CorkRules - Episodes | Sazon Sazon

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About this Episode

Samantha Hohl, certified sommelier, and Robert Tas review the wine list at Sazon, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Sazon serves classic Latin American dishes made by their James Beard Award-winning chef Chef Fernando Olea. Chef Olea creates sophisticated flavors using Old Mexico’s indigenous and culinary traditions and he has earned a stellar reputation for his unique interpretation of contemporary and traditional Mexican dishes. The wine list is equally exciting, and Sam explores what Mexican wines have to offer, offers pairing suggestions, and shares a little background information on growing regions and the varietals chosen for some of the spectacular wines on the list.

Wines reviewed include:

2019 Bruma “Ocho Blanco de Carignan”, Valle de Guadalupe
2019 Solar Fortún Petit Verdot, Valle de Guadalupe
2020 Casa Jipi Nebbiolo, Baja California

Transcript: Sazon

Sazon:

RT: Hello and welcome to CorkRules!

A podcast where, in each episode, we will review a wine list from your favorite restaurants. I’m your host Robert Tas along with Samantha Hohl, certified sommelier.

Hello Sam, it’s great to be back together for another episode.

MQ: Hi Robert!

RT: Before we jump in, let’s talk about CorkRules.

We created CorkRules, which is now available in the Apple App store to demystify wine lists because we know from experience that sometimes when we get that list handed to us, well… it can be intimidating, and even a little daunting.

Our aim is to help prepare you to navigate that list, find those hidden gems, or value wines or that special bottle that will take your dining experience over the top.

RT: So, sit back and listen as we review your favorite wine list.

Cork Rules

Sazón

Overview

Sazón is located in Santa Fe, New Mexico and features modern takes on classic Latin American dishes made by their James Beard Award winning chef. They also offer an award winning cocktail and wine program to accompany their carefully curated menu.

Where to start

This is definitely a special spot- along with their delicious Mexican-inspired cuisine they also feature an extensive range of spirits, with a focus on tequilas and mezcals. You can do tasting dinners here as well with featured wine and spirits which sounds like a blast. The wine list here is categorized into 5 sections and one is for Mexican wines, which is so exciting to be able to explore what Mexican wines have to offer!

The 2019 Bruma ‘Ocho Blanco de Carignan’ would be a really great start to the night. This is from Bruma winery located in the Valle de Guadalupe wine region, which is where a majority of Mexican wine is produced. This bottle is unique in that it’s a Blanc de Noir, so they use a red grape to make a white wine, like the method usually used for Champagne. The red skins don’t have contact with the wine so it’s just the juice used to make the white wine. This bottle will have notes of lemon, peach and melon. It’s going to be creamy on the palate with zippy acid, making it wonderful with shellfish and cream based dishes, so you could try it paired with the shrimp enchiladas.

If you’re looking for a red you could try the 2019 Solar Fortún Petit Verdot. Solar Fartún winery is also in Valle de Guadalupe where the vineyards are made up of Southern Rhone and Bordeaux grape varietals. 2019 was a great vintage for this Petit Verdot and it brings beautiful blueberry notes along with violet and hints of savory herbs. It’s a natural pair with this menu since it’s so good with rich meats or dishes with lots of spices and flavor.

Value

There’s some wonderful range on this list, and the 2021 Casa Magoni, ‘Manaz’ is an exciting choice at a great value. Camillo Magoni is the winemaker behind Casa Magoni and he is from Italy but has been making a name for Mexican wines in Baja California for over 50 years. This bottle is half Friano and half Viognier. You’ll get really lovely floral qualities from the Viognier, along with notes of green apple and grapefruit. There’s some subtle tropical fruit flavors as well.

Another value find would be the 2020 Casa Jipi Nebbiolo. Casa Jipi is located in the San Vicente Valley region of Baja California. This Nebbiolo is going to be full of blueberry and blackberry fruit along with hints of pepper and chocolate. It’s aged in stainless steel so it’s going to be a bit more fruit forward than a Nebbiolo aged in oak. This is a bigger wine that has nice tannins so it’s definitely a food wine and it will hold up to something like the Black Pepper Crusted Tenderloin on the menu.

Celebratory

There are some really nice options on here to make your night special. First, the ‘Heredad Reserva’ from Segura Viudas would be a beautiful choice for some bubbles. They’re located in the Penedès wine region located about an hour from Barcelona. This Cava is made from 75% Macabeo and 25% Chardonnay. This bottle will have notes of pastry, honey and delicate citrus. It’s going to be a really refreshing and uplifting choice to celebrate with!

There’s also a Reserve Selection where you can find some really stand-out higher end bottles. One that caught my eye was the 2015 Dominio del Águila, ‘Peña Aladas’ Gran Reserva. This would be a gorgeous red to celebrate with. It’s from the Ribera del Duero region and is a blend made primarily with Tempranillo. It gets barrel aged for four years and has flavors of silky dark fruit along with tobacco and chalk. It’s full bodied with a long finish to savor. This is just a beautiful vintage and under 2300 bottles made so it’s a special one to find.

RT: Sam Thank you so much for all your great suggestions and helping us navigate Sazon’s wine list. I can’t wait to go try them myself.

To our audience, Thank you all for Joining us here on CorkRules.

If you would like Sam to review one of your favorite restaurants, please send us email to: Info@CorkRules.Com or visit our web website where we have a request form available and we will do our best to get it in the cue as quick as possible.

Also please download the CorkRules app where we have all your favorite restaurants, and you can get personalized recommendations and connect with your friends.

We are looking forward to being with you on another CorkRules episode soon. Please check out our the app or website for all our latest episodes of your favorite restaurant wine lists.

And finally, drink what you love and please make sure you drink responsibly.

Thank you.

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