Narrow Path Winery - Fredericksburg, Texas

What a pleasant and quaint little winery recently added to the shops along Main Street in Fredericksburg!  Whether you seek to visit one of the Hill Country's newest wineries or stop here to sit and sip some fine wine as a respite from strolling from shop to shop, this winery is for you.  The Turbeville family has been growing grapes in the Texas Hill Country for about 15 years.  They've also been making private wine for a number of years and have recently sought to expand into a commercial business to share their wines with everyone. On their one acre site, they grow Merlot and Pinot Grigio.  Their 2012 Merlot was their first outstanding award winning private wine which is no longer available. They are also in the process of establishing a vineyard out on highway 290. Tempranillo, Mourvedre and Viognier are what could be planted, plus or minus a few others.  Their winery went public about a year ago and they opened their wine shop back in November.  Now their dream of "vine-to-wine" has come true!  Singing Waters, McPherson, and Wedding Oak are helping them out with their initial wine productions.  The focus is on quality dry wines.  At their new tasting room, you'll get to try five wines.  The first two are whites with grapes sourced from the Lake County area of California.  The 2013 Sauvignon Blanc is a nice crisp one and quite good on a warm December afternoon.  The 2014 Viognier has nice floral and fruit notes.  You'll be in for a real treat with the 2014 Rosé Sec.  Penny Adams from Wedding Oak helped make this one using Merlot and Pinot Grigio grapes from the Turbeville's one acre estate.  Yes Pinot Grigio in a Rosé!  It is quite refreshing and very pleasant on the palate.  The line-up in the reds category is three deep.  The 2014 Malbec was made with fruit sourced from Mendocino, California and has nice smoky and mocha notes with just a touch of earthiness.  The McPherson's from Lubbock helped make their 2013 Texas Select Red.  This Syrah blend is a Rhone style wine that's perfect for those Texas wild game dishes cooked with mesquite BBQ of course! Lastly, you'll enjoy their 2013 Syrah.  Another Lake County sourced wine, it's very well balanced, not acidic, and has a pleasant cocoa and peppery finish.  Upcoming future releases are another Syrah and if you can wait, a single varietal Merlot (eta 2017) from their estate as well as a single varietal Pinot Grigio.  The customer experience is what it's all about at this new winery and the staff is courteous, informative and very engaging. As word gets out, we're sure they'll outgrow their first tasting room shortly and we look forward to future releases.  So come soon and enjoy the experience knowing that you were there in the beginning when it all first started.  Cheers!

www.narrowpathwinery.com

Carignan - 2012; Les Domaine de Virginie; Languedoc Roussillon, France

This "Very old vine" wine is a nice affordable treat. We're not sure exactly how "old" "very" means in this case, but it's somewhere between 50 to 100 years old depending on the source.  In any case, you'll enjoy and appreciate this one alone or paired with a nice meaty meal.  This deeply hued Carignan wine has rich flavors of mixed berries and a touch of vanilla. It's a bit acidic, but not astringent.  Along with some peppery notes, it is an overall smooth wine with a fairly light finish towards the end. This is a good find for under $10.  Savor it well!

Merlot – 2012; Kuhlman Cellars; Stonewall, Texas

And then there was Merlot!  Ah….this delightful wine must defiantly stand out as a favorite amongst the wine gods.  Why, you say?  Because it’s just that damn good! This is a very well balanced Merlot with a fresh chocolaty aroma on the nose that longs for you to linger in its bouquet. Before sipping, make sure you tilt the glass a bit and take notes at the wonderful violet hue. Nice, isn’t it? Now comes the best part, the sipping! Sip it once, sip it twice, and however many times as you like as we know you won’t be able to get enough of that black cherry note. You might also pick out some earthiness that’s just icing on the cake for the experience.  It has a slightly acidic finish along with some lovely peppery notes at the end. Overall, it’s a very nice dry red that makes quite a memorable drinking experience. This wine is definitely an example of how Merlot can stand out on its own as a top quality single varietal.  It still has a good tannin structure, so we see no issue in holding on to at least one bottle for 10 years.  In the meantime, keep enjoying your quality stash over the years.  Cheers everyone!

www.kuhlmancellars.com

Super Texan Reserve - 2012; Flat Creek Estate; Marble Falls, Texas

Wine lovers....behold!  The premier Super Texan brand has arrived.  Selected from just 5% of barrels, only the best of the best have been put into this wine.  The varietal breakdown is 40% Sangiovese, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Zinfandel, 6% Tempranillo.  And what a magnificent blend it is! The aromas and flavors just speak for themselves.  Inhale and enjoy the cherry and plum aromas that greet you. Intense blackberry flavors  dance across your palate promptly followed by a fine smoky finish in this dry red.  There's just of touch of earthiness to add to the sipping experience of this superbly complex wine. The medium tannins are well suited for a nice fatty Italian dish.  Yet, in all its greatness, this wine is only at the beginning of its maturity.  Buy many and enjoy over 10+ years.  You'll have a happy cellar and a guaranteed happy wine pairing experience for the next decade.  Enjoy well!

www.flatcreekestate.com