Our tasting started with a "must try", the Sea Salt Iced Coffee. It arrived with a layer of foamy cream on top and was in a sealed glass. We were told to shake the drink and then insert our straw. This was truly a mythical coffee drink!
This has just about everything I like in a sparkler, a soft, strawberry nose, beautiful pale salmon color, soft fizz. I really loved it. Carol called it a great holiday Brut. Jean loved the delicate bubbles and the color. Brian said it was "really jolly nice."
Brian loved the bouquet, found it dry and very pleasant and thought it was a great $20 wine. Jan said it was very complex for a rosé and liked it quite a bit. Jake enjoyed the rich flavors. It averaged nearly four out of five stars. Score? Texas 1, skeptics 0.
From Argentina we moved on to Croatia and the 2012 Vinarija Zdjelarevi? Graševina. Tough to pronounce, but easy to drink, It had a soft nose with hints of honey. Another fruit forward wine, I loved its round mouthfeel and flavors of golden delicious apples.
After their humble beginnings with one acre in Bryan that grew to thirty, they own 150 acres in West Texas and altogether there are more than 900 acres that are part of Messina Hof. In the late 80s and early 90s they started winning some major awards.
If the summer menu piqued your interest, be sure to visit Paisano's soon. The fall menu debuts in September. The prices for these unique, carefully prepared creations are quite reasonable.
“The secret is to be ahead of the curve and on top of our game,” says Gerry Cordiano. “All of our vineyards are young. As they grow and mature, we will be better than Napa/Sonoma and Paso Robles. Our soil is harsher here. That makes for stronger more flavorful grapes.”
I shared the wine with a couple of aficionados, one of whom crinkled his his nose, put the glass down and said "NGTPIM." I gave him a puzzled look and he said, "Not going to put in mouth if it smells that bad." He then proceeded to pour it out.
Mambo #5! Cornerstone 2012 Sauvignon Blanc. Craig Camp from Cornerstone says it's one of the best growing grapes in Napa. Chardonnay does not grow well there. $30 sourced from Howell Mountain and St. Helena, older vineyards. Very soft for a Sauvignon Blanc. Would be extremely food friendly, nice and crisp.
