Tasting Room: McPherson Cellars

A couple of weeks ago, a friend and I made a quick day trip to Lubbock for a little respite from the grind of Slowdeatha. We made it by lunch time and stuffed ourselves at Chuy's. With the amazing-as-always lunch, we split a margarita made of tequila infused with green chiles. Margaritas are good at Chuy's, made from fresh lime juice instead of the processed sweet and sour abominations that tend to be the norm everywhere else. I've seen a number of jalapeno variations but never a green chile infusion. I was intrigued as capsaicin, the chemical that makes chiles spicy, is alcohol soluble, and liquor infusions with jalapenos tend to be upfront and in your face. Hatch green chiles can certainly be hot, but in general they're usually less aggressive than jalapenos. Green chiles are just coming into season in the southwest, and Hatch green chiles are really Chuy's thing, so they just make more sense there.

The margarita was great. Sour without being puckery, sweet without being cloying. The fruitiness of the tequila blanco came through, and so did the chile. There was so much subtlety to it, however, and you could actually taste the flavor of the chile without just the hotness that happens with the jalapenos. It didn't taste like you were chewing on a pepper; there was simply this delicate push of the vegetal aspect of the pepper with a finish of something warm that could've been attributed to the bite of the alcohol or to the pepper, in other words, very understated. As far as margarita variations go, I liked this one a lot. The only thing I found lacking was the garnish. Namely, there was none. Something would've been nice as a reminder that this was no regular margarita and to play up the unusual earthiness, but there was only the plain ol' salt rim. This was not a detractor, and the cocktail made me want to play around with my own green chile infusion sometime.

But I digress. This post is supposed to be about McPherson Cellars, and so far I've been singing the praises of Chuy's. Certainly this isn't the first time I've gotten stuck on Chuy's, and undoubtedly it will not be the last. But McPherson Cellars! It's great!

According to the website, McPherson Cellars has familial roots in Texas, and the whole family has been involved in the vinification of Texas. Kim McPherson is the winemaker at McPherson Cellars. Llano Estacado, the biggest wine producer in Texas, was started by Kim's father, and his sons continued in the winemaking tradition. McPherson Cellars focuses on Rhone, Italian, and Spanish varietals which work well in warm, sun drenched valleys.

And Kim made great selections. I was impressed with the quality of the wines we tasted, and the value is excellent. There was depth, roundness, and the finish was there. The wines we tasted ranged from medium to heavy intensity. Overall, I think I personally preferred the whites to the reds, as the couple of reds we tasted seemed to be a bit disjointed in comparison to the harmony of the whites. This could be an aspect of youth, I think, and with a little aging, the reds could be increasingly enjoyable. They also have a nice rose, and I would love to try the cream sherry and their sparkling wine upon the new release as the other vintages have sold out. Chansa is the label exclusive to wine club members and the tasting room, and I picked up both the Chansa trebbiano and the chenin blanc as well as a few bottles of their sangria for my mom. In this part of the world, it's pretty much required that for a winery to be considered "good," it must produce some sort of sweet red. I don't know why this is, well, I do, but I'm not going to go into the predilections of Texas drinkers right now.

Consumers in this area are a tough crowd, and getting someone to spend over $20 for a bottle has been a tough sell. So McPherson has worked to accommodate the market. I found $14/bottle to be a bargain for the wines we picked up, and I'm considering joining their wine club. The winery itself is worth a visit, as well. The building is an old Coca-Cola plant near the Buddy Holly museum, and they've done a great job of transforming it into an artistic space that is inviting and calm. Melissa, who conducted the tasting, was awesome, friendly, and provided some of the best customer service I've had in while.

So if you're in Lubbock for god-only-knows-what reason, stop by the winery and try some interesting stuff. Or better yet, go here and buy a few bottles of something being done right in Texas.

Review: Sister Creek Vineyards - Cabernet Sauvignon 3 Varietal Blend

For the first post, I thought I'd go with wine. I've been working on the material for the intro sommelier class, and I figure I should get to crackin' on tasting. I just got back from a quick jaunt to the Hill Country of central Texas, and they're producing some wine down there. Apparently Texas used to be a major producer for the U.S., and now there are over 270 producers in the state (and I'm sure every single one of them has a version of "sweet red.") Also, it's Sunday, so no liquor stores are open; I had to pick up wine from HEB. 

I got a bottle of Sister Creek Vineyards (sold in Texas only) 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon 3 varietal blend for $15.12. The label says it's 59% cabernet sauvignon, 29% merlot, and 12% petite verdot. Further, "this wine was aged in traditional 60 gallon oak barrels and is lightly filtered French & American Oak barrels & is lightly filtered." Redundancy in labeling is always a good start.

Here goes.

Sight: Deep, bright ruby. No sediment, apparently filtered. Very little rim variation. Thick, slow moving legs. Presumably high alcohol. 

Nose: Strong vanilla (I'd guess new oak there), cherry, plum. A slight chemical presence, but what that is is unclear to me. A bit of cinnamon. Not much earthiness that I can tell.

Mouthfeel is a little harsh, but more from alcohol than tannin, I think. Light to medium body. Strong fruit on the front end, with maybe licorice and oak rounding out the midpalate. Tannin isn't overly pronounced, but there's still enough there to keep the wine from feeling lifeless. A bit of acidity balances. Finish is longer than I expected, but nothing crazy. Overall, I would say that the palate is much more enjoyable than the nose. All in all pleasant, and I would probably pair it with a lighter meat like a pork roast, maybe even duck.