A Different Take on Old Favorites: Visiting Spicewood Vineyards

I don't often venture much past the 290 wine trail here in Texas. I have to do almost all my winery visits as day trips, so staying near home is easier. But that regular circuit of wineries doesn't always inspire me. When there are new wines, events, etc., it is easy to get inspired, but as the days turn long and the winery folks are intent on the grapes ripening on the vine, I look for different pastures. I start close, usually the Driftwood/Dripping Springs area. Recently I went a tad bit further afield and stopped in the Marble Falls area. Sean and I hadn't been to the area wineries in several years; our last visit was right after my grandparents moved from Lago Vista in 2011. On a nice, bright June Saturday, we visited Spicewood Vineyards.

Visting
We visited Spicewood back in 2011. At the time, we found the wines decent but lacking some character. We decided to file the winery away and wait to see what happened. Recently, the folks at Vinously Speaking made a visit to Spicewood. There were tales of good times and great wine; and with that said, Spicewood wines ended up on the shop's shelves (The Tempranillo, Merlot, Merlot Rose, and Sauvignon Blanc). This peaked my interest, and so we made the slightly longer drive up 281.



The winery was a bit quiet for a Saturday afternoon -- there were three other small groups besides us. We didn't mind, as they left before we finished, giving us ample time to chat with vineyard manager Brad Dixon and owner Ron Yates. Brad took us through a leisurely tasting as we enjoyed the company of the three winery dogs.We mainly tasted the available menu, but at the end, we were able to taste a few more wines. This tasting was what we had hoped for two years ago. All the wines are small production and use primarily Texas grapes (grape appellation is notated on the tasting menu). The wines also had their own voice, each with its own take on the mainly single variety wines.

Wines

Estate Vineyards

The whites were a nice treat. The two we tasted were two of my favorites, Viognier and Albarino. For both, the grapes came from the Texas High Plains; the wines also provided light, subtle takes on the grapes. The Albarino had strong notes of pear with a crisp finish. This was a surprise, as I often expect a hint of sweet in Albraino; instead, I found it in the Viognier, as the aroma of honeysuckle and tastes of melon came through.

Wines for sale at Vinously Speaking, San Antonio, Texas

 

Spicewood has a number of roses. The one we tried was the Tempranillo. I first worried that is would resemble the Rose of Tempranillo from Hilmy, but it was a dry rose compared to Hilmy's slightly sweet. Both roses bring out hints of strawberry, but as the Spicewood wine is dry, the strawberry was light, almost floral. 

One of the main reasons we came to Spicewood was their Claret. Sean still stands by Becker's Claret -- even if oftentimes the grapes are not from Texas. Knowing that Spicewood is known for their Claret -- they even have an annual Claret chili cook-off in March -- we were eager to give the newest one a try. This Claret, despite being dominated by Tempranillo (at 55%), is oddly sweet. In fact, I noticed attributes of the other grapes -- 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, and 5% Syrah. The fruit notes are very pronounced and give a sense of sweetness not found in Claret. 

We drank one non-Texas wine, the Grenache from Paso Robles, CA. The nose on this wine reminded me of a Spanish version of this wine, oak and earth. I expected the wine to be more fruity and light, as the variety is often a light-bodied red (check out Becker's Reserve for a good example). However, this Grenache provide depths of flavors with an oak feel mid-palate and ending with a balance of tea and fruit. This unique red asked me to take my time and taste it carefully.

Wines for sale at Vinously Speaking, San Antonio, Texas

We rounded out the main tasting with a High Plains Tempranillo (80% with 20% cCb) and an estate grown  Hill Country Merlot. The Tempranillo hearkened back to the Claret; it was light and fruity with only a hint of the typical spice and earth so often found in Texas Tempranillos. It had hints of the typical Temp found laced through a lighter, fruitier take; I could easily just sip at this wine. The Merlot was the only wine I didn't feel surprised by; it fell in line with many of the Texas Merlot's we had recently been tasting, which is a good thing. The tannins were pronounced in the aroma, leading into flavors of spice and limestone; the fruit was light and interlaced itself through the stronger earthier flavors.

After our main tasting, Brad offered to let us re-taste or taste other wines. Of course, Sean and I were both drawn to the 100% Touriga. Brad informed us that they had been tending the Touriga -- located in Round Mountain -- for someone else. For taking care of the grapes, they got access to the crop. This wine was the result of that hard work. It ended up our favorite of the day. It was a lighter, softer Touriga, especially compared to the ones coming out of  Mason, TX (one of the areas producing the most of it). The fruit flavors, dark berries, dominated but were well supported by spice and earth (the opposite of what we were use to). The balance found in this wine was incredible. We were blown away, and then disappointed. This past year, the owner of the vineyard decided to start charging Spicewood, and they were not interested in the new price. This means no Touriga in the new future. However, the success of the vineyard encouraged them to plant some of their own; that means there will be Touriga again several years from now. 

Painting found at the winery

This recent trip to Spicewood won us over. This was something different, despite the same old varieties. I like to taste the depth and breadth of a grape, to know its various forms. Here, I was provided yet another look at some of my favorites. This year, especially after a trip like this, I have come to appreciate the uniqueness of Texas wines. Different vineyards, different winemakers, etc, craft such a wide range of wines, even when using the same grapes. Because of this, a Texas wine drinker never knows what to expect with each new wine; it is such a wonderful adventure.

Wine Notes: Bending Branch and Pederrnales

Tuesday, Jan. 8 sees the first TX Wine Twitter Tuesday for 2013. I'm coordinating the event at San Antonio's own Vinously Speaking. The wine line-up includes a number of recent releases from Bending Branch Winery and Pedernales Cellars. I have been lucky to already taste these great wines.

Wines for TX Wine Twitter Tuesday @ Vinously Speaking

The three wines available -- a Tempranillo, Tannat, and Albranio -- are ones that require time and patience. These are wines that ask the drinker to sip, to explore their depths.

Layers of greenery

give way: an expanse of fruit

nestled, protected.

Bending Branch Winery

Newsom Vineyards Tempranillo 2010

This wine saw release in November of 2012 and has been available at the winery and at the Pearl Farmer's Market in San Antonio.

When Bending Branch officially released this wine, Neal and Janice Newsom came for a visit to talk about their vineyard and grape growing/wine making in Texas. Neal provided a linguistic lesson to me, Russ Kane (@ Vintage Texas), and a gathering of Bending Branch family and friends. He explained some of the West Texas dialect, explaining the usage of y'all and fixin' to. Russ even provided a northern perspective.

The wine itself has been developing in the bottle. At first taste, I noticed an earthy aroma that was barely noticeable in the tasting; the oak of the barrel aging did come through lightly at the end. That aroma has softened, as well as the taste. This Tempranillo is now focusing on the other components, such as the berry front. The berry, originally, was heavy and clean; it moved naturally into the earth at the end. Now, the wine has a smooth darkness from beginning to end as the the berry and earth blend together. The new sensation is more subtle and crafted as the two flavors intertwine to add a depth to the berry flavor and a softness to the earth and oak.

Texas Tannat (Reddy Vineyards)

Bending Branch has become known for their Tannats. Until last year, the only Tannats available came from California grapes. As of Fall 2012, the Texas grown Tannat has dominated at the winery. This wine has also been available at the Pearl Farmer's Market.

Compared to earlier Tannats, this wine is softer. The sweet-like dark fruits -- I am thinking more in the line of a ripe dark plum or similar fruits -- originally gave way into a bold earth taste. Like the Tempranillo, the bottle aging has been kind. The earth is more pronounced from the beginning, bringing a more natural taste to the wine. The fruit has softened and has become one of a number of flavors. Compared to the Tempranillo, the fruit is still more pronounced.

Pedernales Cellars

Pedernales Cellars saw two January releases: Albarino and 2012 Vino Blanco. The Albarino will be available at the tasting at Vinously Speaking, but the new Vino Blanco will not.

Albarino

This wine comes on strong with acidic citrus fruits like grapefruit. There is this sense of sweetness, but the wine is dry. In fact, the dryness coupled with the acid allows for a crisp wine that bites back (tried alongside the Picpoul Blanc -- aka Lip Stinger -- from Bending Branch makes it clear that the similar sensation is occurring here). As the wine softens through tasting, stone fruits, especially apricots, are more noticable. It is at this point that the acidicity starts to decline and the characteristic earthiness of Pedernales' wines starts to come through. It is this mix of sensations that made this wine drinkable on a cold winter day and yet will be a refreshing treat once the heat arrives.

Vino Blanco 2012

Though this won't be at the tasting, I thought it only fair to provide a quick review. This blend is still heavy on the Viognier, which can be easily noted. Like in previous years, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc round out the blend (but in different proportions compared to the 2011). That helps this blend, as I saw it as more quintessentially Fredericksburg and Stonewall in flavor. Apple and peach come through, along with dried apricot. The wine ends up being light and soft, especially compared to the acidic Albarino.

These wines should be popular with the tasters at Vinously Speaking. Along with the three other wines, there are sure to generate lots of talk.

5. Albariño

5. Albariño

Crisp sunshine, soft sweet

Peaches dance on my palate

Refreshing, spring’s wine

This first poem of the April challenge is inspired by Pedernales Cellars' Albariño. This wine was a welcome refresher yesterday, as the day quickly reached the upper eighties and had over 70% humidity; it felt like summer had already come. The Albariño eased the day and cooled me. Now, on first glance, the reason for this may be the chilled temperature of the wine. The real reason is the taste of this wine.

A good Albariño is a crisp wine. The wine is like sweet Granny Smith apples -- the ones that are crisp from the hint of sourness. It is a light feel. I would equate it to having Granny Smith's in a fresh, green salad. It is also like honeydew melons. These lighter melons are not overpoweringly sweet or watery, much like this wine. On a warm day, this is refreshing.

Albariño also holds a strong fruity sweetness. This wine isn't the berry sweet of reds, but of softer fruits like peaches and apricots. It resembles these fruits earlier in their season, lightly sweet and soft. These fruits, in late Spring, are light. They sweeten but do not seem syrupy. This is what Albariño captures. It also captures a hint of citrus -- Muscat Cannelli's are strong citrus flavors, like a good orange. Albariño is more like lime.

 
Combining all these fruits -- green apples, peaches, apricots, and limes -- is a refreshment, but it also creates a nice color. There is a light golden color that has hints of early Spring green in the shimmer. It is a beautiful wine to look at. The appearance is as cool as the taste.

As for Pedernales's take, it is a clearly born in Texas the Hill Country. Soft peaches are a powerful component of this wine, much like the landscape in and around Stonewall and Fredericksburg. Right now, there are light blossoms dancing in the sun. Soon, we will see ripe, golden globes. For now, I can have Albariño: fresh peaches, cool and sweet on a hot Texas afternoon.