Owners Dr. Michael and Deanna Dickey are no
strangers to wine. Having spent some quality time in Napa Valley,
the dream of having a vineyard and winery of their own was something they
turned into reality. Mike Dickey completed courses with the Texas Tech Enology
program and along with the guidance of Dr. Bob Young of Bending Branch, he has been
producing his own wines. Located at the former location of Rancho Ponte,
the Dickey’s have breathed new life into this place with their own inside décor
and outside vineyard. In addition to their estate vineyard, they also have
vineyards near Hye and Pontotoc for sourcing Texas Hill Country AVA
grapes. Since opening just over a year ago, Mike and Deanna started
serving some Bending Branch wines and wines made from California grapes, they
have been slowly making the transition to Texas High Plains AVA sourced grapes
and are now gearing up for more Hill Country sourced wines. They have a
few flight selections to choose from currently on their menu. For this
visited, we opted for the mixed flight, featuring a little bit of everything!
For the whites, we started with the 2017 Viognier. Sourced from the Texas High
Plains of Reddy Vineyards, this aromatic wine is fresh with some buttery notes
and bright acids. We moved on to the 2018 Twilight Rosé. A blend of 92% Mourvedré and 8% Cabernet
Sauvignon from Pontotoc, this off-dry Rosé is quite refreshing for the infamous hot summer Texas
days! For the reds, we sampled the NV Tannat which is a product of
the Russian River Valley. This red was a rich wine with a lovely bouquet and a
fine smoky finish! The NV Texas High Plains Syrah has 25% Petite
Syrah added to it to help round out that leathery, smoky, and tantalizing full
mouth feel. Lastly, we enjoyed the 2014 Carlito's Cuvée. A blend of
Souzao, Aglianico, Montepulciano, and Petite Syrah. This California sourced
wine has great balance, moderate acidity, and a relatively smooth
finish. We also got to sip the 2018 Viognier, as
well. This release is Texas Hill Country sourced and its profile is
completely different than that of the High Plains Viognier. A great treat to
test “battle of the Viogniers”! They are also working on a Tempranillo
they plan to release in the future, so it is worth your valuable wine stopping
time to stop by and taste not only what is currently on the menu but see if
anything new has been released yet. There are additionally plans for
a great blend from the Mourvedre, Malbec and Merlot from their estate vineyard.
This newest Texas Hill Country boutique winery is a fine addition to the area,
and we look forward to stopping by again in the future to see how their menu
and wines continue to evolve. The servers are also quite knowledgeable on wine
and will provide quality professional service during your tasting
session. They are off to a great start in their initial year. Cheers!
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