Best Texas Wine

The best Texas wines of 2015: white blends and red blends

These are the best white blends and red blends from 2015.

We are back with Texas Wine Journal’s picks for the best wines produced in our great state in 2015. In the introduction to the series, we presented the top Viogniers and Syrahs. Now we’ve moved on to white blends and red blends.

As a reminder, TWJ relies on consensus, rather than the opinion of a single taster, to make recommendations. The goal: more credible and objective ratings.

Wines are scored from 75-100 and rated as average, good, very good, excellent, and extraordinary. Only wines scoring 80 points or higher are published.

We are presenting the list of the best Texas wines of 2015 in four batches, with the top three in two varietals per batch. There are more to explore that rank among the best of the year on the TWJ website.

A caveat about where to buy and price information: Some of these are sold out, or they are available only at select locations of the retailers mentioned. Plus, the price can vary. But this gives you a good idea about where to start, and we mention wine retailers around Texas, not just in Dallas-Fort Worth.

In cases where the wines received the same number of points, they are presented in alphabetical order. And each wine is accompanied by tasting notes from a member of the judges panel.

WHITE BLENDS

McPherson Cellars, Texas, “Les Copains,” 2014
91 points, $13-$15
This wine hits “all the key citrus notes,” writes Miguel Lecuona, who goes on to say that it’s “round, expressive, well-crafted, and balanced.”
Where to buy: Spec’s, H-E-B, Central Market, Whole Foods, Total Wine

William Chris Vineyards, Texas, “Mary Ruth,” 2014
89 points, $28
Scott Ota calls this a “fruit-forward summer wine that exudes freshness,” with flavors of ripe raspberries and peaches complemented by bright floral tones. “The acidity keeps the wine lighter on its feet,” he adds.
Where to buy: Austin Wine Merchant and East End Wines (Austin), The Empty Glass (Houston)

Wedding Oak Winery, Texas, Terre Blanc, 2014
87 points, $23
Rae Wilson notes this wine’s “crystal clear bright straw hue,” with clean fruit, freshly cut herbs, and chalky minerality.
Where to buy: Winery only

RED BLENDS

Fall Creek Vineyards, Texas Hill Country, GSM (Grenache-Syrah-Mourvédre), 2013
91 points, $46
“I want to come back to this in three years,” writes Miguel Lecuona, who notes the wine’s dark cherry, mahogany, and herbs.
Where to buy: Spec’s, Twin Liquors (Austin)

Llano Estacado, Texas High Plains, Reddy Vineyards, “Due Compaesani,” 2013
91 points, $20
Rae Wilson likes this wine’s full-textured body and deep burgundy hue. “Dried berries and concentrated plum notes follow on the palate with just enough lift from rounded preserved citrus notes,” she writes in her tasting notes.
Where to buy: Winery only

Pedernales Cellars, Texas, GSM, 2013
91 points, $14-$16
Blackberry and raspberry dominate the nose on this medium- to full-bodied wine, with notes of cocoa. “Great balance of fresh berry tones and rich texture ending with an elegantly persistent finish,” writes Rae Wilson.
Where to buy: Spec’s, Whole Foods

bests wine lists

Asian Food News

Taste of Malaysia restaurant brings rare Asian cuisine to Dallas area

Taste of Malaysia

A new restaurant has debuted in Coppell with a cuisine that's relatively rare in Dallas. Called Taste of Malaysia, it's now open at 3001 Olympus Blvd #130, at the Sound at Cypress Waters, between an Ari's Italian market and a Kilwin's ice cream shop, where it's serving authentic Malaysian dishes and flavors — adding another option to Dallas' burgeoning Asian restaurant scene.

A neighbor to Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia, Malaysia has been described as having some of the best street food in Southeast Asia, boasting a mix of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and indigenous flavors. Signature dishes include satays — skewered meats — plus vividly spiced soups and rice dishes.

The country's national dish is nasi lemak, a beloved comfort food originally devised as a breakfast staple, featuring fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk with pandan leaves, sometimes enhanced with boiled egg and sliced cucumber and ikan bilis, i.e. anchovies.

Coming in at a close second is laksa, a spicy noodle soup made with rice noodles or egg noodles in a broth flavored with aromatic spices, shrimp paste, and coconut milk or tamarind.

These are the dishes that natives of Malaysia and fans of Malaysian food crave, says Shiva Nair, part of the team, along with his wife, Vsruti "Vish" Nair, that opened Taste of Malaysia.

Shiva has more than 20 years in the hospitality business including managing hotels and running other restaurants.

"There are a lot of Malaysians here in Dallas-Fort Worth but not many Malaysian restaurants," Shiva says. "That's what gave us the idea to open this."

Their menu features seven varieties of nasi lemak — including vegetable curry, chicken curry, slow cooked beef, slow-cooked chicken, fried chicken, fish, and spicy shrimp — all made with coconut rice, peanuts, boiled egg, and cucumber.

They also have fried rice, noodle dishes, satay chicken skewers, spring rolls, a samosa-style pastry with potatoes and vegetables called karipap, and a chicken "kutlet" — a breaded patty with minced chicken enclosed in a crunchy crust.

All of their meat is halal, meaning that the animals are raised and butchered in accordance with Islamic guidelines — a growing trend in Dallas-Fort Worth.

There's a full bar and the ultimate lure for timid diners: a lunchtime buffet, $18 on weekdays and $20 on weekends, with 15 to 20 dishes, with chicken, shrimp, fish, and vegetarian and vegan options, which are plentiful in Malaysian cuisine.

"We serve the buffet only at lunch, so that those who are unfamiliar with the cuisine can sample every dish," Shiva says.

"We saw an opportunity to bring Malaysian flavors to North Texas, a region hungry for authentic, halal-certified Asian food with real spicing and real heritage," he says.

openings coppell asian cuisine