Pétard (French for firecracker) is an exclamatory expression chanted by many a French taster when delighted by a wine extroadinarily explosive on the palate.  The cépage here is 100% Blanc du Bois from LD3 Ranch Vineyard.

As with the 2004, this wine was fermented on natural yeasts in a 50-gallon, stainless steel barrel.  It cleared up beautifully on its own, so we bottled it straight off the lees without ever having to rack it.  The resulting wine is as interesting as it is refreshingly different.

The multi-layered nose exhibits aromas ranging from melons and pineapples to banana cream pie.  There's a creamy, slightly earthy nuance to it that might remind of a cross between a fine pinot blanc from Alsace and a Rhone-like blend of Marsanne-Rousanne. The overriding, “oily” citrus zest character, however, takes the wine off into another dimension. Imagine the smell of zest from lemons, tangerines and grapefruit, all mixed together.  This citrus character is no doubt owing to the muscat in the parentage of the Blanc du Bois grape.  On the palate, the wine is lush and viscous, yet has a dryness that is welcome in the balance. An intermingling minerality evidences the limestone-laced soil at LD3 Ranch.  That, coupled with a refreshing natural acidity, brings on “Sauvigon Blanc meets Albariño” nuances.  In a nutshell,  close your eyes, open your palate and mind to span parts of the globe with this one.  Then, open your eyes and realize you're back to the region where you began...The Texas Hill Country - The “Provence of Texas.”

In June of 2006, Houston Chronicle food and wine writer Alison Cook wrote:
"Lewis Dickson, a former Houstonian, is making some interesting unfiltered wines on a very limited scale (350 cases a year) from grapes grown at his LD3 Ranch in Startzville, near Canyon Lake and New Braunfels. He also uses grapes grown at the Granite Hill vineyard off the Willow City Loop, north of Fredericksburg.

The Pétard (which is French for firecracker) ... had a decided and welcome edge ... and a fine pop of citrus worthy of its name. I had saved some of the goat cheese from my first course, and the Pétard stood up to it. There was an elegance to this white that impressed me. It would be good with all kinds of Texas seafood, and it neatly handled the tart earthiness of a beet-and-radish salad with scallion and yogurt dressing. The '05 Pétard was a tiny release; here's hoping there will be more to come."

In September of 2006, Austin Chronicle and free lance wine writer Wes Marshall wrote an article in the Dallas Morning News, noting, among other things, some of the "best Texas wines you'll probably never taste." The 2005 Pétard was included in the five that he mentioned:

"Dickson Pétard Blanc ($28 at retail, which is nearly impossible to find, and about $55 in restaurants) – Lewis Dickson takes time out from his law practice to work with one of California's great winemakers, Tony Coturri. This wine – perhaps the greatest blanc de bois ever made in Texas – is really only available at restaurants. Ask for it."

In October, 2006, Mike Lonsford , wine writer for The Houston Chronicle, made a few closing observatons to be drawn from the "Texas Open" wine tasting held in Houston, including this note:

"Each year some new names crop up: Including, this year, Dickson (that's Houston attorney Lewis Dickson III), whose Pétard Blanc (a blanc du bois) is exceptional..."

Suggested presentation:  Sushi, shellfish, especially scallops and oysters, pork, fowl, Asian fare and goat cheese, to suggest a few. We think the wine shows best if served in a relatively smaller, more fluted glass (as opposed to large, bowl-shaped) and only slightly chilled.

The 2005 Pétard Blanc is sold out.  We expect to release the 2006 Pétard Blanc in late Spring, 2007.

La Rosa 2004 | Cohete Rojo 
Cohete Rojo "Prestige" | Estate Syrah | Troubadour