegance at the same time. I lamented the quarter cup that I had used for cooking.

I poured myself a full glass and I waited until near the end of the meal to share the wealth as I only had one bottle of this wine. I let my guests finish the other (still good) options and then gave everyone some of this wine. It was unquestionably deemed the best wine of the night by all.

This was a media sample and it appears to be priced about $30-35 on-line. I intend on seeking more out and I will let you know in the comments where I find it out in the Houston market; a highly recommended wine!

Montefalco Sagrantino wines are produced in the Montefalco apppellation of the Umbria region in Italy. They are made with 100% Sagrantino grapes which have one of the highest concentrations of polyphenol antioxidants. They require a fair amount of aging (a minimum of 30 months by law) to smooth out the tannins to create a more balanced wine. The wine above is almost eight years old and it is drinking beautifully.

Winemaker, Andrés Sánchez of Alcance

I was invited to a media and trade tasting lunch at Backstreet Cafe with Andrés Sánchez, the winemaker for Alcance, a Jackson Family winery. As guests arrived, we were greeted with a glass of lightly chilled Alcance Chardonnay 2016, a perfect start for a hot summer day in Houston. This rich and elegant Chardonnay is grown on granitic soils in a coastal mountain vineyard in the Valle de Itata. Despite my multiple wine classes, this was a growing area with which I was not familiar. This vineyard is located between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean about 12 miles from the coast which as Sánchez pointed out adds a nice sea influence to the wine. The Chardonnay was pleasantly fresh with light citrus notes and a touch of butterscotch with a distinct saline mineralty throughout the slightly creamy finish. A mixed appetizer platter with Gulf Coast Beignets, duck spring rolss, asparagus and zuchini flatbread, and lump crab cakes on red pepper beurre blanc were br...

Darioush Wine Tasting at Pappas Grill

I went to a Darioush wine tasting last Friday. What a delight! I found every bottle we tasted to be exceptional. Darioush is well-known for their Bordeaux styled wines so I was already familiar with both the Darioush "Signature" and the Estate Caravan Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. They are both highly rated and consistently good. The Caravan is the lower priced of the two and is something that I keep in stock at home. The wines in the line up for the evening were all from Napa Valley and included: 2008 Signature Viognier, 2005 Signature Chardonnay, 2005 Signature Merlot, 2007 Signature Shiraz, 2007 Estate Caravan Cabernet Sauvignon, and both the 2006 & 2007 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2007 was opened by mistake which was a bonus to all who were present. The Viognier varietal has been hit and miss for me at tastings in the past but this offering was an absolute stand out. It was very fragrant with floral notes of jasmine and or...

Summer Sips: A Guide to Red, White, & Rosé

American-made Wine recommendations for the Fourth of July and beyond is the subject of the July issue of Galveston Monthly magazine.

Wine Life - Houston

Search This Blog