To be or Tannat to be? That is the question. No, that’s not a typo. Tannat is a red wine grape normally found in the Basque-influenced regions of France near the Pyrenees that is noted for its very high tannin levels and raspberry fruit. And as to the question as whether or not it should be in Texas, the answer is absolutely. At least that’s what Bending Branch Winery in Comfort, Texas has proclaimed in its short couple of years of existence. Bending Branch Winery has turned the heads of quite a few wine writers, sommeliers and enthusiasts despite its small production, winery-only distribution and location far from the highly trafficked Johnson City to Fredericksburg Highway 290 Wine Trail.

This month, I partnered with Gabriel Howe for the Texas Wine of the Month selection and it was no surprise to hear that his top choice for the Texas winery to spotlight was Bending Branch. Howe is a certified sommelier through the Court of Master Sommeliers who has been at San Antonio’s Il Sogno Osteria for the past two years. Il Sogno is one of celebrated chef/restaurateur’s Andrew Weissman‘s Italian-driven concepts located at the Pearl Brewery. (You may have heard of him, he’s the culinary master who garnered national attention for San Antonio, if not all of Texas, for his stellar Riverwalk restaurant Le Reve. His following restaurants the Sandbar and Il Sogno have been instant successes.) Weissman tapped Howe as head of his wine program when Il Sogno opened and it’s one of the best decisions he’s ever made. Howe’s dialed in palate along with his knack for sniffing out great wines for a good value have made Il Sogno’s wine list as coveted as the dining menu.

“Gabe found a Chianti for our list that’s one of the best I’ve ever had and it’s only $25! I don’t know where he finds this stuff, but he has a real talent,” says Weissman.

John Rivenburgh and Dr. Robert Young

And when it comes to Texas wine, Howe’s attention turned to this fairly new winery just outside of San Antonio. Though still small in Texas wine production, Howe immediately honed in on the winemaking skills of owners Dr. Robert Young and John Rivenburgh and their intent to cultivate two particular French grapes that no one else in Texas has experimented with, the Tannat and the Picpoul, which is a white grape known as the French dry and citrusy “lip stinger.”

Howe narrowed in on the Bending Branch Texas Tannat as a wine to watch for Texas. “It’s a medium bodied red wine with firm tannin structure and gorgeous violet purple color. This wine brings back memories of the Texas dewberries from my childhood,” says Howe. “In addition, there is a definite raisin, as well as blackberry character.  Notes of cedar are apparent.  This would be an ideal wine to enjoy with a Texas smoked brisket.”

Because of the grape’s Southern French origins, Howe things that “the warm climate of Texas should prove to be a suitable match for this grape, and I personally look forward to tasting wines made from Tannat as the vines become more mature.”

The Bending Branch Tannat is indeed a big Texas wine with juicy black fruit and considerable tannin structure. It has a decent level of acidity, which makes it a great food wine for, as Howe suggests, barbecue or even braised meats.

A word on Bending Branch… Though the young winery has 14 acres of vineyards planted—with plans to expand significantly in coming years, much of the winery’s grape inventory comes from the Texas High Plains as well as highly reputable vineyards in Paso Robles, California. While some Texas wine enthusiasts might take issue with a Texas Winery making California wine, it’s important to note that the winery has designed two completely different labels for its wines to distinguish their Texas wines from their California wines. (No need to search for that pesky “For Sale in Texas Only” script on the back of the label.)

But even though the winery intends to grow its Texas production of Tannat, Picpoul and whatever else might suit their fancy, they’re not shy or ashamed of the California wines they’re making.

“We take pride in the fruit that we work with, and with the relationships that we continue to develop to maintain wine that best fits our own ethos and quality expectations as growers,” says Bending Branch Director of Marketing Jennifer Beckmann. “When in California we take great measures to ensure that the fruit is treated with the same care as it would receive on our own property. Our goal is simply to produce the best quality wines, using the best quality fruit available to us. We work closely with Newsom and Reddy Vineyards to source the best fruit available in Texas, and to plant and cultivate custom vineyards under their care.”

But, as Beckmann and many other winegrowers/makers in the state will tell you, “there simply is not enough exceptional quality fruit to support the quickly growing list of wineries in the state. The ratio of Texas-grown wines to California-grown is rapidly increasing and the scales are to be in favor of Texas very soon.”

Sadly, at the publishing of this post, the Texas Tannat is sold out. But in just a few short months, Bending Branch will release its next vintage  in April with four other Texas-grown releases to follow this year.

We encourage you to give the new vintage a try, but in the mean time, you can’t go wrong with their California Tannat or Picpoul blanc. And as the next couple of year progress, take Howe’s example and keep Bending Branch Winery on your radar as one of the Texas wineries to watch.

Winery: Bending Branch Winery

Availability: Sold out until April 2012

Price: $26

- Jessica Dupuy