Llano Estacado Winery 12 Year Old Viviano: A Still Pleasurable Flashback Memory
My flashback occurred while scrolling through old photos on my iPhone. From the visual and my memory the photo documented a dinner at Potente (click here), the posh dining establishment in downtown just a short walk from the Houston Astros home field. It just happened that the restaurant was and is owned by Jim Crane who also owns the Astros. At the time, I remember thinking that it would be very cool to have a first tier restaurant within walking distance of my business, and own them both, like he does.
The photo jogged my mind because it was a special night at Potente. My wife and I were having dinner there with sports/wine writer Dale Robertson and his wife. Dale asked me to bring a bottle of the best Texas wine that I could lay my hands on. One look into my wine cooler and I knew what bottle I was going to take. It was a gamble, but one, if lucky, would certainly payoff.
The bottle selected was a Llano Estacado Winery 2005 Viviano Superiore Rosso that had been comfortably resting in my wine cooler almost since its release for almost 12 years. Little did I know that we were going to spring it on the Sommelier, and if approved after our pours offer it up the command chain at Potente.
Why Llano Estacado Viviano?
For a long time now, Llano Estacado’s Viviano made from grapes grown on the Texas High Plains has been one of my favorite Cabernet Sauvignon-based red wines made in Texas. Nominally, it is made with Cabernet Sauvignon and roughly 20 t0 25 percent Sangiovese and perhaps with a few minor touches of this and that.
From its Cabernet base, it derives the sturdiness, structure and dark fruit power wanted in a wine of this ilk. The dark purple-red color, even after 12 years, showed this nicely. The Sangiovese in the blend brings its crisp acidity that allows this wine to carry itself with finesse as a very food-friendly wine while also encouraging its wonderful agability. With the wine’s bottle age, many tertiary notes were also present including cedar, cigar box, and leather, yet still supported with strong fruit notes of cassis and tart red cherries.
Well, to make a long story short, the wine was elaborately decanted (see photo above) in a long spouted decanter and poured. Following this came a unanimous thumbs-up reactions from all that tasted it from Sommelier, Chef and Manager and from, I am sure, many others. I was relieved. Any apprehensions that I had bringing this 12 year old Texas wine that evening were cast aside by the rave reviews it received.
I Can’t Share the 2005 Viviano Experience, But…
I know that you can’t share in my experience with the 2005 Viviano, but there is a current vintage that IS commercially available from the winery and from many major wine shops. The image above is from the Llano Estacado Winery website (click here).
I wish you success in finding your own bottle and being able to stock a few away for a later date so you can savor the wine and a bit of Texas wine history from Llano Estacado Winery.
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