ROBERT CLAY VINEYARDS IS THE FIRST WINERY TO WRITE ITS OWN AI ANTHEM

by Andrew Chalk

What does a winemaker want to do after planting a vineyard from scratch and building a winery? For many, it is to write about the most strenuous, extenuating and ambitious venture of their life. For Dan McLaughlin, winemaker, grower and principal of Robert Clay Vineyards it was to collaborate with his son, Blake, and Google’s AI assistant, Gemini to actually write music, a song named No Eagle’s Shadow, to capture their experience. 

And you won’t find the style is the ecclesiastical Gregorian chants favored by Montes Winery, one of Chile’s finest. Or the delicate, eclectic classical music favored by Michel Loriot of Champagne Apollonis.   

No, this music is as raw, and vicious as one of McLaughlin’s wines before it begins his hyper-long French oak aging process (43 to 120 months). 

Set to the vibe of modern country storytelling fused with a lead from heavy guitar and the pulsating backbeat of heavy rock, this is a badass ballad.

The lyrics start with the dream that would become Robert Clay Vineyards and the seeming impossibility of the task (as seen by Blake): 

The map calls it Mason, but we just called it hard.

That Hickory Sand, a sun-scorched, gravel-yard.

Stuck between Grit and a town they called Art,

Just an old John Deere and my daddy’s stubborn heart.

Then it continues with the adversity of planting vines in such an unlikely place, to the ridicule of the locals:

The first year, drought. The second, a hard freeze.

Brought those tough old men right down to their knees.

Folks at the feed store just laughed and shook their heads,

"Shoulda stuck to cattle," is what they always said.

The pre-chorus is the statement of what keeps them going:

He’d say, "God tests a man, just to see what he'll give,

"It ain't about dyin', son, it's how you choose to live."

That bursts into the chorus which appears to reflect joy following the first successes:

 'Cause we got roots down deep in these stubborn sands!

A two-man prayer held in these calloused hands!

They said a Lone Star vineyard was a fool’s dream!

But this dusty ground is what we will redeem!

Yeah, that Napa "Eagle" learns to fly low,

When a Mason County bottle steals the whole damn show!

In fact, the best way to appreciate it is to just listen to the actual song on Spotify

Click image to listen on Spotify

Why Write a Ballad of Your Winery’s Story Now?

The timing might be explained by the imminent release of Decanter reviews giving their red wines 94-96 points. 

It might be their receipt of 10% of the medals in the highest-priced Chardonnay category at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition in all vintages the wine was released. 

It might be explained by the soil of their grapes being planted in the soon-to-be-confirmed  Hickory Sands District AVA.

It might be because it is now 10 years of vintages that have all scored 90+ points (out of 100) in major reviews.   

How Is This Achieved?

Dan gave me the key points:

• Allocation ethos: Micro-lots (as small as 26–48 cases), single-barrel selections, waitlist-only.

• Ultra-extended élevage: 43–120 months in French oak; unfined, unfiltered.

• Hickory Sands District (proposed AVA): Estate-grown on decomposed granite & sandstone gravel (NW Llano Uplift). He was a co-petitioner of the AVA.

• Annual production: ~400–500 cases, by design.

• Philosophy: “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.”

And The AI?

Dan’s background is in IT. He led software development at a company in Austin before swapping his desk for a tractor in 2012. To make this song he experimented with multiple sets of lyrics, then put them in suno.com studio to make the music. 

Let’s hope his success as a songwriter does not take him away from winemaking. Robert Clay Vineyards is one of the stars of Texas winemaking.