2011 Top Ten Texas Wines from VintageTexas – The Honorable Mentions

2011 Top Ten Texas Wines from VintageTexas – The Honorable Mentions

As with any top ten wine list, there are many wines that are worthy of inclusion, but for one reason of another are left out. In my case, I focused my top ten list to include my fave wines from 2011 that I felt also made a statement on the long term viability and future of the Texas wine industry.

Here is my list of 2011 Top Ten Texas Wines Honorable Mention List (all very sound and pleasing and worthy of anybody’s fine wine list):

• Texas Hills Vineyard Barbera 2009 (https://vintagetexas.com/?p=5239) – red wine with sushi.
• La Cruz de Comal, Du Petit Lait, Rosé, 2010 (https://vintagetexas.com/?p=5127) – a natural wine and a little cloudy (but good expression of terroir in all senses of the word). Alice Feiring would be proud.
• Lone Oak Winery Barrel Reserve Tempranillo 2008 (https://vintagetexas.com/?p=5159) – Took some to @WBC11 in Virginia to the delight of many. This wine was long term oak aged and was a Tempranillo built to last.
• Austin County Vineyard (non-commercial) Blanc Du Bois vertical tasting 2005 to 2010 (https://vintagetexas.com/?p=4250) – Showed how Texas “Blanc” holds up to bottle age and even included a “sparkler”. Gee, I wish Jerry Watson made commercial wine.
• Ramos Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2005 (San Martino Winery) – See…Texas red wines can improve with age (https://vintagetexas.com/?p=4205).
• Torre di Pietra Midnight Nymph 2010 – Great combo – Lenoir (Black Spanish) and Touriga Nacional (https://vintagetexas.com/?p=5550); deep dark and wonderful.
• Alamosa Wine Cellars, Palette 2007 (https://vintagetexas.com/?p=5620) was a unique red blend for Texas but reminiscent of the aged wines from the south of France.
• Caldwell Vineyards, Eaglefire Muscat Blanc 2010 (https://vintagetexas.com/?p=5432) – a worthy white wine with south Texas fruit, a Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo wine competition winner.
• Messina Hof Winery Sophia Marie Rosé 2010 (https://vintagetexas.com/?p=4917) – Who’d a thunk it – an interesting and palatable rosé wine  from Lenoir (wonderful color, off-dry and crisp).
• CapRock Winery Sweet Tempranillo 2010 (https://vintagetexas.com/?p=5196) – A fun yet well-made wine from carbonic maceration in the style of Beaujolais ringing with bright ripe red fruit from the Phoenix of Texas wineries.

For the VintageTexas Top Ten wines of 2011, go to:

https://vintagetexas.com/?p=5793 and https://vintagetexas.com/?p=5798