Monday, July 22, 2013

Wine Country Texas: Eden Hill Vineyards

Eden Hill Vineyards is located in Celina, Texas, a half hour north of Dallas - heck, that's almost Oklahoma.  Their estate grapes are grown on two acres of north Texas land - planted in 2008 - but there's more.  Eden Hill is also a farm, sprouting fruits, vegetables and herbs.

They try to be as green as the North Texas State University football jerseys.  Their website states, "We do not use pesticides in the garden, and we try to be good stewards of the land by practicing sustainable farming methods.  Our winery is run on 100% rainwater that is collected at our farm.  Water is a precious resource in Texas."

Grape varieties grown at Eden Hill include Tempranillo, Cynthiana, Blanc du Bois, and Orange Muscat.
The Eden Hill Vineyards Albariño-Viognier 2012 has collected a couple of medals so far, and the label sports art by Wendy Dooldeniya.  She may have had an inside track, since her brother is winemaker Chris Hornbaker.  The grapes come from Smith Estate Vineyard in Fort Worth.

A 50/50 blend of Albariño and Viognier, this wine has a reasonable 13.9% abv number and is aged for four months in stainless steel - not a stick of oak.

Eden Hill's Albariño-Viognier has a pale yellow-green tint in the glass.  A bouquet of pineapple, apricot, mango, apples and peaches is colored with the spicy aromas.  Flavors of peaches and herbs - I couldn't resist - also show a little spice.  A racy acidity really rips it up, and the wine finishes on a zing of citrus.


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