Award winners 2015 Reserve Sangiovese, 2016 Estate Vigneron, and 2016 Estate Tannat taking a break to enjoy the Hill Country Spring bloom.
2019 is off to a great start for Westcave Cellars, as three of our wines won awards at the prestigious TEXSOM International Wine Awards back in February.
The TEXSOM Awards, based in Dallas, is an annual sommelier’s conference that has, for over a decade now, been attracting the wine industry’s most influential movers and shakers, and is now known as one of the most selective and prestigious wine competitions in the United States. It was an honor to take part in this event and have our wines judged alongside thousands of wines from all over the world.
Our 2016 Estate Vigneron won a silver, and our 2016 Estate Tannat took a bronze. As estate wines, both are grown, processed and bottled on site here at Westcave Cellars, the true embodiment of the vine-to-bottle philosophy that we aim for. Our Tannat is a particular point of pride, as our 3/4s of an acre of Tannat grapes were some of the first in the state when we planted them back in 2008; we’re excited to see the growth in Tannat’s popularity, and fully believe predictions that it is set to be the next big Texas red. Our Vigneron (which is, literally, a French word for “a person who cultivates grapes for wine”) is a blend carefully, and painstakingly crafted by our own vigneron, Allan Fetty, is just as close to our hearts, and Allan’s dedication to perfecting the combinations really shines – you can absolutely taste the love. These are bold, flavorful wines, that we’ve worked with every step of the way, and we’re deeply proud of how they fared at the showing – and they’re both available to order online!
However, the real star of the 2019 competition was our 2015 Reserve Sangiovese which not only took home a gold, but ALSO the coveted Judge’s Selection Award for the Texas Red category. Beyond the honor of earning a gold, the Judge’s Selection Award means that our Sangiovese was nominated to compete against all the other Texas reds in the competition and, after a blind tasting by a panel of industry experts, was awarded the best red in the Lone Star State. Our Sangiovese is made from top-quality fruit from our friends at the High Cross vineyard who, as the award would indicate, have clearly been providing us with the very best of the best. We couldn’t be happier with the judge’s decision, but it really speaks to the Reserve Sangiovese’s quality and popularity that we’re entirely sold out.
It was a great showing for our products, and we look forward to getting our world-class wines into more showings and competitions throughout the year. Follow us on social media, subscribe to our e-mail newsletter mailing list (we only send once a month), and keep up with this blog to stay informed on all the newest things happening around Westcave Cellars!
