Syrah A.K.A. Shiraz: The Experience WINE CLASS

The Northern Rhône runs along the steep slopes of the gorge from Vienne to just south of Valence

We continue our series of sessions with the Fredericksburg Tasting Room team we are calling "The Experience Wine Class." We will be watching and meeting for the purpose of expanding our knowledge and experience with wine. Our guide will be Jancis Robinson's Wine Course, an excellent resource! Aired in the United Kingdom in 1995 and is fascinating to see both areas where the wine industry has NOT changed and areas where it HAS. You can watch it all on YouTube!

Episode 5- Syrah A.K.A. Shiraz is a example where we can see a change in the wine world; in the mid-late nineties Syrah was a darling variety, many of us expected to see it explode in sales. Myself included and we can see the anticipation in the faces of the Syrah growers and vintners. Only that sales explosion never happened, and today many wine drinkers still think of Syrah as one of the "other reds" and not as one of the greatest wine grapes in the world. Jancis and the personalities she introduces to us will show us otherwise...

Jancis has shown us in episode 1 through 3; where the New World and Old World are different; climate, geology, and techniques. She has also shown us the commonality of the monumental struggle to overcome the unique challenges each region and each producer faces. Episode 4- Sauvignon Blanc added another layer of complexity as Mrs. Robinson showed us the dynamic and bold people who made the world's most famous examples of the wine; their personalities mirror the "savage" characteristics of the grape! All this foundation comes together is this show about our beloved Syrah! Here we will see the how two men in very different parts of the world use the same grape to bring their communities together and make them prosperous at the same time, in such a way that it has a positive effects in very livelihoods of everyone in the community... amazing events!

We start out in the Northern Rhone Valley, in France, as we hear about the sinister side of success; in this case attracting an armed gang that attacked the home Marcel Guigal of E. Guigal fame. As the information is filled in we find out that in addition to threats Monsieur Guigal has received other offers/demands for his wine; including blank checks, Ferraris and women! As the tour continues we see the cave where the barrels of aging wine are lined up in a peaceful setting they call "The Cathedral to Wine." In bright contrast doors open to the mechanized and computerized receiving lines, two of them in case one fails, where there is a buzz of activity as growers are bringing their crops in to sell to Marcel. We are shown how tough and detail oriented he can be and we can see how his success supports this thriving farm community and how the community supports the Guigals and the dynamic tension this relationship creates.

As an intermission to the drama we visit California with Jancis... Fred Cline, of Cline Cellars, has a vineyard gold mine in the Oakland area where the sandy soil has some of the oldest Mourvèdre vines in California, planted by the European immigrant farmers. Next we meet Doug Danielak who has a bad case of Syrah fever as he shows Jancis the Paras Vineyard where the famous Jade Mountain Syrahs once came from, alas the brand was sold off and lost it's former glory. The wine was made by Doug under the Paras Vineyard label. It was incredible! Tragically; in 2017 wildfires burned up the vineyards! In this video standing in the Paras Vineyard Doug says “Syrah is one of the world’s greatest grapes!”

"In California Syrah was an ultra fashionable rarity in and in Australia it grew like a weed..." Jancis explains as she gives us the brief history of the Barossa Valley which was settled by Lutherans fleeing Germany's turmoil of the time. Their hard work build this community and transformed it into a little bit of Germany in Australia. (Does this sound familiar to anyone in Fredericksburg, Texas?) In the 1970’s the big wine business came to the Barossa, the Accountants had full control. The accountants had worked out the cost of making wine and when a glut of grapes came along in 1979 the big business did not honor their contracts and refused to buy ANY grapes from the BarossaValley. In steps Peter Lehmann, son of a Lutheran pastor, built a local winery on the fly and bought the Valley’s entire production for the vintage; saving many of the local farmers from financial ruin. Affectionately his peers nicknamed him the “Bishop of Barossa.” He rules from the "weighbridge" at his winery where the growers bring him their grapes to buy. Here too his support of the community and the communities support of Peter is the only way all of them were able to find success. You can see the growers gratitude and appreciation of Peter in their faces. There is a very genuine, honest and sincere atmosphere here at the weighbridge, it has a comfortable and friendly feeling. Mr. Lehmann also says; “Shiraz is one of the world’s greatest grapes.”

So, the same way the dynamic personalities said a lot about the wines in episode four; similarly these generous, supporting and driven men who make some of the world's greatest Syrah also mirror the wine they make. I have not had any other wine as frequently and I can not find another wine that delivers so much complexity and flavor at all price points. For ME; Syrah A.K.A. Shiraz IS the world's greatest grape variety!!!

If you will read this handout which has a few notes from the video and a lot of information and links to more on the web related to the topics Jancis covers, hopefully it adds to the subjects and fills you in on where the personalities from the video are today. It is my sincere hope that you are finding this blog informative and instructional.

Sauvignon Blanc: The Experience WINE CLASS

"The Wildman of Pouilly" Didier Dagueneau, 1956-2008

“Nothing as refreshing!”

- Jancis Robinson

We continue our series of sessions with the Fredericksburg Tasting Room team we are calling "The Experience Wine Class." We will be watching and meeting for the purpose of expanding our knowledge and experience with wine. Our guide will be Jancis Robinson's Wine Course, an excellent resource! Aired in the United Kingdom in 1995 and is fascinating to see both areas where the wine industry has NOT changed and areas where it HAS. You can watch it all on YouTube!

Episode 4- Sauvignon Blanc continues the juxtaposition Jancis showed us in episode 2 and 3; New World vs Old World. AND the commonality of the monumental struggle to overcome the unique challenges each region and each producer has as Jancis shows us in Episode 3- Cabernet Sauvignon. In Episode 4 the layer of the owner/winemaker's personality is added in dramatic fashion; beginning in New Zealand where John Stichbury’s Vineyard is being threatened by frost so he calls in a helicopter to fly over vineyards and push warm air down on vines. As we learn more about this vineyard and winery we also see that this man is quite a character, very dynamic and bold. Mrs. Robinson goes on to introduce us to David Hoehnen who recounts how he started the Cloudy Bay winery in 1985 from nothing to being one of the most prized and recognized wines in the world. I do not know of a more bold and dramatic happening in the world of wine in our lifetime. Mrs. Robinson then whisks us, the viewers, away to France's Loire Valley where she introduces us to "The Wildman of Pouilly," Didier Dagueneau, a loner, a fighter, adventurer who was dis-owned by his Father, and died much too young. His philosophy about wine is very well thought out and expressed; “I make wine to give people pleasure. I sell happiness. It’s a good job to be in. I want wine to be a good moment in people’s lives. It’s like good food, beautiful music; it is like a beautiful painting. I think that wine should be considered as art, in the same way as painting or music.” Amen, Monsieur Dagueneau!!!

Continuing the bold and fresh personality tour, Jancis introduces us to a flying wine maker; Jacques Lurton. He is the son of established Sauvignon maker Andre Lurton of Chateau Bonnet, Bordeaux, France. Jancis explains how Jacques became the successful globe trotting wine maker he is because he did not or could not stay in Bordeaux and become competition for his Father. In his interview Jacques then explains how he works by coming into the client's winery and completely taking over, a very bold and audacious practice.

In this episode focused on the Sauvignon Blanc grape; we should not be surprised that the people who make the best examples are themselves bold and dynamic, like the grape variety. The grape gets its name from the French word "sauvage" (wild) and "blanc" (white) due to its characteristics in the vineyards and in the glass! So, is it art imitating life or is it life imitating art? Through the lives of these winemakers we can see a glimpse of how profound, magical and mysterious is the nature of wine!

It is a poignant and moving episode which is informative and instructional. Our group watched it and I provided this handout which has a few notes from the video and some information and links to more on the web related to the topics Jancis covers, hopefully it adds a bit of depth on the subjects. I tried to include links to 'where are they today' information about the people in the video.

And please reply to this blog; is Sauvignon Blanc your favorite wine?

Cabernet Sauvignon; The Experience WINE CLASS

Bordeaux renewed: Château Faugères’s "new" winery by Mario Botta, still looks cutting edge 10 years later!

“Cabernet Sauvignon

is special among wine grapes…”

- Jancis Robinson

We continue our series of sessions with the Fredericksburg Tasting Room team we are calling "The Experience Wine Class." We will be watching and meeting for the purpose of expanding our knowledge and experience with wine. Our guide will be Jancis Robinson's Wine Course, an excellent resource! Aired in the United Kingdom in 1995 and is fascinating to see both areas where the wine industry has NOT changed and areas where it HAS. You can watch it all on YouTube!

Episode 3- Cabernet Sauvignon continues the juxtaposition Jancis showed us in episode 2; New World vs Old World. This time Mrs. Robinson starts us in southwest France, Bordeaux, the Medoc, where dozens of people working feverishly in preparation for the Fete de la Fleur Celebration and things are about to get wet; soaking WET. All this activity is in the Saint Estephe region at the "NEW" Château LiLian Ladouys; owners Lilian and Christian Thieblot are hosting this party as a way to enter this very exclusive Bordelaise society! You can see their stress, the great effort and expense all to get noticed and accepted; to re-establish a once successful château. Jancis goes on to interview Anthony Barton owner of Leoville Barton (Second Growth in the St Julien region of the Medoc.) He is friendly and open about the Primer Crus being a “clique of their own.” “they use no vulgar advertising.” And he cautions that among the invitees “people are inclined to find fault.” He seems sympathetic to the impossible task the Thieblots have undertaken. I image this is not the first time he has witnessed this drama unfold, nor the last.

Jancis takes us thousands of miles away for the contrasting New World region; Chile. Here it is DRY, and there are no Classified Growths or hurdles to jump to gain entry to a clique. Here she shows us dusty trails and horseback riders along with some careless vineyard practices. As Jancis is interviewing Gaetane Carron, winemaker for Concha y Toro at the time, there are quick cuts to scenes of grape pickers tossing grapes around the vine rows and even a forklift dumping an entire bin of grapes on the ground! All the while Gaetane is explaining her efforts toward better viticulture management. “We have not refined our viticulture practices…” Gaetane says, and you get to see the weight of the impossible task on her shoulders as she talks.

Mrs. Robinson covers several important topics on this video including; phylloxera, why Cabernet Sauvignon is such a great grape, the nuances and nonsense in the Bordeaux wine business while showing the unraveling of the Fete de la Fleur "Garden Party" at Château LiLian Ladouys under torrential rain. As good as the contrast between the two regions is, like Jancis shows us in Episode 2- Chardonnay with Australia and Burgundy, this time the big reveal is that BOTH REGIONS AND WINERIES ARE THE SAME! ...They both have a monumental struggle to overcome the unique challenges of their region. AND, this is true of every region and every winery in the world!

It is a very exciting and dynamic episode which is informative and instructional. Our group watched it and I provided this handout which has a few notes from the video and some information and links to more on the web related to the topics Jancis covers, hopefully it adds a bit of depth on the subjects. I tried to include links to 'where are they today' information about the people in the video and I offer this link to a must read PDF about Bordeaux ten years ago; still cutting edge today!! "Extreme Estates!!!"

And please reply to this blog; is Cabernet Sauvignon your favorite wine?

Chardonnay; The Experience WINE CLASS

California's San Bernabe Vineyard; 9,400 acres in vines! Think of it this way: if San Bernabe were laid over the Texas Hill country, it would stretch from the Marktplatz in Fredericksburg to Hye Texas’ post office/general store. Nothing but vines all the way!!! WOW!

“It’s weird that everyone is

crazy about Chardonnay.” 

“it is such a neutral grape variety,

yet it is the world's

favorite wine!”

- Jancis Robinson

We continue our series of sessions with the Fredericksburg Tasting Room team we are calling "The Experience Wine Class."  We will be watching and meeting for the purpose of expanding our knowledge and experience with wine.  Our guide will be Jancis Robinson's Wine Course, an excellent resource!  Aired in the United Kingdom in 1995 and is fascinating to see both areas where the wine industry has NOT changed and areas where it HAS. You can watch it all on YouTube!

Episode 2- Chardonnay is AMAZING because of the juxtaposition Jancis shows us; New World vs Old World. She starts out on the Geoff Merrill's winery in McLaren Vale Australia where it is DRY as a bone and there seems to be two maybe three men working with giant machines, pumps, giant hoses, tractors and using additives like enzymes, yeast nutrients and liquid sulfur (to prevent oxidization), and techniques like all MOG removed (Martial Other than Grapes), and cooled like crazy (REFRIGERATION is very important to modern wine making), juice is squeezed as gently as possible to avoid any harsh flavors in the skins, stems and seeds.  Then Mrs. Robinson takes us to France, Meursault specifically, the vineyards and winery of  Dominique Lafon where it is soaking WET and there are DOZENS of people working, a lot of it by hand, some machines, pumps, hoses, tractors are used however only natural yeast and no additives are used. The two wineries are a night and day comparison in every way except one; both wine makers DID NOT like the other's Chardonnay AT ALL! It is GREAT television! Still and watching it again after multiple viewings!!

Jancis returns to Australia driving home even further the point of how dry it is there and interviewing  Adam Wynn of Mountadam in the Barossa Valley. He went to Bordeaux University, worked in Burgundy and had some of the most critical things to say about the French. “They have everything in their favor in France.”  “If you are born lucky enough to inherit three hectares of Meursault; it is a license to print money.”  “It is a tragedy to taste a bad French wine.”  AND the punch line to it all is that Monntadam was founded by Adam's father in 1972 as one of Australia's pioneer Chardonnay producers and handed it all over to Adam who sold off in 2002 and is seemingly out of the wine business and living in Japan!(?). While the other two Mr. Merrill and Mr. Lafon are both passionately making GREAT wines to this very day!!!  

As important to Chardonnay as anything else is the time it spends in oak barrels, so Mrs. Robinson takes us to the Francois Freres cooperage in the Saint-Romain Forests where a 150 year old tree is cut down to make two barrels!  On a whirlwind the way only a DVD can be Jancis takes us to San Francisco where the cooperage has an office and where Chardonnay DOMINATES on restaurant wine lists where she makes the declarative quote listed above.

It is a very compelling episode which is informative and instructional. Our team watched it and I provided this handout which has a few notes from the video and some information and links to more on the web related to the topics Jancis covers, hopefully it adds a bit of depth with some updates on the subjects. It is amazing stuff!!!

Please reply to this blog; is Chardonnay your  favorite wine? If so; why? 

The Experience WINE CLASS...

Endangered by Cabernet Sauvignon? The Rocky Terraces Cailouteuses in Roussillon France

“I have seen the future of wine and it’s name is Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.” –Jancis Robinson

Today we start a series of sessions with the Fredericksburg Tasting Room team we are calling "The Experience Wine Class."  We will be watching and meeting for the purpose of expanding our knowledge and experience with wine.  Our guide will be Jancis Robinson's Wine Course, an excellent resource!  Aired in the United Kingdom in 1995 and is fascinating to see both areas where the wine industry has NOT changed and areas where it HAS. You can watch it all on YouTube!

Episode 1- Aperitif has a powerful hold on me because of the narrative arch Jancis takes us on; after filling in her background she tells you quite convincingly that the ONLY opinion about wine that matters in your own. As she builds the story of the wine industry showing us the competition results and supermarket buyers at work juxtaposition to vines being pulled up and wineries passed over by the buyers, and the changing habits of the wine drinking population.  At the end she boldly proclaims “I have seen the future of wine and it’s name is Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.” Probably not quite prophetic in 1995, it is amazing at how DOMINATE these two grapes have become.  From the vantage point; here in the future, I can see just how right she is today.  To drive the point home we can look up the places featured; the most dramatic being Domaine de Mayrac, which the supermarket buyer passed over, was sold by the Buoro family in five years of the filming.  Carignan, the grape vines being bulldozed in the video, in the Languedoc and Roussillon regions the planting area has decreased by seventy-one percent ((as of 2009, most likely even more today) or is it less...meaning more bulldozing and less Carignan grapes.) This is where it impacts me; yes it is our opinion that matters and the wine choices we make today have deeply profound effects in the lives and communities around the world. As consumers, sellers, educators and lovers of wine we have to make the right choices, informed choices and wise choices. 

It is a very compelling episode which is informative and instructional. Our group watched it and I provided this handout which has a few notes from the video and some information and links to more on the web related to the topics Jancis covers, hopefully it adds a bit of depth on the subjects.

“I have seen the future of Texas wine and it’s name is Carignan.” –Steven Krueger

The Experience WINE CLASS… information is compiled in the spirit of education and communication with the intention of stimulating discussion and helping everyone develop their own Experience with WINE! And please reply to this blog; do you believe the future of wine is Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, OR Carignon???

The Journey

Cliff Bingham in the Tempranillo Vineyard

The Monday after the Blood Moon, I drove up to the High Plains. It is a beautiful drive, I love Texas; the Hill Country is so scenic with the rolling hills and winding roads. As you travel west you go up a series of plateaus, rising in elevation and the terrain evens out to become very flat with the enormous dome of the sky above.  I was amazed by the number of electricity generating windmills along the way. Well over a thousand of them by my estimation.

There are several very interesting cities along the way; San Angelo and Big Springs just to mention two. My cell phone GPS did an excellent job navigating my route. I was able to drive right to the Bingham Family Vineyards.  The appearance is of the brick farm homes in the area because this was the family home up until a few years ago. There are large vineyard plantings in the fields around the house, barn and winery.  The open space in this part of the country makes gauging distance and size difficult.

Puppy sez "They're ripe!"

Greeted by winemaker, Daniel Bingham and then I meet Cliff Bingham, Grape Grower and so much more. I was guided on a tour vineyards looking at Tempranillo, Vermintino and Dolcetto. Meet the neighbor's puppy, cutest ever, and he loved eating the grapes!

My tour of the winery was with Manuel Lechuga, he has been growing grapes and making wine in the Texas High Plains for twenty-eight years!  Manuel worked with Bobby Cox at Pheasant Ridge Winery until a few years ago. Tasting from a wealth of barrels, Manuel showed me a delicious array of wines; Merlot, Tempranillo, Dolcetto, Petite Verdot and wine in OLD barrels; 2009, 2006 and 2004!  Eleven years in barrel! Does anybody outside of Spain do this?  The wines are profound and amazing! (The Dugout, Cab Blend, is a wonderful result of this extreme barrel aging program.)

After this we went to the Bingham Family home for dinner tasting the wines in bottle. There were numerous family members and several wines to taste. I of course, kept up with it all. (No pop quizzes, please.) It was a wonderful evening and as dinner ended and I was heading back to the winery to stay the night. It seemed like the wonders were about to cease. I was in my car following Cliff in his truck, as we turned on to the FM road he stopped got out and came to my car asking; "Do you want to see harvest?" My answer; "YES!!!"

We pulled to the side of the Tempranillo vineyard we had visited in daylight. It was now after 10:00 pm, a cool night, dark; country dark, the only light the flood lights on the tractors working. One pulling the harvester and two tractors each pulling a bin the size of a modest Winnebago, to receive the grapes from each pass of the harvester.  The tractors with bins then rush over to the winery to pour their load into smaller bins, that are still pretty big. This pour was into a series of three bins with Daniel Binghanm standing in front of them. It looked like a Niagara Falls of grapes.  It is hear that I wished I had my cell phone camera, only all the GPS guidance had zapped my battery to 0%.  (I will be taking pictures next harvest.)  At the winery there is a forklift zipping back and forth, giant bins of grapes being pushed, pulled, lifted and hauled. Destemmer crusher whirling, semi-trucks idling while being filled with bins of Tempranillo right off the vines, and a large team of people working in full court press.  This was more exhilarating that watching the Spurs in the playoffs! This scene was a whirlwind, as was the day. As the semi-trucks headed out to the Hill Country where a great winemaker will take over them and make beautiful wines, I went to bed; exhausted from the long day. The Bingham family kept working through the night.

I stayed the next day we discussed our business plans and agreements. I went to check out "the competition" or wineries I should have visited long, long ago. The Binghams and I easily and cordially came together on our Brokerage Agreement. The next morning we loaded samples into my car with an absolutely breathtaking sunrise for this NEW day!

It was a journey to come up here, one that began many years ago. It feels great, right and very promising. Like anyone on a journey; somehow I am surprised that it has not ended but grown into an odyssey better that I could have asked for...

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth!" Psalm 98:4

Blind Tasted and Tested...

The first supper where Bingham Family Vineyards wines are served in San Antonio was for my dear friends, the taste makers for San Antonio or as they like to be called; The Varsity Squad. In attendance; Dr. Gary Penny, Dr. Deborah Strus, Lisa Elliott, Tony Cherone, Veronique Cecilia Barretto (full time Sommelier for Pedernales Cellars, Wine Consultant for Folc Restaurant and 'part time' Wine Snob), Gloria Baretto and Ramon Baretto. All experienced wine enthusiasts and foodies.

I gathered them to blind taste the wines from Bingham Family Vineyards against counterpart wines from famous and popular producers from other regions of the world. Not a uncommon practice for wineries and wine professionals to engage in to asses the quality and perceived value of their wines in the glass. And, I will admit more than a little nerve racking when it is your wines being judged.  I did my best to be fearless and put in very serious competition from the 'counterpart wines.'

There were five pairs of wines tasted blind. We tasted each pair and discussed and voted on a preference as we went. The reveal was at the end after all the wines were tasted. Below are my tasting notes for each wine and then a summery of how the group felt.

• Sweet White Blend, Bingham Family Vineyards, "SHORT ROWS," Texas High Plains, 2014 | SRP 15  Aromas of lemon tartness with a rocky minrality. The flavors in contrast are richly sweet and smooth, with pronounced lemon fruit, nuance of apple, a creamy texture and a smooth sweet finish.  

• White Wine Blend, Caymus Vineyards, "Conundrum," California, 2013  |  SRP 20  The aromas are surprisingly earthy with an almost petrol quality and bright lemon and lime notes. The flavors have a richness but only semi-sweet, white grape tastes with a mellow mouthfeel with a balanced finish. Nothing to dislike.

The group picked Caymus blind and once revealed some recanted their choice, there seems to be love/hate reputation for the Conundrum wines. Blind the Short Rows was thought to be a Riesling or Gewurztraminer. Revealed the group could see the potential for sweet white drinkers, the target audience, all in attendance being dry wine lovers. Short Rows provides an excellent value and held it's own against a popular wine that is more expensive.

• Dry White Blend, Bingham Family Vineyards, "CLOUDBURST," Trebbiano, Vermentino, Roussanne, Viognier, and Chardonnay, Texas High Plains, 2014 | SRP 18   The aromas have a smoky nuance up front with a pleasing sweet fruit middle and floral scents that are beautiful. The flavors a rich feeling and dry in experience with peach and vanilla with lush full body and a dry finish.
• Viognier, Freemark Abbey, Napa Valley, California, 2013  |  SRP 26    The nose displayed pronounced minerals with a earthy quality and lemon fruit and apple blossom.  The flavors had lemon and lime up front with a dry apple fruit and a classy elegant mouthfeel all the way to the finish.

The group tied these two up in votes, they are very comparable. I expected the wines to be wildly different with one being a single variety and the other a blend, but I was wrong and very pleasantly surprised. The Cloudbust shows that Bingham Family Vineyards is not only delivering quality but value too! The challenge Texas wineries need to overcome, and we have done it!

• Rosé, Bingham Family Vineyards, "HIGH PLAINS SUNSET," Mourvèdre, Texas High Plains, 2014 | SRP 18    Subtle aromas with strawberry notes and essence of summer flowers. The flavors are tangy and tart with sour cherry fruit and a lush delicious finish.
• Rosé, Orin Swift Cellars, "Skin Deep," Carignan, Grenache and Syrah, Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes, Roussillon, Languedoc Roussillon, France | SRP 18   The floral aromas are at the forefront with enticing strawberry notes. The flavors are big and juicy with a very pleasing watermelon fruit and strawberry in the background, substructure of minerals and  a lush delicious finish.

The group picked the Orin Swift unanimously. It is the best rose I have tasted this year; it is amazing!  I was tasting blind also and I was SURE it was the Sunset Rose. The two roses are very similar and both are excellent.  Orin Swift is the hottest brand going; the same team who make the Locations wines, the "TX" blend that partnered with Kim McPherson and the bottles FLEW off the shelf! 

• TX Red Blend, Bingham Family Vineyards, "TURNROW," Mourvèdre and Tempranillo, Texas High Plains, 2014 | SRP 25    So aromatic that it is perfumy in the violet and lilac vain with added complexity of leather, minerals and smoky notes. The flavors are big and juicy up front with raspberry and strawberry fruit and a mellow body and a nice and easy finish.
• Tempranillo Blend, Marques de Caceres Reserva, Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Rioja DOCa, Spain, 2009 | SRP 22    Fruity aromas of strawberry and raspberry with earthy and leathery notes and an interesting sun dried tomato fragrance. The flavors are big and forward with red cherry and vanilla with notes of old oak echoing in the finish.

The group picked the Turnrow by one vote, everyone loved the floral aromas and found the wine complex and delicious. The Spanish wine was very good and had that old oak note that some liked and some not so much.

• Cab Blend, Bingham Family Vineyards, "DUGOUT," Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc., Texas High Plains,  Multi Vintage Blend | SRP 25   Smoky on the nose with a earthy background and cherry notes with herbaceous hints. The palette has tar upfront with big black cheery flavors, pomegranate with that herb component hinted at in the complex long profound finish.
• Cabernet Sauvignon, Beringer Vineyards, Knights Valley, Sonoma County, California, 2013 | SRP 24  Smoky right away with black berry fruit, liquor notes and a earthy background to the aromas.  The wine is very purple in color. The flavors are vanilla with red and black cherry with a herbal possibly cactus quality in the complex and beguiling finish.

The group picked the Dugout by two votes, they loved the complexity and oak notes. The Beringer Knights Valley was the most different; some thought it was a Malbec. Curiously Beringer seems to have change it's style to be less Napa Cab like. Why?  The Dugout taste like the Knights Valley did ten years ago; it is berry nice.

Overall assessment; three winners out of five selections were made for the Bingham wines. In one instance the wine was out of place in flavor profile or price point, and that was the Beringer Knights Valley. I am very encouraged to witness the value (quality and price) that we are offering. The tasters were very excited on the reveal of the Bingham wines and to be the first in San Antonio to try the wines. It was a very warm and enthusiastic reception. I need you to start spreading the word that the Bingham wines are coming to San Antonio, Austin, the Hill Country and surrounding areas! And look for your opportunity to taste them yourself...

My next posts will cover my journey in more detail...

Watch this blog for notice of consumer events and tasting opportunities we will have for you!
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My New Job!!!

I an very proud and excited to announce I am Representing Bingham Family Vineyards' wines in South and Central Texas!!!  I will be distributing these amazing wines in San Antonio, Austin, the Hill Country and the surrounding areas.  The Binghams are one of the largest growers in the High Plains of Texas. They sell grapes to over twenty Texas wineries; so Texas wine drinkers are likely to have tasted the fruits of their labor before. Some of Texas' most prestigious awards are won by the grapes grown in their vineyards. When I saw that the Binghams were starting to make wine, I was very excited by the prospect, and now, to get to share them with you is a dream come true.

"An adventure of music, children, grapes, and organic crops on the High Plains of Texas." Is how they describe themselves to the world. Cliff Bingham, a fourth generation farmer in Terry County, began full time farming in 1982. Since 1992, Cliff and his wife, Betty have served as pioneers in the Texas organic cotton and peanut markets. They diversified their farming operations in 2003 by planting grape vines. Today the Binghams currently own or manage over 200 acres of wine grapes in the Texas High Plains AVA. They are very pleased to be starting a winery. They plan to continue selling grapes to their winery friends across the state who are producing award winning wines. 

I can tell you they are NO ordinary family; they have eleven children, Betty homeschools them, they are very talented; all play music, some are artist, they all display a love for life, they are taking care of God’s earth, and have a deep and abiding love for the Lord.  All are involved and committed to the winery and vineyards; they work very hard and the Lord has blessed them in abundance. They are an amazing family!

The wines I will be selling:

DUGOUT (Cab red blend)
A full bodied blend that combines the scent of aged leather with the bold flavor of cranberry and a buttery finish. It is an oak aged blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc.
The first of six generations of the family settled in the High Plains in the early 1900's and lived in a dugout.
Multi Vintage Blend | SRP 25

TURNROW (TX red blend)
This blend of Mourvèdre and Tempranillo has the fruity taste of strawberries.
Turnrows are single lane dirt roads that divide farms in the flat High Plains where farmers often stop their trucks to visit with the neighbors.
Vintage 2014 | SRP 25

HIGH PLAINS SUNSET ROSÉ
This dry rosé made from Mourvèdre grapes grown on the High Plains of Texas has a distinct flavor of strawberry and a pleasant dark cherry and chocolate aroma.
The flat terrain and clear skies on the High Plains produce some of the most gorgeous sunsets.
Vintage 2014 | SRP 18

CLOUDBURST (dry white)
Trebbiano, Vermentino, Roussanne, Viognier, and Chardonnay with a medium body ending with a hint of apple.
The High Plains has a very dry climate, but when rain comes it very often comes quickly and yet in a very refreshing way.
Vintage 2014 | SRP 18

SHORT ROWS (sweet white)
This wine has a sweet pear aroma that mimics the taste of this wine, ending with a light, bright finish.
Short rows are the shortest rows in a field that signal the end of the workday for a weary farmer.
Vintage 2014 | SRP 15

With more to come in the future! If you know of any retailer, restaurant, bar or wine seller who would like to offer the best wines in Texas; please share my contact information with them: Steven Krueger | (210) 724-9390 |  krueger.wine@gmail.com

My next posts will cover the wines and my journey in more detail...

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