Lampasas winery brings a professional taste to Texas

By MINDY POEHL | Central Texas Edition

Gill Bledsoe, owner of Pillar Bluff Vineyards which is located in Lampasas, sucks some wine out of the barrel to pour into his glass. When testing the wine, Bledsoe smells for off aromas and tastes the fruitiness and sweetness of the wines that are still aging. Photo by Mindy Poehl

Nov. 18, 2004 - Enveloped in the heart of the Texas Hill Country a dainty, yet fruitful vineyard resides. Consisting of one building, for both tasting and producing, and nine acres of grapevines, Pillar Bluff Vineyards is luxuriant in wine making and taste.

Yielding its first crush in 1999, Pillar Bluff Vineyards, which is located in Lampasas, started small, making 80 cases. It's been growing ever since, moving from 250 gallons to the 2,000 gallons of wine that were processed this year.

"This year, only one-third of the vineyard is producing," explained Gill Bledsoe, proprietor of the vineyard. "The vines are varying in age and you don't get a crop until the vines are three years old."

Bledsoe retired from the Army in 1992 and he and his wife Peggy spent time making wine as amateurs. After researching wine at Texas A&M University, the Bledsoe's decided to enter into the wine making industry.

"We were interested in wine and Texas was just coming into the wine market," Bledsoe said. "The Texas wine industry was about to explode. We thought that if we could make good wine as amateurs then we could make good wine as professionals."

Predominately producing French wines, like Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, Bledsoe said the object "is to have a Bordeaux quality wine coming out of the Hill Country." The vineyard also produces Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot and Shraz.

"The best wines are made in the vineyard. You can't make a good wine with bad grapes," Bledsoe said. "But, what makes a wine good is highly subjective and personal. People prefer different things. The most scientific definition is that a good wine is well balanced in acid and fruit and sugar. It is attractive to the nose and flavorful in taste."

Grapes are an annual crop, keeping the Bledsoe's busy year round. The bud break is in late March and early April. The grapes are harvested the second or third week in August and vineyard maintenance occurs until the vines go dormant. Once the vines are dormant, the vines are pruned for the next year's bud break, Bledsoe explained.

Bledsoe said the wine making process is "micromanagement to the Nth degree." Everything starts with the fruit.

To make white wines, the grapes are pressed and fermented by adding yeast at a cold temperature. White wines do not have contact with the grape skin after the juices have been pressed. White wines can be ready for the market in less than a year. Red wines are crushed and fermented with skin contact, Bledsoe explained. Red wines take over a year to two years before they are put on the market.

"The fun part is taking a Merlot grape and processing it to get a light pink wine out of a red grape and get a fruity taste," said Bledsoe. "We are most known for our white Merlot. We bring it out every Christmas. It has a wonderful fragrance, a sensible taste and it's great for friends and fellowship."

The amount of wine produced at Pillar Bluff Vineyards is growing every year. This year, 2,037 gallons were made and next year Bledsoe is expecting over 3,000 gallons. Over the next five years, they are anticipating expanding the vineyard to 20 acres. The wine is sold out of the tasting room at Pillar Bluff Vineyards and a few wine shops in Fredericksburg, New Braunfels, Santa Ana and Mason.

"We haven't hit the metropolitan areas, like Dallas, Austin and Houston, yet," Bledsoe said. "It's a matter of supply and demand and the bigger places would outstrip us."

Pillar Bluff Vineyards is opened Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. On a normal weekend, people taste wine and pair it with finger foods. A coordinated group visit is more formal, as the wines are paired with individual foods. The Merlot goes well with porkloin and the Chadonnay goes well with yellow fin tuna. The Muskat is served with cheesecake or key lime pie.

"The good thing about wine is it has a good health record and basically everyone can enjoy it," Bledsoe said.

Pillar Bluff Vineyards is a member of the Texas Hill Country Wineries Association, which hosts five wine trails every year. The Holiday Wine Trail will be hosted in December. Visitors purchase a wreath and travel to different wineries throughout Hill Country, collecting an ornament for the wreath at each winery.

"It's unique and people get to visit different wineries, as well as purchase Texas wines to give as gift," Bledsoe said.

For more information on Pillar Bluff Vineyards, visit www.pillarbluff.com or call 512-556-4078. For more information on the Texas Hill Country Wine Trail, visit www.texaswinetrail.com.