I have been hearing that the 2011 wines will be stunning because of the drought we had in Texas, but I expected that we would have to Wait until 2013 to find an array of Texas Red Wines made from those grapes. My first taste of ’11 wine was from Saddlehorn Winery – a delicious dry Black Spanish wine unlike ANY I have tasted before. It was smooth and smoky and a wine l could share with anyone.

Saturday at the Fredericksburg Food & Wine Fest, I tasted a Merlot that was full of fruit yet with balanced tannins that was also 2011 grapes. More about that in a different article.

On Sunday we dropped by Texas Wine Sellers, a favorite hangout of ours in Fredericksburg, and saw Martin and Angela Santamaria, owners of Santa Maria Cellars. Martin was giving Tastings of three 2011 vintage red wines from his vineyard, a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Pinot Noir, and a Malbec. On recommendation from Debbie H., our friend that works at Texas Wine Sellers, I tried the Malbec.

I have never smelled and tasted such intense Black Cherry, Chocolate, and Pipe tobacco in a wine. Martin, an Argentinian-born transplant to Texas, makes his wines Argentinian-style; (very) slightly off-dry and fruit-forward, a style that, in my opinion, expresses the intensity of the 2011 Texas grapes Very well.

Martin’s 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir wines are also intense and delicious, and I purchased three bottles of each of them (at full price), but his Malbec FL00RED me. I have included a Visnal Tasting(TM) to help describe the lusciousness of his wine.