ABOUT OUR WINES
Though still very small by commercial standards, our production increased to about 350 cases with the 2004 vintage. We have no intentions of significantly increasing that production, if at all.
Two different label formats are used, "La Cruz de Comal" and "Dickson". Neither is "secondary" to the other. Wines bottled under the "Dickson" label are either made predominantly from grapes grown at our estate LD3 Ranch Vineyard or considered a "reserve" wine, either because of the particular lot and/or use of all new French oak. Everything else is bottled under the "La Cruz de Comal" label.
As previously mentioned, we never filter our wines and seldom ever fine them. Though the wines are clear, they more than likely will have some sediment, even when young. Not surprisingly, if shaken up or disturbed appreciably, the wine will not appear quite as clear as it did when undisturbed. Simply stand the bottle upright for a day or so to allow the sediment to drop to the bottom. Then, decant it or pour it carefully so as not to disturb the sediment. When decanting, the wine can be served from the decanter or, the bottle can be quickly rinsed out and the wine carefully poured back in. Wanting to see the bottle packaging at the table is understandable. Either way, a bit of sediment to deal with is a desirable, small price to pay for a wine that has not had its body and soul eviscerated by filtration.
Our wines are natural wines. While they have sufficient means of self preservation, care must be taken in their handling and storage. We bottle by hand at "cellar temperature" (around 56-58F). We strongly urge storage at the same "cellar temperature". Otherwise, the wine will not hold up, age and evolve in line with its potential. If stored at higher temperatures, it could expand in the bottle and even "bleed" slightly. We try to give our bottles a good fill (more wine, less oxygen and it looks better). The wine may still be good, but the bottle could suffer asthetically. Point: We do not "build" our wines with the idea that they will be subjected to comsumer abuse in their handling and storage.
In the December, 2006 issue of "Glossy" magazine (a monthly insert in the Austin American-Statesman newspaper), considering two of our wines to be among the top five "high end" wines coming out of the Texas Hill Country, wine and food writer Dale Rice wrote:
"Restaurateurs and wine buyers alike are wildly enthusiastic about the products from La Cruz de Comal, Lewis Dickson's vineyard near Canyon Lake.
'He makes some spectacular wines,' says Al Gilhousen of Wiggy's. Dickson works with California winemaker Tony Coturri, who Gilhousen says is famous for making over-the-top wines. However, working with Dickson, Coturri's hand is less obtrusive.
'These are quite restrained and elegant,' Gilhousen says.
"The 2004 Dickson Troubadour, a delicious blend of two-thirds merlot and one-third malbec, was a small production — 118 cases. The equally small production 2004 La Cruz de Comal Cohete Rojo, Spanish for "red rocket," is a blend of five varietals: merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, tannat and alicante bouchet. It tastes similar to a wine from the Southern Rhone or Provençe," Gilhousen says.
Recently, we were invited to show two of our wines at the prestigious James Beard House (Foundation) in New York City at a "Texas Modern" dinner to be held on March 26, 2007. Specifically, the Dickson 2005 La Rosa and the La Cruz de Comal 2004 Cohete Rojo will be artfully paired with two courses prepared by Mark Schmidt, owner/chef of Cafe 909 in Marble Falls, Texas. To see the full lineup and menu for the event, click here: Texas Modern Dinner
In 2004, we made six different wines, all of which are listed below (click on each for more details).2004 Vintage
