The West Texas road trip was wrapping up and we had to make a choice on which way to head back to home base. Did we flip a coin? No. Did we just turn right? NO. We looked for the nearest winery and took that route. This led us to San Saba, Texas and Wedding Oak Winery (website).
2021 Roussanne
We started the tasting with the 2021 Roussanne, as we had chosen to do a mix of red and whites. It had a green apple scent with a good buttery flavor. It’s aged in French Oak and the grapes are grown in the Phillips Vineyard in the Texas High Plains. We rated this as a Tuesday Roussanne. Easy to drink and enjoyable. (See their notes here.}
2022 Trebbiano
The grapes for this wine also come from the Texas High Plains. It smells dry but tastes sweet. It was very fruity but couldn’t place the scent or flavor. However, we decided we needed to try this one on a Wednesday night with citrus shrimp. (See their notes here.)
2022 Castanet
This double gold winning Rosé is 90% Cinsault and 10% Black Spanish. It had a lovely strawberry, lime, kiwi flavor. Though my tasting companion said “strawberry rhubarb.” This Thursday wine would pair well with Peri Peri salmon. (See their notes here.)
2021 Primativo
Another grape grown in the Texas High Plains giving the wine a spicy flavor and a smoky flavor. The deep garnet wine has a pepper finish. We decided this would have been the perfect wine to go with the Ancho Steak we had at the 12 Gage Restaurant (at the Hotel Gage) in Marathon, Texas. (That was dinner on Friday night.)
2021 Tioja
This is a blend of Tempranillo and Sangiovese. It’s earthy with blackberry, tobacco and green pepper flavors. It was a mouthwatering wine, that we decided should be a Thursday night – with Pizza. But honestly I’d sit and drink this with a good book. (See their notes here.)
2020 Cabernet Sauvignon
Another wine that smelled sweet but had a dry taste. It had a definite blackberry scent. It had a dry oak finish and was a little gritty. This is a cabernet that needs food – like a good steak or a prime rib. Despite it’s flaws, I still gave it a Thursday rating. (See their notes here.)
2021 Red Wind
Named for the “red wind” found on the Texas High Plains when the dust gets stirred up. This blend had a bland scent and then when tasting it burst with flavor. Some good smoky notes and flavors of Blackberry Cobbler. This is a great table wine to go with anything, but note it’s rated as a Thursday, so if you open it to go with Monday Night Football and pizza, you better not waste it but letting it sit out overnight.
Final Thoughts
We could have stayed and tasted more wines that afternoon, but we needed to get headed toward home. Luckily, San Saba is a day drive from the DFW area and the downtown (where the tasting room is located) has some cute shops and restaurants. There is a historic type hotel downtown right by the winery I’ll have to check out and report on the next time I visit. Because, believe me – there will be a next time!
