If
you have not yet stopped in to check out this winery, you will be pleasantly
surprised with one of the newest Hill Country wineries located between Johnson
City and Hye. Owner’s David and Cindy
Lawson are no strangers to winemaking.
They have been making wines at their Washington location for 20 years.
Cindy got her husband David interested in wine and their adventures have taken
off since. Cindy is originally from Houston, moved to Seattle for another
career before getting into the wine making world and establishing their home in
San Antonio a few years ago. Their Texas
tasting room location has been opened since May of 2021. Morgan Lee, their very
longtime employee, heads up their winemaking facilities. Currently they serve
wines sourced from Washington grapes and a couple of Texas wines, as well. The tasting room is elevated up about 1400
feet with a nearly 360-degree view of the surrounding Pedernales Valley and
hills of Johnson City on the horizon. Inside the tasting room, it is very
spacious with vaulted ceilings and a modern country like décor. Tastings are
done by flights. We chose both the mixed flight as well as the reserve flight. First
up, was the 2020 Chardonnay. Sourced
from Boushey Vineyard of the Yakima Valley AVA, this wine was aged mostly in
neutral oak and exhibits a lighter style without a lot of oak in this one.
Something everyone should be able to enjoy. Next was the 2020 OG sourced from
Olsen Vineyard of the Yakima Valley AVA.
Abbreviated for ‘Orange Gewurztraminer’, this white wine had extended
maceration on skins and has characteristics of a muscat like aroma and
honeysuckle nose fooling you into thinking you are about to sip something sweet,
but this is a very dry wine with a nice touch of melon on the palate. The rest
of the tastings were their reds. First
was the 2015 Ode. Sourced from two different Washington vineyards, this
Sangiovese was aged 3 years in barrel and 2 years in bottle. Call it a Brunello style wine if you’d like,
it’s beautiful on the nose and palate with both richness and silkiness enticing
you back for more. Behold their 2019 Texas Tempranillio! Sourced from the Texas
High Plains AVA, this 18-month aged beauty is a good go-to Texas Tempranillio
that everyone should be able to enjoy. It’s light, with good acids, and has a
lovely fruit forward sensation. The MaBelle label has been a favorite of
Cindy’s for years. Made with 90% Grenache along with additions of Syrah and
Cinsault, this GSM style blend is a great light fruity red wine to enjoy with
your wood fired pizza. Their 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is something extra
special. Sourced from Discovery Vineyard of Washington state not only was it
barrel fermented, but barrel aged as well. With 15% Cabernet Franc and 5%
Merlot added to this red wine, it is very enticing for those fruit forward red
wine lovers. It has at least a decade if
not two aging potential, so load up and try every few years with this Cab. The
2018 Syrah was sourced from seven different Washington vineyards of Columbia
Valley AVA. A favorite of the winemaker Morgan, this bold and robust beast is
something to enjoy well with your favorite protein. We moved on to the 2019 Rio
Ronde. The name refers to the Rio Grande in Texas as well as Washington’s Grande
Rondo River. This 50/50 blend of Texas Tempranillo and Washington Syrah grapes
has great aromatic fruit forward notes, well balanced texture, and a nice
smooth lingering finish. You will enjoy another one of the winemaker’s crafty
creations called the Rough House. Named after Morgan’s naval unit, this 2018
vintage is made with 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Zinfandel. It is fruity and
jammy and has a long great finish. The best for last was the 2016 Reserve
Cabernet Franc. CF lovers, rejoice, for this red jewel was fermented in tinaja!
Sourced from Discovery Vineyard, this flagship wine has an excellent silky
feel, just the right amount of tannins, and a lingering happy feel - a 15+
years age worthy Cab Franc! Let’s also
not forget that their culinary expert, Cheylan Harris, can help you out with
some great pairings while you sip your glass of wine as well as make some great
dish pairing suggestions as you load up on your case of goodies. The owners
plan to introduce more Texas wines to the menu yet continue to feature their Washington
wines too. You get a great opportunity to taste the best of both states here
and nothing on the list will disappoint you.
You might notice on your next visit that some plots near the tasting
room have been prepped for a future vineyard. Look for Montepulciano vines for
starters being planted this Spring with more to come. With the views, the wine, and great owners,
you just might make this place your second wine home. No judgement here, we
loved it. Cheers!
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