Milestone: Alamosa Wine Cellars Closing

There are events in time that mark the boundary between that time and this time.  Sometimes we see them in hindsight and sometimes they are obvious to everyone when they occur.  This milestone may not be obvious to everyone, so I have appointed myself to draw it to your attention.  Alamosa Wine Cellars is closing; Labor Day weekend; September 6th, last day.  You MUST go visit this winery before it closes!!!

One of the Way Out Wineries (WOW!) between Lampasas and San Saba, it is a bit of a journey and well worth it.  The owners, Jim and Karen Johnson, planted grapes here in 1996, and proceeded to change how Texans grew grapes and made wine.  They were the pioneers out on the frontier of warm climate grape growing and artisanal winemaking, literally and figuratively.

We need to compile Jim Johnson's firsts in Texas; he helped produce Becker Vineyards’ first Viognier in the early 1990s, he was the first to grow Sangiovese and the first to commercially bottle Tempranillo.  The first to plant and bottle Verdelho, and I am sure there are many more.

My fondest memory is attending a Paso Robles seminar in Austin and during the question and answer session there was this couple asking about the clone of root stock the growers were planting on.  This was a much more technical question than the sommeliers and wine pros in the room were asking.  After the seminar I went and meet Jim and Karen Johnson, needing to know who they were.  It has been a pleasure knowing them ever since; tasting their wines, selling their wines, introducing their wines to new customers, hosting wine dinner with them, attending wine dinners and festivals with them.  I am here to tell you that the Texas wine industry is in the place it is today, poised to step onto the world stage, because of the hard work and inspired vision of Jim and Karen Johnson.

If you have not been to Alamosa Wine Cellars; you must go, the clock is ticking.  Jim and Karen plan to sell every last bottle of wine in the tasting room and the property itself!!!  You do not want to miss this piece of Texas Wine history, you must see the vineyards and winery and taste the delicious wines that have a strong sense of the place they are from.  They are offering big discounts on cases and individual bottles through Sept. 6, the last day they will be open. And they also will have fun events up until then, including an intimate retrospective tasting on Aug. 8 that will showcase some of Alamosa’s best vintages over the years, “the stuff we’re most proud of,” Jim Johnson says. Get tickets for the Library Tasting here.

Alamosa Wine Cellars, 677 County Road 430, west of Bend. 325-628-3313, alamosawinecellars.com.

Texas will go on to surpass New York and even Oregon in winemaking.  Texas wines will someday be available throughout the nation and even in other countries.  These milestones will be remarkable and newsworthy when they happen, we will all celebrate!  I for one will look back to this unlikely spot on the a bend in the Colorado river and appreciate it's out-sized contribution it made to the maturing and the direction of the grape growing and winemaking in Texas.  I will be there cheering "Remember the Alamosa!!!" 

Cabernet Sauvignon, MOUNTAIN VIEW, Central Coast, California

“Some of the best values in the marketplace have come from Mountain View.  Smart consumers should be buying these wines.” –Robert Parker
50% Monterey grapes and 50% Northern Paso Robles grapes; excellent vineyard sources with talented and experienced wine making with American oak aging for 12 months, a little Merlot blended in (8%) was added for balanced juicy flavors; this is the most interesting and delicious wine at this price point.  

• POWERFUL 
• Berry Fruit 
• Black Cherry
• Cranberry,
• Cedar 
• Earthy Base Tones

From its inception, in 1978, Mountain View winery has forged strong relationships with growers in order to produce reasonably priced wines of superior quality. With growers located in regions that offer strong varietal character and exceptional value, including Monterey, Amador, Carneros, Lake County and the Central Coast. Mountain View Vintners are committed to the pursuit of ecologically sound practices whenever and wherever possible in the production process of premium quality varietal wines. In the Monterey and the Central Coast vineyards their growers have adopted sustainable farming methods and are happy to report environmentally sensitive results along with quality and economic benefits from the changes to "let the 'green' soil do its job naturally" have been realized. Their packaging is also “green” oriented as all glass bottles are produced with 75% recycled glass and our cases are made from 85% post-consumer recycled paper. And, the label printer, Galaxy Press, was the first printer in Northern California to achieve “green” certification and all labels are made from water based products so that they are biodegradable. Quality and substance is what we find in every bottle of wine from the Mountain View Vintners.

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Cabernet Sauvignon, VILLA SAN JULIETTE, Paso Robles, California

The story begins with the reality series “Corkscrewed: The Wrath of Grapes” that followed the trials and exploits of award-winning entertainment producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick as they made a major investment in their long held dream – owning their own vineyard. Childhood friends from the backstreets of Liverpool who produce the huge US prime time hit, American Idol, Ken and Nigel have the Midas Touch.  The beautiful 168 acre vineyard in Paso Robles, California is quickly developing into another HUGE Success for this team!

• POWERFUL
• Cherry
• Plum
• Cedar
• Cocoa
• Clove
• Raspberry
• Vanilla

MATT ORTMAN, WINEMAKER, grew up the son of a well-respected winemaker, surrounded by vineyards and wine in the Napa Valley, Matt's own wine making career started at the age of 12 when he unsuccessfully attempted fermenting apple juice. But, Matt desired to build skyscrapers and bridges as a Mechanical Engineering major at Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo. After this an older, wiser Matt had an epiphany after enjoying a bottle of wine that his father had given him and his bride, Lisa. Realizing he wished he had pursued wine when he had the chance growing up, he took a cellar position at Castello di Gabianno winery in Tuscany. Upon his return to California, Matt joined his father in launching the Ortman Family Vineyards brand.  After learning his craft from true master artisans, Matt is now winemaker with Villa San-Juliette. He believes strongly in the region and feels that the estate vineyard lies in one of the pockets capable of creating exceptional wines. The combination of soils, aspect, and elevation are what will allow him to create wines of richness, depth, and character which will stand up to the quality of the landscape and tasting room experience. This is an exciting wine from and exciting place; ready to make your dinner more exciting, tonight!

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Meritage, ESTANCIA, Paso Robles, California

In 1999, Estancia planted nearly 700 acres of vineyards in the acclaimed appellation of Paso Robles. The infertile soils and rugged terrain of Estancia’s Keyes Canyon Vineyard, encourage the vines to yield small fruit clusters with tiny berries packed full of rich berry tones. This unique appellation is home to more extreme temperature swings than any other wine-growing region in California. During the day, the vines bask in the warm sunshine and at night they are soothed by a cool marine layer from the Pacific Ocean.

• POWERFUL AND SOPHISTICATED
• Complex
• Dark Black Cherries
• Anise
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Chocolate Powder
• Soft Oak
• Luscious

Varietal Composition 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 10% Petit Verdot.  Oak Aging 14 months.

Pronounced; MEHR-ih-tihj. The name Meritage (a compound of the words merit and heritage) was chosen from over 6,000 entries in an international contest held by a group of vintners who sought to establish standards of identification for a category of American blended wines made with traditional Bordeaux grape varieties.  Instituted in 1989, the term Meritage is a certification mark registered with the U.S. Department of Trademarks and Patents. To be designated as Meritage, a wine must meet the following standards: 1. It must be a blend of two or more Bordeaux grape varieties- 2. It must be the winery's best wine of its type; 3. It must be produced and bottled by a U.S. Winery from grapes that carry a U.S. appellation; and 4. Its production is limited to a maximum 25,000 cases per vintage.

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