Tag Archives: Texas

The Vineyard at Florence

20 Mar

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I always find it interesting to visit wineries that are well outside any established American Viticulture Area yet produce estate wines.  Most wines made this way are, to put it mildly, underwhelming.  The wines of The Vineyard at Florence are a delightful exception to this.

Well outside of any existing AVA, Florence Texas is a beautiful area northeast of the Texas Hill Country.  For the past 11 years, the winery here has been producing award-winning wines made from California grapes, Texas Hill Country and High Plains grapes, and from several varieties grown in the 32 acre estate vineyard.

IMG_7550The winery and vineyards are beautiful and entail beautiful views, outdoor seating and an authentic Italianesque outdoor brick pizza oven.  The tasting room is an enormous hall of Texas stone exterior, wood timber framing and a high wooden ceiling, overlooking the outdoor patio and vineyards.  Tasting room attendant Tijada was knowledgeable and friendly, and provided a wonderful tasting experience.  She started me out with a Pinot Grigio made from California grapes and a Roussanne (a Rhone white variety) from Texas grapes, and then moved on to their excellent estate wines.

  1. Pinot Grigio, CA. Very pale yellow with light flavors of white peaches and citrus.  88 points.
  2. Roussanne, Texas High Plains Region. Yellow gold hue.  Nice bouquet of tropical fruit and a touch of floral.  On the palate, medium body with stone fruit and melon.  89
  3. Cielo, Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon. 1% alcohol, and a bit lighter than most California Cabs, perhaps from grapes harvested at lower brix? A good Tuesday-night wine.  87
  4. Inferno, Estate Grown blend of Cab Sauv and Norton. Norton is the oldest native grape to the US (and the cornerstone of the Missouri wine industry), and is not a Vitis Vinifera variety, which comprise all old-world wine varietals.  Most non-Vitis Vinifera grapes in the United States have an upleasant “foxy” flavor, which fortunately Norton lacks.  While Inferno uses this non-traditional grape, it is surprisingly good.  A bigger wine than Cielo, well balanced, with nice dark fruit and touch of spice and smoke.  89
  5. Bella Donna, a desert wine made with estate grown Blanc du Bois. This white grape is a hybrid of Muscat Vitus Vinifera and native Florida varieties.  Blanc du Bois is one of many American hybrid grapes which cross VV with native varieties to withstand Pierce’s disease, which infects nearly all Vitus Vinifera grapes in the southern US. This lightly sweet wine has aromas and flavors of tropical fruit and is a delicious sipping wine.  89

The wine here is well-worth the drive, and the setting and view make for one of the best wine-tasting experiences you could hope for.  Next time, I’m going to visit during lunch and try their amazing brick-oven pizza!

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Zac Brown “Uncaged” – Wine as Fine as His Music.

15 Sep

Z. Alexander Brown UncagedWine (like music) is important to Zac Brown – he likes how it brings people together, and he likes how it connects one to the land.  As the proprietor of Z. Alexander Brown wines, he has found a way to pursue his passion while sharing it with his fans.  Z. Alexander Brown 2015 Uncaged proprietary red blend is a great way to become familiar with Zac’s wines.  His philosophy is to “use the best growing practices with little intervention and a careful touch” to bring out the characteristics of the terroir.  In this wine the terroir of the north coast of Sonoma shines through.  Deep ruby in the glass,  the bouquet overflows with dark fruits – berries and black plum, with a nice touch of tobacco and spice.  On the palate, a perfect balance of fruit, earth and acidity.  While the blend is proprietary, I would guess Zinfandel and Syrah make up good portion of it.  This wine is delicious, and the high alcohol content of 14.5% is deceptive: the deep lingering fruit and light finish belie the high alcohol content.  Best of all is the price.  At less than $15 per bottle this has a killer QPR (quality-price ratio), and is currently featured in Vivino’s “Top 25 Californian Red Blends”.   I recommend pairing this wine with a slab of smoked baby backs while playing Zac Brown’s “The Foundation” album on the stereo!

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Old World Grapes, Texas Terroir and a Chilean Master Winemaker

26 Feb

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Fall Creek Vineyards (www.fcv.com) is not an easy place to find – it lies near the far northern end of the popular Texas Wine trail, overlooking the Colorado River in a bucolic Texas-ranch setting.  And for those who are looking for the best Texas wines, it is a not-to-be-missed stop on a tour of Hill Country wineries.

It is not an overstatement to say that Fall Creek Vineyards’ history is synonymous with Texas Hill Country Wine history.  In fact, owners Ed and Susan Auler were instrumental in establishing the Texas Hill Country American Viticulture Area.  The Texas Hill Country AVA, established in 1991, is the second largest of the over 200 AVA’s in the country and arguably the AVA with the most improved wines.  Many wine producers in the hill country do blend the local grapes with those from other areas of Texas (most notably the High Plains Region) or even from other states in order to obtain the complexity, balance and flavor profile they desire.   But one of the most impressive things about Fall Creek Vineyards is that the majority of their wines come exclusively from Hill Country grapes, with the bottles bearing the “Texas Hill Country” appellation.  In recent years many of these wines have competed in national and international competitions and won scores of awards, from Best-in-Class to Double Gold, Gold and Silver medals.

In years past, most wine experts dismissed Texas as a premium wine producer because of the heat.  Certainly the heat profile here is far higher than any areas of California, with summer highs over 100 (for weeks in a row) and nighttime lows not much below 85.  So how do Fall Creek and a few other hill country wineries manage to make world-class wines?  Well, look at where some of the earliest wines were made.  From biblical and other historical accounts, the Middle East made and consumed wine several thousand years ago.  There is significant evidence of winemaking in Shiraz (quite a recognizable name in the wine world!) Iran.  And when the annual heat profile of Shiraz Iran is compared to Llano County in the Texas Hill Country it is seen to be not just similar, but identical.  Same number and magnitude of heat degree days, same diurnal (day to night) variation.  So, historically, many Vitis Vinifera varieties can be and have been grown in this kind of weather.  Also the soil of the best Texas Hill Country AVA vineyards is similar to that in southern France and parts of Spain and Italy: limestone-based with excellent drainage.  And the altitude here, 1300 to 1350 feet, is identical to that of the great Tempranillo vineyards of Rioja Spain.

Without getting much into Biology, suffice it to say that the Vinifera vines have a “heat –protection gene” which is triggered in regions that have not heat spikes (which damage the canopy and negatively impact the fruit), but consistent heat throughout the growing season.  The better viticulturists in Texas know how to manage vine canopies, placement and irrigation to grow many varietals that typically thrive in cooler climates, and make world-class wine with that fruit.  Fall Creek Vineyard’s chief winemaker, Sergio Cuadra, can talk with passion on this subject for hours!  Formerly the principal winemaker at several Conche Y Toro facilities, Sergio is the first internationally-renowned winemaker in the employ of a Texas winery.

At a recent tour and tasting in Fall Creek Vineyard’s barrel-aginimg_2833g facility, Sergio shared four award-winning Texas Hill Country wines and four barrel samples.  Frankly, the top two wines we tasted here represented the only Bordeaux and Burgundy style wines from Texas that I have tasted which are on a par with those from their respective French appellations.

Here is a synopsis:

FCV Vintners Select Sauvignon Blanc, Texas 2016.   Vivid acidity (thanks to a July harvest, 2-3 months before Loire Valley harvests), lime and green apple on the nose and a full-bodied tropical fruit palate.  Very expressive, with expanding complexity as the glass was aerated.  90

FCV Terroir Reflection Chardonnay “Certenberg Vineyards” 2015.   Wow.  This one fooled the blind tasters in Houston, who were convinced it was from Burgundy!  16 months in French Oak, smooth and creamy but not an oaky butter-bomb like many Napa Chard’s.  Aroma and palate of pear and stone fruits, with tropical notes.  A touch of vanilla.  Great balance! 92

FCV Meritus, Texas Hill Country, 2013.  This Right-Bank Bordeaux blend (53% Merlot, 47% Cab Sauv) is a deep, dark ruby in color.  Beautiful aromas of dark berries, currant and vanilla.  Elegant round tannins and a medium-long finish.  This one earned a Gold medal in San Francisco last month against international competition.  92.

FCV Salt Lick Vineyard Tempranillo (2016, still in barrel).  Grown across the street from the famous Salt Lick Barbecue in Driftwood Texas, with a little more time in the barrel this is going to be a great Tempranillo.  Red fruit, tobacco and structured tannins – much like Tempranillo from Rioja.  89

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An Afternoon of Texas Boutique Wines

11 Feb

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In January 2017 Texas appellation wines were awarded 158 medals at the prestigious San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.  These medals included an unprecedented seven “Best in Class” awards as well as dozens of double-golds, golds, silvers and bronzes.  And it was just five years ago that Texas earned its very first double-gold!  The impressive showing last month did not surprise me – over the past few years I have written a few blog posts on Texas wines, and it seems that every time I return they get better.

This year, with 6 weeks to spend visiting wineries (and barbecue joints!) I am taking my time and delving deep into Texas-style food and wine.  Last week I found two off-the-beaten-track family owned estate wineries.  In both cases the owners are knowledgeable of wine and viticulture and have planted varietals that thrive in the hot, dry terroir of the Hill Country.

Hill Country Cellars Winery, owned by a former Navy aviation tech and his customer-service pro wife, offered a deep plum colored Malbec with layers of red fruit, plum and vanilla oak on a foundation of soft tannins.  Rich and smooth, I would have guessed this was produced in Mendoza.  And the price, less than $20/bottle, was very attractive.  Their Rosé of Shiraz was fruity and silky, but lacked the acidity of a refreshing French rosé.  The Chardonnay was surprisingly good given the warm climate.  Very pale gold in color and made in the Burgundian style, fermented in stainless steel tanks with zero malolactic fermentation, the tropical fruit flavors of a warm-climate Chardonnay are allowed to shine through.  A clean fruit finish.  Again, the price point is surprisingly low, at under $20.

Almost hidden on the scenic Highway 90 just east of Hondo, Vines on the Rocks is a boutique vineyard specializing in Tempranillo and Black Spanish (Lenoir) grapes (perfect fits for the local hot climate and rocky terroir).  Owner Mike Brawley skillfully manages his vineyards which surround the winery, and makes Tempranillo in the style of Rioja, with lush dark fruit and a hint of cigar box.  This year’s vintage (2015) is called Toreador’s Temptress, with beautiful dark plum up-front and hints of chocolate and cedar.  Snacks are offered in the tasting room and selected offerings from other Texas wineries are available as well.  Mike had deep knowledge of the local terroir and vineyard management, and it was a pleasure learning from him while sipping the delicious Toreador’s Temptress.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be visiting many more Texas wineries and am sure to find more delicious bargains!toreadors-temptress

 

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