After driving past Wildseed Farms (website) multiple times during the celebration of California Wine Month along Tx Highway 290, finally decided to stop – since there was time to spare before a dinner.
This is a combination between a seed farm, a seed store and garden store, a chic boutique worthy of downtown Fredericksburg, a biergarten and a winery. Put this way, bring the guys – send them to the biergarten for pretzels and beer while you shop and then have a glass of wine.
Let me just put this out here – these were all Monday wines for me. If you’re not familiar with my wine ranking philosophy, you can read more here. Monday wines aren’t “bad” wines – there are very few bad wines and a southern girl doesn’t gossip (but they might come in a big jug). Point is, the wine was good, but it wasn’t my favorite out of all the tastings I did. But, a new category has emerged “Bridge Wine.” Yes. Bridge. The card game played by ladies mid-afternoon with its own set of linens, plates and silverware… (Not to mention it’s own table because how uncouth (as my grandmother would say) would it be to use a (gasp) card table.)
I didn’t manage to get label photos for everything, so pictures at the end.
The Tasting
The 2021 Albariño was described as having “honeydew-citrus-lemongrass.” It was dry but sweet. Good flavor with a tart finish. I liked the Oaked Albariño better (more below).
The 2021 Vermentino had a description of “Lime-Grapefruit-Almond.” It was aged in 100% stainless steel. The scent took me a while to figure out – it was kindof a sugar-caramel scent with white nougat. In the end, I settled on Pecan Divinity. (Not familiar? Google will help.) It was unlike any vermentino I’d ever had before. That being said – it’s perfect for Bridge… this would go well with Bridge Mix and mini chicken salad sandwiches.
The 2021 Primrose is a Mourvèdre Rosé created using the pump over method with only 6 hours of skin contact. Described as “strawberry-white peach-rose petal.” I got a peach, apricot and floral scent. It has the sweet-tart taste of a Mourvèdre and is fruity but light. It went really well with the stoneground mustard that came with the hot pretzel my partner in wine ordered. This tells me this is better for your deviled eggs, pimento cheese sandwiches and if you get wild and make the chicken salad with a dash of curry (how exotic – the ladies will talk after bridge….)
Moving into reds with the 2019 Tempranillo. Described as “leather-cherry-cedar-blackberry.” It smells like a Tempranillo. My partner in wine said “long-string-esters.” The mustard completely destroyed the taste and made it sharp. So it needs lighter food. But not Bridge appropriate.
Next up was the 2020 Wildseed Dolcetto, which was described as “blackberry-cocoa-violet.” We were told the dolcetto was early ripening. I got an alcohol scent mixed with queen anne cherries. It had a sweet start with a good finish. So, yes, this would go well with chocolate covered cherries, or those walnut brownies your neighbor insists on bringing to bridge – the only problem is half the time they are hockey pucks. So everyone swears they taste better dunked in coffee, but in reality they are trying not to chip the veneer on their teeth. (Oh dear, that was tacky of me…. )
The final wine in the tasting was the 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon. Described as “black fruits-sweet tobacco-smoke.” I got tomato leaf on both the scent and taste. With 23 Brix I expected a bit more, but the flavor was a bit flat. The top note scent for me was morning glory. It’s a lighter cabernet than your traditional Napa Cab, but it needs food and not stoneground mustard either. Definitely not a bridge wine. Maybe for meatloaf after bridge.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve read to here, then you know the wine wasn’t bad. I enjoyed it – as you can tell by the descriptions. I just don’t play bridge, spades, or even pinochle. Farkle, Dominos, Scrabble and even on occasion Cards Against Humanity.
I did comment on liking Oaked Albariños, so our hostess poured me a taste. It had a good melon, citrus and earthy flavor – so I bought a bottle to try in the risotto recipe I have that uses white wine – and I love the flavor of the Oaked Albariño in it.
Honestly, Wildseed Farms is worth a stop. Maybe not on a Saturday or Sunday. Since we’re going into fall they have some lovely displays outside I can see making excellent backgrounds for the kids Christmas picture. Although, do yours early in spring when the wildflowers are blooming and the wildflower trails are accessible (it rained the day I went). Just be sure to check with Wildseed Farms (website) for their policy for professional photographers. [Most places allow you to snap a pic with your cell phone, but photo shoots require permission.]
