Downtown
Fredericksburg can be a crowded place on weekends with wineries, shops, and
food galore. Just before you get to this “bustling” tourist town, there
is a great new winery that’s much easier to get in and out of than a parking
spot on main street! The owners, Billy and Susan Johnson,
established their dream venture in 2015 with their first vine plantings of
Tempranillo and Tannat which has since expanded to Alicante Bouschet, Malbec,
Souzao, and Viognier. They opened their tasting room on highway 290 to the
public last May. Since then, they have gotten the fast lesson on
what it is like to be a new winery that everyone wants to visit. Being
busy is good for business and they have quite a selection of 100% Texas wines to
share with thirsty customers. The inside of their tasting room is
quite spacious with a bar and ample seating. However, the real treat is on the
back porch where you will get a fabulous view of the rolling hills on the
southside terrain that you would never suspect to see. The vineyard
is separate from their tasting room and is located about 10 miles south of
there on Grapetown road where wine club pickup events will be held. John
Rivenburgh has been helping the Johnsons out with their initial wine production.
In addition to their estate vineyard, they also source about 400 tons from
Brownfield. Their current tasting selection consists of a good mix
of white and red wines along with a Rose’ to round out the lot. The first white
we tasted was the 2017 Malvasia Bianca. It is quite floral with a soft finish.
The other white to try is the 2017 Roussanne with pronounced pineapple notes
and quite a long finish. The 2017 Lizzie
Rose’ is a special family treat. Named after Susan’s Great-Grandmother, this
85% Grenache Rose’ has lingering strawberry notes with moderate acidity. For
the reds, the 2016 Malbec is quite fruit forward with a touch of leather. The 2016 Dolcetto is a low tannin red that is
soft and easy to sip. For their 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon, you will detect
leather and licorice notes. For the wine that has helped put Texas on the map,
their 2016 Tempranillo does justice.
It’s full of flavor with a touch of boldness and silky lingering tannins
that begs to be paired with a nice Texas ribeye. In the coming months they will
be releasing their 2017 Texas Cabernet Sauvignon. It promises to be
a great vintage! This will be followed by a Petite Sirah, Souzao, Trebbiano,
and Tannat. With live music every Saturday and Sunday and a great
staff to chat and visit with when you stop in, you’ll be a happy camper here
every weekend. Drop on by and check them out, we do not think you
will be disappointed. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment