Deep garnet color; dark cherry, plum, raspberry, blackberry, tomato leaf, bacon, forest floor, leather, spice on the nose and palate.
Dry; soft, dusty tannins; some tension with good acidity. Silky in the mouth. Medium body. Mature fruit flavors. Well-integrated oak influence. Warm finish with touch of spice. Mourvèdre is noted for being terroir-driven and the Texas High Plains has proven to be especially suited for the grape and for giving a Texas touch to the varietal bottling. The mild tannins gives it a very pleasing mouthfeel. At six years old, this remains fresh and delicious and avoids the big, brooding, monolithic brute that mourvèdre can become when grown elsewhere. Texas is coming into its own as it discovers what does well in its high elevation, big diurnal shift, breezy, sandy loam vineyards. 14.5% ABV
Bill Blackmon and Chris Brundrett sourced the fruit for this wine from La Pradera Vineyards near Brownfield, in the heart of the Texas High Plains AVA. La Pradera is well-known and very popular among Texas winemakers. Bill and Chris are firm believers that great wine is grown in the vineyard and not manufactured in the winery. Mourvèdre (aka monastrell) now is established as a signature Texas wine, and William Chris is a major reason for this.
William Chris is a major player in Texas wine ascendency with the quality and quantity to be taken seriously. The winemaking facility and tasting room are located in the tiny hamlet of Hye, 20 miles east of Fredericksburg on US 290, the wine road in the Texas Hill Country that is analogous to Napa’s Highway 29. The Texas Hill Country AVA is the second-most visited AVA in the United States, behind Napa. There are clear differences: the Napa AVA is 789 square miles; the Texas Hill Country AVA is more than 14,000 square miles. Well, things are bigger in Texas.
While the Texas Hill Country AVA produces some grapes, the AVA is much more famous for its wineries and tasting rooms. Most Texas grapes—85%—come from the Texas High Plains AVA, a region of more than 12,500 square miles on the Texas High Plains (Llano Estacado) centered between Lubbock and Brownfield (Terry County). With elevations ranging from 3,000 to 4,000 feet, hot days and cool nights, the High Plains developed into a major grape producing region in the past 40 years. The winery founders are firm believers “the best wines are grown, not made, and should be an expression of their native Texas terroir.” All William Chris wines are made with Texas-grown grapes.
The Texas Hill Country AVA is an easy day trip for the more than 1.5 million people living in San Antonio (seventh largest city in the U.S.) and the one million people living in Austin (11th largest city in the U.S.). Throw in 2.3 million people in Houston (4th largest U.S. city) and the Dallas-Arlington-Fort Worth area with 2.5 million people. The Texas Hill Country AVA is comfortably reachable for some eight million people in a less than a four-hour drive. Texans don’t blink about four hour drives, and the Austin/San Antonio drives are 90 minutes or less.
The wisdom is you go to Napa for vineyard beauty, pricy restaurants, and tony tasting rooms. You go to the Texas Hill Country if you want welcoming tasting rooms, good food, thigh-slapping fun, and outrageous characters. You also go there to enjoy the soaring quality and sophistication of Texas wines. William “Bill” Blackmon and Chris Brundrett—William Chris Vineyards—are part of that inspiring story. You also have more than a passing chance of visiting with Chris—his mother always refers to him by his full name “Christopher”, BTW—in the tasting room.
William Chris Vineyards Mourvèdre Reserve, Texas High Plains 2018 is a solid, silky presentation of mourvèdre, a grape that has found a home in Texas. Good balance of fruit, acidity, and reserved, elegant tannins. Tasty, well behaved, worthy Texas tipple. Pair with barbecued brisket and other red meats grilled or braised. Lamb and pork. Wild game—venison, wild boar, rabbit, wild turkey. Rich poultry—turkey, duck, quail. Hearty stews and casseroles. Charred eggplant, zucchini, bell pepper; grilled mushrooms. Cheese—manchego, pecorino, aged cheddar, gruyère, brie, camembert, stilton. cashel blue. $35-38
