2006 LLano Estacado Texas Signature Rhone (Award Winning Rhone-Style Red Wine)

Wine visionary Greg Bruni, now a winemaker at Llano Estacado Winery (Lubbock, Texas), left a lucrative winemaking career in California to pursue the challenge, adventure and creativity of the emerging Texas wine industry. Since com­ing to Lubbock, Greg has been working on building a Texas Rhone-style wine from the ground up. 

One of Greg Bruni's most successful wine creations is Texas Signature Rhone (a Rhone-style red wine) which according to the Llano Estacado web site has won over fifty-eight awards since 1998.

Grenache Noir, Grenache Gris, Syrah/Shiraz, Viognier, Mourvedre, Roussanne, Carignane Noir, Marsanne, Cinsault Noir, Ugni Blanc, Muscardin, Picpoul Blanc, Picpoul Noir, Bourboulenc, Camarese, Clairette Blanc, Vaccarese, Grenache Blanc, Terret Noir, Muscat a Petits Grains, Clairette Rose, Counoise Noir are all considered to be Rhone Valley grapes.

Greg says, "When I came to Llano Estacado, we were purchasing Carignan, a red Mediterranean varietal only be made into blush wines! Our first Red Carignan was released in 1994 but our first mass release was not until the 1996 vintage was processed. We are now using Carignan grapes in our Passionelle, Llano's latest proprietary Rhone-style blend. "  

In addition to Carignan, Llano Estacado is also including other Rhone varieties such as Syrah, Grenache, Viognier and Mourvedre  in Texas Rhone-Style Red.  Llano Estacado is now experimenting with small batch, limited release blended wines using other Rhone Valley grapes, as well."

Greg says, "The best wines in Texas have not been made yet and when they are, they likely will be blends. The French have made wine in the Rhone Valley for the past millennium based on the the concept of blending and done very well with that.  

Viewed in bright sunlight, this wine's color reminds me of high quality garnets which it owes to its strong syrah and carignan noir heritage.   Signature Rhone needs to be decanted or at least swirled in the open glass for a few minutes to breath.  I found that extra swirling brought out more 0f the fruitiness and controlled the alcoholic heat of this wine. 

I tasted bright very ripe strawberry, white pepper and mineral aromas combine with the strong aroma of darker ripe fruits such as currents on my palate.  The wine ends smoothly with a tart, polished mineral finish but still tasting of faintly of berries and more strongly dark currents.  The tannins remain remarkably in control without overpowering the ripe berry acidity in this intense, well-balanced wine which is the reason the wine finishes on the pallet quickly leaving the mouth refreshed and ready for the next paring. 

Signature Rhone is still a bit weaker going across the mid-pallet than I had hoped.  This statement only re-enforces how value hunters like myself expect to find an under $20 wine having the flavor range of a $35 wine. 

 

I first paired Signature Rhone with feta cheese and olives.  Sweet, not the flavor but the experience.  The wine held its own with the high acidity of these foods.  Next I moved on to Genoa Salami and a sharp English cheadder.  This was also a very acceptable paring.  The fruitiness of the wine steps forward and blends with the savory and smoke of the salami making the wine choice seem a natural choice for a picnic or barbeque.    

As with the Cinco Vino Rosso (a comparable style five varietal blend produced by Texas Hills Winery in Johnson City, Texas) try this wine with ripe strawberries or papaya drizzled with well aged balsamic vinegar to enjoy the full flavor spectrum of this blended wine.  You will be able to taste each grape variety in this blend.

At first taste, the wine seemed a little light weighted for my expectations; but it quickly proved to be a perfect addition to any bistro style dish anywhere from sardines over greens to roasted rosemary chicken or goose liver pate'.  This experience points out something I love most about wine tasting.  As hard as vintners try for consistency, winemaking is an artform that conscripts unpredictable Mother Nature as a partner.  The same vinters using the same vines make different tasting wines from year to year.

At $11.50 to $13.00, this is a great wine to buy by the case for family dinners or lunch with dear friends.  Be aware production is limited.  Llano Estacado Winery is located 3.2 miles East of US 87 South  on FM 1585 in Lubbock, Texas.

Wine: 2004 Cinque Vino Rosso - Texas Hills Vineyards.

The Texas Hills Winery in Johnson City Texas describes their 2004 Cinque Vino Rosso blend as "five red wines, an artistic blend of red wines including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Ruby Cabernet, Sangiovese, and Syrah".

I found this wine to be relatively gentle and straightforward with a long lasting finish. At first taste there was a slightly pronouced acidity which quickly balanced out with gentle swirling. This wine shows a nice balance of fruit, first more cherry-like then softly fading to the richness of ripe blackberry as the stonger Cabernet flavor starts to dominate, then ending with a hint of ripe currents from the Syrah component. The finish is marked with moderate to soft tannins that fade quickly and a noticable spicy dimension not unlike the peppery quality of mid-harvest extra virgin Spanish olive oil.

For the sheer enjoyment of this wine's full flavor spectrum try paring it with fresh strawberries or blackberries drizzled with well aged balsalmic vinegar. Being more fruity than sweet, this flexible wine would fare well when paired with firm cheeses such as a well aged Chesire chedder or with savory items like bruschetta and crostini or even perhaps grillled pork. I do not feel it would stand up as well when served with heavier beef dishes; but there are so many other great possibilites, why try?

Many will find this wine more difficult to understand because no single component really dominates its flavor spectrum and will have some confusion when deciding how best to serve it. Tasters should remember that true to its name, Texas Hills Vineyard Cinque Vino Rosso, is a blend of five different grape personalites combined so as to be enjoyed for the harmony of it's five red grape flavors. For the same reason this wine has broad compatability across a whole range of savory foods and is widely accepted by red wine lovers. Still, it remains under-recognized for it's merits because it's not a varietal. I think Texas Hills Vineyards certainly accomplished their goal of creating an excellent red table wine with Cinque Vino Rosso.

One should be able to buy the 2004 vintage of this wine for $11-$12 making Cinque Vino Rosso an excellent choice for restaurateurs to pour by the glass and for consumers to buy by the case for less formal gathrings and the cherished family dinner table.

News Flash: Severe drought, frost and harvest rains cut the Austrailian grape 2007 crop by a third. The conditions have become so bad in some areas that 2008 will be even worse. Particularly hard hit is the Murray Darling area of Southeastern Australia which produces 65% of all Australian wine grapes and is home to many of Australia's largest exporters. According to the Wine Grape Growers of Australia as much as 10% of the 7500 Australian grape growers could go out of business. What this means to USA consumers is there will be an increase in the price and availbility of premium and specialty Austrailian wines.