Armadillo Leap Winery – Fredericksburg, Texas

You may have seen some of these wine brands at some local wine stores before.  Armadillo Leap is a sister winery of Pedernales Cellars with more focus on experimenting with non-Texas grapes.  Founded by the Kuhlken-Osterberg family, they opened last December on the popular US. HWY 290 wine road.  They are located where the Pink Pig restaurant used to be. It’s a nice and spacious building with a back deck that has great views looking west towards Fredericksburg.  Back during our visit in January, they had six Armadillo Leap wines, two Chlo-Jack wines from Bending Branch and a Glogg.  The first Armadillo Leap wine on the list is a Sparkling Moscato.  Sourced with grapes from New Mexico, it has citrus aromas and pleasant semi-sweet feel that would pair well with appetizers and snacks. The 2013 Viognier/Roussanne blend is a good balance of these two varietals.  The 2013 Viognier single varietal is pretty smooth and would pair well with some local spicy dishes.  The ‘Red’ is a Tempranillo from Lubbock that is fairly smooth with a long finish.  The ‘BFF’ is a lovely Italian style blend.  The “secret blend” (perhaps some Sangiovese, Montepulciano, and Dolcetto?) has very nice soft tannins and a pleasant long finish.  The last Armadillo Leap wine, Muscat, is a sweet dessert wine with strong citrus flavors.  The Chlo-Jack Rose’ is made from Servadou grapes.  It’s a good warm afternoon sipping treat.  The Chlo-Jack Red is a bold Petite Syrah for the dedicated red wine lover.  The Stonewall Glogg is one of the winery’s seasonal products that is fortified with 18% brandy.  It’s a great traditional spiced wine for winter and the holiday season.  Come check out this new place when you’re nearby and share a sip or two.

www.armadillosleap.com

I-1 NV; Location Wines; Italy

This is our first taste at Location Wines.  Location Wines are a series of wines crafted by Dave Phinney of Orin Swift Cellars to show the “best” characteristics of wines from various regions around the world. Our first look at one of these wines is an Italian wine labeled I - 1.  It is a blend of mostly Negroamaro, Nero d’Avola, and Barbera grapes.  This featured wine could definitely use a good hour or so of decanting to allow it to fully open up.  It was quite hot after the first pour. You’ll note aromas of raspberries and plums while being in awe of its deep purple to ruby red hue. You’ll taste some olives and blueberry, followed by some strong spicy notes with a bit of acidity. It is quite tannic with a very long lingering finish.  You may even pick up on some minerality towards the end. Overall the wine has a good character and a nice medium body.  Not bad for a featured wine to help us all gain a better sense of the terroir and wine making styles with different varietals of a particular country or region.  More location wines will be sampled and reported on this year! Saluti!

www.locationswine.com

Roussanne La Cuvee Principale Reserve - 2012; Calais Winery; Hye, Texas

Have you already googled this wine?  Are you still in disbelief that it was aged for 30 months? We'll we can attest that it is very true and if you are still in doubt, then the wonderful taste and aromas from this wine will make you a believer.  Leave it to Ben Calais to be able to age this Roussanne so long and have it turn out so well.  The deep golden color makes it look like a 10+ year old white, but that's the result of the small tight oak barrel method.  It may initially come across has high alcohol, but trust us it is not.  What you'll get are some complex notes of almonds to nutmeg which is quite a treat. Yes, for real!  Now prepare your palate for some interesting flavors.  Let's just lay it out a few samples - butter, goat cheese, caramel, truffle,....oh my!  And yes, that is some heat you feel with the finish.  Top that off with some acidity and pepperiness and wow!  Nice, eh?  For 30 months, you might already have preconditioned your brain to prepare for strong oak, but surprisingly it's light to moderate on the oak notes. Indeed,  Ben figured out the magic to bring forth different notes in these grapes. This is just an absolutely lovely Roussanne that any white wine connoisseur would love to have in their inventory.  If you're up for an interesting comparison, do try his 2012 Roussanne.  Of course, you might have to wait a while before we post our thoughts on that one,  but there's no stopping you from enjoying both now.    Drink well our wine fans and thoroughly enjoy this one as it is a real treat! Santé!

www.calaiswinery.com