Tonight’s the Night: Dinner with Pheasant Ridge at Harrigan’s
May 29th, 2016 at 6 pm
After many years, Bobby Cox the man and Bobby Cox “the brand” with his Pheasant Ridge Winery is back. He is celebrating the occasion with a wine dinner at Harrigan’s in Lubbock Texas – 3801 50th St #1, Lubbock, TX 79413.
The description that I gave Bobby in my bestselling book The WineSlinger Chronicles: Texas on the Vine after our first meeting was as follows:
Bobby Cox is a larger-than-life character both in stature and reputation among grape growers and winemakers. He’s something like a Texas version of Paul Bunyan, and Neal Newsom’s large blue grape harvester parked beside him appeared as the mechanical equivalent of Bunyan’s large blue ox, Babe. While Bunyan was a legendary lumberman in the American northland, Bobby’s a bona fide virtuoso of grape growing here in the Southwest.
Bobby’s hands showed the signs of wear and weather, and his furrowed face was etched with the look of lessons learned at the mercy of Mother Nature and hard economic times.
At times it is difficult to separate the man from the legend. He’s shown an uncanny ability of identifying trends, helping growers select grape varieties that best fit the climate and soil in Texas, and at adapting vineyard techniques that optimize the quantity and quality of their harvests…
Pheasant Ridge Winery, with its estate vineyard in the Lubbock area, was once Bobby’s baby. The vineyard he planted in the 1970s is one of the oldest in Texas, with sixty acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Semillon. He was a believer in the European vinifera grapes from the start, at a time when many people felt that they couldn’t be grown here. However, Bobby’s blood, sweat, and tears weren’t enough. A few years of lean harvests led to the need to borrow money to keep the winery going, but when that ran out, the winery was taken over by the bank and sold in the early 1990s.
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Well, after a long hard time during which he served others very well, Bobby and his lovely wife Jennifer are back in the helm of Pheasant Ridge Winery. I may not be able to be there physically in Lubbock tonight, but I’m there in spirit, wishing them the best of success for the future.
The menu and the “taste of time” wine pairings for the Pheasant Ridge Winery Dinner at Harrigan’s tonight are:
Bacon-wrapped Pepper Shrimp with Herbed Buttermilk Dip – 2011 Chardonnay
Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Texas Pecans & Chenin Blanc Vinaigrette – 2010 Dry Chenin Blanc
Mesquite Smoked Prime Rib Au Jus, New Orleans Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus Spears – 1999 Proprietor’s Reserve
A Selection of Fine Cheeses and Ripe Fresh Fruits – 2011 3 Barrels Up
Price: $60 per person
Reservations Required: Call 806-771-8880
