Bluff Dale Vineyards Review

Address: 5222 County Road 148 Bluff Dale,Texas 76433.
Phone Number: 254-728-3540
Tasting Hours: Mon, Wed-Sat 11:00-6:00, Sun 12:00-6:00

Region: Texas
Reviewer: Becky Parr
Review Date: 7/10/2016
Reviewer: Becky Parr
Rating: 3

The Review

It seems the owners and operators at Bluff Dale know their audience. Having been around since 2004, they’ve had some time to learn.

Sweet wines are the wines that go over best at Bluff Dale. While we were in the tasting room, several other small groups came through and ordered wine, and every single one of them ordered sweet wines. The Nexus and Paragon have won multiple Tasters’ Choice Awards.

Unfortunately – and if you’ve read any of my reviews thus far, you know this – I’m not a fan of sweet wine. Fortunately, my husband was with me, so he was gracious enough to taste the sweet wines and offer his opinion. (Yeah, I had to twist his arm, haha.)

There are four wines that are described as sweet or off-dry. They were out of the Dulcet; another patron at the tasting bar told us that was one of her favorites. She was drinking the Moscato, a sweet white that my husband said was sweet but not syrupy. The tasting notes describe it as having notes of orange blossom, but he’s a BIG orange fan, and he said he couldn’t taste it.

I did taste the Paragon; it’s described as tasting of crème brulee, but to me it tasted like cotton candy. The Nexus, or sweet red, was even too sweet for my husband.

There are three dry reds; Sangiovese, Syrah, and Merlot. The Sangiovese is on the lighter side and has an earthy, spicy tone to it. I was fairly neutral about it, and about the Syrah and Merlot. I wasn’t sure they would hold up to pasta and red sauce or to steak, as they were advertised.

My favorite, by far, was the Chardonnay. It was a nice respite from the sweets! It’s not oaky, not overly buttery, and is heavy on ripe fruit. That’s what I got a glass of so I could sit and enjoy the view.

The view is the best part of Bluff Dale. It is, indeed, on a bluff, and owners David and Theresa Hayes have situated their tasting room to take full advantage of the panoramic view. They’re located on the edge of the hill country, and if you sit on the expansive patio you can see for miles. That would have been my favorite spot if it weren’t 98 degrees! As it was, we could sit inside by the windows and get almost as good a view. The landscaping adds to the property’s appeal. There’s also a covered pavilion that would be a great location for a small party. I could imagine it lit up at night, with a band playing – in spring or fall, not the dead of summer!

Theresa Hayes waited on us at the tasting counter. She’s sweet, told us a lot about the wines, and seemed to personally know several of the other guests in the winery. We got a laugh when another couple came in and ordered a bottle of Nexus; Theresa got glasses, rang up the sale, uncorked the bottle, chatted with them, and asked them to tell her if they needed anything else – and forgot to hand them the bottle they’d just bought! She rectified that quickly, while we all got a chuckle.

Bottom line: if you like sweet wine, this is the place for you. If you don’t, then this might not be the place for you, unless you’re with a sweet wine drinker and just want to enjoy the view.

Oh – don’t ignore the sign at the bottom of the hill that says there’s better parking if you keep driving up. It’s true – unless you like to climb hills!

Address & Contact Information:
5222 County Road 148
Bluff Dale,
Texas
76433.

Telephone: 254-728-3540,

email: bluffdalevines@aol.com,

website: www.bluffdalevineyards.com.

Tasting Hours: Mon, Wed-Sat 11:00-6:00, Sun 12:00-6:00.

More information about
Bluff Dale Vineyards

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