Pale gold color; citrus, Mandarin orange, lemon, grapefruit, pear, green apple, banana, grass, crushed stone, minerality on the nose and palate.
Bone dry; negligible tannins; refreshing, if mild, acidity (3.7 pH). Light-plus body. No oak influence. Fermented and aged in stainless steel to preserve lively character and bright fruits. Aged on fine lees for two months for complexity and depth. Grapes from Phillips Vineyard, Texas High Plains AVA, near Brownwood—more than 3,300 foot elevation. The elevation engenders thickens skins. A significant diurnal shift and longer growing system are particularly favorable to chenin blanc. 13.8% ABV
Mike and Lynn McHenry own Wedding Oak Winery. In 1996, on a whim following a trade show in Dallas, they purchased 112 acres south of San Saba, Texas. Soon thereafter, Mike retired after a 33-year career with Ecolab, a sustainability leader in water, hygiene, and infection prevention services with operations in more than 170 countries.
By 2010, encouraged by San Saba business leaders, the McHenrys began an effort to place Wedding Oak Winery in the historic heart of San Saba, a Texas Hill Country town on the San Saba River, north of San Antonio and southwest of Dallas-Fort Worth. The town asserts it is the “Pecan Capital of the World.” The McHenrys restored a 1926 building near the town center to house a tasting room and a 10,000-case production facility on the northern edge of the Texas Hill Country AVA, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 190 and State Highway 16.
To begin their adventure, the McHenrys hired Penny Adams, an iconic figure and the first woman winemaker in Texas. From the beginning, Penny insisted on using only Texas grapes, a policy that has not changed since the production facility began bottling wine in 2012. Van Johnson is the winemaker today, hired in 2023, so this is his first vintage. Johnson is a native Texan with a BS degree in biochemistry from Texas Tech and viticultural certification from Texas Tech in Fredericksburg. He worked at two other Texas wineries and in New Zealand prior to joining Wedding Tree.
The winery’s tasting rooms are open seven days a week in San Saba, Fredericksburg, and Burnet. The winery’s name comes from the 400-year-old Wedding Oak Tree that stands 2.5 miles northwest of the winery. The website notes: “Centuries ago, the local Native Americans, particularly the Comanche, revered this majestic tree as sacred, gathering for important council meetings beneath its sheltering branches. They believed in the tree’s mystical powers and utilized it as a Matrimonial Altar. By exchanging vows beneath its graceful canopy, couples sought the tree’s magical blessings upon their union.”
Wedding Oak Winery Chenin Blanc, Texas High Plains, Phillips Vineyard 2023 delivers vivid citrus, tree fruits in clean, precise manner. No interference from oak, nice depth and complexity. Chenin blanc is very versatile, especially paired with savory and sweeter fare. Pair with fish—snapper, salmon, rock cod, halibut, Asian sea bass (barramundi); shellfish—shrimp, lobster, prawns, scallops. Poultry—chicken, turkey, Cornish game hen, quail; creamy chicken dishes; duck, goose. White meats—pork, ham, veal. Sweet vegetables—corn, yams, root vegetables. Cheese—fresh goat cheese is classic; chèvre; brie, camembert; gruyère, mild and aged cheddar; cream cheese. Serve cheese at room temperature. $30
