Ab Astris Winery – Stonewall, Texas

This family-owned boutique winery near the LBJ ranch exemplifies what love, hard work, and patience can bring to the Texas wine business. You’ll have to take the “country road” off HWY 290, cross the river, and trek over a crushed gravel road, but it is well worth it!  Once you arrive at the estate, you’ll see their lush vineyard that is merely in its first year, a windmill, the fantastic tasting room, and the owners, Tony and Erin Smith, and possibly their daughter and son in law assisting for the day. The tasting room sits on the topographic high of their estate and is adjacent to the vineyard. You get a superb panoramic view of the country side and can immediately begin to relax and unwind. The Smith’s have been working on this winery idea for about 8-10 years. They were fortunate to cross paths with the well-known John Rivenburgh (wine maker and vineyard consultant) to help them fulfill their dreams. The last three years is where everything has come together, and you’ll see the results in the wine they are premiering on their tasting menu. The estate has about seven acres planted of Tannat, Souzão, and Clairette Blanche with plans to add Petite Sirah and Montepulciano.  With over 20 acres on the property to expand upon, they are off to a good start. There are currently eight wines available for tasting with one more on the way! All white wines are 2017 and fabulous!  The Solis is a Muscat/Roussanne blend with the lovely Roussanne notes adding a pleasant compliment to the citrus notes. There are two single varietal Roussannes allowing one to compare Texas High Plains and Texas Hill Country AVA fruit. The High Plans version features fruit from Reddy Vineyards with a rich aged golden color that is quite aromatic and loaded with pineapple notes. The Hill Country option features fruit from Hoover Valley and presents pronounced smooth buttery and honeysuckle notes. The Malvasia Bianca, is more floral with enticing peach flavor. The Smith’s were wise to let the 2015 reds age a bit before releasing to allow a greater depth of flavor to develop with their maturity. The Montepulciano...wow! It is balanced with a smooth finish and a nice mouthfeel!  The Tempranillo is sourced from Newsom Vineyards and shines with great qualities of tobacco, leather and a fine finish. Their Tannat proves Texas is where single varietal Tannat wines rule.  It’s bold, rich, yet smooth for a fabulous experience. The red list includes Tribus, which is a unique blend of Mourvedre and Malbec. It is well balanced and has great character featuring cherry and plum rich notes. We had the special pleasure of tasting the Ausonius, a future Bordeaux style blend of 40% Cabernet, 35% Merlot, and 25% Petit Verdot. This red will be the shining star of Ab Astris Winery!  The notes, the mouth feel, the tannins…oh my! A future case worthy purchase that will only continue to get better with age. The tasting experience at this winery is memorable set back from the busy road, in a country side setting, amid trees on one side and the beautiful vineyard on the other. We hope to review each of these wines individually in the future. Tony and Erin’s dedication to 100% Texas wines holds true.  With John RivenBurgh’s guidance, and their son-in-law Mike’s passion of learning the wine making techniques, their future looks very bright.  Yes, from the stars, the owners are guiding this new vineyard and winery to future success.  Ab Astris Winery stands to be a stellar addition to the Texas wine industry!

www.abastriswinery.com