3 P’s in a Vine Winery and Vineyard Review
Address: 955 Douglas Rd Athens,Texas 75751.
Phone Number: 903-677-9463
Tasting Hours: Fri 5:00-10:00, Sat 12:00-10:00, Sun 12:00-6:00
Region: Texas
Reviewer: Becky Parr
Review Date: 4/16/2016
Reviewer: Becky Parr
Rating: 5
The Review
Its been over a week since my husband and I visited 3 Ps in a Vine. I visit a lot of wineries, and certainly I tell stories about them, but I realize as I sit down to write this that Ive been talking about 3 Ps in a Vine a great deal over the past week. It was an excellent little gem of a surprise, and Ive been excited to share what I liked with my wine-loving friends.
Because of the 3 in the name, its strangely appropriate that there are three things Ive been waxing poetic about over the past week. One is the tasting counter, which is entirely surfaced with corks. I took a picture and sent it to my crafty father, who has studied it quite intently (maybe he wants to make one now?) and showed it to others. Its fun to sit at the tasting bar and see what corks you recognize. Another is a wine storage rack that 3 Ps procured from a restaurant and would fit very nicely in my dining room! Yes, Dads getting a picture of that one too, with a hint attached. The third is the reserve Tempranillo because it knocked my socks off, but Ill get to that in a minute.
3 Ps is one of those wineries that personifies the vision and character of the people who built it. In this case, the winery owners built a lot of the facility themselves. Brett Priestley, who owns the winery with his wife Rae, is a carpenter, and his signature is all over the log cabin that houses the tasting room. Rae collected the wine corks for the aforementioned tasting counter (she said they almost ran out), which Brett built. His craftsmanship is evident in all the small details, from the distressed staircase to the wall in the bathroom to the repurposed McChairs (called such because the frames are McDonalds chairs!). The tables, in particular, are beautifully crafted. Overall, the atmosphere is homey and inviting a great place to relax and have a glass (or several) of fine wine.
Brett and Rae have obviously invested heart and soul in their winery. They were both there on the day we visited; Brett greeted us immediately and introduced them both by name, which I always appreciate. We sat at that fascinating bar for our tasting, but there were several other groups in the tasting room; Brett and Rae tag-teamed all the groups, which was fun for us because then we got to talk to both of them. Brett told us a fun story about asking his mom to distress the stairs when they were building the tasting room (it opened in summer 2015), and Rae described all the fun research they did when they decided to open their own winery. Raes daughter, Kenzie came up with the name 3 Ps in a Vine, referencing the fact that all three of their last names start with P. We didnt get to meet Kenzie, but Brett and Rae are lovely people who really enjoy meeting people and sharing their wine.
There were eight wines to choose from for the tasting, and we tried all of them. All the grapes are Texas grapes, which is something Brett and Rae feel very strongly about. Because the winery is so young, I admit that I went in with very low expectations in terms of the wine. Ive been to a lot of wineries, and its frequently been my experience that it takes a while to get wine right; often I come away thinking that the wine I tasted was a good try for a new winery, and theyd probably have pretty good wine once they grew up. In this case, though, theres no growing up necessary. Theyre already there.
I was SO impressed. In keeping with the theme of three, Ill mention the three wines I liked best. The Chardonnay was my favorite white, which isnt surprising considering my love of Chardonnay. It has some buttery flavors, but not too much, and its not overly oaky the way some Chardonnays are. I brought some home with the intention of doing a blind tasting with some non-Chardonnay-loving friends to see a) if they like it, and b) if they can tell its Chardonnay! Brett said theyre bottling a second year of Chardonnay and that they tried very hard to replicate the first years vintage, and that they got close.
In terms of reds, I really appreciated the Cabernet Franc, which is a rare find in Texas. Not many Texas wineries seem to work with Cab Franc, which my palate thinks is a shame. We tried two versions, the new and the old; the former is blended with Syrah, the latter with Merlot. Both of us liked new better. It tastes of dark fruit and is a really good drinker.
But wow, was I not prepared for the reserve Tempranillo. I know Tempranillo grows great in Texas, and Ive had quite a lot of it while visiting Texas wineries, but Im going to go out on a limb and say this was the best Tempranillo Ive ever had! It is a very complex wine that drinks more like a Cabernet than a Tempranillo in terms of its big, bold character. The finish is incredibly long. Wow, its good.
Rae asked if the Tempranillo had knocked our socks off. I was wearing flip-flops and it was a good thing because my socks would have been long gone!
I also learned about an event at 3 Ps that I think is a great idea the BYOM event. Thats Bring Your Own Meat. Periodically, 3 Ps hosts a cookout where everyone brings meat to grill; the winery provides potatoes, salad, and all the accoutrements, and, of course, theres wine available to purchase. It sounds like a fantastic time, and I may have to drive back to Athens to check it out.
In general, I have to say WOW, and send all wine lovers within shot of Athens to check 3P’s out. Dont forget your meat!