Barbera – 2012; Solaro Estate Winery; Dripping Springs, Texas

Bring on the best entrée, bring out the best dishes, because Barbera is here! This barrel reserve estate grown varietal has been a wine that has distinguished Solaro has one of the top-notch Texas wine producers. The 2012 vintage packs some bold acids but settles down with the right food pairing and time to breathe. The color on the rim has a slight pink hue and the color during the pour is a translucent ruby red. It does give you an initial punch of spicy bouquet with notes of raspberries and some cherries.   This medium bodied red wine is a pleaser for those who enjoy greatness. The Barbera vines at the Solaro estate have unfortunately since been removed. Thus, these bottles are now limited and very much worth relishing when opened. We have a few more vintages to enjoy before the last drop is gone and entered in tasting memories. Cin cin!

www.solaroestate.com

Roussanne – 2015; Kuhlman Cellars; Stonewall, Texas

No complaints on this enticing white wine!  With only mild color changes, this 2015 Roussanne has held up quite well over the last few years.  The acids seem to have settle down a bit from the initial taste when it was released. This lovely white wine will entice you with a touch of mango here and there, but pineapple and lemon notes seem to be the dominant ones for now. Still have a few bottles in your wine cellar? You could probably keep them for a couple more years and try again or just pop the cork on them now and enjoy. You’ve already waited long enough, for a white wine haven’t you? Cheers!

www.kuhlmancellars.com

Parr Vineyards – Mason, Texas

Parr Vineyards is certainly no stranger to Texas Hill Country wineries. William and Chris Wines, Pedernales Cellars, and Lewis Wines have all produced some of their best wines from fruit sourced from this vineyard. Located in the outer frontiers of the the Texas Hill Country AVA near Mason, owners Robert and Dilek Parr have been transforming their 20-acre ponderosa into one of the most unique and top-notch grape growers over the last 15 years. Living abroad and experiencing many great ways of pairing food and wine helped plant those early seeds of one day growing grapes to produce their own wine. Over the years, Robert dabbled in wine making and grape growing in Boerne. The desire to have a fine bottle of wine was certainly a motivator to find a place to grow quality grapes.  There are about 16 acres of production vines on their estate that consist of Mourvèdre, Semillon, Tempranillo, and Touriga National.  The special terroir of this location consists of decomposed granite lying within the Hickory Sandstone formation. This allows for not only great drainage, but excellent plant nutrients for the vines.  This coupled with cool nights to offset the typical brutal Texas heat of summer has yielded some very fine quality fruit. Robert Nida has been assisting the Parrs with their winemaking.  All fruit is hand harvested, estate bottled, and non-filtered. You truly get the essence of what quality work is all about.  Their new Mason tasting room currently features their seven initial estate wines to sample. Starting off with the whites, we dove into the 2018 Semillon. It has pleasant aromas, is very fruit forward with a wonderful mouth feel. Next up was the2018 Mourvèdre Rosé. This wine has a lovely raspberry light hue with tantalizing acids and nice licorice and blackberry flavors. For the first red, we tried the 2015 Mourvèdre. This smooth red has more of a rich dark fruitier flavor with a touch of pepper.  The 2015 Touriga is very dark in color with a great nose and a full mouth feel.  Ironically, the 2016 Touriga seems smoother and more elegant and interesting with richer dark fruit flavors and a slight pepper finish. The last two reds we sampled a couple of months ago at Mason’s Hallowine event where we met the Parrs and talked about their new tasting room opening. At that event, the wines poured were the 2018 Tempranillo Joven which was drinking quite well for such a relatively young red wine and we sampled the 2019 Wild Child. This last red wine is a blend of Touriga, Tempranillo, Cabernet, Graciano, Mourvèdre, and Viognier. It’s well balanced and a great melding of flavors and aromas.  This was a fantastic launch of their initial wine releases. First impressions are everything and the Parrs have made a strong impression with us. Robert mentioned that there may be Syrah and Viognier vines producing fruit in the future. We left the tasting room full of delight and eager anticipation of our future return to sample impending new released in the new year. Visiting this couple in their tasting room and hearing them share their passion about what they are doing and their story of how they arrived at their present dream come true was inspiring and delightful. We’ll be back and look forward to many more great things happening here. Do make plans to visit them in Mason, you will not be disappointed, and you should enjoy visiting with them and learning about their journey.  The lovely cheese and snacking plates for you to enjoy with the wines is a great compliment to the conversations. Enjoy and Cheers!

www.parrvineyards.com

Chardonnay 2014 – Bent Oak Winery; Cedar Park, Texas

This first release white wine from Bent oak was a treat to open after cellaring for years. So, how has it faired after all this time?  Quite well!  Sourced from the Russian River AVA of Sonoma County, this aged Chardonnay still packs some fruit on the nose of apples and pears. The acids are likewise still holding well imparting this beauty with a nice crisp finish. There has been some mild color change due to aging that might make you think it’s not as old as it is. The tasting profile holds quite consistent even after one to two hours after pouring.  Well done for a first vintage.  A keeper if you have more.  Enjoy!

www.bentoakwinery.com

Cabernet Sauvignon – 2014; 1851 Vineyards; Fredericksburg, Texas

A 16.3% alcohol Cab?  No problem! A good winemaker knows what to do. Sourced from the Sierra Foothills AVA in California, this Cabernet Sauvignon wine has just enough acid to help balance things out. Your palate will initially be enticed by a richness of strawberries and cherry notes. That will be followed by flavors of blueberries, plums and a touch of oak and voila - greatness in a bottle!  This enjoyable tasting adventure finishes with light tannins and moderate acidity. This is a great bottle for a first release from 1851. This wine is aging quite well and should keep for many more years. If you still have any, fear not, as there is no rush to necessarily open it just yet. Cheers!

www.1851vineyards.com

Malbec – 2012; Perissos Vineyard and Winery; Burnet, Texas

Sourced from Brennen Vineyards, this seven-year-old Malbec is still holding up well with enticing floral aromas on the nose. Your taste buds will be entertained with notes of rich plums, soothing black cherries, and a touch of blackberry.  There is a bit of a jammy character to it, as well. Medium tannins round out the finish on this lovely bottle. It’s quite nice and aging beautifully. Look forward to trying this again in a few years!

www.perissosvineyards.com