This past Saturday, Michelle and I went to two more local wineries, relative to our home in Leander, TX, including a delicious visit to Perissos Vineyards outside of Burnet.  Perissos is Greek for “exceeding abundantly, beyond what is expected, imagined, or hoped for” – Ephesians, 3:20.   Perissos Vineyards is a small, family-run vineyard and

winery – the 16 acre dream of Seth and Laura Martin, as a place to raise their five children, and teach them the values of working for yourself.  The Martins currently have around 11 acres planted, with over 13 varietals – the main successes being with Aglianico, Dolcetto, Petite Syrah, Roussanne, Tempranillo, Touriga, and Viognier.  The entrance to Perissos Vineyards is wonderful.  Upon entering the gates, you drive straight between rows of vines – white on the right, and red on the left.  It’s a beautiful sight in the summer.  The tasting room is done in large – farmhouse style, with long bench-style tables and seats.  You can pack a lot of people in this place!

All of the wines at Perissos Vineyards are 100% Texas grown. Depending on yields, quality, and desired blends, they will supplement their Estate-Grown grapes with grapes from the Texas High Plains.

We met Amy, the Tasting Room Manager, who expertly took us through our tasting of four Estate and two High Plains wines.  We

 

started with a newly released 2015 Estate Viognier ($32). This is a bright, crisp wine, loaded with honeysuckle, with touches of pear and apple.  Wonderfully refreshing for this hot Texas summer day, it finishes with a smooth, creamy touch of pineapple and apricot.  Definitely a delicious way to start today’s tasting.

We moved on to a 2013 Roussanne ($26) – a blend of 100% Roussanne from the Oswald (78%) and Bingham (22%) High Plains Vineyards.  With lots of honey and citrus on the nose, this wine has a typical slight sour grapefruit taste, and a bold finish.

The final white (or maybe it could be considered a “blonde,” given its namesake) is the 2013 Estate Lucy (32), a blend of Viognier (40%,

Roussanne (40%), and Muscat Canelli (20%).  Named for Seth and Laura’s daughter Lucy, this is another great hot afternoon wine.  With a wonderful sense of sweetness (I’m sure like little Lucy herself), this wine has no Residual Sugars.  The sweet aromas and tastes of tangerine come from the Muscat Canelli.

Moving on to the reds, we started with the Award Winning 2013

Estate Aglianico ($48). The 2014 release just won Best of Class at the 2016 San Francisco Chronicle competition in the past few weeks!  The 2013 is dark and fruity, with plum and red raspberries, with slight spices and a touch of leather on the finish, with a great mouth feel.  A delicious wine!

Every once in a while, you’ll run into that person who just needs some self-reassurance in their ability to name a wine they are drinking. T he 2014 Estate Racker’s Blend ($45) is perfect to help these people.  If they pick a grape from the taste, they might just be right.  This is a

blend of EIGHT grapes: Aglianico (25%), Malbec (12%), Syrah (16%), Petite Sirah (20%), Tempranillo (24%), Touriga Nacionale (1%), Dolcetto (1%), and Montepulciano (1%).  This is a very smooth, versatile wine that would go well with steaks and most Italian foods.

The final wine on the tasting menu was the 2014 (High Plains) Italian Stallion ($40) – an outstanding Italian blend of 25% each of Sangiovese, Dolcetto, Aglianico, and Montepulciano.  A very delicious blend of blackberry flavors, with a touch of white pepper with lots of texture and a smooth, silky finish.

We also had the good fortune to spend some time with Laura Martin, and had a wonderful discussion with her about her family and their passion and dedication to their dream.  In addition, Perissos offers a plate of cheese, crackers, fruit, and salami for $12.95.  They will have an Estate 100% Montepulciano coming out soon (Mmmmmm….>!!), and also have a 2014 Rose (Grenache, Mourvedre, Cabernet Sauvignon) and a 2015 Rose (Dolcetto, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cabernet Sauvignon).

All in all, a delightful experience at a beautiful farm-style winery with great, award winning wines!

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Lastly… grab a glass of wine, and ENJOY!!!