I just recently returned from a trip to a number of wineries in Texas. I’ve done this specific trip for three years now and hit a number of them randomly throughout the year. The list of wineries grows each time, which is great since I’m always on the lookout for a good new wine. I believe the first time I went on the trail there were 21 wineries now there are 27. Overall the industry appears to be growing, which is great considering the vast majority of the producers are small operations the equivalent size of a microbrewery. Most don’t distribute to large retailers, which makes the experience at the tasting room all that more important and the wines subject to more scrutiny to collectors and wine lovers.

This post is going to be a bit lengthy and a bit unconventional. Since I’ve been doing this for a while, I’ve decided to list and discuss what I consider to be the top five wineries out of the 50ish I’ve been to over the last three years. Then for everyone’s entertainment, scrutiny, or whatever; I’ve posted the raw un-edited scribbles (tasting notes) I wrote on my iPad while at some of the wineries.

• Grape Creek



• I love the wine here especially the Petite Syrah. The Cabernet Sauvignon is an excellent choice as well. The wine definitely does speak for itself. The tasting experience is not as personalized here, primarily due the amount of traffic they get being right in the middle of the 290 wineries and all. Sometimes I feel rushed when I’m there in the tasting room. But sitting out on the patio with a bottle by the fountain is extremely relaxing.





• Perissos





• The Winemaker and his family are awesome. I’ve enjoyed a number of long conversations with them about everything from wine to the latest Cannon cameras. The vineyard dogs are also completely lovable. The experience here is more intimate than something you would find out in Fredericksburg. I love most of the wines made here.



• Pillar Bluff / Texas Legato

• The Winemakers are actually brothers and own wineries literally right across the vineyard from each other. Gill, from Pillar Bluff also remembered us on site, which was very nice considering we only make it out there twice a year. Both wineries have some great stuff, but the Enology 101 from Pillar and the Petite Syrah from Legato stand out the most to me.




• Rancho Ponte





• These wines stand out. Whenever I’m in Fredericksburg and have finished at Grape Creek, this place is next on the list. The wines have a distinctly unique flavor. The tasting room is made in the shape of a barn, but don’t let that fool you, the wine is serous. The Triple M Blend is by far my favorite here.





• Retreat Hills





• The gem of the Bluebonnet Wine Trail in east Texas. This is a must go for some of the best wines the eastern region has to offer. Their wines have won a ton of medals in various competitions, and when you taste them the reason will be clear. The Blazin’ Blush is definitely a winner.

Now on with the scribbles.

Brennan Vineyards

• 08 Viognier — Dry, pear. Only one I really liked here.


• 08 Malbec — Light, mineral, cherry


• Cabernet Sauvignon — Not as hot or complex as most. Light finish.


• St. Red — Merlot and Syrah blend. Very dry, slightly sour. Smooth finish. Not very impressed.


• Syrah — Peppery and earthy. Did not taste like a Syrah.

Rising Star Vineyards

• 09 Chardonnay — Light, lacking Oak, sour.


• 07 Syrah — Extremely thin. Watery. Missing most elements of a Syrah. Didn’t like it.


• Wines overall lacked complexity.

Alamosa

• 05 El Guapo — Spicier than the 04, the 04 is still an excellent choice. In fact I still have two in the cellar. Earthy and spicy with a wonderful complexity. I picked up the 05 this time around.


• 07 Syrah — Hot with an aftertaste that lingers. Good wine.


• Palette — Light, mineral, soft finish. Good dinner wine to pair with non-spicy foods.

Fiesta Winery

• Home Sweet Home — Zinfandel. Smells like candied fruit.


• Syrah — I really didn’t think Syrah when I tasted it. It was missing the tannins and was way too sweet.


• Tempranillo — Peppery and spicy. Very nice finish. Ended up buying it.

Pillar Bluff

• Enology 101 — Cab / Merlot blend. Light, Earthy, and mineral. Picked up a bottle.


• Viognier — Peaches, apricot, and mango.


• White Merlot — A seasonal wine. Only 30 cases produced. Bought a bottle to have on Christmas.


• Kitty — Orange Muscat fortified with brandy. Too sweet for me, but the sweet wine lovers in the group loved it.

Texas Legato

• Chardonnay — Very smooth.


• Family Reunion — Spicy, cinnamon.


• Cabernet Sauvignon — Not as spicy as most. Low on tannins. Blended with Malbec.


• Petite Syrah — Delicious. I picked up a bottle.

Flat Creek

• 08 Syrah — Medium tannins. Oaky.


• 09 Pinot — Tart with. Light fruity flavor. I typically don’t care for Pinot, but this was pretty good so I got a bottle.


• 09 Bucking Horse — Cabernet Sauvignon. Cranberries, Cherries, smooth, light finish.

Fall Creek

• Chardonnay — Not dry enough for me. Very fruity and fresh.


• Muscat — Way less sweet than most Muscat’s’ I’ve tried, which for me was kind of a nice change. Tart with a bit of Lemon.


• Gotas de Oro — The winemaker is an extremely nice guy. The wine is great for Muscat lovers and the sweet wine crowd. Too sweet for me though.


• Cabernet Sauvignon — Light oak, mild tannins, dry finish. I liked it, but opted for a bottle of something else.


• Merlot — Surprisingly, this was what I went with. Light oak, heavy dry finish. I really liked it.


• Sweet Red — Alcoholic cool aid. Heavy sugar.

Perissos

• Petite Syrah – Winner. Great taste.


• Cabernet Sauvignon – Winner. Highly Complex, Spicy.

Spicewood Vineyards

• Semellon — Mellon, light finish,


• Chardonnay — Mostly citrus, light oak.


• Sauvignon Blanc — Grassy, sweet, very citrus. To sweet for me.


• Merlot Rose — Big on the nose, light on taste. Hint of strawberry, not very complex.


• Merlot — liquorish, cherry, very dry.


• Syrah — Coffee, semi-dry, smooth.


• Zinfandel — Not as hot or peppery as most I’ve had.

Bell Springs

• Just opened in July


• Grapes sourced from California.


• Pinot Grigio — Citrus, apricot, smooth finish.


• Malvasia Bianca — Grapefruit, smooth, light, wet finish.


• Chardonnay — Not very dry, fruity, light oak, slight spicy finish.


• Nebbiolo — slightly dry, slightly spicy.


• Dripping Sweet — Peach, smooth. Not as sweet as the name implies, which was nice. Good wine to sip on a hot day.


• Cab Franc — typically cab franc is used as a cutter for blending. This is a 100% cab franc. Smooth, little spice, cinnamon, mild tannins. I picked up a bottle of this.


• Merlot — Oak, semi-dry, smooth.

Driftwood

• Sangiovese — Cherry, dry, lingering spice.


• Merlot — Light and watery.


• Lone Star Cab — A sipping red wine. Not very complex. Light and smooth.


• Alamo Red — Merlot / Cab / Syrah blend. Semi-dry, oak, not very spicy.


• 05 Cabernet Sauvignon — Semi-dry, fruity, peppery aftertaste. Picked up a bottle.

William Chris

• 09 Merlot — Dark cherry, semi-dry, light finish.


• 09 Malbec — Slight spice, semi-dry


• 09 Hunter — Late harvest grape, very smooth.

Grape Creek

• Missed the Petite Syrah again. New batch in March.

Every so often, the Texas Hill Country Wineries put on a “trail event.” Last weekend was the harvest wine trail. There were 25 wineries, and the object was to get to all of them in a two weekend period. Due to some schedule conflicts, we ended up doing almost all of them in 3 days. The ticket on the trail website will get you a complementary tasting at all the wineries, which is worth the price, since tasting can vary from $5 – $20 a person. The Fredericksburg / Comfort area takes about a day to do. The wineries are clustered together so the driving is minimal. Two days should be devoted to the area south of Lampasas on highway 281 down to New Braunfels. The real time sync for this area is going to be the driving time. Some wineries are an hour or more apart so look at the map provided to you with your ticket and plan accordingly before hand.

I was a bit pressed for time so I only took some limited tasting notes. The most detailed set came out of Fall Creek.

Fall Creek Tasting Notes:

Chardonnay: Dry and crisp. It was good, but decided not to buy it.

Sauvignon Blanc: Good, but not overly impressive. Dry with no aftertaste.

Chenin Blanc: Sweeter than the Sav Blanc. The winemaker ferments it a shorter amount of time, so it’s roughly 3 – 5% sweeter, which makes a big difference, but keeps the wine from tasting like a sugar bomb.

Riesling: Semi-sweet and dry, which is the kind I prefer. Not many wineries make it this way and iI really never bothered to ask why. Most of the time it’s sweeter, and I tend to avoid them when they are.

Gotas de Oro: This is a new one for me. It’s a Muscat Canelli, which is another very sweet wine with a honey taste to it.

Merlot: Not impressed. It left me with a feeling of meh. It’s flavor profile was very flat, even for a Merlot. As a footnote to that statement, Merlot is generally considered an introductory wine to those that haven’t been exposed to, or don’t like, more complex wines like Cabernet Sauvignon.

Ed’s Smooth Red: Exactly what the name says. It’s a blended Merlot/Cab mix that had very soft edges, and really goes down smooth.

Wines I decide to get:

• Fall Creek Vineyards: Granite Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

• Fall Creek Vineyards: Chenin Blanc

• Pillar Bluff: Viognier

• Rancho Ponte: Triple M Blend

• Solaro Estate: 2009 Tempranillo

• Texas Legato: Petite Sirah

• Alamosa Wine Cellars: 2004 El Guapo

• Grape Creek Vineyards: Cabernet Blanco

• Torre di Pietra: Blanc du Bois

• Perissos: 2009 Newsom Cabernet Sauvignon

• Singing Water: Pinot Grigio

• Bending Branch: Texas Tannat

Pleasant Hill is located South of Brenham, Texas on FM 3456. Coordinates: 30.1222650 -98.4128245. It’s a scenic place with wood decking and a few pavilions overlooking the vineyards and surrounding farmland. It would be a great venue for a wedding.

The 2008 Sangiovese was semi-dry. It was smooth with a soft finish and not very hot. More of a light red than anything. 80 points.

The 2008 Sauvignon Blanc was a light golden color. Crisp with a tart aftertaste and a soft finish. Something good for a hot afternoon.

If I had to choose between the two I would take the 2008 Sangiovese. Even though it wasn’t that impressive, it was the best wine they were tasting for the day.

The girl power winery. Good place to go for a bachelorette party. They do not grow their own grapes. All grapes are imported then blended it so it’s not a what I would consider a real winery in the traditional sense. Another thing was very few wines were over 7% alcohol content so not even sure if it was really wine I was drinking my bro would call it bitch water. The bar has a trendy HGTV look to it. The cougars were definitely on the prowl.

“Cab Franc” Light fruit finish. Not as hot as most cabs, it was ok.

Green Apple Riesling called “Girls Night Out” light almost clear color only a hint of apple.

Blueberry Pinot. Like hot cotton candy. Smells like blueberry.

Rich Urban Biker. Cherry, very soft, Light on the tannins finishes on the sides of the tongue. I ended up buying this one.

Tawney port. Smells like fig newton and nailpolish.

Located in Montgomery, Texas. Coordinates: 30.388175 -95.697438

“Valentine” is one of their specialty wines. It has a fuchsia color and smells like cotton candy. It goes down smooth and leaves you big fruit taste. Not really the wine for me, but the girls loved it.

“Pinnelli” is a blended wine. Bernhardt mixes their own Pinot with Sister Creek Muscat Canelli which is one of the sweetest Muscat’s I’ve ever had. The result is sharply sweet wine with a fruity flavor.

The Blanc du Bois is a bit less sweet than the Pinelli, but it’s lacking. I still think the Blanc de Bois from Torre Di Pietra Winery and Woodrose Winery is better.

The Merlot was a deep red color with highly peppery aftertaste to it. It was also a bit on the heavy side with the tannins. I liked this wine.

“Aggie Blush” which is a White Zinfandel had not been bottled for the year so I was unable to try it.

“Schrok” another blended white wine had a distinct berry flavor. Nothing special stood out about it.

Bernhardt Winery is located north east of Plantersville Texas. Take highway 105 East and go North on CR 204. Coordinates: 30.358347 -95.831591

The winery features a small tasting room with a nice outdoor area that has tables overlooking the grapevines. It’s a quaint little place and the people were very nice. Overall this place had some of the best wine I tasted on the trip. I’ve hit about 40 wineries in Texas and finding a flavor that stands out is actually a bit uncommon. The Triple M Blend from Rancho Ponte comes to mind immediately. It’s unique. Retreat Hills has some real winners for sure. Not surprising I found out later that five of their wines are medal winners. As a practice I never ask questions beforehand and really I recommend you don’t either. One person whom I’ve tasted with on occasion specifically asks for wines aged in Oak barrels only. He prefers them over wines aged in metal barrels with only oak chips. I’m not faulting him for that reasoning, because that is what he likes, but I think that introduces some bias into the tasting experience.

Back to the tasting notes. Retreat Hills has a very crisp Riesling one of the better I’ve had for sure. Not too sweet. Nice color.

The Rose was slightly darker than most. It had a bit of a bite to it, which was kind of nice. It would be a good pairing with deer.

Not impressed with Blanc du Bois. It was missing the creamy finish that is their signature. They are phasing it out.

Bought the 2009 Blazin Blush White Zinfandel. Light pink color. Apricot smell and aftertaste. Light with a smooth finish. Light ting on the tongue. Definitely a desert wine or something to sip on a hot day. I found out later, that this wine won the bronze medal at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition.

Retreat Hills is located South of Whitehall, Tx on FM 362. Coordinates: 30.284630 -95.97164

The gentleman serving wine behind the bar at the Bernhardt Winery near Plantersville, TX said “We have three types of wine: Red, White and what you like.” Very true statement indeed. Don’t let Parker stop you from expanding your palate. There are to many great, yet unrated, wines out there. More importantly, there are scores of those types of wine in Texas. I recently went on a trip to wineries in East Texas. Affectionately called the Bluebonnet trail, there are plenty of wildflowers to see on the way, if you go in spring. For those with short attention spans here is the list of the wineries: Retreat Hills, Bernhardt, Cork This!, Colony Cellars, Pleasant Hill, Windy Hill, and Messina Hof. Over the next few posts I’ll be recounting the trip as well as going over tasting notes from each of the places visited.

Before I go into any of the tasting notes, I think it’s only fair to talk about my palate. I think it’s kind of funny that the wine that really got me started, my “gateway wine” so to speak is now the type I like the least. My taste has definitely evolved over time. I like my wine like my friend Eloy likes his relationships with women: bitter, dry and dark.

When it comes to white wine Muscats are what I like the least. There to sweet for me. I have never really found a Pinot that I’ve like despite many attempts. I find them lacking in the flavor category. Riesling is good as long as it on the dryer side. Chardonnay is by far my favorite of the whites. They have a pretty spot on dryness with the right amount of flavor, which to me means I’m not drinking a fruit bomb.

Rose and blush are a bit of a mixed bag. I’ve only tried an limited number of Roses’ so I’m still forming an opinion. I’ve not found a White Zinfandel I haven’t liked, but my experience with it’s been limited to large production, commodity, wines like Sutter Home and the, loathed by many, Yellow Tail.

Reds for me are where it’s at. Lately I’ve really been into Shiraz most that I’ve tried are fairly heavy on the tannins which contributes to their overall dryness and makes them awesome. Tempranillo is probably my second favorite it’s got a full body flavor that I just love. Down the line from them is definitely Cabernet, Malbec, Grenache, and Zinfandel. Like their white counterpart red Pinot just does not do it for me.

This Wildseed Farm is not your typical nursery. Sure you can buy potted plants, herbs, and all manner of assorted flowers, but what makes this place special is the stuff you can’t buy. They have sectioned off a big chunk of their 220+ acres and dedicated it a trail you can walk while surrounded by fields of wildflowers. I probably spent around four hours there just walking around and taking pictures. There’s a little market place there to, where you can buy beer, wine, sandwiches, and all sorts of locally made products. I picked up some cherry jam, and some honey bottled by a local bee farmer. The best part is you can take any of the drinks out on the trail with you.

To get there, take highway 290, 7 miles East out of Fredericksburg. Then after your done, go hit up Rancho Ponte and Grape Creek Vineyards. Both are just a few more miles down the road and well worth the stop.

View Texas Wineries in a larger map

24 wineries in 3 days. Not bad if I do say so myself. I’ll try to write something more about the trip later. I need to find out how to attach the kmz of all the waypoints to this post.

Update:
The kmz with the waypoints can be downloaded here.

So I cheated a bit on this one. There was actually no hiking involved, but the drive through the Texas hill country was beautiful. The trip started out at Texas Hills Vineyards outside Johnson City, Tx. The plan was to head West from there on highway 290 hitting some vineyards on the way to Fredrecksburg, TX.  The area in a 15 mile radius of the highway is littered with wineries. This map shows 24 of them, but trust me, there are more out there. Not to mention it seems most of the local businesses in Fredrecksburg have tasting rooms. Nothing like seeing a clothing store that offers wine tasting in the back room. Some of the vineyards are big enough to have their wine stocked in grocery stores throughout the state, but most are micro operations and the only way to get the wine is to get out there and taste it. Texas hills is one of those that you won’t find in a grocery store.

When it comes to wine I prefer mine red, dry, and somewhat bitter. Semi-dry are ok too, but I tend to stay away from fruit bombs.  I used to be into Muscats and White Zins in a big way, but not so much anymore. I’m not a wine snob by any means. I subscribe to the Gary Vaynerchuck philosophy to wine: Put it in front of me and I’ll drink it.

So with my best GV impression, I swirled every glass around and gave um all a sniffy sniff. Anyway the merlot at Texas hills was pretty much on par with most other Merlots around the area, the only one that really felt unique was the one at Rancho Ponte but I’ll get to that later.