Located just off Lake Ray Roberts, Edge of the Lake Vineyards (more) is a hidden gem in North Texas. I first tried their wines during the Gainesville Wine Stroll (more), where I bought a bottle of their blend to take home. I didn’t take a lot of pictures during the tasting, but there’s a gallery at the bottom with some pictures of the gorgeous setting you can enjoy while tasting. I would recommend making a reservation – they get very busy – quickly. We did two tastings and then enjoyed a bottle and the view.
The Dry Red Tasting
2022 Youngblood Grenache (Texoma)
This is 100% Grenache that had a bit of a high alcohol scent on the nose, covering up the berry. I found it a bit acidic and very tart. It went well with the Manchego cheese, which tempered the acid for me. As we let it sit and came back to it – it opened up to a bit more of a tart cherry and not as acidic. Darling Husband (DH) found it to be a bit grainy on the tongue. The color was also deceptive – it was a really pretty reddish purple that made it look like the wine would be savory. Despite the Tuesday rating, this one didn’t appeal to me as much as some of the others.
2021 Barbera (Texas High Plains – Reddy Vineyards)
This is a blend of 90% Barbera with 10% Petite Verdot which meant it had a heavy floral, rotten peaches and motor oil scent to it. [The petrol is expected from the high plains] However, the scent belies the flavor which was smooth with a spicy finish. It’s a weird color being almost orange. But it paired well with apple cinnamon and we put this one down as a Thursday wine. We’d revisit it with something hearty – maybe meatloaf.
2021 Tempranillo (Texas High Plains – Reddy Vineyards)
This is 100% Tempranillo that smelled like west Texas Tempranillo. There was some fruit in the aroma. However it tasted kinda sweet but with a warm spicy almost yeasty finish. It also went well with the Manchego cheese, which brought out a red pear flavor. It really needs food to make it shine, but can be drunk on its own. I think I’d prefer it with Salisbury steak on a Wednesday night, or maybe a barbecue baked potato.
2021 Edge Blend (Texas High Plains – Reddy Vineyards)
The 2021 blend is 33% Montepulciano, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Malbec, 11% Barbera, and 4% Petite Verdot. This is an unusual one. It has a west Texas scent but an Italian blend smoothness to it. I think the malbec is the smoothing grape in the blend. It has a good berry flavor – like a mixed berry tart, complete with the sugariness of the goop that holds all the berries together.
We rated this as a Friday night. One where we want to have time to enjoy it. It could be drunk any night of the week and complement your Monday pizza, Tuesday tacos, etc – but it really should be savored. We also categorized this wine as if we were pairing it with the food for one of the wine dinners we attend regularly – it’s the 4th course – the entrée – the steak, prime rib, the heavy sauces.
The Premium Red Tasting
2021 Tempetite (Texas High Plains – Reddy Vineyards)
This blend is as the name implies – 77% Tempranillo and 23% Petite Verdot. It was easy to guess the blends here – but I got the percentage wrong – I thought it was more of an even split. It doesn’t really matter because it tasted like Christmas to me. In fact, I’d describe it as my mincemeat tart in liquid form – so dried apple, pear, orange peel, maybe a little lemon zest, raisons (both gold and black), cinnamon, clove, allspice, nutmeg, brown sugar, a pinch of salt and brandy – and sometimes some bourbon.
I have a note that it brings out the pepper – which must be in relation to the peppered salami from the charcuterie board. We gave this a Saturday night rating. Send the kids somewhere, turn on the instrumental Christmas carols (or Frank Sinatra), light the fireplace and just enjoy the wine, the fire and the twinkling of the tree.
2020 Edge Blend (Texas High Plains – Reddy Vineyards)
This is 44% Petite Verdot, 31% Barbera and 25% Tempranillo. Which is completely different than the 2021 blend. It had more berry almost like a cherry cola for me. DH got some chocolate and tobacco notes, but I didn’t get them. It had a more raspberry color than its newer cousin. A solid Wednesday wine.
We put this one as the third course for the wine dinner – the one that has the crab cakes, the mock turtle soup, the spare ribs or something equally as flavorful but not as heavy as the entrée. I preferred the 2020, while DH preferred the 2021. But truly, you can’t go wrong with either.
2021 Bourbon Barrel Tempranillo (Texas High Plains)
A 100% Tempranillo aged in Ironroot Republic Distillery bourbon barrels. It has a very acrid scent with a deep blood color – I know, not a great start for a description. But it has vanilla and oak and is almost gritty. We did find out its aged on French Oak for some time (my notes are sketchy and contradictory on the amount of months, so I’ll leave it out) before going into the bourbon barrels.
You can’t pair this with anything remotely sweet. Maybe a spicy pork loin or your traditional NY strip steak.
2022 Estate Grenache Reserve (Texoma)
A blend of 95% grenache and 5% viognier, which I truly could not distinguish from the first grenache we tasted. Maybe it was too late in the tasting and my tongue was tired. I can say it was more sugary than the first with a deeper cherry. DH described it as being like biting into a cherry hand pie. Which I can see as it finishes sweet on the tongue.
It’s a Wednesday wine and went well with the Drunken Goat cheese. My notes say I found it to be “more drinkable” than the first.
Final Thoughts
My husband had fun making me try to guess what the types of grapes were that made up the wines. More so on the second tasting when he took the cheat sheet away…
Despite the initial commentary on the bourbon barrel aged Tempranillo, we bought a bottle and enjoyed it on the porch with the dogs. Just munching on some of the bruschetta they have and enjoying the view.
If you want a laid back tasting experience in a beautiful setting – this is the place for you. We got to talking to some of the regulars, and I can see why the come back so often. Honestly, if it was just down the road from me, I’d probably be there more with my feet in the pool, a dog next to me and a glass in my hand.
I have to go back to try the whites – so I’ll let you know how that goes. Have I mentioned the view? Check it out below. [New to my rating system – read more here.]
