Jan
4
Written by:
Phillip
1/4/2011 11:00 AM
Yesterday evening we tried three different variations on our 2010 Chardonnay. Chardonnay is a tricky grape to grow in Texas. Many growers have given up entirely & are growing grapes that work better in our climate. I think it makes sense to grow the right grape in the right spot & there are some terrific white grapes that are showing or achieving their potential on the Texas High Plains. Roussanne, Vermentino, Viognier, & Chenin Blanc all produce good yields & good grapes here. Some wineries have given up on producing the wine from Texas fruit & just buy all or most of it from California because they can't get it here.
That being said, it is possible to grow Chardonnay in the High Plains. You have to get a great growing season to get a solid harvest though. Luckily that is what we had in 2010. We were able to get 20 tons of Texas Chardonnay. It is a very crisp wine. We tried versions yesterday that had a bit of Viognier added, a bit of Roussanne added, & just the Chardonnay by itself. It looks like we have something that will be pretty nice. Our winemaker, Michael Vorauer, & I agreed that putting the Chardonnay on some French oak for a short time would smooth out the edges & make it a really rewarding wine.
This is a fun, but frustrating time of year in the winery. The new wines are so close to being ready. I want to get them out yesterday so that everyone can try them (& so we can make back some of the money it costs to make them). At the same time, I know that we have to wait until the wine is perfect & the new labels are approved by the Federal & State government.
I'm certain that it will be worth the wait though. We'll have a Chardonnay of which we can be proud & unlike a lot of Chardonnay put out by wineries in the state of Texas, it will be Texas fruit.