Blush – 2005; Pheasant Ridge Winery; Lubbock, Texas

Just about every long time Texas wine fan knows that Pheasant Ridge makes the good stuff that will keep a long time.  This 2005 Blush has held true to their reputation.  Not sure what’s really in this “blend”, but it is quite nice and crisp.  A combination of floral and honeysuckle notes are detectable.  It has just a touch of sweetness that, when chilled, helps smooth out those spicy dishes.  We were quite pleased with this old gal, given that it's nearly 10 years old.  Give it a try if you have one and drink well!

www.pheasantridgewinery.com

Sangiovese – 2003; Wimberley Valley Winery; Driftwood, Texas

The color has held well over the past decade on this red wine.  Little separation was noticed on this limited release from Wimberley Valley Winery.  It is quite aromatic with some subtle tropical notes to the bouquet. It tastes fairly good for a wine that was not intended to be “hidden” in the cellar this long.  There is a touch of acidity, but nothing too distracting.  We were pleasantly surprised with how well this wine held up with its age and it paired nicely with pasta.  Have fun and enjoy!

www.wimberleyvalleywinery.com

Strawberry-Riesling – NV; Winery on the Gruene; Gruene, Texas

This off-dry white wine has a good mix of traditional Riesling flavors meshed with luscious strawberries.  Not your every day Riesling, but definitely something special for summer to enjoy chilled. The crisp ripe berry flavor is pleasantly coupled with pear-like aromas. You’ll be impressed with this one and wish you would have bought a few bottles.  Pair with some fresh fruit or ice cream and you’ll really enjoy it!

www.gruenewinery.com

Red Wing Dove Vineyard and Winery – Hamilton, Texas

Owners Ellis & Susan Vandiver have staked out a seven acre plot of vines in this part of the Texas countryside.  Growing on their seven year old vineyard are Pinot Gris, Tempranillo, Shiraz, Viognier, and Pinot Blanc.  Rows are oriented north/south.  They opened up the winery a year ago and are now serving up their own version of some tasty Texas wines.  Current wines available for tasting from their 2012 harvest include: off-dry White Dove (Pinot Gris/Blanc blend), Pinot Gris, Tempranillo, Rosé Shiraz (great chilled) and a bold tasting Shiraz. The Shiraz grapes were aged in American oak and another release (aged two years) will be coming out in the future. Like most Texas vineyards, they experienced their share of loss from the late freeze of 2013.  California grapes helped supplement their 2013 release.  Their newest releases this year include: a very nice Viognier with good minerality, Honeysuckle (Sweet Pinot Gris with some apple notes), Judy (Sweet Blush of 90% Pinot Gris and 10% Tempranillo), T’Rose (nice dry Tempranillo Rosé with beautiful strawberry notes), and Sweet Red Pepper (50/50 blend of Ruby Cabernet and Tempranillo).  Come on out this way sometime and enjoy the company and views.  It’s a relaxing setting to help compliment the good wine in your hand. The winery is gearing up to celebrate their first year anniversary of their tasting room as well, so stop in and wish them well, stay a while, and sip a spell! You'll be glad you did. Cheers!

www.redwingdove.com

3 Blend - 2000; Sister Creek Vineyards; Sisterdale, Texas

This nice red bordeaux meritage style wine is a mix of  Cabernet Sauvignon (68%), Merlot (18%), and Petite Sirah (14%).  It has retained its color pretty well over the last 14 years as well as a good bouquet.    The cork did crumble after opening, but still tasted good.  Flavors of toasted blackberry and cherry were still present.  There was some slight acidity to the taste and the characteristics were slightly diminished due to the age. Ideally, this bottle should have been enjoyed a few years earlier. However, we are happy to report it had not turned to vinegar and it was drinkable with a nice fatty meal to balance the deep flavors and acidity.  It was definitely on the downhill slide though and it would have been nice to enjoy this when it was at its peak. So friends, the take away here is don’t wait too long to drink a bottle of wine, even if you have it stored safely in the cellar as there are optimal timeframes in which to fully enjoy all that the lovely bottle has to offer.  We still enjoyed it and give many thanks to this lucky wine bottle we found in the back of the cellar!

www.sistercreekvineyards.com