Saba Winery – Mason, Texas

Founded in 2021 by Scott Monette and Mirta Leon Poiseu, this brand-new winery in Mason is really showing off how well Spanish varieties can do in Texas.  The Mason Art and Wine festival last April 2nd was their big “first day” event and it seems like they have made a big impression with many Texas wine fans.  Scott had started out as a California wine drinker, but after a few trips to some fine Texas wineries and sampling what has been made recently, he was quite impressed and decided to take the deep dive into the Texas winery business. The focus of Saba Winery is on Spanish style wines along with some of the history associated with the Mason area. The owners have set aside about 15 acres of their own future estate grapes in the far northwestern frontier of the Texas Hill Country in Menard County. Some of the grapes they will be planting include Graciano, Grenache, and Carignan along with PicPoul Blanc. They also have a great mentor, John Rivenburgh working with them. Using John’s incubator project, this new winery is certainly off to the right start and in great hands.  For the wines, the names and images on the labels all have references to the early Spanish days in Texas along with a good story. Sourced from Buena Suerte Vineyards in the Texas High Plains AVA, the 2020 Mission Rosé is a 50/50 blend of Tempranillo and Grenache.  It has a light fruity fragrance on the nose and ripe strawberries on the palate.  The fruit for the 2019 Norteño Red comes from Tad Daniel Vineyards of the high plains. This blend of Tempranillo, Sangiovese, and Alicante Bouschet displays strong ripe cherries followed a touch of spice on the nose.  Also sourced from Tad Daniel Vineyard is the 2019 Presidio Red.  This 80/20 Tempranillo-Souzao blend is bold and fruit forward and should pair quite nicely with your favorite meat dish. There is also a Two Rivers white available (named after the land between the San Saba and Llano rivers) as well as an upcoming red blend called 5 Hippies Red (named after wine pioneering influencers). In addition to the great wines, you will love the tasting rooms interior space themed in Spanish styled décor. Plus, the tapas are to die for!  This place is a great addition to the up-and-coming Mason wine scene! Come to Mason and see for yourself and say hello to one of the newest fun spots on the square.  Salud!

www.sabawine.com