Inwood Estates Raises the Bar for Texas Wines Yet Again

Inwood Estates Raises the Bar for Texas Wines Yet Again

As Inwood Estates Winemaker, Dan Gatlin said, “I very rarely send ‘Personal notes from the winemaker’ as these are reserved only for the most special occasions.  However, today we are announcing one of those rare events.” Dan continued with obvious pride….

When Inwood Estates Vineyards released its first wines over four years ago, we defined a watermark in the history of Texas wines and American Tempranillo.  At the time, nobody believed such quality wines could be made in Texas, or regarding Tempranillo specifically, maybe in America at all.  As 200 of the finest restaurants added Inwood to their lists, the trend was clear, and I am told that there are now some 38 Tempranillo wines made here in Texas, a rush to emulate our success.

Today we are raising the bar again, probably more significantly than before.  Most of you probably know us for our very popular Tempranillo-Cabernet and “Cornelious” 100% Tempranillo, as they have been considered “high-end” wines for Texas.  Over the next 2 years, we are embarking on the release of several Artisan wines and Limited-Edition wines which are designed to explore the upper limits of what can be produced here.  These are extraordinary wines produced under extraordinary circumstances, with some aged as long as 52 months (4+ years) in French Oak and 1-3 years in the bottle BEFORE release (Our “Artisan” category).

Today we are proud to announce the release of a Limited Edition wine unlike anything previously seen in the U.S.  The small, but very high-quality 2008 vintage yielded the first ever “Cornelious” RESERVE.  Like it’s predecessor, the RESERVE is also 100% Tempranillo, but there ends the similarity.  The regular Cornelious has brilliant red-fruit character exuding bright cherries, raspberries and strawberries with a medium tannin structure which contributes to its fruit-forward enjoyment.  The RESERVE has dark, if not very dark overtones of the blackest cherries coupled with thickly layered tannins delivering a super-soft and velvety finish.  Where one is bright, the other is dark.

Limited Edition means that only 106 cases were produced and this is the only Cornelious RESERVE made in 7 years.  Today I am inviting you, as a valued email subscriber, to print out this email as your free ticket and come to either of our Release Parties to taste the difference between the two:

FLORENCE: April 9 & 10; 12 – 6 pm.

DALLAS:  April 16 & 17; 12 – 5 pm.

Party Format: You will receive 1 free taste of each Cornelious and a free light food pairing.  All other wine must be purchased whether by taste, glass or bottle.

The RESERVE is an Investment Grade wine which should be cellared.  In the next 5 years, I believe this could well be regarded as the best wine ever produced in Texas.  See below for comments by Andrew Chalk, Food and Wine Correspondent for D Magazine.

In the next few months, I will also release our first Inwood Chardonnay (100% Chardonnay, Dallas County, ~70 cases).  This will be another rare Limited Release wine.

Sincerely,

Dan Gatlin, Winemaker

Inwood Estates Vineyards

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From Andrew Chalk, D Magazine, Dallas:

This wine is a clear gear upward from the regular Cornelius. The complex fruit flavors are even more intense than in the 2008 regular bottling. So intense, in fact, that you can put a few drops on the top of you tongue and then, when you rub your tongue against the roof of your mouth, it feels like you are rubbing away at a mille-feuille of layers of fruit. The aromas are almost entirely black fruits rather than the red fruit more common in Tempranillo. Blackcurrants, black cherries and blueberries. Despite its youth, the wine is not astringent and can be quaffed now. However, it has formidable aging potential and I would buy some to drink and some to keep for 8-10 years.

I regard this wine, at a time when Texas Tempranillo as a category is better than ever, as a new benchmark for the grape in Texas. Wine maker Dan Gatlin has thrown down the gauntlet to the other 200 or so wineries in Texas and Texas consumers will be the winners when the battle is joined. — Andrew Chalk

Dan Gatlin, Inwood Estates Vineyards, Inc., 1350 Manufacturing Street #209, Dallas, TX 75207; tel: 214-902-9452. Website: www.inwoodwines.com