Four Year Anniversary!

Another year of good wine, great wineries, and cool folks!  Every winery we visit has its own unique story to tell and style to their wines.  Of course, every bottle of wine is a unique experience in of itself!  After four years, it looks like we’ve finally reached a sustainable pace for wine & winery blogging.  Plus, there are the real jobs behind the scenes to manage, as well. :)

Leading up to our four year anniversary, we’ve done a painstaking inventory of our wine collection.  There are 579 bottles and growing…. that we know of.  Plus, there are a few dozen bottles on the counter yet to be inventoried.  Then, there are those mysterious bottles that just happen to be discovered….tucked away in some closet that is seldom used.    Maybe we should just turn our house into one big wine cellar!  In any case, there are plenty of good wines in stock to sip and yap about for a long time to come.  Not to mentioned, the ever increasing number of wineries to visit, especially in Texas.

So sit back, open up your favorite bottle of wine and enjoy our postings as we enjoy each sip together and discover new interesting wineries, vintages, varietals and people shaping this industry and putting their own unique mark and product out there for us all to enjoy!  Tune in soon…same wine-time….same wine-channel.  Cheers!

Riesling - 2005; Blue Mountain Vineyards; New Tripoli, Pennsylvania

This well aged Riesling has a lovely tropical and somewhat floral bouquet.  It is quite refreshing chilled and still quite good for its age. The very deep yellow-straw hue will be the first thing that catches your eye.  It comes across as semi-dry, but opinions  could go either way. It had a smooth finish and retained its character nicely in our wine cellar in spite of its age. This Riesling can be quite versatile with many food pairings, but we found this one to be a perfect match for slow cooked salmon.  Even for whites, it pays to wait sometimes.  Enjoy!

www.bluemountainwine.com

 

The Austin Winery – Austin, Texas

Yes, Austin folks!  There is a quality winery in the state’s capital city that’s worth your sipping time.  Having just opened up over a month ago, this very small urban winery has the potential to be a big hit in the Austin scene.  The three young entrepreneurs Cooper Anderson, Matthew Smith and Ross McLauchlan have started with an initial small batch of wines sourced from various west coast and Texas terroirs.  Everything in a wine that a good wine fan expects is here in the lineup, from crisp whites to deep bold reds.  Current wines available for tasting are made from grapes chiefly sourced from California.  The Sauvignon Blanc from Lodi is a very nice crisp dry white that you’ll enjoy.  The Russian River Valley Chardonnay puts the “B” in buttery flavor and despite its long oak aging, it’s not an “oak wine”.  The three Pinot Noirs from different areas provide the opportunity to sample the influence and subtle variations of various west coast terroir on a single varietal.  The Pinot Noir from Sonoma County comes across quite fruity like a Cabernet Sauvignon.  The Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is quite bold and favorable.  Finally, the Santa Lucia Pinot Noir is just plain awesome.  Who knew one could enjoy such quality and variety of notes of Pinot Noirs in one sitting at the same winery.  But don’t stop there! Their Violent Crown is a Grenache/Syrah blend(80/20) that puts the “w” in wow.  Sadly, the source for the Grenache in this vintage is no longer available, so keep a few of these around and enjoy over time.  Lastly, you’ll get to sip the tasty old vine Zinfandel from Shenandoah Valley.  Stay tuned to this blog channel and we’ll be able to go more in depth on each wine in the future.  At the time of this visit, the Texas wines weren’t ready to be bottled, but should be soon.  Do take note of the unique art work with the labels.  They help tell a story with each wine.  These label art work are worth framing and displaying in your post-opened bottle room.  They are currently open on Saturdays as well as by appointment.  Give this new local winery a tour on your next wine adventure. It’s a cool place to visit, along with Austin!

www.theaustinwinery.com

Merlot - 2011; Compass Rose Cellars; Hye, Texas

It's always a pleasure to feature an early startup winery's work.  One gets to see how the wine maker's first style of vision is.  This first release from the "year of hell" (a.k.a. Texas 2011 drought) has yielded some of the best fruit for the state of Texas.  First impressions really are a big deal in the industry and this wine will put a big smile on your  mouth via your taste buds!  By no means is this your stereotypical "mellow" Merlot.  While the aroma and flavor are similar, it is a bit more dry with some stronger tannins than most, yet, it is still light bodied.  It also has hints of  dark cherry and vanilla.  The slight acidity pairs nicely with heavier meals like an Italian sausage dish.  Be careful though, you may finish the whole bottle in one sitting! No worries, when we tasted them we were wise to by a few extra bottles, and you should too.  Keep a few of these bottles around and try them out over the years at your favorite Texas Hill Country spot with friends and family and enjoy the richness of both the Texas scenery and the lovely wine from this region.  Cheers!

www.compassrosecellars.com

Cider Dessert Wine – NV; Sandstone Cellars; Mason, Texas

You’re in for a treat and for quite a punch with this dessert wine.  This is a light sweet wine with apples and cinnamon to delight your palate’s senses.  It also has a herbal bouquet much like a mead.   Secondly, the fortified cider will pack quite a port like punch to the first time sipper.  So be prepared and don’t plan on going anywhere after having a glass or two of this one as it is made to enjoy and help impart a relaxing mood.  The light amber color provides a nice backdrop to the label's artwork as well.  This a nice dessert wine to pass the eve after a crazy work day.  Helps put your spirits at ease and settles you down to refocus on enjoying the wine of the moment. Cheers!

www.sandstonecellarswinery.com