In Texas September can see a continuation of summer’s heat, but there’s always the chance of the first cold front to come through as a harbinger of Fall. With that in mind we’ll look at some seasonal red wines, as well as whites, that remind one of the cooler harvest season just around the corner.

Véro is the creation of Véronique Drouhin-Boss, whose father heads the famed Burgundy house Joseph Drouhin, based in Beaune. Véronique, who is chief wine maker of Domain Drouhin in Oregon's Willamette Valley, has created what is in effect an up-market red and white Burgundy with more fruit and depth than normally seen in a simple Bourgogne appellation. The Véro Chardonnay is blended from wines grown in Chablis, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Rully in an outstanding vintage, one of the greatest in Burgundy. With a firm mineral background this is not a New World chardonnay relying on super-ripe fruit and oak. It’s a wine showing graceful floral and mineral spice accents on a supple texture with savory notes of brioche (from the lees) in the background. The fruit is bright and focused all the way through to a long, crisp finish. Crystalline in character, this is a fine value in characterful, classic white Burgundy. Match with a sautéed or baked white fish or sautéed shrimp.

Véro Pinot Noir Bourgogne Rouge 2002 Burgundy, France
Premium

The Véro Pinot Noir is blended from wines grown in two of Burgundy’s most famous villages, Volnay and Chambolle-Musigny along with Hautes-Côtes and Chorey-les-Beaune. The 2002 vintage shows classic Burgundian aromas of ripe red fruit, cherries, and raspberries with a rose and violet scent. On the palate the wine is medium-bodied, silky and supple, with a mineral background giving focus and interest to the flavors. There is also the elegance one expects from the villages (Volnay and Chambolle-Musigny) noted for their supreme elegance, as well as what one expects from Joseph Drouhin wines, which have long been noted for their elegance and finesse.

Leasingham Bin 7 Riesling 2004 Clare Valley, Australia
Moderate

Leasingham Bin 7 Riesling is one of Australia’s most famous Rieslings, and we should be grateful Australia has let some come to the U.S. as the “Aussies” keep to themselves most of their best Rieslings, such as the Leo Buring (famous for aging 10 to 20 years, yet not a bottle is ever exported to the U.S.). In any case, this is classic Clare Valley Riesling, the Clare Valley being one of — along with Eden Valley — Australia’s greatest areas for Riesling.

Australia has forged its own style with Riesling, different from the sherbert florals of Germany or the austere Alsatian style: dry, forceful, filled with scents and flavors of lime peel and toast, a touch of petrol and intense mineral, with a bracingly firm and crisp texture. The vineyards were planted in the 1940s (though the first vintage of Bin 7 wasn’t released until 1967), and today at over 50 years of age the vines have recently been retro-fitted with new trellising and are producing grapes of increased quality. Try with a dish of green-lipped New Zealand mussels or shrimp grilled on the barbie.

MontGras Quatro Reserva 2003 Colchagua Valley, Chile
Moderate

In only 10 years from its founding in 1992 by brothers Eduardo and Hernán Gras with their partner Cristián Hartwig, Montgras has received good press for its quality, culminating in 2002 with the award of “Best Chilean Producer” from the prestigious International Wine and Spirit Competition in London.

The 2003 “Quatro” (or “Four”) refers to Chile’s four great red varieties blended together for this wine: Carmenère, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. This is a great value if you are looking for a supple, full-bodied wine that is richly flavored. With its ample, broad-textured, fleshy feel, it reminds one of a soft, full southern Rhône wine, but the dry flavors of discrete, smoky dark red fruit almost suggest a ripe, full St. Emilion/Pomerol. In any case, this is a fine Chilean wine, representing a new level of acheivement for Chile in terms of quality for its price. Both on the bouquet and palate, there are hints of dark roasted coffee to the ripe, dark blackberry fruit.