The Wine Fairy

With its versatility, affinity for oak aging, and heat tolerance in the vineyard, Tempranillo is arguably the signature black grape of Texas. (It’s currently the second-most planted, after Cabernet Sauvignon–and gaining.) Since the first commercial plantings in the early 2000s, Texas winemakers have looked to this variety to craft bold reds with balanced fruit, spice, and earthy complexity.

Red River Wines (Sadler, TX) is all-in on Tempranillo. Located about 70 miles northwest of Dallas, the family-run winery focuses on this heritage Spanish variety above all others. Owners Krista Kramer Hartman and Scott Hartman make Tempranillo inspired by their travels in Spain and firmly rooted in Texas terroir.

In March, we had the chance to taste several of their estate Tempranillos from the 2023 vintage. We pulled down the long, dusty driveway, where Scott was waiting with a chilled bottle of their 2024 Picpoul-based “Vino Blanco” blend.

Scott told us about the purchase of the estate (a former peanut farm) and the extensive land research that was required to get it ready for quality viticulture. There are plans to operate a row of rental cabins and to build a new larger on-site production facility.

But first, the challenge of guiding the vines through the 2026 growing season. Alongside the back patio were rows of fortunate Tempranillo vines–the buds had just narrowly escaped severe damage from an untimely spring freeze.

The hot-natured Tempranillo can suffer in Texas’s freak winter weather. (The Great Texas Freeze of 2021 unfortunately killed some Tempranillo vines in North Texas.) But most of the time, its early budding habits and relatively short ripening cycle are key advantages in dealing with our sweltering, interminable summers.

The Estate and Winery

The Hartman Estate Vineyard includes plantings of several Vitis Vinifera varieties for both production and experimental purposes. The initial test vineyard (of Tempranillo and Merlot) was established in 2016. The Hartmans also source fruit from the Texas High Plains AVA–most notably Roussanne from Oswald Vineyard and Monastrell from Gillmore Brothers Vineyard. Their small-batch wines are a celebration of Spanish and Rhône styles, assembled through careful blending trials and finished with a subtle touch of oak.

After the welcome drink, our small group shuffled inside the “Wine Shack” building to see where the magic happens: In stainless-steel tanks, a small blending lab, and a few made-to-order oak barrels from Krista’s favorite coopers. The sweet, bready scent of fermentation was in the air.

Our group of six took our seats in a cozy tasting room around a rather majestic live-edge wooden table. Hospitality director and wine educator Andy “the Wineaux” Gonzales was on hand for all our nerdiest wine questions. Flamenco guitar played from a television, and the table was set with Spanish-inspired nibbles: Chorizo, Manchego cheese, and a palate-cleansing sprig of parsley.

Inside, we tasted four versions of Red River’s 2023 Estate Tempranillo–the un-oaked “Krista’s Red,” plus three barrel expressions of the 2023 (French, American, and blended oak). Same batch, different barrel treatment–a wine-taster’s dream! We also tried the 2022 Estate Tempranillo and a special-release bourbon barrel-aged Tempranillo from the 2024 vintage.

As with most estate bottlings in the new-ish Texoma AVA, these are very small production batches from limited plantings. (The Hartman Vineyard has around four acres under vine.) Some have sold out, or were made exclusively for educational sessions like this one. Joining the wine club or making a tasting appointment is the best way for Texas wine explorers to get a sip.

The Wines

Before I tell you what I like about these wines, let me first tell you what can go wrong with Texas Tempranillo. To say that it is one of Texas’s best-suited varieties is not to say that it’s always a home run.

Texas Tempranillo can lack fresh fruit, tasting cooked or stewed. It can be too neutral and rustic, like old plums dragged in the dust. It can be picked too early, giving sourness without depth. It can be extracted into a Port-like soup–boozy, raisin-y, and flat. It can be concealed within a nondescript red blend. It can be (and often is) monstrously over-oaked.

But these wines sidestepped all those pitfalls to offer great Tempranillo flavor, Texas style.

Grasping for a comparison, the closest is probably to be found in Spain. (Krista told us that Rioja Crianza is one of her stylistic guides in crafting Red River’s estate Tempranillo.) The wines we tasted were less noticeably oxidative than most oak-aged Rioja, with a softer acid structure due to climate. Earlier picking gives a less heavy, less black-fruited Tempranillo than you might find in Ribera del Duero–and with lower alcohol, too.

But a lot of the hallmarks of Spanish Tempranillo are there: Red and black berries, plums, some dried fig and spice flavors, a hint of vanilla and caramel from the barrels. They also have an appealing earthiness on the palate and a delicate florality that meets your nose before the wine reaches your lips. Both the 2023 and 2024 Tempranillo vintages use a small amount of Graciano (for concentration and structure) and Viura/Macabeo (for lift).

After tasting through the 2023-vintage wines, we tasted a newly bottled specialty from the 2024 vintage: A bourbon-barrel Tempranillo!

Here at The Wine Fairy we love bourbon and we love wine, but we usually prefer them separately. This version–aged just eight months in a specially selected bourbon barrel–was surprisingly light on its feet: Fresh and dried red cherries, cut flowers, and a rye-inflected grassiness. It was miles away from the liquid-fruitcake flavor I usually brace my tongue for when someone says “whiskey barrel red.”

Uh, Oh: A Tasting Test!

Our group was mostly wine pros, so the tasting ended with a blind challenge featuring the 2023 Tempranillos in black wine-glasses. It was hard–a testament to how measured the oak influence is on these wines.

The American oak was easy enough to pick out, with its very classic hints of creamy vanilla-coconut, sawdust, and dill. But the other three wines were harder to spot.

The influence of the French oak was gentler, its vanilla-and-spice aromas perfectly melding with Tempranillo’s orchid-like florals and pepperiness. Krista’s Red is fermented and aged in 100% stainless steel vessels–but its combination of smoothness and spicy varietal character had my oak-o-meter glitching, like “Is this or isn’t it?”

In other words, no bragging rights for me this time—but it was a fantastic exercise.

Wine flights at Texas wineries can feel scattershot at times. Winemakers are often chasing the next breakthrough variety, with lots of purchased fruit and wide-ranging experimental lists. Massive vintage variation makes nuanced comparisons between wines tough, even when tasting from the same sites. It’s neither good nor bad–it’s just the reality of a young, evolving wine region.

But Red River Wines’ commitment to their estate-grown Tempranillo is impressive. And tasting multiple wines from a single vineyard and a single vintage is an opportunity you just don’t encounter very often in Texas. I cherished the chance to sample these artisanal wines from our neighbors to the north, made with contagious optimism and enthusiasm.

I left the Texas Tempranillo Experience feeling that Tempranillo isn’t second to anything. It isn’t “just” a regional specialty that we have to settle for while we wait for someone to figure out how to make a reliably good Texas Cab. It’s a variety that’s distinctive, adaptable, and–in the right hands–absolutely delicious.

Where: Red River Wines and Provisions, 1098 Gilbreath Rd, Sadler, TX 76264

What: Texoma AVA Estate Tempranillo Experience

How much: $75/person (wine club member pricing). Non-member tastings and vineyard tours are available by appointment on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (starting at $25/person).

Further reading:

Texas Wine Lover: Why Tempranillo Found a Second Home in Texas

Wine Enthusiast: In Texoma AVA, a Spirit of Experimentation Drives Growth

Thanks to Krista, Scott, and Andy at Red River Wines for the hospitality, and to Jesse Garrett (@jgdoeswine on Substack) for inviting me!

Wines tasted:

Red River Wines – “Vino Blanco” White Blend (2024) – Texoma AVA, Texas

Red River Wines – “Krista’s Red” Estate Tempranillo (2023) – Hartman Vineyard, Texoma AVA, Texas

Red River Wines – Estate Tempranillo – New French Oak (2023) – Hartman Vineyard, Texoma AVA, Texas

Red River Wines – Estate Tempranillo – New American Oak (2023) – Hartman Vineyard, Texoma AVA, Texas

Red River Wines – Estate Tempranillo – Blended French and American Oak (2023) – Hartman Vineyard, Texoma AVA, Texas

Red River Wines – Estate Tempranillo (2022) – Hartman Vineyard, Texoma AVA, Texas

Red River Wines – “Small-Batch Bourbon Barrel” Estate Tempranillo (2024) – Hartman Vineyard, Texoma AVA, Texas

Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.