Austin Winery "Ocho" Blanco 2023

White grapes are hard to come by in the arduous Texas Hill Country environment, so when given the chance to produce this field blend from the reknown Salt Lick restaurant we were absolutely ecstatic. Cane-pruned and planted to tight spacing, this block is set up exclusively for hand tending. You couldn't get a tractor through even if you wanted to.

These three heat-hardy varieties (39% Viognier, 33% Roussanne, 28% Marsanne) performed admirably in what turned out to be the second hottest vintage in Texas history. Despite the torturous heat, the fruit managed to translate that struggle into a beautiful floral-forward, full-bodied white wine that is both a wonderful encapsulation of resiliency in Texas viticulture and a great symbol of our evolution as winemakers. It is both big and fresh. It is both vibrant and opulent. It is a fantastic display of time and place, of climate and cuisine. Cheers to vineyard block number eight, or "OCHO."

Four days skin contact. 340 cases produced.