ON TEXAS WINE: Do They Age? Part 30, Texas Hills Vineyards Malbec, Texas High Plains, Reddy Vineyards (∞)

by Andrew Chalk

The preamble to part one read…

“More people are coming round to the idea that Texas can make good wine as they sample more of it. But the ultimate test of gravitas in, at least red wines, is how they age. How does Texas do in that regard?

To find out, I am doing a series of tastings of Texas wines, all 10+ years old, and assessing how they are doing. I am choosing them based on how their peers in other parts of the world do at the end of their first decade.” 

And later added

“Since this vintage is no longer available in the retail market I have helpfully indicated the price as ‘infinity’ in the title, above.”

TASTING NOTES

The last wine in this series was also a 2015 Malbec and I said, on tasting it, "We have moved forward in time to 2015 and maybe that is why this wine still has a powerful fruit component to the palate". The same cannot be said of this wine unfortunately. It is over the proverbial hill. The color is thin brown, the nose pruny, and the flavor reflects the little fruit you would expect from such anemic color saturation, while the acids are near searing high.

This one goes down the drain, or gifted to a natual wine lover.

Not to worry. Every vintage is a fresh chance and maybe I will have the opportunity to taste another wine from this winery on the eastern end of the 290 Wine Trail and discover something special.

Sample.