Cabernet Sauvignon is a grape that’s tough to grow in Texas. We just don’t get cool enough at night to allow the grapes to thrive. But people love Cabs these days. So my solution was to do as the French, and work towards a Bordeaux blend. In Bordeaux, its generally believed that a single grape can’t make the perfect wine, so the grapes have to be blended. There are 6 grapes that are allowed to be grown in Bordeaux to make a wine. Do you know them?
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenere
So we scoured the Texas wineries to find a good example of a Bordeaux blend style wine, made here in the lone star state. We’ve settled on William Chris Vineyards Enchante. This blend, with most of the fruit coming from their Granite Hills Vineyard, just north of Fredericksburg, on the back side of Enchanted Rock. Get it? Enchanted Rock = Enchante! The soil characteristics are decomposed granite over sandstone, middle hickory, rich in iron.
There is 61% Merlot and 36% Cab Sauv, both from Granite Hills. Plus an extra 3% of Petit Verdot, coming from the winery’s estate on Highway 290, in Hye, Texas. The fact that the wine has more Merlot than Cab means there is a touch more jammy fruit, making the wine very drinkable – even for such a young vintage.
In 2016, heavy rains delayed the ripening of the fruit and it proved to be a difficult harvest. Despite the less than perfect growing season, the winemaking team, led by Chris, was not deterred and took on the challenge of the 2016 harvest overcoming the difficulties and creating another vintage of our flagship red that will inspire you. The wine was aged 16 months in 30% New French Oak.
Aromas of bramble fruit, violets and plum touch the nose, while well-structured tannins with notes of dark cherry and mocha with a hint of black pepper paint the palate. While the wine is only available to members of the William Chris wine club, you can taste it, or even buy a bottle, from us! It’s not even released to the wine club yet! The bottle is a bit young, but is drinkable now, and could easily age well through 2023.
Cheers!
