United States of Wine

Pedernales Cellars — Texas Viognier — 2025 — Stonewall, Texas

Price: $18; www.specsonline.com

I wasn’t sure what kind of white grapes could be grown in Texas, but Pedernales Cellars showed me what they’re able to make from Viognier grown in the Texas High Plains. Though they use the Texas-grown varietal in their white blends, their Texas Viognier is 100% of this famous grape from the Rhône Valley of France.

The 2025 vintage appears almost a light limey-yellow in the glass, clear and fresh. But such a delicate color does not represent the flavor profile. Like everything else in Texas, this wine went BIG.

“Holy grapefruit,” escaped my mouth at first sip. While the strong scent did hint at a citrus, the taste was undeniably the fruit I most associate with Texas: a beautiful, juicy grapefruit. And while I love grapefruit, it was hard to find other softer flavors behind the overwhelming taste of it. It was almost like getting hit in the face with a whole grapefruit.

The longer the wine remained open, the softer flavors were able to break through. The taste of honey suddenly became so prevalent. It wasn’t the sweetness of honey, but the true flavor of fresh local honey. Beyond that, there was a hint of metal and ink, like from a ballpoint pen.

When I mentioned that Pedernales Cellars was in the Texas Hill Country, my tasting partner asked if that meant this wine could go with barbecue. After some thought, I think this Viognier would go wonderfully with some Texas-style pork ribs, where the seasoning is savory and they’re smoked over hickory wood. OK, I’m hungry now.

This Texas Viognier made another flavor change as we neared an hour of the bottle being open, but continuously chilled. The grapefruit flavor that punched me in the face at the beginning was so dulled by this point that the wine felt brighter. Somehow a good wine became a very good wine, though the honey flavor that remained gave the impression that this wine should be sweet when it’s not.

Would I buy this wine again? Absolutely. This is the best Texas wine I’ve tasted so far and I recommend picking up a bottle if you see it at your local Spec’s or H-E-B stores.

Score: 8.2/10