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January 2018 – Blending Trials Underway!

Everything is coming into focus — Barbara’s blending trials are now at hand. Tasting through samples from our 20 barrels resting in the cellars at Hawk’s Shadow — red, white, rosé, and our aforementioned port — the way forward points directly to a Spring Release of our premiere wines. And we can’t wait to share it with you!

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Blending trials are fascinating, and give us even more respect for winemakers all over the world.  Whether assembling a final blend from 90 lots for an amazing 2015 Bordeaux, or working with a vineyard plot that hung just a little too long, winemakers sweat the details.  We approach this task with a plan in hand as we taste, test, and talk about each sample. But the wine in the glass has the final word.  And this must be noted: some of these lots are just too beautiful to blend!  Like a classroom of students, each lot holds the potential for a delightful future.  Some are obvious in their strengths, others require a certain amount of guidance.  But all are gifted and talented!

Meanwhile, we are ordering bottles, glasses and have just taken delivery of our corks.  Our closure is a 2″ natural cork from Scott Labs.  It features our branding on the cylinder and a fire-vintage imprint on both ends.  We know you will delight in pulling this cork very soon!

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From Vineyard to Bin to Barrel

Barrel Rider - Getting our arms around this vintage

Siboney Cellars has completed the 2017 Harvest — our very first — and happily, at the high end of our volume expectations.  Now in the grand scheme of things, being above our modest plan doesn’t amount to a whole lot, but when you are doing it all yourself by hand, you definitely feel it!  I should say, Barbara definitely feels it, as she is the one who has done substantially ALL of it!  Splitting time between our own harvest and that of our hosts, Barbara has now worked over 11 tons of grapes destined for Siboney Cellars, from vineyard to bin through fermentation and now to barrel.  

We have 20 barrels of 2017 vintage Texas Wine in our corner of Siboney Cellars.  We went into the harvest with a plan, and have emerged with a pretty good chance to bring that plan to market, and offer a couple of unexpected, hopefully delightful, surprises.  

  • With two white grape varietals in the cellar, Roussanne and Viognier, we have an opportunity to present two single varietals, or a blend, or potentially the blend and one single vineyard varietal.  
  • The bounty of red varietals in 2017 affords an opportunity to present a Saignée Rosé.  We fully embrace and applaud the Pink #TxWine efforts across the state!  We see consistent quality and thousands of happy wine lovers when they taste a great Texas Rosé, bright, balanced and dry, and perfect with gulf coast seafood.  We can’t wait to join in.
  • Turning to Reds, the prospects are exciting.  We don’t want to say too much at this point, but we plan to have a precocious early-drinking Red in 2018.  And, we are preparing at least two assaults up the steep slopes of the “serious” Texas Red Wine summit, in the style of classic wines we have come to know and love over the years.  With the varietals, quality, and sources under Barbara’s care – now safely in barrel – we look forward to tempting you with wines for your own cellar.

MRL

Just. You. Wait. - 2017 is in Barrel.  Our Barrel.