Pleasant Hill Winery

Pleasant Hill Winery is located in Brenham and is very easy to find off the main road. The winery is in a building resembling a barn at the top of the hill and is owned by Bob and Jeanne Cottle. We first visited Pleasant Hill during the summer.

A tour is available at certain hours which take you to the winery cellar where the wine making process happens. Bob gave us the tour when we took it. Even though we have taken more than one tour and they are very similar, we always learn something different on each tour.

Depending on the time you arrive at the winery, you can do the tasting or the tour first. After our tour, we did our tasting. For a tasting fee, you get to taste four wines. There are special port pairings that are available for an additional cost. Along with the port is a special chocolate that a local chocolatier makes which includes the Pleasant Hill port in the chocolate. The tasting is done while standing at the bar. The wine bottles are corked and the tastings are poured from the bottle. Crackers are available for eating between tastings.

Pleasant Hill Winery has a vineyard in the back of the winery where they get some of their grapes, and they also use grapes come from the Fort Davis and Lubbock area.

Later that fall we were at a wine festival in which Pleasant Hill was present. Bob was the representative for their table and he remembered us from all the visitors who have visited their winery. We thought that was impressive.

The last time we were in the Brenham area, we had to visit Pleasant Hill Winery again. When we arrived, an arts and crafts festival was happening outside the winery. We looked at the booths before we entered the winery.

We did another tasting and this time met Jeanne Cottle who handled the tastings. She said Bob was out in the vineyard doing some pruning. We did not arrive at the right time for a tour so we just did a tasting.

An adjacent room to the tasting bar has tables in addition to a corkscrew collection and winery artifacts. Pleasant Hill was celebrating their 14th anniversary and had a beautiful cake which we would have loved to dig into.

There is a large gift shop at the winery offering wines and souvenirs. A covered patio is available to enjoy drinking a glass of wine.

Upon leaving the winery, we visited one of the arts and crafts booths again which was by the front door. Co-owner Bob was coming up from the cellar fresh from the vineyard, recognized us, and said it was nice to see us again. Gloria was able to convince Bob to let her take a photo of him and Jeanne behind the tasting bar.

A wine club is available and events are always happening at the winery. Pleasant Hill Winery is on the Bluebonnet Wine Trail.