2025: ROBERT CLAY VINEYARDS JUST ARRIVED WITH A BANG

by Andrew Chalk

This year saw the arrival of two national wine scoring publications in Texas. James Suckling and Decanter magazine (the former has actually done some coverage before). Supporters of Texas wine could hardly have asked for a more uplifting set of scores. Both rating services gave the top wines scores in the mid 90s, equivalent to a global-platform Gold Medal in Decanter’s case, or “95-99 points: An extraordinary ‘must buy’ wine that you would want to drink the whole bottle of on your own.” in the case of Suckling.

The summary statistics:

• Sample Size: 239 wines

• Max.  score: 96

• Min. score: 60

• Mean score: 90.38

• Median score: 91

Wine scores are subjective and criticisms can be levelled at any wine rating service, however some things about these judgements survive any criticisms I have.

In particular, it is a breakthrough year for some Texas wineries for whom future tastings will start with prior expectations to uphold, rather than a cloak of anonymity to discard. Among the ‘bolt from the blue’ wineries this year, none is more representative than Robert Clay Vineyards from the emerging wine subcluster of Mason, Texas. In Suckling, its six entered wines scored as high as second (to Calais Winery 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, Cathedral Mountain Vineyard, Cuvée De L’Exposition) and as low as 77th, out of 239 wines tasted. The scores for the wines were from 95 down to 91 (full details in figure 1). In Decanter, the three tasted wines scored 96-94 points (full details in figure 2). Both publications use 100-point scales. 

FIGURE 2: Decanter Magazine Scores for Robert Clay Vineyards wines tasted in 2025

Robert Clay Vineyards, Estate B 21 00 RCV MC Grand Reserve, Texas Hill Country (Hickory Sands District)94 Dan McLaughlin is ageing wine longer than just about anyone in the United States. This blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon spent 43 months in French oak and was bottled unfiltered. The vines are rooted in the hickory sands of Mason County within the Texas Hill Country AVA. Because the wines are neither fined, filtered, nor cold-stabilised, they will drop sediment, as the back label notes. I tasted pre-release bottles. Extremely dark berry fruit lifts from the glass alongside rich cedarwood spice, maple-laced tobacco, and hickory smoke. Full-bodied, with chalky, fine-grained tannins that carry a sappy edge, the palate is underscored by fig, cassis, and redcurrant, all lingering through a smoky, mineral finish. “RCV” on the label indicates “Estate Grown and Bottled,” while “21 00” denotes the 2021 vintage and the "00" part stands for a single-barrel selection. This wine comes from one barrel only, aged 43 months, with just 26 cases produced.

Robert Clay Vineyards, Estate B 21 00 RCV Grand Reserve, Texas Hill Country (Hickory Sands District)95Dan McLaughlin is marrying some of the most unique blends and ageing his wines longer than just about anyone in the United States. This blend of Ruby Cabernet—a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan developed at UC Davis in the 1930s, prized for its heat tolerance and ability to retain acidity in warm climates, making it exceptionally well-suited to Texas—joins Merlot, Touriga Nacional, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Barbera. The wine is aged for 43 months in French oak and bottled unfiltered. The vines are planted in the Hickory Sands of Mason County within the Texas Hill Country AVA. Because the wines are neither fined, filtered, nor cold-stabilised, they will “drop sediment,” as noted on the back label. Whatever McLaughlin is doing, he’s got it right in this pre-release red I tasted. It shows the freshness of a youthful wine, with its dark hue and vibrant black fruit, alongside the complexity of something more mature, underscored by leathery and tobacco-like notes that support plump, juicy blackberry and black cherry fruit. Perhaps it’s my imagination, but I also catch a trace of hickory smoke and fig paste—intriguing elements that could well stem from the extended ageing and unfiltered character. With air, it begins to take on port-like tones, developing nutty nuances and a flavour profile reminiscent of a fine tawny port blended with a rich, dry red. It’s fascinating—and not at all disagreeable. There’s also a real grip to it, likely owing to its unfiltered nature, giving the wine an appearance not unlike freshly pressed grape must before fermentation, with a youthful exuberance and succulent texture. What an enigma of a wine.

Robert Clay Vineyards, Estate B 15 04 RCV MTR, Grand Reserve, Texas Hill Country96Dan McLaughlin is crafting some of the most distinctive blends in the United States, ageing his wines longer than just about anyone else—and his labels tell a story all their own. This blend of Merlot, Touriga Nacional, and Ruby Cabernet was aged for 120 months in French oak. In this case, the wine hails from the 2015 vintage, indicated by “15” on the label, followed by “04,” denoting “Lot #4”—meaning the wine came from barrels 9 and 10 out of a total of 10 produced. Just 48 cases were made, estate-bottled under the “RCV” designation on the label, while “MTR” indicates an Old Vine Field Blend. To give you a sense of what you’re diving into, the label reads: “A field blend in equal parts from the estate’s three old-vine blocks. From an original 10-barrel lot, two barrels have been bottled each year since 2022; these final two spent a full decade in barrel. A remarkable vertical for those with patience. As always, Robert Clay Vineyards wines are unfiltered and unfined and may deposit natural sediment.” The vines are planted in the Hickory Sands of Mason County within the Texas Hill Country AVA. Because the wines are neither fined, filtered, nor cold-stabilised, they are expected to drop sediment, as noted on the back label. Now for the wine itself, tasted just after lunch on a cool Monday in September. My first impression from the aromas is that it’s quite port-like—reminiscent of a fine tawny—with lovely nutty nuances, maple, hickory, and dark chocolate. Those same notes ripple across the palate, supported by beams of sappy, maple-like tannins. There’s something undeniably delicious about this wine, and I highly recommend serving it well chilled. Enjoy a glass or two on its own, then pair it with top-notch barbecue—particularly smoked meats.

These results show not only high standards, but also consistency. All of the entered wines are in the top class in both publications. 

An examination of the actual wines throws up some interesting findings as well.   

Scores in this tasting (2025) were higher than in Suckling’s previous tasting (although vintages went back to 2017). Robert Clay wines are getting better on the Suckling scale. In Decanter, Jonathan Cristaldi tasted the 2015 Merlot, Touriga, Ruby Cabernet, and gave it his highest score (96). So the jury may still be out on this.

In Suckling, the highest scoring Robert Clay wine was a chardonnay (as was the sixth), a grape that some people have told us we can’t grow. Grapes that we are told also don’t do well here, cabernet sauvignon and merlot, were the blend of the joint second highest scoring wine (with all of Calais winery’s 4 wines also being Bordeaux grapes, these people who pronounce that Texas cannot grow cool climate varieties are going to have to change their tune, or live with a credibility gap). 

They exemplify the broad range of grapes that excel in Texas (which may have a grape palette as large as any state in the country). Robert Clay’s wines in these two tastings were made from chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, barbera, and ruby cabernet.   

Vintages for the six Suckling wines spanned six years, with the oldest a 2017 merlot and the youngest a 2023 chardonnay. Few wineries would have new releases this old. Robert Clay releases wines after their oak-aging is complete and has no qualms taking a leaf out of Rioja producers’ books and leaving a wine in wood for a long time. The 2017 Merlot (93 points) was in barrel 52 months. The 2015 Merlot, Touriga, Ruby Cabernet tasted in Decanter was aged a full 10 years in French oak. In Decanter, Jonathan Cristaldi noted  “Dan McLaughlin is ageing wine longer than just about anyone in the United States.”

Another universal technique is the absence of fining or filtering. Hence the wines tend to drop sediment. 

“We’re not expanding production to chase demand. We’re limiting sales to protect extended élevage and the integrity of our 100% estate-bottled wines.”

Dan McLaughlin, Founder and Winemaker, Robert Clay Vineyards

One remnant of his IT background may be his labelling convention. For example, “B 21 00 RCV MC”. It resembles a cryptography cypher but actually means barrel (B), vintage 2021 (21) lot 0 (00, where a lot may span more than one barrel), Robert Clay Vineyard (RCV), merlot and cabernet sauvignon (MC - adding a  cabernet franc may cause a decoding problem later here). 

Stepping back from the winemaking, Dan McLaughlin was actually inspired by the viticulture originally, and it was this that led him to leave his well-paid IT job in Austin and farm a remote vineyard in Mason County. Bill Blackmon suggested the vineyard he eventually bought. All of the grapes still come from this 15-acre vineyard, plus new plantings, for 20 acres in all. Nowadays he and his son, Blake, both work the vineyard. Their output is miniscule, some 500 cases. McLaughlin complains that he does not even have enough wine to enter competitions. For many of his wines the total production is just one barrel (300 bottles).

He has been an enthusiastic co-sponsor of the Hickory Sands AVA application through the TTB (Tax and Trade Bureau). The government should announce its creation in 2026. The estate vineyard lies in the proposed AVA.

Despite being comparatively anonymous, word of the wines has spread to the point that everything is now on allocation. Sign up for an allocation online.Tasting takes place at the tasting room in Mason (even that is concealed off the impressive town square) by appointment. It is for those with an allocation or those considering one. It is a sitdown with Dan and Blake for about four hours and involves around 20 wines. Dan advises attendees not to arrive after a lot of tasting elsewhere! Some buyers know how to show their seriousness, like the guy that flew in to Mason from Houston to taste and bought a case of wine on the spot. At a recent tasting of the whole “Robert Clay Vineyards Story”, including pre-releases, for $2,400 at Fredericksburg’s new top boutique, the Albert Hotel, somehow some wine made its way to the hotel’s Reserve Wine List, adding another channel to find it.  

In a late interview with Dan, just prior to going to press, it was clear that 2025 has already put he and Blake into a new phase at their little family venture -- maintaining the reputation that they have so arduously acquired.