Pedernales Cellars
by
Kathy & Terry Sullivan
Summary: Pedernales Cellars is one of the newer wineries in the Texas fast growing wine country. Pedernales Cellars sells most of their wine from the tasting room. Watch this winery as they add more events to their calendar.
Located near Stonewall, Texas, visitors will discover Pedernales Cellars down Ranch Road 1623 just south of town. You can’t miss the winery, as a sign for Pedernales is on a large stone wall. Stone, wood and views are a mixture for this winery setting. The Pedernales River flows close by. In Spanish, Pedernales means flint. As the winery and tasting room facility were built, arrowheads were discovered. The family vineyard was also a source of arrowheads, thus giving the inspiration to name the winery Pedernales.
We met David Kuhlken, co-founder and winemaker. David has been growing grapes with his family since 1994. The 17-acre vineyard for Pedernales Cellars is north of Fredericksburg, a short distance from the winery. The vineyard varietals include Cabernet Sauvignon,Merlot, Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional, Garnacha and Mourvedre. They source most of the grapes for the white wines from the High Plains. Until 2006, wine production took place at Texas Hills Vineyard in Johnson City. David and his brother-in-law Fredrik Osterberg built the 4,000 square Pedernales Cellars winery and tasting room in 2008. They used state of the art geothermal cooling. By building the winery into a limestone rock, they have the benefit of additional insulation. The winery and barrel room keep a constant temperature.
Current production is about 2,200 cases and in 2009, they expect to reach 3,000 cases. Ultimately they would like to produce 5,000 cases. As we toured the winery, we noticed a basket press for producing red wines. The pneumatic press works well for making small batches of crafted wines. Much of the winemaking equipment is on wheels including the press. They can quickly move equipment to the crush pad, just outside the winery. The mobility of the equipment provides versatility of arrangement in the winery. David uses American, French and Slovakian oak barrels to age wines. Stainless steel tanks are used for the white wines. David believes that technology should be used in winemaking when it can improve the quality of the wine and reduce the environmental impact of winemaking.
Wines and Tasting Room
We tasted several wines in the tasting room. The tasting room has two wine tasting counters. The rich honey tones of the wood in the tasting room blends with the light colored walls. This is a good tasting room to observe the color of the wine. Pedernales Cellars’ wines are artfully displayed along a wall in the tasting room.
White and Rosé Wines
Pedernales Cellars Vino Blanco 2008 was blend of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Viognier. The aroma was of tropical fruits and citrus. The taste was smooth. The finish was crisp with citrus notes. Pedernales Cellars Garnacha Rosé 2008 was a orange translucent color. The aroma and taste were of pears and apples. The finish was crisp and dry.
Red Wines
Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 was oaked for 12 months. There was a spice aroma while the taste had spice and raspberry nuances. The finish was crisp with tannins. There was fruit on the aftertaste. Tempranillo 2007 offered earthiness on the aroma with a dark fruit taste that was smooth. The earthiness yielded to fruit on the finish with mild tannins. Family Reserve 2007 was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo and Merlot. The aroma and taste were of blackberries. The crisp finish was fruity with tannins.
The tasting room facility has a fully equipped kitchen. A large deck attached to the tasting room is delightful. Trees saved by building the deck around them provide shade. Consider purchasing a glass of wine and sipping it on the deck. The deck provides a calm location, far enough removed from US 290 so that you do not hear noise from traffic. Near the summit of Gingerbread Hill, you can see wonderful vistas of the surrounding hills. Enjoy a visit to one of Texas’ newest wineries Pedernales Cellars.
Pedernales Cellars
2916 Upper Albert Road
Stonewall, Texas 78671
GPS: N30º 12.067’ W98º 39.282’
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