Siboney Cellars – Texas Hill Country

A little bit of patience and a lot of hard work can make awesome dreams come true.  And so, it goes for owners Barbara and Miguel Lecuona. You may know Miguel from his work at Hill Country Light where his photography work can be found at a number of fine Hill Country wineries. Together with Barbara, who earned her winemaking certificate through the Texas Tech program, they have ventured into this ever evolving and rapidly expanding Texas wine world. First, let’s get the pronunciation right - See-Bo-NAY.  Second, you’ll get a great back story on the winery name when you visit with them and then better understand why it’s a perfect match for their winery.  The name is one of Cuba’s great love songs and yes, it was written by one of Miguel’s relatives! How cool is that? The name also reflects a coastal village on the far south end of Cuba.  The current tasting room location is at Hawk Shadow Winery in Dripping Springs. Grapes are sourced from the Texas Hill Country and Texas High Plains AVA with focus on Rhone and Bordeaux varietals. Barbara has made some great tasting wines with her initial selections. We tried five wines for our first visit. Starting with the whites, was the 2017 Hot Shot. A blend of 50% Viognier and 50% Roussanne, you’ll get the strength of the Viognier complimented with the full bright flavors of the Roussanne. A nicely balanced blend. Next up, was the 2018 Sauvignon Blanc.  This Sauv Blanc hit the high marks! Sourced from Nara Vineyards, it packs great flavor of lime and peaches. Their 2018 Rosé is made from Mourvèdre from Lahey Vineyards.  It has moderate acids, dark color, full of dark fruit flavor and a hint of toasted pecan on the finish. We loved it. For the reds, we sampled the 2017 Travis. Sourced from Hoover Valley Vineyards, this 90% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah has bright acids, plums favors and a hint of oregano. It will be interesting to try again in 2-3 years. Timing is everything, and we were fortunate to taste (and buy) some of the last 2017 Nebbiolo.  Also sourced from Lahey Vineyards, this wine is reminiscent of Pinot Noir (difficult to grow in Texas). As a special treat we were given a sample of the ‘in-the-bottle-yet-to-be-released-and-named’ red blend.  We won’t spoil the secret of this blend before release, but let’s just say Barbara has done justice and we will be back for some of these! On the horizon will be a 2017 Tempranillo from Newsom Vineyards and a Zinfandel port, which sounds very interesting. These new releases were impressive.  You may have noticed the bud break symbol on the labels.  It is from a bud break on 40-year-old vines from Bordeaux that Miguel photographed. In 2020, the Lecuonas hope to be at their new permanent location on a 52-acre lot adjacent to the west of Lewis Wines near Johnson City.  They are a great and creative couple to get to know and you can see how their heart and soul and passion is all in this new chapter of their life.  We have no doubt that their work will have a big impact on how “Texas Terroir” will eventually be defined and we can hardly wait to see and sample their future releases. Welcome and Saluté!

www.siboneycellars.com