Tasting at Westin La Cantera with Russ Kane

To celebrate Texas wine month, Sean and I attended the Texas wine tasting at San Antonio's Westin La Cantera. Held in the Steinheimer's Lounge, sommelier Steven Krueger shares four choice Texas wines. We were lucky to not only enjoy Steven's presentation, but the Texas Wineslinger Russ Kane  (writer of the Texas wine blog Vintage Texas) also shared his knowledge and experience of the Texas wine industry.

On the hill, the sun's

last rays settle around us,

dance, glint off the wines.

Each scent swirls, each flavor shines,

for a Texas wine society.

The Tasting

Held at 5p.m. till 6 most nights -- you can check the Westin's calendar to make sure that there is a scheduled tasting -- this tasting is a slow and relaxed tasting of four 2 ounce pours for $10. To make this even better, the wines change regularly, making this a great wine night out that can be repeated. Once the guests arrive, they gather in a more communal style to share the tasting together. This makes it easier for sommelier Steven Krueger to provide a more personable tasting as he serves each guest and shares his wine knowledge.

The four pours are presented on a "mat" that tells the guests the wine, the winery, and some insight on the wine. Most of the information is about the wine itself. Steven adds to this knowledge by leading the group through the full tasting (both encouraging the guests to share what they think as well as pointing out what he notes). In our case, Russ Kane added to discussing the wine.

The mat provides even more information, information that provides more insight to new drinkers (and a nice reference for the rest of us). There is a map that shows all the Texas wineries; it is easy to tell where the winery is located. This coincides well with the winery information Steven provides. And for our tasting, Russ again brought a lot of neat extras to the table.

During the tasting Sean and I attended, there were two whites and two reds. The stand-out, overall, was Pedernales' Tempranillo. This wine is always a great wine (one I always have around), full of fruit, earth, oak, and spice. It provided a strong, bold end to the tasting. The white of note was the Brennan Viognier. This award winning wine was a great counter point to the bold red that ended things. We also had a nice Blanc du Bois and a solid Cabernet.

Russ Kane

Russ Kane joined our tasting to promote his book, The Wineslinger Chronicles. During the tasting, Russ taught us about the wine industry in Texas (from its foundation and the longest running winery in Texas). Russ provided some nice comparisons to other wine industries, both domestic and international. One interesting note was when Russ shared a wine map of the world. Sean and I searched over the map to figure out the places where we had not yet had wine from -- they were very few.

What was most fun with Russ' appearance was all the insider knowledge he brought. He knows the wines we tasted -- the wineries, the wine makers, etc.. The material he presented shed the best of his book; he also connected it to the audience through additional wine education. Best were the stories and experiences he shared. By the end, I saw old facts (ones from the book) in a new light.

A tasting at the Westin La Cantera proved to be a great time. I spent some quality time with some quality wine; I often feel rushed at wineries, but that was not the case here (slow is expected during this tasting). Of course, the information shared by our wine specialist and sommelier Steven Krueger taught me a but more; Russ Kane's added Texas wine scholarship brought the wine and wineries to life. Best of all is the nature of the tasting. As the guests gather around the main table (and outlying tables if the number gets too large), a new Texas wine community forms, sharing their tasting and their own experiences. When you need Texas wine in San Antonio and can't get out to the Hill Country, this is a great escape.

WW: Bending Branch Souzao

After my recent educational visit to Bending Branch, it has been hard to keep my mind off of their wine and work. Last week, I revisited the last vintage of their very unique Souzao. I remember my first time tasting this wine. It was a dreary and cold Sunday afternoon. Sean and I had been seeking out something new and inspiring. Our tasting at Bending Branch was exactly what we were looking for. As we wrapped our mouths around the Portuguese name, we lingered over this deep, inky wine. We were so taken by it that we took a bottle home. Since then, it has been one of our favorites. My opinion of this wine has only deepened over time.

The exact vintage of the Souzao (2009) that we recently drank is sold out at the winery -- though there are a few bottles hiding at a variety of HEB's in San Antonio and now Bulverde (I bought the bottle in question at HEB Alon Market in San Antonio when Jennifer was doing a Bending Branch tasting). After my visit, I saw the upcoming vintage in the barrels, so the next round is coming. And like this current one, it will be from all California grapes from the Silvaspoons Vineyard. But as I mentioned in previous posts, John and Bob have Souzao in the Comfort vineyard slowly growing (they are a few years from their first harvest).

Tasting Notes

The Souzao is best with a bit of time; letting it breath allows it to open up nicely, releasing the less sweet undertones. It is fine right after opening, but just a short wait (we let it sit for about half an hour) is best.

Chocolate 

The first thing that comes to mind when I drink the Souzao is a dark chocolate berry or cherry truffle. During my first few sips, the flavor that comes through cleanly is that of dark chocolate (in fact, it reminds me of the vanilla touched 80% dark chocolate they sell at the winery). This chocolate is dark and rich, but it isn't particularly bitter.  This even chocolate flavor is the foundation for the wine. Layered on top of it is a dark cherry or berry like flavor like those found in a truffle. Even this, like the chocolate, is smooth, and seems to be most noticeable at the times when the wine feels silky and soft in my mouth. Again, all I can think of is a well crafted truffle.

This chocolate also reminds me of Christmas. That may seem strange, but during Christmas, chocolate takes over my kitchen. For two days or so, I melt, mold, and experiment with chocolate. The time I spend working with the chocolate reminds me of this wine. This is a free form time for me. Chocolate gets on everything -- my hands, my arms, my face, the refrigerator door, the counters, the floors, etc. -- and it quickly solidifies in the cool kitchen (I actually chill the kitchen when working with chocolate). Slick, shiny streaks of chocolate glisten under the kitchen lights. The chocolate essence found in the Souzao is like the streaks of smooth chocolate dotting my landscape. It is everywhere but not the dominating force; it is just out of the corner of the eye, but it is definitely there.

Autumn

A brown leaf drifts down;

it settles in a pile 

with the reds and golds.  

A breeze whistles through the leaves;

and the brown leaf flies away.

This wine is more than a dark cherry chocolate truffle; there is something cool about it. The primary image I get is autumn. Now, I am eagerly awaiting fall; the heat and returning drought is depressing, and fall is the answer to that. Fall is a time that represents so much. It is a time of change, from warm to cool, from green to chestnut. Souzao is a wine that seems like it should be spicy but comes across more as cool; it seems as if it should be lively and vibrant but is instead subtle and sneaky. But there is more to the wine. It isn't just the change, it is what fall changes to.

When I drink the Souzao, I can sense the first cool breezes of fall. Under the last visages of the summer sun, as the day turns to evening, the breezes creep in. They sweep around a corner, and they are upon me without warning. But they are a cool kiss on my skin; they release me from the warmth and soothe me. They make me open my eyes wider; they make me want to seek them out. I want to keep them close, to follow them if I have to. As the wine moves, I feel this sense of surprising coolness; it is the hint of cool at autumn dusk.

It is also the leaves of autumn. It is the changing colors. The green leaves turn to gold, to orange, red, and finally to a nutty brown. They are subtle tones that meld into one another, all related and held together by the primary colors of yellow and red. In the wine, the chocolate is a flavor that lingers throughout, never fully slipping away.

The Souzao is also the leaves themselves. The leaves' colors make them seem earthy, but they are not. They are light and free but with substance. The leaves of the trees have weight as I collect them at my feet, but they also take flight at a moment's notice. The Souzao is a wine of weight; this is clear in its deep, inky tones. But the wine is subtle and freeing; it isn't heavy like so many reads, rich with earthy flavors and heavy with spice. Underneath the weight of the chocolate something rests, but it is illusive, like the leaves. Is it a autumnal spice; is it a hint of oak? I can't say, but it is there and not there.

The Souzao is both known and is not known. It is a wine I think I have grasped as I enjoy the truffle, but I am also searching for the subtler tones hiding just beneath. To me, this wine is autumn. And in the heat of late summer, I look to autumn for release. And I am eager for the autumn cool, the autumn colors, and the return of the Bending Branch Souzao.

WW: Alamosa Cellars' El Guapo

When Sean and I visited Alamosa Wine Cellars back in May, the first wine that really impressed us was the El Guapo 2010. For starters, we are both great fans of Tempranillo (this is 75%). Next, the blend of the two other grapes, 20% Graciano (another of our Alamosa favorites) and 5% Garnacha, added an extra layer that we had yet to experience with a Tempranillo blend. Recently, we opened up the bottle we brought home with us when we visited the winery in Bend. Right away, I found myself seeing the wine.

From Alamosa Wine Cellars

The Image

A Texas Garden

It clings, humid air holds
the heat close to everything.
The over ripe blackberries,
maybe dark raspberries,
ooze on the bush. Their scent
fills the air. Everywhere

it smells of fermenting and aging
fruit, and the tang of the top soil
collected around a hole; mounds
of it, little grains sticking together,
sticking to everything, clumping
and collecting. Full and heavy,
with water or with vitamins,
with something that gives it weight;

it is rich, yet, soft, malleable
under the slightest touch; moving,
enfolding, falling away.  Every inch
a dark contrast to what rests just below it.
Strength: drier, grayish grains bound into clots,
larger than the rocks
found interspersed between them.
Fortified, resistant to pressure,
except for the flaking pieces
that take to the air as dust.

The clots can shatter, scatter
into raged pieces,
but they still remain as they come to rest
along the hole's mouth.
And at its bottom, still,
rests the caliche. A mineral barrier
but also a foundation. Everything
sets here, finds support here:
the earth, the soil, the fruit. It lingers here.
It collects here,
all finds its way here.

Here, the pieces come together
in the garden.

Alamosa Cellars' El Guapo

The Basics

Drinking Notes

We decided to let this sit awhile. After opening, we let it rest over an hour. This allowed the wine to really open up; both aroma and taste seemed heightened.

Tasting Notes & Interpretations

As the poem suggests, when I taste this wine, I think of a backyard garden, not so different from my own. It is pungent and seducing on a hot humid day. The berries are ripe and have broken under the sun. This is the wine's scent; it smells so thoroughly of dark fruit, fruit I imagine to be just shy of going bad. And the first taste, the first experience mirrors that, but it is more.

From the onset, this particularly wine is fruity, but it tends toward the dark side. For me it is reminiscent of dark berries -- blueberries, blackberries -- just before they are too ripe to eat. The darker flavors of chocolate, especially bitter, dark chocolate, slip in and make the wine seem heavy and rich. This reminded me of fresh top soil. It is also the part of the wine that is deceptive. It seems like the wine will overpower everything, like the dense and rich top soil. I first wondered if these fruit and chocolate flavors would control everything; however, like the top soil, they prove malleable. They shift and give way to the leather, the earthier flavors of the garden's natural dirt come into play.

Then the wine's strong, resilient flavors emerge: tones of leather and the earthy minerals that linger on afterwards and can stand on their own. They quickly become the focus of the wine, the other flavors slipping into memory. But they also balance with the richness, provide depth instead of overload. This is much like the garden. Top soil is often too weak to stand on its own, it falls apart with ease. When placed on a firm bed of natural dirt, it seems even and stable. But even this bed cannot stand alone.

These flavors transition quickly and naturally. They give way to the fuller picture of the wine that dominates every sip after the first few. After awhile, the full range of flavor seems to dominate from the very beginning of a sip. A structural element is needed to provide a founding and connective force between what seems two very different aspects. In a Texas garden, this is caliche -- calcium carbonate. The mineral represents the tannins and acid at the end of the wine. They hold the two seemingly divergent parts together, provide a greater structure. It helps make the wine complete.

A garden is easy to appreciate it. It, of course, can provide beauty and sustenance (or even the grapes for wine). But those who have found the joy of getting their hands dirty, there are other sensual pleasures: there is the smell, the feel. Alamosa's El Guapo wine brings all of this together to make for a wonderful experience.

Wine Wednesday: Becker Vineyards Reserve Tempranillo

A few weeks ago, I finally opened one of my bottles of Becker Vineyards' 2011 Tempranillo Reserve.  I was excited when it appeared in my May wine club shipment, but I grew more excited after getting a chance to taste it. I knew Becker had really gotten Tempranillo this time. Their last Temp was pleasant, almost too smooth and silky for a Tempranillo. This one, however, took that silkiness and brought forth the best element in a good Tempranillo, the earthiness. When I finally had a glass, I knew this was one of Becker's apostles (see Drops of God post for details). I knew I had to review this wine (see Wine Wednesday Reviews for more details).

Becker Vineyards 2011 Tempranillo Reserve (my spare bottle)

About the Wine

This new Tempranillo is all High-Plains fruit from Cliff Bingham' and Andy Timmon's vineyards. Bingham, well known for growing high quality grapes, helps Becker deliver a superb wine. To round out the Tempranillo, what will help make it a lush and silky red, is Cabernet Sauvignon from one of my favorite vineyards, the Canada vineyards. These are some of the best Texas grapes out there, and in the hands of the folks at Becker, those grapes turn into an incredible wine.

This is a simple and elegant Tempranillo.  The flavors unfold from scent to final lingering aftertaste. The wine's slow development feels natural and seems to be Becker's signature in the Tempranillo. Many Tempranillos start strong; this one grows from subtle to powerful. At the beginning, there is a mild hint of fruit, but it is dry and warm; this helps the wine veer away from being sweet, keeping it in check. This is necessary as the wine develops. Slowly, the earthy flavors come to the front; the spice, the oak, the tobacco are slowly revealed through the tasting. And as these tastes increase, so does the warmth. By the end, this wine creates a pleasant warmth spreading through the drinker.

The Wine's Story

As I drank this rich Tempranillo, I found myself transported to places I had once been. I first thought of a recent visit to Inks Lake State Park. I also thought of the many excursions my college friends and I took into the mountains when we attended the University of Denver. There were also a number of visits to many other places: walks near my grandparents old home near Lake Travis, hikes onto dirt trails in parks, etc. I imagined myself beginning my day on a cool morning hiking among rocks and unkempt brush. Drinking this wine was a journey I felt compelled to take, one where I would relish every step I took.

Me hiking at Inks Lake State Park, May 2012

A Backwoods Journey

The morning, at first, is cool. The soft breeze rustles my clothes; I relax as the cool rests on my skin. I take a chance and begin my hike barefoot. The blue sky and light-yellow sun bake the rocks to a nice warm cushion. It feels good climbing the warming rocks. I look up and stop to appreciate the sky: it is clear, not a cloud to break up the nearly white pale blue.

Inks Lake State Park

As I travel, I can feel the warmth from the sun become stronger. The rocks are now more hot than warm, but not unbearable. The heat makes the rocks seem harder, stronger. The surface is drained of any moisture, and now I can feel every grain of dirt or silt as I step on it. I feel the particles slip between my toes. It is a feeling of contact, of being rooted into the world. I eagerly embrace it as my toes wriggle and writhe.

This morning quickly becomes a dry day; the cloudless blue sky matches the dry rocks beneath my feet. Before long, I have a nagging thirst. But it is quenched by a bush of berries, blackberries maybe. The berries are warm, barely ripe, and not so sweet yet. I pop one in my mouth and squish it down, letting the the little bit of juice each berry holds slowly dissolve on my tongue.

Refreshed, I start down the rock face into an area hidden by a curtain of scrub trees and bushes. The breeze turns into a soft, dry wind that rustles the brush, As I move past the barrier of trees, I am caressed by the leaves against my skin. The leaves are sun kissed, a soft warmth against my sweat cooled skin.

Balcones Canyonland National Wildlife Refuge near Lake Travis/Lago Vista, TX

Among the foliage, I disappear into a dappled enclave that, on first impression, seems as if it should be cool. I quickly realize that the close growths and the sun have warmed this spot too. I am not hot or uncomfortable; instead, I am cozy and comforted by the enveloping warmth. The growth about me seems almost like a blanket, fresh from the dryer. The morning cold is gone now; the heat works its away past my skin and through my straining muscles. I am relaxed by the soft, dry warmth spreading around me and through me.

I find myself slowing down, growing tired. I stop to watch some sap slowly moving down a tree trunk. It sticks to the leaves that happen to brush against the trunk. I want to stop moving too, to rest. I look for a soft bed of grass. I want to curl up. My body has grown heavy and soft; I feel sleep just behind my eyes. I am content, I am cozy. I am ready to nap and to dream.

30. A Look at Drops of God

30. The Drops of God Tasting
Bursting on the tip,
the wine soaks my tongue, reaches
down and produces visions.


The one thing that most inspired me to write about wine was a manga called Drops of God. This work, written by team writers Tadashi Agi (Shin and Yuko Kibayashi), is a top selling comic that has inspired a wine craze throughout Asia (raising sales of wine in Korea tremendously, as well as reinvigorating the wine industry in the comic's home of origin, Japan). This comic is a bible for new oenophiles like the story's protagonist, Shizuku Kanzaki. The wine lessons are stored within a captivating storyline, bringing readers back again and again. Best of all, the comic suggests a new way to look at wine, one even untrained tasters can enjoy. 

The Characters

Shizuka Kanzaki

Readers enter first through the protagonist. The manga (Japanese comic) explores wine through the discoveries of new wine enthusiast Shizuku Kanzaki. Kanzaki was raised to be a wine taster; his father introduced him to much of the wine growing world and all of the flavors one can find in wine. As a child, Kanzaki was subjected to tasting leather and other odd flavors in hopes that his palate would be diverse and prepared for all of wine's myriad flavors. Being raised by a renowned wine critic didn't help. Kanzaki's father, Yutaka, was a taster and critic on par with Robert Parker (who is regularly mentioned in the comic), and he was Asia's go to wine man. And like many of us, it seemed like his life became all about wine. This led to a growing distance between father and son, which resulted in the son working for a beer company.

Then there are the other characters there to aid Kanzaki on his journey -- the typical hero's journey as seen in works like The Lord of the Rings.  Along the way, Kanzaki has gathered a diverse group of companions to teach him and befriend him along the way.

Miyabi Shinohara

•  Miyabi Shinohara: This apprentice sommelier is Kanzaki's right-hand gal. She has the wine book smarts he doesn't. Paired with his almost supernatural wine tasting skills, she helps him take on any challenge. And of course, she is the obvious love interest in a subtle romance.
• Shiro Fujieda: A wine bar owner who does his best to teach the wayward oenophile and provide him opportunities to sample some of the best wine the world has to offer.
•  

Master Robert

•  Master Robert: A man who seems like no more than a homeless hermit, Master Robert is a wine expert on the same level with Kanzaki's father. Master Robert has forsaken the world, hid his wine, and is enjoying a private retirement when Kanzaki seeks him out for guidance. Master Robert is Kanzaki's Gandalf (to use a Lord of the Rings reference). He guides and aids, but he seeks to make Kanzaki do for himself. He ends up overseeing the competition Kanzaki must face in order to keep things fair.

Chosuke Hanma

•  Chosuke Hanma: A fellow colleague in the newly formed wine division at Taiyo Beer (Kanzaki's employer), Honma is a classic oenophile who has a great love for Italian wines. At first, he is a bit of a thorn in Kanzaki's side, but he becomes a trusted and helpful ally on Kanzaki's search and journey.

• The Chief: Kanzaki's boss at Taiyo Beer, he is the friendly older man who quietly aids and directs Kanzaki.

The Story 

The Twelve Apostles (Vol. 1)

With the protagonist and his band of "brothers"gathered, the story unfolds. When the story starts, Kanzaki is finding out about his father's passing, a blow even if they were estranged. As he deals with the sudden passing, he is informed of his father's will. In order to inherit the Kanzaki fortune and wine collection, the biological son must compete against the adopted one, wine guru Issei Tomine. The two begin on a journey to discover Yutaka Kanzaki's Twleve Apostles and the Drops of God, the wines Yutaka took to be the greatest works of wine. Tomine, who studied with the elder Kanzaki, has devoted his life to wine and wants to win. Shizuku Kanzaki feels obligated to win, as if his father was using this competetion to help his son embrace the life he was always meant for. And for Kanzaki, it quickly becomes the path to reconnecting with his late father. So Kanzaki dives in head first into wine, facing off against the wine expert. And so, Kanzaki begins his journey.

The Drops of God

As Kanzaki begins his hero's journey, he will face trials that will challenge him and his place in the world. First, Kanzaki must learn about wine. He has, up until this point, turned away from wine. He has even gone so far as to enter a competing field. Now he must learn everything he has failed to learn in order to face the challenges of the Twelve Apostles. Shinohara is there to fill in the blanks, Master Robert becomes the revered teacher. As he learns about wine, so do we. He learns about types of wine, wine making, and best of all, wine drinking. And as we join him on this ride, we get a chance to learn it to. -- And just to let you know, Kanzaki and Tomine are tied one-to-one.

An amnesiacs vision of wine

Then there are the side quests, which sounds like a video game but is a staple in modern Japanese hero fiction. These side quests provide not just knowledge -- Kanzaki uses these chances to learn more, and often, to drink the wines he can't afford. Mainly, he learns more about wine's role in our lives. Each side quest lets Kanzaki and Shinohara enter into other people's lives. These people's lives are tied to wine, and to overcome what stands in their way -- a failing restaurant, amnesia, an illegitimate child, etc. -- they must come to terms with wine. Kanzaki helps them, learning about wine and life at the same time. These stories tug at Kanzaki's heart, as well as ours.

With all this going on, it is sometime easy to miss the hidden wine lessons. One of the most valuable I have learned so far is one on decanting. Right now, I am going back through to better understand the French system; I am intrigued by the idea of first, second growth, etc. And in the four volumes so far, there is a lot to learn.

The Drops of God Experience

This comic has it all for a person like me. Best of all, it has given me and many others a new insight into wine. Yes, he learn about tasting and the signature flavors of top rated wines; however, one of the most wonderful parts about the book is the wine tastings. Shinohara is on hand to give us the ins-and-outs of the wine, and Kanzaki does tell us about flavors, but there is something more. For every major wine tasted, the character in question, usually Kanzaki or Tomine, experiences it.

During a wine experience, the character is transported somewhere to see the wine's truest essence. The first discovery for Kanzaki is 2001 Chateau Mont-Perat. This Grand Vin from Bordeaux is a Queen. So much so that Kanzaki envisions the British rock group Queen as he drinks it. And it isn't just Queen, it is Queen from the Bohemian Rhapsody video, with Freddy Mercury strutting in all his glory. And that is just the start. Every major wine Kanzaki drinks leads us to a new vision, like a hidden lake with two lovers or, most recently, Leonardo da Vinci and the Mona Lisa. This wine experience is one any taster can have. As the character takes in the wine and savors it, memories, visions, ideas bubble forth and overtake the sense of flavors. This follows a theory that scent, along with taste, brings back memories. Often, Kanzaki slips into his past, such as a childhood visit to a vineyard with his mother.

A hidden sanctuary vision with the First Apostle

This Drops of God experience, is one any wine love can partake in. For me, I prefer to enjoy wine on a more personal level (partially because, despite having hyper-sensitive taste buds, I can't really determine the elements that well. What I can do is tell someone what it is like for me. The best way for me to approach that is what I feel and see and experience as I taste the wine -- the Drops of God approach. Of course the poetry I write complements this. Even as I have begun recent forays into writing about events and visits, I have focused on that experience, approaching it in a way similar to the Drops of God tasting.

 In the end, this comic has inspired me. And I can't wait till the next volume. With that said, the book needs more readers. Right now, I have to wait until September until the next volume. And the author has requested that the manga's English release skip ahead to the New World wine -- get ready California. If all goes well, they will print the material between Apostle two and where the series will start off "next season." But in order for that to happen, they need more readers. If you are interested, Drops of God is available through Amazon, at most Barnes and Nobles, and from independent comic retailers (I buy mine at Dragon's Lair in San Antonio). Check out this acclaimed series and enjoy a journey through wine.