Road Trip: Austinist Sips At Driftwood Vineyards

A mere four miles from The Salt Lick, Driftwood Vineyards is an ideal detour for those shuttling out-of-town guests to the BBQ haven out in the Hill Country. The tasting room sits at the top of a long, unpaved road and overlooks Driftwood's grapevines and some beautiful countryside. While the setting was enjoyable, we had our suspicions about Texas' ability to compete with California or Oregon wines, some of which were confirmed.

We began with the Driftwood '04 and '05 Chardonnays. The '04 was extremely dry, and we mean this as a compliment. Fruit-forward, with strong acid and almost no oak or butter, this was the anti-Napa Chard. We enjoyed it for the uniqueness of the wine, and at $9, it's very affordable. The '05 was a much richer wine that moved toward a traditional butter, pear & apple style. We found this wine to be mildly enjoyable, but not a standout given the $14 price (see our picks for better quality in this price range).

Next were the suddenly up-and-coming Viogniers. Viognier is a dry white wine that often contains spicy notes of orange and apricot. Driftwood's '04 was not a particularly good one, which isn't surprising as the grape is very tough to grow. The fact that the retail price was $6/bottle let us know that the vineyard agreed with our verdict. The '05 was a different story: this viognier exhibited many more of the classic qualities of the wine: plenty of orange flavors, nice acid, and some spice. The drawback here is that at $30, the wine is overpriced for the quality. Some of the top boutique California producers sell this wine for $20-$25, so we're not sure why this new entrant is so expensive.

The red wines at Driftwood were an insightful predictor about what varietals might work in our state. The standouts made greater use of Sangiovese (the main grape used in Chianti) and Syrah, while the less interesting wines were made primarily with Cabernet Sauvignon. The '03 and '04 Lone Star Cabs were found to be thin, undistinctive and below average compared to inexpensive Chilean and South African alternatives like Montes and Excelsior. In contrast, the '04 Longhorn Red (made with 50% Cab/50% Syrah) was a real improvement, with added depth on the palate, light tannins, and a longer finish. The real red stars were the '04 Alamo Red (a 100% Syrah) and the '04 Super Texan (a Tuscan blend with 65% Sangiovese), both of which we can recommend. The Alamo Red was our favorite of the lot: a rounded, rich Syrah with light oak, moderate tannins, and just a little pepper. Hopefully Driftwood will focus on Sangiovese and Syrah grapes for future vintages, as the results seemed far better in these areas.