Reviews & Recognition

Four wines worthy of the season

Houston Chronicle, November 12, 2014

Our cooling temperatures and turning leaves - well, a few anyway - are a welcome reminder that we do have seasons in Houston, and our four recommendations are exactly right for this lovely time of year. 

Lots of California geography is on display, from Napa and Sonoma down to Paso Robles, but the two cabs, the merlot and the chardonnay share a common bond. They've all got heft and gravitas, which autumn weather demands. 

Pahlmeyer 2011 Merlot
Overall score: 16.9 (8.9 for quality, 8 for value)
Our tasters: Gave it a unanimous recommendation with three scores of 9 or higher. "Boom! A huge wine with almost late-harvest notes. Super extracted."
My score: 9. A blend of Napa Valley merlot and cabernet with a pinch of malbec - the majority of the fruit is from hillside vineyards, rather than the more problematic valley floor - the wine shows how good 2011s from the right producers can be. The high alcohol (15.2 percent) goes largely unnoticed because the balance is spot on. It's concentrated and intense with pronounced minerality, providing superb mouthfeel.