Texas Wine of the Month: Becker Vineyards Iconoclast Cabernet Sauvignon, 2009
Who said you couldn’t have good Cabernet in Texas? Well, actually, a lot of people. And in many cases this is true. But there are a handful of Texas wineries that continue to make a statement with this big, bold grape despite what the critics say. And Becker Vineyards is one of these exceptions. This month’s wine of the month selection was chosen with the help of Lüke restaurant’s Stephen Jeffcoat, a recent New Orleans transplant with the esteemed Besh Restaurant Group who moved to San Antonio to open Lüke with executive chef Steven McHugh last fall. (Of course owner and celebrity chef John Besh is very involved as well.)
When opening Lüke, chef McHugh forged a number of relationships with local farmers and purveyors to help supply his kitchen with sustainable food sources. Jeffcoat’s vision for the beer and wine program was similar. Though Lüke has more of a beer focus with Texas-based beers, Jeffcoat’s wine list includes a number of German and Central French wines to compliment the predominantly German-style food. And he has also selected a few Texas wines as well, including a couple from Becker Vineyards.
“Becker Vineyards is loosely tied to Lüke restaurant in that the vineyard is located in a very German part of Texas on a site of native mustang grapes that were used by German settlers in their process of winemaking,” says Jeffcoat. “Lüke restaurant is primarily inspired by the French region of Alsace, which borders Germany, and you see a great representation of French as well as German food on our menu.”
Which is how we arrive at this month’s Texas Wine of the Month: Becker Vineyards Iconoclast Cabernet 2009.
In Jeffcoat’s own words, “This is the number one selling wine at Becker Vineyards, and with good reason,” he says. “The nose on this wine gives off warm spices and a hint of blueberry. The mouth reveals black berry, dark cherry and plum. It sits on the tongue just begging you to take another quick bite of that grilled Texas ribeye! But it also has a mild, long finish. For those non-beef eaters, you will be surprised at how well this wine goes with fried Texas quail.
“It rivals all the household name California producers that have been producing wine for decades. I’ve had many people come into our bar asking for a great cabernet by the glass. They taste the Iconoclast and say the same thing every time, “this is from Texas?”
In July, Lüke will host its first wine dinner and will be showcasing Becker Vineyards wines for their pairings. But you don’t have to wait until then to check this wine out. At a very affordable $10.95, this fantastic wine is available at most Texas-based grocery stores as well as Spec’s, Twin Liquors, Central Market, and Whole Foods.
Winery: Becker Vineyards
Price: $10.95
Availability: Most Texas-based grocery stores, specialty markets, and liquor stores.
- Jessica Dupuy
Russ Kane says:
Jessica,
Thanks for your efforts to support the cause of Locapour in Texas (the lesser known cousin of Locavore)and the advancement of Texas wines
I have to differ with your recent wine selection and particularly in calling it a “Texas” wine. It is just that calling wines like Iconoclast “Texas wine” adds to the confusion we have going on with respect to Texas wines.
I respect Becker Vineyards and they make some truly delightful Texas appellation wines, but Becker Iconoclast is a line of their wines that is branded “For Sale in Texas Only” on the back label. There is a Cab Sauv, Merlot and Zin, I believe. They are NOT Texas wines having grapes and/or juice sourced from locales outside Texas.
Wines brands like Iconoclast are no way shape or form reflect Texas terroir or in some cases, even the creation of a Texas winemaker. That’s the extent of the problem.
I know that you make your selections with the help of sommeliers based on their impressions of Texas wine. However, many in the restaurant trade (chefs and surprisingly many Sommeliers in Texas) have no idea what it really means to be Texas appellation. That is the sad truth. They need education.
The sad truth about the Locavore movement is that most chefs literally know the GPS coordinates of their Belgian endive and the “first name” of their free roaming chicken in their preparation, but they are clueless as to what Texas Appellation really means. I have to conclude that in their minds, they are thinking, “if we can buy it from a Texas winery, it’s got to be Texas Appellation, right”.
Obviously, this is wrong.
Texas appellation really means only one thing: that at least 75% of the grapes in the wine were grown in Texas and the wine was made and bottled in Texas. Additionally, it will have the word “Texas” or one of the TTB approved Texas appellations (e.g. Texas Hill Country or Texas High Plains or Mason County) on the front label and Texas will NOT be associated with the phrase “For Sale in Texas Only” (FSITO).
I realize the reasons why some wineries, particularly those in distribution around the state need to go out of state for their grapes: the number of Texas wineries has quickly grown and we have had multiple vintages with issues (like late spring freezes)resulting in a severe shortage of Texas grapes.
The wineries that are doing Texas appellation need all the help they can get in these challenging times and they especially need the notoriety that a write up in the Texas Monthly Eat My Words Blog can bring.
Here is something to think about: I’ve been told many times by consumers (and some in the restaurant trade) that FSITO on the label means that the wine actually is a SPECIAL Texas product made exclusively for Texans. The actual situation couldn’t be farther from the truth.
To fight the confusion that FSITO on the label brings, many of us have been asking the wineries that are short of Texas grapes to not use a TTB exemption with FSITO labeling, but use an approved TTB label which states the wines true appellation (Napa Valley, Sierra Foothills, Columbia Valley, etc.) or labeling as “American appellation” (particularly if it is a mixture of appellations including Texas) which can be the case.
I hope that you sense my concern for this matter and realize that I am not trying to attack you or your efforts. Many of us in Texas would appreciate your focus to be aimed at wines of true Texas Appellation.
Russ Kane
VintageTexas
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James F says:
Funny how this Label says “Texas” on it. I have been noticing several wineries that use “FSITO” also will photoshop “texas” on their Labels when you go to their website.
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Gary says:
I do not believe a winery would photoshop “Texas” on their label. That is a violation of both state and federal laws dealing with marketing practices. That violation would result in serious penalties for the winery. There are probably two identical labels, one with Texas on it and one without. The one with Texas on it is made with Texas grapes and sold in the tasting room at the winery. The one without Texas on it is “FSITO” and that one is from out of state. You will usually find that one in HEB, Sams, or Wallmart. That is because the large distribution channels require many thousands of cases and that is more wine than we can make with the limited amount of Texas grapes. You will find some wine made with Texas grapes in the markets but to find many of the wines made with Texas grapes you have to go to the winery tasting rooms. Please remember that because of the growing number of wineries and the shortage of Texas grapes it would be impossible for most wineries to stay in business if they only used Texas grapes.
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James Freeman says:
WOW! Gary!
“Please remember that because of the growing number of wineries and the shortage of Texas grapes it would be impossible for most wineries to stay in business if they only used Texas grapes.”
That does not sound like a 1.7 bill industry does it? And mind you there are many wineries that produce 100% Texas wine and have been in production for many many years.
Please someone show me a pic of Ironclast with Texas in the photo. Showing a pic of a wine label with Texas Photoshoped on it I do not believe is illegal, but putting it on the label is.
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