Best Texas Wines

The best Texas wines of 2015: Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo

Most of these wines were so good they sold out.

iStock

For the third installment of the best Texas wines of 2015, we present the top three Cabernet Sauvignons and Tempranillos. Regarding the latter, it is fast becoming the lead Mediterranean red varietal for which our great state is known.

These rankings come from Texas Wine Journal, which relies on consensus, rather than the opinion of a single taster, to make objective recommendations. 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.

Already we have published the TWJ’s picks for the best Viogniers and Syrahs, as well as white blends and red blends. There are more to explore that rank among the best of the year on the TWJ website.

On the previous two lists of the best Texas wines, we included information about where to buy. In the case of these Cabs and Tempranillos, all but one is sold out; Lewis Wines Tempranillo is still available, at the winery only. However, you can still get a taste of what these producers can do — and what future vintages to watch for.

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Texas Legato Winery, Texas, Hoover Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, 2011
93 points, $25
“A standout,” writes Margaret Shugart in her tasting notes, with “layers of complexity that show some age.” Shugart also calls it “well-balanced with integrated tannins and acidity.”

Flat Creek Estate, Texas High Plains, Newsom Vineyard, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2010
92 points, $34.95
TWJ panelist and CultureMap contributor Matt McGinnis writes, “It’s a mouthful of blackberry and plum” that “shows great complexity with fruity, floral, and herbal aromas.” He goes on to say this Cab is a pleasure to drink now, yet will age well for up to eight more years.

Kiepersol Estates, Texas, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009
91 points, $20
Miguel Lecuona calls this Cab “cool and collected” with “dark fruit, underbrush, plum, and well-integrated oak.” He goes on to write in his tasting notes: “I am a fan.”

TEMPRANILLO

Flat Creek Estate, Texas High Plains, Los Draw Vineyards, Tempranillo, 2011
91 points, $34.95
Sam Hovland writes this is a very good wine, to drink or to hold, with a “ripe nose of black fruit and plum, leading to a more toasty roasted coffee/mocha note.”

Times Ten Cellars, Cathedral Mountain Vineyard, Tempranillo, 2012
90 points, $19
“This wine is reminiscent of old vine Tempranillo from Toro, with very intense aromas of black cherry, anise, and spice,” Mark Rashap says. He goes on to call it “full-bodied,” “luscious,” and “velvety.” It’s a solid choice for those who like full-bodied California Zins and Petite Syrahs.

Lewis Wines, Texas Hill Country, Parr Vineyard, Tempranillo, 2011
89 points, $32
“This wine is highly attractive with good structure, balance, and length,” writes Miguel Lecuona in his tasting notes. Hold onto this special wine, he says.

---

Coming up next: dry rosé and Blanc du Bois.

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