OENOPHILE

By Denman Moody

Perfect Hill Country Wine Days

From Houston, San Antonio or Austin, the perfect wine day begins at 11 am at the Fall Creek Tasting Room in Driftwood, about 25 minutes south of Austin. Fall Creek owners Susan and Ed Auler are the co-pioneers of the modern Texas wine industry. Ed, an Austin attorney, was instrumental in working with the Texas Legislature in forming the laws of the nascent Texas wine industry in the 1970s. Susan was named one of the top 50 wine persons in the world by Wines and Vines magazine. Their early efforts in winemaking and wine marketing put the industry years ahead of where it would be today without them.

A major boost began when the Aulers hired Sergio Cuadra as Director of Winemaking. Sergio has a degree in agronomy engineering and the Chilean title of enólogo. He worked for 10 years in viticulture, winemaking and international wine marketing for Concha y Toro and worked for a year each with iconic winemakers Jacques Lurton from France and Paul Hobbs from Napa Valley.

Evidence of Sergio’s impact include Fall Creek’s 2015 Chardonnay Certenberg Vineyard being named “Best White Wine” of the massive number of white wines entered in the Houston Rodeo International Wine Competition, and The Dallas Morning News named Fall Creek “Best Winery in Texas 2018!”

My favorite Fall Creek wines are: Vintners Select Sauvignon Blanc 2019 at $21; Vintners Select Chardonnay (unoaked) 2018 at $24; Chardonnay Certenberg Vineyard 2017 at $40; Tempranillo Salt Lick Vineyard 2016 at $35; GSM (Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre) 2016 at $40 and the exciting new label ExTERRA Tempranillo 2017 at $100.

Next, pick up a barbeque sandwich to go at The Salt Lick, right across the street from the Fall Creek Tasting Room Tip: Get on the road by 12:45 pm to get

David and Julie Kuhlken.

two more tastings in. First stop at 2 pm is Pedernales Cellars in Stonewall, which is owned by Julie and David Kuhlken. Julie is very understated and very well wineeducated, so try and arrange a tasting with her. I’ve only met David once and very briefly, but he knows his wines also. My favorites from a recent tasting are: Roussanne 2016 at $20; Tempranillo Reserve 2016 at $50 and Kuhlken Vineyards Reserve Tempranillo (Tempranillo, Merlot, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Touriga) 2016 at $70.

Onward westward to Becker Vineyards, about 12 minutes from Pedernales Cellars, between Stonewall and Fredericksburg. Owner, Dr. Richard Becker, has done a phenomenal job over the years, and like the Aulers, hired an experienced and talented winemaker, John Leahy, about six years ago. Evidence of his impact can be seen by four Becker wines achieving double gold medals at an international wine competition – the only winery to do so at that event. Sadly, Bunny Becker, one of the first ladies of Texas wines, recently passed away.

Becker must be the most economically successful winery in Texas. Richard told me that he had over 100,000 visitors last year. When I was there on a Sunday in October, there must have been 400 visitors –and because of the spacious grounds and buildings, it wasn’t crowded! My favorite wines from my October visit are: Viognier Reserve 2017 at $24.95; Jolie Rosé 2017 at $24.95; Carignan Reddy Vineyard 2017 at $32; Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Canada Family Vineyard 2017 at $40 and Malmsey (Madeira-Style, Texas High Plains Viognier) 2015 at $34.95.

Will, Richard and Joe Becker.

There are two other wineries to fit in the next morning/afternoon. The first is Inwood Estates Vineyards, owned by the most interesting character on the Texas wine scene, Dan Gatlin. Dan “marches to the beat of a different drummer” in a good sense, and some of his wines are extremely expensive, but you should be able to arrange a private, or at least a group tasting with him. Visitors will be mesmerized with his presentation. Inwood Estates was named one of the top wineries in America 2017 by The Daily Meal in New York! I liked all the wines he served the day I was there recently.

Finally, Bending Branch Winery in Comfort, owned by Dr. Robert Young, who hails from Kentucky, is about 25 miles south of Fredericksburg and close to Interstate 10. This winery won “Best Texas Winery 2018” at the Houston Ro-

Dr. Robert Young.

deo International Wine Competition. My favorite wines recently tasted there are: Estate Picpoul Blanc Lost Pirogue Vineyard 2018 at $32; Ursa Mencia (a Spanish varietal) Alta Mesa Silvaspoons Vineyards 2017 at $25; Texas Tannat (a French varietal) 2017 at $30; Double Barrel Tannat (finished in Kentucky bourbon barrels) 2017 at $38 and Tannat Texas Hill Country Tallent Vineyards 2016 at $50.

Bending Branch Tannats have been huge winners at the Houston Rodeo International Wine Competition. As an aside, Bending Branch hosts a super-fun Kentucky Derby Day with a leviathan screen for several hundred wine club members every year.

Fredericksburg is the final destination for shopping, good food and sleeping arrangements – easy to find on the internet. While there, try to include The Nimitz Museum, but only if you have at least two hours. I spent three. It is absolutely fascinating and a superb learning experience.

Regarding shopping, one could spend most of a day traversing in and out of the quaint, little shops along the main thoroughfare. The stores are usually open from 10 am to 6 pm, and many other wonderful wineries abound. Just check out Fredericksburg wineries on the internet. I guarantee you will find at least five more wineries that you will want to visit if you google Texas Hill Country wines. Plan for a third full day if possible. The wineries are generally open daily from 10 or 11 to 5 or 6. With regard to all wineries, call ahead, especially with a group of four or more, to check hours, availability and reservations for private tastings.

Perfect Hill Country Wine Days Tour 830.995.2948

Fall Creek Vineyards Driftwood 512.858.4050 Inwood Estates Vineyards 830.997.2304

The Salt Lick 512.858.4959

Pedernales Cellars 830.997.8600

830.644.2037

Becker Vineyards Bending Branch Winery

The Nimitz Museum 830.644.2681

Texas Association of Builders Awards Johnson Development Developer of the Year

Johnson Development was awarded seven trophies in the Texas Association of Builders’ Star Awards – including the coveted Grand Award for Developer of the Year. It is the third consecutive year the Houston-based firm has won Developer of the Year honors, having won the title in 2019 from the Dallas Builders Association and in 2018 from the Greater Houston Builders Association.

“It is gratifying to be named Developer of the Year for the entire state especially as we’ve expanded our holdings into other Texas markets these past few years,” said Larry Johnson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson Development, a company he founded in 1975. “We are honored to be included among so many highly regarded colleagues and to create communities for people who value lifestyle and connection to neighbors and nature.”

Johnson Development has been named Developer of the Year in the 2020 Texas Star Awards by the Texas Association of Builders.

Another Star Award went to Allison Bond, who was named Marketing Professional of the Year for her work at Johnson’s Sienna community located in Missouri City.

Bryson in Leander took home three awards – including Best Overall Community 300 to 599 acres. Earlier this year, Bryson was named Master-Planned Community of the Year by the Austin Business Journal. Bryson also won Star Awards for Best Website and Best Print Ad.

Other Johnson Development Star Awards included Best Sales Brochure for Harvest Green in Richmond and Best Special Event for Trinity Falls near McKinney.

Johnson Development has 17 active communities – 13 in the Houston area, two in Dallas-Fort Worth, one in the Austin area and one in Atlanta. These communities are located on 47,500 acres and have entitlements to build more than 80,000 residential units and 16.7 million square feet of commercial and retail space. Six of these communities are ranked among the nation’s top-selling developments, according to a mid-year report by housing research firm Robert Charles Lesser & Co. (RCLCO). Johnson Development has had more communities ranked among the top-selling than any other developer in the nation since 2014. Visit www.johnsondevelopment.com for more information.

By Steve Kursar

2020 Ford F-250 Super Duty

The 2020 Ford F-250 Super Duty equipped with the OffRoad Tremor Package is a big pickup truck designed to get you into the wildest of wilds and safely back home again. Ford calls their new Tremor the most capable off-road Super Duty ever, with the outstanding towing and payload capability heavy-duty pickup truck owners expect. It balances what customers demand in terms of work with what they need in the great outdoors.

Super Duty pickup trucks are designed from the ground up to handle heavy work loads and to tow big trailers. They’re built to live in the oil fields, on rough construction sites and to haul loads that would break most light-duty pickup trucks. Ford discovered that a growing number of Super Duty customers use their trucks for more than work. They’re fishing, camping and towing boats on weekends, and they go off-road, so they designed a truck specifically for them with more ground clearance, bigger shocks, bigger tires and more off-road capability.

There are two engines offered with the Tremor package and both are paired with a ten-speed automatic transmission. The gasoline engine is a new massive 430 hp, 7.3 liter V8 that puts out 475 ft-lbs of torque. But, if you’re planning on doing a fair amount of towing, the engine to choose is the third generation

475 hp, 6.7 liter Power Stroke turbo diesel. It’s about an $8,000 upgrade from the gasoline engine, but it churns out 1,025 ft-lbs of torque making towing pretty much anything a breeze. The Pro Trailer Backup Assist package will allow you to back up any trailer simply by turning a knob on the dashboard.

Off-road upgrades start with a set of aggressive 35-inchdiameter Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac maximum-traction tires, the largest diameter tires available on a heavy-duty pickup that are mounted on a set of unique 18-inch matte-finished black wheels. These tires, combined with a 2-inch front-end lift and shorter air dam, result in an impressive 10.8 inches of ground clearance, best-in-class water fording of 33 inches, and the best approach and departure angles of any Super Duty ever. The Tremor also gets the Trail Control feature that first appeared on Ford’s Raptor, which functions as cruise control for off-road driving.

If you need a serious work truck for the work week but want to use that pickup truck to get away from it all, a Super Duty with a Tremor Package may be your answer.

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