Just off Texas Highway 290, a long driveway curves off the highway and climbs gently up to a limestone plateau. Vineyards spread out to the east towards Johnson City, a small town best known as the boyhood home of President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Arid plants and clusters of old live oaks dot the property, and a sleek modern winery sits at the apex of a gravel drive. We’re at Siboney Cellars, one of the stars of the emerging Texas Hill Country wine destination known as Wine Road 290.
Inside the lofty chic tasting room, we took a seat at a marble high-top decorated with a cheery vase of flowers. The floor-to-ceiling windows offer expansive views of Siboney’s estate vineyard and surrounding hills. A barrel room sits behind the bar, and the members-only Libre Loft and sun terrace is perched at the top of the building.
Our wine guide, Scott, arrived to walk us through the tasting experience. Sarah and I opted for the Classic Tasting ($30) of five pre-selected wines.
If you have a little more time (and have made a reservation in advance), the winery also offers a “Best of Siboney” Premium Tour for $75/person. This option includes vineyard and behind-the-scenes tours as well as Siboney’s popular Culinary Board to nibble on.
The tasting was a leisurely, friendly half-hour spanning multiple styles of Texas wine. The wines were delicious, the service attentive, the views superb.
Lush vineyards met the blue horizon. A tethered kite soared hypnotically over the rows, startling the birds with its uncanny hawk-like dives. Wine-and-cheese chatter echoed softly in the background. In between pours, our host regaled us with tales of the winery’s founding and recent projects.
Siboney Winery started making wine in 2018, and the tasting room opened in 2021. The winery is the passion project of Miguel and Barbara Lecuona, backed by their investment partners. Miguel named the winery for “Siboney,” a classic Cuban song with which he has a family connection.
Touches of Cuban heritage are everywhere you look: Cuban music plays gently from the speakers. There’s a cigar subscription club and a humidor stocked with single cigars for purchase. If you time your visit right, you can enjoy Latin-American culinary delights including Cubano sandwiches, empanadas, and even the occasional lechón pig roast (check the events page for current details).
These wines, however, are 100% Texan. Many of the grapes are sourced from the Texas High Plains AVA, including the prestigious Lahey Vineyard and Bingham Vineyard. A small estate vineyard uses sustainable irrigation practices including well water and rainwater capture.
Settling into our seats, we dug into the five wines of the day. First up on the tasting menu was the 2023 Hot Shot White ($39).
My local wine friends know that I am a vocal skeptic of Rhône whites in Texas. Everyone is making them, and many are…not good. I want to accept the style–we need a white wine that’s food-friendly and climate-adaptive–but too often I find them watery and limp, with off-tasting musky aromas.
This was the wine to knock me off of that particular soapbox. Hot Shot is a skillful blend of Marsanne, Roussane, Viognier, and Picpoul Blanc aged in 90% used French oak. Opening with fragrant florals and white peaches, the mid-plate is creamy with a hint of nuttiness. It finishes bright with solid acidity and flavors of lime zest, fresh grass, and chamomile. I would put this on the table with fish, poultry, or summer salads–it really does stand up as Texas’s answer to the white table wines of southern Burgundy.
Next we tried 2022 Coral Rosé, a novel barrel-aged rosé of Malbec (55%) and Sangiovese (42%). Intense pink in color, it bursts with raspberry, cherry jam, and blueberry-lemonade flavors–along with some restrained oxidation that adds interest to the fruit. Sangiovese-based, saignée-method rosés are quite common in Texas. But this was the first time I’d tasted a Sangio rosé with Malbec in the mix, and I enjoyed the color and body it contributes. Aged 7 months in neutral French oak.
My favorite among the reds I tasted was the Trio Rosso Italian red blend. It features Sangiovese (50%), Aglianico (25%) and Montepulciano (25%) assembled from Texas vineyards and aged for 32 months in French oak. Brick-red and tending pale, it has loads of character. Aromas of dried cherry and herbs on the nose, including sage, oregano, and lavender. It’s medium-bodied and very dry and the palate, with tart and savory blood orange and grapefruit. The lightly herbaceous finish has a hint of watermelon rind. Perhaps too slight for steak and BBQ, this distinctive blend would be a lovely accompaniment to salumi and aged cheeses.
A Peaceful Spot – An Exciting Future
Just far enough from the hustle of Fredericksburg’s winery scene, Wine Road 290 has become my go-to recommendation for wine lovers who favor a chiller vibe. (Views for miles, and no party limos or wine-a-ritas in sight!) Siboney’s hilltop tasting room is an idyllic place to raise a glass with friends and take in the beauty of the surrounding countryside.
Peering through those panes of glass you can spy Siboney’s 3.68 acres of Merlot vines, which were just beginning to ripen on the day we visited in late June 2025. As I write this, those grapes are in the crusher and Siboney’s first estate wine is in the works. (“Just You Wait!” is something of an unofficial motto at Siboney, endlessly repeated in their news dispatches and social media.)
And they’re off to a great start. For a winery that’s been around for less than a decade, Siboney is quickly becoming known for its ambitious winemaking and warm hospitality. We’re excited to see what’s next at Siboney–and like well-aged wine, we’re sure it will be worth the wait.
Where: Siboney Cellars, 3427 US-290, Johnson City, TX 78636 (open daily except for Tuesday and Wednesday)
Good to know: Siboney Cellars is kid-friendly. Well-behaved, leashed pets are allowed in outdoor seating areas. Walk-ins are welcome for the Classic Tasting. Reservations are required for the Premium Tour and recommended for groups of 7 or more.
How much: Tasting fee is $30, waived with the purchase of 4 bottles. Wines by the glass are $12-$18. Wines by the bottle are $30-$75. A premium tour/tasting (booked in advance) is $75/person.
Further reading:
Siboney Cellars: Only the Beginning! New Vines Lead to Estate Wines
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this post. (I accepted an industry comp of my tasting fee and my partner’s, but it did not affect my review.) Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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