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McReynolds Wines Review

McReynolds Wines Review

Address: 706 Shovel Mtn. Rd. Round Mountain,Texas 78663.
Phone Number: 830-825-3544
Tasting Hours: Fri-Sat 10:00-6:00, Sun 12:00-6:00 and by appt.

Region: Texas Hill Country AVA, Texas
Reviewer: Becky Parr
Review Date: 9/6/2013
Reviewer: Becky Parr
Rating: 2

The Review

As we drove up to McReynolds’ tasting room, the gravel crunched under our tires and we heard a dog begin to bark. As we got out of the car and admired the log cabin that houses the tasting room, an older lady came out of an adjacent building and hailed us. She was wearing a baseball cap that said “Wineaux,” which made me laugh – because that’s the word I use to describe myself, a wino with a little bit of sophistication (the –eaux). So I was prepared for a good experience.

The Place: &nbspAs I mentioned, McReynolds’ tasting room is a replica log cabin, constructed of white cedar logs brought in all the way from Maine. It’s a fun idea for a tasting room, and there’s plenty of kitschy décor inside. I wandered around the well-stocked gift shop – they have lots of wine-themed T-shirts – and discovered a rather unique square piano hiding in the corner.

The People: &nbspWe were greeted by one of the winery’s owners, Maureen. She’s from Washington state, and she and her husband Gerald became interested in wine when they were employed as researchers at Stanford University. Lots of brainpower here! Maureen is a lovely person, thrilled to talk about the wine and the winery, and the epitome of hospitality. She also has good taste in Wineaux baseball caps. I wish we could have met the dog and the three winery cats, but sadly they were not in attendance.

The Wine: &nbspUnfortunately, the wine didn’t live up to the charm of the place and its hostess. I dreaded writing this review, considering that I have to give my honest assessment of the wine. First we tasted one white, a Sauvignon Blanc, which I noted as “unremarkable.” Then there were three reds: A Merlot, which in fact was about one-quarter Sangiovese; a Syrah; and a blend that included Ruby Cabernet, Syrah, and Sangiovese. I must be honest – at the initial taste, I wondered if the wine had been sitting too long in an opened bottle and had gone bad. But then all three of the reds tasted similar. I found them vinegary, but I didn’t want to be a rude patron and say anything in front of Maureen! She offered us chocolate with the Merlot, so fortunately I was able to make a general comment about wine going well with dark chocolate. The chocolate was the best-tasting thing there.

We wondered if we had just gotten a bad batch of wine and mentioned the experience to an employee of another winery we visited later in the day. Her response was that many people had come in and said the same thing about McReynolds. She’d met Maureen and Gerald, and said they seem to just make what they like, and indicated they’re even aware most people don’t find it palatable. Which, I guess, indicates a certain amount of guts and freedom to do what you want in your retirement.

The Experience: &nbspWell, I bought a T-shirt at McReynolds with the word “Wineaux” on it. That was unfortunately the highlight of the experience – there IS a really good T-shirt selection.

I hate to steer anyone away from Maureen, since she was so lovely, but the quality of McReynolds’ wines is significantly lower than what can be found at most other Texas wineries.