Famed Winemaker Alfred Tesseron to be Honored at Cotes Du Coeur Gala April 10

We Texans pride ourselves on many things, including our hospitality, friendliness and our delicious beef. Good thing these elements were not lost on 2010 Tête de Cuvee Honoree Alfred Tesseron during his previous visits to Dallas because the French winemaker is looking forward to enjoying them again when he comes to town next week for Côtes du Coeur.

And since he likes steak, he’s in luck— Côtes du Coeur is being catered by the Who’s Who of steaks.

The Côtes du Coeur dinner line-up includes dishes prepared by the chefs of Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, Chamberlain’s Steak and Chop House, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, and many other stellar restaurants that know how to do justice to a perfect cut of prime beef. There could be no better accompaniment to a fork-tender, juicy steak than a glass of Tesseron’s Château Pontet-Canet, with its ripe tannins and aromas of blackberry, black licorice, mineral and fresh flowers. No wonder Wine Spectator named the 2005 Bordeaux-style Château Pontet-Canet one of the Top 10 Wines of 2008 and rated it 96 points.

The Cotes du Coeur Tête de Cuvee Award honors the “Best of the Best” in the wine profession. The American Heart Association presents the award annually to an individual or family in recognition of outstanding achievements in winemaking and promoting healthier lifestyles. Tesseron will be the guest of honor at the private Grand Tasting held in Dallas on April 9, the evening before the public Gala.

Since assuming leadership of the Pauillac winery in 1997, Tesseron has continued to build the reputation of Pontet-Canet wines, and in January 2005, he was knighted by the French Minister of Agriculture, receiving the “Ordre National du Mérite Agricole.” Some of his innovations at Château Pontet-Canet include the replacement of grape-picking baskets with small crates, so the grapes go directly from the vine to sorting tables with less handling and damage to the fruit.

The vineyard's working girls.

The Pontet-Canet estate follows biodynamic agriculture practices, going so far as to use of horses instead of tractors to work the vineyards. (Horses were a common sight at Pontet-Canet until the 1959 vintage;  nearly 50 years later, they have returned.) Tesseron notes that, in addition to the horses’ low carbon footprint (hoofprint?), they compact the soils less, and cause less damage to the vines than tractors.

Cotes du Coeur benefits the American Heart Association, and the Gala event will be held at the Hilton Anatole on April 10. For more Cotes du Coeur information, visit www.dallaswineauction.com.

Rebecca Marmaduke is Cotes du Coeur Editor for EscapeHatchDallas.com