RIP Bear Dalton -

I am sad to post that one of my best friends in the wine business, and one of the finest wine people I have ever met, died last week.

“Our Ours” (our bear):
Charles ‘Bear’ Dalton was the wine buyer for the Spec’s chain based in Houston. One look provides an eloquent explanation for his nickname. Photos show a heavily-bearded caricature of a Texas cowboy, a guise he wore easily and naturally, but that cloaked a brilliant mind of great breadth, kindness and generosity. The first time I took a group of customers on a bus trip to France, he signed up early. He boarded the bus, garbed from head to toe in ten gallon hat, string tie, denim shirt with pearl buttons and snaps, belt buckle as big as a car grill, worn jeans, hand-tooled leather boots and the Complete Works of Jane Austen tucked firmly under his arm.

He became a good friend over the next 20+ years. We were at complete odds politically and could spend an entire evening arguing politics without either voice rising above the level of quiet conversation. It helped that he was a Christian, an actual believer (I believe), and on the board of directors of Houston’s Episcopal Christ Church Cathedral. Given much latitude by Spec’s, he devoted a great deal of his time to charity, both serving on boards and leading disadvantaged children on trail rides as an experienced group leader, accomplished rider and much less accomplished fireside singer / guitarist.

Slow to anger, he could be implacable when crossed. For over 20 years he worked tirelessly for the huge wine program of the Houston Rodeo. The program donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to educational charities. When he felt the program’s volunteers were not being treated with enough respect, he walked away; plenty of other worthy charities were happy for his attention and the support he had earned and could attract with his name and efforts.

He died of a cancer that was diagnosed about three years ago. I spoke to him after the diagnosis, then a few times after he had surgery and started radiation and chemotherapy. I wished him well, but from 1500 miles away there was nothing I could do for him. I last talked to him almost two years ago and even back then the strain and weakness were taking a toll. He went into hospice a few weeks ago, having fought the good fight for as long as he could.

Bear’s wine knowledge was encyclopedic, but Bordeaux was his strong suit, natural in one of the world’s biggest markets for Classified Bordeaux. His sporadic columns were titled ‘Bear on Wine’ and can be googled. I just re-read his report on the 2018 vintage, beautifully written and based on broad and deep tasting experience. He also knew Champagne well and loved it immoderately (another bond between us). But at Christmas Dinner it will be a glass of well-aged Bordeaux that I will raise in memory of one of the finest and most original wine people I ever had the good luck to meet.

Rest in Peace, Bear.

Dan Kravitz

A heartfelt tribute.

8-10 years ago I was picking up wine at K&L SF. I heard someone say “Bear”, and I saw a guy in line with the most legit cowboy hat and belt buckle I have ever seen within the city limits of SF over the last 25 years. He was holding a case/mixed case of wine, and others with him were collecting/holding the same. My wife is 16 years working with Bordeaux Negociants, and I thought to myself “could this be the Bear from Texas with whom she has received so much business?”? I hung close enough to the counter to hear his name recited during checkout. My wife still says that during the 4-5 years she traveled from Bordeaux to USA for business, Mr. Dalton was arguably the most professional, prepared, organized, and academic of all the Buyers with whom she tasted with annually. RIP.

Thank you for posting this Dan. I did not know Bear as well as you, but I am happy and proud to say that I knew him for over 20 years, and Al Estrada before him, as the gatekeeper to one of the greatest wine stores in the world - Spec’s on Smith Street.

Houston is often dismissed as a “blue collar town.” There is some truth in that. I was raised there and I can tell you it is the only major city in the world I know of where it is considered “cool” to a be a millionaire- or even a billionaire- and drive around in a beat up pickup truck wearing jeans and a worn out pair of Red Wings. We like it that way, and we secretly smile when the upper crust of the coasts and Europe look down upon us with disdain- because we know something they do not.

Houston has one of the finest opera companies in the world, and for a very long time had a leading Symphony Orchestra. And our Alley Theater- under the leadership of Pat Brown- brought some of the greatest plays of our generation to the stage for the first time. Growing up, I saw Placido Domingo twice. And I have fond memories of countless solo appearances by Bella Davidovich, Itzhak Perlman and Andre Watts, to name just a few. I was there for the opening night of “Steel Magnolias”- and I mean THE opening night.

For fine food- look no further than Tony Vallone (who, sadly, also passed away recently) and Jackson Hicks, among many others. During the 1980s, Tony’s was the place to see and be seen. And to this day I have yet to have a dinner in NYC that could compare with an evening at Tony’s when Tony really pulled out all the stops. All of the great French classics plus many innovative dishes. And presented in the grandest manner imaginable. The white chocolate vacherin- made as a massive layered cake covered in a wild porcupine-like array of toasted meringue fingers- is a marvel whose equal I have not yet found.

Houston is also a major world hub for wine- and Bear Dalton was at the center of that world for most of his career. The Bordeaux volumes are staggering. When Parker panned the 1993 DRCs, Bear was very happy to take on 100 cases of the wines in addition to the store’s usual massive allocation. And he found homes for them very quickly. And then there were the tastings. All the way up to the first growths, sometimes covering decades, and very often with the chateau owner in attendance.

Bear ruled Spec’s with an iron fist- a very wise attitude in this business. But once he knew you really cared about wine and were a good soul, you would quickly find him a man of intense passions, educated opinions and digitally precise in his recollection of tasting notes. He could speak eloquently and at length on a single wine at a point in time, or on the vintage in which it was created and his feelings on where that vintage was headed. In my last communication to him, just a couple of weeks ago, I had to concede his predictions were precisely right on a key point of disagreement we had 20 years ago on the future of two different vintages of DRC. I remembered after all this time because his instincts had proven not only so magnificently correct- but with an educated explanation as to why.

Through the Houston Rodeo, arguably the finest in the world (and don’t even expect me to try and list all the luminaries I have seen there), Bear brought wine appreciation to Houston in a far-reaching way, and just at a time when wine appreciation was set to transform from a hobby for snobs to a generally accepted and beloved hobby for many. His great vision did not only extend to understanding and appreciating wine itself, but also the marketplace in which it is sold.

Above all, Bear was a man of faith who expressed that faith entirely with a deep dedication to charitable works for the benefit of others. He did not preach. He did not proselytize. He did not judge. He just did good and wonderful things- sometimes using his connections and skills to raise funds, but very often using his hands, heart and any time he could find, to help other people in a very personal and direct way. Every talent and gift granted him was ultimately directed in any way possible to making the world a better place for anyone and everyone who at some point needed a helping hand.

Houston is an extraordinary place that happens to have a large number of people with exceptional tastes and very good priorities on how to present themselves. Bear is one of our greatest citizens- one of our true champions. A man who was very unassuming and free of pretention- a man who you evaluate for his knowledge and passion. For decades, he was one of the most influential and important figures in the wine world- and I think he was very happy that so very few of us really knew the extent of it.

RIP sir.

Beautiful tributes to the man. Thanks for posting.

Thank you for illuminating this special man’s life and impact.

Sounds like an amazing man.

He was a truly nice guy. RIP Bear.

“Above all, Bear was a man of faith who expressed that faith entirely with a deep dedication to charitable works for the benefit of others. He did not preach. He did not proselytize. He did not judge. He just did good and wonderful things- sometimes using his connections and skills to raise funds, but very often using his hands, heart and any time he could find, to help other people in a very personal and direct way. Every talent and gift granted him was ultimately directed in any way possible to making the world a better place for anyone and everyone who at some point needed a helping hand.”

What a wonderful tribute. Sounds like those he touched were blessed to have him

He was a remarkable man. Thanks for the great tributes, Dan and Tom. I never got to know Bear well unfortunately, and was hoping others who were close to him would share here. He was a true legend in the wine world, and had a big impact on me as a young Houstonian learning about wine with the Smith Street Spec’s just a few miles away.

I always loved his Bear On Wine emails and tastings. He was such a champion for the regions and producers he was passionate about.