Three Dudes Winery (San Marcos, Texas) April 14, 2008

Needing a break between all the BBQ eating during the Central Texas BBQ pilgrimage tour, the group stopped at Three Dudes Winery in San Marcos for a little tasting.

Found in 2005 by three friends (Terry Alford, Jeff Felderhoff, and Ron Poitiff), Three Dudes Winery’s theme is all about fun.  What can you expect from a winery whose inception idea came from these three dudes sitting around playing dominoes?  In fact, construction of a covered patio and deck over the banks of the San Marcos River is in the plans, so you will be able to reach Three Dudes Winery by foot, by car, or by tube.  Now I know you can’t say that about too many other wineries, and it looks like I have something to add to my annual river float trip itinerary.

The winery is a side venture for all three dudes, who are otherwise gainfully employed.  But fun doesn’t guarantee good wine, thus the winery receives direction from prominent Texas wine consultant Benedicte Rhyne.  The winery’s raw materials all come from Texas, for the moment that means grapes from St. Genevieve and Llano Estacado’s vineyards in the high plains region.  Though the grapes are all Texan, one of the three dudes, Ron, has a degree in culinary arts from New Orleans School of Cooking and blends the Three Dudes Texas White with spicy Cajun cuisine in mind.

The Texas White is by far the best seller at Three Dudes, but it is too sweet for my taste.  Three Dudes currently produces five wines, both reds (Cab and Merlot) are too light bodied for my taste.  My favorite of the bunch is actually… winos forgive what I’m about to say… the White Zinfandel.  This white zin is much drier and crisper than the cloyingly sweet Beringer standard we’ve all experienced (yeah admit it, you’ve drank some at some point).  The fruity wine has a distinct nose of melon and strawberry, and is crisp enough to pair with spicy foods.  Three Dudes White Zinfandel won a bronze medal at the 2007 Dallas Morning News Wine Competition.  However, for those who prefer dry whites, the light and refreshing Three Dudes’ Chenin Blanc may be a better option.

Three Dudes wines are currently only sold at the tasting room.  To get a taste of the fun loving trio (and their wines), you’ll need to drive or float by.

Three Dudes Winery
125 Old Martindale Rd
San Marcos, TX 78666

Inwood Estates Vineyards & Winery (Dallas, Texas) February 12, 2008

Inwood Estates winemaker Dan Gatlin has incredible patience and persistence.  He planted his first vineyard in Denton County in 1981 and didn’t release a wine commercially under the Inwood label until August 2006.  What was he doing in those 20-some odd years?  Research, first hand research by trial and error, by failed vineyards, by tiny steps towards perfection. 

To find out a little more about Inwood wines and the winemaker, we made a Saturday afternoon visit to the winery, located in the most unlikely place, a strip of industrial warehouse-type buildings in the Design District.  Inwood’s tasting room has just recently been open to the public for tastings (weekends 1:00-6:00pm only).

Glamorous?  Not at all, no Tuscan villa architecture or scenic hilltop view here.  In fact, Dan Gatlin was in the middle of rinsing out his barrels in the parking lot when we arrived.

Inside, the tasting bar is half wine bar half mad scientist’s laboratory.

Eccentric? Yes.  Cool? Very. 

A few minutes into our conversation and I’m already starting to grasp Dan’s philosophy behind winemaking.  It’s all about the soil.

So many Texas winemakers (and drinkers) judge Texas wines by comparing them to the “standards,” California, France, Spain, etc.  Particularly for those who love a fruity California Cab and wonder why Texas winemakers can’t recreate those same characteristics, Dan’s answer is soil.  Texas soil, with its high mineral content (particularly high in calcium), greatly influences the characteristics of the grape crop.  But the soil doesn’t have to be your enemy.  Dan’s take?  Forget masking the high minerality with more residual sugar, work with the high minerality to find what grapes can be at their best in this soil type.

And work he does.  For a complete discussion about the process behind finding the varietals which worked well with Texas soils, refer to Inwood’s History and Research page.  At the end of the long road of research, Dan chooses to work with the Tempranillo (grown in a vineyard in the High Plains outside of Lubbock), whose traits become more bright and complex with higher mineral content, and the Palomino (grown in a vineyard east of Dallas), a high yield crop used heavily in Spain for sherry production but Dan cuts back the crop density (from about 7500 pounds/acre to 1000 pounds/acre) for more intense flavors. 

Is this post starting to sound like an agriculture lesson yet?  Because my visit to Inwood was the most informative winery visit I’ve ever been on.  In a short hour, I had been briefed all about the suitability of Texas climate and soil for grape growing.  Different?  Yes.  Cool?  Very.

So what wines are good?  The answer is all of them because Inwood only makes three.  Still, my favorite is the Tempranillo-Cabernet blend (all grapes grown in the High Plains outside of Lubbock) for its balance of berry and oak flavors.  The Cabernet adds structure to the blend and extends its bottle life.  Did I mention all red wines at Inwood are oaked at least 30 months?  Dan Gatlin is a patient perfectionist.  Inwood also produces a 100% Tempranillo called “The Cornelius” which is softer than the blend, fruity, and has hints of vanilla.  Inwood’s Palomino-Chardonnay (70/30 blend) is a really unique wine.  It’s different than anything I’ve ever tasted so it’s hard to compare.  The wine picks up flavors of honey and melon from the dense Palomino and is thinned by the Chardonnay for complexity. 

Dan’s wines are arguably the best in Texas, but they don’t come cheap.  The reds retail $39.50/bottle and the 2006 Palomino-Chardonnay at $79.50/bottle.  Is it worth it?  I think so.  The reds are wines you can save up for a special occasion because they’ll only get better with age (within 7-8 years, according to the winemaker) and the Palomino-Chardonnay is truly one of a kind.  I’m not the only one who thinks so either, Inwood wines are served at over 50 fine dining restaurants in Texas. 

This isn’t your typical Texas wine.  Dan Gatlin is not your typical winemaker.  And urban Dallas Inwood Estates is certainly not a typical winery. 

Inwood Estates Vineyards & Winery
1350 Manufacturing St. #209
Dallas, TX 75207

Haak Vineyards and Winery (Santa Fe, Texas) January 11, 2008

If my post on Tara Winery has piqued your interested in the Blanc du Bois grape, then it’s time to take a road trip to where some of the best Blanc du Bois wines are currently made.  Haak Winery in Santa Fe, Texas is home to the award winning semi-sweet Blanc Du Bois made from all Texas grapes (some from Haak’s vineyards). 

Haak is currently the only winery in Galveston County.  The grape growing conditions aren’t ideal there, but winemaker Raymond Haak and his wife Gladys both grew up in the area.  The winery itself is a Mediterranean style building unexpected in the semi-rural/semi-suburban residential surroundings.

The winemaker has put much effort into making this winery a travel destination by offering various live music, food, and other events.  Hence the large tasting room:

Haak also offers a grand covered patio with views onto its vines for those who prefer sipping with scenery. 

But back to the topic at hand, the wines.  Raymond Haak is one of the first winemakers in the world to cultivate the Blanc du Bois grape, a varietal developed by Dr. John Mortenson of the University of Florida in 1968 to resist Pierce’s Disease.  Raymond Haak started experimenting with Blanc du Bois as a single varietal wine in the 1970’s, long before his winery opened its doors to the public.  For a complete discussion on the history of the Blanc du Bois grape as well as wineries currently using the grape, refer to this Wine Compass article.  Though the semi-sweet Blanc du Bois ($12.95) is the best seller at Haak, I actually prefer the dry Blanc du Bois ($12.95) for its versatility with food pairings.  The wine has a crisp, clean mouthfeel much like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

At Haak Winery, the excitement doesn’t stop at the Blanc du Bois wines.  Raymond Haak is the first winemaker in Texas to make a Madeira-style fortified wine.  The difference between this Texas Madeira and the Portuguese native?  Haak’s 2003 vintage Madeira ($39.95, released in 2006) is made from 100% Jacquez (or Lenoir, another Pierce’s Disease resistant variety) grapes grown in the gulf coast region of Texas.  The fortifying process involves keeping the wine barrels in a heated cellar between 102 and 106 degrees Fahrenheit, creating a multi-international wine competition winner that is nutty, smokey, and caramel-ey (is that a word?).  Simply a wonderful after dinner drink.

While you’re in the tasting room, also check out Haak’s 2005 Malbec made from Texas grapes (a 2007 Dallas Morning News Wine Competition silver medal winner) and the toasty, oakey 2003 Zinfandel.

If a roadtrip to Galveston County isn’t in your future, you can check out Haak wines at select Tom Thumb stores in the DFW area (Coppell, Legacy at Coit in Plano, Parker at the Tollway in Plano, and Northwest Hwy at Central Expy in Dallas).  They don’t carry all the Haak wines but will at least have the semi-sweet Blanc du Bois.  If you do have a couple of hours while in the Houston area, I highly recommend stopping at Haak’s tasting room.  This is a Texas winery with the frontier spirit, where innovations and discoveries are made from years of hard work. 

Haak Vineyards and Winery
6310 Ave. T
Santa Fe, TX 77510

Tara Winery (Athens, Texas) December 18, 2007

Visiting a newly opened winery is like a crapshoot.  It could be an awesome discovery or a painful experience, and the odds favor the latter.  Tara Winery in Athens is a lucky roll.  Despite being open for less than half a year, winemaker Patrick Pierce is already producing wines that will get him noticed on the Texas wine scene. 

Patrick, another graduate of the Grayson County College Viticulture and Enology program, makes his wines in a Spanish style and focuses on affordability (all wines are between $10 and $20).  Wines are aged in American oak barrels except the Chardonnay, which is aged in French oak.  The winemaker operates under the philosophy that when you taste a wine, you should be able to taste the subtleties and nuances of the parent grape(s).  Hence, the Tara Chardonnay is more like a fruity New Zealand Chardonnay than a buttery California Chardonnay.  It’s lightly oaked for a crisp, clean finish, and is one of my favorite Texas Chardonnays thus far.   

Like other winemakers in Texas who embrace the frontier attitude, Patrick wants to develop the grapes native to Texas (which are resistant to Pierce’s Disease).  He has two versions of the Blanc du Bois, dry and semi-sweet, both of which can hang with the best Blanc du Bois in Texas, the competition favorite from Haak Winery.  The winemakers from the two wineries are good friends, so perhaps this is no coincidence.  Patrick also makes a medium bodied Cynthiana with grapes native to East Texas.

Patrick confesses that he himself prefers the big, bold reds.  Thus, the Tara wine he is most proud of is his Syrah.  As much as I enjoyed the well rounded Tara Syrah, my favorite red during this tasting was actually the American Zinfandel with its slightly spicy flavor. 

Currently, Tara wines are only available for purchase at the winery.  With so many promising products at such a young age, Tara Winery is definitely one to watch.  Soon enough, this winery will start garnering those coveted medals at wine competitions and making a well-deserved name for itself. 

Tara Vineyard & Winery
8603 CR 3914
Athens, TX 75752

Circle S Vineyards (Sugar Land, TX) November 21, 2007

“Highway 90 or I-10 to San Antonio?  Which road would be more fun in a Ferrari?”

So goes the conversation with Dave Stacy, owner and winemaker of Circle S Vineyards, on this lazy Saturday afternoon.  A fifth generation winemaker, Dave is passionate about good wines, fast cars, and strong opinions.  On this particular visit, we discuss the logistics of a short romantic getaway to San Antonio for him and his wife, Helen.  Dave is clearly in the mood for some roadside scenery and, of course, speed.

The winemakers of Texas are a diverse group.  But even within this mixed bag crosscut of the population, Dave stands out.  Former head of a Formula 1 racing car company, Dave loves his Italian race cars and vineyards.  Yes, the Stacys have family vineyards in both Tuscany, Italy, and Centerville, Texas.  But that doesn’t stop Dave from purchasing grapes from other vineyards.  His theory behind winemaking is that the best wines come from the best products, and he has relationships with 20 different vineyards to ensure he gets the best. 

You won’t be able to appreciate Dave Stacy’s, slightly cocky in a likable way, dedication to creating the best by looking at the exterior of the winery, located in a suburban strip mall in the bedroom community of Sugar Land.

Inside, the tasting room is a different matter.  There’s nothing bland about those passion red walls and ginormous tasting glasses (according to Dave, you could fit a whole bottle of wine in one glass.  But I haven’t tried to yet).  The wall behind the tasting bar displays the awards Circle S has garnered over the last ten or so years.

The awards list is simply too long to get into.  Let’s just say that Dave’s talent for picking the best products to make the best wines hasn’t gone unnoticed.  Generally, Circle S wines belong to two categories: lighter, unoaked, fruitier wines with a black cap and big, bold, oaky wines with a gold cap.  I prefer a traditional style red wine, so my favorites from Circle S are the Vintner’s Reserve style under the gold cap.  There isn’t a single gold cap wine that I don’t enjoy, but being that Circle S wines are on the upper end of the Texas wine price scale ($25 to $32 for Vintner’s Reserve), I end up having to make some difficult decisions at the end of the wine tasting as I would love to take them all home.  This past trip, we picked up the Ibello (Vintner’s Signature Blend) and a favorite from a previous visit, the 2003 Pinot Noir (Vintner’s Reserve).  The Ibello is a Bordeaux-style blend that has won a gold medal for every competition it has entered into, and according to Dave, “collected by connoisseurs on three continents.” 

If you’re a wine enthusiast and you find yourself in the Houston area, visiting the Circle S tasting room is a must, if for nothing else but to meet the fascinating man behind the wines.  I’ll never forget our first visit to Circle S when Dave went on a ten minute rant about how awful it was to have President Bush order cases of Circle S wine for a White House dinner.  Yes, you heard him right, it was awful.  The secret service had to check the wine by opening a bottle out of each case, taking a sip to ensure no poisonous elements were present, and disposing of the rest of the bottle.  According to Dave, the entire process was utter heartache.  The story is borderline comical, but when you taste Dave’s wines and hear him talk about those prized bottles, you’ll completely understand the pain.

Circle S Vineyards
9920 Hwy 90 A, #B-268
Sugar Land, TX 77478